Chapter Twelve
chapter twelve
ISLA
We swim out of the Cave entrance to the sky painted in strokes of peach and lavender. The contrast scratches an itch in my brain, it’s so beautiful. It’s the first sunset I’ve seen since we’ve been here. I’ve either crashed early or been at the bar when the sun goes down. I’m so glad we didn’t go back earlier, or we would’ve missed this. Even if we saw it, it wouldn’t have been like this.
I’m floating in the middle of the ocean with nothing around for miles but the sea and the sky. I take a moment where I am to appreciate the show that the sky is putting on for us. The sun is peeking just above the horizon, the shining glow tiptoeing across the surface of the water.
The sunset spans across the whole sky, Caio was right in saying that there’s no other place like this. I couldn’t describe its beauty even if I tried. I could only hope to try and recreate this one day. I try to take one of those mental pictures to keep for the day that I pick up a paintbrush again.
I make my way over to the boat where everyone else is climbing back on board.
“I told you, didn’t I?” Caio is holding out his hand for me, obviously noting my admiration.
I shake my head. “It’s incredible.”
I take his hand as I climb the stairs up to the deck. Before I know it, a towel is being wrapped around my shoulders from behind.
“Thank you,” I say as Caio steps away.
“You’re welcome.”
I turn again to look at the view before the sun disappears and run inside to grab my phone to take a photo, I can see the painting of this so clearly in my head, and I haven’t had the real urge to do any art since I’ve been here, but I want the reference just in case I get home and decide to pick up that sketchbook that Nora gave me.
As I turn around Caio is using a towel to dry off his hair, the droplets of water dripping down his neck before trailing over the carved muscles of his shoulders. My body warms at the sight of him. I can see this painting too.
Maybe without the shorts.
He catches me staring and my mouth snaps shut before I even register that it was open as I stared googley eyed at the man in front of me.
“What are you thinking about?” His voice drops an octave as he glances at me with a look that implies he knows exactly what I’m thinking about. What I definitely shouldn’t be thinking about.
“Nothing,” I shrug.
Did I say my body warms? I meant it burns.
The way he’s looking at me right now is singeing my insides, I wonder if he touched me whether I’d get an electric shock, or just simply go up in flames.
“Caio? Can you help me for a second?” Marina calls from inside. He winks at me before heading inside and my breath catches in my throat. He really needs to stop doing that.
“Okay, what did I just walk in on?” May comes up beside me grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
“No idea.”
“No idea, huh?”
I shake my head, looking back out to the water. If I look May in those knowing eyes, I’ll crack. “Uh-uh, nope.” I pick up a piece of my wet hair tangling it around my finger.
“Oh, you got it bad!”
“Shut up,” I smack her arm. “I do not. I only just came out of a relationship like five minutes ago, remember? I don’t want to rush into anything so fast. Plus, it’s not like that. We are just friends. Acquaintances even.” I’m trying to convince myself as much as her right now. I didn’t come here for this; I won’t let anyone distract me from my purpose, from finding myself. No matter how hard it is to remember that when Caio is in my proximity.
“Sure Isla, whatever you say.”
The sunset disappeared from the sky just as quickly as it came, leaving us in the dim moonlight for our trip back to shore. I stick with the girls to avoid any more moments with Caio.
Marina has made us limoncello spritzes from the small bar inside, and we are lounging on the plush couches while the guys do whatever they’re doing out on the deck. I take a sip and my eyes nearly roll back in my head. I know Marina runs a bar, but she really does make some damn good drinks.
“Glad you came out?” she asks.
“Thank you so much for bringing us, it was amazing,” I say.
I love to swim. When I was in college, whenever I was stressed, worried, overwhelmed, I would swim. Well, more like float, and that spot is far prettier than the school pool where my peace was often interrupted by the swim team doing laps in the lane next to me.
“I’d come out every weekend if I could, but Caio doesn’t get out as much as I’d want him to,” Marina says.
“What? He’s got this mega yacht that he doesn’t use?” May asks.
“My cousin is…dedicated,” she picks her words carefully. “The hotel means a lot to him, but sometimes he gets a bit lost in there. He wants to create the best experience for the visitors in town, and he does by a long shot. But that dedication means sometimes we literally have to go up there and drag him away from his desk. But I must say in the last week he’s definitely been out more than usual.”
I admire the dedication Caio puts into his work. Hotel Dolce has got to be the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, and you can see his essence shine through in the spaces he’s created. In a way, I can see why there’d be no reason to leave such a paradise, but I happen to like seeing him out in the wild. I feel a tinge of jealousy at the drive he has to follow his passions.
We come to a stop back in Ruby Cove and bid our goodbyes to the rest of the group after Caio offered to drive May and me back so we don’t have to do the uphill bike. We are both sitting in the back, neither of us getting in the front seat and making it weird, but a small smile forms on my face as I remember the last time we were in his car like this. In some ways I can’t believe it’s already been just over a week since he first found us on the side of the road, and in other ways it feels like we’ve been here for a month already. The car ride is practically silent, May says nothing, she just gives me side-eye the whole time like she’s waiting for something to happen. Caio quietly hums away to some song on the radio, catching my eye every now and then in the rear-view mirror.
The energy in this car is ripe with anticipation, it’s making the butterflies go crazy in my stomach which I do not need right now, so I lean my head against the window focusing on the buildings zooming by.
My eyes welcome the blur as my mind starts to wonder what’s going on back at home. I haven’t heard from either of my parents since I stormed out the door with my suitcase. I’ve only had Brandon use them as a way to get me to reply.
Your mom misses you.
Why hasn’t she called me then? Or even texted? The last words I heard from her were her calling me nonsensical as I broke up with Brandon and booted him out of the house.
Has he gone back there? Is he playing son-in-law while I’m away, chalking it up to me being crazy. I can so easily imagine them sitting there, him and my father in front of the tv watching the football. She’ll come around I bet they’re saying. But I won’t. Not this time.
After a silent trip up the elevator we say goodnight to Caio and make our way to our room. I lock the door before flopping down on the couch. “Well, that was fucking awkward.”
May lets out a cackle. “Oh my god, you couldn’t ignore that sexual tension even if you tried. Trust me, I tried.”
“Ugh, I don’t want sexual tension. I don’t want any of it.”
“Really?” May drags out the word, each extended syllable dripping with sarcasm.
“Yes, we are just friends. I’m looking for a relaxing summer, remember? No need to add extra complications into the mix.”
Friends. That’s what we are. Just like Marina, a friend. That’s what I need to remember next time I see him half naked. Hopefully that’s not too often. It’s a chemical reaction, that’s all. He’s attractive. Just like Heath and Rafael are attractive, although I don’t seem to feel like this around them or their respective six packs.
There’s just something different about Caio, it’s like he catches me off guard. One second, he’s a perfect gentleman and then all of a sudden he’s giving me fuck me eyes and sticking his thumb in his mouth.
Maybe I’m just misreading all of it. Rafael and May are getting into my head too much. Maybe I just need a few days to cool it. Get him out of my system. Even if there is a mutual attraction between us, that isn’t what I came here for, so it doesn’t matter either way.
I start to unbutton my shirt. Oh shit. Caio’s shirt. I was cold on the boat, so he gave it to me to warm up. Shit, shit, shit. Screw his gentleman bullshit, now I have to go give it to him. “I could just give this to him the next time I see him, right?”
“Considering you don’t have any clue when that will be I’m gonna say no,” May says.
Ugh.
“You could just drop it at reception?” she suggests.
“I can’t do that. It’ll look like I didn’t want to go give it to him.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t.”
I give her a flat stare in return. “No it’s fine, I’m going.” I pick up the room key off the table.
“Good luck,” May sings out.
Why do I need luck? I don’t need luck. I’m just going to give him the shirt and come back. That’s it.
I hold the buzzer down when I get in the elevator, now that I know how to use it.
“Hey Caio, I’m just bringing your shirt back.” I don’t know what else to say so I release the button. A few seconds later, the elevator jolts into movement and after a quick ascent, the doors ding open at Caio’s apartment.
I can’t see him anywhere, so I slowly walk in. I peek around the corner to the kitchen, but he’s nowhere to be seen, so I quietly start to make my way back to the elevator. I’ll just leave his shirt on the side table.
“Hey.”
I turn back around, and any greeting escapes my mind as he stands there in nothing but a towel.
“Oh shit, sorry.” I force my eyes to look anywhere else. They land on the marble countertop. How has he had time for a shower already?
“I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“It’s alright,” he speaks slowly. “It’s nothing you didn’t see today.”
I take that as an invitation to stop staring at the kitchen like it’s the best thing since sliced bread.
He’s standing there in the middle of his pristine apartment looking the most undone I’ve ever seen him. His dark hair is wet and shaggy, and water droplets fall from his smooth, wet body onto the cool marble floor. I’m surprised they don’t hiss and disintegrate when they hit the ground.
The man is so meticulously put together even in the most casual circumstances, it feels like a privilege to see him like this. Maybe it’s similar to how I saw him on the boat today, but this time it feels different.
I mean he’s in a towel.
Just a towel.
A towel that’s sitting very low.
A towel that could drop with just one yank of my hand.
My eyes track the rigid v lines that lead underneath it. I can almost make out?—
Someone clears their throat interrupting my imagination and my eyes snap up. When I meet Caio’s gaze, he’s openly smirking at me. He raises a brow as if in challenge.
Confidence is radiating off of him as he takes a step towards me, his blue eyes drinking me in from head to toe. Goosebumps follow in their wake. I can hear my heart beating double time in the silence. My body is on fire. I can imagine my cheeks are reflecting that pretty well.
My brain is signaling for me to take a step back, but my body won’t cooperate. I’m glued in place. He could do almost anything right now and I don’t know if I’d move an inch. I’ve always thought Caio was attractive, of course he is. But I’ve seen many attractive men, and my body has never reacted quite like this before.
Friend, friend, friend . I repeat it in my head like a prayer .
“So my shirt?” His eyes drop to where I’m gripping his shirt like my life depends on it.
“Oh, yeah. That.” I reach out to give it to him. “Enjoy.”
Enjoy?
He lets out a low chuckle. “Thanks, I’m sure I will.”
“Okay, well, I better leave so you can you know…” I wave my finger in the direction of his lower region.
The corner of his mouth quirks up as his eyes glitter with amusement. I look away. I can’t ignore the attraction between us anymore, so I need to keep my distance. After tonight, I need to stay as far away from Caio Marchetti as physically possible.
I spin on my heels before I do something I’ll regret and press the button on the elevator. Thankfully it didn’t leave this level, so the doors open immediately. I quickly get in and turn around to see Caio leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his broad, naked chest. We’re having another one of those intense staring competitions, but the moment dissipates as he reaches into the elevator and presses my floor number without taking his eyes off of mine.
“Sweet dreams, Isla.”
The elevator doors shut as he retreats back into his apartment.
Fuck .