Adonis in Athens - Page 48

“There is that!” Apollo laughed. He looked at Paige. “You want to go?”

“Sure.” She nodded. “It sounds wonderful!”

Paige and Apollo left on his motorcycle while Melina took Xristos and Thanos, one of her and Apollo’s cousins, with her. Paige wrapped her arms around Apollo’s waist tightly, turning her head to the side so she could rest it against his back as they rode alongside the darkened beaches. It was eerie but beautiful at the same time and she realized that as frightening as it was to think about moving to Greece, she was going to miss this. There would be no motorcycle rides like this, no amazing Greek food, and definitely none of the carefree summer nights. Though she knew realistically winter had to be different even if they stayed here, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, with anyone else, doing something that wasn’t this. She was so immersed in Apollo and this life they’d somehow built in just over a week, she didn’t know how she would leave him.

“You okay?” he asked as he pulled to a stop at a red light, glancing back at her.

“I’m wonderful!” she whispered, holding him tighter.

“Me too.” He closed one hand over one of hers that was clenched around his waist.

They got to a large but somewhat dark parking area and Apollo locked up their helmets in the trunk on the back. Then he grabbed her and pulled her against him, finding her lips with his. It was both tender and animalistic, his mouth somehow doing things to hers that left her feeling exhilarated, frustrated and aroused beyond belief. She was panting, her fingers digging into the leather jacket he wore as she tried to pull him closer.

He had no idea what had her so turned on tonight, but her eyes had been brighter than usual at dinner and on the way here she’d clung to him as if she would never let go. Now she was kissing him with unbridled heat, her tongue so deep in his mouth he could barely keep up with her.

With his cock shifting into high gear, the sound of another car pulling into the gravelly lot made him pull back even though he didn’t want to. Her whimper of distress told him she didn’t either, but there was no help for that now. He put a hand on her cheek, looking down into her eyes, and whispered, “A couple of hours, baby, and then I’m going to make this up to you.”

“I don’t know what came over me,” she flushed, looking up almost guiltily.

“Me either,” he grinned, “but I hope you keep it up!”

She glanced down at the erection poking through his jeans. “Me too!”

They laughed softly, and he paused to adjust his zipper before draping an arm across her shoulders and moving towards Melina, Xristos and Thanos. Joking and laughing, they made their way inside, finding a table near the water. Paige was once again mesmerized, staring at the beautifully lit scene before her. There was a lake she could barely see, but on the other side, the remnants of the cave resembled a mountain with colored lights illuminating it from the bottom. The dock and deck area seemed to make a semicircle, giving the lake shape and allowing visitors to feel immersed in the lake and the caves, even though it was completely open.

As they settled into chairs around a table, she was once again overwhelmed with the thought that she would have to leave soon. No matter how many times she tried to tell herself she was jumping into this, her entire being rebelled against it. She was meant to be with Apollo; it didn’t make sense, but sometimes things didn’t. That didn’t make them wrong. In fact, in her mind, it made them better. Her life with Apollo had started three years ago and they’d foolishly almost lost it. This time, she had to do better. She didn’t know how, but she refused to let this fall apart without doing everything she could to make it work.

Staring across the table as Melina and Xristos laughed and told jokes, she suddenly felt part of something real. This might have started out as an adventure, but it had become much, much deeper than a holiday fling; this was her husband and these people were going to be her family. She could feel it right down to her bones and for the first time since she’d discovered they were legally married, she was ready to accept it. She had a thousand questions, a hundred concerns and probably a dozen issues to resolve, but the moment she looked at Apollo’s relaxed, happy face, she couldn’t imagine doing anything differently.

“So I got a message from Mick today,” Apollo was saying, snapping Paige back to the present. “He’s going to come to Athens for a few weeks before he starts a new project in Santorini.”

“Mick’s coming to Athens?” Melina blinked, looking slightly startled.

Apollo cocked his head. “Yeah—you guys always got along, didn’t you?”

“Yes, of course, I just…haven’t seen him in ages.” She took a sip of her coffee.

“He and I were roommates at Yale for four years,” Apollo explained. “He’s still one of my closest friends—like the brother I never had.”

“He’s a lot of fun,” Melina said with a smile. “I went down there a few times for Apollo’s birthday and other special events and that boy can drink!”

“I seem to recall you getting pretty shit-faced as well,” Apollo chuckled.

She flushed. “Well, we were in college—what was I supposed to do?”

He laughed. “It’ll be good to see him.”

“Where does he live?” Paige asked.

“Technically, San Francisco, but he’s been in Prague and Tokyo the last couple of years, and now he’ll be starting a project in Santorini. He only gets home during the holidays. He loves his work and has moved up the corporate ladder quickly.”

“What does he do?”

“Architect,” Apollo said.

“Good one,” Melina said lightly, glancing at Paige. “I’ve followed his work online and he’s really talented.”

“I look forward to meeting him,” Paige said, wondering why Melina looked so strange. It was the first time she’d ever seen her sister-in-law look out of sorts and she couldn’t help but wonder if Apollo’s sister had a crush on his best friend; it wouldn’t be the first time something like that had happened. Apollo seemed oblivious, moving on to other subjects while Melina stared off into space.