Tidal Love

by KM Lowe

  I shake my head. “No. I love what you just said. I’m going to call the bar Gin-ology.”

  “Really? I was just sounding off.”

  “Really. You’ve just solved a huge problem for me, because Lucca and I would have fought over a name. Now, since Lucca seems to love you like a sister, I can say, ‘Harleigh picked the name.’”

  “No. No. No.” She waves her hands in front of me. “I’m not getting stuck in the middle of you two. Nope.” She laughs and looks around to see if anyone just witnessed her mini outburst.

  I stop us and turn her to face me. I cup her cheeks with my hands and lean in to brush her lips with mine. The electricity is zapping through me already.

  “There will be no fight in it now you’ve picked it. I love it.”

  I can feel the heat radiate from Harleigh’s cheeks through to the palms of my hands. I like that she’s so easy to get hot and bothered, but I wish I didn’t know why compliments caused such a reaction. I’d rather my compliments didn’t remind her of her past.

  “What are you thinking about, Harleigh? I can hear the clogs turning.”

  She shrugs and smiles warmly. “This…” She points between us. “It isn’t me. I don’t even think I know what I’m doing. It’s been so long since I liked a man or did anything like we’re doing now.”

  Her flustered tone breaks my heart. I don’t want to upset her or make her feel uncomfortable.

  “We’re having fun, Harleigh. Do you want to know what I think?” She nods and looks at my lips with delicate doe eyes. “I think you’re over-thinking things. What we have going on between us is beautiful. I know how confusing these feelings are because I’ve never felt them before. But why waste time trying to analyse everything? We’re in a beautiful country, enjoying each other’s company. We’re adults, and if something should blossom between us, I think we’re big enough to deal with it. So, what do you say we just go for lunch and have a good time? Whatever happens after that, happens.”

  “Okay. I…” She lifts her eyes to look at me. “I think that’s a good idea, Gio. I don’t want to complicate things, but I don’t want to push you away either.”

  “Good, because neither do I. This is just the beginning, beautiful.”

  I lean in and capture her lips with mine. The heat between us is scorching. How we’re going to get through a lunch date without tearing each other’s clothes off, I don’t know.

  I am going to need a lot of Dutch courage and restraint.

  Chapter 10

  Harleigh

  Giovani parks his car outside his house and we get out slowly. It’s as if everything we’ve done and said today is finally hitting us. We’ve both admitted that we feel something for one another. We’ve both admitted that these feelings are something we’ve never felt before. Even before my last relationship turned sour, I never felt butterflies in my stomach, or felt thrilled about a relationship. I went along with relationships because my friends were doing it. I’ve never jumped in headfirst because I wanted to, because I had strong feelings. I guess you could say that peer pressure was a big thing for me. It’s only the last twelve months that I’ve been free from toxic relationships and fake friends, and I’m now, for the first time, looking forward to starting again.

  I take in a deep breath and exhale slowly. I don’t know what Giovani and I have going on between us, but the butterflies are real. The feelings he invokes are consuming me; heart, body, and soul.

  I look up at Giovani’s house like it’s the first time I’ve seen it. It always looks more and more beautiful with every glance. I should make my excuses to go back to my hotel, but Giovani is like a magnet to me. I can feel myself being drawn to him.

  “Do you fancy coming in for a drink? Lucca will be at the hotel sorting the week’s deliveries.”

  I nod. I should be shaking my head, but for the first time in my life, I don’t want to be sensible. I don’t want to listen to my head. I want to be impulsive and follow what my heart and body wants.

  “A drink sounds good. This has got to be the hottest temperature I’ve been in for a long time.”

  “Thirty-seven degrees this afternoon. You can always cool off in the pool with me.”

  I’ve got my bikini under my clothes, but could I swim with Giovani? Would he think differently if he saw me half naked? My body is not model-like. It has scars, internally and externally. I have curves and imperfections. I’m not the put together woman Giovani sees in the beautiful clothes and make-up. Without it all, I’m just a regular plain Jane.

  “What did I say about over-thinking things?”

  I smile and shake my head. “I’m trying. I really am, Gio. You might need to be a little patient with me. Sometimes it’s hard to shake away the voices.”

  “It’s a good job I’m a very patient man, Harleigh. Come on, let’s get cool.” Gio holds out his hand to me.

  I slide my much smaller hand into his and let him lead the way. At this precise moment, Gio could be leading me to the devil himself, but I wouldn’t care as long as he was there with me.

  “Live a little, doll. You deserve it,” echoes in my ears from my brothers back home.

  We walk into Gio’s kitchen and I kick off my shoes. The cold ceramic tiles against my hot, sticky feet feels amazing. I moan in satisfaction and I can’t stop it.

  “You have an amazing floor. I could lie on it.” I fan myself with my hat.

  “I’m pretty sure that could be arranged.” Gio hands me an ice-cold bottle of water, but pulls it back as I reach for it and leans it against my neck. I sag with relief. The cold bottle is better than anything I’ve ever felt.

  “Let me go and get swimming shorts on and I’ll show you the delights the pool has to offer.”

  I take the bottle from Gio and watch him walk away from me like an Adonis. His muscular frame stretches the material of his shorts and shirt.

  I give myself a fan and slide open the patio doors that lead out to the back garden. The pool does look inviting, I’ll give him that. I put my bottle of water on the table and walk over to dip my toes in the water. I sit down on the edge of the pool. The cold water sends me into a trance. At this moment, I don’t care who sees me sitting here soaking up the sun. My body is craving the coolness more than my self-conscious mind needs privacy.

  “I’ve brought out some water-resistant sunscreen. I don’t want that beautiful skin of yours burning.” I jump as Gio comes up behind me, because I was carried away with the coolness on my skin rather than concentrating on my surroundings.

  He throws down towels on the lounger. He kneels behind me, moves my hair to the side, and massages cold cream onto my bare shoulders. It sends my whole body into a tailspin. I’ve never felt so cared for, apart from my family, but you expect that from your family. This is a good feeling. A feeling I didn’t think I’d crave as much if it came along. Who am I kidding? I never thought I’d come across a man so kind and caring.

  “That feels so good,” I moan.

  “Good.”

  He stops massaging my back, shoulders, and arms a little too quickly for my liking. I could sit here and let my front fry with the sun if it meant Gio kept doing what he did. I’m glad I put this play suit on today, because the back is pretty bare with thin spaghetti straps. It gives him perfect access to my back and shoulders without me needing to take it off.

  I look over my shoulder to see what Gio’s doing, but he jumps into the pool and surfaces, rubbing the water off his face and hair. I’m a little annoyed that I didn’t get to ogle his body with no clothes on. My cheeks heat at the thought, and I look down to my hands linked together between my knees. Gio swims over to me, lifts my hands out from between my legs and runs his fingers through mine.

  “Don’t over-think things, remember. Why don’t you join me?”

  I look down at my suit and stall. Eurgh! I want to join him, I do. I just wish I had more confidence to dive in headfirst.

  “You can come in with your suit on if you like. I’m sure I can
find a t-shirt and shorts to fit you after we get out.”

  I like how Gio seems to read my mind. It saves me going into embarrassing conversations. I take in a deep breath and imagine myself pulling up my big girl panties. I stand up from the side and let my suit fall to my feet. I pick it up and throw it over to the lounger. I slide into the cold water and gasp as every nerve ending tingles and protests the cold water, but it’s an invigorating feeling. I feel amazing.

  “Better?” Gio asks.

  “Yeah. I could get used to this. I haven’t spent any time in the pool since I arrived, and usually that’s the first place I visit first.”

  “Well, feel free to come and use my pool anytime you like. The pool at the hotel doesn’t get too crowded, but if you’re looking for an escape then it can be a bit much.”

  “Thanks. Do you spend a lot of time in the pool?”

  He swims farther away from me on his back. “I swim every morning if the weather is decent. There’s something very invigorating about a swim in a cold pool to start your day.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  I swim out to the middle of the pool to be beside Gio. He sits up from his back quickly and wraps his arm around my waist to draw me to him.

  “I’ve wanted to do this all day. In fact, if I’m being honest, I’ve wanted to do this since the first moment I saw you. Something about you called to my heart and soul.”

  “Ditto. But I’m not particularly good at things like this.”

  “Said who?”

  “You just lie there like a sack of potatoes. You’re absolutely no use in the bedroom. I don’t know why I put up with your Virgin Mary attitude.”

  I look into Gio’s eyes, take charge, wrap my legs around his waist, and pull myself as close to his body as I can. “It doesn’t matter. It was a nobody. I need to stop living in the past.”

  “And right here, we’re very much in the present. Just two adults, living their best life, enjoying each other’s company. Nothing needs to go any further. We take this at your own pace, even if that means we spend your full holiday visiting sights, drinking alcohol, and swimming in my pool.”

  I take the lead for the first time in my life, lean in, and capture Giovani’s lips with mine. It’s soft and careful, empowering and life-changing, because no other kiss will ever compare to this.

  His hands wrap in my hair and tilt my head to give him better access. Thankfully, the water is keeping me in place because I’ve been rendered powerless. The passion, the heat, and the tenderness are enough to leave me soaring high.

  Gio pulls back from me and our foreheads lean against one another’s. His hands caress from my neck, down to my shoulders and back, finishing on my hips to hold me in place.

  “Do you see what you do to me, Harleigh?”

  I can feel his erection pushing against his shorts, probing my centre. I’m seeing stars just from the contact and kiss.

  “You have amazing hands,” I blurt out.

  It’s only when the words leave my mouth that I hear how absurd they are and start giggling.

  “I’m pretty sure my hands could be great at many things.”

  He pulls the ties at the side of my bikini bottoms and it falls off me. I feel him even closer than before and I unashamedly push closer to him, rocking back and forth, making my body sing from the contact.

  “You just tell me when to stop and I will. Okay?”

  “Okay,” I breathe.

  I don’t want him to stop. I want to know what I’ve been missing out on my whole adult life.

  Gio walks us back to the edge of the pool and my back hits the wall. His hand roams down my stomach and finds my entrance. My swollen nub is calling out to be played with, teased, and tantalised. I lean my head back and let every feeling surface. The feeling is too much, but I can’t get enough. I want to feel it all. He rubs my nub softly, pushes two fingers inside me, and circles his wrist expertly. I see stars. My body soars higher and higher until I’m calling out his name. My head falls forward and rests on Gio’s shoulder. My heart is pounding. How could he make me come so quickly? I’ve never had an orgasm at a man’s hand. Any man I’ve been with has been selfish in the bedroom department. It was all about them, their pleasure and feelings. I never once felt like I do now.

  “I like that just orgasmed look on you; rosy cheeks, wild hair, and sparkling eyes. We should keep this look on you, Miss Harrison.”

  “I think I’d like that,” I whisper.

  I lift my head from Gio’s shoulder confidently and run my thumb across his lips. “I want you, Giovani. Don’t stop now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never been as sure of anything my whole life. I’m sure.”

  I feel him wiggle down his shorts and his large member springs free and hits my stomach. The thought of him fitting inside me turns me on more.

  “Are you on birth control?”

  I’m glad someone is thinking clearly, because being safe never entered my head.

  “I am. I’m clean. I was tested after…” I pause and blink away a memory because I don’t want to ruin this moment. “I’ve not been with anyone since.”

  “I’m clean, too. But we can get out and…”

  I lean in and capture his mouth with mine. Our tongues duelling, probing, exploring every crevice. “I trust you, Giovani.”

  He lines himself up with my entrance and pushes into me slowly. I feel full, fit for bursting, but it’s only making my body climb higher again. I’ve had orgasms by my own hand, but this is something else.

  I’m in cold water, but I can feel a sheen of sweat on my body as we both climb higher and higher. Gio strokes my clit every time he pulls out, making me delirious.

  “Come with me, beautiful.”

  And that’s exactly what I do. I call out, just as Gio’s hands grip my back and draw me closer to him. My chest is squashed in between us, rising and falling from the rapid breathing. It’s probably the most exercise I’ve had in years.

  “That was amazing, Harleigh. Thank you for trusting me enough to share this moment with you.”

  “Thank you for treating me so special. I…” I trail off and look away from Giovani as tears threaten to fall.

  “What were you going to say?” He uses his thumb to make me look at him. “You can tell me anything, honey. I want to know all there is to know about you.”

  I take in a deep breath and try to steady my breathing. “I was going to say I didn’t know it could feel so good.”

  “With me, it will always be so good. You should be treated like a princess, worshipped, and cared for.”

  “Thank you.”

  “What do you say to a nice hot shower, some food, and we take a trip down to the harbour for a couple of drinks? I can show you another part of Nessebar, where you can shop until you drop.”

  “That sounds amazing. But, just to warn you, I don’t think it will take much to make me drop now.”

  “When you get tired, just let me know and we can always come back here, or I can take you to the hotel. Your choice. Everything will always be your choice with me, Harleigh.”

  “I don’t know what I did to deserve meeting you, Giovani, but I’m glad I did. Remind me to thank my brother for sending me out here.”

  “I think we can both thank your brother for sending you out here. My angel. My princess.”

  He leans in and captures my mouth once more. I’m afraid if he doesn’t stop, we’ll never get out of this house again. I’d quite happily spend the rest of this holiday in Giovani’s arms.

  Chapter 11

  Giovani

  Sitting beside Harleigh, looking out to the sunset over the harbour is a beautiful moment. One I’ll never forget. I haven’t had a chance to take advantage of a moment like this in such a long time. It has always been work, work, and more work. I haven’t had someone in my life that’s made me want to take time for me… until Harleigh walked into my hotel. I don’t know what it is about this woman. She’s gott
en under my skin and hypnotised me. I should be saying it terrifies me, but I kind of like it. It’s invigorating and exciting. A pretty little package all rolled into one.

  For years, I’ve worn a happy mask to hide my true self. On the inside, I’ve felt hurt and betrayed, but on the outside, I’ve appeared to be a normal, happy guy. I’ve hidden the truth, even from my family. I licked my wounds silently, and looking back, it didn’t do me any good, but it did push me into building this empire I have. The only thing is, an empire and money means nothing if you don’t have anyone to share it with.

  “It’s a beautiful sight out here.” Harleigh’s soft voice breaks through my thoughts.

  “It is, huh?” I look at her and twirl a long strand of hair around my finger.

  I’m not admiring the sunset, I’m admiring the beautiful woman sitting beside me. Her golden skin is glowing brightly, just like the angel I believe she is. She looks radiant. In just a short space of time, she has grown in confidence and relaxed around me, even if she doesn’t see it herself.

  Harleigh turns to look at me, her head tilting into my hand.

  “I was talking about the sunset, Gio.”

  “That’s beautiful too, but nothing compared to you.” I wink at her.

  “Are you always so smooth and kind?” She turns in her seat and our knees knock into one another.

  I shrug. “I’m Italian. I’m meant to be kind and gentleman-like. My mum would put me over her knee and spank my arse if I was any other way to a woman, and that would probably be after my dad knocked seven bells out of me. So, I guess you could say that what you see is what you get.”

  “Good to know. Remind me to thank your parents if I ever see them.”

  “They always joke that I was the son they raised right, and that Lucca is the wayward child. Streetwise. Wild. Nothing like my parents at all.”

  Harleigh laughs and my dick stirs to life. How can one sound be so sexual? “I can’t imagine Lucca being anything like you. You’re like yin and yang, black and white. You complement each other, but you’re so different.”