‘Not one part. I’m not that kind of guy.’
‘What kind is that?’
He gives me a sweet smile. ‘I’m withyou, Evie. That means I’m one hundred per cent with you. I’m not going to look at another woman and wonder what if.’
He’s saying all the right things and I want to believe him. I’m impressed that his head isn’t turned by Lucy. She’s got a certain charisma that turns rational types into molten liquid.
This man really is the whole package. My own lies are on the tip of my tongue and there they stay. ‘It’s been eye-opening being on the sidelines near a character like Lucy, who is currently sitting on the lap of some shipping magnate’s billionaire progeny, so you’re safe – maybe?’
With that he visibly relaxes. Playboy he isn’t, which I find endlessly fascinating. From our many dates taken around this beautiful island, I’ve learned that Georgios would rather sit and chat books all day, than be part of a bigger crowd, be seen, be heard, be on display. When we first met I judged him on sight, simply because of the way he looked. He’s nothing like I pegged him for; in fact he’s the opposite and similar to me in ways I could only dream about. Have I found my perfect match?
He gives a shake of his head. ‘Thank God.’
‘The library members adore her, so there’s that. The place is still pumping and last I checked we were almost sold out of her books.’
He raises a brow. ‘You’ve pulled it off. The party of the century.’
‘Wedid! I mean, it’s for Gran so it’s a given I’ll risk peopling, but it hasn’t been quite as terrible as I expected. Not saying I’m going to morph into a party girl, but I could possibly attend future events in a purely cameo timeframe: now you see me, now you don’t – kind of thing.’
He laughs. ‘Parties are overrated.’
‘Not for these bookworms. They’ve almost drunk the bar dry. Luckily Gran’s got a stash of booze in her villa.’ If Gran manages to pay her rent, and get back in the black with her finances, hire some staff, then it’ll be time for me to go home. Leave the island for good and amp up the job hunt. Leave Georgios behind …
‘Why the sad face?’ he asks, tucking a loose tendril of hair behind my ear. It’s such an intimate gesture that words freeze on my tongue. Do I want a future with Georgios?
‘It’s nothing,’ I say, smiling. ‘Shall we get you that drink?’
‘We could – or we could escape? I’ve got a cracking headache and all I want is a glass of water and absolute silence.’
I step forward and hug him tight. ‘How are you so perfect? Let me tell Gran and we’ll leave them to it. From the sounds it, these bookworms are going to burn the candle at both ends and I want no part in that.’
Chapter 26
I wake up with a throbbing head from not drinking enough water throughout the launch party. I almost jump outside of my skin when I see a sleeping Georgios curled up in the sheets beside me.
Then it all comes back to me. He’d been twisting and turning on the small sofa, clearly uncomfortable, so I invited him into the bed and made a pillow fort between us like a teenagers do. Not because I don’t trust him, but because limbs tend to go akimbo during the witching hour and no one wants to wake up holding a random body part and have to explain that.
Soft shards of sunlight land across his features, highlighting the smooth planes of his face. I have an almost irresistible urge to run a finger over his lips to feel them beneath my fingertip. He’s so at peace as he sleeps, his face softer somehow.
He blinks his eyes open and I screech and propel myself backwards, hitting my head against the wall. ‘I was—’
‘Watching me sleep?’ He grins and pulls himself upright.
‘No! Trying to work out an escape route so I wouldn’t disturb you.’
He does the cool-guy head tilt. ‘It’s OK, you can tell me the truth.’
I grab the pillow from behind me and hit him with it. ‘That’s for being presumptuous and also being a happy morning person.’
He takes the pillow and props it behind his shoulders. Urgh, he even smells nice when he wakes up, a mix of his cologne and the sweet scent of sleep.
‘You don’t wake up happy?’
I lean back on the pillow. ‘No, not really. Each night, I tell myself I’ll only read one more chapter and before I know it, I’m starting book two of a five-book series. A minute later it’s three a.m. and I’m feeling peckish … Cake-Lit, gets me every time.’
‘Cake-Lit? He pulls the sheet up to his chest, which is adorable considering I’ve seen him almost naked at the beach.
‘Romances set in bakeries, cafés, chocolate shops, pop-up tea vans, that kind of thing. They really should have snack warnings on the cover.’
