Chapter 29
Mia reclined on the plush cushions of Angelos’s yacht admiring him.
His skin gleamed like polished bronze, muscles rippling as he steered the boat into the harbor of his isolated island.
She would paint him one day, she decided.
She wanted something to remember him by once she returned to her lonely life in London.
- One Week with the Greek
NIKOS
I t was nearly dusk by the time we made it back to my place. Callie didn’t say much on the way back, and I didn’t know how she was feeling about that kiss back at the vineyard. I knew how I was feeling: I wanted more.
I always wanted more where she was concerned.
I was heading down a dangerous path. There were so many reasons not to pursue this. My goal hadn’t changed, though I knew it was almost a lost cause; I didn’t want that resort to be built. But if it wasn’t, she’d leave. And we’d never see each other again.
And even if she did stay, it would be for six months, a year max. She already said her ultimate goal was to have a restaurant of her own in a big European city. She didn’t want to stay on some isolated island in the middle of the Aegean.
When we docked outside Callie’s house, Olivia’s eyes were glassy. “It’s our last night.”
“How about if I leave you two alone for the evening? You can have a girls’ night,” suggested Jake. “That is, if Nick’s not sick of me yet.”
“Not at all. I’d like to hear more about this project of yours,” I said.
The taverna was hopping. Panos was there with his guitar and a new batch of his artisanal lager, which we drank as we chatted about Jake’s projects—his vineyard and the book he’d been asked to write on French wines.
“It means dragging Olivia on lots of road trips. I’m lucky she doesn’t complain. She’s more sociable than I am, so it’s helpful to have her there.”
He was curious about my grandfather’s book and my work on Kos. I enjoyed his company. He was easy to talk to, and I was sure that we’d be buddies if we lived in the same town.
Eventually, the conversation came around to Callie. He gave off a protective vibe when he talked about her. “She’s a very brave woman coming out here on her own. Olivia’s nickname for her is ‘fearless.’”
He took another swig of lager. “She’s incredibly loyal.
Maybe to a fault. The Greystones have a reputation in the hospitality industry for being killers.
She’s always been quick to come to their defense.
And Gaz, the guy she was dating—maybe I shouldn’t talk about this—” He paused, and I tensed.
Getting confirmation that she had been with that sleazy fucker made me want to break something.
“He played some sick mind games with her for years. I’d hate to see her get hurt again. ”
I grimaced. “I’m sure you heard that we didn’t get off to the best start. It wasn’t my finest hour. But I only have the utmost respect for her. She’s the real deal—talented, generous, beautiful . . .”
He laughed and slapped me on the back. “You got it bad. Courage, brother! I’ve been there.” He raised his glass to mine. “Well, Olivia and I are rooting for you. Just don’t do anything stupid or they’ll sic Olivia’s cousin on you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Is he an assassin or something?”
Jake laughed. “An Air Force pilot. But to hear them talk, he’s an ultimate fight club champion.”
One beer led to another and then we moved on to whiskey. We were thoroughly drunk but somehow managed to make it back over the hill. I knocked as softly as possible on Callie’s door, letting Jake lean onto my shoulder.
When Callie opened the door in a wispy robe, her hair piled on top of her head and not a speck of makeup on, it was all I could do not to push her against the wall and kiss my way down her body.
She sighed and called over her shoulder, “Liv, he’s drugged your husband.”
“Not drugged,” said Jake. “Moonshined.”
“That’s what I meant.”
Olivia appeared, eyebrows drawn. “You’re in for a rude awakening tomorrow.”
“Today, actually,” I corrected.
“Thanks for bringing him back. He’s not used to drinking in excess, despite his line of work.” She wrapped her arm around Jake’s waist.
“You look like a cute little pumpkin,” he said sliding his hand over her stomach. “Did I do that?”
“I sure hope so.” She laughed as she led him inside.
Callie narrowed her eyes at me. “You don’t seem drunk.”
“Seem being the operative word.” I leaned heavily against the door and hiccupped.
“Okay, I take it back. Good night.” She turned me around by the shoulders and gave me a gentle push.
“What, no good night kiss?” I asked.
“In your dreams,” came her voice from behind the closed door.
* * *
The next day, I stayed away, reasoning that she might prefer to be by herself. But as the sun began to set, I spotted her alone on her terrace and figured she probably could use something to distract her.
I hopped in my boat and puttered over. The evening was still warm, the sea calm. The sky was cranberry, purple, and orange like an electric fever dream.
She crossed her arms when she saw me. The sleeves of her dark blue dress fell back to reveal smooth skin. She was barefoot with her hair down in loose waves around her shoulders. Her eyes were hidden under dark glasses despite the setting sun, making it impossible to read her. “You again.”
“I thought you might want some company,” I said, pulling up closer to her dock. “Plus, I promised to show you the sea urchins.”
“Right. How could I have forgotten?”
“Ah, come on, they’ll go perfectly with this.” I held up a bottle of Stamatis’s sparkling white that I had in a cooler.
“Well, now you’ve convinced me.” She wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and stepped down to the water’s edge. For the first time, when I reached my hand out, she didn’t draw back.
She brushed against me as she sat on the bench, and her hair smelled like the jasmine blooming in my garden. “Okay, captain, I’m ready.”
I hit the motor and steered toward our cove. Funny how I’d come to think of it that way.
Once there, I angled the boat near the rocks where the mollusks clung to the stones and dropped anchor. Rifling through my utility box, I found a net and gloves. I kicked off my shoes and then pulled my T-shirt over my head, enjoying her eyes on me as they skimmed down my naked torso.
“A striptease is part of the program?” Her lip turned up at the corner.
“Sure,” I said as I undid my belt buckle.
“Wait, wait. You need to open that bottle and pour me a glass before you continue.” She gestured toward the ice box.
“As you wish, asteri mou. ” She rolled her eyes like she always did when I used Angelos’s nickname for Mia. I uncorked the bottle and poured her a glass.
She took a sip and leaned back. “You may continue.”
When I dropped my pants, she spit out her drink, doubled over laughing. Not exactly the reaction I was expecting. “What?”
“You’re wearing Dolce & Gabbana underwear! With gold embroidery!” Her shoulders shook. “You are not allowed to comment on my designer clothes anymore, you hypocrite.”
I crossed my arms and waited for her to come up for air. “Are you finished now? I’ll have you know these were a Christmas gift from my grandmother.”
She wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. “Oh my God, even better!”
“All right, I’ll let you get control of yourself while I do the serious work. Unless you want to swim out there too?” I gestured at the rocks.
“No swimming for me tonight. I’ll just wait here and enjoy the view.” She leaned back on her elbow and let her eyes skim down my body again. I was getting hard already, so I took a deep breath and dove into the sea.
The cold shock of the water sucked the air from my lungs, but I propelled my legs forward, arms sweeping in long strokes until I got used to it.
I swam carefully along the rocks—it wasn’t easy to see at this hour, but I had a small flashlight.
I clicked it on and dove under, relieved to discover more than a dozen sea urchins clinging to the rocks.
I plucked a few of them off carefully, stuck them in the net, and swam back to the boat.
“Wow,” said Callie as I climbed out of the water, triceps straining, and heaved myself into the boat. “You look like some kind of glistening merman.”
“How many of those have you had?” I asked nodding toward her glass.
“Still working on the first one. I learned my lesson last time. It goes to my head too quickly.”
“Would you pass me the towel, please?” She tossed the blue-and-white striped towel to me, and I rubbed it vigorously over my body and my hair, trying to leave as much of the sea as possible outside the boat.
“So whatcha got in there?” Callie peered over my shoulder as I sat down next to her. I opened the net to reveal the prickly black shells of the sea urchins.
I took one between the fingers of my gloved hand and slipped a small paring knife against the shell and broke it open, revealing the dark-orange roe inside. Seawater sparkled on the edges.
“Close your eyes and open your mouth,” I commanded. She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to slip anything else in there.”
Her mouth twitched and for once she did as she was told, her eyelids fluttered shut and her plump lips parted.
I was tempted for a moment to go back on my promise and slip my tongue between them, but I didn’t.
Instead, I scooped out the roe with a spoon and tipped it into her mouth, my body hardening again as she licked a drop of seawater from her lower lip.
“Mmm,” she purred. “Tastes like the sea.”
When she opened her eyes, I was momentarily lost in their sea-green depths, floating. Or maybe it was the effect of drifting in the sea with the sun setting and the line between sea and stars stretched taut along the horizon.
I brought the spoon up again, this time for me. The roe was bright and iodine sweet. Even better than I remembered.
“Would you like another?” I asked, already pulling a shell from the net. She nodded and let me feed her again.