Adonis in Athens (Romancing Europe #1)

“Attraction?” he supplied helpfully. “Chemistry? Passion?”

“If in three years we couldn’t get over three days, can you imagine how hard saying goodbye is going to be after four more days—four sober days?”

“It just seems to me, if those three days made such an impact on us that we’re still feeling the same…attraction…three years later, maybe we should explore why. Maybe this is the adventure of a lifetime—for both of us.”

She turned to stare at him in shock, her eyes open so wide she was sure she looked ridiculous. Had he just suggested this was an adventure? How could he have known? How could he have said the exact word she’d been begging Tom to understand for over a year, after spending just three days with her more than three years ago?

“Do you like adventures?” she whispered when she finally found her voice.

“Of course—doesn’t everyone?” He glanced at her curiously.

“Not everyone,” she said softly. “Definitely not everyone.”

“But you? You’re interested in adventures, yes?”

Suddenly it didn’t matter that she was certain to have her heart broken. It didn’t matter that in four days she would fly out of his life forever. It didn’t even matter if he ever signed those stupid papers—the only thing that mattered was the fact that he knew. Somehow, someway, he knew her like no one else, and he understood. She didn’t know why or how, but she didn’t have to. For four days, she was going to have an adventure. With her husband. And for four days, she was going to let herself love him. Because deep down, she knew she already did.

“Yes,” she said, after a long pause.

“Yes, you like adventures?”

“Yes, I like adventures. Yes, I want to make more memories. Yes, I’d like to spend my vacation with you.”

“Yes?”

His smile made her heart feel a little funny, but happy and excited too. “Definitely yes.”

“What changed your mind?” he asked curiously.

“You knew about adventures,” she whispered, feeling silly but not too embarrassed to say it out loud. “No one else has ever understood, but you do.”

He wasn’t completely sure what she was talking about, but whatever it was made her happy. Not just happy in general, but happy with him, and for the first time since his father’s stroke, he felt truly happy again too.

For a long time after that, neither of them spoke. Paige stared out at the glistening waters on her right, mesmerized by the beauty and a little bit nervous that she’d given him such an all-encompassing yes. It didn’t feel scary, though, and the comfortable silence between them was so natural she couldn’t quite make sense of it. Instead, she focused on the beautiful beaches and the bright blue sky.

“There’s a place on the beach nearby that has wonderful food,” he said quietly. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat,” she nodded.

“Do you like seafood?”

“Love it! We don’t get a lot of fresh seafood in Vegas.”

“You’re in for a treat then.” He pulled off the highway into a large, busy parking lot. “We’ll have to walk a little—the beaches are crazy during the summer and parking is limited.”

“That’s fine.” She got out and looked around, loving the sound of the waves crashing nearby and the wind blowing through her hair.

“You look radiant,” he said, coming around to look down into her face. “You really are on an adventure of some kind, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely!” She grinned up at him. “But I’m not on an adventure—we are on an adventure.”

He chuckled. “So we are.” He leaned down to softly brush his lips across hers. Her eyes fluttered closed and he had to resist the urge to wrap his arms around her and press her against the car so he could feel that soft body against his. Damn, he couldn’t figure out why he wanted her so much, but he had four days to convince her to let him have her. He didn’t know if it was possible to give her whatever it was she was looking for, but he was sure as hell going to try.

“Come on,” he said after a moment. He took her hand and led her up the path that wound along the edge of a line of clubs, restaurants and beach entrances.

“This is so beautiful,” she breathed, tugging on his hand to get him to stop walking. “I just…I want to take a minute to breathe it in and suck in as much of Greece as I can because I may never come back.”

“Why wouldn’t you come back?” he asked.