“What?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head.
“Liar. Tell me.”
“You’re not ready to hear it yet.” I had no idea what the hell that mean, and he didn’t give me chance to ask as he glanced behind him, then reached for my hand. “Come on. Let’s get out of here and have some fun.”
I looked down at his outstretched hand, which he held out for me so casually, as though it wasn’t a big deal, or this wasn’t the first time he’d offered it. But the expectant look on his face had me sliding my fingers through his anyway. When I looked up at Henry again, he was smiling that smile of his that made my stomach flip without much effort.
“Don’t look so scared, angel eyes. It’s just a hand.”
“I know exactly what that hand is capable of.”
“I haven’t even got started yet.”
“What if someone sees us like this?”
“I’ll have to tell them how you’re finding it hard to keep yourself away from me. How I had to take pity on you.”
“You have it all figured out, don’t you?”
“Nah.” He strode ahead, pulling me along with him, his face tilted up to the sun. “I just figure you’re worth the risk, no matter what happens now.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Henry
Twice I’d kissed her now, and twice I’d been interrupted one way or another.
I’d started to think God was punishing me for something I didn’t know I’d done—probably for my lack of faith in him since losing my parents. If he thought a good case of blue balls would make me start praying again, he had another thing coming. The only thing I found worthy of worship at this point in my life was the woman sitting opposite me in a quaint little Greek tavern, her body half-turned toward the ocean, her chin tilted up to the sun, her eyes closed behind her sunglasses.
From the moment we’d taken our seats on a little two-seater table next to a white-washed wooden railing that allowed us to look straight out onto the water, she’d been smitten. When I chose to pay attention, like right now, it was clear to see how Phoebe took in the world around her in quiet little moments, where all she needed were her own thoughts and no drama. She looked like the embodiment of peace, which she’d somehow managed to sink into me, too.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this way.
The realisation that it had probably been over a decade ago when my parents had been alive threatened to ruin the moment, the way grief often did, smacking you up the side of the head when you least expect it. But I somehow pushed those dark thoughts away and focused on the light Phoebe radiated in front of me instead, sighing in my contentment.
At the sound of my exhale, Phoebe opened her eyes to look at me with a soft smile. “Sorry. I got lost in my own head for a second there.”
“That doesn’t sound like something you need to apologise for. Unless those thoughts were bad, which, judging by the look on your face, they weren’t.”
“Nothing about being here with you is bad.” A playful scowl formed between her brows. “Unless you go back to being the old, miserable Henry. That could ruin it a little.”
“Hey,” I said with a half-hearted laugh. “You weren’t exactly warm and inviting when we first met, either.”
“What did you expect? I had to react to your despicable temperament somehow. You can’t blame a girl for giving a guy shit when he’s as rude as you were.”
“Fair.” I tugged one leg over my other thigh, holding it in place by the ankle as I just looked at her, taking her in.
Her beauty was unrivalled at this point, especially with the backdrop of Mykonos behind her, all whites and blues and pinks and greens making her stand out even more. The constant breeze around this island had her hair blowing like we were in the middle of a pop diva’s music video, and the spattering of delicate freckles across the bridge of her nose seemed to darken by the day, making me want to trace my finger over each and every one.
“What?” she asked when I stared a moment too long. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m admiring the view.”
That blush she always tried to hide crept into her cheeks almost instantly, and I couldn’t wait to find out where else she blushed when I finally got her naked and to myself. Before I could continue to make her feel any more awkward though, the waiter came over to take our order. Truthfully, I didn’t even feel ready for food yet, but I’d needed an excuse to get Phoebe alone, and I’d seen this little place on the waterfront the first day the boys and I had arrived, vowing to visit it on my own at some point to really soak it all in.
Instead, I’d brought the woman sitting opposite me, who’d just placed an order for a burrata salad, a bottle of Mythos, and now waited for me to speak.
