Chapter 5
I’m rudely awakened by sunbeams blasting through the bedroom curtains, jabbing at my face.
A sharp pain in my head makes me cringe.
I imagine this is exactly what I’d feel like if a drug lord were shining a fluorescent light bulb directly into my eyes after I’d been waterboarded and interrogated for hours.
My mouth is beyond dry. I gently move my tongue around in an effort to create some moisture.
I definitely had way too much to drink last night.
The last time I got blindingly drunk, I was in my early twenties.
Turns out being in your early twenties is the only reliable hangover cure.
Fucking Mia and her carpe diem bullshit. Crappy diem, more like it.
I squeeze my eyes tightly shut one last time, to then slowly blink them open and find myself staring at a clean white ceiling.
Feeling puzzled, I furrow my brow. My ceiling isn’t white.
I have a wooden ceiling with chunky beams running across it.
I sit up a little. The room I’m currently in is a lot bigger than my own quaint little bedroom.
As I feel my way around, my fingers come across something hard.
Quickly, I turn around and... scream. Scream.
The stunning man lying next to me bolts awake, his eyes wild. I clasp my hands to my mouth and stare at him in horror.
Huh? What?!
His voice is rough, a startled look in his eyes.
His hair is pointing in every direction at once and the thin white sheet is doing a horrible job of covering any part of his tanned body that actually needs covering.
This guy sleeps naked. As for me... I quickly skim my hands all over my body and breathe a sigh of relief when I realize my panties are still safely wrapped around my butt and my boobs are still firmly supported by two padded bra cups.
Slowly, memories of last night come trickling back to me. The bartender’s creepy pickup attempts. Elias jumping in as the perfect distraction. Dancing on the beach, the kiss, night swimming...
Elias pulls the sheet up to cover his lower body. He gives me an amused look. I didn’t realize it was that terrifying, he says with a grin.
I bite my lip and let out a laugh. I’m so sorry.
It took me a second to realize where I was.
I swallow and nod toward his partially covered body.
Did we... I clear my throat. Did we have sehhh.
.. Yikes, I sound like a middle schooler trying to get through a biology lesson on the reproductive system.
Why can’t I manage to say the word sex out loud?
Teasing, he raises his eyebrows. You want to know if we had sex?
When I nod, his grin gets wider and his dimples appear, while my cheeks blush a deep shade of red.
No, we didn’t have sex. But you weren’t taking it easy on me.
You wouldn’t stop taking your clothes off.
It’s probably a good thing you couldn’t figure out your bra clasp.
I’m not sure I would have been able to resist your advances much longer.
He points out my wrap dress, now bunched in a sad little heap on the ground.
With every word that passes over his lips, I get a little more embarrassed, until I finally see no other solution but to cover my face with the sheet.
So why are you naked? I whisper, half hoping he can’t hear me.
Elias’s deep laugh fills the room. That was your doing, too, he scolds.
I take a tentative peek out from under my protective sheet. His eyes are sparkling with joy and I... I want the ground to swallow me whole.
Mortified, I squeal, Holy shit, I sexually assaulted you! I’m so sorry!
No, no, it’s all good! I was an extremely willing participant.
I just wasn’t sure if all the debauchery was the tequila talking or you were actually into it.
Seeing your reaction now, it looks like I made the right call.
Your intoxicated efforts to seduce me were extremely adorable, though.
In an attempt to set me at ease, he squeezes my knee that’s sticking out from under the sheet.
A fresh wave of embarrassment crashes over me.
Adorable. Not sexy or enticing. Adorable.
It’s probably for the best that I can barely remember any details from last night.
I’ve never felt more ashamed in my life.
Although, there was that time I ripped my bridesmaid’s dress up to the waist at my friend’s wedding.
That was definitely a close second. My underwear ended up on full display when the hem of my dress got caught in a car door, just as it was driving away.
I even ran alongside the car for a little while, banging on the window in the hopes the driver would stop.
To my friends’ delight, the whole humiliating thing was caught on film by the bride’s uncle who happened to be testing out his brand new camera at the time.
Elias interrupts my thoughts. I’m not usually a big breakfast guy, but I have a feeling you could use some bacon and eggs.
He looks at me expectantly, then swings his legs over the edge of the bed when I confirm his breakfast assumptions with a hum.
I try to be courteous and avert my eyes as he walks over to his closet, but I can’t quite help myself from studying his perfect ass from the corner of my eye.
Once he’s safely in his boxers and turns to me, I feel my eyes go wide.
His stunning tanned skin clings to his muscles without a body fat percentage in sight.
When he notices me staring, he returns my gaze, unsmiling, and swallows a few times.
He weaves his hand through his hair, clears his throat and points at a door.
If you want to freshen up... The bathroom’s in there. He puts on a pair of loose fitting joggers and walks over to a door on the other side of the room. He hesitates for a second before pressing down the door handle. I’ll see you in a minute, he says, then disappears through the door.
After showering in the beautiful bathroom suite, I take a whiff of the dress I was wearing last night and shudder.
This is what Captain Jack Sparrow must have smelled like after surviving on a desert island with nothing but a year’s supply of rum.
I bite my lip, walk over to the other door, and stick my head out.
Um. Elias? I call out, a bit hesitant.
Yeah? He sounds far away. Jeez, how big is this place? His diving academy must be making a killing. Could I borrow something clean to wear?
There’s a brief silence before he replies, Sure, just take a peek in my closet.
I pick out a T-shirt and grab an empty hanger from the rail.
I wrap my dress around the metal so I can air it out for a bit.
Opening the doors and stepping out onto the balcony, I find myself gasping for air.
It’s like I’ve wandered straight into a souvenir postcard.
The house has been built on a mountainside, overlooking green treetops and palm leaves with the crystal clear sea in the distance.
There are some boats floating around on the water.
No doubt they belong to people living in the neighbourhood.
The vegetation is interrupted here and there by other villas.
Wow. The vista is so captivating that I forget my hangover for just a moment.
The sun, already high in the sky, warms my face and I close my eyes.
A gentle breeze teases through my hair. Part of me assumes there’s a snake and a tempting apple hiding out there somewhere among the trees.
This is as close to paradise as I’ve ever been.
Nice place, I comment, sitting down at the island where Elias is working on the eggs.
They sizzle as they drop into the pan. The corner of his mouth pulls up, causing that damn dimple to reappear.
He’s still not wearing a shirt and I can see his pecs jiggle as he sprinkles the eggs with salt.
His hair is all over the place, which just makes him look even more unbelievably sexy.
Thank you, he replies, sliding a steaming cup my way. I made coffee. Do you want any milk or sugar? He nods toward a container of milk and a sugar jar.
In response, I slide both ingredients closer to me and add two generous spoonfuls of sugar to my mug. I take a big gulp and close my eyes approvingly. Crap, even his coffee-making skills are impeccable. How is this man still single?
His kitchen is the kind of kitchen I dream of having one day. Large, with granite countertops and a kitchen island with a six-burner gas range. And, let’s not forget, a gorgeous man who loves to cook and knows how to prepare the perfect hangover breakfast after a night out.
Elias spoons the eggs onto some toast and sets the plate down in front of me. I thank him again and he takes a seat next to me.
That shirt looks great on you, he says, letting his eyes drift up my legs to take in the rest of my body. He stalls at my breasts.
My breath quickens under his steamy gaze and I’m suddenly so over the food on the plate in front of me. Somehow I still manage to cut a piece of toast and pop it in my mouth.
We spend the rest of the morning talking about Ibiza and my job back home in the Netherlands.
He seems mildly impressed when I tell him I’m a freelance business economist and get hired by international companies all the time.
My next assignment starts mid-September, which means I get to spend the whole summer in Ibiza.
After seeing the villa he lives in, I’m hesitant to ask him about his business.
I don’t want him to get the impression that I’m a magpie on the hunt for shiny things and I’d actually really like to see him again after this morning.
Even though I’ll be busy with the restaurant, I have to recognize how rare it is for me to cross paths with handsome and charming amateur chefs.
Only an idiot would cast aside this calibre of distraction during my time in Ibiza—and I haven’t boozed away quite enough brain cells yet to be able to claim the Absolute Doofus title.
Checking my phone, I discover multiple concerned messages from Mia, so I order a cab.
Of course, I did let her know last night that I was with Elias and wouldn’t be going home with her, but obviously that offered no guarantee that Elias wasn’t the reincarnation of Ted Bundy.
Right before I step into the cab, Elias presses a whisper of a kiss to my lips.
I’ll see you soon, Eva.