Surrender: The Greek Affair Series Book One by Diana Karezi Read Free Book Online

can tell they are modern constructions. The town is world heritage and the new buildings are on the periphery of the town, where permits are given to build new homes. It is greener and quieter, and the streets are asphalt and there are cars.
    She meanders through the maze and she is careful to follow directions that were given, as it is easy to lose oneself in the cascade of side streets on a Greek island town or village. She comes to a clearing and she can see in front of her a tavérna , a building where all the cooking is done and where it doubles for the tavérna in winter months, and the outside has scattered, (in an orderly fashion), some tables and chairs. It is not crowded yet as it is early for most Greeks, but it seems to be filling slowly, as she can see people approaching and standing to be seated.
    She stands for a minute or two and scans with her eyes to find Giánni and Anika, hoping she has not arrived early. She sees them sitting at a table at the edge near the fence that is there to cut it off from whoever owns the next piece of land. They see her too, and they both wave simultaneously and beckon Hope over.
    She has to weave past a few tables to get to them, with her eyes ahead and careful not to bump into people, she does not notice who the people are, sitting at the tables as she passes, but she hears someone call her name in a low strong voice.
    “Hope!” As she looks around, she sees Jason, two tables removed from where she will be sitting with a group of what she assumes are his friends; young women and men. He rises and comes towards her. Her blood is pumping in her ears and she doesn’t know if it is from embarrassment, fear or excitement.
    Goddamn it, he’s gorgeous! He takes hold of both her hands as if she has known him all her life and holds her at a distance looking into her face with a look she cannot recognise, and in that moment she knows that the sex would be sheet-tearingly hot.
    “Hope, clean you brain cells out”, she tells herself. As he is holding her hands at arm’s length he looks deep into her eyes and very casually invites her to join his table.
    “Thank you, but for once I’m not alone,” and she nods her head over her shoulder towards her table and friends. He looks and gives her a knowing smile.
    “You trying to prove something to me?”
    She looks at him with a straight face while he is still holding her hands.
    “Prove what?” she says pretending not to understand and takes her hands away from his grasp.
    “I must go join my friends,” she says and he stands in that one spot and watches her move away. Hope looks around and sees him turn and go back to his table.
    She walks across the length of the tavérna to her friends, knowing he might be looking at her back. And after placing kisses on each of her friends on both cheeks, she sits opposite them, noticing Anika looking radiant and suntanned and complimenting her very blonde hair and ice blue eyes, which in turn contrasted dramatically with Giánni’s swarthy dark and gentle looks, and with his warm dark brown eyes. Hope sees how they look good together.
    The three of them scan the menu and Hope feels lost and confused at the variety of dishes that is truly Greek and also regional, to this part of the country. It’s mouth-watering and lip smacking, salivatingly good. Apart from the endless variety of mezé , (morsels of food) there are local recipes, especially in seafood (as the seafood is in abundance here). And what might be considered a luxury in another part of Greece is considered mainstream eating here; crayfish with pasta, coming under the very long word astakomakaronáda (crayfish pasta), and karavídes, a type of scampi. King prawns with rice, but the menu is rich in home grown vegetable dishes. The mouth waters before there is even a chance to decide. Eating out is almost hedonistic in Greece, and definitely ritualistic. Eating must be done slowly, drinking even more slowly, and there are types of