Page 89 of Lord of Ruin

I sensed Stavros was still tense after the days of nothing but quiet, the powerful man making phone calls in Greek a couple of times a day, which had meant he hadn’t wanted me to hear what he was saying. He was determined to keep me secure, including under lock and key, although I felt freer than I had in years. I was aware everyone was concerned about the level of danger we were in. I knew in my heart that the nightmare was far from being over.

But at least during the evenings, I had him mostly to myself. We explored, had dinner and drinks, and walked the colorful streets.

He’d taken me to the beach once, allowing me to get my toes wet. And we’d made love every single night, the man more insatiable than before we’d left the United States.

I had the distinct feeling not only was he making up for lost time in his life, but that he was concerned he wouldn’t have a future. That left me feeling sad inside, the ugliness of everything we’d endured over the past week or so weighing heavily on my mind.

However, as I waited for him to come back to the lavish yet smaller estate, I stood with a glass of wine in my hand on the back balcony, leaning over the iron railing. He was later than he’d told me he’d be, but I knew he was doing everything in his power to track down the people responsible so I couldn’t say anything.

I’d come to love Greek music, the festiveness it offered, and the joy and happiness that I’d seen on so many faces when we walked past or enjoyed a bottle of wine in a small café. The colors were brighter here, the buildings creative in their architecture. I could easily see living here or at least spending a good portion of my year in the fabulous country.

And I had to admit, I’d had my reservations about enjoying Greek food every day, but now I couldn’t imagine not tasting the fresh fruits and vegetables a couple of times a week. And the olives. Yes, I’d adored them as well.

I took a sip of wine, swaying back and forth as I peered down at the private patio, vines decorating a dozen trellises, making the entire area secluded. Even the sound of the waterfall in the fountain seemed luxurious by my recent standards of living. However, the view from the master bedroom was by far my favorite. I could see over the rooftops of the buildings in front of his parents’ house across the warm and gentle ocean waters.

I’d made a little dinner for us, preparing the scene down below with a candle ready to be lit on the small table. It was my attempt at making us a scrumptious feast.

What had struck me these last few days was how natural it felt being around Stavros. While he was tense, when he was with me, he was a different person, allowing business to be shut down. I don’t know how he did it, but I could feel his entire being right with me, enjoying every word I said, laughing with me at the stupid jokes I made.

And I knew in my heart, as it fluttered hearing his footsteps, that I was falling hard for the man. Was it in my best interest? Hell, no. The man was bad for me and my business. Was it what I’d always wanted, minus the dangerous man aspect? Yes. Why lie to myself any longer?

I dragged my tongue across my bottom lip as he approached, the sexy hunk taking his time to do so.

“Did you miss me?” he asked in his usual husky voice.

“Not even a little bit. But you’re late.”

“And you’re beautiful.”

He had a way of making me feel that way. “You’re forgiven.”

He chuckled but his voice was still breathy as he wrapped one arm around me, pulling me against his chiseled body. The way he held me was as if he was fearful of letting me go. His cock was already hard, which only kept the tingles flowing up and down my body, overheating my nerve endings.

“Well, I guess I need to remind you why you should miss me.” He nipped my earlobe, keeping his face pressed against the side of my neck while he brushed his lips across my heated skin.

“How in the world can you do that?”

In his other hand was a glass of wine. I’d left it by the bottle for him, hoping he would indulge as usual. He fisted the back of my neck as he took a sip, as if he expected me to try to escape. I was finished with that silly behavior, preferring to indulge in the time we had together.

While I wasn’t certain what to think about the fact he’d purchased the building for me, it opened up the need for a conversation that I knew neither one of us were prepared to have.

At least not until our return to the States, whenever that was going to be. At this point, I hoped not for a long time. I knew the glass bubble would burst at some point, but not yet. Not when we were both enjoying doing little more than getting to know each other.

“Oh, I have my ways, sweetheart,” he growled, even issuing a couple of ruffing sounds like that of a dog.

Or a wolf in the wild.

He threw back a huge gulp of wine, squeezing my neck before rolling his fingers over my bare shoulder. Instantly, goosebumps popped along every inch of skin, including what little was covered by my sexy dress and tiny thong. When he flexed his hand open, using his palm and roughly rubbing it between my breasts to my stomach, he tugged me even closer. The way the thick bulge between his legs was pushed into my bottom was a clear reminder that he owned every inch of me.

Which he enjoyed reminding me of several times a day.

I wiggled back and forth, the material of the dress scraping against my already aching nipples. As he crawled the material up from my thighs, I took several scattered breaths. I could swear we were acting like teenagers when he was around forty and I was closing in on thirty. At least in a couple of years.

Every time I closed my eyes, the electric sensations were heightened. He had the innate ability to pull me into a vacuum, keeping me flustered and full of lust.

Which he’d accomplished often even on this gorgeous island.

“I need you,” he whispered as he licked the shell of my ear at the same time he slipped his fingers past the thin elastic of my thong.