Page 69 of The Kiss that Captured a Billionaire
He lifted her against him, his arms locking her in place, and kissed her like he’d been starved for years. She clung to him, her heart pounding, until she was rosy-cheeked and breathless. Her eyes locked with his as she slid slowly down his body.
She became keenly aware of his driver and bodyguards, standing discreetly but close enough to see everything. Her cheeks burned hotter.
“I’ll see you tonight,” she said, stepping back, her voice soft and filled with warmth.
She waved as the car door closed behind him. Longing filled her as she watched until the taillights vanished into the morning traffic. With a sigh, she turned to her driver.
“Good morning, Christian. How would you feel about exploring Delphi today?”
Christian’s weathered face broke into a smile. “A wonderful choice, Miss. It’s about two and a half hours if the roads are clear. It’s a beautiful drive.”
“I call shotgun,” she laughed, moving to the front passenger side.
“You always do,” Christian chuckled.
Rose sank back in the plush seat of the Audi as they left the city behind, trading marble facades for rolling hills and distant mountains.
She loved chatting with Christian. He was a new grandfather, married to the love of his life after meeting her at a seaside café nearly forty years ago, and a wonderful tour guide as he knew the area so well.
She shared growing up in the theatre with him, telling him stories of her grandparents, the performers she had met, and the amazing plays she had been fortunate enough to see. It felt like that part of her life was an eternity ago.
An hour outside of Athens, the highway narrowed into winding ribbons of asphalt cutting through olive groves and rocky slopes.
Rose sat forward, watching sunlight flash through the trees as they rounded a sharp curve. Christian muttered something under his breath in Greek as she lifted her phone and snapped a photo of the road ahead of her, along with several more of the views to her right and a funny selfie to share with Kerry.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Holiday drivers,” he said with mild irritation. “Everyone thinks they are a rally champion.”
She grinned. “They must be from New York.”
He chuckled, easing into the turn. “You have driven in New York?”
She shook her head with a mock expression of horror. “I’ve survived New York. Driving there? I’m not that brave.”
Christian chuckled at her confession. “Sometimes I feel like that driving in Athens. I am beginning to think I will add this road to my list,” he added when a dark sedan pulled abruptly in front of them, forcing him to slow.
“Yep. Looks like New Yorkers,” she teased, noticing that another vehicle eased up on their bumper.
She snapped a few more photos before she sent them to Kerry with a ‘Guess where I am now! Heading to explore Delphia.Drivers here are as bad as back home. Wish you were here. Miss you!’
Her smile faded when the lead car veered onto a side road and they could now see that ahead, orange cones and a man in a reflective vest waved them toward the narrow turnoff.
“It looks like we may be taking the scenic route,” Christian said with an apologetic smile.
“That’s okay. It just means I get to see more of the countryside,” she replied.
The road tightened, the cliff face rising on one side and the drop-off yawning on the other. Rose tried to ignore the knot forming in her stomach as she peered over the edge.
Christian was still talking about aggressive Greek drivers when they rounded another bend?—
—and the sedan ahead of them was suddenly stopped dead in the middle of the lane.
“What the—” Christian slammed on the brakes.
Rose’s seatbelt bit into her shoulder as the car jerked to a violent halt. Before she could process what was happening, two men spilled out of the sedan—both from the passenger side, moving fast, their faces shadowed under masks.
Her pulse spiked. “Christian?—”
