Bash gazed at Sean, his gray eyes warm. “Thank you for that.”
“Well, it’s the truth,” Sean replied softly, and he meant it. But it was more than just Bash saving him or the incredible sex. They seemed to have a connection, and he was eagerly looking forward to discovering where it would lead.
“I think you’re special, too,” Bash replied, then stopped the Jeep. He suddenly grinned, the expression making him look boyish. “Which is why I brought you out here. I want you to see my secret.”
Intrigued, Sean climbed out of the Jeep as Bash alighted and grabbed a large duffle from the back. When Bash offered his hand, Sean didn’t hesitate; he took it, and the warmth of Bash’s fingers entwined with his felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Without speaking, Bash led him toward the bluff they’d just descended. There were a few palms that clung with stubborn determination to the base of the thirty-foot cliff, defying wind and sea to provide some shade from the sun. It was cooler beneath their fronds, and as they rounded a large rock formation, Sean saw a small wooden cabin with a shaded porch, tucked against the base of two of the largest trees, facing toward Santorini as though to defy the very gods that had once wiped man from this place.
“This is yours?” Sean asked, delighted with the scene. There was a hammock on the porch, suspended from two of the posts which looked perfect for relaxing or napping away the afternoon.
“Yes. I found this spot years ago, and I built the cabin myself.” There was a touch of pride in Bash’s tone.
“Does Nick know?” Sean asked, curious if Bash had bothered to ask permission.
“Oh, yes.” Bash grinned, pulling Sean toward the cabin. “After one particularly harrowing mission — where I performed brilliantly, as usual — he offered me a reward. A vacation, a car… whatever I wanted. I said I wanted this little stretch of beach. I didn’t need a deed. I just wanted somewhere to escape to when I needed it. Some of the other guys have places, too. Some on this island, some back in whatever country they came from. Nick treats us really well.”
Sean could imagine Nick did, considering what his troops risked in order to do the right thing, the danger they faced in acting without the protection of a nation behind them. Nick had probably been more than happy to give his son a part of the island or anything else he wanted, though Sean wondered if Bash’s pleasure in the acquisition would be lessened if he knew his father would likely give him the entire island if he wanted it.
They mounted the steps, and Sean could see that rather than a door, the cabin had a curtain draped across the opening for privacy. Bash dropped the duffle on the porch, then swept the curtain aside and ushered him inside.
“It’s not much,” Bash said as Sean looked around. “But it suits me.”
The furnishings were definitely sparse: a table with a single straight-backed chair, and a simple wooden bedframe with a rope lattice to support the mattress, which was rolled up and wrapped in plastic at the foot. There were shelves on the walls holding lanterns, a few dishes, and several books.
“I think a private retreat should be what you want it to be,” Sean replied. He liked that Bash’s tastes were simple; he’d met plenty of people who were obsessed with appearances and were pretentious to the point of being insufferable.
Bash turned to him and took both his hands. “I want to show you something I’ve never shown anyone before. But you have to promise to keep it our secret, alright?”
Sean couldn’t help the smile that curved his lips, delighted that Bash was letting him far enough into his life to share a secret with him. “I promise to keep any secrets you ask me to keep.”
“Good.” Bash leaned forward, sealing the promise with a slow, warm kiss. But before things could progress too far, he pulled back and led Sean back out of the cabin, then around one side to the rear.
Here the scrub brush had been allowed to grow into a thick mass, apparently all the way to the face of the cliff. But to Sean’s surprise, Bash pushed a section of it aside, revealing a dark opening in the rock, a cave little more than five feet high and just barely wide enough for a grown man to slip into.
“A cave?” he asked, feeling a bit of eager anticipation. Sean had always enjoyed exploring, whether it was hiking along mountain trails or wandering through the wilderness, and he was glad Bash apparently shared his interest.
“Oh, more than that,” Bash replied. He took one of Sean’s hands and ducked his head as he entered the cave. “Don’t worry, it opens up shortly. Just keep your head down for about twenty feet.”
“Don’t we need flashlights?” he asked as he followed along. The light from outside the cave entrance was muted by the foliage and the presence of Bash’s cabin, but the space was so cramped that all Sean could see was Bash’s back.
“No.” Bash offered a reassuring smile. “Trust me.”
“I do,” Sean said. It was the truth; he trusted Bash more than he’d ever trusted anyone else outside of his family.
A minute or so later, the roof of the passageway rose so they could stand upright. A few steps after that, they stepped out into a high-ceilinged cave, and Sean’s breath caught in his throat.
“Isn’t it amazing?” Bash asked, his voice hushed. “This is why I built my cabin where I did.”
Sean nodded, too busy staring raptly at the scene before him to formulate coherent words. The crevice did indeed lead to a cave, but the word was insufficient to describe Bash’s secret place. The space was nearly circular, like a bubble within the rock. It seemed to reach all the way to the ground at the top of the bluff, since a large hole in the center let in the sunlight, which was why they didn’t need any illumination.
The light shone on a pool beneath it, one that reflected the pure blue of the sky above onto the cavern walls. And in the very center, on a jut of rock that thrust up toward the hole above, was a life-sized statue of two beautiful naked men, one slightly taller than the other. The larger one held a lyre in one hand, while his other arm was draped around the waist of the smaller man, whose hands were on the taller man’s chest. The smaller one sported a pair of wings that were half-spread around them both as though to offer protection, or perhaps privacy, since their heads were close together as they faced one another, caught in the space of a breath before their lips would meet in a kiss.
“It’s beautiful,” Sean said at last, amazed at the detail and the lifelike appearance of the statues. “Do you know who they are?”
“I’ve researched, and I think they are supposed to be Orpheus and Calais. They were both Argonauts who sailed this very sea, and they were lovers. See the lyre in the taller one’s hand? And the wings? Orpheus was a musician, a poet and bard, and Calais was one of the Boreads, who had wings.”
Sean couldn’t tear his eyes away from the statue, which was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. “It’s amazing.”
