Chapter 38
KRISTA
Iwoke up to sunlight streaming through the windows and Dash’s arm draped over my waist. For a moment, I just lay there, listening to his breathing and trying to convince myself this was real. I was actually in Athens with the man I loved. More importantly, with the man that loved me.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I reached for it slowly, doing my best not to wake him. I wanted to stay in bed with him for days. Forever.
A text from my father: How did it go? Did you tell him?
I smiled and typed back: I told him. He loves me too.
Three dots appeared immediately. That’s my girl. I’m proud of you, sweetheart.
I set the phone down and turned to find Dash watching me, his eyes still sleepy but warm.
“Morning,” he murmured, pulling me closer.
“Morning.” I kissed him softly. “What’s on your agenda today?”
“Absolutely nothing.” He nuzzled into my neck. “I cleared my schedule. We’re staying in Greece.”
I pulled back to look at him. “What? For how long?”
“As long as we want.” His grin was pure mischief. “I texted Adrian last night after you fell asleep. Told him I was taking some personal time.”
“Yeah? He was okay with that?”
“Very. I’m cashing in on the success of that show. I’ve earned some time off.”
“Dash, I don’t have any clothes.”
“We’ll buy whatever you need. Or don’t need. I’m perfectly happy keeping you naked in this hotel room for a week.”
Heat flooded through me at the suggestion, but I tried to stay practical. “I can’t wear the same outfit for days.”
“Then we’ll go shopping.” He kissed my shoulder. “Give me twenty minutes. Go shower and by the time you get out, I’ll have an outfit for you.”
“You going to whip it up yourself?”
He winked. “Something like that.”
I made my way into the bathroom to take a shower. I had a feeling I was going to be pampered over the next day or two or maybe longer. And I couldn’t bring myself to be sad about that.
When I walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a robe, I saw a pair of pink capris with a white blouse and sandals similar to what I had worn earlier. There was a bag with even more clothes.
I shook my head. “This man.”
I dressed and joined him in the living area. Room service had been delivered. He was dressed in a very casual linen set and sipping coffee.
“So, what’s your plan?” I asked.
“I want to show you something. Trust me.”
“I have this far.”
An hour later, we were in a car heading north out of Athens. I watched the landscape change through the window, the urban sprawl giving way to rolling hills and then mountains. Dash wouldn’t tell me where we were going, just kept grinning every time I asked.
“You’re being very mysterious,” I said.
“I’m being romantic. There’s a difference.”
“Is there?”
“Absolutely.” He took my hand and brought it to his lips. “Romance requires mystery. It’s part of the appeal.”
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. This was new territory for me, letting someone else take control without knowing the plan. It should have made me anxious. Instead, I felt excited.
We drove for hours, stopping once for lunch at a small taverna where Dash ordered for both of us in broken Greek. The owner seemed charmed by his attempt, bringing us extra food and wine. Dash left an absurdly large tip.
“You’re going to spoil me,” I said as we got back in the car.
“That’s the plan.”
The landscape grew lusher as we continued north. Dense forests covered the hillsides. It was a part of the country I imagined few people except locals got to see. I caught glimpses of turquoise water through the trees. Finally, we turned down a winding road that led to the coast.
“Welcome to the Pelion Peninsula,” Dash announced as we pulled up to a stunning villa perched on a cliff. “Our home for the next week.”
I stepped out of the car and just stared. The villa looked like the one we stayed at in Santorini. Behind us, the forest rose up the hillside, so green it looked almost unreal. I had landed in actual paradise.
“Dash, this is stunning.”
He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I know. I saw pictures and knew I had to bring you here.”
A woman appeared from the villa, introducing herself as Elena, the caretaker. She showed us around. The place had three bedrooms, a kitchen stocked with local food and wine, and a living area that opened completely to the terrace. Every window framed a different view of paradise.
“I’ll leave you to settle in,” Elena said with a warm smile. “If you need anything, just call. Otherwise, I’ll come by tomorrow morning to check on you.”
After she left, I wandered through the villa taking it all in and admiring the artwork on the walls. Dash had disappeared somewhere, and I found him on the terrace, setting up a camera on a tripod.
“What are you doing?”
“Capturing the moment.” He adjusted the angle. “I want to remember this. All of it.”
I moved to stand beside him, looking out at the view. The beach below was empty, just white sand and clear water. “It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.” He turned the camera toward me. “Smile.”
“Dash.”
“Come on. Just one picture.”
I smiled despite myself, letting him snap the photo. Then another. And another. I started laughing, trying to hide my face, but he kept shooting.
“Stop! I’m not even dressed for pictures.”
“You’re perfect exactly as you are.” But he lowered the camera. “Although I did take the liberty of having some more things delivered.”
“What things?”
He led me back inside to one of the bedrooms, where several shopping bags sat on the bed. I opened them to find swimsuits, cover-ups, sundresses, and sandals, all from Blackwell’s latest collections.
“Dash, this is too much.”
“It’s not nearly enough.” He pulled out a black bikini with gold accents. “But you should start with this one. We’re going to the beach.”
I changed in the bathroom, taking a moment to look at myself in the mirror.
The bikini fit perfectly, showing off curves I usually hid under cargo pants and tank tops.
I felt exposed and beautiful and terrified all at once.
I never wore two pieces. I was always thinking about being practical.
What if I had to run? A bikini wasn’t going to hold up very well.
But I wasn’t running anywhere. I was staying right here with him.
When I came out, Dash was waiting in swim trunks and an open linen shirt. His eyes went dark when he saw me.
“Damn,” he breathed. “You’re going to kill me.”
“It’s just a swimsuit.”
“It’s not just anything. You’re stunning.” He handed me a sheer white cover-up. “Put this on before I change my mind about leaving this room. Right now I’m thinking about taking that thing off with my teeth.”
I slipped the cover-up on and followed him down the path to the beach. The sand was soft and warm under my feet. We walked along the water’s edge while holding hands. Dash pointed out a cave carved into the cliff face.
“Want to explore?”
I nodded, and we made our way over. The cave was cool and dark, with water pooling in places. Light filtered through cracks in the rock, creating patterns on the stone walls. It felt ancient and magical. I could imagine people using the place for whatever ritual they might have had.
“Stand right there,” Dash said, pulling out his phone. “The light is perfect.”
I posed against the rock, feeling silly but also enjoying the attention. He took several pictures, directing me to turn this way, look over my shoulder, and smile at the camera.
“These are beautiful,” he said, scrolling through the photos. “I’m keeping these forever.”
“Let me see.” I reached for his phone, but he held it out of reach.
“Nope. These are mine.”
“Dash, come on. I probably look ridiculous.”
“You look like a goddess. And I’m hanging these on the walls of our new place.”
I froze. “Our new place?”
He lowered the phone, his expression suddenly serious. “You said your apartment is hollow. Mine is too. So let’s build something new. Together. A place that’s ours.”
My heart started pounding. “You want us to live together?”
“I want us to build a life together. In New York, or wherever you want. I just know I don’t want to wake up in a place that doesn’t have you in it.”
I felt tears pricking at my eyes. “That’s really romantic. And fast.”
“Fast can be good.”
“It can be.”
“I have one rule though.” His grin returned. “I get to hang pictures of my girl in her bikini on the walls. Everywhere. The living room, the bedroom, the kitchen. In the bathroom.”
“Absolutely not!” I lunged for his phone, but he danced away, laughing.
“Too late! They’re already backed up to the cloud!”
“Dash Blackwell, you give me that phone right now!”
“Come and get it!”
He took off running down the beach. I chased after him, laughing so hard I could barely breathe. He let me get close, then veered toward the water. I followed, forgetting about the phone, caught up in the joy of the moment.
When I finally caught him, he tossed his phone onto the dry sand and scooped me up in his arms.
“What are you doing?”
“Making memories,” he said, and ran straight into the ocean with me.
I shrieked as the cool water hit my skin.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. He kept going until we were waist deep.
Then he kissed me. The taste of salt water mixed with the taste of him, and I forgot about everything except this moment.
I could do this. I wasn’t afraid. Dash wasn’t going to hurt me.
We stayed in the water for an hour, playing like kids and pretending like there was nothing beyond our happy little bubble. We kissed and laughed and talked about nothing important.
Eventually, we made our way back to shore and collapsed on the sand, letting the sun dry us off.
“Tell me about this new place we’re going to build,” I said, turning on my side to look at him.
He mirrored my position, his hand finding mine in the sand. “I want something with lots of light. Big windows. Maybe a terrace like this one, where we can have morning coffee.”
“That sounds nice.”
“I want a home office for you. Somewhere you can work when you’re between contracts. With a big desk and filing cabinets and all that organized shit you love.”
I smiled. “What about you?”
“I need a creative space. Somewhere I can spread out mood boards and fabric samples and make a mess without you yelling at me.”
“I don’t yell.”
“Maybe it’s more directing,” he said. “You have a very commanding voice when you want something done your way.”
“That’s called being efficient.”
“That’s called being bossy.” He kissed my nose. “But I love it. I love that you push me to be better.”
I traced patterns in the sand between us. “What else do you want in this place?”
“A guest room for when my family visits. A big kitchen, even though neither of us really cooks. A bedroom that faces east, so we can watch the sunrise.” He paused. “And eventually, a nursery.”
My breath caught. “A nursery?”
“Yeah.” His eyes met mine, vulnerable and hopeful. “I want that with you, Krista. Not right away. We have time. But someday. I want to build a family with you.”
I felt overwhelmed by the enormity of what he was offering. A home. A life. Children. All the things I’d convinced myself I didn’t need because wanting them felt too dangerous.
“I want that too,” I whispered. “It terrifies me, but I want it.”
“We’ll figure it out together. Just like everything else.”
“So, you’re planning this home, but are we talking a brownstone in the city? A penthouse?”
“No. I want someplace with a yard.”
“Yeah?”
“Does that work for you?”
I grinned. “It does. I can work from anywhere.”
We stayed on the beach until the sun started to set. Paradise. On earth. But only because he was in it. This place would not feel like paradise without him. He made it complete.