Adonis in Athens - Page 47

“It sounds like he ordered enough to feed an army,” Paige whispered back, chuckling when Thespina ordered a beer.

“He did.” Apollo chuckled too. “And wait till she gets tipsy—it’s a hoot.”

Paige had been a little nervous about being with a large group of Apollo’s friends and family, especially since most of the conversation was in Greek, but when the waiter brought an order of something called saganaki, she forgot all about that. It was a kind of cheese that was melted and fried, and when the waiter poured some kind of alcohol on it, setting it on fire, she was enthralled.

“Oh my God!” she whispered. “That looks amazing!”

“You have no idea.” Apollo cut a section off the seared cheese and put it on her plate. “Go on—take a bite.”

Paige did and had to close her eyes as the flavor sent her taste buds into culinary nirvana. This took the idea of mozzarella sticks to a whole new level and she let out a slow moan of delight.

“That’s almost how you look when I make you come,” Apollo murmured in her ear.

She glanced at him with a grin. “And it’s almost that good—damn, it’s probably a good thing you’re coming to the U.S. instead of me living here… I’m going to weigh a thousand pounds by the time I get home!”

“Nah.” He nibbled her neck. “We’ll work off those calories in the bedroom.”

She flushed, but it was a happy feeling, and she settled in with the group, suddenly feeling like she belonged. Maria and Dimitri laughed and joked, behaving much differently than they had the other day at dinner. Tonight they were relaxed and very much a couple, holding hands and occasionally whispering as they looked into each other’s eyes. Melina and Xristos were obviously good friends, enjoying casual banter and switching back and forth from Greek to English. Thespina was by far the life of the party, keeping everyone in stitches as she told stories half in English, half in Greek.

Then the food arrived. From the most basic—French fries—to the meatballs Apollo had told her about, she couldn’t seem to try everything fast enough. It was the meatballs that did her in, though. She couldn’t even describe the flavor—garlic and onions and meat so tender she wanted to moan. They were bigger than Italian-style meatballs and oval shaped; she’d never seen or tasted anything like it. Though she protested when Apollo dropped five on her plate, she ate every crumb. Along with Greek salad, more saganaki, French fries sprinkled with cheese and some kind of fried eggplant that made her mouth water. There was bread, pita and tzatziki, along with beer, wine and soda. She ate until she could barely move and then looked at Apollo apologetically.

“I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to get naked tonight,” she whispered in his ear. “I think I’m going to explode.”

He chuckled, brushing his lips across hers. “That’s okay, koukla. We can wait till morning.”

When the waiter brought out complimentary watermelon, she took a bite, surprised at how refreshing it was. “This is the best food ever,” she sighed. “I may have to move here just for that.”

“You like the food better than you like me?” he pretended to pout.

“Not a chance—but it’s close!” She laughed as he nuzzled her cheek.

“You two are pretty disgusting,” Melina said with a smile.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you quite so enthralled with a woman,” Xristos said in Greek.

Apollo shrugged. “Well, it was time, eh?”

“Speak English!” Melina nudged Xristos. “You speak just fine!”

“My accent—is bad!” He shook his head.

“If Yaya can speak English,” Apollo pointed out, “you can too!”

“English!” Thespina held up her beer and laughed, letting out a loud burp as she did.

“Maybe it’s time to go home and leave the young people to have fun,” Maria said with a wry smile at her mother-in-law’s antics.

“Yes, is time,” Dimitri nodded, getting to his feet.

Maria, Dimitri and Thespina left and Melina leaned back with a grin. “Let’s take her to Lake Vouliagmeni—it’s beautiful at night and we can have a drink or a coffee.”

“I don’t think I can eat or drink anything,” Paige moaned.

“It’s beautiful and romantic,” Melina winked. “It’s actually the remnants of a cave after the roof collapsed. The waters are supposedly therapeutic and during the day it’s part of a spa. In the evening, they light up the walls of the rock on the opposite side of the lake—it’s stunning.”

“I’d forgotten about that place,” Apollo admitted.

“’Cause your wife was thousands of kilometers away,” Xristos chuckled.