Rebecca Winters - Dreaming Of... Greece

Once he’d pulled on a clean T-shirt from his bag in the bathroom, he bounded up the steps to the deck and got everything ready. Raina appeared a few minutes later with a couple of beach towels and sunscreen. Beneath her beach robe he glimpsed the mold of her lovely body wearing her orange bikini and had to keep himself from staring.

“You’ll need to put this on.” He handed her the life jacket.

“Even if you swim like a fish, you have to wear one, too.”

He flashed her a smile. “Tell you what. For you, I’ll wear a belt.” He opened a locker and pulled one out.

“Put it on, please.”

“Nag, nag.”

“Your command of English is remarkable.”

“I heard the word enough times when an American husband and wife came in the store. His wife would tell him what she wanted and he’d walk around muttering the word under his breath.”

Raina laughed so hard, her whole body shook. “Welcome to the US.”

His black brows lifted. “I’m afraid it’s the same here.”

She nodded her head, drawing his attention to the gleaming red and gold strands of her hair in the sunlight. “Certain things between men and women will never change no matter the nationality.”

“Like getting into each other’s space until there’s no air between them.”

Raina had a tendency to blush. To avoid commenting, she poured the sunscreen on her hands to apply to her face and arms. “Would you like some?”

“Thanks, but my skin doesn’t look like fine porcelain.”

Her eyes traveled over his face. “You’re right. You have an olive complexion that highlights your black hair and makes you...drop-dead gorgeous.” She put the sunscreen on the seat.

His brows furrowed. “Drop-dead?”

“It’s an American expression for a man who’s so attractive, a woman could drop dead from a heart attack just looking at him. And there’s another expression women use. They say ‘he’s jaw-dropping gorgeous.’” She touched his unshaven jaw with her left hand. “You know. Sometimes when you see something incredible and your mouth opens in shock?”

Studying the curving lines of her mouth almost gave him a heart attack. “You mean the way mine did when you looked up at me on the sidewalk? Does an American man say ‘she’s jaw-dropping gorgeous’?”

An impish twinkle lit up her eyes. “The phrase can be used to describe a woman or a man. And there’s another more modern expression. ‘He’s hot.’”

“Which also works for a female. I’ve heard that one. Thank you for the vocabulary lesson. I’m indebted to you.” But no matter how hard he could try to catch up to her intellectual level, he would never succeed.

“Maybe you can teach me some Greek, but I know it’s a very difficult language to learn.”

“You mean right now?”

“If you’re willing.”

“Then you’ll have to sit close to me while I steer the boat.”

She shot him a side glance. “How close?”

He gripped her hand and pulled her over to the captain’s seat. After sitting down, he patted his leg. “Right here.”

“Akis—” She chuckled. “You won’t be able to drive.”

“Try me.”

As she perched on his leg, he grabbed her around the waist. “The first word I want to teach you is the most important. If you never learn another one, it won’t matter.” He started the engine and they skimmed across the water.

“What is it?”

“Repeat after me. S’agapo.”

She said it several times until she got the intonation just right. “How am I doing?”

“That was perfect.”

“What does it mean?”

“Say it to Nora and Socus and surprise them. By their reaction you’ll know what it means.”

“S’agapo. S’agapo.” She kissed his cheek and slid off his leg. “You’re a terrific teacher, but you need to concentrate on your driving. We’ve been going around in circles,” she teased.

“That’s what you’ve done to me,” he quipped back. “You have me staggering all over the place in a dazed condition.”

“Then I’m going to leave you alone until we get to that beach you told me about.”

“And then?”

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t leave me hanging like that. Once we’ve arrived at our destination, I want to know what you propose to do to me.”

She let out a devilish chuckle. “I’m considering several options, all of which require your complete attention.”

The way Akis was feeling right now, they weren’t going to make it another ten yards. “Shall we forget going anywhere and head back to my beach?”

Her smile filled all the lonely places inside him. “What kind of a tour director are you?”

“I can’t help it if my first passenger surpasses any sight I could show her. If you don’t believe me, just watch the way men look at you when you walk by. I’m the envy of every male.”

She rested her head against the seat, soaking up the sun. “Women do the same thing when they see you.”

“I’m talking about you. Did you know the newspapers have printed photos of us leaving the Grand Bretagne? The headlines read, ‘Who was the beautiful mystery woman seen with one of the Giannopoulos brothers?’”

She turned in his direction. “Chloe’s wedding made the publicity inevitable. Knowing her like I do, I’m sure she didn’t want it. She’s the sweetest, kindest girl I’ve ever known.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Theo has a similar temperament. They’re a perfect match.”

“Isn’t that wonderful? Tell me more about him.”

“He’s a vice president of the bank now.”

“Good for him, but I want to know why you like him so much.”

The more he got to know Raina, the more he realized how extraordinary she was, not only as a woman, but as a human being. “You’re a lot like Theo. You look beyond the surface to the substance of a person.”

He could feel her eyes on him. “I’m so glad he saw inside of you and was willing to take a risk for you. That’s because you’re such a good man.”

“He’s saved my back more than once.”

“In what way?”

“We signed up for the military at the same time and served together.”

Raina sat up. “How did you manage that?”

“His father had connections. I couldn’t believe it when he was assigned to my unit.”

“I take it that’s where your friendship flourished.”

“In unexpected ways. We grew close as brothers.” He would have told her more, but talking about it would touch on a painful subject he didn’t want to bring up today. “When he introduced me to Chloe six months ago, I worried she might not be good enough for him. But nothing could have been further from the truth.”

Raina’s eyes closed for a moment. She was so crazy about Akis, the thought of his breaking her heart caused her to groan.

“I had the same fear when she phoned to tell me about Theo. I knew her heart from long ago and didn’t want any man breaking it. But getting to know you, I’m convinced he must be her equal, otherwise he wouldn’t have come to be like family to you. I’m anxious to meet him when they get back from their honeymoon.”

He had to clear his throat. “We’ll definitely make that happen, but we’ve got a lot of living to do before then.”

She sat back again. “I’m loving all this, but I’m afraid I’m keeping you from your work.”

“I’m entitled to a vacation and have covered for Vasso many times.”

“I haven’t had a real one in years. It sounds like we’re a pair of workaholics. But I have to admit work has saved my life since my grandfather passed away.”

Akis filled his lungs with the sea air. “What do you say we forget everything and concentrate on having fun. We’re coming to one of the most famous beaches in all of Greece.”