Page 36 of Greek's Temporary "I Do"

‘Why a boat trip?’ Helena asked.

‘Because whenever you visited the island it was the first thing you’d ask to do. You’d run straight up to us and demand to know when we were going to take you out onto the water. We used to call you—’

‘Delfíni. You used to call me dolphin.’

Leo nodded, his lips curving into a smile against his will. ‘Naí.’

Helena smiled. It started off small and slow, but grew until he felt it in his heart. There were many things that he could never give to Helena or be to her. But this? This he could do.

‘Go pack. We leave in ten minutes.’

The look of excitement that lit her features stopped his breath. Eagerness, joy, a flush that was so damn innocent he nearly choked.

She spun on her heel and ran off to her room, giving him a brief respite from the impact of her presence, and time to calm his body’s innate response to her.

And then, with startling clarity, he realised just what kind of hell he’d let himself in for over the next twenty-four hours.

The driver let them out at the large marina where the yacht Leo had organised last night waited for them. It wasn’t presently on the market, but the owner was a friend and Leo had paid an exorbitant price to have the yacht’s staff sail through the night to have it here on time. And while he’d seen pictures of it, knew its reputation, even Leo couldn’t help but be impressed by the thirty-three-metre-long yacht.

Helena drew up beside him and stared, eyes wide and mouth open.

‘Boat trip.’ The words fell from her lips.

‘Mmm?’

‘You said boat trip. That’s not a boat,’ Helena said, the awe in her voice making him smile, giving him exactly what he’d wanted when he’d first had the idea.

As if in a daze, Helena drifted towards the yacht, where a uniformed staff member waited at the plank with a smile on their face.

‘Mr and Mrs Liassidis? Congratulations on your recent wedding.’

Of course, Leo had told his friend that it was a wedding gift for Leander and his new bride. But he’d forgotten what a nuisance it would be having to keep up the pretence in such close quarters. And he’d wanted this to be a true escape for Helena. A chance for her to just be herself. As he hastily looked for a way round it, Helena let herself be guided onto the yacht.

As directed, he left their bags by the gangplank and followed Helena for a basic tour of the beautiful yacht. Split over three levels, the lower, main and upper deck, the yacht could comfortably house eleven guests along with the five crew members serving on their trip. There was a Jacuzzi on the back end of the main deck and a dining area on the upper deck.

‘Your bags have been taken to the master suite on the main deck, but we’d first like to welcome you with a glass of champagne,’ the staff member offered.

Helena’s eagerness was immediate and infectious, and Leo smiled, enjoying the excitement rolling off her in waves. He gestured for them to lead the way towards the glorious view from the back of the upper deck. The Captain joined them for a toast, congratulating them on their nuptials, and then returned to the cabin, where she piloted them out of the marina and into the Mediterranean.

One by one, the staff members retreated unobtrusively, leaving them alone on the deck. Helena leant against the rail, the wind playing with the strands of hair that had come loose from where it was held back. He wanted to see it down, he wanted to run his fingers through it, grip it in his fist as he...

Maláka.

He needed to have better control over himself than this. Much better.

‘How long do we have?’ she asked, without turning to look at him.

He wanted to say as long as she wanted, he wanted to give that to her. But he couldn’t.

‘We’ll return to the marina tomorrow afternoon. But if you want to return earlier—’

‘No,’ she said, interrupting him. ‘No,’ she repeated, as if wanting to hold on to this moment as much as he did.

He nodded, and even though she didn’t see it, he sensed she knew in that strange shared understanding that existed between people who had spent so long together it didn’t matter how many years had passed since they’d seen each other.

Needing to break the moment, he excused himself, heading off to speak to the Captain about the arrangements for that evening.

Helena gazed longingly at the horizon for just one more minute. It was perfect. There was nothing marring the clean sliver of sea beneath the weight of a sky so blue it almost hurt to look at it. She had only ever felt this kind of serenity looking out at the sea. Maybe Leo and Leander had been right, maybe in a past life she had been a dolphin, content to swim the oceans.

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