Page 11 of Accidental Getaway

I yelp in pain, my vision blurring.

“Jenni, what’s wrong?” She stares at me in confusion.

“I—I don’t know. My leg feels like it’s on fire!

I must have stepped on a rock or something.

It’s nothing!” I spit the words out between sharp intakes of breath.

I don’t want her to make a big deal about this.

No matter what I’ve done to my leg, I’m not going to let Ana or Niko see me as a clumsy amateur. They cannot see me as weak.

But it’s not nothing. The pain is very quickly taking over. “I’m sure it’s fine, but I’m just going to get out of the water to take a look.”

I limp my way out of the water, starkly aware of how naked I am.

I hear Ana sloshing through the water behind me. “Let me help you!”

“It’s okay! Don’t worry.” I try to wave her off while favoring my throbbing leg and covering my chest.

I don’t have enough arms for this situation!

The thought of Ana following me to the cabana makes my cheeks burn nearly as hot as my leg. She puts an arm around my waist anyway and grabs hold of my right arm.

When we reach the cabana, Ana makes space on my lounge chair and helps me sit, wrapping a towel around my shoulders.

I pull it tightly around my chest. Of course this would happen to me.

I decide to do something new and exciting and it explodes in my face.

If Mom could see me now, I think she’d drop dead of a heart attack, and then rise again, to tell me she told me so.

“This never would have happened if you played it safe.”

I glance down to examine my throbbing leg. Instead of dripping blood and an open wound, I find an angry horseshoe-shaped, red welt. Pain pulses through my nervous system.

“What in the world is that?” I gasp out.

“I think it’s a jellyfish sting,” she replies, leaning closely in to examine it further. “I’m so sorry!”

A freaking jellyfish? Are you kidding me? My first day in Greece and I get stung by a jellyfish?

“Please don’t tell me I have to pee on myself.” I crack a joke to keep from crying.

“You’re so silly! Of course not! That’s definitely a myth. On this fine island of Mykonos, we have first aid kits. I’ll be right back.”

Ana dons her bikini top and dress and runs off to the resort. Now that I’m finally alone and not fighting to hide it, I really register the pain. Holy crap. Who knew jelly fish stings hurt this much? And who did I piss off in the universe to deserve this?

Tears streak down my cheeks, but I’m not sure if they are from the excruciating pain or the humiliation.

I grab the towel from my shoulders and wipe my cheeks, thankful no one is around to see me looking like such a hot mess. I should also get my bikini top and dress on before she gets back. I attempt to stand, putting most of my weight on my un-stung leg.

I turn around and the lounge chair where I had set my bathing suit is completely empty other than a wet spot where I’ve been sitting.

My eyes dart around the cabana and I pull the towel even tighter around my upper body.

Think, Jenni. My clothes must have slipped to the ground when Ana grabbed the towel. I hobble over to look on the other side of the chair.

“She’s just in the tent over here. I feel so terrible,” Ana’s voice reaches my ears. She is approaching with someone. Probably the attendant with the first-aid kit.

No bikini top behind the chair.

“Thanks for getting her stung by a jellyfish on her first day, Ana. That’s exactly the first impression I was hoping for.”

My stomach drops. It takes me half a second to realize she’s not talking to the attendant. She’s talking to Niko. Niko, the intimidating general manager of the Omorfiá Hotel. Niko, with whom I have a marketing meeting in a few hours.

My heart skips as I race the clock to find my clothing .

I pull out the lounge chair to check underneath it for either my top or cover-up. Even just one of them would do at this point.

“Just a minute,” I call out, my voice a few octaves higher than it should be.

Still no clothes and now my right leg is aching from supporting my bodyweight in the uneven sand.

I can hear Ana and Niko just behind the canvas side of the cabana, and the realization that I’m not going to be able to get my top back on before they come around to the front is sinking in. I’m done for. I exhale a long breath at the ache shooting up my leg and thigh.

Just as I’m about to give up, a flash of pink catches my eye underneath the drink tray.

I hobble over, but my ankle rolls in a divot of sand.

Before I know it, I’m falling through the air.

I knock over the tray with our expensive champagne and land sideways on Ana’s lounge chair.

I try to scramble to my feet, but I put too much weight on one side of the chair and it flips.

Suddenly, I’m butt in the sand and feet in the air at the precise moment Ana and Niko come to the opening of the cabana.

“What was that? Are you all right, Jenni?”

The pair stand there, staring at me. At least, I assume so, because all I can see around the end of the lounge chair are their feet: a set of pedicured toes and another with cuffed khakis and tanned but slightly hairier feet.

“I’m okay,” I announce, sounding as squeaky as a mouse. “Just took a little tumble trying to grab my dress. Probably should have just stayed put.” I attempt a self-deprecating laugh.

Niko seems to take the hint that I might not be fully presentable and excuses himself while Ana comes to help me up. Thank goodness for that. I can only survive so much humiliation for one morning and Niko seeing me topless is far above that limit.

“I think you’ve made him blush.” Ana giggles as she rightens the lounge chair and sits me down. She grabs my bikini top and dress, exchanging them for the towel that I somehow managed not to drop from my shoulders during all of the chaos. I guess I had a desperate grip.

As I get dressed, Ana tells me that she ran into Niko while getting the first aid kit and he had wanted to see if I was okay.

“Out for a walk, I guess,” Ana finishes. Then she calls out to Niko. “Okay, we’re all dressed! Can you bring me the kit?”

Niko saunters into the cabana, all smiles and charm as he hands over the kit and sets a few coffee cups on the cart.

“I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am, Miss Swanson.

” Niko locks eyes with me and I am momentarily stunned, distracted by the depth of his stare.

I expect to find concealed amusement, annoyance, or even pity.

But instead, all I find is genuine care in the soft expression on his face: his brows pulled together, the corners of his mouth turned down.

“Please put my cousin out of his misery and tell him you forgive him,” Ana says.

Cousin? Oh! That makes so much more sense. That’s why they have the same last name. They aren’t married; they’re related. No wonder they are both so beautiful.

“Miss Swanson?”

I snap to attention and realize Niko is waiting for me to respond. “Yes, I’m fine. And please, call me Jenni. It’s really not a big deal. I can take care of myself?—”

“This says we need to pluck out any spines,” Ana reads from her phone. “Let me see your leg.”

I lift my foot to rest it on the lounge chair. Ana leans in close to my leg. “I can’t see anything, but I don’t have my contacts in. Niko, can you see any spines?”

Reflexively, I pull my leg back. I am not—absolutely not—letting Niko Psomas, Greek god lookalike, pluck jellyfish spines out of my leg. Nope.

But then he gently cups the back of my calf and pulls it toward him. His hand is soft and warm, and I’m tempted to give in and let him do whatever he wants with me.

But not tempted enough.

“No, that’s really unnecessary.” I can handle this. I jerk my leg back and twist down to try and get a closer look. It’s not as easy as I thought it would be, and I definitely can’t get close enough to see anything.

“For what it’s worth, I’ve seen stings before with my surfing buddies and this one doesn’t look too bad. Why don’t you rinse it and then we’ll get you back to the hotel?”

I relax a bit, knowing that my leg is safe from any more surprising, though not totally unpleasant, physical contact.

“Can I get you a drink?” Ana asks, her voice sounding desperate. I hate the fact that they are both hovering over me. I just want to disappear and deal with this on my own.

Niko jumps in before I can answer. “Why don’t you go find a scooter to get Jenni back up the hill? I can help her get her leg cleaned up.”

“I can walk. Please don’t make a big fuss,” I say, even as the pain in my leg continues to throb.

“Don’t be silly. I can rent a scooter at the resort. I’ll be right back.”

With that, Ana gives Niko a look that says not to make anything worse before heading up the beach. Niko and I work in silence after Ana leaves. He hands me a cup with what smells like vinegar. “Here, rinse with this. It should prevent any lingering spines from releasing more venom.”

“Thanks.” I’m not sure what else to say.

This is really not how I wanted my first impression to be.

My first impression was supposed to be in a conference room with my presentation.

Now he will forever think of me as the helpless tourist rather than as a smart marketer worthy of doing business with. I’ve ruined everything.

“May I?” he asks, while hovering the cup above my leg. This knight-in-shining-armor thing is equal parts arresting and annoying. He’s so gentle, but I also want to scream “ I can take care of myself!” I can feel my embarrassment turning into agitation that I am in this mess to begin with.

The only thing worse than being seen topless and stupidly injured would be lashing out at Niko when all he’s trying to do is help.

“That would be great. Thank you.” I finally respond, swallowing my pride yet again. Maybe he wants to be the hero. Maybe, I should just let him.

He slowly pours the vinegar on my leg, making sure to cover the entire horseshoe. I bite down on the inside of my cheek in anticipation of the sting, but it doesn’t come. I don’t know if that means it’s working or not. But I’m relieved that it’s not worsening the pain.

“How are you doing?” Niko asks. He is still gently holding my leg, his brow furrowed.

“I’m good, thanks,” I reply. We let the vinegar sit for a minute, and then Niko pours the cup of warm water onto a towel and blots the sting.

I watch him work, lost in the movement of his shoulders—all muscle under his shirt. Okay, maybe I’m enjoying this a tiny bit because I don’t even notice when Ana returns. Not until her voice breaks my focus, anyway.

“There’s a scooter in front of the hotel with your name on it, Niko,” she announces. He thanks her and hands me a clean, dry towel. “Are you ready?” Niko asks me.

I nod. I’m definitely ready to get back to the hotel and forget this whole thing ever happened. From taking my top off to being stung by a jellyfish—what a wild turn of events on a beach. Is the universe punishing me for leaving my bubble?

“We can reschedule our meeting this afternoon, if necessary,” Niko offers.

I can’t tell whether the right move is to take him up on his offer and postpone or forge on ahead, injuries be damned. Amber is expecting a report tonight, though. I’m supposed to call her after our meeting.

“No, no, it’s fine,” I respond. I’d rather just get this over with so I have one less thing to worry about on this nutty trip. I struggle to my feet, gathering my things.

“May I?” Niko approaches with his arm out.

“Only until we get on more solid ground. I’ll be fine on the pavement,” I say, handing him my shoulder bag, even though I know he meant to help me walk.

I still have the tiniest bit of pride left, somewhere beneath the sand that’s caked all over my body.

I will walk on my own two feet to this scooter, even if it kills me .

A pale blue scooter sits perched on the sidewalk when we reach the front of the hotel. It has a cream-colored leather seat and two white helmets hanging from either side of the handlebar. If I weren’t in so much pain, I would think it was adorable.

Niko makes his way onto the bike, and Ana holds my hand as I swing my injured leg over the back of the scooter and climb up.

The scent of sea salt and pine overwhelms my senses. Niko smells amazing. And while I try not to inhale his scent, it’s hard with how close he is.

Ana gives me a hug and tells me to feel better, saying she’ll walk back to the hotel after she takes care of the cabana. Niko turns on the scooter.

“Well, well.” I hear Malcolm’s voice in my head. “ Aren’t you just a damsel in distress. You never could keep upright on those two left feet.”

My jaw clenches. He always had a way of making me feel like everything was my fault.

“Hold on.” Niko’s voice breaks through—the contrast between the two voices is startling. His voice isn’t cold or sharp. It’s deep and warm.

Niko hits the gas and we speed off. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around his waist and try not to notice the ripples of muscle in his back.