My Greek SEAL (12 page)

“I want to get you to higher ground in case there’s a tidal wave. I can carry you over my shoulders.”

“No, that really won’t be necessary. It’s really much better now with the shoes.”

“I’ve carried large men for more than a mile.”

Okay, so I’m a bit on the high maintenance side, but that doesn’t mean I can’t deal with some discomfort in a pinch. “That’s nice of you, but I’m fine, really.”

“Okay, but don’t be afraid to ask for help. We need to do whatever we can to prevent any injuries.”

How does he know he won’t pull a back muscle carrying me up the hill? “I promise to watch my step and let you know if the pain gets too bad.”

He reaches for my hand and leads me across the shallow rocky slope and around low-lying brush. My feet are still tender, but the reef shoes offer a great deal of protection. Soon my feet feel almost numb from walking and I stop noticing the pain.

Eros stops and glances over his shoulder back toward the ocean.

My head swings around to follow his gaze. Even the shallow incline we’ve traversed has raised us enough from sea level to offer an amazing view of the Greek mainland. If I didn’t know better, this could be just another blissful day of vacation in the Greek islands.

“There’s still no sign of the
Ionian Goddess
.”

His words pull me back to reality. The two of us are stranded on a nearly deserted island. It could be romantic if it weren’t for the fact that there’s just been an earthquake, a tidal wave might follow and we will probably have to sleep outside. Oh, God. Are there snakes in Greece? Probably. And where there are snakes, there are always spiders. “So much for an escort boat,” I say in a frustrated voice.

“I never would have expected Dmitri to leave us out here like this.” He paused and rubbed the side of his chin with his index finger. “Sometimes in life and death situations, you have to decide what action will save the most number of lives.”

“So I guess we were the expendable ones.”

“I don’t think that was what Dmitri was thinking. He knows I was in the Hellenic Navy. He knows I can survive dangerous situations and that I will protect anyone who is with me. He probably decided to help the people who wouldn’t be able to survive this situation. Come on, we need to keep up our pace. We never know when this tidal wave might hit.”

We push our way through the dense vegetation. Olive tree branches scratch my arms and legs and my ankles and knees start to rebel. “Wait. I have to stop for a minute.” I hold onto a tree branch and gasp for breath. My legs and arms are scratched and bleeding.

Eros glances back toward the sea, his jaw clenched, clearly anxious. “Please, Maya. You can go slowly but I need you to walk. It is not safe here.”

I let go of the tree and take a step. And another. The incline has steepened too much for Eros to hold my hand now. I grasp rocky ledges, tree trunks and even thick roots as hand and foot holds to propel myself upward. Every step hurts worse than the one before it. After grabbing and pushing with my hands and feet for what seems like an eternity, my blistered hands start to burn. My foot loses traction and I groan as the sudden drop strains my shoulder muscles. I cling tightly to the rock with my hands and fingers while my foot flails through the air.

Eros pauses on a ledge of rock just above me. His hands and feet still securely placed on rocks and limbs, he cranes his neck to look back at me. “There’s a ledge of rock a little to the right.”

I swing my leg through empty air until I find the place he’s talking about. “Thanks. I’ve found it.”

“Step up here beside me,” he says.

I grasp his proffered hand and then place my right foot on a rock a little higher up so I can boost myself up on the ledge where he’s standing.

“Thanks.” Sweat drips from my hair and my lungs burn from the exertion. It was so much easier maneuvering around in the water. Out here in this sun and heat, every step on this rugged ground is sheer hell.

“Let’s catch our breath. We don’t want to rush so much we get careless.” Olive leaves cling to sweaty locks of Eros’ dark curly hair and a streak of dirt stains one cheek. His face and chest glisten with sweat. The sweat further accents his strength—the firm mounds of his pectorals, the bulk of his shoulders, the tight ridges of his abdomen. Even in this state of emergency, I find it impossible not to stare. Sweat and dirt only intensify his hotness factor.

I’m not sure I can stand this close to him without touching him. “I’m okay now.”

“Are you sure?”

I nod. “I’ve caught my breath.” My raspy breathing reveals this lie.

“I want you to walk ahead of me from now on. That way if you have trouble, I can boost you up.”

“Okay, I can do that.” Does he notice the tremor in my voice?

I take a step up onto another ledge, wrapping my hand around an olive tree trunk to pull myself up another few feet. I sense his eyes on me. He’s looking at my butt. I wonder if he’s looking at it from an analytical or a sexual perspective. Maybe he’s concluding that my backside is too large for the rest of my body. Or maybe since he’s Greek, he likes curvier women. If he thinks my butt looks hot, maybe lewd thoughts are running around inside his head. What is he imagining? Stroking my wet nub with a fingertip? Nudging my legs wide apart before plunging his cock deep into my opening?

Excitement rages in my blood. Here goes my crazy mind again. I imagine him sliding a finger inside my nylon swimsuit. Oh, God... Now I’m clinging tightly to a rock, my hips undulating as his nimble fingers stroke and tantalize my aching bud. These crazy images racing around in my head are too much to take. My pussy aches to the point of explosion. Oh, God, what I want is him, all of him. I wish he would just strip me naked and take me on the rocks right this second.

“You’re doing great, Maya.” Eros’s voice sounds patient and encouraging. Yet there’s huskiness in his voice that suggests he’s aroused.

I can’t help smiling. I’m glad looking at me turns him on. I know for sure now what happened at the beach yesterday wasn’t just a one-night stand. The flame between us is burning hotter than ever and we both want more.

“The top of this ledge isn’t far off. We’ll be safe once we’re up there.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I look up and see we’re at least forty feet from the top of the ledge. But I’m not thinking about the exertion now. This mix of fear and exercise-induced adrenaline combined with lust is a deadly combination for maintaining any kind of control. All the blood in my body has traveled south.

I forge my way up the hill faster. Would my Greek Navy SEAL think I was completely insane if I begged him to fuck me the minute we reached the top? Of course he would. I think I’m nuts. I will not do that. Not now. Not at a time like this.

A finger brushes the inside of my thigh. My muscles tremble with hot desire. Is he making a pass? It won’t take much more than that for me to grab him and throw him on the ground.

“Your muscles are fatiguing, maybe you should stop and rest.”

I crane my head to look down at him. He’s standing just below me on the steep cliff of rock. Golden flecks glint in his dark eyes. His gaze is riveted between my legs.

My legs tremble with fatigue and desire. “This is crazy,” I say. “I just want...” I stop myself before I burst out saying that I want Eros to fuck me right here on this hill.

He slides his hands up the sides of my thighs, leaving a trail of fiery tingles behind. “I know what you want.” His voice sounds so deep and masculine and full of lusty want. “And I want it too. But it’s going to have to wait. Please, Maya. You’ve only got a few steps more.”

I turn back toward the cliff. I reach for handholds and footholds, propelling my body up and up. Finally, I heave my body over the top of the ridge. “Made it,” I say. I walk across the flat shelf of limestone to a shady place padded with pine needles and collapse with an exhausted huff onto the ground.

Eros launches his agile body over the side of the cliff and strides toward me. Breathing heavily, his face and chest drenched with sexy sweat, he sits down beside me and scoots closer. “I am glad that you are not feeling uncomfortable with me any longer.”

“It’s just that...” I shrug, not sure how to finish my thought without sounding silly.

He turns toward me and rests a strong hand on my shoulder. “Please go ahead and speak. It is important that we talk about this.”

“That sex we had last night was really wild. And it happened very fast. It was as if my body took over and my brain wasn’t working or something. That’s not me.” I sigh. “I just don’t want you to think I have sex with men I just meet on a regular basis.”

Eros outlines his sensual lips with an index finger. “I have to say the thought crossed my mind. But I told myself that you having sex with many men didn’t seem to fit what I know about you. I will say hearing you say this makes me feel much better.”

“It does?”

“Yes. I don’t like the idea of you making love to any man other than me.”

Damn. That’s hot. “Oh.”

“Is that a problem for you?”

“No,” I say, too loud. “It’s great. I don’t want any other man. Only you.”

A wicked smile twists one corner of his deliciously thick lips. “That is very good to hear. I promise to give you so much good sex that you will be feeling that way for a very long time. And before long you will be calling all of your friends in America to tell them about our bullet train relationship.” Laugh lines appear at the corner of his eyes as he smiles.

“Bullet train relationship. I like that.” His joke makes me feel even more relaxed in his company.

He reaches out and strokes my arm. “It was a very wonderful moment for me. I think I just might fall in love with this beautiful sad woman from America.”

“You better not,” I say even though my mind shouts, I hope you do.

“Why? You’re not wanting to find love?”

“It’s not that. I just wasn’t expecting this. And it really isn’t the best time for me to get involved with someone.” I hate how the words getting involved sound. It sounds like he doesn’t matter much. And he does matter. It’s just not good at all that he matters when I’m in the middle of some weird life transition. Why do relationships have to be so complicated?

“Is there any good time for love? For many people, it is never a good time for things and so they wait and then many years pass and they never get to experience what they thought they would have time for later.”

“I get your point, but still. I just lost my job and you live in Greece, which is thousands of miles away from where I live.”

“And so you are saying there is only today for us and not tomorrow?”

It’s a stomach twisting thought. I’ve never had a relationship this good and it’s just getting started. “I don’t see how it could be any other way.”

“I’m not sure about that, Maya. You seemed to be liking this country before the earthquake. While you were out there swimming, the sadness went away from your eyes. You were different. Like a new woman.”

A wave of happiness washes over me. He saw a little of what I was feeling out there swimming in the sea. That joy, that freedom. “It’s true that coming here has been a good thing.”

His hand slides up my arm and lingers on my shoulder. “I would imagine while you were out there swimming through the beautiful waters of the Ionian Sea, you thought about leaving your old life behind and staying forever in these islands where you’ve found freedom.”

I stare at him, stunned by how perceptive he is. I love it, but find it intimidating at the same time. Words burst from my lips. “Of course I haven’t considered stay in Greece. That’s a ridiculous idea.” I gnaw on my lower lip suddenly afraid he’ll know I just lied through my teeth. Eros doesn’t miss a thing. I do know I want to stay here. I want my life to be drastically different. I might as well do something crazy when I’m still young and have nothing tying me down. But I can’t lead him on. I shouldn’t let him think I might stay when I might change my mind.

Eros picks up an olive leave and studies it with a serious, focused expression. “All right then. I see you don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

I look at the profile of his face and think how gorgeous he is. His jaw looks so firm and strong, his lips so thick and sensual. I love how his eyes are so large and expressive, how his hair is a jungle of thick dark curls. It would be such a shame to let him go. But I’m not ready to discuss this living in Greece idea. Not yet. I suddenly sense danger. Why is it so quiet? I’m sure I heard birds before. Now I hear only the whisper of the wind through the olive trees around us.

Eros jerks his head up, pushes up on his palms and then jumps to his feet. “That isn’t good.”

“What isn’t good?” I hug my knees into my chest as goose pimples rise on my skin. The breeze hasn’t yet dried all the sweat on my body. Shaded by a broad-branched fir tree, I feel chilled.

“That the birds stopped singing. I think it is coming.”

“What’s coming? A tidal wave?”

“Yes.” Eros reaches for my hand. “ I think we’re high enough to be safe, but we need to stay alert.”

I let him pull me to my feet. He continues to hold my hand as we walk over to the edge of the ledge. Far below is the brilliant blue sea. Most of it looks relatively calm. Only a few long ridges with non-impressive crests ride across the water at an oblique angle toward the shore. I point toward the small, fast moving waves. “Are those tidal waves?”

“Yes. They don’t look dangerous, do they?”

“No, they look like wakes from a boat from here.”

“Yes, that is why so many people die in these situations. The approaching waves are small until they get so close that it is too late to escape them. In the shallow water, they rise up and then fall over the land wiping out everything in their path.”

“Are you sure we’re safe here?”

He slings an arm around me and pulls me in close, kissing me on the cheek. “Yes, Maya, we will be safe up here. But I fear for Kalamos Town. When it’s over, we will need to find a safe place to stay for the night and do our best to help any people we meet who are in trouble.”