Chapter 23
At last he had touched her. How could he resist when her beautiful, ripe body stared back at him in the mirror? He was only human after all. His self-control had its limits.
- One Week with the Greek
NIKOS
I was way out of my depth here.
I’d never fucked so hard in my life. It was a wonder we didn’t break the bed. I’d wanted to go slow, take my time and savor her, but she kept goading me on. And where she was concerned there were no half measures. I wanted it all.
If I had died the moment I burst inside her, I would have gone out of this world a happy man. And that was saying something since I hadn’t been happy in a very long time. On a mission, yes. I had a purpose. I knew I was where I was supposed to be. I thought I didn’t need anything more. I was wrong.
Whatever this was, I needed it.
I rolled over and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to catch my breath.
She seized the occasion to pull away from me.
I wanted to yank her back in my arms but had the condom to deal with.
After going to throw it away in the bathroom, I splashed water on my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror as I dried off with a towel. I was completely wrecked.
When I came back into the bedroom, Callie had already put her robe back on and barely even looked my way when she announced, “Okay, we got that out of our system.”
“You think so?” I couldn’t keep the bitterness from creeping into my voice. What I wanted to do was get on my knees and lay my head in her lap.
She snatched her book from the floor and shook it at me. “I’m taking this back.”
“What if I’m not done with it?” I teased, and she scanned my body, pursing her lips when she saw I was already half hard again. “Really?”
“Yeah, stay if you want,” I suggested, hoping she didn’t detect any neediness in my voice.
“No, I don’t think so. You’re just trying to distract me with your massive cock.” She tightened the belt of her robe.
“Is it working?”
She tucked the book under her arm. “No. This research session is officially over. You can continue on your own if you like.”
I grabbed my pants from the floor and yanked them on, following her out into the hallway. “We kind of rewrote that mirror scene, you know. We may have to try it again tomorrow, if we want to do it justice.”
“I don’t think so.” She stopped in the doorway, giving me an incredulous look. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Uh, walking you home.”
“I live less than one hundred meters away.”
“It’s late and you’re barely dressed.” I gestured at all those lush curves barely hidden under the semi-transparent fabric of her robe.
“ Now you care about my safety? When you were the one who sent me to live alone in an abandoned hut on a mountain. And don’t feed me any bullshit about leaving your dog to protect me.
” She heaved the door open but let me fall into step with her as we crossed the dark street, lit only by a distant lamp.
All was quiet, but I should have known it was too good to be true. There were always people lingering after a party. Tonight was no exception.
“ Niko, ti kaneis ?” called Stamatis. He and a few other men were sitting on a bench near the square.
“Great,” Callie mumbled.
“You’ve just given them an eyeful. The whole island will be talking about it tomorrow,” I agreed.
“Oh, admit it. You like it. You probably even had them wait out here so they could witness your latest conquest firsthand.”
“Ah, if you remember correctly, you’re the one who came banging down my door,” I reminded her, earning myself a steely glare.
“Right, the island stud has his reputation to maintain.”
I grabbed her arm. “What the hell does that mean?”
“What, do you think I’m so na?ve not to believe that you’ve got your pick of females here?”
I laughed and pulled her closer. “Are you jealous?”
She pushed me away roughly. “Please, you can do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“No, I think it bothers you.” When we got to her door, I blocked it with my body. She crossed her arms, giving me another delectable view of her cleavage, and pursed her mouth. “You want to know how many women I’ve been with on this island, but you don’t want to ask.”
“Will you kindly remove yourself from my doorway?” she seethed. “I really don’t care how many women you’ve slept with, but you’re obviously dying to tell me.”
“I don’t shit where I eat,” I said.
“What a lovely image. You’re just the soul of romance, aren’t you?” She pushed past me. “And I don’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth.”
“But you like it when I make you come with my mouth.” Why did I say that?
I just couldn’t help myself. It’s not what I meant to say.
What I should have said was—thank you. Thank you for letting me touch you, for sharing your body with me, for giving me a taste, however brief, of something I’d been longing for but didn’t know how to name.
I should have admitted that I was confused by what had happened and how I was beginning to feel about her.
Teasing her was easier, less dangerous, less complicated. Because, fuck, what I was feeling now was a mass of complications.
“It was the last time. I mean it. Now go home and stop thinking about me.”
“As you wish, asteri mou .” She shut the door in my face.
* * *
The next morning, I was helping Vassilis unload his boat when someone punched me hard on the arm. I turned around to find Teresa glaring at me.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“Untying this net,” I replied as if I didn’t know what she was referring to.
“Don’t play innocent, Mr. Ivy League Doctor. You know what I mean. What are you doing with Calista?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She jabbed me in the shoulder again. “You’ve already played around with her enough, no? You shouldn’t play with her feelings to get back at Greystone and get even with Florakis.”
I set down the plastic crate filled with squid at her feet. “Not that it’s any of your business, but that’s not what I’m doing. I admit, when she first got here, I did some things I’m not proud of, but I would never play with her feelings.”
She was really pissing me off. I knew I wasn’t her favorite person, but to be accused of emotionally manipulating people was just too much.
“You certainly don’t have a problem with manipulating Yiannis. He would never have tricked Calista on his own. He feels very guilty about it. So does Panos.” She followed me over to the tables where the fishermen were setting up. She was like a very persistent wasp buzzing in my ear.
“Are you done now? Don’t you have a ferry to catch?” I nodded my head toward the waiting boat.
“As a matter of fact, I do. And I’m taking my new friend with me, so she doesn’t have to be the object of island gossip all day.” She glanced at her watch.
Knowing that Callie was coming made my pulse race. I hadn’t stopped thinking all night about her or about what we’d done. Like an alcoholic too long without a drink, I was practically shaky with longing to touch her again. Could you get delirium tremens from dependance on a woman?
When I nearly dropped another load of fish back in the water, Teresa laughed. “I’m glad at last to have found someone who can get under your skin. It’s going to be fun helping her.”
“Is this a declaration of war?”
She threw her head back and bit her thumb at me. I shooed her off with my hand. “I have work to do, so can you . . .”
I turned my attention back to unloading the boat but couldn’t help glancing toward the hill.
I wanted to prove I was in complete control, that I wasn’t holding my breath for another glimpse of her.
But when I heard her heels clicking on the stone stairs, any pretense of not caring completely disappeared.
I set the last box down and watched her descend.
I don’t know how she did it, but her every entrance was worthy of a Hollywood movie, and I wondered if I’d ever get tired of looking at her.
Today she’d put on heels again and a dress that hugged all her curves.
Her hair hung in styled waves over her shoulder and her lips were full and red.
I squinted at her to see if she showed any signs of having had a sleepless night like I had.
But her eyes were clear and skin luminous.
She hesitated when she saw me. A small victory for my unusually fragile self-esteem. I crossed my arms and leaned back against the light pole and watched her. She just ignored me, however, and went into the kafenio to join Teresa.
I pretended to get back to work, though I thought about getting a coffee as well. When Yiannis went rushing toward the kafenio, I called out to him, “Going somewhere?”
He looked sheepishly at me and then back at Teresa, like a child trying to choose between his parents. Finally, he grimaced and headed into the kafenio. So that’s where his allegiance lay.
I was suddenly looking like the bad guy on the island, and I didn’t like it at all.
When they finally came back out and headed toward the ferry, I couldn’t help myself. I stared at Callie’s feet as she passed. “Do you have something against sneakers? You’re going to turn your ankle again, and your doctor will not be pleased.”
“Really?” She paused. “Good thing you’re not my doctor then.”
I stared at her swiveling hips as she mounted the gangway, remembering how I’d gripped them as I pounded into her last night. She turned, caught me staring, and with a crooked smile, teased, “I’m not leaving for good, so don’t get your hopes up.”
That hit home, because it had been a long time since I’d last wished she’d go away. In fact, it was the last thing I wanted.