How could she not get this? He was showing her everything he’d felt for her, his entire life, all wrapped up in one kiss. He didn’t want to lose her as a friend, he could never lose her, it would kill him. She smelled and tasted as good as he remembered and he wanted more of her. No, he needed more of her. Her hair felt so soft under his fingertips, and her skin was like silk. He ran his hand lightly down her cheek, running lower to the soft spot on her neck, then down her shoulder as he pulled her closer.
She melted against him and he heard her moan softly, almost making him lose complete control of himself. Pulling back slowly, he watched as her dark eyes focused on his face.
“I’ve tried not to think this way about you, tried not to want you for years.” He took her mouth again, this time running his hands up and down her back as she bowed and flexed under his touch. She was soft and when he pulled her farther down to the ground, a moan escaped his lips as he trailed hot kisses down her slender neck. Her hands were fisted in his hair and he could tell she had totally lost track of where they were, because she was moving under him, holding onto his hair, and the noises she was making sounded loud in the large field. He wondered what she would be like when he finally touched her, skin to skin.
My God! What would it be like when he took her? Would she scream? The thought made it almost unbearable to stop running his hands over her. But he slowly pulled away and looked down into her eyes. Her short dark hair was fanned out in the soft grass underneath them, her cheeks were the color of honey with a hint of pink, her lips… closing his eyes, he tried not to think about her lips again.
“Katie,” he opened his eyes to see her watching him cautiously, “we need to have that talk.” He sat up, removing himself from her soft body; he could get used to feeling it under his own.
He avoided looking at her to better control himself, and when he finally did look at her, he could see the hurt in her eyes. Putting his fingers under her chin, he pulled her face up until she looked at him.
“Don’t,” he said, softly. “I’m not sorry about the kiss, I actually want to do it again. But we have some things to talk about first, and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. I was going to take us down the hill to that small town and see about getting some lunch.” He pointed off towards the left where she could see the small town.
“Can you wait to get your answers until after we eat?”
She nodded her head as Jason stood up and pulled her up behind him. Instead of letting her go, he pulled her into his arms and held onto her for just a minute. She smelled like flour with a hint of grass and heaven, which made him smile.
It was a short walk into the town, which sat on the side of a steep hill. The very old stone buildings were clustered within a three block radius. each well maintained and housing their own little shops.
They quickly found the town’s deli and ordered some freshly made spinach leek pie. Jason had always enjoyed trying new foods; for the most part he hadn’t found anything that he hadn’t liked so far.
“Why is it that the food here is so much better than what I remember back home?” Katie said after swallowing a large mouth full of the crispy crust.
“Back home all you ever did was eat cheese pizza and drink mocha. How is your mocha addiction going, by the way?”
“Oh, I stopped drinking it except for special occasions. It took almost a month for the shakes to stop.” She smiled up at him.
“Well, what do you say about having some diples pastry for desert?”
“Oh, I love diples, as long as I can have two.”
The diples were the best he’d ever had; the large honey roll was still warm and tasted like heaven. Katie enjoyed them so much, she tried to steal several bites of his. He swatted her hands away lightly, laughing at her face as she pouted.
He had been impressed when she had spoken Greek and placed their order to the older women behind the counter. He’d been in the country less than a month and had only picked up some basic words. She must have guessed his thoughts from the way he was looking at her.
“So, I bought a translation book. It’s not like I expect everyone to speak English.” He’d actually found out that a lot of people did speak English everywhere he’d gone. So far he’d only had to learn a handful of useful words in French, Spanish, Italian, and Greek.
Sometimes Katie was the same old Katie he’d known forever. Other times he saw that the last year had done something to her, changed her. He would see her eyes cloud over and she’d become distant, and he could see the sadness overcoming her. He understood the betrayal she’d suffered; it’s not everyone that finds out their mother was married to someone else while they were married to your father. To be hit double with the knowledge that the man who’d raised you wasn’t actually your biological father, Jason had seen firsthand what it had done to her.
After she found out via the phone call from her mother, she’d passed out cold on the floor of the coffee shop.
Once she’d woken, thanks to some smelling salts from an emergency kit in the bakery, he’d driven her home. She had looked like a ghost and hadn’t said a word during the short drive. Her eyes seemed hollowed out, her skin, which was normally a light tan, had been pale and clammy. He’d hated seeing her that way. Less than a month later, she’d taken off and left the country.
He knew it was in part due to her friends turning on her. Even he had felt betrayed by some of the things everyone else had said about Katie and his relationship, none of it true at the time.
Now, as she excused herself and headed to the back of the place towards the bathrooms, he watched the busy room to make sure no one watched them. He’d been cautious walking into town, and he figured the place was small enough that he could spot anyone who appeared out of place.
Taking this moment, he pulled out his cell phone and decided instead of a lengthy call he would just text his message instead.
– Made contact – someone tried to grab her – she’s safe
– Where are you?
– Just outside Patra – change of plans, coming to you – taking a plane tomorrow – should be there soon
– Be careful
He tucked his phone back into his jeans and waited for Katie to come back out of the restroom.