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

And for mains, they have the flomária (local pasta) with crayfish and flomária , with cockerel. And this is all washed down with the unique local white wine that is sweet scented floral to the nose and slightly honeyed to the mouth, even though it is a dry wine. And always the mandatory fresh, summer bright red tomatoes, locally grown and drizzled with Greek olive oil, sprinkled with oregano - a taste to kill for!
    They finish late and when they get up to go, Hope notices that Jason and his paréa (a group of friends) have gone. She did not see him all night, as she had her back to him but was painfully aware that she must not turn around at any time. Giánni and Anika walk her home, just for the company, but she never feels out of sync walking home on her own on this island, no matter how late it is.
    The next day Hope repeats her routine, as she will for the next few days; she would go to the beach, lay around each day a little longer, go home, have a shower, have a short siesta, have an afternoon coffee on her veranda listening to music, and then get dressed, go to the retaining wall and wait for Jason.
    It has become a habit and she expects him to be there every day, even for a few minutes, (that was all he could stay for, since he was on duty), it never occurs to her to ask him why he was her way every week day at the same time. She just took it for granted and expected to see him.
    Never did he ask for her phone number, approach her or touch her, except for the night at the tavern, when he had held her hands for a few minutes and looked into her eyes, but she is not sure if she wants to touch him again.
    Hope is good at building walls! She has done it all her life, since she has been a child, and yet she craves intimacy. She is not aware of these contradictions within herself.
    It seems that Jason had worked out the time Hope would be there, and she would find him waiting for her, and there seemed to be order in that.
    On this one day, he is not there. She is devastated by his absence. She has taken it for granted, that this gorgeous example of a man would be waiting for her every afternoon.
    Dear God, what a feeling this was! She is shocked and exhilarated by the notion that she could even feel this strongly about an afternoon chat with a man. She drags herself into reality again and decides to walk up to the fortress. She walks to the base of the hill and begins to climb. She is half way up, when she stops, to look out to the sea.
    She was a fair distance from the meeting spot and as she looks around, he is there, sitting on the bench and staring out to the sea.
    Suddenly Hope is in a panic. How does she get back down, get to him quickly before he has time to leave and not show that she is eager or that she even cares, because she does not care, she tells herself, even though her heart is palpitating.
    She feels her stomach rolling, her legs trembling and her heart pumping. “Please, please don’t go. I’ll be there shortly, but please don’t notice that I’m anxious about it.” She wants to walk down the hill and cross the sand at a leisurely pace and pretend that she doesn’t give a damn.
    After what seemed forever she finds herself there, next to him, (casually and pretending how natural it all is, when in fact she has a war going on inside her whole body). Her brain is telling her how this is so silly; her stomach, the pounding blood in her ears and in her heart that would not stop. As she stands next to his sitting figure he looks up. “Hi” she says, in an overly-pretend casual voice.
    “Hi”. He pats the space next to him as a signal for her to sit next to him, and she does. And for the first time, she allows herself to really take in his aura; his manly scent fills her nostrils.
    “I can’t stay long. Can I see you tonight?”
    “See me how?” her brain is making a strange connection with her mouth. What the hell did she just say! Woman, get a grip!
    He looks at her with a crooked smile. He