by Elle James
Kinsey pressed a hand to her chest. “I guess I’ve known about the horrible practice, but I never thought it could happen to me.” She glanced around. Suddenly, the bright, cheerful white walls of the city seemed to be riddled with shadows. Shadows that could be harboring dark-hearted men waiting to snatch unsuspecting women to sell to disgusting human brokers.
She leaned into Sam, glad for his protection and the solidity of his muscles. He could fight off any attacker. Her training in self-defense seemed almost laughable. The two men, with minimal effort, had overcome her pitiful attempts to fight back. Having Sam at her side gave her a great sense of security she wouldn’t have had otherwise.
She’d sure as hell stick to him for the duration of her stay on Santorini. She did not want to end up on some auctioneer’s dais, stripped, drugged and sold for sex.
7
Sam kept Kinsey close as he zigzagged through the alleyways, choosing an alternate route back to his B&B.
He suspected staff members at the Porto Takisi had been involved in the attempted abduction of the pretty blonde. The Martins sounded as if they might have been in on the plot, as well. Why else would they leave when they did, with no message or reason left behind to explain their sudden need to exit the island?
The whole elaborate plan made Sam uneasy. If they went to that much effort and staged the plot over a week just to snatch Kinsey, wouldn’t they try again?
When he reached the B&B, Sam insisted on entering the room first. He took a moment to search the closet, bathroom and beneath the bed.
“What are you looking for?” Kinsey asked, stepping into the room behind him.
“Intruders.” He rose to his feet after looking beneath the bed.
Kinsey’s pretty pink lips quirked. “Did you find any in this tiny room?”
“Don’t laugh.” He rubbed the side of his head where she’d hit him with the bar of soap. “You got the better of me in the bathroom just last night.”
She cringed. “I did, didn’t I? Sorry. I thought you were one of the men who’d knocked me out.”
“I get that. No harm, no foul. But I’m not too happy about what happened at the hotel, either.” He set the suitcase on the bed. Then he dug his laptop out of the top drawer of the dresser and laid it on the small table. “I’m making that reservation for you now. That way you know I’m legit about this deal.”
“I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“Don’t be.” He sat and punched the start key. “Where do you want to land in the States?”
“Norfolk, Virginia. It’s the only home I’ve ever known. Not that I have a place to go back to. But it’ll be a start.”
“No house or apartment?” Even he had an apartment in the States, though he was rarely there. If he had someone like Kinsey waiting for him, he’d be more inclined to go home.
She shook her head. “I sold everything. I intended to work in Greece for the next year and save money to move on to another country after that.”
“Can’t you still follow that plan?”
Her lips twisted. “Getting laid off before I started my job and then mugged in Athens, and having all my money and identification stolen, kind of took the joy out of that plan.”
His chest tight, Sam connected to the internet and found the best deal on a ticket back to Virginia. “Do you have friends you can stay with when you get back?”
Kinsey pulled up a chair beside hm. “My ex-boyfriend pretty much cut me off from what few friends I had.”
Sam’s fists tightened. Her ex must have been real a jerk. “What about your old job? Can you go back to that?”
She shook her head. “No. I worked as a bookkeeper for a man who retired the day I left.” She laughed. “He didn’t want to have to train another bookkeeper. He’s living in Cabo San Lucas now. But don’t worry. I know my way around Norfolk. I’ll be okay. And I really appreciate your doing this for me.”
Sam didn’t like that she had nowhere to go, and no one to stay with. But she had her plan and he’d promised her a ticket back.
With Kinsey looking over his shoulder, Sam spent the next few minutes finding a flight departing the same day he was scheduled on the same plane from Santorini. At least he’d see her to the Athens airport before they split up to go their separate ways.
Once he had the flight reserved, he called Mrs. D on the house phone, asked for the password and connected to her printer in the common area. “We can pick up your ticket information when we pass through.”
Kinsey smiled. “Thank you. It’s nice to have one hurdle cleared on the road to my recovery. And I can’t tell you how happy I am that I got back my suitcase.” She crossed to the bed, unzipped the case and opened it. Then she riffled through the contents.
The items appeared to have been thrown in, with no care taken to fold the clothing or organize the content. Kinsey didn’t seem to notice. She shoved her way through, tossing loose items to the side until she reached something at the bottom. When she brought it out, Sam could see that she held a picture frame. “Is that your family?” Sam asked.
Kinsey glanced down at the image of a man with a woman who had blond hair and blue eyes just like Kinsey’s.
Sam almost mistook her for Kinsey, except the girl standing in front of the couple had Kinsey’s eyes and her open smile. A younger version of the woman beside him in the B&B.
“We were at the beach when this picture was taken. My father liked taking us to the ocean for our holidays. We lived in Virginia. Driving to Virginia Beach or further south to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina wasn’t too hard.” She stared down at the smiling family. “Sometimes, I feel like this photo is my last tangible connection to them.”
“Your parents will always be alive in your memories. The good ones never go away,” Sam said. And the bad ones. But he didn’t say that.
“I know that. And I have some digital photos stored online, but this physical photograph reminds me so much of how hopeful and in love they were. I always wanted what they had.”
The longing in her voice tugged at Sam’s heart. His parents had been like that. He’d thought he would be, too. He’d gone so far as to fall in love with a woman early in his Army career. They got engaged, and then he’d watched as cancer sucked the life out of her. “Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we think they should. Some events make you stronger.”
“Or make you run away from everything you knew,” she whispered. “To get away from the disappointment life has left you with.”
Sam nodded, staring down at the picture in Kinsey’s hand but seeing an image of Leigha as she lay in her hospital bed, her body wasted away, her glorious hair gone, and eyes sunken. She’d clung to life until no more life existed to cling to. Then she’d said goodbye and slipped away.
That’s when he’d run away. Away from the dream of having someone in his life and of establishing a home filled with kids.
The last mission he’d flown had been on the second anniversary of Leigha’s death. He should have known better than to fly that night. His heart had been heavy with resurfacing grief. He’d run…or flown into enemy territory, chased by the demons of his past. He couldn’t fly fast enough to escape the truth. She wasn’t coming back, and if they did it all again, he couldn’t have changed anything to save her.
“Hey.”
A hand touched his arm, bringing him back to the present.
Kinsey stared up at him. “Are you okay?”
He shook himself out of his morose memories. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”
“You looked like you’d just lost your best friend.”
“I did.” He turned away and grabbed a pair of swim trunks from the dresser with the intention of changing in the bathroom.
Kinsey stood between him and his destination. “Do you want to talk about it?” She gave him a gentle smile. “After all, I’m your companion. I’m here for you.”
Heart aching, he shook his head. “Nothing to talk about.”
Kinsey stared into his eyes.
“I think there is, but if you’re not ready, I won’t push.” She grinned up at him. “I’m here all week. We’ll have time.”
He stepped around her, a spark of anger surging through him. What business did this stranger have digging into his past? Leigha was none of Kinsey’s business, and he had no intention of discussing his fiancée’s death with the woman. As he walked into the bathroom, he heard her voice behind him.
“We both seem to have memories we are running from. I just think it might help to share. You know, get our troubles off our chests. Those things we bury deep inside tend to fester and eventually bubble to the surface in the most regrettable ways.”
Sam spun to face Kinsey. “Some things are private. You’re not a shrink, I’m not your pet project. You’re a paid companion, not a friend or even a real fiancée. I had one once, and she was perfect.” He turned away, determined to get to the bathroom before he said anything more. He was already regretting telling her anything about his Leigha.
“If she was so perfect, where is she now?” Kinsey asked, her tone soft, her voice carrying because of the content, not the volume. “Why isn’t she along for your vacation?”
He drew in a deep breath and let it out before answering. “Because she died."
8
As she stared at the door between her and Sam, guilt knotted in Kinsey’s belly. She should have kept her big mouth shut.
The man had obviously loved his fiancée. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t still be so touchy. And stupid Kinsey had stirred up all those painful memories.
She squared her shoulders. As a paid companion, she should make his life happier and help him see there was still a lot to be grateful for.
While he was in the bathroom, Kinsey bypassed her suitcase full of clothes and dug into the bags from their shopping trip. She grabbed the bikini she’d purchased and quickly dressed in it, covering up with a pair of shorts and a Santorini T-shirt. She topped it off with the floppy hat Sam insisted she needed and the sunglasses he’d picked out. Then she pulled the beach bag from her suitcase, filled it with sunscreen, her mask, snorkel and the beach towels they’d purchased in the dive shop.
The bathroom door opened, and Sam stepped out, wearing a pair of black swim trunks and a gray T-shirt. He’d shaved the shadow of stubble from his chin, combed back his hair and looked so handsome Kinsey’s breath caught.
He stared across the room, his blue eyes darker than usual. “I’m sorry I was so short with you.”
She laughed nervously. “No. Don’t be. I shouldn’t have pushed. Your past is none of my business, and I had no right to dig into it.” With all the courage she could muster, she pasted a broad smile on her face. “But your two weeks of vacation is my business, and I plan on making it the best two weeks of your life. So get ready for some fun. Because we’re going to have it.” She lifted her chin, grabbed the beach bag and headed for the door. “Do you want me to ask Mrs. D if she has sandwich fixings?”
“No. That won’t be necessary.” He slipped into sandals then settled sunglasses over his eyes and a white baseball cap on his head. “We can stop at a bakery or deli and grab bread and cheese.”
“Sounds good.” She opened the door. “Don’t forget your camera. We have some photo memories to make for your commander.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond, setting off with a light step and a carefree attitude. Her father had always told her the best way to a happy life when you weren’t feeling very happy was to fake it until you felt it. So she faked it. Pushing all the horrors of the past week behind her, she set out to have a good day with her handsome employer. And if she could manage to make him happy in the process, she would have accomplished something. Plus, she’d be one step closer to earning that plane ticket back to the States.
The path to the ocean was a maze of twists and turns and steps leading past the white buildings. Occasionally, they’d break out of the walls long enough to see the views Santorini was known for. At one point, they spotted a blue-domed church.
“Some time in the next two weeks, we need to take a taxi to Oia to see more of the beautiful blue-domed churches this island is famous for,” Kinsey remarked. “They would make great backdrops for pictures to send to your commander. Not to mention great memories of your time spent here.”
Sam nodded.
He hadn’t spoken much since they’d left the room, but that didn’t deter Kinsey. She kept up her end of the conversation and his, as well. Her goal was to get him to smile by the end of the day, if not sooner.
Though they walked in broad daylight, Kinsey was careful passing through shadowy areas, always looking for bad guys lurking there. After the attack the previous evening, she wasn’t taking any chances.
Once they arrived at the main road, they caught a taxi to the beach on the east side of the island.
Kinsey ducked into a shop carrying beach gear and talked Sam into buying a mask and snorkel for himself. When they arrived at the beach, she felt a little safer. The location had no shadows, no bad guys, and plenty of bright sunshine to cheer her day.
She spread the beach towels on the sand, stripped out of her shorts and T-shirt and squirted a liberal portion of sunscreen on her hand. “Come on, you can’t go in the water all dressed like that. And you don’t want to burn that beautiful skin.” She winked and waited for Sam to remove his shirt, hat and sunglasses. “Turn around.”
He did as she commanded.
Kinsey spread sunscreen across his massive shoulders and down his back, trying hard not to get excited by merely touching him. She kept telling herself this activity was just part of a job. As his companion and his fake fiancée, she would be expected to see to his safety and happiness. “We can’t have you getting a third-degree sunburn while here. This should help.”
Her hands smoothed over the hard plains and down to his narrowing waist to the edge of the elastic band on his swim trunks. By then she was barely breathing, her pulse pounding so hard she felt lightheaded.
“Done back there?”
She wished she wasn’t, but she couldn’t continue without making a fool of herself. “Yes,” she squeaked, cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes. You can get the front.”
When he turned she slapped the tube in his hand and spun away, her cheeks burning. Wow, the man had no idea how attractive he was. But Kinsey was fully aware and suffering the effects of touching him all over the hard muscles of his back.
She stared out at the water, coaching herself on how to breathe normally when big hands descended on her back. Kinsey jumped.
“Sorry. I thought you’d want me to do your back, since you were so good to do mine.”
Cheeks burning, she babbled, “Yes. Yes, of course.” She stood in front of him, holding her body stiff, fighting against letting the feel of his hands on her skin make her any more turned on than she already was.
The man had lost the woman he loved, for heaven’s sake. He wasn’t interested in her for anything other than a paid employee to help him fool his boss into thinking he was relaxing in paradise and getting his life back together.
Sweet heaven. His touch felt so good against her skin. Kinsey moaned then cringed as soon as the sound escaped her throat.
He immediately lifted his hands off her skin. “Am I being too rough?”
“Oh, no. Not at all. Maybe a little too good at it, though.” She laughed shakily, stepped away, took the tube from his hands and squirted more of the lotion into her palm. “I can manage the rest. Why don’t you adjust the strap on your mask and snorkel?”
“Right.” But Sam didn’t turn away. He continued to watch as she smeared sunscreen on her chest, arms, legs and thighs.
The sun had nothing on the heat burning inside Kinsey by the time she finished.
Sam must have realized he was staring, because he finally turned away and pulled the snorkel and mask out of its wrapper and adjusted it to fit on his face.
Kinsey slipped her mask over her head and settled it over her eyes. “Ready?�
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He nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Good, because the last one in is a rotten egg.” Kinsey shoved the snorkel into her mouth and took off, laughing as she plowed into the water and dove beneath the surface.
The water surged as Sam dove in beside her. For the next hour, they swam, hugging the shoreline, and discovering the sea life beneath the surface. Brightly shining fish, eels and stingrays were in abundance and just as curious about them.
By the time Kinsey climbed out of the surf, she was tired and amazed that during that entire time, she hadn’t given her near-abduction a single thought.
Sam pulled off his mask and took her hand as they slogged through the waves to the shore, their feet shifting in the ebb and flow of water and sand.
When they made it back to the towels, Kinsey dropped down and stretched out, blissfully tired and ready to soak up the sunshine and the salty sea breeze.
Sam stood above her, his hands on his hips, looking around.
Kinsey patted the towel beside her. “Have a seat, and where’s your camera?”
“Huh?” He glanced down.
Shading her eyes with one hand, she waved toward the beach bag. “Your camera. Now would be a good time to shoot some pictures of you having a fun at the beach.” Again, she patted the towel beside her. “Sit.”
He hesitated.
She laughed. “You really don’t know how to relax, do you?” Kinsey sat up. “Come on. The first step is to admit you have a problem. The second is to take the pictures you need to convince your boss you’re having fun and the third is to let me massage your muscles.” She tipped her head. “Come on, you can do it.”
Finally, he sat on the towel and pulled out his smartphone. “My camera is in my phone.” He unlocked the screen and handed it to her.
She touched the camera icon and aimed the lens at him. “Smile.”
He frowned.
“Seriously. If you want your commander to think you’re having a good time, you have to do better than that.” She scooted over to kneel beside him on his towel and reversed the camera so that she could take a picture of them together. “Now, smile like you’re having a good time.” Kinsey held the phone at arm’s length and grinned.