The Stranger I Married
Chapter 103: Beach

Chapter 103: Beach

The villa was tucked into a quiet corner just above the town. It wasn’t massive, not in the way Nicholas’s properties back home could be. But it had the kind of elegance that whispered instead of shouted: ivory stone walls, green wooden shutters, terracotta tiles baking in the sun. A climbing vine spilled over the arch of the front door, trailing delicate pink flowers like something out of a dream.

The housekeeper greeted them with a gentle smile and a melodic "Benvenuti," then disappeared just as quickly, leaving the two of them standing in the cool tiled foyer.

Ella looked around slowly, like turning her head too fast might wake her up.

Nicholas dropped their bags by the stairs and reached for her hand. "Come see."

He led her through wide arched doorways and sunlit halls, past an airy kitchen that smelled faintly of rosemary, and out onto the terrace.

That’s where her breath caught.

The view stretched endlessly—rooftops falling away in mosaic patterns, cliffs spilling down to the sea, and water sparkling all the way to the edge of forever. A pair of lounge chairs faced the horizon, shaded by a pale canopy. There were lemons in a bowl on the table. And beyond that, just the quiet hush of summer.

Nicholas looked at her sideways. "So... worth the early wake-up?"

Ella was still staring at the view, lips parted slightly. "This doesn’t feel real."

He stepped behind her, arms circling her waist as he pressed his chest to her back. "It’s real. And it’s all ours for the week."

She leaned into him, her fingers resting lightly over his. "Let’s never leave."

"We’ll send for your candle-making supplies," he whispered into her hair. "Start a new empire."

Ella laughed, soft and full. "Shut up."

"I’m serious. You can call it Scent of a Nicholas."

"Oh my God."

He turned her around in his arms, grinning down at her. "Or Sun-Kissed Trouble."

"That sounds like a cocktail."

"It should be. I’ll invent it. We’ll serve it on your candle yacht."

She was laughing so hard now she had to lean into him just to stay upright. "You’re unhinged."

"And you’re glowing," he said, brushing a thumb across her cheekbone. "Like someone who just arrived exactly where she’s supposed to be."

That softened her. The teasing drained into something quieter. Still sweet, still gentle—but steadier.

Ella pressed her forehead to his chest and sighed. "I like it here."

Nicholas kissed the top of her head. "Good. Because I’ve already picked the perfect spot on the beach for you to lay dramatically and ignore everyone but me."

"You act like I’m high-maintenance."

"You are, but in a beautiful, aesthetic, very specific way."

She smacked his chest, but he caught her hand and kissed it before she could pull away.

They spent the next hour exploring the villa, room by room. Ella walked barefoot through the sun-drenched halls, trailing her fingers along the cool stone walls. Nicholas followed behind her like gravity, carrying their bags to the bedroom—white linen sheets, shutters thrown open to the breeze, a little window that looked straight out over the water.

She flopped down on the bed with a sigh of contentment. "This mattress is criminally soft."

Nicholas loosened the top buttons of his shirt and lay down beside her, head resting near hers. "I bribed it with rose water and good behavior."

Ella turned her head. "Did you plan all this yourself?"

His lips twitched. "Of course."

"Like... everything?"

"Every last lemon."

She grinned and rolled over to face him. "You’re secretly romantic."

"Not secret. Loud and proud."

They lay there a while in the warm quiet, sun casting soft gold patches across their skin, the sound of the sea drifting in through the window.

Eventually, Ella sat up slowly and looked toward the open doors leading back out to the terrace. "Swim?"

Nicholas didn’t even hesitate. "Let’s go."

She padded barefoot across the tile, dress swaying around her thighs, and disappeared into the bathroom to change. Nicholas peeled off his shirt and changed into swim trunks with an ease that bordered on smug.

When she came back out in a navy one-piece and oversized sunglasses, he gave a low whistle.

"You’re showing off," he said.

Ella raised a brow as she slipped on sandals. "You brought me to a villa with an ocean view and expected me not to show off?"

He walked toward her, kissed her temple, and murmured, "God, I love you."

She smirked. "I know."

And with that, they headed down the private path that led to the water, hand in hand, hearts light, skin warmed by the sun, and not a care in the world but what came next.

The private path down to the beach curved gently through a patch of tall rosemary and olive trees, the stone warm under their feet. Ella walked just ahead, a towel slung over her shoulder, her sunglasses pushed up into her hair. Nicholas followed behind her, towel over one arm, holding two bottles of sparkling water and entirely too smug about it.

"You walk like you’re in a commercial," he called to her.

She turned her head, amused. "You’re the one who made me wear this swimsuit."

"I simply provided options. You chose the one that looks like it was made to ruin me."

She grinned and kept walking, the straps of her suit crossing low over her back. "You say that about everything I wear."

"That’s because it’s always true."

When they reached the bottom of the path, the beach opened up like something from a postcard—pebbles smoothed into silver by the tide, the sea lapping gently at the shore in soft, glassy waves. The water was so clear it looked like someone had tinted it with turquoise ink.

Ella stood at the edge of it, letting the cool water touch her toes. "It’s freezing."

"It’s perfect," Nicholas said, already tossing his towel down and stretching. "Come on, it’ll wake us up."

She gave him a doubtful look. "You first."

He didn’t hesitate. Walked right in, waist-deep in seconds, then dove cleanly beneath the surface with a glint in his eyes. Ella watched him disappear into the blue, arms crossed over her chest.

When he came back up, slick-haired and grinning, she was still on the shore.

He swept a hand through his hair and called, "What happened to being brave and spontaneous?"

"I am spontaneous," she replied, unmoved. "But I’m also not freezing my limbs off unless I get something out of it."

Nicholas waded closer, eyes locked on hers. "Name your price."

Ella tilted her head. "You bring me fresh figs from that tree over there when we get back."

"Done."

"And... a shoulder massage tonight."

"Obviously."

She squinted. "And one of those drinks you invented. The dramatic-sounding one."

Nicholas grinned. "Sun-Kissed Trouble. You got it."

She stepped into the water slowly, wincing at the cold. "You’re lucky I’m easily bribed."

"You’re lucky I’m in love with you."

She stopped, mid-thigh in the sea, and gave him a warning look. "If you splash me, I swear—"

He did not splash her.

Instead, he moved in slow. Real slow.

Like a predator, if predators were six foot something, barefoot, and grinning like they were about to cause delightful chaos.

Ella backed up instinctively.

"Don’t you dare, Nicholas—"

"Would I dare?" he said, all fake innocence, wading closer.