Instantly, her small tongue snakes its way into his mouth and it’s the most erotic thing Daniel has ever felt.
His insides swoop with excitement.
He loves this girl, this exquisite creature.
He lies down beside her, cradling her head in both hands now so she won’t get hurt on the rough cement of the roof, and kisses her as though both their lives depend upon it. She is a precious princess and he must take care of her.
Right now is the most glorious moment of his life. He wants to say he loves her but how can he, this quickly? Yet sheseeshim, sees exactly who Daniel is, he can tell. And she still wants him, wants to kiss him.
Daniel hopes they can go on kissing for ever, hopes she’ll be with him for ever. Nothing in his life has ever felt like this before. They’re destined for each other.
Chapter Eleven
‘Romantic,’ sighs India, turning automatically to Keera, ‘and yet I can see Rose’s point. Dan is totally wound up in taking care of Julia. Rose didn’t say co-dependent but it’s hanging there, right?’
Keera watches Dan striding off in the direction of the steps down to the terrace below.
‘Apart from that, it’s like a storybook romance,’ India goes on, ‘meeting at school and staying together.’
Rose has left the terrace after commanding that the group cook and serve dinner this evening. Before that, the afternoon session will be at three.
But Bernard is grizzling about having to do anything as menial as cooking.
‘I don’t cook,’ he’s storming now, ‘I get things cooked for me!’
‘Darlink, it will be fine, I will do it,’ Grazia’s replying, which makes India and Keera look at each other and begin to laugh.
Relief at getting through the first bit makes them giggly.
‘Rose isn’t going to like that,’ India says. ‘I can’t see Bernard getting out of cooking.’
There’s only the four of them left on the terrace – Dianne practically ran back into the hotel.
‘I can’t cook,’ says Keera, shrugging. ‘I can reheat pizza, that’s, like, it.’
‘I can make pasta pesto if I have enough basil, but you need a lot of it. I can do hummus too and a veggie bol,’ India says, grinning. ‘That’s pretty much it. Go to the beach with me?’ she asks, standing up and stretching her back with her arms in the air. ‘There’s bound to be a sea breeze down there.’
She arches her spine just enough to feel her achy lower back loosen up.
‘I’d love to go to the beach,’ Keera agrees. ‘I’ll just dump my stuff back.’
‘Me too. I need a hat and more sun cream,’ India says, looking at her faintly golden skin.
‘I need sun cream too,’ says Keera. ‘Or I’ll be red as a lobster.’
Ten minutes later, they’re both staring at the prettily hand-drawn map of the villa and its environs, and walking down the small, dusty road that leads to the beach.
‘It is not like Palaiokastritsa down the coast,’ Christos explained when he gave them the map. ‘There are pebbles as well as sand. You need good sandals. The water is very clean if you want to swim. Do not stray too far off the beach, ladies. People get lost around here. They walk, forget water and sunhats, and overheat. Promise you will stay on the path?’
They promised.
‘This morning was pretty intense,’ says India when they’ve walked past the low curved stone wall that signifies the entrance to another villa, and then followed the car-freecurve of the road. The road’s bordered to the right by a field containing goats who watch them with interest, strange yellow eyes narrowed.
India trails her hand along the lavender bushes edging the goats’ field.
‘Yeah, it was intense,’ says Keera. ‘I’ve done rehab so it’s not unfamiliar territory.’
‘You look too young for rehab.’
