A Thousand Kisses Deep by Wendy Rosnau Read Free Book Online Page A

maybe more than one, then sipped the water until the bottle was empty. She dozed after that while Parish read, and Sly listened to another tape. This one Bjorn had named "C is for Closet."
    When Eva woke up an hour later, she stood and walked past him to use the rest room. She returned a little while later, and once she was seated, she went digging in her bag again. This time she produced a compact mirror and a gold tube of lipstick. She checked her reflection, pushed her shaggy bangs out of her eyes, then opened the lipstick and angled the compact.
    Sly saw her mouth pucker up in the mirror's reflection. Watched as she painted her beautiful lips a shade of red. Her lipstick tube tucked away, she angled the mirror a little more to the right and puckered up again, this time blowing a kiss into the compact mirror. A second later, she turned her head and looked straight at him and mouthed the words, bay rum.
    Sly changed tapes thirty minutes later. Flipping through the tapes once more, he spied one that he hadn't listened to yet and popped it into the cassette tape, then adjusted his headset.
    This tape Bjorn had given the title "P is for Parish, Prick, Pecker, and Penance."
    Eva stretched, then climbed out of bed to stare out the window. The sun was bright, the morning warm and the sight and smell of the sea elevated her mood.
    They had landed in Athens two days ago, and immediately flown to Mykonos . She had fought a headache the entire way, and once they had reached Simon's estate, Lesvago, she had gone straight to bed. She had slept most of the next day, still battling the headache.
    "Finally you're up. You look much better than yesterday. Do you feel better?"
    She turned to see Simon standing in the open doorway to her bedroom. It took everything she had not to jump for joy when she saw him wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a long-sleeved shirt—he was going out.
    "I feel better," she agreed. "The headache left me sometime during the night. Thank you for tending to me," she said respectfully, meaning it. Simon had ordered cool compresses for her head every half hour. It was rare for him to be gentle, but not unheard of. Last night he had offered her his human side, a rarity she was grateful for, considering she had felt so poorly.
    "Good, then I'll be on my way. Nemo is taking me to Naxos . I have business there. I've asked Melita to join me. She's agreed only if Nemo brings her back late tonight. She says you shouldn't be alone in case your headache returns. If you take a skiff out, I've instructed two of the men to follow for your protection."
    "Enjoy your trip," she managed to say, trying not to sound too eager to see him go. "Not too much sun."
    He smiled. "Like a wife, she worries about me. I think I like that. I'll be back the end of the week, in time to finalize the arrangements for my birthday party. I've decided to keep the location a secret to the end this time. It'll make it more of a mystery. Maybe even keep you up nights wondering, hmm?"
    Worrying, he meant. Eva kept her voice mellow when she asked, "Have you spoken to my father? He's coming, isn't he?"
    "Of course he's coming."
    Simon stepped forward and took Eva's hand. "Now then," he said, examining the black-and-blue marks on her wrist, "I want you to do something for me while I'm gone." She was wearing a white chemise, and with his free hand, he peeled the narrow strap off her shoulder to expose a faint tan line.
    "I want you to get rid of this while I'm gone. I want every inch of you brown. Hopefully your wrists will be back to normal, as well. Don't disappoint me."
    "I won't, Simon. Every inch will be brown. And my wrists will be healed."
    He brushed her cheek with the back of his bony hand. "I've got a spectacular costume in mind for you to wear to the party. No lines anywhere, understand?"
    He slid his hand around her waist and over her hip to squeeze her butt cheek. The smile that followed turned wicked, warning Eva that his idea of spectacular and hers