Chapter 13

People say paradise is the Hawaiian Islands, or Tahiti, or some tropical island like that. I always agreed with them . . . until today. Because stepping out of the helicopter, I suddenly knew what paradise was.

“Unbelievable,” I breathed.

“Welcome to the family vacation home,” Matteo said. “I’ve spent many a summer here.”

A massive glass building reflected the world around it, built on multiple levels to mimic the odd shape and topography of the tiny island. A stone wall surrounded it, a single staircase winding all the way to the water. Huge bushes of pink flowers tumbled over the wall as far as I could see, capturing my breath for a long moment. Soft, bright, colorful yet temporary flowers paired with hard, ageless, unmoving stone. I couldn’t have described me and Matteo better.

I reached for the camera around my neck before remembering I’d left it in my room.

His eyebrows lifted. “No camera?”

“I thought I’d see the world your way today,” I said. But boy, did I miss it already. I wanted to grab my phone and take a hundred pictures.

“Strangely, I wish I had my camera. I want to remember this day forever.” He pinched a lock of my hair between two fingers and slowly, gently, tucked it behind my ear. Only when he dropped his hand could I breathe again.

“Let’s swim before lunch. I’ll meet you at the pool.”

I looked at him, confused, but he’d already moved toward Vivi. They spoke in hushed tones, then he strode up the steps toward the house and disappeared inside.

She came to my side. “He’s going up to change and asked me to show you to the pool. But there’s something you should know, and I don’t care what he says. I didn’t approve of his bringing you here.”

I stared at her, feeling stung. “What? Why?”

“Because you remind me of her.”

His ex. Because I was an American, or something else? “Well, I’m not her.”

She took my arm and began strolling toward the gardens. “I hope not. I haven’t seen a girl consume him like this in a long time. You just met him yesterday, right?”

I nodded. “And . . . I’m leaving tonight.” Saying it aloud made it feel so real. Like admitting a person barely clinging to life would die soon. It pulled something from my heart, and I felt the slightest bit of it unravel.

Foolish Jillie. Even if I was interested in him, I had to return to the ship tonight and follow my sisters to Venice. The entire trip had been planned for me—inspired by Mom, paid for by our grandfather, booked by his attorney, and carried out by Kennedy. I had little say in the matter. Not that I had much to complain about. But today, for the first time, I wished I could duck out of it all and send them on their way without me. Even for a single day.

Not for Matteo, but for myself.

I reached into my pocket and retrieved my newish phone, which currently had no service. I couldn’t reach my sisters even if I wanted to.

“It’s not that I don’t like you,” Vivi said. “You seem nice enough. But it’s taken Matteo almost three years to get over Clara. He was planning a life with her, talking about a family. He doesn’t do things halfway, you know? Once he’s committed, he’s 100% in. An admirable trait in every other way, but when it comes to relationships . . . ”

“It means he can get hurt,” I whispered.

She didn’t have to explain, but she went on anyway. “He was shattered. I’ve never seen him so obliterated, not even when our dad died. He gave up everything for her—the partnership, the estate, his inheritance—and she threw it all away. It’s like she took his soul with him. Last night was the first time I’ve seen him smile in years, and it was because he spoke of you.”

I lifted my chin against the twinge of pain in my chest. I’d never experienced a broken heart simply because I always did the breaking. Dating was like exploring a new building. You admired the architecture and nicely designed rooms, but if you were smart, you also memorized where the exits were. Inevitably, the rooms would begin to feel stifling and you’d have to use one. Sometimes quickly.

We reached the wall and looked over the water, which crashed against the wall more violently than I would have expected even for an island somewhere in the Mediterranean.

Vivi watched me expectantly, and I realized she wanted an answer.

“I’m not here to hurt your brother,” I told her. “I’m not even here to date him, really. We just kinda . . . accidentally became friends. I’m still not sure how it all happened, to be honest.”

“And after your trip is over?”

“I’m going back to the States.”

She nodded, seeming satisfied. “So you don’t have any romantic interest in Matteo?”

That little tug at my heart grew stronger. I mustered the courage to shove it back, reminding myself that I’d be telling him goodbye tonight. Probably forever. Vivi was right. This was best for both of us. I’d come planning to set rules myself, after all.

Yet I couldn’t quite say I didn’t care for him because it felt like a lie.

“I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine,” I told her.

She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Anything.”

“What was his ex like? Tell me about her.”

Vivi sighed and leaned over the rail, glaring at the water. “Had a flat American accent like yours, obviously. Long blonde hair—extensions, dye, the whole bit. Heels everywhere she went, even at the pool. Too tan to be natural, expensive clothes, talked about modeling every chance she got. I never saw her eat anything, ever. Not even at family meals. The moment I saw her, I knew she was fishing.”

“Fishing?”

“Trying to catch a man. Not for keeps, but for the sport of it, you know?”

I did know. I might have accidentally acted like that a couple of times. But in my defense, it wasn’t intentional. It was simply fun. Until it got too serious, and then I felt trapped and began to squirm.

Hoping she didn’t see the guilt on my face, I lifted my hand to shade the sun from my eyes. “He must have seen something else in her, if he fell so hard.” Matteo didn’t seem like the shallow type.

Shallow like me, I realized. Yesterday, I never would have made that comparison.

Vivi’s answer was strained, reluctant. “She had a way of bringing him out of the shadows and into the sunlight. She wouldn’t let him hide away in the office all day after our father died, and I do respect that. It’s something neither Nonni nor I were able to accomplish. She brought him to all her photo shoots. Even got him hired to shoot a couple of gigs, which fueled his passion for photography even more. He decided to start his studio around that time.”

A photographer. Of course. He’d recognized my camera and known exactly what to replace it with. He’d even given me photography advice. Why hadn’t that occurred to me before?

Because most of his advice involved putting the camera down or leaving it behind. Terrible advice for a photographer.

“But whenever he mentioned the possibility of coming to visit her in America,” Vivi went on, “Clara changed the subject. She only ever wanted to see him here, on her terms. It wasn’t until he went to visit her that we found out why. You’ll have to ask Matteo about the rest. I have a suspicion about what happened, although I don’t know for sure because he refuses to talk about it.”

My heart ached at the possibilities. If Matteo treated Clara half as well as he’d treated me yesterday after the river, he didn’t deserve whatever Clara did. Period. Yet I didn’t deserve this interrogation, either. Vivi had nothing to worry about.

“He’s lucky to have a sister like you,” I finally said.

“But?” she prodded when I didn’t continue.

I caught a glimpse of the pool on the upper level, one entire side encased in glass, glistening in the sunlight. “I’m going swimming now.” I strode away.

“That isn’t what I asked,” she called after me.

It was a jerk move, and we both knew it. But I couldn’t tell her what she wanted to hear.

Because it would be a lie.

I was interested in Matteo. Probably more than he was interested in me, but I could no longer deny the sparks between us. Let tomorrow take care of itself.

Vivi growled and stormed away. I’d just made an enemy of Matteo’s sister, yet I smiled as I reached the pool.

Matteo leaned against the stone wall on the far side, looking out over the ocean. He’d changed into his swim trunks, and from behind, he looked like a model himself. Covering a perfect back like that with a shirt seemed a crime. I could only imagine what the front looked like.

I chose a chair and stripped down to my swim suit, placing my clothes in a messy pile. The rectangular pool looked big enough for at least thirty people and had a killer view of the ocean and the island descending below in steps of lush greenery and hard stone. The house rose far above us, at least three stories high. From up here, I saw that it wasn’t all glass—parts were covered in white stucco and Mediterranean-style ceramic shingles.

As I slipped off my sandals, he didn’t turn around. The only movement from him was his hair being tossed about by the wind. Was he thinking about Clara? Was his sister’s careless comments the cause of this somber mood?

I considered diving in. If Matteo wanted to spend the day reminiscing about someone else, at least I could get some exercise and work on my tan in this beautiful place.

And yet. I hadn’t come for the pool or the island’s beauty or anything else. I’d come to spend time with him, and spend time with him I would.

I made my way over and stood next to him, looking out over the water below. “Your sister tried to warn me off.”

He chuckled, still gazing at the horizon. “Yours did too.”

“What? When?” I tried to remember him being alone with Alexis yesterday, but couldn’t recall a single time. “Which sister?”

“Kennedy sent me a text this morning. She basically said there was nowhere she couldn’t find me if I hurt you.”

I wasn’t sure whether to smile or flinch. My overprotective older sister at her best. “Your sister basically said the same.”

“Gotta love family.” He turned around, leaning against the wall, and gave a start. His eyes brushed over me, and I felt a warmth creep up my neck. Comparing me to his blonde bombshell of a model, no doubt. But there was no disappointment there. Only approval.

“Our sisters were only trying to help.” I pretended to be unaffected by his gaze on my skin.

“Yeah, but they might have a point.” He cleared his throat and fixed his gaze on the pool. “I’m wondering if bringing you here was a mistake. If you agree, I’ll have Vivi take you back right away.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Vivi might be right to worry. I’m intensely attracted to you, and I think it’s because you remind me so much of Clara. That isn’t fair to you.”

I stood there, letting his words sink in. One word in particular stirred a giddiness inside that I couldn’t hide. “Intensely?”

“Undeniably. Undoubtedly. You’ve uncovered feelings I never thought I’d have again. I didn’t think that was possible, so I don’t blame Vivi for thinking the same.”

I stepped toward him, drawing his gaze back to me, where it belonged. Yep, definitely liked it there. “You pulled me away from Rome and promised something better.”

He lifted his arms and let them fall helplessly to his waist. “This was better, was it not?”

He couldn’t still be trying to send me home. Not after all I’d been through to get here. “You’re kidding, right? If you want me to leave, you’ll have to throw me over your shoulder and haul me back to that chopper yourself.”

He gave a grim smile. “I’m tempted, if only to see what you’d do.”

“There would likely be violence involved.”

A delighted spark entered his eyes, a glint of mischief that I immediately liked. “You’re adorable when you’re angry.”

“And you’re frustrating. Stop trying to change the subject. Where were we?”

“You were saying this was better than what we left behind in Rome, I think.”

I gestured at . . . well, everything. “It’s beautiful, but that isn’t why I came.”

“Then why did you come?”

“You know why.”

“Maybe I don’t.” He took a step forward, forcing me to crane my neck to look up at him.

“Are you going to make me say it?” I snapped.

“Yes.” His head was somehow drawing nearer, closing the inches between us, but too slow. Agonizingly so.

“Well, I won’t.” My body leaned toward him on its own, rebelling against the orders from my brain. I meant to play it cool, but every cell in my body felt cemented in place.

Then I blinked. Our lips were inches apart now.

“Yes,” he whispered, and I felt the breath of his exhale against my skin. “You will.”

His lips crashed onto mine.

Somehow, impossibly, Matteo’s arms wrapped around my bare waist and pulled me in even tighter. My eyes had closed of their own accord and now my lips had detached themselves from my mind, moving completely on their own as well. His lips tasted like sea salt and ocean breeze, his breath like mint.

Just when I thought he’d pull away and start running, his lips moved more slowly, deepening the kiss until I positively ached. His hands slid up my back and up my neck, sending pleasant shivers up and down my shaking spine until his fingers landed on my jaw, holding my head in place so he had full access to my helpless mouth. I had no power to escape, even if I wanted to. Did I?

Not a chance. I wanted nothing more than to stay here forever.

Here, on this beautiful island in a beautiful sea with this broken man who wore a hard mask. Here, a hundred miles from my sisters and a lifetime away from Mom and a world away from the father who’d broken my mother’s heart and rejected me.

I no longer felt alone.

Instead, I felt strangely whole. Which didn’t make sense because I barely knew this man, and after tonight . . .

Nope. I wouldn’t think about that right now. I couldn’t think about anything at this moment except how good his hands felt on my skin and how natural his lips felt on mine.

What felt like a decade later, our mouths separated, and he cradled my face in his hands.

“I didn’t say a thing,” I managed, trying to keep my legs from trembling so I didn’t collapse at his feet.

“Yes, you did. You said you were intensely attracted to me too.”

“I did, huh?”

“Clear as day.” He smoothed my hair, which his hands had been tangled in just a moment before. “I’m not sure what that means, though, considering you’re leaving tonight.”

“It means we have a lot to cram into one day,” I murmured, my eyes still half closed.

I’d never in my life been kissed like that. Not even close.

He placed a quick peck on my lips before giving me one of his famous lopsided smiles. “One day. We’re agreed, then.”

“You have my word. Not an hour longer.”

I couldn’t read this expression. Was that disappointment or relief? Just then, he looked up at the blue, cloudless sky and shielded his eyes. “Hot for this time of year.”

“It must be the sun,” I muttered, still very much under his spell. How Clara could experience being in his man’s arms and leave for someone else was beyond me.

“Only one thing to be done about that.” He glanced at the pool meaningfully.

He didn’t have to ask me twice. I grabbed his arm and yanked him toward the water, squealing. My momentum sent him stumbling forward, and then, with a joint yell, we leaped into the water together.