Chapter One
Becca Wolfeâs mobile chimed. She glanced at the screen, bracing for another text from one of her three über-interfering cousins. Would it be from Georgeâthe over-playful, Jackâthe over-productive? No, this time it was James, the over-protective, offering yet more âhelpfulâ travel tipsâ¦
James: DO eat street food. DO talk to strangers. But, donât hate me for saying it, you should dress conservatively.
Suppressing a giggle, Becca stretched out her arm, snapped a selfie and sent it straight back to her cousin.
Sorry James, but needs must ;)
She wedged her phone down her waistband and stepped forward. Time to get the show on the road.
âDo you want to be Up. All. Night?â She stalked around the bodies spread over the beach, calling for them to come to her. âDo you want to be alert and ready for hard out action?â
Lifting her chin, she delivered the innuendo-laden lines with as much chutzpah as she could muster.
âYou do? You want?â She brandished the pistols in her hands. âThen Iâve got your shot.â
Sunbathers sat up, guys stood. A crowd gathered. Good. She needed people interested, people smiling, people buying into the tagline. She needed to kick some promo butt today or sheâd lose the job. Seriously, how hard was it to give something away?
Her boss at the bar she was promoting said it was all about attitude. She had the look, she had the product, all she needed was the sass and the badass grit. And that, she was just going to have to fake.
Her friends back home would never believe she was wearing this outfit. She didnât believe she was wearing itâlet alone squirting shots of some caffeine-laced, guarana-enhanced, sugar-free energy soda into the mouths of masses. And letâs not forget that secret libido-boosting ingredientâ¦
Santorini in summer was filled with people out to have a good timeâparty long, party hard. It was holiday fun and flings all round.
But not for Becca.
Never. Again.
Sheâd enacted a Man Banâno boyfriend, no relationship, no nothing. She was on a mission to discover herself. Do the things she wanted to do. Fight the fear and all that. As navel-gazing and self-indulgent as it sounded, this trip was all about her. Going where she wanted. Doing what she wanted. No more getting sucked into someone elseâs ideas for her future.
This barâs soda promo was merely the means to make the money to keep her moving. Because moving was key to this plan.
But now she stopped, selecting a spot that was highly visible in the middle of the striking pebbled beach. âCome get your poison, people.â
âPoison?â
Despite the blazing heat of the high summer sun, a chill swept over Beccaâs skin. âElixir, if you prefer,â she said, glancing around, trying to see past the group surrounding her.
âI like the sound of poison.â
Determined to keep up the sass despite her heart suddenly skipping to quad-speed, she called out. âYou game to try it?â
There was a movement amongst the crowd, then he stepped forward into her line of sight. âBecca, Iâm always game.â
OMG. No way. Levi Everton. Hometown Mr Mysterious. Heartthrob. Focal point of her teen lust. And heartache. Damn. Now she really needed to fake it. âThatâs what they all say.â
âBut you know Iâm speaking the truth.â
âYeah, well Iâm betting every available woman nearby knows just how game you are.â The guy was a master flirt.
âEvery woman? It seems I might need an energy hit.â He gave her âammoâ belt a derisory glanceâit was loaded with mini vials of triple strength soda. âYouâre saying thisâll keep me up all night?â
âGive you the energy to dance âtil dawn.â
âI always did like dancing.â
She rolled her eyes. Her lame innuendo had been scripted. His just came naturalâhe was the ultimate in love âem and leave âem. The ultimate in arrogant.
âYou going to let me have it?â He didnât so much ask as goad, with his azure eyes glinting.
âYou better get in line.â
âI donât like to wait in line.â
No? He thought he deserved special treatment? Thatâs what happened to guys as hot as himâthey got accustomed to all kinds of privileges. âThen you miss out.â
âToo bad, I was looking forward to licking a little acid from your lips.â
âYouâre acidic enough already.â
âHow would you know, you never got a real taste.â
No, she hadnât. Sheâd rejected him, then sheâd run. And sheâd regretted it. For all his arrogance, no one had ever made her want the way Levi had.
âWhat do I have to do to get one of those cool shots?â Another guy stepped forward, interrupting their increasingly tart talk.
Becca plastered a smile back on her face and remembered what she was here to doâand that