Page 131 of Whirlwind

He was the gentlest, most caring, expressive man I had ever known. A rush of emotions whirled inside me. Emotions I’d never felt before, intense and overwhelming. I chose not to analyze them, but to give them the freedom to swirl and buzz, to glow.

We held onto each other in that abundance of sensation and feeling. Neither of us moved.

Only breathed.

And my camera captured it all.

49

Beck

A doorbell soundedthrough my chords, and I placed my guitar on the lounger. I sucked in the cool briny morning sea air and let out a laugh as I headed toward the front door.

There’d be no kinda-sorta-boyfriend-fiancé on the opposite side of the door this morning.

I’d woken up early and ordered a full breakfast. I wanted to surprise Violet when she woke up. The two waiters set up the spread on the dining table outside.

Violet never asked for much, and I suspected she never expected much from others either, which was an awful thing. She deserved to be given to. I usually had to convince her to accept my gifts, gifts I knew she loved. She was a hard nut to break on that score.

Too bad. I wanted to give to her and I could.

The table burst with dishes of cut melon and pineapple, watermelon and grapes, a basket of boiled eggs, four different omelets, a bowl of Greek yoghurt, smaller bowls of honey, walnuts, pistachios, a basket of breads of all shapes and grain varieties, a pot of butter and tiny English jam jars. Croissants andspanakópitasandtiropites,the Greek spinach and cheese pies in that addictive butteryfíllocrust. A pot of green tea, a French press with coffee.

“Perfect, thank you.” I gave them both a tip.

“Thank you so much.Kalí órexi. Enjoy.” They left.

For the most part “Can I afford this?” “Should I?” were questions that didn’t pop into my head when I considered a purchase—the exception being my recent house hunting expedition, of course.

The only thing I spent my money on was my growing guitar collection, clothes, and, of course, boots. I hadn’t had time or the inclination to indulge in much else.

Finger had given me the Harley, and I loved it, but I didn’t feel the need to go out and buy ten more. Unlike a lot of my friends in L.A., I didn’t have a hard on for expensive fast cars. But I did have a hard on for offering Violet the pleasure of a gift.

Each blush, each slow smile, each kiss, each touch of her hand when she gave in to that pleasure made another piece of my heart melt.

“Ooo, what’s this?”

Violet’s sleepy voice rose behind me, and my lips twitched as I turned around. She stood there wearing nothing but the oversized white hotel bathrobe that grazed her thighs, her hair a mess—a mess I was responsible for and proud of .

“Breakfast for two.” I pushed down on the knob on the French press. That heavenly scent of roasted coffee beans rose up like the finest perfume.

“Looks like it’s for ten people. I love it.” There was her delighted grin again. That ripple of heat went off inside me, and I took in a breath to draw it out, to make it burn longer. Yeah, it filled my chest and lingered in my balls.

I held out a chair for her and she sat. “Thank you.” I poured her a cup of coffee.

She brought the coffee cup to her lips. “That’s so good. Nothing like eating with this view surrounding you. The sea air has opened up my appetite like crazy.”

“Certainly has.” I licked my lip as I poured myself tea.

She took in the wide blue sea. “I’m going to miss this.”

Something pinched inside me. Was she preparing for the end? Letting all this go already? Filing it away? Within forty-eight hours this would all be over, and I was going to miss more than the sea and this beautiful island. So much more.

She slid a piece of green melon between her lips and chewed, those lips glistening. I stirred honey in my tea and took a long swallow.

“Is your throat bothering you?”

“Nope. This is a habit I got into from when I first started touring. Good for the throat and also a good foundation for the day. Puts me at ease. Coffee after.”

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