My Greek SEAL

by Sabrina Devonshire

  I reach for a triangle of bread and stab a hunk of cheese with a fork. I push the cheese into my mouth. It tastes salty and delicious. I bite into the hard crust of the bread and find the inside to be fluffy and flavorful. “I can’t believe how hungry I am.”

  “There’s plenty. Eat some more. We will need energy for our search.”

  “But I feel guilty for eating this huge breakfast when the others might be stranded somewhere.”

  “We will be more help if we are prepared.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “I can carry whatever we don’t eat. We’ll also take two liters of water.”

  “Okay.” I wonder if Maryann and the others were washed away and drowned or had to walk barefoot up that limestone and are sitting on some hillside nursing deep cuts and dying of thirst.

  “Please don’t look so worried. We will find them. Dmitri is a very skilled boatman and so is Libby. I know they would have fought very hard to keep all the swimmers safe.”

  I pile cheese on another slice of bread. “You’re right. But this is a pretty big island. Do you have a plan for our search?”

  Eros stands up and takes a swallow of tea to wash down the bite of food in his mouth. “We can ask the locals. I am hopeful that someone will have seen them. If not, it will be necessary to traverse the more deserted parts of the island.”

  I swallow the last bite of bread and cheese, stand up and clap my hands together. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  He pushes back his chair, stands up and gives me a mischievous look before turning toward the front door. “As I have told you before, I am always ready.”

  I give him an affectionate swat on the shoulder. “Oh, stop that.”

  “But first, let me pack up the water and our swimming gear. We may have to swim to get to some of the remote parts of the island.”

  Outside, I am greeted by hot sun and stifling heat. There’s no breeze this far from the sea. We walk down the steep road to the shoreline and see only one lone woman. She’s standing outside what’s left of her home, examining the damage. Eros speaks to her and inquires about Dmitri and the tourists on the boat, but the woman merely frowns and shakes her head and gives me a curious look.

  Once I have a view of the shoreline, I see that most of the flooding in the main part of town has subsided. Dozens of ruined boats and buildings lay exposed. The white mud covering them is baking in the sun. Two men amble away from the shore, carrying a body.

  “Oh, no. How awful.”

  “Yes, Maya, it is. I could have left you back at the house if you didn’t want to come.”

  “No, I want to be with you.”

  Eros approaches two men squatting in the rubble, examining the damaged hull of their overturned sailboat. He questions them, but they shake their heads and exchange a few more words with Eros before returning to their task at hand.

  “They haven’t seen Dmitri or his boat. They know him well since he often brings the tourists to this town for lunch. If he had been in this town, these locals would have known about it.”

  “What are we going to do now?”

  “I want to swim around the perimeter of the island. That would be easier than walking across this rough terrain. The place where we last saw the boat would be a good place to start. It is about two kilometers from here.”

  “Okay. I need to find someplace out of sight where I can put on my swimsuit.”

  “Yes, of course.” Eros leads me to a grove of mud-covered trees. He unzips the over-the-shoulder duffel bag he borrowed from Helena and tosses me my swimsuit. “I will look the other way so I am able to stay focused on finding our friends instead of wanting to make love to you.”

  I blush and wait for him to turn his back before I slip into my suit. But I cheat and turn to watch him while he undresses. The muscles on the sides of his buttocks flex as he pulls off his pants and underwear. He really is a god. My heart beats faster. I want him so bad, but I know it’s a terrible time to let my hormones run away with me. Peoples’ lives are at stake. I turn away from him and draw in a deep breath. I wait until I no longer hear the shuffling of clothes and then turn toward him. “Are you almost ready, Mister Always Ready?”

  “Of course,” Eros says with a smile. “And after we find the others and know they are safe, I will be very ready for a different kind of exercise.” He strides toward me, places his hands on my shoulders and gives me a possessive kiss.

  “What’s that?” My voice is breathless and my heart thunders inside my chest.

  His voice comes out raspy and oh, so sexy. “I will be making love to you for many, many hours. If that is alright with you.”

  “Yes, that would be more than all right.”

  He smiles, looking content. “Then let’s find our friends right away so we can start making love very soon.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  We swim beside each other along the coast, dodging chunks of wood and other debris floating in the water. I can barely see the sand or rocks below me, there’s so much litter. Gradually, the signs of the disaster diminish until all I see below me are silver fish and the white layers of limestone. Occasionally, I see jagged cracks in the limestone. The olive trees and low-lying shrubs along the shoreline are coated with dry, white mud where the water advanced and then receded.

  Eros taps me on the shoulder. I stop swimming, raise my head and see that he’s pointing toward the beach. “Isn’t that your dry bag?”

  Sure enough, my orange bag has washed up on the sand. It was onboard the Ionian Goddess at the time of the earthquake. Perhaps that means the boat is nearby. “Wow, what are the odds of me finding that? Do you think I should swim over and get it? It would be nice to have some money and clothes that fit.”

  “Go ahead. Let’s see what else is up there. There are many things washed up on that beach.”

  We swim toward the beach. Once we’re in waist-deep water, we wade the rest of the way. Along with my bag, we find a towel, the plate that Libby had piled high with chocolates and sesame treats after our first swim, and a smart phone in a bright red case. I pick up my bag with one hand and then reach for the phone with the other one. “This was Margie’s phone.” I let out a long sigh. “Do you think the boat went down?”

  “I really don’t think so. I don’t see any broken pieces of the boat. Maybe Libby tried to load some of the bags on the inflatable boat and encountered a prob—“ Eros glances around and speaks in a whisper. “Quiet. I think I hear someone.”

  I stop rummaging through my bag and listen. I hear the crunch of footsteps on the rocky soil. “Is someone there?” I call out.

  “Maya, is that you?”

  It’s Libby. She didn’t get washed away after all. “Yes. I’m with Eros.”

  Libby emerges from a thick grove of olive trees, wearing her swimsuit, bright red shorts and her signature heart-shaped sunglasses. “Crikey, I’m glad to find you two in good form.”

  “It’s great to see you, too, Libby. We’ve been looking for you. Are any of the others with you?”

  “Oh, yes. I kept my whole green group safe. Randy, Maryann, Jan, Sherry and Scott are safe and sound at a resort up the way.”

  I release a sigh of relief. “That’s great to hear they’re all okay.”

  “Do you know what happened to Dmitri and the others?” Eros asks.

  “I’m not at all sure about that. The phone lines are down so we can’t call from the resort and all the cellulars have been lost.”

  “I found Margie’s phone. Do you think we could call with that?”

  “We can give it a go. But it’s quite likely that the cellular networks will be down as well,” says Libby.

  “They were yesterday,” I say. “I don’t know about now.”

  “What happened to your inflatable boat?” asks Eros.

  “I’m not sure what happened to the bugger. I left the RIB on the beach after the earthquake and then all of us walked our arses off to get to higher ground. I was just coming down h
ere to have a look. If I find it, we’d have a chance of getting out of here. It should have enough fuel to take us back to Lefkada.”

  “So the others are at a resort nearby?”

  “That’s right. Very few tourists even know about this small place. Fortunately, the owner, a lovely woman named Georgina was willing to take us in until we find a way to get to the mainland. I’m not sure what’s become of Geni. The whole place could be washed away by now. I could take you back there right quick if you like. I’m quite sure Georgina will find a bunk for you.”

  “Why don’t we look for the boat first,” says Eros. “We could swim along the shore as a group and see what we find.”

  “All righty then. It would be great to have some help.” Libby pulls a pair of goggles from her shorts pocket and then slips off her sandals and shorts.

  We swim as a group. I raise my head often and scan the beach, looking for the boat. I spot occasional debris on the beach, but no inflatable. I wonder how long we’ve been swimming. Surely, the boat couldn’t have drifted this far away. A shadow darkens the water in front of me. My heart beats faster. Is there a shark? My hand strikes something hard. Oh, my God, it’s the RIB. I raise my hand and shout. The last thing I expected was for the boat to be floating out in the water. “Look, I found it.”

  Libby and Eros raise their heads.

  A broad smile spreads over Eros’ face. I see a twinkle of admiration in his eyes.

  Knowing he’s pleased sends shivers of delight running through me. Yesterday, I thought I was too high maintenance to deal with any of this. I’ve proven to Eros on more than one occasion that I can be helpful in this crisis. And I’ve proven this to myself. It’s empowering to know I can handle some serious discomfort and face my fears. With any luck, the boat will still work and Libby will be able to transport us back to Lefkada.

  “Let me take a look,” says Libby. “Please climb aboard.”

  Once the three of us are settled, Libby starts the engine and maneuvers the boat back to the beach where we initiated our search. “The seas are a bit rough today. I think we should stay another night at the resort and then try to make a go of it to Lefkada in the morning.”

  “That’s a good plan,” says Eros. “I assume there is sufficient food and water to last for another day?”

  “There’s plenty. We did an inventory of all supplies last night. We could probably survive here for a month.”

  “That’s good to know,” says Eros.

  We step into the shallow water and help Libby heave the boat high enough up on the beach that it won’t be likely to move in fluctuating tides.

  “What if someone steals it?” I ask.

  “I can stay with the boat until morning to make sure it’s secure,” says Eros.

  I feel my posture sag in disappointment, as the image of hours naked and entangled in each other’s body fades away.

  “That’s a dreadful idea. I can’t leave you out here all night watching the boat. The phone lines should be restored long before we run out of supplies. And this part of the island is largely deserted. I don’t think anyone will nick the boat. I see no reason to be vexed about it.”

  I like Libby more every minute. I try to contain my excitement. Eros and I alone and naked later today is still a possibility.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here? I really don’t mind.”

  “I would mind very much if you did. Now, let’s have no more of this cheeky talk. I’ll take you to the resort straight away. It’s rather lovely. You might even forget you’re in the middle of a crisis.”

  Eros gazes in my direction and gives me a flirtatious smile. “Now that would be nice.”

  Libby leads us through the forest. There’s no trail and branches scratch my arms and legs. How does she even know where we’re going? I have no clue. I’m not sure whether we’re walking away or toward Kalamos Town.

  “The resort’s just up the way,” Libby says after we’ve walked about ten minutes.

  A large Spanish style stucco house with a tile roof sits perched above us on a steep hillside. The place looks awesome—it must have an amazing view of the sea. We walk up at least fifty stairs and then follow a stone pathway to the entrance. On a large balcony overlooking the sea, Maryann and the others are engaged in conversation. A woman I assume must be the resort owner stands up when she sees us.

  “Oh, look, it’s Eros and Maya,” Maryann shouts. She rushes down the spiral stairway to greet us and hugs me. She steps back, pats me on the shoulders and looks at me. “I was worried about you, love. Going through a hard time in your life already and then all this happens.”

  “I’m fine, don’t worry. I was so relieved when Libby told us you were all okay.”

  “How did you manage yesterday?”

  As we walked up the stairs where the others are seated, I tell her about meeting Helena, rescuing her husband, young Petros and the man who almost drowned me and our long night sleeping on the tile floor.”

  “It sounds like you’ve been through a terrible ordeal. The whole experience gave us a bit of a fright. But Libby here seemed right prepared for an emergency. As you can see, we couldn’t be at a better place.”

  By now we’ve reached the top of the stairs. A slender woman with long blond hair and wearing Jackie O sunglasses stands waiting to greet us.

  “Oh, how rude of me to leave you standing there.” Maryann grips the woman’s hand and squeezes it. “Maya, this is Georgina, the owner of this lovely place. She will set you right, I’m sure.”

  Eros and I shake hands with Georgina and she invites us to join the others at the table. “I’ll get you a beer if you like.”

  “Thank you. That would be amazing,” I say.

  She turns to Eros and speaks in Greek. I can’t understand their exchange, but I’m pretty sure Eros is saying yes to that beer also.

  Minutes later, my head feels like it’s floating away on one of the soft clouds that are hanging over the rich blue sea. My beer glass is nearly empty. I haven’t eaten much today—that’s probably why the alcohol is having such a strong effect on me. For some reason I’m not hungry. Relaxed on this patio my new friends, it almost feels like I’m back to vacation again.

  “This isn’t exactly the holiday I imagined, but it’s not half bad either,” says Maryann. “This view from this place is brilliant. And that water looks so blue. I do wish we’d had a chance to swim some more.”

  Eros frowns and his eyes look heavy and sad. “You should have seen what happened to Kalamos Town. We rescued some local people, but I’m sure many more were lost. And we are yet to learn what’s happened on the other islands.”

  Maryann reaches across the table and pats his arm. “I’m sorry, mate. I’ve been dreadfully insensitive. I suppose I’m still in a bit of a state of shock. I’ve never been in such a dreadful situation before.”

  “I understand how you feel,” I say. “One minute I feel like this can’t really be happening and the next I’m scared out of my mind or feeling sad for the Greek people.”

  “You’ve been with Eros all this time,” says Maryann with a wink. “I imagine he frees your mind of worries.”

  I’m not sure what to say. “I found him very annoying at first. But he’s grown on me.”

  Eros releases a full-bodied laugh. His lips are moist with the beer he’s been drinking. “I thought Maya was a very clumsy American at first sight. And now I have learned that she has many redeeming qualities.”

  I wonder which one is foremost in his mind.

  “What will you do after we get back to Lefkada?” Maryann asks.

  I bristle at the question, one I would rather have discussed alone with Eros instead of with an audience. “I’m not sure.”

  “Originally, we planned to spend the rest of our holiday on Kefalonia island after this week ended. But I don’t imagine the ferries will be running on a normal schedule. I suppose we’ll see what’s going on when we get back to town and decide from there.”

 
; “There are many earthquakes on these islands,” says Eros. “If the boats haven’t suffered damage, they will resume time tables as soon as possible. Kefalonia is a magical island.” He meets my gaze. “You should go there with me if you aren’t needing to hurry back to America.”

  I take a large swallow of beer before answering. “Sure. I’d like to see more of the islands. Our trip was just starting. Can we swim around the island?”

  “The channel swim from Kefalonia to Ithaka is spectacular, but we would need an escort boat to do that one. That swim was planned for this tour. Dmitri is a very skilled seaman... I hope he’s all right.”

  “It would be lovely to end this scary experience knowing everyone is safe,” says Maryann.

  Eros raises his glass. “I will toast to that.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  After another round of drinks and a delicious dinner of rice and grilled chicken, the evening winds down. Georgina leads Eros and I to two adjacent rooms. I meet his gaze for a minute and then enter my room and close the door behind me. I could tell by the yellow flicker in the depth of his eyes that his thoughts were on the same wavelength as mine. For the sake of appearances, we would walk casually into our separate rooms and then the instant Georgina was out of sight, one of us would knock on the other’s door and then the clothes would scatter and things would get crazy.

  I drop my dry bag on the floor and pace around the room. Should I be the one to knock or should I wait for him to do it? I decide the second option is better. Even though he constantly teases me about American women’s magazines, I don’t want him to feel stifled. Or to think I’m desperate. I sigh and shake my head. All this acting how I think I should feels so awkward. I’m in love with this man. If he loves me, I should be able to just act how I want and he should be okay with it. I’m done with this doing what I should charade. I want to see him now. I’m done with this waiting.

  A knock breaks into my thoughts. I run to the door and swing it open. I smile and laugh when I see him standing there with a broad smile on his face. He looks as happy as I’m feeling and all his sturdy white teeth make him look so tan.