Page 28 of Greek Island Fling to Forever

‘I won’t take my eyes off Jonas for a second.’

Thank you. His lips formed silent words that were only for her, and then Ben spoke to his son. ‘Jonas, you’ll stay with Arianna, won’t you? If she says you’re to get out of the water then you get out of the water.’

He waited for Jonas’s confirmation that he’d heard and understood and then started to swim towards the middle of the lake. Arianna watched the strong swell of his shoulders, keeping her hand on Jonas’s back, ready to grab hold of him if it looked as if he were tiring.

But now that Ben was gone, her fears seemed to swell in her chest. A sudden vision hit her, of Jonas—or was it Xander?—being sucked beneath the surface of the water. She should get a grip, but all she could think about was getting Jonas to the safety of the beach.

‘Have you finished swimming now, Jonas?’

The boy was obviously tiring a little but he ignored her, still splashing about.

‘Let’s get out, shall we?’ Arianna tried again.

‘Okay.’ Jonas swam towards the shore and Arianna heaved a sigh of relief. She felt stupid now, wrapping him in a towel to dry him, and then finding his hat and T-shirt to protect him from the sun. But she did feel a bit more confident.

Ben had reached the middle of the lake and was waving to her. He must be wondering what she was doing, and she waved back. Ben returned her thumbs-up signal, and ducked his head beneath the surface.

Arianna started to count the seconds. She knew exactly what he was seeing right now; she’d swum out and experienced it often enough herself. He was surrounded by iridescent blues, the colours intensifying the deeper he went. Still, she counted. It was tempting to lose yourself down there, and perhaps she should have warned him.

His head broke the surface and he waved again. Arianna cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting across the water, ‘Don’t stay down too long.’

Stupid. He knew that. He could have stayed and dived again, maybe even for a little longer, but now Ben had turned in the water, and was striking back towards the shore.

He got out of the water, slicking his hair back as he walked towards her. Did he really have to do that? Keeping her hands off him was difficult enough...

‘You saw it? The bed of the lake?’

‘Yes, I did. It’s amazing.’

‘Don’t you want to dive again, and see it a second time?’

He pressed his lips together, puffing out a breath. ‘No, once is enough...’

Arianna narrowed her eyes. ‘You’re the first person I’ve brought here who’s said that.’

He shrugged, bending down to pick up a dry towel and wrapping it around her shoulders. Suddenly he leaned in to give her a hug, and she felt the taut muscle of his arm against her cheek before he drew back again.

‘Are you okay?’

Somehow he understood how fearful she’d been. Maybe he’d heard it in the urgency of her tone, when she’d called across the water to him.

‘I...wasn’t. I am now. I thought I’d be all right on my own with Jonas, but I didn’t realise how being in the water with him would make me feel. But you can go back if you want. It would actually make me feel a little better, knowing I haven’t spoiled the day.’

He brushed his fingers against her cheek. ‘You could never spoil any of my days, Arianna. I’d rather be here if you need me.’

That protective instinct of his again. ‘What I really need you to do at the moment is to give me a chance to try again and do it right. We’ll be fine, I promise. Jonas has already found something he wants to do.’

Ben looked across to where his son was busy arranging stones into piles, according to their colour. Arianna wondered if he really could bring himself to be a little less vigilant, just this once.

‘Fine as in fine? Or as in keeping up appearances?’

‘Fine as in absolutely fine. And I really want you to go.’

He thought for a moment and then nodded. ‘Okay. You’ll call me if you want me to come back?’

‘I’ll call. Don’t worry about that.’

Arianna watched as he walked back down to the water’s edge, wading in and then diving forward and starting to swim strongly. Maybe if he wasn’t so physically perfect, if she didn’t crave his touch as much as she needed his comfort, this would all be a little bit easier. But she and Ben were linked now. Linked by their shared past and the way they seemed to understand each other.

---