Joy burst through me. Funny, it’d only been a few days, but I knew when Ian gave his trust, he meant it. I had an instinct he was honest in everything he did, which made the trust go both ways. I didn’t want to be on the top of the mountain without Ian. It wouldn’t be the same.

We passed by three towering rock formations off the coast and the boat stopped. Enzo motioned behind us. “This is the Faraglioni rock formations,” he said, sweeping his hand in the air. “That one is Stella, the one in the middle is Faraglione di Mezzo, and the smallest is Scopolo. There is a fourth stack down that way called Monacone. Now, our captain will be taking us around and straight through this famous archway. I advise you to find someone you love and give them a kiss as we sail under,” he said with a wink. “It is good luck. If you are not with your loved one, pick someone you like—we never want to leave an opportunity for good luck behind.”

The boat restarted and sailed around the jagged formations, the clay-colored stone catching the light and giving the rock a glossy sheen. Lavish villas dotted the coastline along with various caves, and I caught a few people sitting on rocks and waving at us.

The boat cut smoothly through the waters, and everyone gave a cheer as we passed under the arch. Nonni turned and gave me a big smack on the cheek, and I laughed and moved the other way and found myself a few inches away from Ian.

I froze. His lips quirked in a half smile, and my heart pounded like crazy as he leaned over and kissed my cheek. His lips were soft and he smelled clean, like soap and lemon. A shiver raced down my spine. “For luck,” he whispered close to my ear, and then he pulled away and the moment was over.

The boat sailed farther down the coastline and we passed sleek million-dollar yachts. I craned to see if there were any celebrities or people I recognized, hoping to snap a pic, but Ray mentioned most of them were probably rich CEO types, which was boring.

Enzo called us to attention. “We’re about to enter one of the most famous caves of all time. The grotto was originally used as a marine temple during the reign of Tiberius, but then rumors began to spread that demon spirits inhabited it. Sailors avoided the cave until a fisherman, a German author, and a painter visited in 1826 and spread the story about its magical glowing waters, and it became a popular tourist destination.”

“What makes the water glow?” Cherry asked.

Enzo cocked his head. “Magic.”