Page 15 of One Weekend in Greece

My face is glued to the car window as we travel down narrow roads in between white-washed buildings with blue shutters and trim. The view is simply incredible. The cliffs are multicolored and surrounded by the deepest of blue waters. Buildings and homes are topped along the edges. Everywhere I look, I see white and blue, from the sea to the buildings. It doesn’t seem real. The beauty of it all is magical. How will I ever be able to leave this place?

I turn to Jakob. “I’m never leaving.”

“You’ve been here ten minutes.”

“When you know, you know,” I tease.

His response is to stare at me with an unreadable expression. He probably thinks I’m insane. I don’t care. I’m living my best life right now.

Warm air along with smells of salt from the sea and of baked pastries from a nearby bakery greet me when I step out of the car. Bells are ringing from the neck of a few donkeys being guided along gray cobblestone streets.

“Here we are,” Jakob’s mother sings. Their home is a small villa up high and with a view of the volcano. Inside is all wood and white stone. There’s a small kitchen with a table, a cozy seating area, two bedrooms downstairs, and a small upstairs with a bathroom and bedroom.

Jakob takes me upstairs to show me which room will be mine. I frown as I state the obvious. “There are two beds.”

“Yes. The other one is mine.”

“Whoa.” I hold up a hand. “I can go to a hotel if there’s not room.”

He flat out snickers at me. “You’re going to go find a room? On the island? During high season? Sure.”

“Can I bunk with Dafni?”

“Might be crowded. Dafni is rooming with my parents. Usually, Dafni has that bed. Vivian and her husband and the baby have the other room. My parents, of course, keep theirs. Sorry if this isn’t up to your standards.”

Now I sound ungrateful. The house is beautiful, and I’m so honored to be here. I’m being silly. I can do this. I can share a room with Jakob, because most likely, we won’t even be here that much. Only at night—late at night, more than likely—and we’ll be so exhausted we’ll go straight to sleep. This is going to be fine. “I’m being silly. This is going to be fine. There’s no risk of us crossing the line.”

“None,” Jakob agrees. “Your brother has already warned me.” Of course he did. Noah has always been dramatic and overprotective.

“Plus, we’re in your parents’ house. It would be disrespectful.”

“And you don’t want me to do anything disrespectful.”

“Exactly.”

Jakob takes a step closer toward me. “You especially don’t want me to do anything disrespectful to you.”

The small room just got a lot smaller. His body heat is radiating off him as his gaze traces over my face. The air around us is sizzling. “Don’t you dare think about disrespecting me.”

At this point, I don’t even know what we’re talking about. It feels like we’re talking about sex. Are we talking about him disrespecting me with the use of orgasming? My mind is in a shameful state, creating all kinds of naughty scenarios on how he could disrespect me.

“Daddy!” Dafni calls from down the hall. I leap back but hit the bed and fall back.

Jakob doesn’t look amused, but rather pissed. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

“Why?” I look down and realize my legs are spread eagle. Talk about an open invitation. Thank goodness I wore pants today.

“Daddy!” Dafni bounces into the room. “Can we go swimming? Did you see the beach? It’s so blue! Can we?”

“Absolutely! Go get on your swimsuit.”

“I’ll help her.” I get up and grab my bag so I can change into my swimsuit as well.

Once we’re dressed and ready, we meet everyone in the living room. Vivian and I hug, and I fawn over her sweet baby. I’ve met her baby before, but it’s been a few months since I’ve seen them. As we all walk to the car, Vivian and I chat.

“I hope Jakob hasn’t been too uptight around you,” Vivian tells me as we get the kids strapped into their car seats.

Dafni comes to her father’s aid. “Daddy isn’t uptight. He’s silly.”

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