by Elle James
Still, Sam frowned at the phone. “A smile feels so fake.”
“Fake it until you feel it, baby,” she said. “That’s what my dad always said.”
Sam laughed.
Kinsey snapped a picture when he wasn’t aware of her doing it. “That’s right. When I was scared by a nightmare, he would sit at my bedside and tell me to be brave. But I was having a hard time being brave. That’s when he said, fake it until you feel it.”
Kinsey gave her best Wonder Woman impression, flexing her muscles. “I’d pretend I was a superhero and totally capable of anything. By the time I went to sleep I was convinced I was badass, and none of those nightmare creatures could hurt me.”
“I think I would have liked your father.” He touched her cheek. “He gave you such a good outlook on life.”
Kinsey still held the phone, snapping pictures, though she wasn’t sure what she was taking. The touch of Sam’s fingers on her cheek had her heart beating fast and her breathing coming in short ragged breaths. The man didn’t have to do much to turn her inside out.
All she wanted was to lean her cheek into his palm and tell him he could have her. There on the beach. In front of God and everyone.
When she realized what she was thinking, heat suffused her neck and rose all the way up her face and to the tips of her ears. She ducked away and rolled back onto her towel.
“I think we have enough pictures. I’ll go through them and find the best ones for you to share with your colonel.” She kept her head down, looking through the images without actually seeing them.
Meanwhile, Sam stretched out on the towel, lying on his stomach. “You’re right. I don’t know how to relax. It’s been so long since I did absolutely nothing. Even when I have downtime in the war zones, I’m working with the mechanics on my bird or at the gym, trying to stay in shape. I don’t just sit and read a book or watch videos.”
“See? Your boss might have a good point.” The heat in her face dissipating, Kinsey finally glanced over toward Sam. He was looking away, giving her all the time she could want to study his body from head to toe. And what a body he had! All lean and muscular. Even tanned in all the right places. “How do you stay tanned in a war zone?” Kinsey squirted some sunscreen into her palm and moved her towel over closer to his.
“I jog in shorts and sometimes get away with losing the shirt. But don’t tell my commander. He’d have me up for attempted destruction of government property. So, am I getting that massage, or were you just kidding?”
She chuckled. “I’m getting there. Don’t be such a grump.” Kinsey ran her hands across his shoulders. “All I have is sunscreen, but I’m sure our snorkeling washed off what we applied earlier.”
“So, you’re killing two birds with one stone. Or one tube of lotion.” He flexed his muscles beneath her fingertips.
Her heart beat with a little flare of excitement. Kinsey massaged the tight muscles around his neck, working her fingers into them to loosen the knots. “Are you always this tense?”
“I guess, for the most part. But what you’re doing is amazing. It’s getting me so relaxed, I could fall asleep.”
“Then do it. You were up late last night rescuing me.” Kinsey moved her hands lower, marveling at the breadth of the man’s shoulders and the hard muscles beneath his smooth skin. What would it be like to have a man like this making love to her? Her ex had been long and lean, but not nearly as muscular.
Sam was all man, each muscle clearly defined and toned. She squirted more lotion on her hands and rubbed it into his lower back, daring to slide ever closer to the waistband of his swim trunks, wishing she had the nerve to smooth over the rounded curve of his ass.
Sweet Jesus! What was she thinking? Back up to his neck she moved, out of temptation and away from her naughty thoughts.
“Mmm. That felt good.” Sam sat up and took the lotion tube from her hand. “Now, my turn.”
Kinsey’s face burned, and she stammered. “I don’t need you to do that. Really.”
“I can’t have my companion getting lobstered by the sun. What good would you be to me if you’re in pain or out of commission due to extreme sunburn?” He nodded toward her towel. “Assume the position.”
“What?” Her pulse pounded so loudly against her eardrums she couldn’t hear herself think. Which was probably why she rolled onto her stomach, against her better judgment.
Sam straddled her hips, pinning her beneath him.
Even if she wanted to get away—which she didn’t—she couldn’t do it easily or gracefully. With Sam perched over her, all kinds of naughty scenarios raced through her consciousness. But when he rubbed his lotion-covered hands over her shoulders, her thoughts scrambled, and she forgot how to breathe.
He leaned over her and whispered in her ear, “Are you always this tense?”
Sweet heaven. Only when she had a hot guy touching her like he was. She mumbled something. What, she didn’t know.
Sam chuckled and leaned over her again. “Now, you know what you were doing to me.”
“You? I thought you were falling sleep?”
“Not hardly. How can a guy sleep when he has a beautiful woman rubbing her hands over his body?”
Cheeks burning again, Kinsey forced a chuckle. “All in the name of companionship. Right?” So the words were somewhat choked out. She was determined to keep their relationship light. The man wasn’t interested in her as anything other than a paid companion. Hell, he didn’t want any woman on a long-term basis. He’d lost his one true love and probably had no intention of falling in love again.
What a shame. The man would sire beautiful babies, if he only let himself. Kinsey found herself wishing she could be the lucky winner of his DNA lottery. She’d carry his baby, happily.
All those insane musings ran through her head, along with fairy tales of happily ever after with the handsome helicopter pilot. But fairy tales rarely came true, her parents being the exception. The divorce statistics were proof of that. Besides, Sam was very clear he didn’t want women falling all over themselves to be with him. He wanted to learn how to relax and enjoy his vacation, stress free.
Then, he unclipped her bikini bra.
Kinsey sank into the towel, afraid to rise for fear of exposing her breasts to all the people on the beach. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll hook it back when I’m done. I didn’t want to ruin the fabric with the lotion.”
“Oh.” What else could she say? He’d just sent her to an even deeper level of fantasy she had no hope of swimming out of while he had his hands on her naked back.
Those rough but gentle fingers worked lower and lower still to the elastic band of her bikini bottoms. Wow, if only they were alone and she wasn’t working for him, she’d let him go even lower.
Sam shifted off her hips. “That should do it,” he said, his voice gruff.
Kinsey grabbed her bikini bra with both hands and sat up. “I’m hungry, how about you?”
“Just like that?” He laughed. “One minute you’re putty in my hands and the next you’re starving?”
“That’s me. My stomach rules me.” She struggled to hold the bra in place while reaching behind her to reconnect the fasteners.
He moved her fingers aside. “Let me.” And he secured the hooks. “Better?”
“Much.” Kinsey pulled her T-shirt over her head and down her body, covering the exposed skin that quivered whenever he looked at her, much less touched her. How could she work for this man for the next two weeks when all she wanted was to beg him to make love to her? “Food. We need to find something to eat.”
Sam chuckled, but he stood and shook the sand out of the towels.
Kinsey packed them away in the beach bag while Sam pulled on his shirt.
By the time they’d crossed the beach and slipped into their sandals, Kinsey’s pulse had returned to normal.
“You know, the more I think about the hotel and the guys who tried to abduct you, the more I think we shou
ld go to the local police and report what happened,” Sam said.
Kinsey shook her head. “I thought of that too, but I’m still waiting for my passport. I don’t know what would happen if I showed up at the police station and couldn’t provide proof of my citizenship.”
“You have a point. But I hate to think they have some kind of human trafficking ring set up and are taking advantage of vulnerable women.”
Kinsey’s heart warmed. Being with Sam made her feel protected. “When I get my passport in my hot little hands, I’ll be first in line at the police station. Believe me.”
Sam glanced both ways and started to cross the street.
A vehicle sped out of a side road and raced toward him.
Though she saw a blur out of the corner of her eye, Kinsey barely had time to react. She grabbed his hand and yanked him out of the street, just in time.
The car sped past, rolling over the very spot Sam had been standing moments before.
Sam pulled her into his arms where she clung to him, her heart racing.
“What the hell?” Sam’s jaw was tight, his eyes narrowed as he stared after the speeding car. “I swear he looked like he was aiming for me.”
“No kidding. What was he thinking?” Still leaning into the strength of Sam’s body, Kinsey turned her head to watch as the car disappeared around a curve in the road. “You weren’t walking on his side of the road. He swerved toward you.”
Sam’s arms tightened around her. “Come on, let’s get out of the open.”
“Why would someone want to run you over?” Then a possible reason dawned on her. “Do you think he did it to get you out of the way?”
“Yeah. And I’m not happy about that fact,” Sam said.
“I’m so sorry.” Kinsey wrapped her arm around his waist and squeezed. “That attack was all my fault.”
He pushed her to arm’s length. “What are you talking about? You are not to blame.”
She looked up at him, her chest tight, guilt weighing heavily on her. “But if you hadn’t happened on those two men making off with me, you wouldn’t have been nearly run over by that car.”
He smiled gently at her. “Oh, sweetheart. Hold that thought a moment. We need to get out of the street before another car tries to make speedbumps out of us.” He hurried her across the street and out of any path a car could possibly take before he stopped and pulled her into his arms. “You aren’t the trouble here. You’re the potential victim.”
She leaned into him, smelling the fresh scent of salt on his skin. Kinsey loved the way his strength infused her body. “Now, so are you.”
“I can handle the heat.”
“You’re supposed to be relaxing, not dodging murderous drivers.”
“I am relaxing.”
She laughed. “How can you, with me around?” Kinsey’s smile faded and she pulled away. “I need to leave you alone. You don’t deserve to be harassed because of me.”
He frowned. “Are you backing out of our deal?”
“I don’t see any other way to keep you safe.” She took another step away.
“We have a deal. I bought your ticket home.” He reached for her hand. “You owe me two weeks of companionship. A verbal contract is as binding as a written one. We shook on it.”
Couldn’t he see that she had to leave? To protect him? “You’re in danger because of me.”
His lips pressed into a thin line. “We have a binding contract. I haven’t released you from it. You owe me two weeks.”
Kinsey stared into his eyes. The man could have been carved in stone. He wasn’t backing down or releasing her from their contract. “I think you’re making a mistake.”
“Yeah, but the mistake is mine to make. Now, are we good? Because I’m not relaxing by arguing with you.”
“I’m sorry.” Her lips quirked upward on the corners. “I’ll try harder. But you don’t have to be such a hard ass.”
“It’s the only ass I have.” He chuckled. “Now, let’s find some food before another car tries to run us over.” He took her hand in his and weaved through the buildings until they came to a bakery with fresh bread and then stopped at another store selling cheese and olives.
Sam purchased enough food to make a decent lunch, and they took it back to the B&B, climbed the ladder to the roof and had a picnic while looking out at the amazing view.
If not for the attacks on herself and Sam, Kinsey could almost believe they were on an ideal vacation or a date.
But ideal wasn’t quite the right word to describe what had happened in the past twenty-four hours. She hoped and prayed the next twenty-four were spent happily getting to know each other better and not nearly as dangerous or hair-raising.
9
Sam couldn’t believe he’d lived through some of the most dangerous firefights a helicopter pilot could imagine, only to come to Santorini on vacation to nearly be killed by a crazed driver. That incident was something he would not be reporting to his commander.
And, since he was thinking about his report, he figured he might as well make it.
“Did you decide on a photo to share with the CO?” He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over to Kinsey.
She scrolled through the shots she’d taken and showed him one of himself frowning. “In this one, you’re not grimacing as much as some of the others.”
“No. But I look like I ate something that tasted bad.” Did he always have that scowl on his face? No wonder his commander was concerned about his mental stability. “I frown too much.”
“Not always, but most of the time.” Kinsey laughed. “Don’t worry, by the end of these two weeks, I’ll have you smiling most of the time, not frowning.” She scrolled past several shots of them together.
“Wait. What about them?” He brushed his finger over the screen to back up to one of him and her. “I’m almost smiling in this one. That ought to make the old man happy.” He punched the numbers to Facetime his commander and waited for the connection to go through and for his boss to answer.
Kinsey’s lips curled upward. “I like that photo. You do appear almost happy there.” She looked up at him. “You really should smile more. Life is too short to be unhappy all the time.”
Her smile made his heart lighter than it had been in years and gave him the uncontrollable urge to… He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “Thank you for helping me with this little project.”
She blinked, her smile slipping slightly as color suffused her cheeks.
Now he’d gone and done it. “Hey, I’m sorry. I crossed the line.” He raised a hand. “I promise not to kiss you again…unless you ask.”
Her cheeks reddened even more, and she turned away. “No. No. That’s okay. I kind of liked it.”
He tipped up her face toward his. “Then why are you turning so red?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I guess because we just met yesterday, and I shouldn’t be feeling this way about you so soon.”
“Feeling what way?”
“Nervous…excited… confused.” She glanced up at him.
Her brow pinched in that cute way he’d come to recognize when she was hesitant or anxious. “I don’t mean to make you nervous. I promise, I won’t attack you like those men did.”
She laughed. “I know you won’t. That’s what I like about you. I feel like I can trust you. After all, you’ve saved my life.”
“And you saved mine, today.” He cupped her cheek in his palm and brushed his thumb across her lips. “You had a breadcrumb.” And then he stared at those lips, wishing he had kissed them instead of the tip of her nose.
“If I asked you to kiss me, would you?” she whispered.
He didn’t respond with words. Instead, he lowered his head and swept his lips across hers in a light, non-threatening touch. And restraint was hard, when he wanted to kiss her and taste her.
When her hands reached up and wrapped behind his head, he gave in to his desire. The phone slipped from his hand, and he
gathered Kinsey in his arms, crushing her mouth with his. And she tasted like heaven, so sweet, warm and wet—
“Captain Magnus! Hey, Sam! Yoohoo! Hello! Quit sucking face long enough to report in. That’s an order!”
The sound of a man’s voice broke through the well of lust Sam had fallen into. He lifted his head, a frown pulling at his brow.
“Someone’s yelling at you,” Kinsey whispered.
That’s when Sam remembered he’d dialed Colonel Cooley. “Fuck.” He grabbed for the phone and stared down at the man in desert camouflage uniform, laughing up at him. “Sir, I’m sorry. I must have dropped the phone.”
His commander grinned, and he laughed out loud. “I see you finally embraced the idea of vacationing. Good to see you lose that perpetual scowl.”
There it was again. Since when had he become a frowning grump?
He scrambled for something to say, his world off kilter after that kiss. “Sir, just following orders.” That kiss. Holy hell, he’d completely lost himself and all sense of time and space. He glanced across at Kinsey.
The color was high in her cheeks, and her lips were slightly swollen. And they were so kissable, he wanted to do it all over again.
“Hey, focus here, Captain.”
The colonel’s voice brought Sam back to earth.
“I want to meet your lady friend,” Colonel Cooley said.
Sam leaned close to Kinsey and held up the phone so that his commander could see both of their faces. “Sir, this is my friend, Kinsey. Kinsey, meet Colonel Cooley.”
Kinsey laughed. “Nice to meet you, Sir. Sam’s talked a lot about you.”
The man laughed. “All bad, I’m sure.”
She blushed. “Not all bad. Just that you were concerned.”
The colonel nodded. “Sam’s a good guy, and a helluva pilot. He just needs to lighten up.”
“That’s what he said.” She smiled up at Sam. “I’m seeing to it that he does.”
