Page 40 of The Road to You
“Hold on tight, Hollywood,” I say.
She doesn’t hesitate. Her arms wrap around me, her hands splaying across my stomach, and it’s enough for everything to shift. I feel her heartbeat against my back. The way she fits against me, like she’smeantto be there. I swallow hard, then rev the engine.
“Ready?”
She exhales, laughing softly. “Not even a little.”
I grin. “Too bad.”
And with that, we take off, winding through the sunlit cliffs of Positano, her laughter mixing with the breeze. And for the first time in a long, long time, I don’t think about the past. I don’t think about what’s coming next.
I just think abouther.
The engine humsbeneath us as the boat cuts through the impossibly blue waters of the Amalfi Coast. The sun is high, its golden reflection shimmering over the gentle waves, and the scent of salt and citrus lingers in the air. Lena leans against the railing, her hair whipping in the wind, looking every bit like the Hollywood star she is. She is untamed, radiant, and completely captivating.
“You’re staring,” she says without turning around, with a knowing smirk tugging at her lips.
I don’t even bother denying it. “I am.”
She tilts her head, glancing at me over her shoulder. She studies me for a long moment, biting her lower lip like shealways does when she is thinking about something, and that drives me crazy.
“Something on my face?”
I slowly scoop closer, resting an arm beside her on the railing. “Just the sun,” I murmur. “And maybe a beautiful smile.”
She huffs out a laugh. “Smooth, Moretti.”
“Always.”
The captain, Matteo, clears his throat behind us, clearly amused. “We’re almost atLi Galli. You two planning on staying dry, or are you actually getting in the water?”
Lena turns fully to face me, arching a brow. “Depends. Are you scared of the sirens,professore?”
I love it when she calls me teacher. She teases me about my passion for historical facts, but I know that she likes it when I go on one of my rants. She is a curious person and she asks a lot of questions.
I smirk. “Scared?Tesoro, I grew up on these myths.” I gesture toward the rocky islets in the distance, their rugged beauty rising from the sea like something out of a mythology book. “Li Galli. According to legend, this is where the sirens lived, luring sailors to their doom.”
She presses a hand to her chest in mock horror. “Doom, you say? And yet, we willingly came here?”
“Reckless of us,” I agree.
She grins, stepping closer, her voice teasing. “So tell me, history geek, if you hear them, will you tie yourself to the mast like Odysseus? Or will you give in?”
I pretend to think it over, then lean in slightly, letting my lips hover near her ear. “You’re the only siren I’d listen to.”
Her breath hitches. I pull back just enough to see the way her lips part, the way her pulse flutters at the base of her throat. The temptation to kiss that skin is way too strong right now. Sheis the siren that captured me, and honestly, I don’t want to be rescued.
Matteo, clearly enjoying himself, claps his hands. “Well, if we’re all done flirting, let’s get you in the water before the sirens steal your soul.”
Lena clears her throat, scooping back. “Right. Swimming. Yes.”
I chuckle, peeling off my shirt as she turns toward the water. She sneaks a glance at me, her eyes lingering on my chest before she looks away too quickly, pretending not to notice.
Amused, I watch as she strips down to her swimsuit, black, simple, but somehow more alluring than anything overly elaborate.
She catches me staring this time and smirks. “Something wrong?”
I shake my head. “No, just debating if I should warn the sirens about you.”
