Page 80 of Dagger in the Sea

“No.”

He shoved me up against the glass wall of the bar, letting out a guttural noise. Pain radiated through my back, it hurt, but I welcomed the pain. We were alive.

Alive.

And I wanted to feel.

My gaze fell to his lips, tense lips, hostile, cruel, and I wanted them on me delivering their brand of punishment. I kissed him, and a groan heaved from his throat. He claimed my mouth in return with a crushing press of his heat. Warm whisky filled my senses, his taste, that unique blend of masculine perfection that I couldn’t define. A taste which my body recognized asright. The painful grip of his fingers on my neck, the press of the hard wall of his chest against mine—the world whirled, and I soared in the twist.

His fingers dug in my hair and fisted there, forehead sliding to mine, our damp lips a breath apart. “Don’t expect an apology for that.” He nipped at my lower lip with his teeth, sucking on the edge, and I gasped at the sting, the rawness.

“I don’t want one,” I breathed.

Sharp grunts rose from the lower deck. Luca was taking and getting what he wanted, celebrating his victory. Wincing, Turo stiffened in my hold and pulled away from me, a hand brushing down his face.

I wanted more than grappling in the dark amongst thieves. I wanted more from Turo DeMarco from America.

I said, “You have two minutes to pack your bag.”

That crooked grin slashed across those devastating lips. His head slanted, eyes burning. A conspirator.

“Sweetheart, I never unpacked.”

Andros

23

Turo

We’d gottenon the first ferry out of Mykonos. Next stop, Andros.

Adri and I sat on the deck of the ship drinking espressos and smoking cigarettes in the harsh wind, barely speaking, but we didn’t have to speak. For the first time ever, I didn’t want to plan anything, I didn’t want to know the details and analyze them. I trusted her.

We kept close, sitting on a wooden bench, watching the deep blue water churn in the huge ship’s wake. I bought us a third round of espressos and stirred a packet of the dark sugar she favored in her cup then handed it to her. Her eyes gleamed at me, her leg pressing against mine as she sipped on the sweet, stiff brew. A little, simple thing, and it made her happy. Made me happy too.

She lit another cigarette for me, and it took her four tries because of the wind. We leaned in close together, our heads touching, our grins corroborating. I took her cold hand in mine and rubbed it, keeping it tucked between my side and my arm.

A curious sense of intimacy, wordless and gentle and quiet, had easily risen between us since we’d gotten off theAllegraand onto her friend’s fishing boat. Once on the ferry, the thick fog in my head lifted, the ache crushing my skull, the heaviness in my chest dissipating. We leaned back on the hard bench, taking in the slosh and slice of the big ship through the rough sea, moving us toward another island. She’d given this to me, this relief, this escape, and it was ours.

Two hours plus later, the ferry slowed its pace and backed into a small cove of a harbor surrounded by mountains.

This was Andros.

We made our way to the lower deck, got our bags, and disembarked from the bowels of the massive ship along with a line of cars and a small crowd of pedestrians.

“Our caretaker is meeting us with the car.” Adri scanned the people waiting in the harbor.

“Caretaker?”

“Of the family property here.”

“You own property here?”

“We have a house. My mother’s family is from Andros originally.”

The sight of the great white ferry heading off into the distance made me take in a deep breath. A deep breath of fresh sea air. We were here, just the two of us on this island in the Aegean, and nobody knew. Nobody.

I rubbed a hand down my chest the sunlight warming me. A huge grin broke her face. “Ah, there he is.” She waved.

---