Chapter 28
ILIAS
Zina - Babylone
Maybe he had overstepped with that kiss. But if kissing made her nervous, then yeah, it was necessary. Better to take the edge off now than to fumble in front of the camera.
What he hadn’t been prepared for was Sofia stepping out of her robe on the catamaran that had brought them to Kings Beach.
He lost the capacity to breathe.
She wore a white TerraVive one-piece swimsuit that hugged her tanned skin like it had been painted on.
Her hair, long, wavy, ocean-tousled, cascaded down her back like she’d stepped out of some ancient sea myth.
If she’d started singing and luring him into the depths, he’d follow without hesitation.
“Okay, guys,” Jamie called. “Cozy up. Walk hand-in-hand with your boards in the other arm.”
“I don’t do shortboards,” Sofia muttered, frowning at the board she was handed.
“But it looks better,” Jamie said, shutting down the protest before it could begin.
Sofia shot him a face that made Ilias chuckle.
When she reached him, he extended his hand dramatically. “My lady, shall we begin this?”
“For 200k,” she muttered under her breath, sliding her hand into his.
“For a better rep.”
“Is it actually working for you?” Her brows rose, curious, like it had only just occurred to her.
“Tremendously.”
And it was true. TerraVive was thrilled, not because he’d won a USL event, but because every time he and Sofia appeared wearing their gear, sales spiked. Sponsorship offers were flowing again. He wasn’t bleeding money anymore.
“Good,” she said with a smile. And god, did he love that smile.
Verena began guiding them through the first batch of photos. As long as the surfboards were between them, hand-holding came easy. No problem. But once the boards were dropped into the sand, things got... closer.
“Okay, I want you two to hug and look at each other. Big smiles,” Verena called, circling them like a shark with a camera.
Sofia looped her arms around his neck, fingers threading into his hair.
“You didn’t tell me you were cutting it,” she whispered.
A slow smirk tugged at his mouth as his hands found her waist, thumbs brushing just under the curve of her swimsuit. “I didn’t know I needed your permission.”
She flushed. He loved it.
“No, you didn’t.”
“Keep smiling!” Verena called.
“I like your curls,” she murmured, cheeks turning redder as she leaned in, their foreheads touching.
“I know.”
“How?”
“Drunk Sofia told me.”
“Santo cielo. What else did she tell you?”
“Oh, I figure Sober Sofia will fill in the blanks. Eventually.” His grin widened.
“Oh, that’s how we’re playing?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Maybe.”
She closed the space between them, their lips hovering so close he could feel the heat of her breath. Her fingers tightened slightly in his hair, pulling him closer.
“Sober Sofia will find out,” she whispered, “don’t worry, carino.”
He nearly groaned.
Then Verena shouted, “Next location!”
The entire shoot was an exercise in restraint. Every time Sofia pressed against him, every time she leaned in, whispered something, smiled like she had a secret, he got hard. And he had to hide it while pretending to be casual. This wasn’t a photoshoot anymore. This was slow, beautiful torture.
“Okay, why don’t you two take one board and paddle out together?”
Verena, now geared up with waterproof equipment, gestured toward the water. They chose one of the boards, and Sofia climbed on it with practiced ease, belly down, her perfect, majestic ass right in his face.
His brain stopped functioning.
This woman was going to kill him.
Once he paddled them out, Verena called, “Straddle the board. Let’s get a kiss out here.”
It was the first time she’d said it so directly. And Sofia didn’t hesitate.
She cupped his face and kissed him, deep, slow, confident. No warm-up. No acting.
Their mouths moved like they were made for each other. Tongues tangling, lips bruising, heat rising. He slid his hands beneath the water, found her thighs, and teased. Just a light brush at first, testing the hem of her swimsuit.
Sofia let out the softest moan into his mouth, barely a sound, but it vibrated through his entire chest.
Fuck. He wanted to rip that suit off. He wanted her straddling him, not the board.
“Perfect!” Verena called. “So much passion! I love it! We’re done for today!”
Sofia broke the kiss, stepping back slightly, lips swollen, breath shallow. Her eyes held fire.
Then came the smirk. “Did Drunk Sofia tell you she liked how you kiss?”
“She did.”
“Drunk Sofia is a little slut,” Sofia muttered, sliding off the board into the water.
Ilias threw his head back and laughed.