Page 84 of The Island Villa

She waited while he joined the family in the boat and gave them instructions and then he sprang from the boat into the water and waded back onto the beach.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come.” He leaned down and kissed her first on one cheek and then on the other. She felt the scrape of stubble against her cheek and breathed in the fresh scent of citrus and sea salt. She rested her fingers on his shoulders, a light touch against hard muscle.

She felt something uncurl inside her and stepped back, unsettled. “I wasn’t sure I would either.”

“What persuaded you? My looks, my dazzling conversation or my legendary cooking skills, inherited from my mother?”

“None of those things. I’m here for your boat.”

He laughed. “Sounds good to me. And I’m not cooking. I’m taking you to lunch with a friend. When you’ve eaten the fish in his restaurant, you’ll never want to eat anywhere else.”

She glanced down at her casual cover-up. “I’m not dressed for elegant dining. I assumed we were having a simple picnic. Maybe a swim.”

“There’s nothing simple about my picnics, but plenty of time for you to discover that. And you look great.” His gaze skimmed her briefly. “How was last night? Did you survive?”

“It was interesting. Better than expected.” Thanks to Cassie’s news, which had shifted the tone and the focus.

“I can’t wait to hear all about it.” He gestured to the boat bobbing close to the shore. “That one’s mine. Do you mind getting wet? Do you have to be back by a certain time?”

“No to both questions.”

There was far too much drama in her life for her liking and she was more than happy to escape again.

You see, Dad? I’m more than capable of being spontaneous when I want to be.

But she wondered if that was because of Stefanos. With him, she remembered the person she’d once been, before life events had taught her to be careful. It was like glancing across the street and spotting a familiar face but not being able to place it.

She hoisted her bag higher onto her shoulder, lifted her beach wrap high on her thighs and waded through the cool water.

“Here, I’ll take that.” He removed the bag from her shoulder so that she could use both hands on the ladder. She climbed onto the boat and then turned and took her bag from him.

He climbed up after her, pulled up the anchor and headed out into the bay. The boat bounced over the surface of the water and she tipped her head back, enjoying the feel of the sun on her face and the spray of seawater cooling her skin.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m going to show you my house.”

She sat up, interested. “Is it far?”

“About ten minutes by road. The same by water.”

She saw him smile and had a feeling she was missing something, but she had no idea what. It still surprised her that he’d bought a home here, rooted himself to a place he’d been so determined to leave. She was looking forward to seeing it, not because she was interested in the home itself, but because she was interested in him.

As he’d promised, it was around ten minutes before he guided the boat round a headland and ducked into a hidden cove.

The land plunged steeply down to the water. A white pebbled beach was fringed by a backdrop of tall cypress trees and pine, and a wooden jetty stretched into the clear blue water. A few houses nestled in the trees, and she sat for a moment, drinking it in.

This was the authentic Corfu, far from the flashy resorts favored by tourists.

“You live here?” She felt envious. Waking up to this every day felt more like a dream than a lifestyle.

“Home sweet home.” He guided the boat against the jetty and she felt a stirring of familiarity.

“I know this place.”

He smiled and stepped off the boat onto the jetty. “Took you a while.”

“We came here that day you stole your father’s boat.”

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