“Woah,” I said, holding one hand out to fan myself. It was dizzying how gorgeous he was. His tan had deepened, making his blue eyes shine like colored lights from his chiseled face. His smile was a mood lifter at most times. I paused, trying toremember the few times I hadn’t seen it, but there were only a few—not when he looked at me.

“So, Rocco, what was your favorite time on your honeymoon?”

“Giving you a bath, tying you down, and fucking you every chance I got.”

My face warmed. “Rocco,” I sang out.

“You asked, I answered.”

“Fair enough. Anything else you’d like to add this morning?”

“I want to kiss you.”

“You say that every day.”

“I do it every day. But honestly, I want you.”

He moved behind me, kissing my neck as I filmed us. My head turned to kiss his face.

“That’s enough filming,” he whispered. I put the camera down, and we stared at each other for what could have been minutes. My heart swelled in my throat.

Rocco’s hands never stayed off me for long. He put the camera further away then caressed my breasts and down between my legs with kisses on my face and shoulders. I got lost in the feel of him, kissing him back and undulating to his touches, my legs gaping for him to touch more. His touches still brought electric currents to my skin; his closeness rushed my pulse.

“Mmm, honeymoon, Adelina is my favorite, Adelina,” he teased between kisses.

“She disappears at the end of the trip.”

He tickled my sides. “Like hell she does.”

I burst into laughter and kisses. We lay on our backs and caught our breaths. Rocco wanted more of our trip captured on film, so we climbed the stairs and put on the covered sandals we left at the bottom.

“One sec,” he said, taking out his phone and sending a text. A few minutes later, Henry, our guide for the island, appeared. We greeted him, and he took Rocco’s camera to film our last hike on the island.

We walked until we reached the shoreline, where the waves crashed hard on the beach. We removed our shoes to jog along the sand, splashing in the surf. Next, I climbed on Rocco’s back, and he carried me to the water’s edge.

“Don’t drop me,” I yelled, then laughed when he pretended to do it.

“One of these days, it’s going to be calm enough to swim,” I said once back on my feet.

Of course, I knew we were leaving.

“Hey,” Rocco took my hand. “You stopped smiling.”

I pushed my hair back from my face, my brows knitted. “I’m worried about my art samples. I don’t know if they’re good enough.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “No such thing.”

I scrunched up my face. “What world are you living in? Of course, there is.”

“It starts with you, Adelina. You have to believe it. If Lily doesn’t feel you’re a fit, someone else will. That’s it. Okay?”

I lowered my head. “I just…want this so much.”

He hugged my shoulder. “Great. That’s the best part of it.”

“What do you mean?” I was curious.

“I mean the burst of excitement at the start. My gut shows me a vision of what a film could be. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not fully, but there’s not one project I regret trying.”