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 me, 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 me. She waved from the water, grinning. "Come 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 swimmer." I gave a small smile, embarrassed. "Actually, I can't swim."
"You can't swim?" The voice came from right beside me. Low. Deep. Nero's.
I turned my head and found his eyes open now, fixed on me. His stare was unreadable, and it made my stomach twist. "I never had the time 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 me, quiet, assessing. Then his voice came—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 meant much, but somehow 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 excitement. "Yesss!"
I stood quickly before I could change my mind. "I'll go change." My voice came out smaller than I intended.
He gave a single nod.
Inside the villa, I pressed my back against the door the moment it shut behind me. My pulse was racing. What was I thinking? Why did I say yes? My reflection stared back at me 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 me back.
The rooftop seemed brighter when I stepped out. Emily's eyes landed on me 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 me. The air shifted. His eyes swept over me, 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, something inside me 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 me.
Nero's grip steadied me effortlessly, pulling me back before I could fall. My breath caught, my chest heaving as my eyes flew up to meet his.
For a moment, the world shrank to just that: his hands around me, 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 me just in time.
"You're alright," he said quietly, his voice low enough for only me 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 me, 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 me. "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."
Something 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 meant 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 immediately, 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 me, 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 me."
I obeyed before I realized I was obeying. His face was above me, close enough that droplets clung to his lashes. His expression was calm, almost patient, but there was something else there too—something sharp, restrained.
My breathing steadied. The panic eased. For the first time, the water didn't feel like it wanted to swallow me whole.
"There," he murmured. "See? You're floating."
A shaky laugh escaped me. "Only because you're holding me."
His mouth curved again, but his eyes didn't waver. "Maybe. But you're stronger than you think."
Something fluttered inside me 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 immediately. My body sank an inch, panic flaring again—
"I said I won't let you drown," he reminded, tightening his grip and pulling me 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 screamed at me 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 hammered 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 flamed, and I turned quickly, pretending to adjust the strap of my bikini just to do something 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 something 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 me... or ruined me. "Come 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.