Page 127 of Love Among the Ruins
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
ELENI
It was the sunshine streaming through the bedroom window that woke her up.
She hadn’t bothered pulling the blinds down because she wanted to see the lights around the poolside area from her bedroom window. It was such a pretty sight to look at as she lay down to sleep.
But now a new day had dawned; a day she dreaded despite Dominic’s attempts to make her feel at ease. She worried more than ever about the new dress she had purchased, and of it not being worthy.
Getting out of bed, she pulled the garment out of the closet and examined it closely. Now she was worried that it might be too risqué. The sleeveless, beaded, corset top was too fitted, the full-length satin skirt with a fishtail too figure hugging.
It had looked glamorous when she’d tried it on at the shop, but now she wasn’t too sure.
The last thing she wanted was to look like Dominic’s cheap date. She wanted to do him proud. Wanted to slip into his world and feel a part of it.
She’d found it touching that he had been more concerned about how people would treat her—people like Linus and Agnes and Isidora—if they discovered that the two of them had been here together. She’d had to remind Dominic that they were only playing at dating.
It wasfake,right?
She put the dress away and got showered and dressed into casual clothes before venturing into the kitchen for breakfast. The house was empty. No sign of Xenia or Dominic.
Too restless to eat, she decided to go for a run to calm her nerves. Training for the expedition was always at the back of her mind, lurking like an anchor around her ankles.
A run in the morning would kill some time, especially with the wedding being in the early afternoon and Dominic had said he would be working.
She ran a scenic route, past the beach and then some shops, a church and a bus stop, then jogged all the way back. Hot and thirsty, she headed straight into the refrigerator for a carton of orange juice.
Hearing a rippling noise, she looked out of the window to see Dominic swimming lengths in the pool.
His face was in the water like a professional swimmer, his thick arms, strong and powerful, cutting through the water with ease as he glided serenely.
She watched him, mesmerized, unable to take a sip of the juice which, only moments ago, she’d been thirsting for. He was so elegant, so silent, and majestic, that she could not take her eyes off him.
He stopped when he reached the end of the pool, wiping the water away from his face and smoothing his hair back. He still hadn’t seen her, and seemed to be in a flow state, aware of nothing and no one as he swam to the other end of the pool. Then he climbed out looking like an Olympic gold level swimming god.
Eleni’s jaw dropped open as she moved towards the door. Perspiration trickled down the back of her neck, along the sides of her face. Whether this was because of her run, or from watching Dominic, she couldn’t tell.
He walked towards her. “You’re going to spill your juice.” He nodded at her glass which was in danger of tipping over. She tipped it upright just as his eyes traveled down her length. In the dim corners of her mind, it struck her that he was watching her with the same intensity that she was him. “You went for a run?” His voice was a raspy whisper.
“I’ve gotten lazy with my training for the expedition.”
“Ah, yes. The expedition.” He reached for a towel and the world slowed down, giving her ample time to take in his glistening wet body. Rivulets of water trickled down his large expanse of chest, lower, lower, lower, just like her gaze.
His swim shorts hugged his hips … and she could only imagine the riches that lay beneath that fabric. Fireworks exploded in her mind, and she forced herself to stare at his face because she was in serious danger of drooling like a baby if her eyes lowered.
Dominic moved the towel over his hips, shielding himself from her. He swiped a hand over his jaw, bringing her attention to those angular bones she had come to know so well.
Their gazes held in a moment buzzing with promise. Something sparked in the air between them, something she could feel thrumming along her skin, coiling low in her belly.
“We should start getting ready,” he told her. “We leave in ninety minutes.”
