My Greek SEAL
Page 17
“You love Eros. And where is this Eros?”
I hang my head and speak in an unsteady voice. “I don’t know. He heard me say he was just another swimmer and heard my boss talk about taking me in a car back to Athens. And then he walked away. He probably thinks that even though I told him earlier today that I loved him and wanted to stay in Greece with him, I didn’t really mean it.” I brush away tears that fill my eyes and cloud my vision.
“Miss Maya, please slow down. The interpreter has fallen behind.”
“I’m sorry. No one wants to hear all this anyway.”
“No, they do. And they want you to find him. The people of the Greek Islands want to see you find a happy ending.”
“If it is okay with you, I would like to try to find him.”
“Yes, please go ahead.” The cameraman hands me his card. “Our office is at this address. If you are willing, I would like to do a follow-up interview after you find him.”
“I promise to get in touch with you if I find him. Thank you very much, sir. I enjoyed talking to you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Once we secure lodging in Nidri, I leave my room and wander the streets looking for Eros. Maryann offered to go with me. I thanked her and said I had to talk to him alone. I walk up the main street that had once been lined with tourist shops. Some of the business owners are rummaging through the rubble, searching for anything salvageable. A man runs up to me and speaks in rapid fire Greek. I smile and shrug and say in an apologetic tone that I only speak English. I wonder if he saw me on television. I feel frustrated that I can’t communicate with him. I’ll never know what he said and there’s no way to ask if he’s seen Eros.
I wave and walk away, feeling more dejected than I did when I first arrived in Greece. I wander through the debris-riddled streets for four hours until my back aches and my throat is parched from thirst. Why can’t I find Eros? With every step, my mood plummets further.
Tomorrow, the others will board the bus back to Athens and then take an evening flight home. If I can’t find Eros, maybe I’ll go back to Athens with them. Staying in Lefkada alone seems like such a daunting task. The place is in ruins. I have no job, no money. And no one speaks English. At least in Athens, I’d be able to communicate with most of the locals. But I made a promise to these people, one I don’t want to break.
I walk along a long stretch of beach. It’s littered with debris, but there are stretches where the sand is white and clean. I gaze out over the water. It’s still blue and amazing, like it was before all this happened. The sea seems so unaffected by the earthquake and the tidal wave and all the destruction that’s taken place. The sea hasn’t changed since I fell in love with Eros or since I hurt him and he walked out of my life.
Maybe what I need to clear my head now is a swim. I unzip a pocket of my backpack and pull out a pair of goggles. I peel off the sundress I’m wearing and stuff it into the pack. I adjust the goggles and straighten the straps on my swimsuit. I wade into the water, eager to leave my problems behind. I want to be in that water again, to swim along in the sea and just feel free. I swim out until the water’s just over my head. Following the contours of the shore, I fall into the rhythm of my stroke. I see fish and clean white sand below me. I don’t see any boat fragments, roof tiles, or anything that reminds me of the disaster. I surface dive into a huge school of fish and watch them scatter in every direction. Then I surface and take in a deep inhale, breathing in the clean, salt air. I swim along the shore again, feeling the warm embrace of the sea as it slides over my body. I’m happy and free again because of the water. I am alive and feeling like this is the best moment of my life. I swim along the shore for more than an hour. It must be late in the afternoon by now. I know I should swim back. Maryann and the others will worry. I turn around and make my way back, sighting on landmarks so I will know to stop in the same place.
When I approach the beach I left two hours ago, I see the faint outline of a person sitting in the sand. My heart beats faster. I want so badly for it to be Eros. But that’s always what women want. To meet a guy who would climb mountains and descend deep canyons to find them. I remember times when I had relationships before where I just wished a guy would care enough to surprise me with a bouquet of flowers or a weekend trip or even to just realize he had hurt my feelings and show up at my house to say he was sorry. But it never happened. Not even once. And eventually those wishes felt silly. Like something that only happened in movies.
I kick and stroke along thinking maybe those guys never did those things for me because we weren’t right for each other. Eros and I experienced something very special. He understood me almost right away. He didn’t need to know where I went to college or what hospital I was born to see who I was.
He is the dream almost too good to be true. If only I hadn’t lost him. He could surprise me every day with something even better than I expected.
I stroke along, lifting my head and squinting into the setting sun, hoping to get a better view of that person on the beach. The person is standing now. And I can see he’s a man. His stature is tall and muscular and sturdy. Oh, please, let it be him. Please. Maybe he now knows that the whole interview situation was a set up and he understands how difficult it was for me to talk my way out of it. The man walks toward the water and plunges in. His strokes are strong and athletic. And purposeful. He’s swimming straight toward me. Now every cell in my body knows. It is Eros. He’s coming for me. I swim faster. I have to get to him. He’s swimming fast and I raise my head and his wet, sexy face is only a few feet away.
I tread water and one of my feet brushes the bottom. I let my feet touch down in the sand. The white sand feels so soft under my feet. I stare at Eros, unable to speak. His dark curls are wet and tangled and seawater drips from his long lashes and delicious lips. I rush through the water and dive into his arms. His arms wrap around me, comforting me. The sea and a wall of solid, lean muscle enwomb me.
“My old boss, he set me up. If you had seen the whole interview, it wouldn’t have sounded so awful. I told everyone after you left that I was in love with you. I’m sorry I hurt you. I walked everywhere looking for you. I’m so sorry.”
He holds me tighter. “It is not your fault. I understand everything now. When I got to the hotel and found Maryann, she told me about the interview. Your boss is a very bad man to try to manipulate you. I should have had more faith in you instead of doubting.”
“It was a misunderstanding. Everything is okay now that you’re here.” I pull my face away from his neck and look at him. “How long have you been here?”
“I saw your footprints in the sand. And I found your backpack. I knew the woman I love had swum away to find some peace in the sea. I knew you would be back. And that we would be together forever after that.” He slides his hands underneath my back. Gently supporting me, he carries me through the water and up on the beach. He kisses me more than once on the way.
“I love you, Eros,” I whisper against his mouth.
“Yes, I love you, too.” He lays me down in the sand. All I hear are gentle waves crashing in the sea, but I feel so much more than the sea breeze tickling my skin. I feel a thousand different colors of happy and like my new life is beginning right here on this beach. Eros reaches around my back to untie the halter strap on my bathing suit. “I would like to start that forever by making love to you.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea.”
THE END
ABOUT SABRINA DEVONSHIRE
Sabrina Devonshire, an avid swimmer most of her life, can usually be found near or immersed in a body of water. If she’s not seeking an endorphin rush in a pool, lake or ocean, she’s often encouraging people to work out or writing a romantic suspense or magazine article.
She received a John Woods Scholarship and an Arizona Commission of the Arts Professional Development Grant toward her participation in a 2007 Prague Summer Program Writing Workshop. She also studied writing in Arizona and northern California an
d has a M.S. degree from the University of Arizona.
Sabrina loves traveling to off-the-beaten-path places where phones and electronic devices tend not to work well. The Peruvian Andes, Swiss Alps, Greek Islands and Belizean beaches are some of her favorites. Sabrina lives in southern Arizona with her husband, two children, and fluffy dog, Sugar.
To read blog posts, blurbs, excerpts and more, check out the Sabrina Devonshire Exotic Romantic Adventures web site at http://www.sabrinadevonshireromances.com
Here is a list of some other Sabrina Devonshire books you might enjoy:
Amalfi Affair (Navy SEALs of Valor 1)
Czech Mate (Navy SEALs of Valor 2)French Kiss (Navy SEALs of Valor 3)
Greek God (Navy SEALs of Valor 4)
The Open Water Swimmer
Seaside Seduction
Message from Viola Mari
Dangerous Descent (Love in the Labyrinths 1)
The Unseen (Love in the Labyrinths 2)
Mai Tai Man
Never Let You Go
Love in the RainforestChristmas Collision
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
About Sabrina