Chapter 2
Now I could go to sleep, my adrenaline was racing. Of course it was. My first day in Greece and I had a strange man in my room.
What I needed to do was shower, fall into bed, and forget about the world for eight hours. But I wasn’t going to strip off my clothes with Mister whoever he was next door, even if he was the hottest thing since Henry Cavill went all broody in the Witcher. Yeah, yeah, I’m very predictable. Big and muscled and hot did it for me every time. Why did I go out with Mick?
A raised voice attracted my attention. Nico was having a heated discussion in a mixture of Greek and English next door. He seemed to be able to switch between languages without thinking about it. I could tell he was being considerate by trying to keep his voice down but every so often the rumble grew louder. I was glad I wasn’t on the other end of the line. Who was he talking to at...I looked at the clock...06:10am. No wonder I was tired.
Unsure what to do, I wandered out onto the balcony, appreciating the cool of the early morning after hours in a plane. I stripped off my wrinkled jacket and slung it on one of the couches, breathing a sigh of relief. I wanted to get changed into my new bikini and dive into the clear water of the pool, but that would have to wait until my guest left for his conference.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon. It was cool now, but later it would be in the late eighties. I’d followed the temperatures for the past week, and they were having a heatwave. The azure blue sea rippled toward the sandy beach, calm and inviting. I watched the hotel staff working along the private beach, setting up the umbrellas and raking the sand, preparing for the day ahead. Maybe Miriam was right. Coming here had been the right thing to do. Two weeks of sun, sea, and solitude. Maybe this was what I needed. Forget the Greek men. I didn’t need a man to make me feel happy.
“Have you been here before, Cassie?”
I looked over my shoulder and nearly swallowed my tongue.
OMG!
Nico wore nothing but a small towel around his waist. His hair was damp, and droplets of water peppered the thin layer of chest hair covering those lovely muscles. I resisted my desire to run my hands over those gorgeous pecs. Being dumped had clearly made me desperate.
I don’t need a man, remember?
“Uh...no,” I stammered. “This is my first time. It’s so beautiful.”
He smiled and whoa, it was as if a second sun came out. I tried not to stare, but I had a feeling I failed on all fronts. He joined me on the balcony and sighed. “It is. This is one of my favorite views. My parents live not far from here.”
“You grew up here?”
Nico shook his head. “I grew up in London, Wood Green to be precise.”
I had no idea where Wood Green was, but that explained the British accent.
“My parents both come from Greece,” he continued, “and when Dad retired from the family business, he wanted to move back. Mum wasn’t so sure. She loved her life in London, but she’d do anything for my father.”
My heart clenched at the thought of loving someone so much that you’d be willing to move across continents to make them happy. Then I focused on what he said.
“Family business?”
He waved his hand around and I noticed a small crescent-shaped scar near his elbow. “We own a chain of hotels.”
“Milaras. Right.” I furrowed my brow. “Let me get this right. Your parents live close by, you own these hotels, yet you need to invade my room?”
He grimaced. “Normally I stay with my parents, but they have a houseful of guests. No room for me.”
“And the hotels?”
“Same problem. This is the last week before the families return home for the new school year. Tomorrow they all pile on their coaches to take them to the airport. I arrived about an hour before you did. I couldn’t sleep, went to take a shower and the pipe burst. My bathroom flooded and the room with a family below. We had to give the only available room to the family with young children, of course. That left me. I wouldn’t have bothered you especially as you are alone, but the manager insisted we ask as you’d also just arrived.” Nico gave me a wry smile. “She’s new and scared of me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Scared of you?”
“I know, right? Who’d be scared of little old me?”
As the guy standing in front of me could pretzel me in two, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
Nico yawned and leaned against the wall, his eyes closed. He looked like a cover model for a department store with the towel around his waist. He had long legs and nicely shaped feet, but large. I wondered if the adage applied.
Focus, Cassie, focus!
“I’ll make sure we comp your stay for having to put up with me.”
My inner accountant squeaked at the idea of a refund. I could give that money to my parents. They’d spent so much money already. Mick had insisted the bride’s family paid for the wedding despite the fact I suggested we scale down the event and pay for it ourselves. It was going to take me years to pay them back. I was twenty-nine. It would probably take all my working life. But I would cover every cent because they’d spent all their savings. They didn’t deserve that.
He yawned and I blurted out, “You should snatch some sleep.”
“I will. I just wanted to check you were okay. I was dumped on you.”
I couldn’t help the hysterical laugh. One guy dumped me, and another was dumped on me. He flashed me a worried look as if he expected me to have a meltdown.
“What’s your conference about?” I asked to cover myself.
His lips twitched. “Managing crisis situations in hospitality.”
I stared at Nico, then giggled. “You’re joking.”
“I only wish I were. I’m giving the keynote speech.”
I laughed so loud at his mortified expression two members of staff looked up from the beach. I patted his hand. “We’ve both had a rough week.”
Nico’s expression changed, sobering, that look of pity I’d seen in so many eyes. “I overheard you at the reception desk.”
“Yeah, I was dumped by my fiancé just before our wedding.”
“I’m sorry. He’s a fool.”
“He is that,” I agreed, “but better than marrying him and then being dumped. And I got the honeymoon, despite his best efforts.”
I tried to sound light but from the way Nico narrowed his eyes, I wasn’t very successful.
“He wanted to come on the honeymoon?”
“With his new girlfriend,” I agreed. “But not me.”
Nico made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat.
“He didn’t pay for the vacation so it’s all mine.”
I turned away, not wanting Nico to see the tears filling my eyes. It was still humiliating, no matter how much I told myself I’d had a lucky break. I took a deep breath smelling the fresh early morning air tinged with salt.
Nico laid a warm hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry he hurt you, Cassie.”
“Thank you,” I managed, resisting the urge to turn and beg him to hold me, just for a moment.
As if he could read my mind, he tugged me gently, turned me, and enfolded me in the warmest, most comforting hug I’d had since I was a kid. I stayed in his arms, my cheek pressed against his muscular chest, the hair surprisingly soft. Tears fell unbidden. Not many. I’d cried myself to sleep too many times since Mick gave me the news that he was dumping me for a social media influencer named Jewel. I followed that bitch online. Now she was dead to me.
Nico yawned above me, and I stepped back, out of his arms.
“I’m sorry,” I said, guilty of keeping him awake when he clearly needed to sleep.
“We should both go to bed,” he suggested.
I stared at him. “What?”
“I mean sleep, rest, separate rooms, beds, yes separate beds.” He smacked his forehead. “Ignore everything I say. I clearly don’t know what I’m saying.”
I snorted. “I will sleep, soon. I just want to soak in the fact I’m here, you know?”
Nico smiled at me. “I feel like that every time I come back. I can’t quite believe the view. Well, I’ll see you later. I could take you out to dinner as a thank you.”
I hesitated and his smile faded.
“You don’t have to.”
“No, I’d like that,” I said hastily. “It’s just that...I’m vegetarian.”
“We have an excellent vegetarian restaurant on the resort. I eat there a lot because my mama loves it.”
I licked my lips. “Mick, the ex, he hated vegetarian food and he’d try to make me eat meat.”
I didn’t tell Nico about the fuss he made every time I picked vegetarian food at restaurants.
Nico blinked. “Really? What a dick.”
I burst out laughing. Just a simple statement like that swept away the last of my concerns. “I’d love to have dinner, Nico.”
“Okay. It will probably be about seven.”
“I’ll be ready.”
Nico smiled, then vanished back into the room. I watched him go, then realized I was staring at his butt and hastily turned back to the view of the sea. I had no idea what the time was but there were already people swimming in the clear blue waters. I’d do that at some point. Today I needed to decompress and catch up with my sleep. Jetlag was going to be a nightmare when it caught up with me.
Nico was in his room now. I should shower and sleep. I regarded the rumpled bed, then gazed at the pool.
Then I did something I’ve always wanted to do. I stepped into the pool, still fully dressed, and sank to the bottom.