Welcome To Crete - Regreece (100 best novels of all time txt) 📗

"Exactly, so you're safe. What can I do? I'll even make sure the bricks flatten me first, that'll be entertaining for you," he coaxed as he moved her towards his chair.
"I'm not sitting on your lap!" she exclaimed when she realized his intention.
She turned then to edge away, but seeing an opportunity he took her by surprise and swept an arm around her middle, pulling her backwards onto his lap in one swift movement.
She glared at him as his arms held her there. "Are you out of your mind? Let me up!"
He watched her inquisitively, "You're so jumpy around me you know, you need to learn how to relax."
"Hmm, I relax for two seconds and I end up like this." She frowned, glancing down at his fingers that were teasing the skin of her bare arm.
"Yes but like you said, Nikos is coming back so I can't rip all your clothes off and make wild, passionate love to you here can I?"
He watched her facial expression change.

Oh here we go, how did she let herself get into those situations?

"When are you going to give into me Fay?" he whispered into her ear.
"Adam, I'm nev..."
He put a finger to her lips, "you promised you wouldn't say that again."

His finger remained there and she suddenly felt impetuous as she opened her mouth quickly to bite it. He pulled it swiftly away but his eyes widened with excitement.
"Ooh, feisty Fay is back!"
"I'll be more feisty than you can handle if you don't let me up now!" she threatened.
"No, you're staying here. Besides I'd kill to see you more feisty than I can handle," he challenged.

She grabbed for his hands suddenly, intending to pull them away from her but he predicted her move and took her by the wrists. She paused and then moved her arms in a circular motion, forcing his hands to let her go as she turned sideways to slip off his lap. He caught her just in time though, hauling her back to him and she stifled a laugh as she landed unceremoniously back on his lap. Then she straightened her face and assessed him for a moment as he watched her triumphantly. She suddenly moved her foot backwards towards his leg, kicking him.

Well he was completely pushing his luck, what did he expect?

"Let me go Adam!"
He laughed, "Now that hurt just a bit but no I don't think so, I'm having way too much fun."
She went to kick him again but he moved his leg quickly, hooking it around hers and rendering her even more immobile.
"Oh, you are going to be in so much trouble Adam if you don't let me go this minute!"
He looked thrilled, "Say things like that to me and I think I will rip all your clothes off and make wild, passionate love to you here Fay."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll call for Nikos."
He wasn't perturbed. "We'd make an interesting picture for him, wrapped around each other on the table."
She tried to hide her amusement and he smiled at the look on her face.
"Painting quite an interesting picture for myself right now actually," he grinned.
She rolled her eyes. "You're completely incorrigible Adam, you know that?"
"Oh, I've only just started," he warned.
"You're all talk," she scoffed.
He lifted an eyebrow. "Wait till I get you out of here and see if I'm all talk."
"I'll be on my guard," she whispered in his ear.
"I'll get you off it," he whispered back. "I'll ravage those lips of yours and break down your defenses," he added.
She laughed. "Better men have tried and failed."
"Oh good, I enjoy a challenge... And I know I'm going to enjoy seeing you eating your own words...almost as much as I'm going to enjoy seeing you blush as I take all your clothes off." He awaited her comeback.
"You're very certain that I'll fall at your feet Adam," she said indignantly.
He smiled slowly. "You want to know why?"
"Do tell."
His voice became slightly more serious then. "Because there is no way I could feel so passionately about you if you didn't feel anything in return."

She suddenly felt unnerved as the playful atmosphere changed and his gaze became intense. He reached out and traced her lips with his fingers and she watched him like a rabbit caught in a spotlight, unable to move. He seemed fascinated by her mouth.
"Do you know how many different ways I have imagined kissing these lips?" he said, as her mouth opened slightly to let more air into her lungs.

At that point they heard voices coming from the back of the taverna and Fay swung her head around in shock.
"Let me up now, he's coming back," she frowned.
He hesitated. "Kiss me quickly Fay, before he comes back."
"Are you mad? Let me up," she repeated.
"Not until I get a quick kiss." He kept a firm grip on her and she gave him an angry stare.
"This isn't funny now Adam, let go of me."
"A quick kiss is all it will take," he persisted.
She heard footsteps and looked at him in panic. The footsteps got nearer.
"Bloody hell!"
She leant forward and briefly pressed her lips to his. They were so soft and he could feel the heat from her cheeks, smell her heady perfume. His body flooded with adrenalin; it was what he'd been waiting to experience for what seemed like so long. He made the most of the opportunity, grabbing the back of her head and holding her there for a few seconds, enjoying the feel of her lips yielding to his. Then he let her go as the door opened. She bolted off his lap and got to her feet just as Nikos re-entered the room.
"Did you feel the sismos?" Nikos asked them.
"Yes," she smiled, running an agitated hand through her hair.
"Hmm," Adam added, grinning at Fay. Okay so it was only a brief kiss, and he'd tricked her into it too, but he was winning her over and he knew it wouldn't be long until they kissed passionately. A kiss between them could be nothing less.
Chapter 30

"Okay, I phone the boat, the people there so now we go. I don't know, maybe we have problem with the sismos but we try. Come, come," Nikos said, ushering Fay and Adam out of the door and leading them across the square to the harbour, with Adam grinning at Fay all the way and Fay doing her best to ignore him.

The sea was calm enough for Nikos to take the boat out so they boarded and headed into the bay. It was a fairly large boat designed for tourist trips, with two decks of seats, some outside, some sheltered. There was also an inside area with a bar and some tables where people could eat. They stood on the top deck, at the side of the boat, to look at the view and Nikos pointed out the 'Sunken City' in the distance.

"You see 'Olous' over there?" Nikos asked.
"Oh yes, we walked that way earlier. I didn't know its name though. Adam and I were wondering why the city sank Nikos," she said, glancing at Adam with amusement.
"The Ottomans destroy it. Olous was an important city in ancient Creta, bring and take many exports. The fort on Spinalonga," he pointed in the opposite direction towards the island, "they build to protect Olous but the Turks come after and destroy Olous. Many people hide from the Turks on Spinalonga. And of course after the Turks leave, island become place for lepers only, first go there 1903 and stop 1957."

A shout suddenly came from below and Nikos moved towards the lower deck as Fay turned to Adam; "A lot of tourists visited last year with an interest in Spinalonga after the book 'The Island' by Joanna Hislop was published. Have you heard of it?"
"I've heard it mentioned," he said, inspecting the island as they neared it.

It was a rocky place which, from a distance, was almost camouflaged amongst the same coral, sandy coloured ground of the surrounding mainland. At closer range however the long island's coastline could be seen, showing it to be wider at the nearest point to them and tapering slightly at the back. The defensive walls facing them had been built at the lower part of the island, and above they could see a natural, raised ridge running down the centre of its length. There were patches of greenery dotted along the ridge and a round fortress was also visible above the island's walls.

As Fay stood looking out at Spinalonga she recalled the dark, unsettling atmosphere of the stone rooms that the lepers had inhabited. It was a melancholy place in many ways. She shivered suddenly with the memory and the cold wind that was chilling her bare arms.
"Are you okay?" Adam asked, glancing down at her.
"Yes, I'm just a bit cold suddenly," she smiled, moving to put her jacket on.

He took it off her though and held it out for her to slip it on. She put her arms in the sleeves and he lifted it over her shoulders, sweeping her hair out of the collar and caressing the back of her neck as he did so. He tilted his head and watched her for a moment until her hair blew across her face as the wind suddenly changed and he laughed, pulling it back with both hands.
"It's got a mind of its own this hair of yours."
Fay laughed. "Yes, I know. Sal once tried to straighten it but gave up after about ten minutes."
"Don't you dare straighten it! You wouldn't be Fay with straight hair," he said, pushing her curls forward onto one of her shoulders and putting his head next to hers.
"Hey! Your hair smells different today," he observed.
She moved her head away from his and turned around to face him. "Ah yes," she said with a slight sheepish look, "I borrowed some of your shampoo, my hair was all full of sea salt."
"That's okay." His expression changed then as he pictured her in his shower, washing her hair. She watched him for a moment and then turned, heading towards the front of the boat.

"Hey, where are you running off to?" he asked as she moved away.
She turned a few metres from him. "Nowhere, just looking down here." She started to move again.
He laughed,