by Layla Hagen
His gaze was smoldering hot. Holy shit, this was going to be an interesting day if he upped the ante like this before the tour even started.
I pointed a finger at him. “Cole, I want to focus, so tone down that charm.”
“Oh, I’m distracting you? Like the sound of that.”
I pointed a finger at him. “Colosseum tour. Don’t hijack it. Afterward, everything is negotiable.”
He smiled triumphantly. “Four hours. Then I make the rules.”
Chuckling, I took a deep breath. “Let’s find our guide. By the way, where is your luggage?”
“Sent it to the airport with a special service.”
“When do you have to be there?”
“Six thirty.”
“Okay.”
Tourists and souvenir vendors milled around the Colosseum. We were surrounded by fragments of conversations, English mixed with Italian. We found the group easily, right next to the entrance, in the shade. It was a small group, just ten participants.
“I am not going to talk all the time,” the guide said. “I will give you all the information when we reach a new level, and then you can just walk around at your pace, soak it all in. A word of warning: if you’re not in good shape, reaching the top will be challenging. The steps are old and very steep.”
I grimaced a little, because while the general mayhem at the hospital meant I was always on the move, climbing wasn’t my thing.
“I’ll carry you, if you want,” Cole whispered in my ear. I swatted him away playfully.
“We’d look ridiculous,” I whispered, but the idea didn’t sound half bad.
“I don’t give a fuck.”
“Might break your back, mister.”
“Lucky I have this sexy doc with me. She can take care of me.”
“I’m not equipped to heal a broken back right now,” I said.
“I’m sure we can find something that would work.” He was looking at me intently. I burst out laughing even as heat rose in my cheeks. I had no idea how he could make me blush and laugh at the same time. I couldn’t wait to discover what else he could do. My stomach bottomed out as I realized he was leaving in a few hours. I was still feeling a little off-kilter as the guide asked us to line up.
The Colosseum was honestly one of the most impressive constructions I’d ever seen.
Looking at something of this size that was more than two thousand years old was surreal. We started with the arena floor. Stepping onto a reconstructed wooden plank, we went right to the center of the arena where the gladiator battles took place. Being surrounded by these ancient stones while listening to the bloody, violent history gave me goose bumps.
“Oh, before I forget. Need to send my parents a selfie.” I held my phone so that the stands were visible and smiled brightly.
“The Wi-Fi isn’t working; I checked.”
“I’ve got one of those portable modems in my backpack, and I’m already connected. I can give you the password.”
“No, don’t tempt me. I’m staying offline, otherwise I’ll go down the rabbit hole checking emails, and I just want to focus on you.”
“You mean our tour.”
“No. You.” This man! I couldn’t believe he was flirting so openly... or that I liked it so much. He grinned and, probably realizing I was in a dilemma, dropped it. “Why the portable modem?”
“I’m sending pics in real time, otherwise I forget. And when it’s late in the evening here and I’m out and about in the city is also when my parents are awake, so we can easily communicate. They love my pictures. Actually, I think they’d love Rome. They can’t afford to travel, but as soon as I finish my residency, I’ll make enough money that I could easily pay for their vacations. I told them this once, but they won’t even hear of it. For now.”
“You’re a remarkable person.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it.”
He grinned. “For now, huh? I like how you think.”
“I don’t really get it. If I can afford it, why won’t they let me do something nice for them?”
“I know a thing or two about parents’ pride. Between my siblings, my cousin, and me, we wanted to buy an apartment for my mom and her husband. This is my mom’s second marriage; long story to tell another time. Anyway, she raised hell. We eventually managed to convince her to let us chip in for the down payment. It was the toughest negotiation. We had thought the same thing—we all make decent money, so why not let us take care of her?”
My stomach was full of fuzzy feelings. Isabelle had told me a few things about the Winchesters. They’d moved from Boston to New York many years ago when their dad left the family and practically started over... kind of like me.
I also knew they were well off. The sisters, Tess and Skye, owned a lingerie store. Ryker was working somewhere on Wall Street, and Cole and their cousin Hunter were at the helm of Caldwell Real Estate. Isabelle had emphasized they were good people, but in this case, good didn’t even begin to cover it.
The guide then shushed us, and neither of us spoke again as we followed the group. When we walked through the “gate of death,” a stone archway through which the losers would be dragged to their demise, my skin crawled.
The underground level was next.
“Very few people are allowed down here. They give out a limited number of tickets,” I whispered to Cole, feeling ridiculously proud. He just chuckled, putting an arm around my shoulders as if realizing that while I admired all of this, the dark history immortalized in these walls weighed on me. A current of awareness jolted through me when he squeezed my shoulder lightly.
The underground, dubbed the dungeons, was where the gladiators and animals were held. As a doctor, I couldn’t even wrap my mind around how fast infectious diseases would spread.
Stone walls surrounded us, and we walked on a metal pathway deep under the arena.
The guide spoke, and the microphone clipped at her collar amplified her voice. “The Romans had very advanced technologies. For example, they could flood the arena above completely to stage battle ships. We still don’t fully understand how that was possible, but we have detailed descriptions from the writers of the time, as well as the remnants of a few of those mechanisms to prove that this was accurate.”
Cole knocked against the stones, leaning in to whisper, “Many things are still unknown about them. Like the materials they used for the mortar that holds these stones together. It’s legendary. Two thousand years and several earthquakes later, still standing.”
The guide shushed us again. I pressed my lips together, looking at Cole out of the corner of my eye. He looked like he was barely suppressing laughter too.
We went back up afterward, on to the upper levels. There were five levels above the arena, and holy hell, the guide hadn’t been joking when she’d said that the climb was steep.
“You can climb at your own pace,” the guide said. “You can also use this part of the tour to take a break and rest a bit. We still have two hours to go. I will wait for all of you at the top, and then I’m going to explain who was sitting on each level and so on.”
“I’ll carry that,” Cole said after the guide finished her explanation, pointing to my backpack. I gladly gave it to him.
“Oh, a gentleman. I didn’t peg you as one,” I teased.
“That’s because I’m not. You’ll see that soon enough. After you, Ms. Smith.” He pointed to the stairs. I couldn’t tell if the glint in his eyes was playful or mischievous. My heart raced as we went up. He was walking right behind me, and just like last night, his proximity caused a deep hum in my body. What exactly did he have in mind? Was I even ready to find out? I wasn’t even sure I knew how to flirt anymore, but I planned to do my very best.
Chapter Four
Cole
Full confession: I wasn’t big on museums. My sisters were fans of the Guggenheim and other New York museums. I went along mostly because it gave me a chance to spend time with them, and because it made for good sm
all talk in business meetings. But I was enjoying this more than I thought. Yesterday, I’d told Laney I wanted to join her on an impulse. I’d just watched her eat that ice cream like it was her job, and thought, I want to spend tomorrow with her.
She stopped at each level, constantly snapping photos and sending them to her parents. Damn, she was a woman after my own heart. The sexy doc kept surprising me. Not only was she smart and funny but also sensitive and caring. I’d liked how determined she was to make things smooth for Isabelle. She was compassionate and warm, and I liked that a lot.
I’d always prided myself on being in shape, but these stairs were challenging.
“My glutes are burning,” Laney said when we reached the second level.
When we reached the third level, she gasped. “I need a break.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she glanced up to the top level, then back at me. I was panting too and didn’t try to hide it. These stairs were kicking my ass.
“Does your offer still stand?” she asked.
“Which one?”
“To carry me to the top.”
I laughed, even more so because her teasing smile made it clear she didn’t mean it. The next second, I lifted her up by her thighs, literally throwing her over my shoulder.
Her laughter echoed throughout the open space. I was sure that everyone was looking at us, but I really didn’t give a fuck. I pushed myself harder, because climbing these steps with Laney over one shoulder was borderline killing my muscles.
“You are insane,” she muttered through fits of laughter when I finally put her down once we’d reached the top.
“I know.”
I’d always been spontaneous and didn’t take myself seriously, but this was a bit too crazy even for me. I might not be able to walk back down... or at all today. My thighs were literally burning. I grabbed a railing for support, drawing my breath.
“What’s the matter, Mr. Hero? Muscles sore?” That teasing mouth. I wanted to claim it, kiss her hard.
“If I say yes, do you promise to take care of them later?”
Laney blushed furiously, averting her gaze. Then she frowned.
“Cole, a guard is coming toward us.”
“Nah, he’s probably just patrolling around.”
Five minutes later...
“Did you just bribe the guard?” Laney asked me, flummoxed. I’d gone with him a few feet away to talk. He hadn’t taken our stair adventure lightly, insisted we’d disturbed the other visitors.
“No, I’ve used other methods.”
She cocked a brow. “And what would these be?”
“Just told him the truth. I’m trying to win over this gorgeous woman, and him escorting us out would ensure I fail.”
Laney’s eyes widened. She licked her lower lip, and that urge to claim her mouth slammed back into me. “And he bought that?”
“Between you and me, I think he just took pity on me.”
“Pitiable, huh? Not how I’d describe you.”
“What would you say about me, Laney?”
“I think you’re very convincing, and you know it. As proof, you’re here today with me. I don’t even know how that happened.”
I wiggled my eyebrows. “Just my charm at work.”
Laney threw her head back, laughing. “Oh, Cole. Isabelle really didn’t do you justice.”
“Now I’m intrigued.”
“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 sad expression. What was that about?
Once the guide started talking, Laney’s attention was glued on her.
“Pay attention,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
I leaned in, speaking directly in her ear. “Why, you gonna quiz me afterward? In between all the kissing?”
She elbowed me playfully, and I kept a few feet distance after that, just so I wouldn’t give in to temptation.
The tour ended in front of the Colosseum.
“I believe the tour is over now,” I told Laney.
“Oh? I hadn’t noticed.” Her tone was playful.
“I believe we had a deal.”
I leaned in closer until the tip of my nose nearly touched hers.
“Hmm... I remember. So what’s the plan, mister?”
I stroked her cheek with the back of my fingers. “First things first. Do you have a jacket in your backpack? You’re shivering.”
“No, I didn’t bring one, and it is pretty chilly.”
“Then let’s go to your place to get a jacket. You said it’s nearby, right? I’d give you my jacket if I had it with me.”
She smiled, rubbing her hands more vigorously. “Just saying, but that is a gentlemanly thing to do. And yes, it is just a few blocks away. We’ll need about ten minutes.”
“Then let’s go.”
She was all mine... for about an hour, and then I was leaving for the airport.
***
Laney
Cole was hands down the biggest flirt I’d ever met. Before we left the Colosseum, he loaded up on extra gifts from a souvenir boutique, insisting that he needed backup in case his previous purchases sucked. Cole Winchester might be the world’s best charmer, but he was also a genuinely thoughtful person who I’d love to get to know better.
By the time we reached my building and I was searching for my key in my backpack, I started shivering in earnest. A bit silly of me, not bringing any jacket. Cole put an arm around my shoulders, practically pressing my side into his.
“Just keeping you warm,” he said playfully.
“Aha, that’s what you call it.”
He brought his mouth to my ear. “Laney, when I want something, I don’t mince words.”
His tone of voice was low and raw, just delicious. Suddenly, the air between us grew thick and heavy with tension. I finally found the key and put it in the hole, hoping it wouldn’t jam this time, but of course that was exactly what happened.