Page 88 of Lord of Ruin
“Exactly what you need,” Leander said as he grinned at Jenna.
She took ahold of my arm as we were led to one of the larger vehicles.
“Your family is very interesting,” she said quietly.
For once it felt good to laugh. Maybe that was relief.
Even if the anger remained furrowing inside like a wolf ready to spring from his lair.
CHAPTER 24
Jenna
Paradise.
Some would say living in a gorgeous house high on top of a hill with a Greek god disguised as a man was the perfect rendering of paradise. Especially when the beaches were an iridescent white, the water clear and a perfect turquoise blue, corals and fish gleaming in the shimmer of sunlight.
I would have to agree, even if it felt as if a noose was ready to slide over both our necks, dragging us straight into hell. Maybe it was because of the ever-present number of soldiers milling the festive streets down below or the fact I’d seen every kind of weapon imaginable. Also, Atlas was never far from my sight, although he was quick to provide a smile, offering help with anything I needed. Hell, he’d even taken out the trash since I had no clue where I was going or what I was doing.
Everything was different in the gorgeous town, the atmosphere festive yet serene, if there was such a thing.
Even with a solid warrior force surrounding not only me but the entire Diamondis family, the fear was real and constant, the confusion about how I felt about Stavros unavoidable. However, one of the favorite movies of mine that included a saucy little Greek wedding had been brought to life over the past few days. In rich and vivid color.
Stavros’ extended family was a wild bunch, his aunt exactly what the stereotypes presented only better. She constantly had a smile on her face, dancing as she cooked the two times we’d gone to Dimitrios’ house for dinner. She was at least in her late seventies but you’d never know it by the thick locks of dark hair and dazzling blue eyes.
You couldn’t stay in a bad or worrisome mood for long around a single member of the family. Even Christos was entirely different, as if he’d never been injured or was little more than a soldier himself. We’d had too much wine, experienced a lot of laughter and the scrumptious food likely caused me to gain five pounds already.
Paradise.
Yes, it was a real thing that few were able to experience.
But I remain terrified and unsettled, my mind still trying to process the events of the last ten days. It was next to impossible to make heads or tails of anything.
Including the growing feelings I had for a man I’d been determined to hate. Was there such a thing as love at first sight? In my mind, not a chance. But lust? You bet. With Stavros, everything was complicated. Far too much so.
I poured a glass of wine and popped an olive into my mouth. Tonight, we’d planned on spending time very much alone. No family. No going out. I’d been allowed to walk to the local market selecting our dinner for the evening. While I’d had three soldiers by my side, it hadn’t been nearly as oppressive, which was exactly what my soul had needed.
Stavros had mentioned he wanted to discuss some things with me and for a bunch of reasons, I was nervous. It wasn’t as if the man had been cagey since our arrival, but he acted as if I was far too fragile to handle the truth of what was going on.
As I walked up the narrow flight of stairs to venture out to my favorite place in the house, visions of his smile popped into my mind. He could go from being furious to joyful in a heartbeat, but every time I thought about him in any regard, my pussy quivered.
Just as it was doing now.
I ran my fingers down the side of my neck, feeling my quickening pulse as I walked into the bedroom we’d sequestered upon our arrival. The sheets were still turned down, the morning one of those lazy ones where we’d indulged in fulfilling what should be every girl’s fantasy. I ran my hand down the indentation in the pillow on the muscular man’s side of the bed, the scent of our sex and his aftershave lingering, creating a wave of tickling sensations shifting down the backs of my legs.
As I opened the set of French doors, the wafting scents of the village and the ocean were another reminder why I loved it here so much. When I walked outside, I took a deep breath, smiling from the beautiful strains of music coming from one of the tiny taverns or restaurants.
They were dotted throughout the city, the festive atmosphere occurring at least eighteen hours a day.
And I loved every second of it.
Days had turned to nights then back into glorious days. The mornings were my favorite, the sun adding shimmer to the dazzling Aegean Sea, the flowers lining the streets all standing at attention from the first blasting rays of the bright morning light. There was always music playing when I opened the windows, and I could swear the birds were all chirping to the beat.
But I couldn’t complain about the sunsets either, the bold colors that always seemed to crisscross the sky, the stars brighter than I’d seen them anywhere else in the world.
Just like right now, the colors fading before the twilight settled in.
We’d only been here in Santorini for four days, but it had seemed like a relaxing vacation instead of what it was, the beginnings of a hunting ground. Stavros had gone to several meetings, leaving me with mostly non-English–speaking guards who’d watched my every move. I knew they were there for protection and I understood why, although I had to wonder whether the danger had really followed us all the way from the United States.