Page 56 of Crossing the Line
Playing with Fire
Paisley Grove
Hercules has never looked so delectable. He's wearing athletic pants—the kind with a white stripe sewn on along each leg—and a brilliant-white V-neck T-shirt. The supple material clings to his powerful chest like a sensual kiss. And I just caught my first whiff of his cologne—an ambrosia of citrus, mint, and black licorice.Delicious.
“Hi,” I say, feeling out of breath. I’m both surprised to see him and happy to be looking into his bright and smoldering eyes.
He’s flashing me his winning smile. “Hey.”
“How did you know I was here?”
“Mason.”
I tilt my head back as if to say, “Ah.” That’s right—he’s Mason’s best friend.
Hercules rubs his palms together. “I would love to come in and take a look around. But we don’t have time.” He checks his watch.
Shimmers of excitement ripple across my face. “Why don’t we have time?”
He winks. “I can’t tell you. I have to show you.”
* * *
Several hours later,Hercules and I are lounging on chaises, basking in the rays of a subdued afternoon sun, and sipping champagne. After we left my place together, which was a risky move on Hercules’s part, he drove us to the building where we’d caught our first helicopter flight two nights earlier. We were flown to a super yacht anchored somewhere in the Hudson River. Hercules then showed me to a dressing room, where I had my pick of a collection of never-worn bathing suits.
I chose a red one-piece instead of a bikini. I figured that would send a message that I wasn’t trying to arouse him, even though if I was being completely honest with myself, I would have to admit I wanted to arouse him.
When I met Hercules on the top deck by the swimming pool, he froze. The way he looked at me made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. We stood locked in an intense stare before Hercules cleared his throat and said he was going to check on lunch.
As we ate, we talked about that New Year’s Eve years ago. But though the conversation was about us, Eden and Nero were at the top of the discussion. Hercules recounted the same story that Eden had told me—the two of them went swimming in his uncle’s heated pond, and then they talked until morning.
He asked if I minded passing Eden’s number to him so his cousin could have it. Apparently, he’d used the possibility of getting the number to make Nero go easy on me last Thursday. Finding that funny, I laughed and then messaged him Eden’s number.
After finishing our filet mignon and lobster, we swam. Now we’re drying off, catching up on the last seven years of our lives. I tell him more about my days spent on the wildlife preserve with my grandmother. I share stories about my favorite animals and how I made friends with a family of wild dogs and hyenas. Hercules is totally engrossed in whatever I have to say. He laughs on cue, especially when I tell him how a baby elephant fell in love with me, and his mother had to continually save me from his affection.
“Animals are just as smart as we are,” I say. “What about you? How did your life progress after I gave you my virginity?”
Hercules laughs, and his eyes gleam. I think he likes that he was my first just as much as I like it. Then he tells me that after finishing his undergrad studies, he took two more years to complete an MBA. After that, he needed a break, so he traveled for a year, starting in Tokyo then traveling across Asia and parts of North Africa.
“I’d already traveled through Europe ad nauseam. My mother considered it a badge of honor to send us to Europe every summer.”
He visited holy sites, made friends, and sat down for dinner with families he’d just met. He hiked a lot, swam in the ocean, and attended festivals.
“What about girls? Did you fall in love?” My heart sinks a bit. I don’t even know the answer, and I’m already jealous.
An easy smile spreads across his supple lips as his eyes dance around my face. “No, PG.” Then his eyebrows shoot up. “Actually, there weren’t a lot of single girls my age in those countries. At least, I had no access to them. But I wasn’t looking to get my cock wet. I wanted to learn more about people other than those I already knew.”
We’re smiling at each other for no reason other than that perhaps we’re falling in love. And I don’t want to think about the danger in that—not right now. Then he invites me into the hot tub, which has been brewing for us, and I say yes.
Once we’re surrounded by the bubbling water, Hercules says, “Thank you for spending this day with me, PG.”
“Thank you for planning it and inviting me.”
He shakes his head gently. “You don’t ever have to thank me for anything I do for you, PG. It’s my pleasure.”
We’re doing it again—staring at each other, saying “I love you” with our eyes. I break eye contact first to gaze at the crackling bubbles the jets are kicking up. Then I remember something I meant to ask him about.
I look up. He’s still gazing at me. “Did you know that Mason passed out on Friday evening?”
