ZOE DEAN’S POV
After breakfast with Emily and Benny, we drifted up to the rooftop pool. The afternoon sun spread across the tiles in a golden haze, the air warm enough to feel heavy on my skin. Emily and Benny were already in the water, tangled in each other, laughing between quick kisses. They looked like people who belonged in a different world—light, careless, unbothered.
I sat back in the sun lounger, sunglasses forgotten in my lap. Beside , Nero lay still, his arms folded behind his head, eyes closed as if he could fall asleep right there. His tattoos curved over his skin like shadows, sharp and permanent. He was too calm. Too steady. How could a man who pressed a gun to my forehead this morning look like he was on vacation?
I exhaled slowly, almost bitterly. What was I even doing here? Sitting beside him like nothing had happened. Was I surviving... or choosing this? I didn’t know anymore.
"Zoe!" Emily’s voice jolted . She waved from the water, grinning. "Co on, join us!"
I shook my head quickly. "Nah, I’m good."
"Why not?" She pouted, resting her chin on the edge of the pool. Her tone was playful, almost childlike.
Heat touched my cheeks as I admitted, "I’m not a good swimr." I gave a small smile, embarrassed. "Actually, I can’t swim."
"You can’t swim?" The voice ca from right beside . Low. Deep. Nero’s.
I turned my head and found his eyes open now, fixed on . His stare was unreadable, and it made my stomach twist. "I never had the ti to learn," I said softly, almost defensive.
"That’s sad," Emily frowned.
Benny grinned, flicking water in Nero’s direction. "Nero can teach you. He’s the best teacher."
I let out a nervous chuckle, shaking my head. "No, no, it’s fine. I don’t want to bother him."
Nero didn’t react to Benny’s teasing. He just kept watching , quiet, assessing. Then his voice ca—calm, steady, softer than I expected. "I can teach you. If you want to learn."
My heart gave a strange lurch. The offer shouldn’t have ant much, but sohow it did. My face grew warm under his gaze, and for a second I almost said no again. Instead, I found myself nodding. "Okay," I whispered.
Emily squealed in excitent. "Yesss!"
I stood quickly before I could change my mind. "I’ll go change." My voice ca out smaller than I intended.
He gave a single nod.
Inside the villa, I pressed my back against the door the mont it shut behind . My pulse was racing. What was I thinking? Why did I say yes? My reflection stared back at from the mirror as I slipped into the black bikini Emily had insisted I take yesterday. My fingers hesitated on the straps, my stomach tightening. I felt exposed before I’d even stepped outside.
I almost turned back. Almost. But instead, I inhaled, tucked my hair down my shoulders, and forced my legs to carry back.
The rooftop seed brighter when I stepped out. Emily’s eyes landed on first, widening before she gasped. "Wow!"
My body heated all at once. I looked down instinctively, suddenly aware of how much skin the bikini showed. Too much.
Then Nero’s gaze found . The air shifted. His eyes swept over , sharp and unhurried, before freezing for half a second. His Adam’s apple bobbed. His jaw flexed. And in that silence, I knew I had surprised him, maybe even rattled him.
My cheeks burned, but beneath the nerves, sothing inside thrilled at his reaction.
I moved toward the pool, carefully, my legs feeling weaker with every step. The ramps were slick under my feet. I tried to step down gracefully, but my foot slipped, and panic spiked—
Strong hands caught .
Nero’s grip steadied effortlessly, pulling back before I could fall. My breath caught, my chest heaving as my eyes flew up to et his.
For a mont, the world shrank to just that: his hands around , his dark eyes holding mine. Everything else—Emily’s laughter, Benny’s splashing, the sun overhead—faded to nothing.
Nero didn’t let go right away. His grip was firm but careful, as if he’d known exactly how far I would slip and caught just in ti.
"You’re alright," he said quietly, his voice low enough for only to hear.
I nodded, though my breath was still caught in my chest. "Yeah," I whispered, but my pulse disagreed.
When he finally eased his hands away, I felt the absence like a chill. I gripped the rail and stepped fully into the water. It rose up around , cool against my heated skin, and I swallowed hard, trying to focus.
Emily and Benny drifted further away, giving us space. Maybe intentionally. I tried not to notice.
"Relax," Nero said, watching . "The water won’t hurt you."
"That’s easy for you to say," I muttered. My voice shook with a nervous laugh. "You’re not the one who could drown."
His mouth curved slightly, the closest thing to a smile I’d seen from him. "That’s why I’m here."
Sothing about the way he said it—quiet, certain—made my stomach twist.
He moved closer, the water shifting with his weight. "First lesson. Trust the water. It holds more than you think." He extended his hand. "I won’t let you sink."
My eyes dropped to his hand. Strong, calloused, veins visible even beneath the surface. Taking it ant giving him control—again. And yet my own fingers itched to reach out.
Slowly, almost reluctantly, I slid my hand into his. His palm was warm even against the cool water.
"Good," he said, his tone softer now, like approval. "Lean back. Float."
"I can’t," I protested imdiately, tightening my grip on him. "If I let go, I’ll—"
"You won’t." His gaze locked with mine, steady, unblinking. "I’ve got you."
For a second, the world outside that stare didn’t exist. I exhaled shakily, and with trembling limbs, leaned back into the water.
The surface cradled , cold and strange, and my body stiffened with panic. My free arm flailed, splashing. "I can’t—I can’t do it—"
"You can." His hand slid beneath my back, firm and sure. His other stayed in mine. "Breathe, Zoe. Look at ."
I obeyed before I realized I was obeying. His face was above , close enough that droplets clung to his lashes. His expression was calm, almost patient, but there was sothing else there too—sothing sharp, restrained.
My breathing steadied. The panic eased. For the first ti, the water didn’t feel like it wanted to swallow whole.
"There," he murmured. "See? You’re floating."
A shaky laugh escaped . "Only because you’re holding ."
His mouth curved again, but his eyes didn’t waver. "Maybe. But you’re stronger than you think."
Sothing fluttered inside at his words, so foreign I didn’t know what to do with it.
When he finally lifted his hand from under my back, leaving only our joined hands, I felt the loss imdiately. My body sank an inch, panic flaring again—
"I said I won’t let you drown," he reminded, tightening his grip and pulling upright. I landed against him, my chest brushing his, the water lapping between us.
I froze. So did he.
For one unbearable heartbeat, we were too close, his breath warm against my wet skin, his eyes burning into mine.
My heart thundered. My body scread at to step back, but my legs wouldn’t move.
His eyes were steady on mine—too steady, too consuming—and I forgot how to breathe. His hand was still holding mine under the water. Firm, unyielding. The kind of grip that promised he could let go but wouldn’t.
My gaze flickered, helplessly, from his eyes to his mouth. His lips were parted, his breath shallow, and I felt the world tilt. My pulse hamred so loud I was sure he could hear it.
He leaned in. Just barely. Not enough to call it a move, but enough to make my knees weak. My heart lurched into my throat, and I didn’t know if I wanted to close the distance or run.
The space between us shrank. Inches. Half an inch.
And then—
"Guys!" Emily’s voice cut through the air, high and cheerful. "Let’s play football in the water!"
I jerked back like I’d been burned, splashing awkwardly. My cheeks flad, and I turned quickly, pretending to adjust the strap of my bikini just to do sothing with my hands.
Nero’s jaw tightened, his Adam’s apple shifting as he swallowed whatever he hadn’t said. He looked away slowly, the calm mask sliding back over his face like nothing had happened.
But sothing had. My heart was still racing, and I couldn’t shake the heat that lingered in my chest.
Emily waved a beach ball above her head, grinning like she hadn’t just saved ... or ruined . "Co on, Zoe! You’re on my team!"
I forced a smile, though my legs still trembled under the water. "Yeah... okay."
But as Nero drifted a few steps back, his eyes found mine once more, dark and unreadable.
And I knew—if Emily hadn’t spoken, if she’d waited one more second—we would have kissed. Again.
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