Romancing the Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #5)(42)
Author: Jessica Clare

“I guess we are. Want to go sightseeing?”

She blinked at his suggestion. “Shouldn’t we work on this?”

“We should. And we will. But for now, why don’t we just enjoy the day? Take some time off? You seem tired.”

If she was tired, it was because she was still a puddle of jelly after last night’s interlude. It was an interlude which had rattled her to her core and hadn’t seemed to affect him at all. Sheesh. “I’m not tired.”

“Good. Then shall we go exploring?”

“Can’t I eat breakfast first?”

“I never said we’d skip out on the eating,” Jonathan said in a low murmur.

And that made her blush, thinking again of the plane ride over. Damn it, she was pretty sure he’d said that just to bug her. And that made her all confused again.

Which Jonathan was he? Jonathan of all shrugs and not caring if they ever touched each other again? Or suggestive, madly in love with her after ten years Jonathan?

She was so confused.

—

They spent the day in the warm sun. Santorini was just as idyllic as she remembered it. The island itself was formed from the remnants of a volcano, the city hugging the edges of the caldera. It had been one of the oldest civilizations in existence thirty-six hundred years ago when the volcano had erupted and destroyed Akrotiri. In the present day, Fira town was its own little white cluster of buildings crawling over the rocky soil, surrounded by the impossibly beautiful ocean and jagged cliffs. It was utterly lovely, and the sky overhead was a sea of endless blue.

She’d loved this place when she’d snuck away here with Jonathan so many years ago. They’d left the Akrotiri dig behind for a weekend of passionate lovemaking in the Kallista Hotel back when they were teenagers, and walking the streets ten years later, she couldn’t stop thinking about that weekend.

Back then, Jonathan had held her hand as they’d explored the narrow streets.

Today, he walked at her side. As a friend. The thought left a sour note in her mind.

Fira’s shops lined the streets, colorful fabrics and beach souvenirs catching the eye. Delicious smells lingered in the marketplace, and she couldn’t resist stopping for a bite of baklava, or a delicious gyro. She bought a colorful linen wrap intended for the beach, and took her time browsing as they shopped. It was pleasant . . . and infuriating at the same time.

They went sightseeing and talked about nothing in particular. They read the poem repeatedly, scanned the streets for wheels or things that might have matched up with their clues, and came away empty-handed. By the end of the evening, Violet’s feet ached from walking, her nose was sunburned, and she was a good, achy tired again. They’d eaten all day as they’d walked, so there was no need for dinner. Still, when it came time to part, Violet hesitated. Did Jonathan want to spend time with her? Maybe come up to her room? Have a little more “friends with benefits” time?

Not that she wanted to, she assured herself. But if he wanted to, then at least she’d know he was still interested.

But Jonathan seemingly didn’t care. He gave her a quick smile, told her he’d call her in the morning when he woke up, and headed down the hall to his own room.

And for some reason, that bugged Violet. It seemed like the more mixed-up she became emotionally, the more he retreated.

She hated that. She wanted him to be just as torn and confused as she was. She wanted him to think about their interlude on the plane when he laid down to sleep that night, because lord knew she was.

She dreamed about him, too. Dark, delicious dreams of his mouth and his hands, and him murmuring filthy poetry in her ear as he made love to her.

It was depressing to wake up and find she was in bed alone.

The next day went much like the first. They headed to the beaches, and when Violet protested that they probably wouldn’t find any hints toward her father’s poem, Jonathan suggested that they simply enjoy themselves. It would come to them at some point. They just had to be patient and wait, and until they came across it, they could enjoy the island paradise that Santorini had to offer. She just needed to think of it as a working vacation, Jonathan teased.

And Violet thought she was good at being patient, but she wasn’t. She really wasn’t. Because when they walked the beach and strolled in the surf, she wanted Jonathan to hold her hand like the other couples they saw. She wanted to run her hands over those flexing muscles and know that he belonged to her.

She was falling for him all over again, and that was dangerous. The harder she fought to pull away from him, the closer she was dragged.

It seemed to be the opposite for him. Jonathan was cheerful and friendly, but there was a definite distance between them. It was like he didn’t care if he ever kissed or touched her again.

She should have been happy with that. Just like she should have been happy to have a few days of paradise on the beaches of Santorini, enjoying the sun and relaxing in a beautiful Mediterranean island.

But she wasn’t. She was more tense than ever, and it had nothing to do with her father’s silly scavenger hunt and everything to do with the gorgeous, sexy man at her side who was determined to just be her friend.

Why on earth had she ever said she wanted to just be friends? Worse than that, why was he okay with it?

Violet felt like she was in a hellish sort of limbo. A friendly, no-strings-attached, no-hearts-on-the-line sort of limbo. It was a limbo she would have been perfectly happy with two weeks ago, before Jonathan was back in her life.

But now that he was, it seemed her heart wanted all or nothing. And she was utterly terrified of that, just like she was terrified that he was no longer attracted to her.

What if she fell for him again—a very real possibility—and he was no longer interested? She’d be left behind, hung out to dry once more.

And it scared the hell out of her.

But as day three merged into day four in the island paradise, business and pleasure continued to mix together. When Jonathan suggested that they check out the local scuba diving in case of any submerged wheels, Violet knew it was a long shot, but she went along with it, and they spent a day diving in the blue Mediterranean waters. Following that train of thought, they visited every tour of the ruins on the island, and Violet hated that she enjoyed it so very much. Each day was pleasant, and utterly, completely frustrating. She couldn’t keep living in this wonderful, terrible limbo. She just couldn’t.

Something had to be done.

It was clear that Jonathan wasn’t pursuing her anymore. If she wanted him, she’d have to pursue him and make it obvious that she desired him. She’d have to put her heart out on the line and offer it up to him, not knowing if he was even attracted to her anymore. Maybe he was content with their now-friendship.