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Every Saturday morning he ventured over to have coffee with Mika, and every Saturday he pulled her injection from the fridge. She’d say he didn’t have to help, but he did.
They ran five times a week before dinner and jogged the trails with Breeze panting alongside them.
“Gotta stop,” she said and flopped down on a large rock.
She seemed more out of breath than usual. Wasn’t that one of the side effects? Maybe she should see a doctor. Mika yanked the bottle of water from her belt and drank it down in gulps.
“I’ve made a decision,” she said once her heavy breathing receded.
“About Greece?”
“No, I can’t afford to go to Greece. About running the Victoria Goodlife half marathon.”
He smiled at her. “You’re doing eleven now, you’d have to work up to twenty-one.”
“I can do it.”
That’s all it took for him to commit to her, and each day he pushed her harder. He took her sharp retorts and every colorful word she threw at him, but he kept pushing.
Two weeks later, and up to fifteen kilometers, she tripped, landing face first in the sand. He lay beside her, looking up at the sky, and grinned until she stopped swearing at him and herself. She rolled over and they both looked into the heavens.
“One minute,” he warned, and she blew out her breath. “By the way, I hope you got your vacation time planned with your boss.”
She rolled her head to stare at him. “I told you, I can’t afford it. We’re not all hookers, ya know.”
He spit out a laugh. “I’ve got your ticket already, so pack your things. We leave next Saturday. Do you have a carrying case for the biologics? You have to keep them cold.”
“You expect me to just wing my way to Greece with you?”
He rolled onto his side, and she did the same. “Yup, I need my best friend with me when I tell my dad I’m his biological son.”
She sat bolt upright. “You knew?”
“I had the test done the last time I was in Greece. Stole Dad’s toothbrush. I wanted to know for certain even though I was pretty sure.”
“Why didn’t you tell him?”
“I knew there was a time and a place. Maybe now is the time.”
“And what if he refuses the truth? You have to be ready for that. If he’s as much of a jerk as you say he is, he might.”
“I’m prepared for that. My conscience is clean.” At least about that, he thought.
She rolled to her knees and gave him an odd look. “You,”—she pointed a finger at him—“Most definitely don’t have a clean conscience. Have you forgotten what you do for a living?” Standing, she brushed the sand from her clothes.
She reached out to him, but instead of letting her pull him up, he yanked her down, and she landed on him with a thunk. Sitting up, she straddled his hips, and he allowed himself to accept that his fair lady and friend was completely and utterly out of this world desirable.
What he felt for her had always been there, but he’d placed a wall between his lust and her innocence. His blood boiled and his shaft pulsed. The crown of her mons nudged against his hardening need. It had been five months since he’d taken a client in his escort capacity. All his energy had been poured into the charity website.
He placed a hand on each of her shoulders. “Come with me.”
She pressed her lips together as she often did when she considered things. “What about Breeze? I don’t want to leave her in a kennel.”
“I have a sitter.”
He just had to make damn sure their paths didn’t cross, because Mika would put two and two together when she saw Sofia. He wanted to tell her what he’d done that night, but once he’d learned about the psoriasis, and he’d done a lot of research since then, he knew stress was extremely bad for someone with her condition. That’s the excuse he’d used, but he’d hid behind it because his feelings were growing in leaps and bounds for the little lady sitting on his damn crotch giving him the hard-on of the century.
“Okay,” she said.
He sat up, and she shimmied off him. They both jumped to their feet. “Really?”
“Psst, I’ve always wanted to visit Greece. It’s my heritage, too. Least half of it. We can overdose on souvlaki,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “My credit card is going to take a hit, but it’s worth it.”
“You can leave your cards at home, and you’re still in training. We run every day while we’re there. And, it’s going to be harder because it’s nothing but hills.”
“I hate hills,” she complained.
He glanced at his watch. “Stop stalling or I’ll be smacking your ass.”
She pranced away from him. “Hey, guess what?”
He gave her a raised brow. “Since I started all the torturous running, I’ve lost thirty-five pounds.” She lifted her arms and did a twirl.
“I’ve noticed,” he said under his breath and cleared his throat. “Let’s finish this run.” She trotted beside him. “Faster.”
She picked up the pace, determination on her brow. He pulled ahead, and she kept up. They finished the last five kilometers in record time. She bowed at the middle when they got back to the house, then flopped down on the grass. Breeze lay down beside her and panted, drops of water dripping from her tongue because she beat them home and slurped her dish empty.
“You have a passport, right?”
Her head sprang up. “No.” She curled around onto her knees. “There’s no way I can get one that quick.”
“Call in sick tomorrow morning, and we’ll go down and drop off the paperwork and get a picture on the way.”
“You’re gonna get me fired.”
He didn’t respond because buried deep inside him, he wished she would, and he’d be right there to take care of her.
****
The knock on her door had her flying into overdrive. She’d woken up late because she’d stayed up late last night. It was Sarah’s birthday party, and the girls had gone out to celebrate downtown. Thank God, she’d almost finished packing before she left, and just had to add her toiletries. Her hair was still wet, but that was tough.
“You ready?” Cain called out.
Did that man not understand the Landlord-Tenant thing about privacy?
“Just about,” she yelled back, flipping the top shut on her suitcase and zipping it closed. She jumped into her black pumps and rolled her case into the living room.
“You slept in,” he stated, taking the case from her and heading for the door.
“Sorry. It’s okay, we still have time.”
His car was about the sexiest thing on the planet, and it always smelled so darn good, with a mix of his fancy aftershave and leather. Cain hopped in beside her.
“I know it’s the crack of dawn, but we have to make the connector in Vancouver, and this was the only flight.”
She saw a car parked in front of his place. “Is that the dog sitter?”
“Yup,” he said, snapping on his seat belt and shoving the stick into first gear.
“Wait,” she yelled out. He slammed on the breaks when they were beside his house.
“What?” he said startled.
She jumped out. “I gotta pee. I’ll never make it.” She ran for the front door and he lunged, choking himself on his seatbelt.
“Shit. No, Mika, we’ll stop on the way.” He chased her and almost bowled her over when he rushed in to see Sofia and Mika face to face.
“Hi,” Mika said weakly.
“Hiya. Nice to meet you, this time,” Sofia stretched out her hand. Mika just stared at the other woman. “You’re the sitter?”
Sofia’s long blonde hair swayed as she bobbed her head. “Friend, sitter, you know, you know.” She gave him a wink, and he wanted to die right there. “By the way, that guy, Ben—he was an asshole. You were right to dump him there and then.”
Mika stared, her mouth open a little. “Yeah,” she breathed. “I just have to use the bathroom.” She bulleted from the room, and Sofia watched her go, then her eyes narrowed.
“You didn’t tell her, what you did, did you?”
He stretched his neck, considering what would happened next.
“Now, you’re getting on a long haul flight to Greece with her?”
He closed his eyes and breathed out a sigh. Mika stepped carefully into the room and skirted the edge with a wary expression.
“Have a good time,” Sofia said and darted a look between them.
Mika bolted out the front door, and he felt the cold wind that followed her. “See ya, Sof.”
“Good luck,” she sang out.
Mika stood with her hand on the top of the car, staring at the roof. He rounded it like a big chicken, as if the car could protect him. “I’ll explain everything on the way.”
She looked left then right, but not at him.
“I promise you, I had good intentions.”
She cracked the door slowly and got in. Without a word, she pulled the belt across her body and shoved it into the latch.
He wasn’t sure talking right now was a good idea, but neither was saying nothing and letting her mind go in all sorts of wrong directions.
“Sofia is a friend of mine. We’ve known each other for a few years.”
“If she’s your girlfriend, why isn’t she going to Greece with you?” Mika crossed her legs and stared straight ahead.
“Not my girlfriend. Not in the sense that she and I have ever been involved. I helped her a long time ago. We became professional peers, you might say.”
“She’s a prostitute?” Mika stammered.
He nodded. “Yes. A very well-paid escort.”
He drove out to the roadway and turned left toward the airport located in Sidney.
“She was with you that night? That was your business meeting?”
“No, Mika, I called her when you left on your date.”
Mika’s eyes rounded with questions when she looked at him.
“Listen, I...I called her to...to...” He gripped the steering wheel tightly and blurted out, “I didn’t want him to take you home. I asked Sofia to intervene, hoping he’d do exactly what he did, and you’d see he wasn’t worth your time.”
He squinted, waiting for her to go nuts on him, and he’d deserve every nasty word she threw his way.
His heart raced. She didn’t say anything, but her warm, soft fingers covered his, and she gave him a squeeze, then placed her hand back in her lap. Call him gutless, but he was afraid to look at her. He wasn’t certain if she was so angry she couldn’t talk or whether she understood.
Within twenty minutes he pulled into the airport. She got out. He rounded the car and snagged her in his arms. “Are you mad at me?”
Her big eyes gazed up at him from beneath her curls. “No.”
He pulled her tighter. “I didn’t do it to hurt you. I wanted to save you from hurt.”
“I get that,” she said. “I hope Ben learned a lesson when she told him what her fee was, whatever it is.”
“She left as soon as I had you safely out of there.”
Mika gave him a smirk. “Just meant another night with the battery operated boyfriend. No big deal.”
He sucked the air in through his teeth. “About that...umm, you’re kidding when you say that, right?”
Mika didn’t answer him. She nudged him to retrieve her bags. After wrestling her overweight luggage and his smaller case out of the trunk, they walked all the way into the terminal.
Just as they were stepping into the First Class lineup, she answered his question. “No.”
“Your passports, please. Oh, Mr. Sallas, nice to see you again,” the attendant said, flicking a glance at Mika.
“Good Morning, Angela,” he growled.
The last straw. The last camel, and his resistance broke.
No more B.O.B. No more fucking around. Three plane rides. One boat ride, and Mika was about to find out what he’d been suppressing for months. He was taking her home. Taking her back to the starting line. Back to the place where he’d taken the wrong turn in his life. Their paths had crossed for a reason. She had refused love because she saw herself as damaged on the outside. He had abused himself until he was damaged on the inside. Mika and Cain were going to start again.
****
Thirty hours later, he heard her say “Wooow!” for the fiftieth time. The first time was getting off the plane in Athens. Then a few times on the ferry ride to his parents’ small, picturesque island. When they arrived at his family’s massive estate, her eyes nearly popped out, and she said it over and over again as he led her through the villa to her room.
“Jaw dropping beautiful,” she murmured. “Greece is amazing. I love the smell of the sea and the scent of the flowers. There are flowers blooming everywhere,” she gushed.
But the biggest wow came when he opened the door to the suite. She wandered in, trying to see everything at once. White stucco walls and high arched ceilings graced the guest room. There were no windows, only passages onto a large patio with vines dripping from the railings and a view that went on for miles across a crystalline sea. The breeze wrapped invisible arms of warmth around him, sweeping intoxicating thoughts into his mind, while she seemed overly enamored by the thick, chunky furniture cluttering the room and a massive king bed sitting in an alcove.
The maid, who had greeted them when they arrived, said his parents were on the mainland, and would be back tomorrow night.
“When is your brother getting here?” she called out, still staring out at the sea from the balcony.
He joined her and took a steadying breath. “Later on today. He’ll be here for dinner.”
“Is he bringing anyone with him?”
“Probably. Whatever his current flavor is.”
“That’s not nice.”
“True, though.”
She turned and leaned against the half wall, staring at him with a thoughtful expression. “I can’t believe I’m here.”
The wind played with her hair, her warm, expressive features smiling at him. He gripped the ledge, trapping her within his arms.
“Yes, you are. With me,” he said in hushed words. “Do you know why?” He wound his hand to the back of her neck, her silky curls tickling his fingers.
“To tell your dad you’re his son?” Her expression creased with confusion.
“That might be one reason, but not the one that matters.”
She smiled. “That’s pretty important.”
Cain shook his head. “I wanted to bring us both home. Your heritage. My birth place. I wanted to be here when I tell you, I’ve looked in your eyes at least a thousand times, and every time I’ve kissed you with my gaze.” Her chest rose with a deep inhale. “I can’t live with the thought that one day someone will take you away from me, Mika.” He pressed closer, leaving only a sliver width between them.
Her eyes widened with surprise.
Cain’s heart thundered as he brushed her mouth with a gentle kiss. His tongue teased her lips until she responded, and his world teetered with her acceptance. Her kiss was hungry and deep, not like a scared rabbit the night of his birthday. When her arms snaked around his neck, he poured every ounce of his experience into the moment. Finally, they both needed air, and parted.
“Okay,” she whispered looking down. “Okay, that was stupid.”
“Why?” He buried his face in her hair, loving the silky curls.
She squirmed to get away from him, and he reluctantly let her go. “It’s not your birthday...I...I think you better go to your room.”
A small twitch at the side of his mouth made her take another step back.
“I am in my room.”
He reached for the button on his shirt, and she took another step back. With each button he released, he took a step forward and she took one backwards, until the bed stopped her retreat. Exactly where he wanted her.
