Page 26 of Capri

“I love you, Cols,” I say, bringing her in for a hug. “I’ll be careful. And if for some reason I need saving, I promise to tell you, okay?”

She nods. “I can’t believe this is our life right now.”

“It feels surreal, right?”

“Feels like a dream,” Collie whispers. “Luca is cute.”

I jerk my head toward her. “Luca? I thought you were into Romeo?”

She laughs. “No. Not my type.”

I giggle. “He’s exactly your type, Collie.”

“Maybe,” she says. “Maybe that’s the problem.”

Collie is wild at heart. Her lack of settling has led to many open-ended relationships that have never moved past the bedroom. I want more for her than that.

But she has to figure it out for herself.

Before I can respond, Romeo and Luca run toward us, Romeo grabbing Collie and Luca grabbing me, throwing us over their shoulders and charging into the clear blue water.

We submerge into ice-cold bliss. The water is so clear I can see stingrays and jellyfish swarming the abyss. Colorful fish lap around our feet—it’s breathtaking.

Jolting across the water’s surface, my eyes search for Jones, having still been on the yacht while we were kidnapped. I find him large and in charge, standing on the boat’s bow, arms crossed, with a big smile on his face and staring right at me.

“Come on, Captain. The waters nice,” I say, splashing in his direction.

My eyes trace over his massive frame. Jones is tall and made of stone. You’d never guess his age by the looks of him. The ridges of abs on his stomach are cut to perfection, leading to the deepest V below his board shorts, the perfect contrast against his tan skin. A small dusting of dark hair on his chest shows he’s seasoned and mature.

But it’s his wide smile that causes my girly parts to skyrocket. It’s a smile you feel bone deep. Beneath the masses of other feelings, his smile infiltrates the joyful feelings.

It makes me want to smile more—to bury myself in his optimism.

It’s contagious.

“Be careful what you ask for,” Jones chuckles before sprinting into the water.

“Less bark, more bite,” I call at the sound of his cannonball.

Strong arms find me underwater and pull me into him sweetly. “I’ll show you bite.”

Favorite things can be temporary, no matter which way we get them. In this case, I’ll take happiness however it comes.

And I now have a new favorite thing.

The jury is still out on if it’s a place…or a person.

8

JONES

“That glow isunlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Capri tells her sister as we climb the stairs toward the island side of the Grottos. “I could live here, Cols.”

Please do.

After spending a few hours in the Grottos, we decided to search for something to do on land. Watching Capri and Collie experience the Grottos for the first time was something I’ll never forget.

There are things in life we’ll never get to have a ‘first time’ at again, making this really fucking special.

---