“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.