on.
Alessandra really did feel she was walking on the footpath of the gods. One of them was right in front of her. He took such wonderful care of her every step of the way, she felt cherished.
They stopped at noon to eat lunch under a tree, then made a turn into the interior. Rini was an encyclopedia on the flora and fauna, let alone the history of the region governed by Byzantine rule from the third century when Amalfi was a trading post.
He took her past gorges and caves until they came to a mountain stream. “How are you at fly fishing?”
“I’ve only trolled for fish in the sea. You’ll have to teach me.”
“You’re going to love it. Let’s have a snack, then I’ll set up our fishing poles and I’ll show you how to cast.”
It felt good to sit down and relax for a little while. He told her to look in his tackle box and see what kind of fly she’d like to use.
“Do they all work here?”
“Most of them. Look for a gray spider fly.”
Alessandra rummaged around until she found one of that color. “This?” She held it up.
“That’s it. I’ll attach it and we’ll walk down to the edge of the water to catch our dinner.”
She watched him put her fly on the line before he chose a spot. “Show me how to cast.”
He demonstrated five or six times so she could get the hang of it. “Okay. I think I’m ready to try.” But it wasn’t as easy as he made a look. She hit too low, too high and was too jerky. On her last cast she put the fly rod too far back and her line was snagged by a shrub. “Oh, no!”
Rini didn’t laugh outright, but she knew he had to be chuckling as she scrambled up the side of the ravine to retrieve the fly. She made several attempts to no avail. “Help! I can’t get it out!” He joined her and carefully extricated it from the prickly bush. “You’re so good at this I bet you’ve never done that.”
“You have no idea the mistakes I’ve made,” he confessed after pressing a hungry kiss to her mouth. “Come on. Let’s try it again.”
“I’m embarrassed and want to watch you fish for a while.”
He reached for his pole and aimed for a spot near a rock where the water pooled in the stream. On his third attempt to catch something at the same place, she saw a little fish grab his fly and he reeled it in.
“That was poetry in motion, Rini. I’ll never be able to do that.”
“Keep at it and you’ll become an expert like you are at everything else.” He got out his fish knife and removed the hook before throwing the fish back in the stream.
“Why did you do that?”
His eyes lit on her. “It was too small. Maybe he has a big brother or sister swimming around. Now it’s your turn to try again.”
She reached for her pole. “I’ll aim for the same place you did.” This time she threw it so hard, her pole landed in the water. “Diavolo!” she cried and jumped into the fast moving stream to catch it. But her boot tripped on a rock and she felt flat on her face. Her pole was carried farther downstream and got stuck around a bunch of rocks.
Like lightning Rini was there to help her up. By now they were knee-deep in the water. She lifted her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. His body was shaking with laughter, but being polite, he held it back. She loved him so much, she couldn’t stay angry and started to laugh.
“Apologies for the slip.”
His smile enveloped her. “Which one?”
“Both!” She broke free of his arms and made her way carefully downstream to recover her pole. “Ooh—a big trout just swam past me. I wish I could have grabbed it!”
Rini’s deep male laughter poured out of him in waves. He moved toward her.
“No, no. I can make it back to shore myself. You’re probably thinking, is this the scuba diver?” To her horror, the moment she said the words she slipped on a moss-covered rock and fell on her face, making another big splash.
When she stood up sputtering, there was Rini taking a picture of her. “That’s not fair.” Alessandra made a face. “This is ridiculous.” She raised her rod and stomped out of the water, flinging herself down on a grassy spot. “Don’t you dare laugh again.”
Rini raised his hands. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I was hoping we could hike farther to a small lake, but under the circumstances we’ll camp here. I’ll set up the tent so you can change out of your wet clothes.”
“I’m all right. Let’s keep going. Maybe I’ll have better luck at the lake. I’ll just troll for a fish by walking through the water and trailing my line.”
One dark brow lifted above eyes that were dancing in amusement. “You’re sure?”
“Let’s go.” She put on her backpack, deciding to carry her pole as is.
Rini started out first. All along the way she heard him chuckling, but he never turned around. A half hour later they dropped into a dark green gorge. With night falling fast, she was reminded of a primeval forest. The water from the stream emptied into a silvery narrow lake maybe a soccer field long. “It’s shaped like a fat eel!”
“Spoken like a scuba diver. My father always thought it looked like a cigar.”
“What about your brother?”
“A long blimp.”
She laughed. “And you?”
“The Veil Nebula.”
Alessandra blinked. “You love astronomy?” He nodded. “Did you ever consider becoming an astronomer?”
“No. The universe is too far away. With engineering I can get my hands on something once I design it.”
“You like the tactile.”
He nodded. “We’ll set up camp here.”
“I love this spot.”
“Tomorrow we’ll explore the other end of the lake. The water trickles down to become a waterfall and cascades to the sea.”
“I wish we didn’t have to wait.”
His gaze trapped hers. “You know the old saying. All good things come to those who wait.”
“But I don’t want to. Aren’t I awful?”
“Later tonight I’ll tell you what I think.”
His words filled with promise almost caused her legs to buckle. In seconds he’d found them a grassy area and pulled out the blue-and-white two-man tent. She helped him erect it. They worked along in harmony. Finally she was able to go inside and change into warm gray sweats and tennis shoes. All her clothes needed to be dried outside, including her boots.
While he built a small campfire, she laid their sleeping bags side by side. The whole time Alessandra worked, she feared he could hear her heart thudding through the walls of the tent. Tonight they’d be sleeping together. This was the kind of heaven she never imagined could happen to her.
The light from the flames flickered, revealing his tantalizing male features. He’d thrown on a tan crewneck sweater over his jeans. His beautiful olive skin and dark coloring had been bequeathed by his Neapolitan ancestry. She could feast her eyes on him all night.
He watched her approach. “Come and sit down. I’ve made coffee to go with our pies.”
“You’re wonderful.” She kissed his jaw before making a place next to him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t contribute anything for our dinner. I’ll do better another time.”
“I’m counting on it,” he murmured.