Excerpt of "Deadly Secrets" - Chapter One, Part Four

Immobilized, she watched Dimitris reaching in his pocket and gettingout his cell phone. He spoke on the phone as he was heading back to her.
“Is everything all right, Captain?”
Helena looked at a young sailor who was rushing towards Dimitris.
“Yes,” Dimitris replied. “Everything is under control,” he added, glancing at the street for one more time.
The sailor hesitated for a moment, then gave Helena a polite smile,and walked away.
“We should be going,” Dimitris said, arriving next to her. Hepicked up her suitcase and pulled her by the arm, leading her on the whitewashed cobble pavement towards the street. She had to run to keep up with him, as he didn’t seem willing to slow down.
As they came around the corner of a cafe, she stopped dead in hertracks. An impressive Porsche Cayenne Jeep was parked right behind the building, its black color shining in the summer sun like onyx. Helena took a deep breath… her dream car…
Her thoughts were interrupted as he had already put her suitcasein the vehicle and was holding the door for her to get in. She blushed as their eyes met, and hastily climbed inside. Sinking into the soft leather seat, she admired the luxurious interior and the impressive dashboard. A thrill washed over her. Riding in a Jeep like this was a dream come true. She drew a deep breath and watched Dimitris walk around the vehicle and get in on the driver’s side.
The strong engine came to life, and the car took off. Helena had tohold on to her seat, as he was driving way too fast for these narrow roads. She glanced over at him, trying hard to control her accelerated heartbeat. His eyes were set on the road, and she had a chance to admire the intriguing profile and the broad shoulders. Her gaze movedto the powerful hands with the long fingers holding steadily onto the wheel. A jolt of desire shot right through her. What would it feel like having those hands touching me… caressing me?
Bewildered, Helena snapped out of it, wondering where these thoughts came from. She hardly knew the man. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, flexing her hands to release some of the tension. What is the matter with me? she wondered. It’s probably due to the adrenaline rush caused by fear, she decided. It just can’t be him…
Turning her gaze to the road ahead of them, she took another deepbreath, trying to clear the wild thoughts whirling around in her mind.
She sensed his eyes on her. It took all the strength she could musterto keep from staring back at him. The proximity in the confined area of the car was bad enough; she couldn’t handle getting lost in those gorgeous, dark-brown eyes of his again.
Helena kept silent, and so did he.
Trying to draw her attention from his powerful presence, she startednoticing the surroundings. They were going up a hill, and things began to seem familiar. She had forgotten how beautiful this place was.
The road was curving around, and she had a great view of the portand Chora with its little white houses built amphitheatrically, overlooking the water. Over to the side, Helena saw a Greek Orthodox Church built on the edge of the hill, dominating the area.
Something about the Cycladic Islands—a group of thirty-threeislands in the Aegean Sea forming a circle around the sacred island of Delos—made people feel as if they were in a dreamland… gorgeous sandy beaches, architecture in white and blue, and narrow roads leading uphill to windmills and beautiful churches which had been standing there for hundreds of years, dominating people and nature.
Helena always liked Greek Orthodox churches with their Byzantinepaintings, their gold and marble decorations, their vitro windows, and the strong smell of incense in the air.
When she finally saw the house at the top of the hill, she felt restless, and her heart pounded faster. Just as beautiful as she remembered, it stood drowned in red, pink, and white rosebushes, as well as white and yellow jasmine, while a pergola climbed all the way to the second floor windows. She remembered the exquisite aroma of the flowers and couldn’t wait to get closer.
Dizzied by the roller-coaster of her emotions, she glanced at theman next to her and noticed he was watching her again. The look in his eyes was intense and penetrating, and Helena felt as if it could reach all the way to her soul. She drew a deep breath to calm down and instinctively licked her lips. What is he thinking about? He wasn’t the typical Greek; they usually were so openhearted and friendly.
She didn’t have time to think of anything else, as they pulled into the driveway that circled in front of the house.
The front door swung open, and a beautiful young woman with long black hair came outside. She stood at the top of the marble staircase leading to the veranda in front of the house. Helena had the urge to jump out of the car and run into her arms. Instead, she climbed outslowly and hesitated, staring at her aunt for a few seconds. Astonished, she saw her aunt launching down the steps and taking her in her arms. She felt so welcome and happy—like a little girl coming home after a long trip.
She couldn’t help glancing towards Dimitris. He was staring at herintensely, his gaze burning into her skin…
She turned back to her aunt. In her crimson red dress and matchingsandals, she was more beautiful than she remembered. Her long shiny hair fell in loose, soft waves onto her shoulders, and her skin was tanned.Admiring her aunt, Helena realized for one more time how pale her own skin was.
Her aunt released her hug and took a step back to take a better lookat her. Her sparkling eyes gave away how happy she was to see her.
“Welcome home, Helena,” she said excited and turned to Dimitris,who was waiting patiently by the car. “Isn’t she beautiful? She looks just like an angel.”
Helena’s breath caught in her throat as she heard him agreeing with her aunt. She didn’t have time to say anything as her aunt went on. “You look just the way I thought you would. I always knew the cute little girl with the sweet blue eyes and the long blonde braid would turn into a gorgeous young woman.”
Helena felt her cheeks growing warm, and she spoke quickly so that her aunt wouldn’t have a chance to go on appraising her. “It’s so good to see you again, Aunt Sophie. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Then why did it take you so long to come back?” the man asked in a low tone of voice, sounding somewhat sarcastic.
Helena was taken aback by his intervention, and facing him, she gave him a hard look. How dare he get involved in family matters like this?
Her retort died on her lips when Sophie said, “Dimitris, leave her alone. You know it wasn’t her fault.” Then, smiling warmly, she turned to Helena. “You have to forgive Dimitris. He’s been with us for so long that he gets very protective of the family.”
Helena couldn’t get over her aggravation. She already felt badenough for not having contacted Sophie all these years; she didn’t appreciate a stranger interfering in a sensitive matter like this. She wantedto set him straight but decided to leave the matter alone for now.
Without giving him another look, she followed her aunt into the house. Going through the huge mahogany doors, she shivered, feelinghis intense gaze burning into her back…
Only after she heard the powerful engine coming to life, she realizedshe was holding her breath. I never even thanked him for picking me up at the port… Never mind. It serves him right for interfering like this…
***
Dimitris drove too fast for the narrow roads of the island. He had to release some tension… Being so close to her after all these years andtrying to act totally unaffected were more than he could handle. She had turned out just as amazing as he had imagined. She was breathtaking… and she didn’t remember him…

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