The simple but heartfelt ceremony with its personalised vows, as the guests watched the sun go down, moved everyone to tears and she locked eyes with Adonis as the celebrant invited Will to kiss the bride. There was certainly fire between her and her Greek lover– she couldn’t wait to get him back to their room later and tear his clothes off– but how could there be anything else? It just didn’t add up.
The age gap between them, his crazy mother, a jealous receptionist, and the full stop on him ever having children of his own were just some of the major stumbling blocks, plus he was from a different culture, a whole different country. Adonis’s life was here, on a Greek island in the middle of the Aegean. She was essentially a tourist he occasionally had fun with. She had fun too, a lot of fun. But it was time to think about the next stage in her life. There was no place for her here.
The drinking and dancing on the beach to music from around the world went on long after darkness had fallen. All the neighbours had been invited to the wedding, along with a few friends and colleagues.
Crates of iced champagne and beer were refilled the moment they ran low, and a mass delivery of delicious gyros kept everyone from keeling over halfway through the revelry, alongside an enormous tower of red and white cupcakes.
It was just as Grace had wanted it, mused Sofia: intimate and unfussy. Her friend and her new husband only had eyes for each other the whole evening, as it should be.
Every time she’d sought out Adonis, he’d seemed to be staring at her too. Between them, they knew a large proportion of the guests, but finally they stopped chatting to other people and got together for a slow dance. Just the touch of his hands up and down her back had her desperate to get back to his flat for their last night together.
The happy couple stumbled over just before midnight to thank them both for their generous gift and were now about to depart in one of the hotel’s luxury limos.
Grace leaned into her as they hugged goodbye and whispered in her ear.
‘Don’t let this one slip through your fingers.’
Will’s arm round his new wife’s waist pulled Grace away before Sofia could explain the impossibility of the situation.
Sofia caught up with Charlotte as they lined up along the path to wish the newlyweds well. She’d been keeping an eye on her friend throughout the evening, but Charlotte seemed perfectly at ease, talking to complete strangers and dancing with Angeliki’s amiable boyfriend, Nick, who turned out to be quite a mover.
Sofia threw her arm round her friend’s shoulders.
‘Have you enjoyed the wedding?’
‘I’ve loved it. I haven’t stopped chatting and boogie-ing all night.’
‘And you’re sure you don’t mind me leaving with Adonis now Mads has gone off? I’ll be back for breakfast.’
‘Of course I don’t mind. Actually, I’m not going to be on my own.’
‘Oh?’
‘Don’t worry. Not planning on a one-night stand. I’m off to a bar with Angeliki and Nick. They’re going to drop me back later.’
Sofia’s worry about leaving her friend on her own vanished with the dusk. She could finally enjoy the rest of the night with Adonis without feeling guilty.
‘Great.’
Grace and Will blew kisses to everyone as they made their way up the path. Sofia got a real kiss and a thumbs up from her friend.
The moment the car drove off, Adonis grabbed her hand.
‘Sofia, we need to talk. And I mean really talk this time.’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
‘Can’t the talking wait until we get back to the flat? We don’t want to spoil the mood.’
Sofia leant over, pulled him to her and kissed his face all over, until she got to his lips. The deep moan that escaped from Adonis’s mouth told her she’d bought herself a little time.
His hands were all over her, one moment pushing the fabric of her dress up her thighs, and the next delving down her bare back beyond the edge of the dress until he reached her skimpy briefs.
A sudden glance up told Sofia that the driver was watching their every move. She’d started this, but the man worked for the hotel, and she was sure that Adonis wouldn’t want it all round the staff room. She certainly wasn’t going to finish it on the back seat of a car.
She pulled her dress down to a more modest level and coughed loudly. Adonis came out of his trance and followed her gaze to the mirror.
They held hands until they reached the flat and then ran up the stairs together, barely shutting the door behind them beforehe had pushed her up against the wall. She wrapped her legs round him and moved against him just once, but it was more than enough.
