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“Thanks,” she said as we left the small shop. “You know, I had you pegged completely wrong that first day.” As we strolled the cobblestone streets, she continued. “I thought you were a cocky son of a bitch.”
“You don’t think so anymore?” I teased.
“Jury’s out.”
“Hmmm. I see.”
It went much the same for the rest of the day. Between gelato and shopping, Natalie helping me pick out souvenirs for my mom and nieces; we acted very much like a couple. With one glaring exception.
Knowing she’d be leaving to get ready soon, I nodded toward an alleyway that I’d discovered yesterday when finding my bearings. It led, as many paths did here, to the back of a line of buildings that overlooked the sea. We walked toward the railing, and Natalie’s expression as she looked out to the clear blue-green water was one I’d never forget. The woman truly did love nature, and I’d somehow never appreciated how much until that very moment.
There were a few other tourists milling around, but I didn’t care. I’d been wanting to touch her all day, but holding her hand hadn’t felt right. We weren’t a couple. But that didn’t mean my desire to be closer to her was one I felt like ignoring any longer.
Moving next to her, I put my hand on Natalie’s waist.
Peeling her eyes away from the sea, she watched as my head leaned toward her. When our lips touched, it was as different from last night’s kiss as possible. This one was slow and sensual, our tongues touching but not demanding.
It was the most dangerous sort of kiss.
Drunk on the Sicilian sea and Natalie’s lips, I knew this was a kiss that hinted at more than just a romp in the sack. Or, as Natalie put it, fucking each other’s brains out.
“You’re laughing,” she accused, breaking the kiss.
“Maybe a little,” I admitted. My hand remained where it was, on her waist. I had no desire to move it.
“Mind telling me what’s so funny?” she teased.
“I was just thinking of the very articulate way you asked me to take you to your bed last night.”
Her smile widened. “Articulate. That’s me.”
“There’s a wild side to Miss Sunshine that I wouldn’t have guessed at first, isn’t there?”
“Maybe.”
Natalie turned toward me so my hand now sat on her hip.
“I’m trying to decipher that look,” I said as she gazed up at me. A second later, when her hands lay on my chest, the question was moot. “Ahh, never mind. I’m onto you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I said, leaning down once again. What started as a kiss like the other quickly escalated, and unless we were willing to put on a very X-rated show right here on the street, a little cold water on this fire between us was in order.
Pulling back, I stated the obvious. “Not talking about the land is good for us.”
“Agreed. But it’s really only delaying the inevitable.”
“Which is?”
Natalie started to say something, but then stopped. “I can’t say without talking about the land.”
“Fair enough.”
If I’d wanted to douse us with cold water, mentioning the elephant in the room had certainly done it. Natalie was still smiling, but her hands dropped from my chest, and some of the lightheartedness that was between us suddenly shifted.
I was such an asshole.
Or maybe I’d done it on purpose. Not only was I becoming less sure about Natalie’s willingness to compromise on the land, but either way, my time in Kitchi Falls was coming to an end. Which was fine, except...
