Page 11

CHAPTER 11

L ea

The sight of the tropical paradise takes my breath away as the Jeep follows the trail.

“It really is beautiful as far as the eyes can see,” I remark, looking around.

“Yes, it is,” Massimo replies, but when I glance over, he’s looking at me, instead of the tropical paradise I’m enthralled by.

“Stop,” I say, blushing as I look down.

“Stop what?” he growls.

“Saying things like that. Looking at me.” I shake my head. “It’s almost… romantic.”

“Romantic?” he chuckles. “Not really my style. If I wanted to make you mine, I’d pull this Jeep over and kiss those beautiful lips the way they deserve to be kissed. Leave you breathless and begging for so much more, bambina .”

My breath hitches in my throat and my face gets redder. Yeah, that’s not romance. Not the kind I’d expect, anyway. But if he did that, I’m not sure what I’d beg for. I don’t want to find out, even if that’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now. Being his. Being claimed by those rough-looking lips and callused hands.

“You’ll be able to see the ruins as soon as we get to the top of the hill,” he says, gesturing ahead. “The official tour should have moved on from here by now, so we’ll have the place to ourselves. You can explore them to your heart’s content.”

My eyes get wide when the ruins come into view. I saw pictures online, but those were nothing compared to seeing them in real life. An ancient civilization, long forgotten. More mystery than answers. The locals call it the Valley of the Ancestors, but some artifacts discovered during the excavation suggest the people who built the impressive array came from somewhere else. They may have even ruled the ancestors the locals are referencing.

“Wow,” I say as we get closer. “You could spend a whole day exploring these ruins and not see everything.”

“Yeah, the tour just drives by them and moves on to the statues,” he explains. “But we can do whatever we want, as long as we don’t blow the place up.”

“I’d say that’ll never happen, but for all I know, you’ve got a bomb in the back of this Jeep,” I joke.

“Nah, just a shotgun,” he smiles. “A few knives. Some rope…”

I can’t tell if he’s serious or joking.

“Right.” I roll my eyes as I look away. “I doubt we’ll need any of that.”

“Depends on whether or not you’re a good girl,” he teases, but there’s some firmness to his tone that suggests it might not be a joke. “I’ll hogtie you if I have to.”

“I’ll be good!” I squeak out. “Please don’t threaten me like that, even if it’s a joke. Especially after you spanked me. That really hurt.”

“You might not have liked it, but I don’t think you hated it,” he says, parking the Jeep in front of the ruins. “I certainly enjoyed it.”

“I could tell,” I groan.

Massimo gets out of the Jeep and I mutter a few things under my breath. He’s not wrong. I didn’t like the pain, but my body reacted to it. It would be hard to say I hated it. But I’m not eager to experience it again. Nor am I eager to find out if he will actually hogtie me if I misbehave.

“Come on, bambina ,” he says, opening my door. “Let’s have a look around.”

Massimo helps me out of the Jeep and we walk under a breathtaking archway carved from stone, with missing chunks that used to be marble, and grooves that were once filled with gold. According to legend, at least.

“I’m sure your grandmother told you about all the rumors and mysteries surrounding this place,” Massimo comments as we step into what was once a room—possibly a throne room, or a lavish dining hall. Most of it is missing.

“Yeah, the most popular one is that the people who built this place were the last survivors of Atlantis, right?” I ask, turning and marveling at all the impressive architecture that was built while most of the world was still in straw huts.

“It is, but… you know, wrong ocean,” he chuckles. “Atlantis was supposed be in the Atlantic. They would have passed plenty of islands before they made it to this one, so I’ve never believed that.”

“Then maybe they’re from the Lost City of Pacifis,” I joke. “Who says there was just one ancient civilization as impressive as Atlantis?”

“You might be on to something,” Massimo laughs, helping me down a flight of stairs carved out of stone. “Watch your step.”

The bottom of the stairs is broken into fragments that make me pause. Massimo doesn’t. He steps over the rubble, grabs me under the arms, and whirls me across it like I’m as light as a feather. I struggle to get my footing once my sneakers are flat on the ground. He’s strong—really strong. He could have hurt me a lot more than he did last night, if he wanted to.

“Thank you,” I whisper, and Massimo’s gaze lingers on me for a moment before he looks away.

“The tunnels are up ahead. If you look closely, you can even see some blood from all the human sacrifices.” Massimo motions for me to follow him.

“Wait, human sacrifices?” My eyes get wide. “Are you serious?”

“They don’t put that in the brochure,” he chuckles. “Bad for tourism.”

“Great, so the people from the Lost City of Pacifis were serial killers.” I shake my head and follow him into the tunnels.

There’s enough light for us to make it several feet before things get dark. They definitely don’t let tourists come down here. Massimo turns on his phone and guides me. I find myself clinging to his arm because the ground has some rubble that would be easy to trip over.

As we get deeper into the tunnels, and I see drawings on the wall that seem to confirm the people who built this place sacrificed human beings to whatever sun-looking deity they worshiped, it occurs to me that if Massimo wants to kill me, this would be a great place to hide my body. I gulp uncomfortably as the tunnels open up to a large circular room with shafts that provide natural light. There’s a large pit in the middle. A reddish-brown tint to the floor, more prominent around the pit. I look around and I notice an altar with similarly hued stains.

“No wonder they don’t bring tourists down here,” I remark. “It would be a great place to film a horror movie, though.”

“They’ve filmed a few down here,” he comments, putting his hands on his hips. “Alright, so in order for the ritual to work, I need to sacrifice a virgin on the altar. Now, where would I find a virgin…”

I take a step back. “I asked you not to say things like that,” I groan. “It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Oh, right, because you’re still a virgin,” he chuckles, turning to me. “That’s an easy problem to fix. Then you won’t have to worry about being sacrificed for good harvest next year.”

Massimo’s gaze flickers as he closes in on me. I shake my head and back up until I’m against the wall.

“Seriously, don’t say things like that,” I protest, trapped between his stare and the wall behind me.

“You never have to worry about being uncomfortable with me, bambina ,” he growls. “I won’t lay a hand on you—unless you deserve it.” Massimo grins and turns away. “Come on, let’s check out the other tunnels.”

I’m breathless for a moment, then I gather my composure and follow him. Despite my better judgment, I cling to his arm once we’re walking across rubble again. His arm is so thick and strong. I can’t help imagining what it would feel like to be wrapped up in both of them—breathless for an entirely different reason. Even a hug would be nice. I haven’t had a real hug since the last one I got from my grandmother. No. I can’t think like that. Can’t think about things too dangerous for me to even comprehend.

“This room is where they slept,” Massimo explains as we venture into another circular room. This one has even more natural light. “Not the important people, of course. This room was likely for temple servants or slaves.”

“You know a lot about this place,” I comment, looking around at the ancient room that has been thoroughly plundered down to some of the stones.

“When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time in Italy with my grandfather. Part of my education, I guess you could say. He wanted me to learn everything about the family, but he also brought me to places like this,” Massimo says. “History, especially ancient history, always fascinated him.”

“It is rather fascinating,” I admit. “To think that these people lived their entire lives on this island. Never saw the rest of the world… Not that I’m one to talk. This is the first time I’ve been anywhere other than Pine Grove.”

“You should travel.” Massimo turns to face me. “Seriously. Don’t waste your life stuck in one place. The world is beautiful and full of interesting places like this.”

“Easier said than done, Massimo,” I sigh. “I’m not wealthy. I can’t just go anywhere I want on a whim. The only way I was able to afford to come here is because my grandmother left me a small inheritance. She made me promise I’d use it to… keep the other promise I made.”

“How much do you want?” Massimo shrugs. “A million dollars? Ten? It’s not like I can take it with me when I go.”

“Massimo, no.” I shake my head. “I-I… No.”

“I’m serious, Lea.” He walks closer, tilting his head slightly.

“Yeah, until you’re gone and your family wonders why you sent millions of dollars to some random nobody.” I hold up a hand and take a step back. “I don’t want Mafia money, or the kind of attention that would come with it.”

“I’m not an idiot,” he growls, looking offended. “I’d put it in a trust and burn the paper trail. Nobody would ever find out where it went. And my family will have bigger problems to worry about than where some of my money went.”

“No.” I state firmly. “It’s a generous offer, and I appreciate it, but I don’t want your money.”

“You might regret that one day.” He shrugs. “There’s more to see. Follow me.”

I sigh and do as I’m told, following Massimo down another dark tunnel as we go deeper into the ancient structure. The path narrows and the incline makes it harder to keep my footing. Massimo seems fine in his hiking boots, but my sneakers lose traction a couple of times. Massimo holds my arm to make sure I don’t fall. It finally opens up into another circular room, similar to the last one.

“What is this room for?” I ask, looking around at what I can see with the natural light.

“Nobody knows,” Massimo answers. “Could have been another place for people to sleep. Could have been a place of worship. Could have been for giant orgies.”

“Giant orgies?” My eyebrows shoot up.

“Look at the wall.” Massimo gestures to it and shines his light.

I walk closer, then I blush. The wall is covered in crude drawings that look like they could have been the inspiration for the Kama Sutra.

“Okay, sure,” I admit, turning back to him. “Maybe they had giant orgies down here. Fun! Can we go now?”

“Does that make you uncomfortable?” he chuckles. “Giant orgies?”

“What do you think?” I mutter. “I obviously haven’t been in any giant orgies. I’m sure you have.”

“No, bambina .” He shakes his head. “I don’t like to share. If you were mine, you’d be all mine. You’d only feel my hands on your delicate skin. Only feel my lips—everywhere. No man would ever touch you. They’d die if they tried.”

“Massimo…” I sigh.

“Lea…” he says, walking closer.

I take a step back and my foot slips on a rock. I nearly stumble, but Massimo grabs me. Then he pulls me close until I’m pressed against his impressive physique. I can feel his heat. See the growl as it twitches his lip. “Careful, bambina .”

“Th-thanks,” I whisper, then try to pull away, but he doesn’t let go.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to stare into the eyes of man who wants to kiss me. To want him to kiss me. I know what it looks like now. How enthralling it is. How it makes my heart skip a beat while my stomach flutters and my core trembles.

“I-is there more to see?” I ask, my breath sounding more like a gasp.

“Not down here,” he answers, his free hand moving to my chin and tilting it. “I’m looking at the only thing worth putting my eyes on.”

I swallow hard and close my eyes. I wait for the kiss. My first real kiss. I know it’s foolish, but I can’t help how I feel. I want his hands on my skin. His lips—everywhere. I’m mixed up, confused, and falling for a man who can’t offer me more than the rest of this week.

The kiss never comes. Massimo exhales a sharp sigh, steadies me on my feet, and lets go. I hear his footsteps and open my eyes. He’s walking away. At least one of us still has common sense floating around in our head somewhere.

I need to figure out where mine went.