Page 43 of Greek Island Fling to Forever

‘No.’

‘You want to play, then?’

Ben’s idea of play was scintillating. Hushed voices, talking and laughing together. Watching the strong lines of his body in the soft light from the lamp beside the bedside, as the arms of the ceiling fan revolved slowly. Letting him find out exactly what her body could do, and exploring his. And when finally he tipped her onto her back, and they were joined in the most satisfying way possible, it was just the beginning of a slow, delicious climb back into mindless passion.

‘Do you always like to be on top?’ she teased him as they lay curled together on the bed. Their own little world, lit by the tender glow of lamplight.

‘I’d like to watch you on top of me...’ He kissed her tenderly.

‘Mm. I’d like that too. Or standing up. Sitting down...’

He chuckled. ‘On our sides, so I can touch every part of you. Sixty-nine different things.’

‘It’s a lot to get through.’ Arianna snuggled against him. ‘You think a week will be enough?’

‘We have time management skills.’ He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. ‘Now’s the time for sleep, sweetheart.’

She snuggled against him, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

It seemed as if Ben had lived his whole life here. He was getting to know the people in the village and understood a few Greek words now. He knew the best places to shop for food, and when the fishing boats returned with their cargo. And the last four nights had been indescribable. They’d thrown themselves into making the best of what little time they had, and there had been times when Ben had actually thought it was possible to pass out from an overload of pleasure.

He walked up to the health centre to meet Arianna from work. She was sitting in the reception area alone, her face glowing.

‘What?’ He let go of Jonas’s hand, and the boy ran over to Arianna for a hug.

‘I... I called my father.’

‘You did?’

There was no need to ask whether Arianna’s call to her father had gone well. It was written all over her face.

‘I called at lunchtime. He was in a meeting but I left a message and he called me straight back, about two minutes later.’

Just what Ben would have done if it had been his child calling him. Jonas ran over to the toy box in the corner, which was his usual port of call when they came here, and Ben sat down to listen to Arianna.

‘We talked a bit. A lot, actually, we were on the phone for nearly an hour. He told me all about his plans for the hotel on Kantos.’

‘Nothing else?’

She grinned. ‘You don’t know my father. He always keeps his business interests very close to his chest. Going into details is quite something for him.’

‘Okay. Whatever works. Did you tell him all about your work? Your latest brilliant diagnosis?’

‘No. I told him about the trees we’d planted. He said he thought it was a really good way of involving everyone.’

Ben had felt it was rather more a labour of love. But Arianna seemed pleased, and that was all that mattered.

‘So...you’re going to talk again?’ That was the main thing. That Arianna’s initiative wouldn’t be lost, and that she could make her peace with her father.

‘Yes, he’s going to call me a week on Sunday. He’s put it in his diary. Not because he might forget, but to ring-fence that time. For me.’

Ben would be gone by then. But maybe he’d hear all about that conversation as well. It seemed impossible that he and Arianna could just drift away from each other.

‘I’m so glad for you. I know it was a difficult step to take...’ He broke off as the phone rang. That was one of the downsides of island life. There was only one doctor, and if this was someone needing Arianna’s attention, their evening together would have to wait a while.

Arianna picked up the phone, speaking in Greek. As she listened, her face became troubled.

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