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“Well, let me enlighten you.” Rhia pulls out her phone and types for a moment.
“You’re correct… it’s in South America, on the Argentina-Chile border near the Atacama Desert. Does that ring a bell? Can you tell me the name now?” She bites her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud.
Tiero squints his eyes, rubs his leg, and gestures with his arm into the air like a conductor at a grand opera. “… I’ve got nothing.”
We all laugh together. “I don’t blame you. I haven’t heard of it either. It’s called Ojos del Salado and stands at twenty-two-thousand six-hundred and fifteen feet.”
Tiero nods approvingly. “I’ll put it on my travel agenda.”
“Back to Etna again,” Mateo chimes in. “Did you know that about twenty-five percent of the Sicilian population live on its slopes?”
“Wow, that’s brave.” Or incredibly stupid. But I don’t say that out loud, not wanting to offend anybody. “I wouldn’t want to live on or even anywhere near an active volcano.”
“People have learned to live with it. It’s the longest-running active volcano in the world with its lava dated back to one thousand-five hundred BC,” Tiero enlightens us. “On average, Mount Etna erupts every one point seven years.”
“You’re kidding.” I look at Tiero in sheer amazement and horror.
We’re booked on a full-day tour of the mountain tomorrow. I don’t want to be on a volcano when it goes off. Being roasted to death isn’t on my Fuck-It-list.
“When did it last go off?” I ask, the concern obvious in my voice.
“A while ago.” Tiero smirks. “It’s probably time for it to blow again.”
Rhia and I share a look, but then she shrugs her shoulders and moves on to telling the guys all about our planned Etna tour.
Sensing my unease, Tiero takes my hand into his, stroking it lightly. He leans closer and whispers into my ear. “Don’t worry. You’ll be quite safe. I wouldn’t let you go on that tour if I thought you were in danger. There are plenty of scientists who monitor Etna around the clock. They’d close the mountain if there were any signs of trouble.”
His words have the intended effect. My mind relaxes and my fears calm.
However, Tiero’s breath on my neck and his fingers caressing and stroking… it’s having the opposite effect. It sends my pulse galloping and turning my breathing erratic. My cheeks turn red with heat and I dare not glance at him.
Surely, he has to feel this too.
I keep my gaze fixed on my lap, embarrassed by my physical reaction to him, especially when he appears so calm.
I pull my hand gently away from Tiero’s, needing some space from his overwhelming presence. Not that there’s much space to be had in this backseat.
Shit, I need to take a deep breath to calm my racing heart, but I don’t want to be obvious about it. So I opt to hold my breath instead.
Jeez, that’s not a good choice either.
His intoxicating cologne pervades my senses, and I swear I can feel the body heat radiating off him.
Gualtiero and I stay silent for a few minutes while the conversation flows between the other two. Rhia has a natural gift to talk to anyone about anything, and I’m so glad she’s here with me. It brings a level of much needed comfort.
We finally arrive at the restaurant. It looks small and non-descript from the outside, but as we enter, it stretches out much further than I expected. Tiero told us it’s one of the best places to eat seafood in Sicily, and I’m really looking forward to it.
We wait by the hostess stand for Zoe and Romeo to join us. They walk in arm in arm, both of them grinning widely. Looks like they had a fun car ride.
I study our little deviant, and oh my God, I think her lips are swollen. I stare at her face a moment too long. She notices and winks at me. Yep, she’s already been making out with the man.
How on earth does she do it? Go from meeting someone one second and sitting in his lap the next?
“She’s so much worse than I ever was,” Rhia whispers into my ear.
“We should have challenged her to be Opposite Zoe. God only knows what she’ll get up to next. Let’s hope she’ll behave during dinner,” I whisper back.
The hostess leads us to our table. Warm, dimmed lights create a cozy atmosphere, and the top end furnishings and accessories give the place a sophisticated, classy air. There’s an abundance of waitstaff for individualized attention, which creates a relaxed ambience.
