Page 193 of Modern Romance November 2024 5-8

Shooting him a quick smile of gratitude, she walked into the bedroom, drawing her breath in sharply with appreciation. She’d been in a lot of beautiful rooms since she’d met Santos, far more than her ragtag childhood and wandering adulthood had ever allowed her. She’d been in his five-star hotel suite in Portugal, as well as the one they’d shared in Barcelona, both the epitome of luxurious living; and of course she’d spent several months at the Aguila estate in Seville, with its wood-panelled rooms, the walls lined with oil paintings and the floors of cold tile. They’d been elegant in their own way, steeped in history and importance.

But she’d never been in a room like this. It was built out over the hill with floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto a balcony that hung out over the hillside, practically over the sea itself. In every direction she could see the Aegean shining as brightly as a jewel. Until she’d come to this vantage point, she hadn’t realised the villa was built on a peninsula; they were surrounded by sea on every side, and it made her feel as if she were floating, flying.

Slowly Mia turned in a circle, taking in and savouring the view. Then her gaze caught on the main piece of furniture in the room—a king-sized bed on its own dais, giving it all the benefits of the room’s amazing view. A canopy of near-transparent linen blew in the sea breeze, seeming to beckon her forward. The only other furniture in the room was a pair of discreet bedside tables and a cream velvetchaise longeon the opposite side of the room, positioned towards the balcony. Doors led to a sumptuousen suitebathroom, as well as a massive walk-in wardrobe.

‘I know it’s all rather bare,’ Santos said with a wry grimace, ‘But I didn’t want anything to take away from the view, which really is the centrepiece of the place.’

‘It’s perfect,’ Mia told him, her tone heartfelt as she turned to face him. ‘Like...an eagle’s nest. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.’

And, Santos thought, he didn’t want to be anywhere else either. His heart felt full as he walked towards Mia, catching her hands in his. She smiled as he drew her gently towards him, brushing his lips against hers and then settling there. Their hips bumped and heat flared deep within.

The last few days had been wonderful, filled with both desire and joy. It had reminded him of how they’d been together back at the beginning, lost in wonder and love. Yes, he thought almost fiercely,love—or at least a version of it. Maybe they hadn’t known each other well enough then, but they knew each other now, or at least were getting to know. He hoped what they’d been building over the last few days was strong enough to last...but they didn’t have to test it just yet.

‘That bed is very comfortable,’ he murmured against her lips as he steered her towards it until the back of her legs hit the dais, and then he hoisted her onto the bed, falling onto the mattress next to her as she let out a breathless laugh.

‘It’s broad daylight and Rosita is right downstairs...’

‘Trust me, she won’t come up to check on us.’ He ran his hand up her calf and thigh, revelling in the feel of her smooth, golden skin. She was wearing a sundress in pale green cotton, and it was wonderfully easy to slide his hand under the thin material, right between her legs.

Mia let out a gasp. ‘Santos!’

He pressed his palm against her and she let out a groan, offering her hips up to him as her eyes fluttered close. He loved how he only had to touch her to make her come apart. And he loved how she only had to look at him to accomplish the same thing.

Sure enough, Mia’s eyes fluttered open again and she gazed at him with blatant hunger that made Santos feel as if he were about to explode. He captured her mouth in another kiss as Mia twined her legs around his, pulling him closer to her as his fingers slipped inside her underwear to feel the damp heat beneath.

‘Santos...’

He loved how she said his name—both as a plea and demand, her body arching up against him, giving and receiving. And he loved how he could answer both—with his lips, with his hands, with his body. They’d never had any trouble talking like this, he thought as he lost himself in her. It was the purest form of communication, of bliss...

Later, as the sun slanted lazily over their twined bodies, the sheets rumpled about them, Mia finally stirred, brushing her tangled hair out of her face.

‘Rosita will wonder where we went to,’ she remarked wryly.

Santos stroked her side from breast to hip. Even sated as he was, he still felt the need to touch her and memorise the feel of her. ‘I think she might have guessed.’

Mia’s face went pink with embarrassment, which he found rather adorable. ‘Really? But you just came up to show me the bedroom...’

‘We are newlyweds,’ Santos reminded her. ‘And this is, in effect, our honeymoon.’

Mia’s embarrassed expression dropped away, replaced by something far more pensive. She rolled over on her side to face him, tucking one hand under her cheek.

‘Can it be that simple?’ she asked quietly. ‘A reset is all we need?’

Santos was jolted by the stark honesty of that question. It was the closest either of them had come to addressing what this time in Greece was, what it could be, as well as all that had painfully gone before.

‘Why shouldn’t it be that simple?’ he countered, his gaze steady on hers. He wanted it to be that simple. Heneededit to be, because having Mia in his life again reminded him of why he’d married her in the first place. When he was with her, he was the man he wanted to be—light, laughing, with an ease and joy inside him he’d never experienced anywhere, or with anyone, else.

‘I don’t know,’ Mia replied slowly. ‘I suppose because we ran into problems before. Because we’re still so different.’

‘And, like I said before, differences don’t have to be deal-breakers, Mia. We can work through them. Weareworking through them...don’t you think?’ He caught her free hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to each of the tips of her fingers. ‘Haven’t these last few days been pretty good?’ he asked, a hint of playfulness in his voice, although he meant the question with utter seriousness.

She let out a shaky laugh as her face softened and she brushed his lips with her fingers, a kind of kiss in return. ‘They’ve been wonderful,’ she told him quietly, her tone heartfelt. ‘Some of the best days of my life, Santos.’

‘Some of?’ He pretended to be affronted, if just a little, wanting to keep the mood light for her sake as much as his own ‘And what were some of the others?’

‘Those first few days in Portugal with you,’ she replied with simple honesty. ‘It was everything in between then and now that was hard, Santos...forbothof us.’

It took him a few seconds to realise the allowance she was making. She was acknowledging that it had been hard for him, too, and yet, in a flash of insight, Santos realised it hadn’t been nearly as hard for him as it must have been for Mia. She’d had to come to an entirely new place, a house full of strangers who didn’t speak her language and seemed suspicious of her, and try to fit in. And within weeks of that she’d found out she was pregnant with a baby she hadn’t envisioned having for years.

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