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Xandros stoodand held his hand out. “Come with me.”
His Angelika was so beautiful she made his heart beat faster. He’d hoped he could get her to spend the day with him and learning that her daughter had made young friends on the island was a huge boon. He wondered how many days he could eke out with her while her daughter was off to play with those friends.
As she put her hand in his, he felt the burn of need deep in his belly. But there would be time enough for that. All he wanted now was to know the woman she had become. Throwing a few bills on the table, he winked at Eleni, and holding Angelika’s hand, he led her out of the café and through the tangle of narrow streets. They were early enough that the tourists from the cruise ships hadn’t completely flooded the roadways of Fira. They climbed steps, and he noted she wasn’t breathing hard. She’d said she was a hiker, and he could believe it, especially on a narrow stairwell as she climbed ahead of him, her calf muscles flexing, her shapely bottom firm.
She was a dream come true, just the way he remembered her, though with a dusting of gray in her hair, just as he had. Her locks were short but lush. All those years ago, he’d loved running his fingers through the long silk, but this style complemented her features, the curls framing her face. He wanted to tangle his hands in her hair and never let her go.
“Take a right here,” he said at the top, and they turned onto a narrow strip of road too small for cars, room only for mopeds and quad bikes. He removed a key from his pocket. “That’s mine,” he pointed ahead of her.
“That?” She gasped.
The quad bike was grimy. There’d been no time to wash it, but the two seats were clean.
He laughed softly. “Yes, that.”
“You want me to ride on the back of an ATV?” She looked at him, one eyebrow raised, each word pronounced succinctly.
He grinned widely. “I always bring the quad bike when I come down here for my coffee. Sometimes, after I read my paper, I like to go for a ride.”
It relaxed him before going into the office. The company took maintenance and planning, but he had good people working for him, not just his family. He’d always made room for family and things outside of work.
She looked from the ATV to her cutoff pants. “Thank goodness I wore black.”
“I promise not to drive through any mud puddles,” he said with a grin.
“You can’t help but get me dusty.”
Hell yes, he’d like to get her dusty. He’d like to take her to the beach, lay her down in the warm sand, and get her oh so very dusty.
But that would come later. After they’d gotten to know each other again.
He handed her an open-face helmet, and she patted her curls. “I’m going to get hat hair.”
Amused, he chucked her chin as if she were a child. “That’s what you always said.”
He stowed her hat and bag in a pouch on the back of the quad bike. Hopeful when he left this morning, he’d brought the two-seater and his daughter’s helmet.
Climbing on behind him, she fitted her legs alongside his. He liked the feel of her surrounding him, her subtle fruity scent and the lingering aroma of sugar on her fingers.
He turned the key, held the brake down, pushed the button, and the quad roared to life, the thrum of its motor between his legs.
The back roads proved to have less traffic and no buses. She could have relaxed against the seat, but she clung to him, her breasts pressed to his back, her arms wrapped around him. Going off road, he gunned the motor to push them over a small rise, and the pristine blue of the Aegean lay before them.
Over the rumble of the engine and the wind in their faces, he heard her gasp of pleasure.
He bumped the ATV along until they reached the cliff edge. From here they had a walk down a steep path to the beach. Turning off the engine, he climbed off, helped her onto her feet. They removed their helmets, and she fluffed her hair as he asked softly, “Do you remember?”
She nodded, saying with equal softness, almost reverently, “I remember.”
He hung the helmets on the back and took her hand, leading her to the cliff path.
Tourists rarely discovered this place. The only vehicle that could make it here was an ATV. An intrepid tourist could have hiked in, but this beach wasn’t on any map and didn’t have a name. It was a stretch of shoreline that locals reserved for themselves. There were plenty of beautiful beaches and vistas to keep the tourists happy.
He went first down the steep slope, checking back to see that she was sure-footed on the rocky path. He was glad for her good walking shoes. With only a short jump left, he held out his hands, catching her even though there was little danger of her falling.
“It’s exactly the same.” She scuffed her shoe in the gray sand, the white cliffs rising around them. “I’d have thought by now the tourists would have found this place and packed every square inch of it.”
