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‘I think I might be in heaven,’ she sighed contentedly, watching as he dropped the box and turned straight back to the boat to retrieve the big canvas bag.

From this he pulled plush velvety beach towels, a parasol, a bottle of sun cream.

‘You’ve thought of everything.’

‘I hope so.’

She sat down on one of the towels, glad that she’d put her bikini on under her light cheesecloth dress.

Demetrios stripped off his shirt and in averting her gaze from his chest she found herself looking at his tanned legs instead, which was almost as distracting.

‘Did I tell you I am going to build a boat?’

Shauna laughed, ‘You might have mentioned it a hundred times.’

‘I am going to build a boat for you. You make me want to create something, something that is as beautiful and unique as you are.’

‘I’d be happy with a bunch of flowers,’ she said, ‘or just a smile. My dad always says, “May your heart be happy, may your smile be wide, and may your pocket always have a coin or two inside.”’

‘I think I would like your father.’

‘And I think he would like you … especially if you build me a boat to sail home in.’

‘The Irish Sea is a bit choppy, no? I think I could do it.’ He waved his arm dismissively at the sea.

She laughed. ‘Remind me not to get a lift home in your boat.’

‘I will call it Beauty, after you.’

Shauna giggled, not thinking for a moment that he meant it.

They whiled the day away reading on the beach, swimming in the sea and eating a picnic of freshly made pitta bread, tzatziki, a crunchy salad of sweet tomatoes, cucumber, onion and feta, and glass bottles of chilled Coca-Cola. Demetrios told her about his magical childhood growing up on Ithos, until it was cruelly snatched away from him when he was sent to a first-rate private boarding school in Athens.

After lunch Shauna lay on her stomach and picked up her book; she had finished her Jackie Collins and was now reading The Thorn Birds. It had been left behind in one of the cabins and found its way into the pile of lost items in the corner of the galley. Her mother would have been utterly shocked at the thought of a Catholic priest falling in love, but Shauna was enjoying the romantic element and the idea of forbidden love. Today though, with Demetrios so close to her, it was impossible to concentrate.

Beside her, Demetrios lay dozing. She couldn’t stop herself gazing at his face while his eyes were closed, his hazel eyes protected by the fringe of dark lashes. If a man could be said to be beautiful, then he was. It was a strange kind of torture being so close. She realized she really wanted to touch him and for him to touch her, but he’d been the perfect gentleman all day. Even when they’d been swimming, he’d kept his distance. She sighed and went back to her book but before long found her eyelids drooping. Eventually she gave in and rolled on to her back, letting sleep envelop her.

She woke to Demetrios’s lazy feline smile. ‘Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty.’ It reminded her of the first time she’d met him, and she lay looking up at him, willing him to close the distance between them and kiss her. She wanted his mouth on hers and there was a dull ache in her heart.

‘Come on, one last swim and then we ought to go back.’ Demetrios jumped up and ran down into the sea. Surprised by his sudden burst of speed, she scrambled to her feet and laughing ran after him into the water. By the time she neared the water’s edge he’d already swum out into the bay, his powerful crawl eating up the distance as if he were trying to escape something. Not being a strong swimmer, she paddled in the shallows watching tiny silver streaks of fish dart this way and that.

When he finally waded out of the sea towards her, she simply stared at him as the water droplets sparkled on his skin in the sunshine. He was simply gorgeous and the yearning to touch him was stronger than ever.

He came closer to her, and in that moment she knew what she was about to say; she couldn’t have resisted her body even if she wanted to. ‘Demetrios,’ she asked, her voice full of desire, ‘have I done something wrong?’

‘Oh, Shauna,’ he said. ‘You have no idea what you are doing to me. Being in your company and trying to be a saint is quite a burden.’

She narrowed her eyes. ‘I didn’t ask you to be a saint.’ She stepped forward, and gently touched her lips to his, desire shooting through her. He responded with a groan, pulling away.

‘Shauna,’ he pleaded, ‘I’m not made of stone.’

‘Who says I want you to be?’ She softened her mouth, whispering her lips over his and pressing her body against his. It was almost a relief after the constant longing to feel his body against hers, the heat of his skin next to hers and to finally give in to the desire that had been plaguing her for days.

He pulled away and with one tender hand cupped her cheek, his eyes boring into hers with an intensity that sent her senses into high alert. ‘I’ve been wanting you too …’

The touch of his fingers stroking her skin sent tingles racing down her spine, stirring heat between her thighs and bringing an unfulfilled ache to her breasts. In that moment she realized she loved him with a depth of passion she hadn’t know she was capable of.

‘Shauna,’ he murmured, bending to kiss her, placing a chain of tiny kisses across her cheeks, ‘my heart is lost to you.’