“Well, I’m hungry. Let’s eat the snacks I brought.”
“What?”
She pointed to the backpack. We sat on the top row, on a section designed for tourists, where a wooden overlay covered the original stone bench. I watched in fascination as she took out two sandwiches and bottles of water.
“When did you buy these?”
“This morning. Thought we might need sustenance since the tour is so long.”
She laid out a napkin as a placemat between us and opened our sandwiches on it. It was windy, so she had to secure the napkin with a bottle of water.
“Thanks. Damn, the food in this country is just amazing,” I said after swallowing a mouthful of the mozzarella and tomato sandwich.
“I agree. I’ve felt on vacation since I arrived, even though I’m working.”
“I’m regretting not staying longer. Hunter has the travel bug. He likes to take trips abroad whenever possible. I’m starting to get why. It’s refreshing to experience something completely new.”
“So what do you do when you take time off?”
“At most I go to the Hamptons, but I honestly don’t take long vacations. I got used to this rhythm of life. It was necessary in the beginning when we were building the business.”
“Well, then... make the most out of this day, mister. It’s the perfect day, don’t you think? The sun is so warm, and you’ve got the last ticket to the most kick-ass tour of the Colosseum. And now we’re sitting in the best spot.” She took off her sneakers, resting her legs on the wooden seat. I loved that she enjoyed this to the max. It had a positive effect on me too. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to have fun, because I did; but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so relaxed.
“One of your sisters is pregnant, right?” she asked unexpectedly.
“Yes, Skye. Isabelle told you?”
“She asked for an ob-gyn recommendation a while ago, and I told her about Dr. Johnson at my hospital. She’s treating Skye. When is she due?”
“May.”
“Are you excited?”
“Damn right I am.”
"What’s his or her name?”
“Jonas.”
“Oh, that’s such a cute name.”
We spoke about Skye, and I also showed her a few pictures of the family. Then we ate our sandwiches in two minutes flat, washing them down with water. Afterward, she wanted a picture. Laney handed me the phone, but this time, instead of just snapping a pic of her, I made a selfie of us.
“Tell me what you’ve read about this place.”
She grinned. “You sure? Our guide signaled us that we only have ten minutes of break left.”
“Fire away.”
Usually I crunched numbers in my mind even when I was out and about. Right now, Laney captivated all of my attention. It was the first time it had happened to me. My nickname wasn’t a coincidence—I didn’t date seriously, and I rarely spent time with a woman outside the bedroom or a dinner. But right now, I was regretting that I was leaving so soon. I wanted to spend more time with Laney. That smile, the passion in her voice—they demanded my full focus. The more she spoke, the closer I wanted to lean in. Fucking hell, I had to kiss her. “Are you listening?” she asked in a teasing tone.
“Not the past few minutes,” I admitted. “Too busy thinking about kissing you.”
“Cole!” Laney blushed instantly. Her gaze darted around, but she licked her lips. Then she pointed a finger at me. “I do not want that guard on our case again.”
“So you want me to kiss you, but only if the guard doesn’t see us?” The red in her cheeks intensified. I leaned in, just needing to be a tad closer. “I can make that happen. And if he does see us, I can talk our way out of it again.”
Laney played with her ponytail, just smiling. “You’re really something. I’m not as confident as you when it comes to sweet-talking the guard again. But I’m filing this overconfidence right here.” She tapped her temple. “I suspect it will weigh a lot in my assessment.”
“You still haven’t made up your mind about me?”
“Nope.”
“I know what might help expedite the process.”
“What?”
“Kissing.”
Before Laney had time to react, our guide walked up to us. “Break’s over, everyone. We’re moving downstairs, one level at a time. Come on.”
Laney immediately put on her sneakers. She was still blushing. There was no chance to pick up the thread of the conversation after we joined the group. I caught Laney looking at a couple with a strangely