Sam wished he’d hired a taxi for their trip to Oia. Though the journey wasn’t that far, considering Santorini wasn’t a big island, the tiny interior of the smart car made the trip seem longer.

He’d had to fold himself into the driver’s seat and sit with his knees up to his chin. Mrs. D was at least a foot shorter than he was. A smart car made sense for the woman. And she’d been so happy to loan it to them, that he hadn’t had the heart to turn down her kind offer.

“You know, I could drive.”

“I’d be just as cramped in the passenger seat,” Sam said. “I can do this is if you help me make sure I’m in the right gear, since I can’t see the gear shift past my leg.” He glanced at her. “You know how to drive a five speed?”

She grinned. “My father taught me on his pride and joy, a ’67 Mustang convertible he restored.”

“Nice car,” Sam said. “That model had a lot more leg room.”

She laughed. “My dad loved that car. He’d take it to the antique car shows and prop open the hood. He kept the engine clean enough to eat off.”

“Your dad sounds like he would have been pretty special.”

“He was.” She sighed. “He always got my mother chocolates and flowers on Valentine’s Day, even when he wasn’t at home. He made sure someone delivered them. And he never forgot their anniversary.”

“The man was a saint.” Sam drove along the coast, headed toward the tip of the island.

“What about your family?” Kinsey asked. “Are your parents still around?”

“Oh, yeah. They’re on a cruise right now. We just left Ireland a few days ago where my brother, Wyatt, got married.”

“You’re so very lucky.” Kinsey smiled. “I always wanted a brother.”

“My father wanted more children, but Mom put down her foot when Dad wanted to keep trying for a girl.”

“How wonderful for you to grow up with all those siblings.”

Sam slowed for a car turning onto the road ahead of him. “We fought a lot, but all four of us would take a bullet for the rest.”

Kinsey stared out the windshield. “If I ever have children, I want at least four. I’d never have only one.”

He chuckled. “What if you could only have one?”

“Then I’d adopt the other three. I never want a child of mine to grow up alone.”

“Was it hard being an only child?” Sam asked. “I can imagine it would have been a lot easier not having to fight for space in the bathroom or share a room with someone else.”

“Yeah, there is that, but life as an only child can be lonely. I always wished I had siblings. I dreamed about being a big sister or the aunt to my nieces and nephews. Who knows, I might still have a shot at the aunt role, but only if I’m lucky enough to marry a man with siblings.”

Sam had enough brothers to share. His stomach fluttered at the thought he had the qualifications to be a potential husband to Kinsey. What would it be like to be married to a woman like her? Would his brothers accept her as part of the Magnus clan? Why was he thinking along those lines? He wasn’t in the market to marry. “What about your extended family? Do you have any aunts or uncles?” Sam asked.

She snorted. “My parents were only children. That fact was one of the reasons they were attracted to each other. They understood what the situation was like.”

“Why didn’t they have more children?”

“They tried, but it just didn’t happen.” Kinsey stared out the window at the coastline. “I came along later in their lives. Surprising them when they thought they were done. I was their only shot at being parents. And they were the best.”

Sam glanced across at Kinsey.

She was smiling.

He liked the way she talked about her parents, how much she loved them and wanted to be like them. He felt the same. His family meant the world to him. Growing up with his brothers had been one adventure after another. He knew how fortunate he was to still have both his parents.

Kinsey talked of growing up in Virginia, and Sam shared some of the crazy stunts he and his brothers pulled as kids and teens in Texas.

Soon, they were pulling into the town of Oia on the northern tip of the island. Like Imerovigli, whitewashed structures clung to the hillsides. Sam parked the car near the shore, helped Kinsey out and locked the door. Using the directions Mrs. D had kindly provided, they climbed to the blue-domed churches where vendors had set up tents and booths with food, crafts and clothing for sale. In an open area, a band played lively music.

The sun was on its daily slide into the ocean, making for another spectacular view.

Sam stood with his arm around Kinsey and let the colors wash over him, seeming to cleanse the worry from his mind.

Being with Kinsey made him realize how much of life and laughter he’d been missing. She showed him an entirely different outlook and how to embrace the good each day brought. The woman made him feel lighter and happier than he’d felt in years.

The music rose in volume as the sun disappeared. Twinkle lights lit the square where people danced and laughed.

When the band segued into a flowing waltz, Sam asked Kinsey, “Do you want to dance?”

She listened to the music and her brow wrinkled. “I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I danced a waltz.” She looked up at him. “Do you even know how to waltz?”

He looked down his nose and gave her his most offended look. “Madame, I’ll have you know I’m an excellent waltzer. Or whatever you call it.”

Kinsey’s eyebrows rose up her forehead. “I’m having a hard time imagining that.”

“Then quit imagining and let me demonstrate.” He held out his hand.

When she laid her fingers against his palm, he spun her out and back into his arms, holding her in the proper frame for a waltz. Then he led her into the square where a few older couples were waltzing and proceeded to show her just how good he could be.

Kinsey laughed and followed each of his steps. “You are an amazing dancer. Who taught you?”

He dipped his head. “Thank you. My mother will be happy to know all those years of forcing us to learn paid off. She said the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. But the way to a woman’s heart was talent on the dance floor.”

“Your mother is brilliant.”

His heart swelled with pride. “I’ll let her know you said so. Who taught you to waltz?’

“I mentioned my parents were older, right? Well, call them old-fashioned, but they took ballroom dance together and had me enrolled at a very young age. I was waltzing when I was four.”

Sam grinned, remembering the photo she’d shown him of the young Kinsey. He could imagine her as a little girl in a dance class, twirling around the floor. “Now, that I can picture. I bet you were a cute little four-year-old.”

She smiled and winked. “I had my choice of dance partners. All between fifty and seventy years old.”

The song ended, and a lively salsa played. “Now, this tempo is where my Texas roots will come in handy,” Sam said. “Ever do the salsa?”

Kinsey laughed. “No, but if you lead, I’ll follow.”

Sam proved that not only could he waltz, but he could salsa and two-step like a pro. By the time they left the festival after eleven o’clock, Sam was laughing and exhilarated by their lively dancing.

On the way back to the B&B, the music still played in his head, and he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I don’t remember the last time I went dancing. Probably in college.”

“Me, too. And what a shame. It’s great exercise. Between the snorkeling and the dancing, I think I dropped five pounds.”

They entered the B&B and tiptoed past Mrs. D’s rooms.

Sam stuck the key in the lock and started to turn it when he realized the door wasn’t even closed. Alarm bells went off in his head. He tensed and pushed Kinsey behind him. “Stay back.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” she whispered.

“The door was open. Stay here.” He gave the door a slight push.

Kinsey grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?”

“I’ll check it out and let you know if it’s clear.”

“Are you crazy?” She hung onto his arm, preventing him from crossing the threshold. “What if someone is still in there?”

Before he could respond, the door was flung all the way open, and a man charged out, plowing into Sam. He hit him like a linebacker, going for the tackle, slamming him against the opposite wall.

Kinsey yelped and backed away.

Sam hit the wall so hard his breath was knocked from his lungs, but he refused to let it incapacitate him. He had to fight back. If he went down, that action would leave Kinsey exposed to whatever the attacker had in mind. And Sam refused to let that happen.

Kinsey staggered backward, stunned by the speed and force of the attack on Sam. She backed into a wrought iron chair that was part of a bistro table set. Her fingers curled around the chair as instinct kicked in.

The man who’d more or less tackled Sam balled his fist, cocked his arm and was about to punch Sam.

Kinsey lifted the chair and whipped it toward the attacker, catching him in the cocked arm.

The blow didn’t knock out the attacker, and probably didn’t hurt him that badly, but it distracted him long enough for Sam to regain his balance and come back fighting.

He swung his fist, connecting with the man’s gut. As the man doubled over, Sam hit him with an upper cut to the jaw, sending him flying back against the wall.

Mrs. D flung open her door, cursing in Greek. When she saw what was happening, she squealed and ran back into her apartment, shouting something about calling the police. Or, at least, that’s what Kinsey understood. She prayed the woman stayed in her apartment until the attacker was incapacitated or left.

Kinsey didn’t care as long as Sam and Mrs. D were all right. With that in mind, she grabbed the chair from where it had fallen and went after the guy pushing away from the wall. He wouldn’t get another chance to hurt Sam. Not if Kinsey could help it. She swung the chair as hard as she could, but he caught it, pushed it back at her then he raced for the exit.

The force with which he flung back the chair sent Kinsey stumbling backward. She slammed into the bistro table, knocking it over, and she fell to the ground.

Sam had started after the assailant, but when he saw Kinsey drop, he stopped and turned back.

She wanted to tell him not to worry about her, but she didn’t want Sam to go after the bad guy. Another one could be waiting outside the building, ready to gang up on Sam.

Sam knelt beside Kinsey. “Are you okay?”

“I’m all right.” When she reached for his hand, a sharp pain in her side made her wince.

“You’re not all right.”

“I am. It’s just a bruise. I’ll live.” She pushed past the pain and stood, straightening her dress. “I’m more worried about you. He hit you pretty hard.” She glanced at his knuckles and winced. “And look at your hand.” Kinsey took his hand in hers. “Your knuckles are bleeding.”

Sam’s lips twisted. “Yeah. He had a jaw like a brick wall. But I got a good one in.” He set Kinsey to the side. “Let me make sure no one else is in the room.”

“I’m going with you,” Kinsey insisted.

Sam shook his head. “Stay here.” He set the chair upright and scooted it over to her. “Use this, if you have to.” Before she could protest again, he entered the room.

Mrs. D opened her door a crack and peered out. “Is the man gone?”

Kinsey nodded and pressed a finger to her lips, pointed at the door to Sam’s room.

Mrs. D’s eyes widened, and she waved Kinsey to come inside her apartment.

Kinsey shook her head. She wasn’t going anywhere without Sam. Instead, she picked up the chair and walked toward the door Sam had gone through.

As she crossed the threshold, Sam appeared in front of her.

“All clear.” He pulled her into his arms.

Kinsey dropped the chair, wrapped her arms around Sam’s neck and buried her face against his chest. “When that bastard ran into you so hard, I thought he’d break every bone in your body.” She swept her hands over his chest and ribs. “Did he?”

Sam chuckled and winced when she touched a certain spot. “No, only bruised.” He tilted back her head and looked into her eyes. “I wanted to kill him when he flung the chair at you.”

“Mother Mary, what happened?” Mrs. D appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide, pressing a shaking hand to her chest. “Who was that man?”

Sam and Kinsey turned to the landlady.

“We don’t know.” Sam crossed to the door where he pointed at the doorjamb. “He forced his way in past the lock.”

The older woman ran her hand over the damaged wood. “I was listening to music. I didn’t hear it. I am so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I will put you in another room. You cannot stay here tonight.” She hurried down the hallway to another door. “You can stay in here. I will have my cousin fix the other door tomorrow.” She removed a key from her keychain and handed it to Sam. “This intrusion has not happened before. I don’t understand.”

Kinsey didn’t enlighten the woman for fear she’d ask them to leave and take the danger with them.

“Thank you, Mrs. Demopolis,” Sam said. “We’ll clear our things out of the other room and strip the sheets from the bed.”

“No. No. I will take care of it tomorrow. The hour’s late. You need your rest.” She would have helped them carry their things, but Kinsey insisted they could manage.

Mrs. D reluctantly returned to her apartment, wringing her hands and promising she’d have her cousin install another lock on the main entrance. In the meantime, she’d lock the common door since they were the only guests in the B&B for the night.

Kinsey gathered her new clothes and toiletries, shoved them into her old suitcase along with all of her worldly goods and managed to close it long enough to carry it across the hall.

Sam stuffed his things into his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. He followed Kinsey, staying close to her.

She liked that he was there. He made her feel safe in what was beginning to feel like a very dangerous place. Apparently, whoever had attacked her the first night now knew where she stayed. The next time, she and Sam might not be as lucky to escape.

The thought made her slow as she entered the equally quaint room with similar furnishings. One chair, one queen-sized bed and a small table with two chairs. Again, the view was through a small window overlooking a courtyard.

Sam closed the door and locked it. “You can have the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Kinsey shook her head. “No way. This is your vacation. I’m the hired help. I’ll sleep on the floor. Besides, this situation is all my fault. If you hadn’t saved me, you wouldn’t have men slamming into you and breaking your ribs. I really should leave and let you get on with your life.”

Sam dropped his duffel bag on the floor, took her suitcase from her hand and set it down as well. Then he gathered her into his arms. “This incident is not your fault. I’m glad I found you before those guys took you away. Otherwise, I never would have gone snorkeling or dancing.”

His words made her feel a little better. Perhaps she was helping him after all. She touched his shirt, her fingers curling into the soft fabric. “You could have.”

“Probably not. Doing those things is not fun unless you have someone to share them with. And where would I have found a dance partner that would let me stomp on her toes?”

She laughed. “You’re too good of a dancer to stomp on anyone’s toes.” She pressed her forehead to his chest. “I feel like I’m the one with the dark cloud following me. I’m bad luck.”

“I’ll take your kind of luck. I haven’t had this much fun in too long to remember.” He kissed her forehead. “Thank you for reminding me I have a life I need to live.”

“Yeah. If you get to live it.” She looked up at him. “What if that man had done more permanent damage? I could never forgive myself if he had.”

“Again, what happened is not your fault. If I didn’t like having you around, I might have turned over your problems to the police by now.”

“So, you like me?” she asked, a tenuous smile spreading across her lips. “That’s good, because I like you, too.”

He bent and kissed the tip of her nose. “Sometimes, I think I like you too much.” He kissed her right cheek and then aimed for the left.

The warmth of his lips and the scent of his aftershave made Kinsey’s insides heat. She turned her face in time to keep him from kissing her other cheek, bringing her lips close to his. “If I ask you to, will you kiss me?”

“I wouldn’t resist.” He covered her mouth with his and gathered her even closer in his arms. “I couldn’t.”

This spot was where Kinsey wanted to be, where she felt safest. Where her world seemed to begin. She felt as if this man was who she’d been waiting for her entire life. Travis hadn’t been the one for her. But being with her ex had led her to take the leap. All the bad things that had happened to her led to this one, glorious good thing.

Finding Sam.

She gave in and let the feelings and emotions wash over her. So what if their arrangement only lasted a day, a week, or two? She’d have him for now.

“If I asked you to make love to me, would you?” she whispered, leaning her breasts against his chest.

He tightened his hold on her. “Are you asking?”

Her heart pounded as she cupped his cheek in her palm and nodded. “Please, make love to me.”

Sam closed his eyes, sucked in a deep breath that expanded his chest and let it out. Then he bent, scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

Sam set her on her feet, raised her arms over her head and bent to gather the hem of her dress. He dragged it excruciatingly slowly up her body, his hands skimming her hips, her ribs, the swells of her breasts along the way. Then he tossed the dress over the single chair and looked down at her. “You can always say no, and I’ll stop.”

“Please.” She trembled in anticipation. “Don’t stop. I want this.”

“Not as my paid companion?”

“No. As a woman. Who needs a man. Who needs you and only you.” She tugged his shirt out of the waistband of his khaki slacks and dragged it up his body and over his head.

With his chest bared, she could see the definition of every sinew and the six-pack row of muscles across his abdomen. Her mouth went dry. She swept her tongue across her lips as she reached for the button on his trousers and slipped it free.

Sam circled his hands around her back and unhooked the clasp on her bra, sliding the straps over her shoulders and down her arms until the garment dropped to the floor.

Standing in front of him wearing only her panties and the sandals he’d bought for her, she shivered in anticipation.

“You are so very beautiful.”

Her cheeks heated. “And you are wearing entirely too many clothes.”

“We should remedy that. Right away.” But he didn’t make a move to discard his pants.

Taking matters into her own hands, Kinsey lowered his zipper until his cock sprang free into her palm. The man went commando.

Her pulse ricocheted off the walls of her veins and arteries, shooting blood through her to pool at her core where she ached to feel him inside and filling her so full she couldn’t breathe for the ecstasy of their joining.

Too deep into her rising passion, she shucked her panties, kicked off her sandals and helped him push his pants over his hips and down his legs.

Sam toed off his shoes and stepped free of his pants and stood before her as naked as she.

If she thought he was sexy in his swim trunks, he was beyond anything she could have imagined standing there with his cock jutting out long, thick and proud.

Kinsey took his hand and drew him toward the bed, pausing before she climbed onto the mattress. “Damn.”

“What’s wrong?” He bent to press a kiss to the hollow at the base of her throat.

“Protection.”

“Got it.” He lifted his slacks from the floor, dug into his back pocket and pulled free his wallet. Inside, he had three condoms. He set them on the nightstand. Then he swept Kinsey off her feet and laid her on the bed.

“Are you always so prepared?”

“My father taught me a few lessons, as well.”

“I think I’d like your father.”

“I know he would like you.” Sam climbed onto the bed and lay down beside her, trailing a finger from her temple to her cheek.

Kinsey took that finger and guided it lower, tracing a line down her neck and over the swell of her breasts where she pressed his palm against one.

He took the cue and cupped the orb, rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and teasing the tip into a tight little bead. Then he bent to take it into his mouth where he tongued it.

Gasping, she lifted off the bed, her back arching, offering him more. Never had she had a man make love to her like this. Sam took his time, tasting and touching her body, making her just as excited as him.

By the time he left her breasts and tongued his way across her belly to the triangle of hair across her sex, she was breathless and ready for so much more. “Please,” she moaned.

“Please what?” he asked, blowing a warm stream of air across the ruffle of curls.

“I want you. Now.” She laced her hands into his hair and urged him lower.

He complied, parted her folds and flicked her nubbin gently.

Kinsey writhed against the sheets, a low moan rising up her throat. “Yes. Oh, sweet heaven, yes!”

Alternating between laving and flicking her with his tongue, he sent her senses into a frenzy. Her body tensed as she rose to the peak and shot over the edge of her climax, catapulting toward the stars. She rode the wave as long as it lasted, slowly drifting back to earth.

The whole time, Sam lavished his amazing skills on her sex. When she could once again think, she dug her fingers into his scalp and urged him upward. “I need you inside me.”

His gaze hungry, he climbed up her body and reached for one of the packets on the nightstand and tore it open.

Kinsey took it from him and rolled it down over his engorged staff, all the way to the base. She rolled his balls between her fingers, massaging them, liking that her touch made him even harder.

He settled his body between her legs and touched her there with the tip of his cock. “Again. You have the power. Say no and I stop here.”

“Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t have started this if I’d had any reservations. I want you to make love to me.” She drew up her knees, gripped his ass in each of her hands and pressed him into her hard and fast.

He drove deep inside, filling every inch of her channel with his thick length, stretching her and making her fully aware of just how big he was. And she wanted all of him.

He held steady, allowing her to adjust to his length and girth.

When she was ready, she guided him back out and in, setting the rhythm by starting at a slow, steady pace.

As her core heated again, she wanted him faster, hard and deeper. She gripped his buttocks and helped to him to understand her need.

Then, she lost herself in the moment.

Sam took over, pumping in and out of her so hard and fast, they shook the white iron bed, making soft bumping sounds against the wall.

Kinsey half-laughed and half-gasped as she rose with the swell of desire to the peak and again toppled over the other side.

Sam thrust once more and stayed buried deep inside, his cock throbbing with the pulse of his release.

Eventually, Kinsey relaxed, her body spent and replete, completely satisfied for the moment. “Give me a few minutes’ rest,” she whispered, her eyes closing. “And I’ll be ready to go again.”

He laughed and pulled her over onto her side beside him without breaking their intimate connection. “You might be ready, but I think recovery time will be longer for me. You were amazing.”

She chuckled. “And you thought you wouldn’t enjoy Santorini.” She opened her eyes and stared up into his.

“Santorini is not what is making this vacation magical.” He drew her face closer and kissed her lips.

His mouth tasted of her sex, making Kinsey’s body stir all over again. “If not Santorini, then what?” Travis never talked during sex. Kinsey wanted to hear the words.

“It’s you, Kinsey. You make me smile. Your relentless optimism is hard to deny, and your smile rivals the Mediterranean sunshine.”

She stroked his beard-stubbled chin, her heart warming to his words. “Better watch it flyboy, you’re waxing poetic. What would our commander think?”

“He’d think I finally got a grip and congratulate me.”

Her joy dimmed. “But I’ve brought more havoc than joy to your trip.”

“If not for the havoc, I wouldn’t know the joy. I think fate brought me to that alley and that set of steps where those men had you. I was supposed to be there to find you.”

“Yeah?” She leaned closer and kissed him. “Well, maybe next time you date a girl you can meet her in a more conventional location.” Not that she wanted to think of him dating anyone else. The thought took some of the happiness out of the euphoric haze she floated in from their lovemaking.

Kinsey had a little over a week and a half left with Sam. She would make it the best ten days ever. And when they parted, she wouldn’t cry or make him feel bad about leaving her. She’d be happy about what little time she had with him and get on with her life.

That was her plan, and she was sticking to it. As she lay beside him, wrapped in the warmth and security of his arms, a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye and dropped onto the pillow.

So, she’d let one tear slip. She would never let him see them. He couldn’t know how much he was beginning to mean to her.