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A hostess stands in front of the restaurant, menus in hand, ready to stop tourists passing by. He walks over to her, speaking too low for me to hear.
Smiling, she calls her coworker over. A beautiful, petite brunette strides over. Her complexion a beautiful golden olive, tanned from working in the sun. She smiles up at Adrian, blinking up through her dark thick lashes and speaking only to him in hushed tones.
I grit my teeth at her flirting, but Adrian simply moves back to my side, ignoring the girl’s advances completely. He places his hand at the small of my back and directs me up to the second floor. I feel his gaze firmly on my ass as we ascend the steep stairs leading to the private dining area. A single table is set up with the sea view as the perfect backdrop.
Adrian pulls my chair out for me, the gesture surprising me. The energy between us has always been light and teasing, our sexual chemistry almost explosive.
We have always been so caught up in that. I’ve never seen this gentlemanly side of him. I take the offered seat, and he tucks the chair in for me before lowering into his own. The waitress hands him the menu, leaving mine on the table to accept myself.
I don’t miss the glare she shoots me before sauntering away, her skin-tight shorts nearly halfway up her ass. I flip her off to her back as she leaves us to look over the menu.
“Have I ever mentioned how sexy you are when you’re jealous?” He chuckles before leaning over and taking my hand in his.
“Once or twice, unfortunately,” I grumble through gritted teeth, balancing my menu with my free hand. Adrian shakes his head, huffing out a short laugh at my response but quickly schools his face into one of neutrality at my glare.
Thankfully, the waitress doesn’t come back—a man taking her place as our waiter for the evening. We order our food, and Adrian requests a bottle of wine I’ve never heard of. The waiter returns, bringing back glasses of sparkling water and the bottle of wine, prompting Adrian to test.
I find my gaze drawn out to the sea once more, the rays of the setting sun sparkle off the crystal blue water. The scene is almost magical in its beauty. I close my eyes, breathing in the warm sea breeze and letting it caress my face and hair, gently blowing it back.
“Beautiful,” Adrian murmurs. Opening my eyes, I see his gaze firmly on me. My cheeks heat under his intense gaze, the playful banter gone from his expression. I break the piercing stare, looking back out to the water. Pinks and oranges along the skyline, the setting sun casting its last light out onto the water.
He plays with our intertwined fingers, drawing my gaze back to him. His eyes fixed on the way our fingers moved laced between each other.
“Santorini is the place that made me want to study photography. I wanted to be able to capture the beauty of the sea, the buildings, and how they meld together into this stunning landscape.” The words fall from my lips without a second thought, wanting to share that part of myself with him.
“I was never any good at it though, my pictures always come out looking like a tourist took them, which is I guess what I am.” I giggle at myself, yet he’s still silent, observing me, eyes studying my face.
“I always felt connected to this place though, well, all of Greece. I asked my father once if we had any family here, but he said no.” I shrug my shoulders at that. “It’s one of the only places I’ve felt like I was at home in the mortal realm.”
I look back at him, seeing amusement light in his eyes, lips held together with considerable effort, holding back his laughter. I narrow my eyes at him, attempting to move my hand back out of his reach. His fingers only hold mine tighter, keeping them in place, his smile breaking free from its restraints.
“I’m not laughing at you. It’s just, you do have family here. Well, sort of.”
I pause in my attempts to wrench my hand free from his tight grip at this, giving him only a moment to explain himself.
“The stories of ancient gods aren’t exactly, just stories. Some of the gods lived in Greece millennia ago. They, of course, didn’t tell the humans their real names or any of their actual powers. They did, however, use their powers freely, allowing word to spread. I wasn’t one of them. I was always content to stay in the ethereal realm,” he adds, as though I would have faulted him for his actions thousands of years ago.
“Eventually, Osias ordered all the gods back, placing rules on us not to reveal our power to the mortals again. Leaving only the temples and the stories passed on through generations as any evidence of the gods on earth. The stories today are fabrications, made up by writers at the time. The gods never allow humans to know any of our secrets.”
My jaw drops at his words, unable to process this shift in reality. I’m about to comment when his hand squeezes mine, cutting off my thoughts. I follow his gaze over my shoulder to see the waiter returning with our appetizers. I bounce in my seat in anticipation as the waiter sets the plates before us.
I couldn’t come to Greece and not have this dish. I pull off the top of the ceramic lid, not waiting for Adrian. The steam billows off the feta baked with olive oil, garlic, and oregano. The savory aroma hits my nose, making my mouth water. I waste no time picking up a piece of warm pita and covering it with the delicious cheese.
I moan as the flavor hits my tongue. The feta in Greece just hits different, the texture so creamy and delicious, a vast contrast from the feta in North America. He laughs at my frenzied actions, sitting back to enjoy the show. That doesn’t bother me in the least, more for me.
Much to my dismay, he digs into the feta. Nodding in agreement as he takes his first bite.
I moan around another bite, doing a little happy dance in my chair.
“I’d like to see you moan around something else.”
I look up from my plate, and he’s looking back at me expectantly, waggling his eyebrows. The expression is so out of place on his handsome face, I can’t help but burst out laughing. The laughter quickly turns into a cough as the rest of my food goes down the wrong way.
His laughter follows close behind as I suck down the water in front of me. The waiter appears out of nowhere to refill my glass and the empty plates in front of us. I pout down at the table, realizing he took the rest of my delicious feta, refusing to admit it may have actually been finished.
“We can get you another one, angel.” His eyes crinkle in amusement and he focuses on my lips. “Fair warning, if you keep pouting like that, I’m going to have to come over there and bite that lip.” His words come out casual, despite the devilish grin he now flashes me.
The waiter returns with our entrees before I have a chance to respond. Placing our meals before us, he rushes away, another employee calling to him on the main floor. Neither Adrian nor I notice, our gazes glued to one another, eyes full of hunger, and not for our meals.
