hand.
Alice felt the firmness of his hands as they rubbed her hair gently with the towel and she closed her eyes, luxuriating in the experience.
‘All done,’ he said a moment later. ‘The sun will do the rest.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, wishing he’d taken just a little longer over the job.
He looked at her, his dark eyes seeming to drink her in. ‘You have beautiful hair,’ he told her.
Alice laughed. ‘No I don’t,’ she said.
He frowned. ‘You do!’
‘My hair is too fine and way too brown to be beautiful.’
‘But it is soft and pretty and it just suits you,’ he said.
She smiled. He was being ridiculous again, she thought. Was this all a part of his seduction technique?
‘I know I’m not beautiful,’ she said, ‘and you don’t need to flatter me.’ Alice looked out to sea in an attempt to deflect his comments. She wasn’t used to being the centre of somebody’s attention and, although it felt nice, she wasn’t sure she was completely comfortable with it. ‘Tell me about Aphrodite,’ she said.
Milo scratched his chin and looked thoughtful. ‘Well, she’s the goddess of love and beauty and was born right here off the coast of Kethos.’
Alice turned to look at him. ‘Really? I thought she was born in Cyprus – isn’t that what all the legends say?’
‘
Cyprus!
’ Milo said, spitting out the word as if it were a curse. ‘What would Aphrodite be doing in Cyprus? She’s a
Greek
goddess!’ He shook his head, looking thoroughly disgusted by the idea of Cyprus having anything to do with his special goddess. ‘Cyprus only made up the legend to get tourists to visit.’
‘Oh,’ Alice said, resisting the temptation to suggest that Kethos had had the same idea.
‘There’s a legend,’ Milo began, stretching his long legs out across the blanket, ‘that Aphrodite once seduced all the inhabitants of Kethos in the course of one night.’
‘What – men
and
women?’
Milo nodded. ‘And that everybody today is descended from her.’
‘But she’s just a myth, isn’t she? She was never real.’
Milo shrugged and grinned. ‘What do you think?’
‘I don’t know,’ Alice said. She didn’t really believe it but didn’t want to say so in case Milo believed the legend but she had to admit that she’d never seen so many good-looking people before in her life than on the island of Kethos.
Could there be a grain of truth in the legend
, she wondered?
‘Why are you so interested in Aphrodite?’ he asked.
‘Just curious,’ Alice said.
Milo’s eyebrows rose. ‘You made a wish, didn’t you? You made a wish and it’s come true, hasn’t it?’ His bright smile was both mocking and delighted.
‘I told you – I don’t believe in wishes,’ Alice said.
‘Is Aphrodite the reason you came back to the villa?’
Alice turned to look at him. ‘It might have been one of the reasons.’
He held her gaze for a moment and then he spoke. ‘I’m glad you came back,’ he said.
When Alice arrived back at the villa, there was no sign of Stella other than a mess of dishes in the sink. Alice peered into it and saw two cereal bar wrappers and four cups and spoons which had obviously been Stella’s coffee quota so far that day.
‘Stella?’ Alice shouted up the stairs but there was no reply so she went to her bedroom and took a quick shower. It had been an amazing day. She had stayed on the beach with Milo for hours just sitting and chatting and swimming and – what was even better – she was going to see him again.
The ride back to Kethos Town in the afternoon had been like a dream from which Alice hadn’t wanted to wake up. She kept trying to think of ways to delay their parting but he said he had to get back.
‘I wish this day could last forever,’ he said, ‘and I’m sorry that it can’t.’
She didn’t ask him what he had to get back for and she’d waited for him to say if he wanted to see her again. Well, she’d waited about two seconds.
‘Will I see
Alice felt the firmness of his hands as they rubbed her hair gently with the towel and she closed her eyes, luxuriating in the experience.
‘All done,’ he said a moment later. ‘The sun will do the rest.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, wishing he’d taken just a little longer over the job.
He looked at her, his dark eyes seeming to drink her in. ‘You have beautiful hair,’ he told her.
Alice laughed. ‘No I don’t,’ she said.
He frowned. ‘You do!’
‘My hair is too fine and way too brown to be beautiful.’
‘But it is soft and pretty and it just suits you,’ he said.
She smiled. He was being ridiculous again, she thought. Was this all a part of his seduction technique?
‘I know I’m not beautiful,’ she said, ‘and you don’t need to flatter me.’ Alice looked out to sea in an attempt to deflect his comments. She wasn’t used to being the centre of somebody’s attention and, although it felt nice, she wasn’t sure she was completely comfortable with it. ‘Tell me about Aphrodite,’ she said.
Milo scratched his chin and looked thoughtful. ‘Well, she’s the goddess of love and beauty and was born right here off the coast of Kethos.’
Alice turned to look at him. ‘Really? I thought she was born in Cyprus – isn’t that what all the legends say?’
‘
Cyprus!
’ Milo said, spitting out the word as if it were a curse. ‘What would Aphrodite be doing in Cyprus? She’s a
Greek
goddess!’ He shook his head, looking thoroughly disgusted by the idea of Cyprus having anything to do with his special goddess. ‘Cyprus only made up the legend to get tourists to visit.’
‘Oh,’ Alice said, resisting the temptation to suggest that Kethos had had the same idea.
‘There’s a legend,’ Milo began, stretching his long legs out across the blanket, ‘that Aphrodite once seduced all the inhabitants of Kethos in the course of one night.’
‘What – men
and
women?’
Milo nodded. ‘And that everybody today is descended from her.’
‘But she’s just a myth, isn’t she? She was never real.’
Milo shrugged and grinned. ‘What do you think?’
‘I don’t know,’ Alice said. She didn’t really believe it but didn’t want to say so in case Milo believed the legend but she had to admit that she’d never seen so many good-looking people before in her life than on the island of Kethos.
Could there be a grain of truth in the legend
, she wondered?
‘Why are you so interested in Aphrodite?’ he asked.
‘Just curious,’ Alice said.
Milo’s eyebrows rose. ‘You made a wish, didn’t you? You made a wish and it’s come true, hasn’t it?’ His bright smile was both mocking and delighted.
‘I told you – I don’t believe in wishes,’ Alice said.
‘Is Aphrodite the reason you came back to the villa?’
Alice turned to look at him. ‘It might have been one of the reasons.’
He held her gaze for a moment and then he spoke. ‘I’m glad you came back,’ he said.
When Alice arrived back at the villa, there was no sign of Stella other than a mess of dishes in the sink. Alice peered into it and saw two cereal bar wrappers and four cups and spoons which had obviously been Stella’s coffee quota so far that day.
‘Stella?’ Alice shouted up the stairs but there was no reply so she went to her bedroom and took a quick shower. It had been an amazing day. She had stayed on the beach with Milo for hours just sitting and chatting and swimming and – what was even better – she was going to see him again.
The ride back to Kethos Town in the afternoon had been like a dream from which Alice hadn’t wanted to wake up. She kept trying to think of ways to delay their parting but he said he had to get back.
‘I wish this day could last forever,’ he said, ‘and I’m sorry that it can’t.’
She didn’t ask him what he had to get back for and she’d waited for him to say if he wanted to see her again. Well, she’d waited about two seconds.
‘Will I see
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