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I tensed for a moment, then took a steadying breath and forced myself to relax and ignore the heat pooling low in my gut.
Just drive, idiot.
The engine roared to life beneath us, and I pulled back onto the road. But instead of turning around and back to the hotel—which would’ve been the smart thing, I drove on.
Malta’s sun-drenched hills and rocky coastline blurred past. Fee molded herself to my back, her head resting between my shoulder blades, and it took all my self-control not to slam on the brakes.
I shouldn’t want this.
Shouldn’t crave the feel of her, the additional chaos she would bring into my life. But no woman had ever rattled me, and intrigued me like she did, and I couldn’t make myself push her away.
My life was already a complete clusterfuck. She was just one more complication.
The cherry on top.
We rode in silence, the wind whipping by and cooling my heated skin.
Fiona remained pressed close against me, her touch maddening and intoxicating all at once.
When a familiar stretch of rocky coastline came into view, I slowed the bike and turned onto a narrow dirt path leading to the cliffs. This had been one of my favorite spots as a child, before everything went to shit, after Gabe disappeared from our lives.
The familiarity eased some of the tension coiling inside me.
The path ended at a secluded cove, azure waves lapping at the pale sand and limestone cliffs rising high overhead. I cut the engine and helped Fiona off the bike.
“It’s beautiful here.” Her voice was soft, almost reverent.
“I used to come here a lot as a kid, whenever we were here. It’s my favorite spot on the island.” The admission slipped out before I could stop it. I grimaced, waiting for a sarcastic remark.
But she merely hummed in response and moved to stand at the edge of the cliffs, the wind ruffling her hair.
I watched her from the corner of my eye, struck by the wistful expression on her face as she gazed out at the sea. There was a loneliness there I recognized all too well, and for a moment, I forgot my annoyance.
When she turned back to me, a shy smile curved her lips. “Thank you for bringing me here. It’s precious to you, and I appreciate you sharing that with me.”
Heat flooded my cheeks, and I rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
Her smile widened into a grin, and she shook her head. “Not as tough as you pretend to be, gangster?”
I scowled at her even as a traitorous warmth unfurled in my chest. She saw too much, this woman, and it left me feeling exposed in a way I didn’t know how to handle. And didn’t like at all.
“Just get back on the bike,” I bit out, “before I change my mind and leave you out here.”
She laughed, the sound like bells ringing in the breeze. “As if. You don’t want to be near me any more than the other way round. So, you going after me personally tells me someone—probably Gabe—forced me on you.”
She hopped on the bike behind me. “Am I close?”
I gunned the engine to life. “You’re a pain in my ass is what you are.”
She laughed again, and I could feel the reverberations against my back.
“Tell me.” I turned my head back to her. “Why were you so hell-bent on leaving the hotel today anyway?”
Fiona’s gaze flicked away from mine for a moment before returning, her green eyes blazing with defiance. “I have no clothes or toiletries,” she said. “And I really need to brush my teeth.”
“Merda!” I cursed under my breath, realizing I hadn’t thought this through. I’d completely forgotten about toiletries. “Alright, I’ll take you shopping for whatever you need, but you’ll have to promise not to leave the hotel without me, Gabe, or an escort.”
“Really?” Fiona asked skeptically, still not ready to let her guard down.
