Page 85 of A Grecian Getaway

Yannis laughed. “Oh, you read her all right. You read the entire book of Noelle and that was it for you, man. You could not take your eyes off of her. It was a little much, to be honest. She had you before you even said two words to her. You may have been the one to go talk to her, but you were so addicted to her, like a baby to the bottle. You could not get enough or stay away.” He laughed some more and pretended to drink from a bottle. “And you thought she could not handle you.” Yannis continued laughing.

“Are you finished? How much have you had to drink?” Demetri grabbed the bottle and inspected it.

Yannis slapped Demetri’s shoulder. “I am celebrating… ‘the little baby’!” Yannis broke out into more laughter.

“Ugh. That is enough for you.” He swiped Yannis’ glass from the table. “Yes, Noelle is different. You are right. There was something about her from the moment I laid eyes on her. She is different from the other women I was normally attracted to. Shy. Innocent. Beautiful, but unassumingly. She was so natural, she did not try to be something she was not. I do not know. I just felt a pull towards her. She says we are like magnets. I am very lucky she loves me, and she has been so patient with me. Many women might have left by now. I hope she can wait a couple more days. I want the surprise to be as special as her.”

“Noelle is a wonderful woman, and she loves you very much. I do not think you have to worry. Now, give me back my glass and let me celebrate your good fortune!” Yannis reached out for his glass and Demetri handed it to him. “To the best friend a man could have. The man that finally came to his senses. And the man that is the little baby who found his woman!” Yannis chuckled, clinked his glass against Demetri’s, tilted his head back, and downed the rest of his drink.

Demetri rolled his eyes and took a drink. “I forgot to tell you. We have another reason to celebrate.” Demetri shook his head. “Though I do not know if I should give you another reason. My lawyer called. Athena will get a little jail time and a big fine. She has to stay away from us.”

“Now that woman is crazy!”

“Yes, but I do not believe she was trying to hurt me. She admitted she had been drinking. But she did not realize I was hurt when she left the scene. She said she was following me because she wanted to talk to me. But, it is over now. She is out of our lives. So, to no more Athena!”

“No more slush!” Yannis bellowed, and they both took a drink. “Now, what else has to be done to prepare for your big surprise? I am here to help!” He stood up, teetered on his feet, sat back down and tapped the armrests of his chair. “From right here.”

Chapter 57

RING AROUND THE RUINS ~Noelle~

The rest of their week went by faster than Noelle had wanted. They spent their days outside enjoying the area and their evenings in each other’s arms. Demetri didn’t forget about the slap to his ass and punished her as promised. But if the punishment she received was always as amazing as what she got from him, she would be sure to slap his bottom more often.

It was New Year’s Eve. Noelle had to fly home the day after New Year’s. Thankfully, New Year's Day fell on a Saturday, so she had Sunday to fly home and be ready for work the following day.

She and Demetri were getting themselves ready for an evening out. Demetri had planned for them to go to a dinner party. A New Year’s celebration, complete with dinner and dancing, was being held that evening. Demetri hadn’t shared a lot of details, but from what he told her, it sounded nice. She was excited about the event, but it also meant the end of their time together. Her stomach was in knots as she put the finishing touches on her hair.I can’t believe I let all this time go by and I still haven’t talked to him about us and our future. I can’t do it tonight, and I hate to do it on New Year’s Day, but that’s my only option. We haven’t talked about the next time we will see each other. I’m going to miss him so much. This time together has been so amazing. We haven’t figured out anything,and I can’t keep worrying about us. I have to know if we have the possibility of a real future. I have to know if he will ever be open to the possibility of loving me like I love him.

When Noelle walked out of the bedroom to greet Demetri, he stood up and walked towards her.

“You are stunning. Maybe we should stay in tonight instead. I am not sure how long I can control myself. I look at you in that red dress, and I want to tear it off and do wicked things with you,” he teased.

“Thank you, but I want to go to this party, so you are just going to keep it in your pants, mister.” She walked away and grabbed her purse and a wrap.

Demetri chuckled. “I think I know what that one means, but I do not agree. You are trying my patience. I will take you to the party, but be prepared when we get home. The wolf will be ready for the hunt, and I will be most definitely taking it out of my pants.” He pointed to her. “Come, let us go have a wonderful night!”

They walked to his car hand in hand. He held the door open and Noelle slid inside. Demetri reached over and hooked her seat belt and then trailed his hand along her waist, whispering close to her ear. “You are going to drive me crazy, you know that?”

She smiled. “I do.” Noelle sat up tall in her seat acting as though she was unaffected by his touch, when in reality, she felt the warmth between her legs.She sighed and leaned her head back onto the headrest.Relax and have a nice evening with the man you love. Today is meant to be fun! Tomorrow, well, hopefully tomorrow there will still be an us. I can’t imagine my life without you.

They pulled up to an area with gorgeous stone ruins. There were small, round candlelit tables set up around the perimeter. In the center, twinkling lights dangled around the ruins, with a large space in the middle for dancing. Many couples had already arrived and sat at tables or danced. It was spectacular! A gentleman greeted them and showed them to a table. Demetri pulled out Noelle’s chair, and she sat down, admiring the setting.

“This is amazing!”

“Yes, a local business does this every year. The owner is a friend of mine. They bring in trucks with the food and will serve us a little later.” He held out his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

She took his hand, and they made their way to the center of the ruins. They had laid a makeshift dance floor providing a smooth surface for dancing. The music played as they danced in each other’s arms.

Enjoy this moment. Everything is perfect, and we’re happy. You have no reason to believe you don’t have a future together… even though he still hasn’t said I love you.Her stomach turned over. Try as she might, her nerves were getting the best of her.Maybe I should just bring it up tonight. Get it over with and pull off the Band-Aid.“Demetri, is it okay if we go sit down? I’m a little tired.”

“Yes, are you okay, little lamb? It is about time for dinner to be served.”

“Yes, I’ll be okay.”Hopefully, I’ll be okay after we talk.They went to their table and Demetri pulled out Noelle’s chair for her.

“I am sorry you do not feel well. Do you think you will be able to eat?”

“Yes, but then maybe after dinner we can chat a little before we dance again.” She held her stomach.

“Whatever you want. Tonight is for you, Noelle.”

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