CHAPTER 16
NERO ZANTHOS
Nina’s big eyes stare at me through the window, as if they can’t decide whether they’re happy or annoyed by my presence on her sidewalk at nine in the morning. I widen my smile, testing it.
I’m no expert like Apollo, but he always says it works. When Nina lets go of the curtain without mouthing anything—neither smiling back nor telling me to leave—I start to doubt him.
Little Fae appears at the front door a few minutes later, stepping outside before closing it behind her. Her hair is pulled up high, leaving only her bangs to frame her face, and she’s wearing short shorts and a plain T-shirt.
There’s nothing remarkable about it—and yet the thought that she’s beautiful flashes through my mind like smoke. I find myself wondering how much more beautiful she looks when she wakes up.
“Good morning, Little Fae,” I greet her, keeping my arms straight at my sides even though every instinct urges me to open them in invitation. Fuck—I missed her. How is that even possible?
“Good morning,” she replies, approaching without giving me any clue what’s going on inside her head. “You’re a bit early.”
“I’d say I’m late. Six days late, to be more precise.”
She stops, leaving a few steps of distance between us and crossing her arms over her chest.
“What are you doing here, Nero?”
“I said I’d make it up to you,” I remind her.
“Five times,” she counters. “Sorry if I’m not exactly holding my breath in anticipation.”
“I deserved that,” I admit, wrinkling my nose.
“You really did.”
“And now that you’ve had your revenge, can I touch you?” I ask, finally extending my hand toward her. “Because I’d really like to.”
Nina looks between my hand and my face a few times before rolling her eyes and accepting. I have her in my arms within seconds, holding her tight, trying to ease the raw ache in my chest.
It doesn’t work.
Her nose brushes my neck and she takes a deep breath. Is she feeling the same unexpected pull I am?
“Are you okay?” she asks, pulling away too soon. I touch her cheek, letting my thumb slide over her skin.
“I am. The fire was literally put out.”
“I’m glad,” she says—still keeping a much greater distance than I’d like. And not just physically.
I push myself off the car and step closer until our bodies are as near as propriety—and the fact that we’re in the middle of the street—allow. She doesn’t retreat, and I count that as a win.
“I have a plan to make you forgive me. You know that?”
“Do you?”
“I do. It involves you and me alone for the entire weekend, sailing around the island.”
“That’s a good plan,” she considers. “There’s just one flaw in it.”
“What’s that?”
“What if I’m not willing to forgive you?”
“Then I’ll need to convince you.”
“And may I ask how you intend to do that?”
“Oh, Little Fae. I can be very persuasive.”
The words barely leave my mouth before I crash my lips down on Nina’s with the hunger that’s been consuming me for days.
God, how badly I wanted to kiss her.
She lets out a soft moan as my tongue tangles with hers, stroking and teasing—exactly the way I’ve learned she loves over the days we spent together. Her body presses into mine.
“That is very persuasive,” she murmurs without breaking the kiss, and I laugh softly, caressing her face and breathing in long draughts of her sweet, addictive scent.
“Will you let me make it up to you?” I ask. “Spoil you for the entire weekend?” I open my eyes to find her gaze fixed on mine.
She pulls her head back, separating us and tearing her mouth from mine.
“That’s not necessary, Nero. Truly. I won’t say it was nice waiting around the last few nights, but you really don’t need—”
“I do,” I interrupt. “And I want to.”
I step closer, unable to deal with the short distance she put between us after reminding me how good it feels to have my body pressed to hers.
“You just need to let me.”
Nina sighs, thoughtful.
“I promise to behave like a gentleman,” I murmur in her ear. When I lift my eyes back to her face, the red there has deepened a few shades.
“Maybe I don’t want you to behave like one,” she says—giving me, for the first time this morning, a glimpse of the boldness I adore so much.
I grin.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I need to pack a bag and tell my mom. You should come inside,” she says, glancing around the street and blinking when she notices several neighbors watching us from their balconies.
I noticed them long ago. It’s been a long time since I could be anywhere without being hyperaware of my surroundings.
I don’t care how many eyes are on us.
Nina’s gaze, however, tells me she does.
“I will,” I say as soon as I register her discomfort, unlocking the car and moving to follow her inside.
***
“The Four Musketeers,” Nina reads the name of the sailboat before tilting her head and laughing. I take advantage of the moment to hug her from behind and plant a kiss on her neck.
“Obvious?”
“I thought it was modest. The name—not the size. It’s huge! But I kind of had you labeled as the Fantastic Four in my head.”
I drop my forehead against her shoulder with a groan.
“Please don’t tell Drako or Apollo that. They’ll never talk about anything else again.”
She laughs at me.
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep,” she repeats—a phrase she’s used before, but after the last week, it carries a different weight.
I lift my middle finger and index finger to her chin and tilt her face up to mine.
“That was the last time. You have my word.”
Her lips part, caught off guard by the seriousness in my tone.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know. But I want to mean every word,” I assure her, kissing her cheek. “Shall we?”
She bites her lower lip and nods.
I step past her, boarding the sailboat first and extending my arm to help her in. As I settle her, the marina assistant unties the vessel and starts the engine. When he leaves and I head toward the helm with nothing more than a wink for Nina, her eyes widen and she turns to follow my path.
“You’re the one steering?” she asks, eyes wide.
“Worried? You don’t need to be,” I reassure her, furrowing my brows and nodding with playful seriousness. “I’ve done this many times.”
She tilts her head slightly, as if weighing whether to believe me.
“In a video game,” I add in a low voice.
Her eyes nearly pop out of their sockets before she starts walking toward me.
She stops two steps away, opens her mouth, then closes it. Nina raises her fist—but does nothing with it before lowering it again.
“All right. Trip canceled,” she declares, making me burst out laughing.
I wrap my arms around her waist, confirming that keeping my hands off her is nearly impossible when she’s this close.
“I’m kidding, Little Fae. I’ve had my license for years and I sail regularly.”
“You swear?” she asks, and I laugh again.
I lift my pinky in a ridiculous gesture—but I’d do it a thousand times more, because it paints a smile on Nina’s face brighter than the sky above us. She raises her hand and hooks her pinky around mine.
“I swear.”