“Okay,” she said, already moving toward the door, “then I paddle surf, and you swim. Sounds fair?”
He rolled his eyes and took the bag from her without protest. “I just wanted to sleep…”
“And I wanted to give you an authentic Ligurian experience,” she said with a grin.
It was a lie. She never went out that early. But she couldn’t stay still. It was too soon to call Asma, Leif, or Callum, and she needed something—anything—to keep her thoughts from spiraling.
They walked down to the beach in the soft light of dawn, the pebbles cool underfoot. The sea was calm, barely a ripple to disturb its mirror surface. She climbed onto the board and sat cross-legged as he paddled, the quiet hush of the water their only soundtrack. It was oddly intimate. The sun slowly rising behind them, their shared silence heavy with unspoken things.
“Where to, capitana?” he asked.
“Left. Out of the port. Hug the coast.”
He paddled as instructed, and soon they reached the rocky inlet she had remembered from childhood—a hidden cove where the cliffs kept the rest of the world out. She dropped anchor, and Ilias dove into the sea for a quick swim, resurfacing next to the board, water streaming down his body.
“Breakfast on a paddleboard,” he said, pulling himself back up. “Even though you woke me up at the crack of dawn, this is pretty romantic, habiba. I’d have loved a warning.”
Sofia smirked. “Then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
He chugged the coffee, still damp and shirtless. His hazel eyes, almost green in the light of the morning sun, were way more awake as he looked around. “It’s peaceful.”
“Salacia’s domain,” she whispered, almost to herself. Then, her voice turned somber. “What do you think about the mess with TerraVive? You know… you can still go back. There’s no need for you to stay here and lose the sponsorship. I’m sure that Jamie would have you back–”
“Until—” he stopped. His jaw clenched.
“Until he dies,” she finished, her voice low, broken.
He nodded. “Until then, I’m staying. I want to stay with you. And Jamie could go fuck herself for what I care. She behaved childishly and she let me down in a way I never expected from her.”
“But it’s your career,” she said again, softer this time.
“And I get to decide what’s worth more to me. Next year, I’ll go back and win everything.”
“Not without sponsors.”
“I don’t need TerraVive,” he replied, shrugging. “I’ve got others lined up. Gretchen has been talking with them, and maybe they’re actually ethical.”
She said nothing for a moment, then slid backward until her back rested against his bare, wet chest. His arms wrapped around her instinctively, holding her close as they looked out over the endless sea. The breeze kissed their skin, the light shimmered off the water, and in that stillness, his lips found the curve of her neck.
A sharp breath escaped her lips as his mouth grazed her skin, sending shivers spiraling down her spine.
“Having sex with your parents just a room away wasn’t exactly on my list,” he murmured, his voice breathy. “But this? This is tempting.”
“That’s why I love you,” she whispered.
One hand cupped her left breast through the thin fabric of her bikini as his hand had snaked under the oversized sweater she had been wearing, the other already slipping over her belly, lower, teasing her pussy through the soft barrier of the swimsuit.
She gasped, her hips tilting into his touch, her body responding instantly.
“Are you already wet for me, habiba?” he whispered, his lips brushing her earlobe.
She nodded wordlessly, and his fingers slipped beneath her bikini bottoms, parting her slick folds, circling her clit with slow, controlled pressure.
Her head tipped back against his shoulder. A soft moan escaped her lips as he kept working her, teasing, savoring the way her body trembled beneath his touch.
When he slipped the fabric aside and exposed one of her breasts, he bent down to kiss it—slow, hot, open-mouthed kisses around her nipple. His fingers never stopped.
“Do you think I can devour you here?” he asked, his voice gravelly, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
