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I sat up, wondering what he wanted.

“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” he said, in Italian.

“Yes,” I agreed, rather puzzled.

“It looks like you’re enjoying the sun.”

Oh crap! He was
hitting on me. Was he hitting on me?

“Um
, yes. It’s very pleasant.”

“Are you here on
vacation?”

“Yes, we are,” I replied with the faintest emphasis on the plural.

“Ah,” he said, looking around him for my absent companion.

“My boyfriend is surfing,” I explained, with a small smile.

“Then he will be having some good rides,” replied my new friend, who then winked at me and ambled away.

I could see Sebastian jogging
up the beach to join me.

“What did he want?” he said, looking none too pleased.

“Don’t blame me, Chief,” I said, raising one eyebrow, “You’re the one who bought this itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikini for me. Anyway, I told him my boyfriend was surfing, so you don’t need to worry.”

Sebastian scowled.

Oh boy, talk about double standards.

“
Did you have fun?” I said, trying not to laugh at him.

“Yeah,
” he agreed, looking in the direction where my ‘friend’ had vanished, “not bad. Got some good rides.”

“I know, I was watching.” I pointed to the camera, “I got some
great shots, too.”

“Really?” he sounded delighted
, and turned his full attention to me. “I’ve never seen any pictures of me surfing.”

My heart gave a quick, unhappy flop: my poor boy had never had parents who cared that he was good at something.

He sat down on the towel next to me, his skin glistening with drops of seawater. Trying not to get distracted, I showed him the shots I’d caught, and he raised his eyebrows.

“Wow! You
’re a really good photographer, Caro.”

“I have
excellent subject material,” I said, then snapped a close-up of his exquisite face and chest.

“What
’s that for?” he said, blinking in surprise.

“Just so I know you
’re real,” I told him. “I think you’re a figment of my overwrought imagination, and you might disappear when I wake up. But now,” I said, waving the camera at him, “I have proof.”

He grinned and shook his head, as if I was a little bit crazy. Which I was. Like he
’d said: crazy in love.

He pushed me down onto the beach towel with his damp body, and kissed me in a way that told me how he felt. I stroked my hand over his wet hair and smiled up at him.

“You’re so cute when you’re wet.”

“So are you,” he said, with a leer.

We ate lunch on the beach, panini from the shop and some fresh fruit sold by a bored teenage boy, who was slouched under a beach umbrella.

Sebastian
continued to flirt with me, tease me, and toy with my bikini straps, which I found ridiculously adorable. It was all I could do to stop myself from leaping on him there and then. But we were both enjoying just touching each other, playing and spending time together, without having to worry about what anyone else thought, said or did.

In the afternoon, he fell asleep in the sun and I lay watching him for nearly an hour, almost unable to believe my luck: that he was really mine, and that I was his.

We spent the rest of the day on the beach. Sebastian even persuaded me to go for a surf with him, although I thought the water was really too chilly to be pleasurable.

“Come on, Caro, I
’ve wanted to try this for ages. Let’s take the board out and catch a wave together. I’ll do the paddling and I can stare at your gorgeous ass while I’m doing it.”

Which was an offer I couldn
’t refuse.

I lay on the board first, and Sebastian
jumped on behind me. He couldn’t resist giving my ass a quick bite.

W
e paddled out to just behind where the waves were breaking, then as the water started to rise, Sebastian turned the board around and we began to speed down the front of the wave.

“Get ready to pop
up!” he yelled, above the crashing surf. “Go!”

I scrambled to my feet and felt the board wobble slightly, then Sebastian was behind me, one hand steadying me
as we raced down the face of the wave.

It
was the most extraordinary feeling, riding that wave together. In some ways it was a metaphor for the life we were starting out on. Who knew when we’d fall off? But by trusting each other and moving as one, the ride would be longer.

Eventually, Sebastian conceded that I really was cold
, and we belly-boarded back into the beach.

“Your nipples are hard,” he said, pointing out the darned obvious.

“Well, what a shocker,” I said. “I’ve never seen them like that before.”

“Is that right? I
’ll see what I can do about it later.”

“Promises, promises,” I sighed.

His eyes widened and his nostrils flared with the challenge.

“Bed, woman. Now.”

“Don’t you want to find somewhere to have dinner first?”

He shook his head. The Chief wanted sex, not food. I really, really wasn
’t going to argue.

We
booked the room behind the beach shop, but were interrupted en route to our sexcapades by the owner, who was desperate to talk to Sebastian about surf spots in California. I left them mulling over whether San Diego or Monterey had the better breaks, even though I could feel Sebastian’s eyes following me across the beach.

I collected our
overnight bag from the bike and carried it into the small room.

It was like being in
a log cabin: wooden walls, wooden floors, wooden furniture. But Sebastian was right: the bed was huge. I tested it out gingerly. Nope, no creaking springs to distract us tonight.

While I was waiting for him, I checked up on my emails. I was surprised to see that there was one from Nicole.

To: Lee Venzi

From: Nicole Olsen

Re: WTF

Venzi! WTF are you doing in Italy? How come I had to hear about it secondhand from Jenna? Don’t you think it’s time you had mindless sex with an Italian stallion? Call me for tips. Have fun. Nx

That was so like Nicole. If only she knew. I decided I’d send her a photo of Sebastian to cheer up her gray, New York morning.

I picked the one of him sitting back on the beach towel, his beautiful face and divine chest in full view. I wasn
’t going to send her the one where his board shorts showed the ammo he was packing: Nicole would probably implode.

To: Nicole Olsen

From: Lee Venzi

Re: Re: WTF

Am thinking about your advice ;)
Traveling through Italy with an old friend. Thought you’d like this eye candy to brighten your day. Lx

I was still smiling about Nicole’s message and my reply, when Sebastian strolled in.

“What
’s so funny?”

“Oh, I j
ust had an email from my friend Nicole in NYC: she wants me to have mindless sex with an Italian stallion.”

Sebastian didn
’t look amused. “Why is she saying stuff like that to you?”

“Oh, don
’t be such a prude, Sebastian! It’s just a joke. She’s always nagging me to find a man.”

“What about me?” he said, sounding ridiculously hurt.

I rolled my eyes. “I haven’t told anyone about you. I like having you to myself. But I will, if you want me to.”

“I want to know your friends, Caro. Although I
’ll fucking tell ‘Nicole’ that she can keep her comments about ‘Italian stallions’ to herself.”

Uh-oh, the Chief was riled
.

Now
that
was going to be an interesting meeting: Sebastian and Nicole were both pretty fiery. I wasn’t going to place bets on who’d win that encounter.

Suddenly my
phone rang. I stared at it in amazement, as if it had suddenly grown wings. Why on earth was Nicole calling me?

“Nicole, hi! Wow, it
’s great to hear from you. How are you?

“Don
’t give me that, Venzi. Where did you get that smokin’ hot picture? Have you turned into one of those women who ogles younger men?”

“Like you, you mean?”

Nicole snorted. “Exactly! Since when did you start taking photos of hot guys? And who’s this ‘old friend’ that you’re suddenly traveling around Italy with?”

“Nicole, I sent you a picture of him.
His name is Sebastian.”

Sebastian glanced over at me, a smile on his face.

“Come on, Lee. Why won’t you tell me who you’re traveling around with?”

“No, seriously
, Nicole. That’s a photo of my friend.”

“The S
tud Muffin is your ‘old friend’?” she yelled down the phone. “You’re bullshitting me, Lee!”

I laughed. “I promise you, Nicole.”

“Have you been holding out on me? Where did you meet him?”

Her words poured out in a torrent.

“I’ll tell you some other time,” I said, shaking my head, as Sebastian gazed at me quizzically.

“No! Tell me now!”
she shrieked.

“I can
’t. Later.”

“Why not now?”

“Because he’s standing right here, Nicole.”

Sebastian raised his eyebrows.

“Bullshit! I don’t believe you.”