Page 33 of Bound to You

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 definitelyshouldn’tbe 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 disappearedfrom 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 myeyes 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 foundus 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 aroundI bet they’re saying. But I won’t. Not this time.

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