Chapter 5
ALICIA
Holy bloody hell.
As Noah headed towards the men’s toilets, my eyes widened.
Again.
Ever since I’d spotted him, my eyes had popped out of my head more times than I could count.
That Sabrina Carpenter song ‘When Did You Get Hot?’ could’ve been written for him.
Now I felt like a right plonker for thinking that the reason he didn’t want to send photos of himself or for me to see him in person was because he was insecure about how he looked.
Ha!
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The man was a god.
Pure fire.
Noah was so smoking hot, someone needed to call the freaking fire brigade.
What the bejesus was going on?
Noah had muscles. And I mean M-U-S-C-L-E-S in capital letters.
He had abs.
I know this because I’d poked them multiple times to check if they were real and nearly broke my fingers in the process.
Where the hell were his glasses?
And when did he start dressing like that?
The Noah I knew was a geek who wore shirts under jumpers and was tall and slim.
Noah 2.0 was tall and built.
It’d had only been a year since I’d seen him, so I didn’t understand how that could’ve happened.
Never mind a glow-up. Noah had more glow than a trillion light bulbs and a dozen barrels of expensive liquid highlighters. He looked incredible.
Not that he needed a glow-up; I mean, he was always handsome, but now?
Damn.
‘Your match is here!’ Stavros beamed.
As I saw him walking to the restaurant, I nodded.
He was handsome. That was a decent start.
Anyway, where was I?
My eyes flicked away from my date and back to Noah.
Had his arse always looked that good?
And if it had, how come I hadn’t noticed?
As he disappeared out of view, my shoulders sagged. I hadn’t quite finished ogling him.
Hold up. What the hell was wrong with me?
Noah was my best friend.
I didn’t think of him like that.
I shouldn’t be thinking of him like that.
I was here to meet a date. Someone else.
All day I’d been worrying that I’d been set up with Noah and now I had confirmation that I hadn’t been, I should be doing cartwheels and backflips.
This was brilliant news! Now things wouldn’t be awkward or uncomfortable.
I was going to meet a good man. The love of my life.
This was a very, very good result. Excellent.
Yep. Everything was absolutely fandabidozi.
‘Alicia,’ Stavros said. ‘Is everything okay? I said your match is here.’
‘Oh! Yes! Sorry!’ I said, turning my gaze to the man.
He looked like a Greek god. Dark hair, olive skin, thick full beard.
He also had muscles. A lot of them.
In fact, he kind of looked like a bodybuilder. His chest was straining to get out of his shirt. A bit like the Incredible Hulk when he’s just about to transform into an angry green hero.
‘Hello.’ He smiled, flashing his white teeth. Did he have those veneer things that celebrities got?
‘Lovely to meet you. I’m Alicia. And you are?’
‘I am Adonis.’ He smiled.
‘Adonis?’ I grinned. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. Why do you sound surprised?’
‘Oh! Sorry. It’s just, never mind. It’s a great name. Very fitting,’ I said hoping that I didn’t seem rude. It’s just that Adonis for a guy who actually looked like a Greek god was a bit on the nose. I guessed his parents knew what they were doing when they named him.
No one could deny that he was handsome.
A stunning woman glided through the door and announced that she was here for her nine o’clock date just as Noah returned to the front of the restaurant.
‘Noah!’ Stavros smiled. ‘I am delighted to introduce you to your match.’
That was Noah’s date?
Jesus. She was gorgeous.
Long shiny black hair, supermodel figure, tall and flawless.
I thought I’d scrubbed up okay tonight, but compared to her I looked like a troll.
Noah’s face lit up and they did the whole cheek-kissing thing. I saw her looking at him like she’d just ended a year-long diet and Noah was a giant slab of chocolate cake with extra cream that she couldn’t wait to devour.
Don’t blame you, sis.
Wait, no. I didn’t mean that I wanted to devour Noah. I meant that my friend was a catch – that was all. A catch for her. Not for me obviously. I was on a date with an actual Adonis.
Oh shit. I was on a date.
‘Sorry.’ I turned my attention back to him.
‘I was just making sure my friend was okay. That’s my bestie.
He’s here too. On a date. With another woman.
Isn’t she gorgeous? Actually, don’t answer that.
I shouldn’t be encouraging you to look at other women!
’ I laughed expecting Adonis to chuckle along with me, but instead he looked over at Noah’s date and nodded his approval.
A waiter showed us to our table outside and, like a true gent, Adonis pulled out my chair before taking his own seat.
‘Thanks. So where are you from?’ I asked, deciding to get the conversation started.
‘Athens.’
‘Oh, cool! I’ve always wanted to go there. At least you haven’t had far to travel.’
‘Your eyes are very beautiful,’ he said in response.
‘Oh!’ I blushed. ‘Thank you.’
‘They sparkle like the moonlight and stars in the night sky.’ He grinned, pointing to the views.
‘Um, oh, that’s er, very kind of you to say.’
Adonis held my gaze and I wasn’t sure if I should look away. I should return the compliment, right? That was a good thing to do.
‘Your eyes are nice too. They’re blue like, er… this runner.’ I pointed to the strip of fabric draped across the centre of the table then winced.
Somehow my compliment didn’t sound quite as poetic as Adonis’s but I didn’t know what else to say. I wasn’t used to guys saying nice things about me.
‘You are so sweet,’ he said, putting me at ease. That was kind of him. See. This was already going well. ‘Is it your first time in Santorini?’
‘Yep! I haven’t been to Greece or any of the other islands either so it’s a dream come true.’
‘That is wonderful. You do not need to worry, Alicia. I will give you my own personal tour.’ He stretched across the table and put his hand on mine.
I flinched a little. I also wasn’t used to a man making personal contact within the first five minutes of knowing me.
‘Thanks.’ I pulled away gently. ‘That’d be lovely.’
‘Good evening.’ Another waiter appeared at our table. ‘My name is Sotos and I will be your Cuisine Champion tonight. Can I get you some drinks?’
‘Yes,’ Adonis said immediately. ‘We would like a bottle of Assyrtiko,’ he said without consulting me.
That was kind of alpha, but I didn’t mind it. I was sure that Adonis knew what was best to drink. If it was up to me, I’d probably order a vodka and orange, and I didn’t come to Santorini to drink the same stuff I did at home. I wanted to broaden my horizons.
Listen to me sounding all fancy.
‘Very good choice,’ Sotos confirmed. ‘I will be back shortly to take your food order.’
‘No need,’ Adonis added. ‘We will have the Apochti and the octopus.’
‘That is okay for you, miss?’ Sotos asked.
‘I have no idea what the first thing is and I’ve never tried octopus before, but I’m up for trying new things!’ I said.
‘That is good to know.’ Adonis set his eyes on me, then licked his lips.
Down, boy…
Something told me Adonis thought I was talking about something other than the food.
I supposed it wasn’t a bad thing. If he was this dominant at the dinner table, imagine how he’d be in the bedroom.
Maybe he was like one of those hot alpha males I loved reading about in my romance novels. He’d throw me down on the bed and ravish me until I begged him to stop because I couldn’t take any more of the orgasms he’d give me.
Chance would be a fine thing.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had an orgasm that hadn’t been delivered by my hand or vibrator.
All of the guys I’d slept with since my last serious relationship ended almost a year and a half ago were so disappointing.
Anyway, what was I even doing thinking about sex? I wasn’t going to sleep with Adonis tonight. Or tomorrow night or the next. I was taking my big sister’s advice and holding out for a hero.
The sound of conversation and clinking glasses floated through the air. I was sure that I could hear the sea lapping against the shore in the distance too. This place really was something else.
‘So how come your English is so good?’ I asked.
‘I have been learning it since I was six months old,’ Adonis declared proudly.
‘Six months?’ My brows shot up.
‘In fact, that is a lie. My mother used to talk to me in English when I was in the womb. And I have lived in London many times.’
‘Oh wow! Whereabouts?’
Adonis filled me in on the different parts of London he’d lived in (basically everywhere), the different jobs he’d had (literally everything from being a chef to a business consultant, model and bodybuilder) and his hobbies (again basically everything that allowed him to ‘enjoy life’).
The food, which was actually delicious – especially the Apochti pork loin – came and went and the conversation flowed. But mainly in one direction. Adonis did ask me some questions, but he mostly talked about himself.
‘Alicia,’ he purred, once we’d finished dessert. ‘You are more beautiful than a hundred sunsets.’
‘Wow. Er, that many? That’s high praise indeed, thanks.’ A girl could get used to all these compliments. I mean yeah, they were a little on the cheesy side, but the sunsets in Santorini were known to be stunning, so who wouldn’t want to be compared to a hundred of them?
I put my spoon on the plate. Dessert was amazing. It was a traditional Greek sponge cake soaked in honey called Ravani that Adonis had ordered. Very sweet, but very delicious.
Once I’d finished my wine, Adonis stood up and pulled out my chair.
Whilst I was still sitting on it.
Bloody hell, he was strong.
Not surprised given the size of his muscular arms. Adonis looked like he spent the whole day in the gym.
I wasn’t judging. Clearly, he enjoyed it, but I preferred more natural-looking muscles. Like the kind of physique that Noah had.
Wait, why was I even thinking about Noah again?
‘Thank you.’ I stood up, then smiled before doing a quick scan of the restaurant to see where Noah was sitting.
He was on the opposite end of the terrace and as I caught sight of him, he was grinning at his date, then started laughing.
Looked like that was going well.
I was happy for him. Of course I was. Dating hadn’t been easy for him either so it was good that he’d been matched with someone he had a connection with, and I’m sure he wasn’t mad about the fact that she looked like a supermodel either.
‘What are your plans for the rest of the evening?’ Adonis placed his hand on the small of my back.
I flinched again at the contact, then told myself it was fine. Some people were naturally tactile and Adonis was clearly one of them. It wasn’t like he’d put his hand on my bum or anything too intimate.
‘I hadn’t really thought that far ahead,’ I replied as we stepped away from the terrace and towards a pathway. The resort looked stunning under the glow of candlelight and the stars.
‘Perhaps you would like to join me in my room for a drink?’ He smiled.
Blimey. He didn’t hang about. Talk about diving right in there.
‘Er, I… I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’d prefer to get to know you better.’
‘Alicia, I spent the whole night telling you everything you need to know about me. But if you have any other questions, I would be happy to answer them for you.’
‘Um, not off the top of my head,’ I said racking my brain.
‘You are the most beautiful woman on the island. It is not every day that a humble man like me gets the opportunity to share his bed with such a goddess, so please forgive me if I am too forward. Of course I understand if you prefer to wait. That is not a problem. But I would never forgive myself if I did not at least try to continue one of the most enjoyable evenings of my life with you.’
Wow. One of the most enjoyable evenings of his life?
What a compliment.
I blinked several times.
I looked him straight in the eye and to my surprise, Adonis actually seemed genuine. Wasn’t it sad that I’d gotten so used to men treating me like shit that when a guy was actually nice to me for a change, I almost didn’t believe him?
But Adonis seemed like the real deal.
The fact that he was so understanding about me wanting to wait rather than having sex on the first night proved it.
What a breath of fresh air. He may have been a bit domineering with the whole ordering for me and stuff, but clearly he meant well.
He was just trying to introduce me to some authentic Greek food and wine.
The bottom line was that he’d been attentive, showered me with compliments and now he wasn’t pushing me to sleep with him.
Adonis was worlds apart from the dickheads I dated in London.
Sammie was right. It was a great idea to sign up for this experiment.
I’d dreamt of being set up with a good-looking Greek god. Check.
I’d asked for someone attentive and nice. Check.
I wanted someone who respected me. Triple check.
This was brilliant!
It was only my first day here and it was already going well.
I’d hit the jackpot.
If this was how well it’d gone on day one, just imagine how amazing day two would be.