The water is beyond warm as it swishes around us, wetting my hair. Nico sits on a rock at the edge of the pool, his arms stretched across the rocks as he watches me intently.

I move towards him, staring into his eyes as I wade through the water. The water hits just below his shoulders, small ripples washing against him due to my movement. Tipping my head back, I let the water wash over my hair before lifting it again.

Giving him a smile as I reach him, I raise a brow. "Just going to sit there and watch?" I ask and his hand comes up to meet my chin. Lifting my head, his lips meet mine.

"I love to watch you," he says against my mouth and despite the warmth of the water, a shiver rakes through me as goosebumps flood my skin.

With a streak of bravery, I lift a leg over him so that I am straddling his lap. No barrier exists between us, if I were to move even an inch he would be inside me. The thought makes me attempt to clench my thighs.

Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I look into his eyes. Nico looks down through the water, obviously noting how close our bodies are.

He smiles to himself.

Touching my lips to his neck, his hands hold my hips in place with a tight grip. Sucking harshly, I mark him the way he marks me. Nico groans as his hands move up my back, setting my skin alight.

Pulling away, I admire my work as Nico smirks towards me. "Don't think that means we're even," he says and I smile. I wouldn't mind if he were to one-up me.

My hand disappears under the water. "Can I?" I ask and a low guttural noise comes from Nico.

"Do as you please, amore mio," Nico says and I wrap my hand around his length. His eyes close as I gently move my hand up and down at a torturously slow pace.

Rubbing my thumb over his tip, I watch as he shivers and a smile of victory finds its way onto my face. I continue to work my hand on him, doing small things along the way to drive him crazy. My lips trail across his jaw as his grip on me tightens exceedingly.

"You might want to stop, if you want to do anything else," Nico grits his teeth and I pump my hand a few more times. Stopping, Nico lets out a harsh breath, his head moving to rest in the crook of my neck. Before Nico can take another breath, I lower myself onto him and we both groan in pleasure. "You are torturing me."

Digging my nails into his back, I try not to melt under the pleasure as I lift my hips again before lowering them. "I can stop... if you want," I breathe, hoping to the highest heavens that he doesn't.

Nico smiles against my shoulder. "I don't want you to ever stop, I want you to ride me until you can't even remember your name," he breathes as he guides my hips to move at a hastier pace.

Rolling my hips, I take more of him as he hits me deeper. Nico groans when my chest presses against his, the water sloshing around us in a frenzy.

Nico pushes my hips against his, finding that he's going impossibly deep. It's almost like I can feel him everywhere. He grabs a fistful of my hair, tugging my head back and bearing my neck to him. His mouth kisses the base of my neck endlessly, marking me as his - not caring about who sees it.

My hands grip the edge as my thighs burn and my core grows warm and fuzzy. I'm not sure I can go on for much longer without falling apart completely. Nico notices my tired state and in one swift motion, spins us around so that he is now on top.

He pounds into me at a furious rate, his lips moulding to mine. I whimper as he hits me in that same spot multiple times, not once letting up. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I let him drive deeper.

Feeling that I'm coming close to the edge, I tip my head back against the rock. Nico thrusts quicker, my back hitting harshly against the rock but the pain is easily forgotten when his lips touch my collarbone. He kisses me feverishly, as if I'm going to vanish.

"I'm so close, baby," Nico groans and I almost let go completely at his name for me.

With Nico's last few thrusts, I fall over the edge like never before. Nico almost splits me in two as he continues to thrust into me, both of us moaning like there's no end in sight. "Nico," I breathe, my legs on the verge of crushing his hips due to the intensity of me coming undone.

Nico's face scrunches as he lets out one last groan and pushes completely into me, letting himself let go inside of me. His breathing is ragged and hoarse. The sight of his eyes clouded with pleasure and his skin tainted by my lips and my nails almost unravels me entirely once more.

"That was..." I trail off, not being able to find a word that expresses just how good it was.

"Yeah," Nico says, breathless.

Sounds of movement come from the entrance of the cave and my heart leaps out of my chest. Nico quickly pulls out of me and the emptiness is more than evident.

"Hey, Nico?" Matteo shouts out and I internally cringe. There isn't enough time in the world to even attempt to make this look like something it isn't. We have been caught in broad daylight.

Nico grabs me before pulling me behind him, trying to conceal my dignity and my nakedness. I am forced to stare at Nico's toned back muscles as I beg for the conversation to be over. "Yeah, what's up?" I thank god that I'm not able to see Matteo or I'm sure things would be much more awkward.

A brief pause is made before Matteo decides to speak. "We're heading out in a minute so... get dressed or you'll be stranded," Matteo says and I hear his retreating footsteps, signalling that I can come out of hiding.

"Mi dispiace," Nico turns back to me, his hands running up and down my arms, soothingly. I'm sorry. I give him a small smile.

"It's okay," I assure him, neither of us could've known that they would come looking for us.

"Va bene means it's okay," Nico tells me and I wrap my arms around his waist, laying my head on his chest. So much for strictly platonic. It's embarrassing how easily I can be swayed by this man.

"We have to go," I sigh, imagining how fuming my mother will be. I can already feel her anger from here. However, it would have been common decency for me to tell her where I was going and for how long. I'll blame it on the no service or internet.

Nico's arms are tight around me as he smooths my wet hair. "When you get back, rest. Then you'll have your next surprise," Nico says and I can hear the smile in his voice.

"You know me so well," I lift my head and look into his eyes.

Surprisingly, the boat ride back was very civil. I spent a lot of time talking with Maria and Sofia. Although after a while, Nico had taken me to a corner and whispered sweet nothings as he twirled strands of my hair between his fingers.

I'd tried to ask him questions about the next surprise but he wouldn't let up. I'm grateful that he spent the time to distract me from the moving boat and tried to ease my anxiousness.

When I got home, I did what Nico had said: rest. Well, after I'd managed to dodge my mother and sneak up to my room. It was an effort. The sheets felt beyond comfortable compared to mine and Nico's poor excuse of a bed last night.

My face is buried in the pillow as the door of my bedroom flies open with a hefty crash. "Heidi Elizabeth Ferrars, you have got some explaining to do!" my mother shouts and I mentally prepare myself before sitting up. Thinking I could ever mentally prepare myself for my mother's wrath anyway is ridiculous.

I give her an attempted smile although her brows remain knotted together and the harsh lines on her forehead are still as prominent. "Nico took me on a boat ride with his friends and we went to an island just offshore with zero service or wifi. I didn't know at the time but they were camping there and I couldn't exactly just drive the boat home myself."

My mother lets out a loud cackle, sounding like hellspawn. "Nico this, Nico that. You need to get rid of this boy and if you don't I'll do it for you! He is a bad influence. I've never seen you act so poorly in your entire existence, I expect better from you," she shouts.

It's my turn to laugh. "I'm sorry mother but you know absolutely nothing about Nico. I've never been happier and at every corner, you're there to ruin it. It is like you want my life to be a living hell. I'm sorry that you got knocked up at a young age and couldn't live life the way you had wanted and missed out on things because of me, but that doesn't mean you have the right to deny me of those things just because you were!"

My mother stands there, her mouth agape and what I am sure are tears in her eyes. She does not get to be the one to cry. I will not let her play the victim.

"You are so blind! Everything that I am doing is for you... for your benefit. Do you think I want to be meddling in my child's life? Do you think that I do not have anything better to do with my time?" she scoffs and I roll my eyes.

"Quite clearly you need to find a new hobby because it doesn't seem you need much improvement in making your own child's life a complete and utter misery," I say, speaking nothing but from the heart. My eyes burn into hers before she looks away.

"Fine, do what you want, but don't come back crying to me when you get pregnant or he breaks your heart or worse, both - just because you can't keep your legs closed," her voice cracks before she leaves the room, slamming the door behind her.

I can finally take a breath when she is no longer in the vicinity. It's as though she zaps any form of life from me, any drop of oxygen from my lungs. It's entirely exhausting and I want nothing more than to live in a world where my mother is nothing but sunshine and rainbows.

It would have to take a miracle for my mother to let through even a speck of sunlight.