CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“D on’t come; hold on for me,” Rocco commanded between wet kisses and fast breaths. We were battling the day’s heat and the cool water quenching our skin, flowing copiously from the waterfall shower. We burned together, lost in pleasure, our bodies entwined.
I gasped loudly, my arms holding tight to his shoulders as he lifted my leg higher, flexing his hips as he plunged inside me.
My body quaked; the pressure at my core was too intense. “I…I…ohh. I can’t stop.”
“Hold on, Bella,” he demanded again, but he hadn’t stopped his feverish pace, fucking me fast and hard with absolute abandon.
“I can’t,” I called breathless above the wild current.
“Damn it,” He lifted me higher, angling his cock to stroke my clit as he pushed in and I came, my body tremoring against him.
Rocco pulled out with a low grunt, still hard, and I knew what he wanted.
I dropped to my knees, my mouth wide.
“Fuck,” he groaned. His hands grabbed my head and pushed his cock inside my mouth to the back of my throat.
I choked and forced air through my nostrils. His throbbing shaft flexed as he fed it further. “Mmm, make me come.”
I bobbed and swallowed, staring up at him as he pushed it in and out of my mouth. He was so achingly beautiful and so under my control.
“Feels good, Bella, damn,” he said, moaning.
I sucked, then swallowed him down, digging my fingers into his hips, taking that edge of pain for his pleasure. But I knew he was close. He held my head tight enough to sting, and then, to my delight, he jerked, and gripped the side of the wall as he came hard, his cock flexed, and I swallowed the hot flow of his come down my throat.
“Christ.” Rocco moaned, releasing my head and pulling it out of my mouth. “You fucking blow my mind.”
I let out a hoarse laugh as I sucked in air to refill my lungs.
He pulled me up on my feet and kissed me, sliding his tongue against mine. He let me go, and I panted more. “I love how hard you try to please me.”
It shocked me how much his praise fulfilled me.
We finished our shower, took the towels hanging nearby, and cleaned up at the sinks. Rocco picked up a bottle and hummed as he poured sun protection into his palms, slathering it down my body. Goosebumps rose on my skin. His touch always had a soothing and thrilling effect on me.
Then it was my turn. I rubbed over his back, feeling all the muscle indentations. Sexy.
“You lift weights, huh?”
“You sound like you’re trying to pick me up, wife.”
“Maybe I am,” I joked.
“A little flattery isn’t enough, Adelina. I’m not that easy.”
“I’m Adelina when you want to play hard to get?”
“When I’m hard, you’ll get it.” Rocco teased back.
I groaned-laughed as I changed into a bikini. “Gah, that’s bad.”
Rocco wore a T-shirt and shorts, a new addition to his regular wardrobe. We left for the patio to enjoy our brunch. Though I was still full of the jerk chicken we had last night.
Rocco added a French toast with mango slices to my plain yogurt. “Eat up. We’ve got a full day today.”
I guffawed. “I thought the point of a honeymoon was to have no schedule. Ease up, Superman.” I teased, though I was curious.
“Mmm. Superman is a name I can live with.” He added eggs to his plate. “It suits us today. We will take to the sky,” he thundered dramatically.
I shook my head, laughing, then leaned over to kiss his cheek.
He turned his head just in time to kiss my lips. “Then we return, have sex, sleep, have sex.”
“Sounds doable.”
We ate the rest of breakfast and returned to the bedroom.
“Any full bathing suits to change into?” Rocco asked, eyeing me.
I grinned and shrugged. “Nope.”
He smirked. “Hmm, we’ll need to fix that.”
I laughed but had already planned to add a shirt and shorts, not because of him but because I didn’t want to show so much skin.
“I’m going to talk to Zane. Meet me downstairs.”
“Will do.”
I changed into a V-neck shirt, shorts, and flip-flops that I could remove if I needed to swim. After fixing my hair in a quick braid, I left to join him and Zane downstairs. They were near the patio.
“So we’re flying again?”
He beamed at me. “Yes, but over water. You’ll love it.”
We walked out of the house and down to the path to the pier, where a speedboat waited with a driver behind the wheel. Rocco climbed in and lifted me inside the boat, then gave me a life vest. I put it on, and he placed his arm around my seat as we sped along the sea, passing other villas carved into the island, including a bistro with a seating area on the water. We turned around a bridge, and there it was. There were boats with parachutes further out on the water.
My pulse jumped into my throat.
“We’re tandem parasailing,” Rocco trilled.
I scrunched up my face. “Can’t we just ride around on wave runners?”
“We can if you’d like,” Rocco said in an even tone, but I knew he wanted to do it.
“Have you done it before?”
“I have. A few times, but never as a couple. I’d be beside you, and we can even hold hands. I find it exhilarating. It’s like you become one with the sky. You’ll feel invincible like you can do anything.”
I grinned at him, my heart racing. His enthusiasm infused confidence, and it was also contagious. He had me caught up in wanting to try it even though I was scared. “Okay, Rocco. I’ll try, but—”
“But the first sign of danger or in case you feel too scared to continue, we’ll stop.” He clasped my arms, gazed intently at me, and kissed my cheek.
I touched the cheek.
“That cheek needed a kiss.”
I grinned at him.
An instructor with a name tag named “Rio” came forward and gave us a wave. “I’ll review the safety checks and show you how we operate. Then you’ll be sailing.” He lifted his chin to the gust of wind blowing across the boat. “It’s a great day; you should get great height.”
I touched my knotted stomach. “Not too high, please.”
“Okay,” he said, smiling. He showed us the boat, parachute, and lever he used to help lift us into the air and the tow rope. “We strap you into a harness. Then you take off and land at the back of the boat. You don’t even have to get wet. If there is an issue, you will drift to the water and have a life jacket. We have emergency services nearby to help.”
Rocco squeezed my hand, and I nodded.
A woman wearing the nametag “Lydia” attached a video camera to our karabiner outside our harness. Then, she showed us the straps to hold and release in an emergency.
Rio showed us how he operated the boat and the rope he would use to lift us into the air.
“I’ve been doing this for twenty years and taken hundreds out, but accidents happen,” he said, giving us waivers to sign.
We signed them and sat down as we rode from shore. Then we slowed, and my pulse pounded so hard I could feel it in my ears. I’d flown in helicopters and small planes, but this was scarier.
Rocco took my hand. “I’m right next to you.”
We put on life vests and connected to the harness like a swing. I held on to the straps, and we moved to the boat’s back end and sat with our legs out. Within seconds, we took to the air!
There was no warm-up or pause. It was instant. As we soared higher and higher in the air, I peered at our dangling feet, the boat, and the blue sea below. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky; it was just us with birds high above the blue water.
“Oh, my God,” I yelled.
“Yes,” Rocco roared, and I looked at him. He had his head back and looked up at the sky. He was always ready for more.
A swift movement had us lowering, and my stomach dropped, and my heart hammered. It was that fear of falling, the dread of losing control and plummeting into the unknown. But what would happen? I had a life jacket, and the parasail wouldn’t pull me under. Still, there was no safety net. We had a rope and a boat. This is wild!
I let out a sob. “Can we stop?”
Rocco clasped my hand. “A few more minutes, Bella.” His touch was a reassurance, but then out of the blue he started singing loudly Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London.”
I turned my head to him in shock. It was so silly and so unlike him. “You’re crazy.”
“For you, Bella.”
I laughed as Rocco kept singing and howling, keeping all my focus on him. Somehow, his distraction eased my nerves, and the fear that weighed me down lessened.
“You all right, Bella?”
I smiled. “I think I am.”
I stared at him and marveled at how completely he had surrendered to the experience, lying back and floating.
I decided to give it a try. I slowly loosened my hold on the straps and leaned back fully in the harness until my arms and legs dangled. My heart still beat hard, but I closed my eyes and let myself sail the sky.
“Wow, this is amazing,” I called out, then took a peek down. The boat seemed far away, but I could see the island with its palms and the mansions carved into it. It was so beautiful.
My head turned and met Rocco’s gaze on me.
“You let go, and now you can have fun.”
I smiled and looked out again. We were in the air, and the sun was higher. There were no clouds, just pure blue, and I was flying—free. The joy of that moment was like a burst of sunshine on a rainy day, a happy puppy running over to get a pet—that sweet feeling of happiness.
“Woohoo,” I cried out, looking at Rocco.
He threw his head back, laughing.
Then suddenly, we started to lower from the sky. Fast.
My stomach dropped, and my heart beat fast. I was puffing air between whimpers and squeezing the straps, but I could see the boat getting closer and closer.
Two staff helped guide us down from the air, pulling the rope down for us to land on the back of the boat. I stared at my pink toes as they planted on the ship’s surface. They took hold of the harness and helped us detach, and then we returned to sit on the boat. And all the worry and fear came out, and I shook all over. Rocco placed his arms around me, and I hugged him tight.
“You did it, Adelina. There’s absolutely nothing you can’t do.”
The relief was palpable, the weight of fear lifted from my shoulders, and that sweet feeling of joy came rushing back.
“I did it, Rocco.”
“You did, and I’m so proud of you.”
His words filled me with a sense of accomplishment, a feeling that I had conquered my fear and emerged stronger.
I lifted my head, and he slowly leaned in. I moved my lips closer, and we kissed. It was not only something special we shared, but he helped ease that fear. Truly, everything seemed possible and right with him. “Thank you.”
He kissed my forehead. “Very warm. Let’s get you an ice cream.”
I grinned. “Ice cream for lunch. Sounds great.”
We thanked the parasailers and changed boats, and then Rocco asked that we stop at the small boathouse bistro. We ordered tropical sundaes and espressos before sitting under an umbrella by the dock. I gazed around and noticed that most seats were empty, save for a family with a baby. The mother was knitting, and I did a double take when she lifted her head. My mouth dropped open, and I touched Rocco’s hand.
“Is that Mahala?” She was an icon in pop music.
“Probably,” he said with a shrug.
The starstruck moment passed, and the sundaes and espressos arrived. We thanked them, and then I asked Rocco, “Where have you parasailed before?”
“Croatia on my own and Hawaii with the family. It was a good vacation.” He stared off, then took a sip from his cup.
“Is there any place you’d like to see that you haven’t been?” I asked and ate a spoonful of the sundae. Yummy.
He paused to think. “New Zealand, but that will change soon since I have a sci-fi story I’m considering filming there.”
“That sounds cool. Do you always visit the sites of the movies you make?”
“Not really. A lot of things are computer-generated. And files are sent to me. But if I can do a location setting, I’m there. It’s magic watching all the pieces come together.” Joy radiated from him, and I loved to see it.
My heart also grew heavy. He rarely ever showed he was worried or sad about anything. “Do you still believe you can make—”
He placed a finger to my lips, his eyes dancing. “No negativity. You just flew through the sky like a bird. Let’s revel in our accomplishments.”
“Okay, I’m happy about that, but you can tell me when you’re sad.”
He exhaled. “You’ve seen more than anyone else…I rarely am or can dwell on it. Too many people are counting on me. I can only find another way. That’s what my grandpa taught me.”
I liked that. “He also taught me I can withstand a lot.”
He went quiet for a few moments. “You won’t have to withstand anything again, not with me.”
My heart swelled, and I didn’t say anything. I wanted to believe, just like him, that good things don’t have to end. We ate more of our sundaes, which were melting fast.
“That sundae was a great lunch,” I joked.
“It’s not lunch….” His voice trailed off.
“What’s up?” My brows raised.
His eyes widened, and he stood up, staring past me.
I turned to see what caught his attention. Oh God. Thick smoke was coming from further out on the water. I removed my sunglasses and could see some flames. Was it a boat? A jet ski? One of the villas?
“Wait here,” he told me. He left the table and spoke with the restaurant staff, his driver, and Zane, who I hadn’t known had arrived. They talked in a circle, and the driver gestured towards the boat.
I clasped my throat; my heart sped up. What’s going on?
Rocco finally came jogging over. “I’m going to take the boat with Henry and our driver to see if I can help.”
I nodded. “Yes. Let’s go.”
He frowned and placed his hands on my shoulders. “You’re not coming. I want you to go back to the villa with Zane.”
I shook my head rapidly. “No way. If you’re going, I’m going.”
He took my hands. His gaze was tender but resolute. “If you come, I’d be worried about you, not helping out. I’ll be fine. I promise.” Even hearing him say the words he promised, I knew he couldn’t. He let go to leave, but I gripped his waist. My hands started to shake.
He lifted my hands and kissed their backs. “It’ll be fine, Bella.”
I grabbed him and kissed him hard on the lips.
When we parted, his eyes were warm, and his smile bright. He then winked at me and rushed away with Henry. It was all happening so fast, the rush into danger. What if the fire was out of control? What if he got hurt?
I felt like I’d just got him, and I wasn’t sure my heart would keep beating if something happened to him.
Could I lose him?