Page 39 of Duty and Desire

This wasn’t like me. I was used to keeping my distance from people, maintaining control, never letting anyone get too close. But Nick was different. He was open—to a certain point—kind, and for some reason, I didn’t want to shut him out.

I took a step toward him, and it seemed—to me at least—that the air between us grew thick, laced with a quiet tension.

Nick didn’t budge, and I took that as a sign.

The voice inside my head was urging me to take a chance. I was close enough to feel his warmth, to hear each shallow breath, to see his lips tremble as he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came.

I knew then what caused my chest to tighten.

It was longing.

There was a part of me that didn’t want to pull away, that didn’t want to shut this out, even as the walls I’d spent years building around myself seemed to shudder all the way to their foundations. The silence that had fallen stretched out into long seconds, growing heavy, full of possibility.

Then Nick moved, close enough that his knee brushed mine. It was a whisper-soft touch, but it sent a shock of warmth through me. Imet his gaze. Nick’s eyes were wide, searching, unsure, and in a rush I knew they mirrored my own hesitation, my uncertainty.

I licked my lips. Nick leaned in, slow and careful, and my heart skipped a beat. I remained still, frozen in time, caught in the tug of something that both terrified and fascinated me, and our lips finally met.

It was sweet, tentative, as if we were both testing the waters. Nick’s lips were warm, a little unsure, but gentle, bearing a trace of mango and cookie. My breath caught in my throat, my body tense, my hands restless at his sides. The sensation was strange—something new, something raw. There was no rush, no force in it. Just the soft brush of lips, the shared closeness that felt as fragile as glass.

A kiss I didn’t want to break.

Nick

My pulse raced as Gio deepened the kiss just a fraction, my mind reeling with the softness, the intimacy of it. I kept my hands still, but I could feel his warmth. I was aware of the faint scent of him, a comforting blend of sunscreen and the smell of sun-warmed skin.

I wanted this.A connection that felt both electric and soothing all at the same time. Blood thundered in my ears. My heart pounded, my hands were clammy. I’d been kissed before, but not many times, and never in a way that felt as deep as this moment, as important as this, as if I were poised at the edge of something unknown. My breathing quickened as I waited to see where this led.

Gio’s kiss was unraveling me, until it was all I knew.

Then he pulled back, breaking the intimate connection, and the silence lingering between us had weight. I didn’t know whether to say something, or let it be. What comforted me was the lack of pressure. For a few long seconds, neither of us moved, Gio apparently caught up in the stillness of what we’d shared just as I was.

He gazed at me, his lips parted, and my heart raced.

Don’t break this moment with words.Whatever we’d shared had been something delicate, something real, and it could shatter so easily.

When he spoke, relief pulsed through me.

“Seven o’clock tomorrow.”

I managed a smile. “Only if you remember to tell me how to get there.” I wanted to kiss him again, to renew our connection, but reality bit hard. We were standing under a palm tree, with tourists milling around us.

There were better locations, better times.

And Gio’s place sounded like the perfect location.

Gio chuckled. “I’ll send it as soon as I get home.” Those warm eyes focused on me. “Have fun tonight.”

I nodded, then watched as he climbed onto his bike and headed toward the road. I was still giddy from the kiss, still warm inside.

I think I might have more fun tomorrow night.

Chapter Thirteen

April 12

Nick

Gio opened the door and I held out the bottle of wine. “You didn’t say what was on the menu, so I took the easy way out and went with rosé.”

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