“Watch where you’re going next time,” I snap, clutching my items to my chest.
He raises his brows and then goes on his way.
What about him was familiar? I’m utterly afraid now because my mind feels like it’s crackling with memory and for some reason, in the abyss of my subconscious, he symbolizes danger. There’s no way that Penny’s memories could resurface, could they? A shiver crawls through me, and I swallow a lump that’s risen in my throat. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe my brain’s just fucked up from the hypnosis and being held at gunpoint by the Young brothers.
It’s nothing. He was just a random dude, Allie. I shake the strange slither of emotion away and force myself to look completely calm when the men return. Alexi’s eyes narrow, and I immediately think that he’s aware of my deception.
We amble out of the airport into the sunlight, and I hold onto the edges of my short baby-blue dress as a fresh breeze of Santorini’s salty air fills my nostrils. It’s an island known for its night life, the party atmosphere apparent in the types of amusement available on the streets. We’d hailed a cab that now drives us through the heart of the island’s city, leading us out toward the edge of the land mass which will take us to the house Shawn rented. Part of me feels giddy; the excitement of the unknown dangling over me like a vice I’ll never grow out of. I think I’ve always liked unpredictability, unless my survival was in question. But now, I attempt to relax myself enough to enjoy every moment. This vacation was planned so that we could rest after our bullet wounds and the fractures to our minds.
“You good, girl?” Alexi whispers, his tone nearly husky as he utters it against my earlobe. My skin hums under his breath, and I glance at him, looking him up and down.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask, both playfully and sardonically.
He smirks.
I love the playfulness between us. He’s blunt and as sharp as an arrow in his mannerisms, but I’ve seen the softness of him. The passion that exists between us.
“Sometimes I wonder,” he says, and threads his arm behind my back, kneading across the naked skin of my shoulder where the sleeve lays aside. I can’t ignore that my body responds to the warmth of his skin, the smooth pads of his fingers pressing into my muscles. Sometimes I forget that touch is not dangerous and although I enjoy a bit of danger with Shawn, he has a special way of taking me there. The reminders of danger come from the conditioning of my stepdad and the recent assault from James and Daniel. Alexi’s touch is anything but dangerous. It’s possessive and passionate.
“You haven’t spoken to me nearly the entire trip, so I guess you wouldn’t know,” I tease.
I see Alexi’s broad chest rise, and he moves his hand down, lowering it so that his palm hovers over the curve of my backside on the leather seat. Rhett is sitting on the opposite edge of the car, and Shawn is talking to the driver in the limited amount of language he knows.
“I don’t need words. I’d rather show you how I feel,” he says, tone deadly low as he cups me, digging his fingers into the flesh of my ass.
Damn, Alexi. How can I respond? I’m in a car full of men, three of which are my boyfriends. How do I react? Can I even say anything? Will either of them get jealous? My lower stomach purrs with delight, a thrill running through the sloping planes of my legs.
“Hm,” I ponder his statement and lay a finger on my chin. “You have me curious, Alexi.”
“You know what curiosity does to girls like you, don’t you?” Alexi speaks seductively against my hair.
“I like living on the edge.” I smirk and Alexi smiles back, his silky lips stretching wide over teeth that gleam.
“We’ll find that edge when we have a moment alone,” he promises, and slides his fingers nearer to the split of my buttocks, gently massaging and teasing me for the remainder of the car ride.
We arrive as if no time had passed, heads swimming from the nonstop panoramic scenes and beautiful exotic homes dotting the hillsides. The driver pulls up in front of a large Greek villa built of the same construction style as the rest, except this home is built higher on the clifftops. In the brochure I’d read about private pools, shaded day beds, modern Mediterranean ambiance, Hammam steam baths, an outdoor bar, and an endless array of places to lounge your life away.
Seeing it now, I don’t care who the man in the airport was. I don’t give one fuck. Because even if I had known him long ago in what feels like another life, one that is utterly estranged from me, it doesn’t matter now.
What matters now is these men and discovering more about them. Learning everything that they are and what they mean to me. That and relaxing in this gorgeous otherworldly space. Part of me wishes I could text Emily to tell her all about it. I’m sure she’d shake her head and laugh at me for the situations I get myself into. Or maybe she wouldn’t, depending on her experience of Penny. My stomach tightens with discomfort at the thought of Emily hating me.
Shawn tips the driver generously and we’re left alone to explore the grand villa. Shawn has paid for a private housekeeper to clean up throughout the week, a personal bartender, and has reserved spaces where no other visitors can roam. We’ve rented the villa for a month, but Shawn had mentioned on the way here that if we need more time he can easily accommodate that.
Within the villa everything is brilliantly white, and the only art that graces the walls contains soothing blue hues. The towels and blankets are also different shades of blue, everything consisting of calming textures and scents. We all grab our bags and toss them onto the floors of the bedrooms, dispersing to get settled in. I’m surprised that we each have our own. Although I don’t know what I expected. A giant family sized bed? One of those Alaskan King size mattresses we can all snuggle up with each other at night? Somehow I don’t see these men doing that. I almost laugh aloud at my intrusive thoughts but then sigh as I go to the window in my room, staring out at the blue sea and cerulean pool water with its glass edge overlooking the scenery of sea and clifftops.
There’s a hand on the back of my neck and then I’m pulled into a passionate kiss. I recognize Alexi’s cool, masculine scent instantly, and the smooth planes of his lips claim mine in skillful movements that don’t ask for my tongue but rather demand it. A small moan slips from me, and his fingers rake through my hair, then he holds onto me for a moment that makes me think he wants more.
“Are you still curious, girl?” he asks me, and I nod against his chest, breathing him in.
“What was your problem?” I ask this because I don’t know what else to say in this moment. I watch his eyes lower slightly and he shifts so that he can look out the window as his bulky arms encircle me.
“I don’t want you to worry about it now,” he mutters and releases me. “Why don’t you get out of these clothes and into a swimsuit?”
The offer is a gentle one, but I can see the carnal glaze over his eyes and the curve of a bemused smile.
“Swim with me?” I ask, going to my bags.
He dips his chin and lays his hands on his hips as he watches me move. I purposefully sway my hips as I walk, and I bend at the waist over my suitcase, allowing him a scandalous view of my ass.
Anita was the one who’d done most of my packing, although I had gone into the closet in Shawn’s mansion and taken out all of the things I wanted to take with me. When I was in there, it finally dawned on me that the reason Shawn’s mammoth walk-in closet had a women’s section was for Penny. It had all of her sizes, both in clothing and shoes. As I touched those items, I couldn’t help but let my fingers linger over them, closing my eyes as if I’d call up memories like a psychic speaks to the dead.