Me…
Me…
Me…
When you’ve been looked over your whole life, it’s startling to find yourself in someone’s eyes, to be held in their vision, the same way they hold sunsets and beautiful things.
“Jump,” he said.
I closed my eyes and jumped.
My breath escaped as he caught me. Clasped tightly in his arms with my feet dangling off the ground, I forgot about the sun, the sky, the sea. I forgot we were perched on a ledge, high off the volcanic cliffs.
He let me down slowly, but when my feet touched the ground, he held onto me. I wound my arms around his neck. His body tightened, pupils dilating. A spark of electricity shot through me. I traced his jawline with my nose, the stubble scratching my skin like pinpricks—up, up to the corner of his mouth. There I paused, nerves pulsing, overwhelmed by the feeling swelling in my heart.
He lifted my chin and ran his thumb over my lip. “Tell me you’re not thinking about Nikos.”
“Nikos who?” The sun made his skin glow from within. He made me breathless, and I paused at the marvel of it.
“My egg timer, she takes,” he said. “But this?” His lips shadowed over mine, close enough to send sparks flying. “This kiss that’s been dying to be claimed…she stalls.” His voice was husky, eyes half-closed. “Christ, Moti, I want to taste you so bad, I feel like I’m going to fucking explode—”
I pressed my lips to his. Softly.
An exploration. A proclamation.
We like you,they said.A whole friggin’ lot. We like the way you taste. The way you feel. The way you fit.
His lips curved when I stepped away—as if he heard the silent exchange. His eyes remained shut, savoring the moment. Then his arms snaked out and dragged me back against him. “I’m not done with you yet.”
“Oh my God.” I gasped as my body came in full contact with him. “You reallyareready to explode.”
He looked at me quizzically and then chuckled. “Sorry, is it poking you? It’s kind of squished between us.” He kept his eyes on mine as he reached between our bodies.
No. Tell me he’s not pulling it out.
But Alexwaspulling it out. It was unbelievably hard. And long. It went up. And up. Past my navel, past my ribs. Holy hell. Alex was housing a one-eyed Greek monster in his pants.
I stepped back, steeling myself for a sight of Mr. Cyclops.
Alex was solemn as he held the umbrella up, its capped end pointing toward me. It had been sticking out from the backpack. How it ended up between us, I didn’t know, except that it might have been dislodged when I threw the backpack over. The metal shaft was sheathed in fabric and curved into a wooden handle at the other end.
I tried to keep a straight face. He did the same. Our gazes held until I cracked.
“I thought…” I couldn’t stop laughing. “I thought…”
“I know what you thought, and I’m completely flattered.” He grinned and tossed the umbrella aside. “Now, where were we?” He pulled me in, his heated gaze dropping to my mouth. “I believe we were doing something with our lips.”
His head bent. Laughter faded as molten need flared up inside me. His lips were hot, rough, tender, demanding. Everything in me surged toward him with a surprising intensity. Nerve endings lit up like hundreds of hot spots.
“Moti.” Alex’s voice was thick as he nuzzled his way to the soft spot beneath my ear. He pushed a strand of hair away from my neck. I gasped as he kissed the pulse there, the feel of his stubble raw and delicious against my skin. “Look.” He nudged me around and pointed to the sky.
The sun was a big, red ball, setting against charred, volcanic islets in the bay. White homes perched like sea gulls on the cliffs, watching the wide-screen panorama. A sailboat broke the shimmering reflection of the sky, floating over the blood-orange sea.
“Okay. Enough of that.” Alex turned me around and went back in for a kiss.
I laughed and pushed him away.
“Fucking Santorini sunsets. How’s a guy supposed to compete?” His grin was playful as he unrolled a towel from his backpack.
