Page 8 of A Grecian Getaway

“Thank you,” she squeaked and climbed into the cab.

Demetri followed them at a safe distance in his own car to make sure Noelle made it back safely. He didn’t completely trust Giannis. After that, Demetri would stay away from her. The attraction between him and Noelle was too strong, too much of a risk.

He watched inconspicuously as Noelle exited the car and made her way to her hotel room. It appeared to be on an outer section of the place, much to his relief.Good. I know she is safe. I don’t think Giannis would have tried anything, but I feel better knowing she made it to her room.She fiddled with the key card and went inside.Does she feel the attraction between us? She was mad, but she must have felt it. I wish I could follow her and find out. Would she want me to?He rested his head on the headrest in his car.It doesn’t matter. Focus.He sat up straight.Now, to find that vlaka Giannis. Demetri could think of a lot of words he wanted to hurl at Giannis at the moment, and idiot was the nicest one on that list. Giannis’s room was also on the ground level but thankfully on the other side of the hotel, away from Noelle. He found his room, and the door was slightly ajar. Giving one knock, he pushed it open without another pause. He walked in and found Giannis making out with a woman.

“What the hell?” Giannis cursed as he saw Demetri enter his room.

“I need to speak with Giannis...now.” Demetri barked, as he nodded to the woman. She stood and straightened her clothing... all the while staring at him. She flashed a smile at Demetri as she let herself out.

When the door closed, Demetri turned to Giannis and punched him square in the jaw. A little blood trickled out of his mouth. Rubbing his face with a stupid grin, Giannis looked at Demetri and, with a sarcastic tone, replied, “Are you upset I beat you to that innocent little pussy?”

Demetri grabbed Giannis’s head and slammed it down onto the bed, twisting Giannis’s arm behind his back. Giannis winced in pain from the force. Demetri held him down and tried to gain some self-control. He took a few deep breaths. “Don’t you speak about her. If you think about laying your hands on Noelle or even looking at her ever again, you won’t have any hands to touch anyone with. Stay... away... from her,” he growled as he twisted Giannis’s arm tighter. “I will watch you. I don’t want you anywhere near her. Do you understand?”

Giannis mumbled a yes, and Demetri walked towards the door. “This is your one and only lesson on taking no for an answer from a woman. Again, do you understand?” He heard another mumbled yes from Giannis as he reached for the door. Demetri would have to keep his eyes on Giannis, but he’d made his point clearly. Giannis shouldn’t cause any more problems.

Demetri sat in his car but didn’t start the engine.Why does this woman affect me? What is it about her that has me doing things I wouldn’t normally do? Or would I? This is ridiculous. Of course, I would help another woman if she were in danger. I would help her get rid of a man acting like an ass and I would help her find a taxi. I would do all of those things for any woman. This is no different. She doesn’t affect me. She is just someone that I saw who needed help, and I helped. That is all. Get yourself together, man, and forget about Noelle. I will make sure Giannis stays away from her, but no more interactions between the two of us. It is done.

The engine purred and Demetri drove away from the hotel, Giannis, Noelle, and all the temptations from that intriguing woman. It would be hard to monitor her to make sure she was safe and keep his distance from her, but he woulddo it.I would do it for any woman, not just Noelle.Even as he told himself those words, he knew he was full of shit.

Chapter 6

MR. TALL, DARK, AND HANDSOME ~Noelle~

Noelle entered the quiet hotel room. Claire and Caroline hadn’t returned. She paced the room.First, Giannis and his refusal to take no for an answer. He couldn’t have hurt me. There were people not too far away from us. I could have screamed. Not to mention, I was handling the situation fine by kneeing him. I would have done it again! Big, stupid jerk! And then, Demetri! Oh, that tall dark and handsome hottie from the boat! The nerve of him! Asif I didn’t feel bad enough about what happened. Why did he have to be such a bossy grump? A handsome grump. But still a grump. A handsome grump with gorgeous eyes. And that hair. And those muscles. Holy crap, he was so freaking HOT! He reams me out for being irresponsible and then looks at me with what I think is desire. The nerve of him! Did he think I was an idiot or desirable? He can’t have it both ways! He’s as infuriating as he is handsome.She couldn’t decide if she wanted to kiss him or smack him. There was some kind of pull she felt towards him, but she did not know why. This was a first for her!I’m finally attracted to someone, and he’s a bossy, grumpy Greek. A freaking gorgeous one, but still!She paced and paced and finally took a bath to relax.What am I thinking? Of course, he thought I was an idiot. Someone like that would never beattracted to me.

About an hour later, the door to their room flew open, and Caroline and Claire strolled in, whispering and laughing. Already in bed, Noelle glanced up from her book.

Claire plopped down next to her. “How was your night with Giannis? And why did you need the hotel name?”

“Did you enjoy some Greek delicacies?” teased Caroline.

“Uh no. First of all, I’m fine. He was nice at first, but then he got way too handsy and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I gave him a knee to the groin, but he was persistent. He turned out to be a complete… a huge…”

“Dick?” Caroline said, providing the perfect description. “One day, Noelle, you are just going to need to let loose. I know you don’t like to let words fly, but trust me, some are totally justified. In this case, for example, enormous dick.”

“Oh my gosh, Noelle! We’re so sorry!” shrieked Claire.

“I’m sorry we left you alone with him. When I get my hands on that asshole,” Caroline fumed.

“It’s over now. I just want to forget about it. I told you, I’m fine. Thankfully, someone was around and took care of him before anything escalated. Though I was ready to knee him again. Big jerk. I almost chased after him and punched him!”

“Noelle, you should have! But it’s probably good you didn’t.” Caroline hugged her.

“Who helped you?” asked Claire.

She sighed, “Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome from the boat.”

“Really? The same man? What are the odds?” Claire asked.

“His name is Demetri. He’s so gorgeous. Dreamy. He has these hazel eyes with eyelashes that go on for days. Thick wavy hair that I wanted to run my fingers through. And his body. Aaaaahhh.” She leaned back on the bed and then remembered how much he’d ticked her off and sat back up quickly. “But he was also kind of a jerk. He scolded me like I was a child for getting into the position I was in. At least, I think he did. He was talking in Greek for much of his rant. Now I know how Lucy Ricardo felt when Ricky would break into a Spanish tirade onI Love Lucy. I mean really, obviously I couldn’t have anticipated any ofwhat happened. Giannis and I were just outside of the club, and before I knew it, we were walking on a beach. Honestly, I felt a little uncomfortable because he got weirder as the night went on. But there were people around, so I didn’t feel like I was really at risk. How was I supposed to know Giannis would be a rake? Even if Demetri wouldn’t have shown up, I feel confident that the beach goers near us would have been enough to prevent Giannis from getting any further. I’m just glad everything is okay, and I plan to be a lot more cautious in the future.”

Caroline shook her head. “A rake and a libertine!” she said, offering her best English accent.

“Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome to the rescue... Mmmm! Did you get his number?” Claire asked.

Caroline fisted her hand on her hip. “A hot man who treats you like a child? Sounds like someone else I know.”

Noelle wished there were more to tell. But there really wasn’t. Demetri said himself he didn’t do relationships. Her stomach knotted. Even though she didn’t really know the man from Adam, she felt a spark. No, it was probably better she didn’t have more to share. But there was something about Demetri... He was handsome, for sure. He was also protective, and she liked that about him. There was an attraction she never felt before with a man. “No number. I just met the man, for crying out loud. And he was definitely not interested in me that way. He clearly thought I was an idiot.”I am an idiot. I can’t tell the difference between desire and pity in a man’s eyes. If he were interested in me, he would have said something like, “Hey, you want to get some coffee or go out sometime?” There was none of that.“Let’s talk about something else. How was the rest of your night?”

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