Page 26 of The Tides Between Us

It was one thing learning from Mark, but learning from Giana was an experience of its own. Our food arrived at the table and we broke the conversation to dive in. I had learned to grow comfortable in the silence that settled between us. I couldn’t help myself as my eyes kept colliding with Giana’s. A ghost of a smile played on her lips as she caught me watching her every damn time.

As the night was drawing to an end, we were back in my Jeep, heading back to her apartment. I wasn’t ready for the night to be over, but all things eventually came to an end. The night with her was simply divine. It was heavenly—more than I could have ever imagined. I knew this wasn’t the end of anything between us. It was the beginning.

I wanted to see more of her. And more often.

It wouldn’t be long before I would have to head west again… but I couldn’t occupy those thoughts. Not now. Not when I was driving through the summer night with Giana’s hand in mine.

As I pulled up in front of her building, she slowly released my hand and undid her seat belt before turning to face me.

“Thank you for tonight,”she signed and mouthed the words as I was trying to learn them.“I really did have a good time with you.”

The corners of my lips twitched. “Can I walk you to the door?”

Her gaze lifted from my mouth back to my eyes as she nodded her head. I left the Jeep running because I didn’t want her to think I had any bad intentions. If the engine was still running then I wasn’t anticipating her inviting me inside. As much as I wanted her to, I needed her to do that on her terms. I never was one to push others, and I certainly wasn’t about to become that person tonight.

Giana waited patiently in the passenger seat as I walked around to open her door for her. I held my hand out to her, almost out of habit, and there was no hesitation as she placed hers in mine. I helped her out of the Jeep, but as her feet touched the ground, she didn’t let go of me. I walked her up to the front door and she turned to face me.

“Do you want to come in?”she asked me.

I smiled and shook my head. “Not tonight, princess.”

Rejection washed over her expression and I watched a wave of hurt flash through her eyes. She took a step back, releasing my hand and lacing her fingers together in front of her body. It was a defense mechanism. She chewed on the inside of her cheek once and her throat bobbed as she swallowed.“Okay,”she mouthed the word. Her chest expanded as she inhaled deeply and met my eyes once more.“Good night.”

She began to turn her body away from me but I quickly closed the distance between us. It took me two and a half strides to reach her. My hand reached out to grab her shoulders just as she was facing the other direction. I spun her around to face me, her breath hitching as she tilted her head to look up at me. We were standing so close, I could feel the heat radiating from her body.

“I’m trying to be a gentleman here, Giana,” I said softly as I lifted my hand from her shoulder and slid it around the back of her neck. Her hair was soft, like silk, and I plunged my fingers through her thick locks as I clutched the back of her head. “Don’t test my resolve. It won’t take much to break it.”

A fire burned deep within the depths of her blue eyes.“What if I don’t want you to be a gentleman?”

A chuckle vibrated in my chest. “Let me make this clear to you, princess. You’re already under my skin, running rampant through my veins. Once I have my way with you, you’re mine. I promise you that I will fuck up your life.”

She wrapped her arms around my back and pulled me flush against her body. My face was just hovering above hers.“I hope you follow through on that promise because I look forward to your destruction,”she mouthed the words slow enough for me to read her lips.“I want you to ruin me for anyone else.”

“That would be my pleasure, princess,” I murmured as I dropped my mouth a fraction closer to hers. “I always make good on my promises, but it won’t be happening tonight.”

Her lips parted to argue, but I silenced her as I captured her mouth with my own. Her hands fisted my shirt as she clung to me. Her warm body was pressed against mine and I inhaled the scent of honey and lavender as my tongue slid across the seam of her lips. My fingers were tangled in her silky hair as I held her against me. I was the one who initiated the kiss, but it felt as if I was being dragged into the depths of her ocean.

I wasn’t sure I would ever resurface. She parted her lips and my tongue slid against hers. I wasn’t sure I ever did want to resurface. Her hands gripped my shirt tighter. My cock throbbed against her body that was flush with mine, slowly melting into me. I wanted to fucking drown in her.

Giana’s mouth moved with mine. Our lips were fused together, our surroundings had vanished. Her body was fusing with mine and I clung to her with the same ferocity she had. She was like sand on the beach and I was afraid if I loosened my grip, she would slip through my fingers. I wouldn’t let that happen, not if I could help it.

Our tongues were tangled in one another. Her throat was exposed, her head tilted back as she let me in. I swallowed her murmurs and breathed her in. My lungs were filled to the brim with her. She was everywhere. Giana Cirone wasn’t just under my skin.

She was embedded in my fucking soul.

And I was already drowning in her.

CHAPTERTWELVE

GIANA

The water lapped at my waist and my body swayed with the waves as I dug my toes into the wet ocean floor. Granules of sand were pinched between my toes, scratching at my skin. The ocean was warm and the sun was shining brightly in the sky above. I looked out across the surface, watching the way it glimmered beneath the light.

Declan was to the side of me, trying to position his surfboard for me to get on. He wasn’t cleared by his doctor to be able to physically surf yet, but that didn’t keep him from the water. He was either out here swimming or absentmindedly floating around on his board. Declan didn’t strike me as one to do anything to jeopardize the healing process of his injury, but then again, it seemed a little suspicious that he would even bother bringing his surfboard out here.

After our date last week, he made it clear he wasn’t going anywhere. He wanted more time with me and I agreed because it was mutual. There was something about him that was constantly pulling me in. He had his grip on me and I didn’t want him to let go anytime soon. Work was busy this past week and he had a bunch of appointments, so it was hard to coordinate our schedules, but today was a new day. I requested the day off and Declan insisted on trying to teach me how to surf.

It was as hard as it looked.

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