Cassidy let him pull her up to the second story and into the covered solarium. Sitting side by side on the metal bench, the heat from their bodies connecting, they watched the lights of the shoreline recede as the boat motored into open water. Pete put his arm around her and touched his lips to the top of her head. She looked up and kissed him, and the energy between them jumped. He returned her kiss, his lips soft but urgent, his breath quickening with hers. She worked her fingers beneath his coat and found his smooth skin. He caressed her knee and thigh. Their kisses continued, and a current zipped through her like a shiver, though she felt oblivious to the cold.
“Let’s go inside,” Pete said, his voice husky.
She rose and they walked to the door. Inside the dark room, rows of empty vinyl seats faced a large window. Cassidy walked to the window and peered through it, but the view showed only the empty mid-ship deck. Pete came up behind her, his hands stroking her sides. He kissed her neck and the shivers started up again. She turned and kissed him back, her hands sliding under his coat to the bare, warm skin of his back. His erection pressed against her thigh.
She gave him a look.
“See what you do to me?” he said with a sheepish grin.
“That’s my fault?” she said with a laugh.
“I think it’s your dress,” he said.
Cassidy kissed him. “Have you no self-control?”
“The nuns tried, but I was a hopeless case.”
Cassidy laughed. She remembered the story of his Catholic school experience and how he’d finally convinced his parents to let him quit.
“Actually, I’ve been having impure thoughts about you all day.”
Cassidy raised an eyebrow. “Exactly how impure?”
“Maybe it’s better I show you,” he said, and pulled her gently into one of the large seats so that she landed sideways on his lap.
“Oh my,” she said, giving him a look.
He kissed her, and his hand slipped beneath the hem of her dress. His touch sent waves of desire through her body. She kissed him back, stroking the warm skin beneath his sweater. She felt his fingers caress the side of her hip and slide under the thin fabric of her panty.
Hot blood thumped into her belly. “You’re crazy,” she said, kissing him.
“Crazy in love with you,” he said. His serene eyes met hers, and she realized that his words were genuine.
She inhaled a long breath. “I love you too,” she said, feeling a flood of emotion rise up inside her.
He kissed her again, adding a new and reckless edge to her desire. His fingers caressed her hip and along the edge of the fabric, and she didn’t care that they were on a ferry in the middle of the Puget Sound, that at any moment someone could discover them. The thrill of his touch and the longing for his kisses to heat every corner of her body urged her forward. She shifted her hips and Pete slid the panties down to caress her. A shock wave of pleasure rocked through her. How could he switch her on like this? One minute they were laughing and kissing and the next she was shooting for the stars. They kissed, their breaths audible in the darkness, until the sensation built up inside her and she couldn’t hold back. She broke from his kisses to grip him tight, her face buried in his neck while silent gasps escaped her lips, her hips quivering with pleasure.
“Oh my god,” she breathed into his ear after her heartbeat recovered. “I can’t believe we just did that.” She paused to catch her breath. “We’re crazy.”
“That was amazing,” Pete said, his eyes sparkling. “Thank you,” he added, giving her a long, sensual kiss.
Cassidy half-laughed, half-exhaled.
He kissed her again. “I love you, Cassidy Kincaid.”
“I love you, too,” she said, kissing him back, knowing she would never forget this moment.
Ten
Syracusa, Sicily
May 11, 2015
“Yuck,” Cassidy said, wrinkling her nose at the taste of Pete’s gelato. After filling up their rental car with petrol on their return from exploring the waterfront city of Syracusa, Pete insisted they grab a serving of gelato from the adjoining restaurant.
“What’s wrong with cake-batter-flavored gelato?” he asked. “I think it’s brilliant.”
“I dunno,” she replied, returning to her cup of strawberry. “I used to get high when I was in middle school, and cake batter is the stuff we would eat.”
Pete’s eyes went wide. “What were you doing smoking pot so young?”
Cassidy shrugged. “It was just a stupid phase, but at the time, those were my friends, you know?”
“From stoner to scientist,” Pete mused. “Catchy memoir title.”
She gave his shoulder a shove.
They jumped back in the tiny rental car, and Cassidy accelerated onto the autostrada. Three days before, Cassidy had completed her project on Etna, and Pete had flown in to meet her after two weeks of researching his series on the immigration crisis in Greece. He had arrived in Sicily looking haggard, and she sensed he was still processing the experience. From experience, she knew to give him time; he would share it with her when he was ready.
The day before she had taken him skiing at the dinky resort on Etna. The wonders of skiing right up to an active lava flow and watching Sicilians smoke like chimneys in the lift line had lightened his mood, and she was relieved to see him coming back to himself.
When the autostrada merged with the Catania-bound freeway, the traffic slowed to a crawl.
“Huh,” Pete said. “Is there an accident?”
“I forgot that it’s Sunday,” Cassidy sighed. “I bet everyone went to the beach and now has to get home.” From previous experience, she knew that there was nothing to be done except wait.
They crept forward for several miles, breathing diesel fumes, the heat from the black pavement rising up in waves. “There has to be another way back,” Pete said. “There are roads all over
