“That’s a lot for a cup of water to do.”
He swirled his around, almost up to the rim. “That’s why they call it ‘holy water.’ Because it can perform miracles. What miracle do you want, Julia?”
Him. She wanted him. But she was still a mess, and he deserved someone who wasn’t banged and bruised up, mentally and physically. “I would like for my headaches to go away for good.”
His eyes darkened in concern. “They haven’t been bothering you today, have they? Otherwise, I can call a cab to take us back to the boat.”
“No, my head feels okay. I haven’t really had a bad headache since the day we met at the farmer’s market.”
“That was a shock for me, too. But a good one,” he hastily added. He lifted his glass. “To good surprises.”
“And miracles.” Julia clinked her rim against his. She took a deep breath and drank. “Aack!” she sputtered. The water lived up to its iron-colored promise, so rich with minerals that it almost had a gritty texture as it battled its way down her throat.
Frank drained his glass without a wince and even smacked his lips.
“Well, I won’t need to worry about my iron intake for the day.” She smacked her lips as well, mostly to get the taste off them. “Like medicine—it has to taste bad to work well.”
“Good things come with a price.” Frank took her glass and drank the rest of her water before handing both glasses back to the nearby vendor.
Wasn’t that the truth. Unfortunately, she’d paid a high price for stupid things, too. “What’s next?” she asked brightly, not wanting to dwell on the negative on such an interesting, if smelly, day.
Frank took her hand and they wandered through the town, the natives obviously very proud of literally living on the edge of the volcano. Little shops full of bottled spring water and T-shirts aimed for the tourist trade while the usual cafés, delis and bakeries were there for the local population. “Here we go.” Frank stopped at a gate marked with a large sign written several times in various alarming fonts and colors.
“Hot danger?” she asked.
“Thank you.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I’ve never been called that before.”
“Not you.” She squeezed his hand and he spun her around so her back was against the iron fence.
“You don’t think I’m hot and dangerous?” He ran his fingers up her arm next to the heavy curve of her breast. He brushed the side where no one could see, and her nipples hardened instantly against the cotton of her shirt. “I’ll have to work harder to convince you of that.” He swiveled his hips so his pants’ zipper rested on her hip. Even through the thick fabric, she could practically feel every inch of him. Even at rest, so to speak, he was firm and long, ready to spring up at her slightest touch.
“I think you’re very hot and dangerous.” Her voice was breathy.
“Good.” He leaned in, innocently kissing her cheek and then not-so-innocently flicking her earlobe with his tongue.
She let out a little moan and he pulled back, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. “But, unfortunately, we are only here to see the hot, dangerous springs.”
“Fine.” Her lips pulled into a little pout, but she couldn’t very well go mauling Frank in public. He was a big fish in the small pond of the Azores, and everybody knew who he was. Many of them knew him personally, as well. She supposed he was expected to kiss women in public and generally show off his macho side—not that she minded. She loved being the recipient of a certain aspect of his macho side. And his sweet side. And even his grouchy side when the coffee was still brewing.
“Shall we go inside, meu bem?”
The endearment sent warm fuzzy feelings through her. “Let’s see if the smell lives up to the hype.”
They wandered through a setting that reminded her of a park—if a park had dirty brown boiling mud pits that looked as if some primordial monster was forming from the dangerous ooze. Occasionally large gunky bubbles would rise to the surface and then pop, wafting that lovely sulfur odor toward her. As a nurse, she was unfortunately reminded of certain rough evenings in the emergency department with patients who must have eaten a buffet of cabbage, broccoli and beans before arriving for care.
Fortunately, they turned a corner and came to clear, or rather clearer, water. Here the water probably had more of a