“It’s not insane. It’s beautiful,” he said. “Stay here.”
He walked over to one of the beachgoers and spoke in rapid Greek, motioning from the picture to me and then pulling a camera—of course he had one—from his pocket. The young woman nodded and followed him back to where I stood.
“Okay, let’s go,” he said with a smile and led me near the water.
The woman motioned us to the right, and we moved a little until she held up her hand.
“Oh, one thing.” Paxton dropped to his knees in front of me, his fingers deftly undoing the straps of my shoes. “Hers were off.”
He was recreating the photograph. How could I defend myself against him? Steel my heart when he was everything I never knew I’d needed? I expected to hear warning bells in my brain, some kind of mechanism to snap me out of the rabbit hole I was eagerly jumping into, but there was nothing but a feeling of peace, of rightness.
He took off my shoes one at a time, the moment so surreal that I could barely breathe, yet I’d never felt more awake—more alive.
Leaning forward, he placed a reverent kiss on one of my scars, then gave the same attention to my other leg, and my heart threatened to burst. Too much—he was too perfect, too gentle, too close, and yet not close enough. He rose before me and filled every one of my senses until the world around me narrowed to just him. Then he swept my hair behind my neck and over my shoulder.
“Ready?”
I couldn’t speak, only nod.
“You are incredible, Leah,” he said, and kissed me, the soft caress of his lips breaking past the last of my barriers until I was left bare, my emotions stripped raw in the best way.
Joy filled every ounce of my body, radiating through my smile as he lifted me above his head. He never looked away, his grin playful, sexy, intense, and a touch wicked…just like he was.
In that breath of eternity, it didn’t matter that our time was limited, or that our close quarters were intensifying every emotion. It didn’t matter that he was everything I swore I’d never want, or that he took risks on a daily basis that scared the shit out of me. And it didn’t matter that I’d only known him for five weeks. Anything that could have mattered had fled with all logic and reason, leaving the purest of feelings coursing through my veins, singing along every nerve.
In that moment, I fell in love with Paxton Wilder.
I cupped his face in my hands, savoring the slight scratch of scruff against my palms, and said the only thing I could. “Yes. I’m saying yes.”
His grin morphed into the most beautiful smile I could have ever imagined, and the air of possibility charged between us, held us in an electric current more powerful than any I’d ever experienced. “You won’t be sorry.”
I was too high on love to look past this moment, to look further into our future, or question it. I’d taken the leap and was already mid-fall, too far gone to wonder if he’d catch me, but already knowing he would. Under the sun of Mykonos, with the sand of Kalafatis Beach under us, I gave in to the adventure of my life.
What a way to fall.
Chapter Nineteen
Leah
Mykonos
“Are you sure this is okay?” I asked Paxton’s mom as she opened the last shade on the guesthouse.
“Absolutely. The rest of his little club gets here in a couple days, and they’ll invade the house. Once that happens, there’s no peace to be found. Trust me.”
I looked around at the beautiful open space. With three of the walls made up of windows, it was as if the house was part of the landscape itself, looking out over the Aegean. It had a bathroom, kitchenette, eating area…and a huge king-size bed.
“Then you should take it,” I offered.
She waved me off, her eyes taking that same sparkle Paxton’s did. “Oh, no. I won’t be here. Once that zoo crew pulls in I’m headed to Paris for the week. I love my son dearly, but he’s always done better when left to his own devices. And I promised Brandon I’d visit while he’s there on business.”
I dropped my bag at the foot of the bed and walked over to where she stood at the wall of windows. “Pax and Brandon…they don’t get along very well, do they?” I asked, knowing I was stepping a toe over the line.
She shook her head. “Brandon is their father. Straight-edged and business-minded. Paxton…well, he’s me. If you bought them a sailboat, Brandon would assess its worth and where it belongs in his portfolio. Paxton would see how fast he could race it. Neither of them take the time to examine the other’s world. Ironically, that’s why their father and I aren’t married anymore. Even all the love in the world can’t stitch together souls that are too stubborn to bend. I’m afraid that’s all Paxton has seen when it comes to relationships…to love.” She sighed. “Are your parents still married?”
“Yes, ma’am. Nauseatingly happy.” A stab of longing ripped into me. What was it about knowing I couldn’t go home until Christmas that made me miss them a little more?
“None of that ‘ma’am’ stuff. It’s Athena.” Mrs. Wilder shook her finger at me.
I blinked. “Wow. The same as our ship. Talk about coincidences.”
She looked out over the Aegean with a wistful look. “As I said, all the love in the world.”
Before I could ask her what she meant, Paxton walked in with his bag and dropped it next to mine. “You sure you don’t mind the take-over, Mom?”