A Hot Mess by Christy Gissendaner Page A

joined the other patrons gliding through the faux canals of Venice. The replica of the Italian city’s storefronts drew Cait’s eyes, and she soaked in as many of the sights as she could.
    The gondolier began to sing, and Cait gasped with delight. “Oh! I didn’t know they serenade you!”
    The delightful music absorbed Cait. She closed her eyes and swayed to the rhythm of the song even though she had no clue what any of the Italian words meant.
    Dylan shifted and then wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. Her eyes popped open to fix on him.
    “Hey,” he said with an easy smile.
    She fought to keep her lips still. “Hey.”
    “Do you like it?” Dylan waved his hand at the elegant façade of Venice that had been created at the Venetian.
    “It’s gorgeous! What’s not to like?”
    “I figured since we weren’t in Europe, I could give you a taste of it anyway.”
    “Thank you.” Cait leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. “But you didn’t have to do all of this.”
    “I wanted to.” Dylan’s eyes turned molten. “Why is it so hard for you to let someone be nice to you? Don’t push me away, Cait.”
    Her mouth dropped open. “I’m not pushing you away, Dylan.”
    “Yes, you are.” He took her hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. “Don’t do it, baby.”
    She laughed to break the tension. “You called me baby.”
    His voice grew husky. “You said you liked it.”
    “I do.” She held his gaze. “It’s sexy when you say it. I just didn’t think you would do it outside the bedroom.”
    “Does it embarrass you?”
    “No.” She shook her head.
    “Well, that’s settled then.” Dylan shot her a mischievous grin. “Baby.”
    Cait snuggled against his side and rested her head on his shoulder. “May I just say that this is nauseatingly romantic?”
    “You don’t like it?”
    She lifted her head and twisted to look at him. “Of course I do, even if it is fake.”
    “What’s fake about it?”
    Cait rolled her eyes and snorted. How could he even keep a straight face?
    The ride came to an end, and Dylan assisted her out of the gondola. They thanked the gondolier, and Dylan handed him a tip.
    Cait straightened her dress as they walked away from the dock. “That was fun. What’s next?”
    Dylan snagged her around the waist and pulled her backward to nibble her neck. “I can’t think when you do that prance walk you do.”
    She gasped in outrage. “I do not prance!”
    “Yes, you do. It’s cute.”
    “Cute?” Cait looked at him over her shoulder. “I’ll show you cute.”
    She jerked from him and walked away with a pronounced sway of her hips. She flipped her hair with an overly dramatic brush of her hand.
    Dylan caught up to her and grabbed her hips. “Unless you want me and every guy here to attack, I suggest you stop.”
    She giggled and walked normal again. “Guys are so easy. By the way, you never said what we’re doing next.”
    “I want to go back to the room.”
    Cait swung her face around to gaze at him. “The room?”
    “Yes.” He nodded.
    “What are we going to do when we get there?”
    He gave a pointed glance downward. “Do you really need to ask?”
    Cait’s breath sucked in between her teeth as she caught sight of his arousal straining the flap of his jeans. She licked her lips and smiled in response. “You seem to be in an interesting predicament.”
    “Caused by you, I must point out.”
    “Oh, so it’s my fault?” Cait gave him a slow wink. “I will see what I can do to remedy the situation then.”
    “You do that.”
    * * * *
    It took forever to get back to the hotel.
    Cait walked as fast as she could, trying to keep up with the pace Dylan set for them. She was winded by the time they reached the lobby. It was late afternoon and crowded with tourists. They weaved in and out of the crowd as they sought the quickest route back to the room.
    Cait was thrilled to the core to finish what they’d started earlier. She quivered with