Looking For The Light (Book 2)

Looking For The Light Chapter 11 - Elijah

Even in late September, the weather was warm.  The view from the beach at Cannes was beautiful.  The sun was only just starting to set and cast them in a soft orange glow.  Many of the tourists had already returned to their hotels, getting ready for dinners or nights on the Riviera, but Eli and Viktoriya stayed behind.  This moment was too perfect to interrupt.

Mere moments after he agreed to join her on this impromptu trip, Eli began to second guess himself.  She took him back to the hotel just long enough for them to throw some clothes in a bag, and leave a note for Vikenti before speeding off to the airport.  The flight was short, but when Viktoriya fell asleep – and Eli didn’t blame her after being up sick the night before, he had nothing but time to think.  As she slept on his shoulder, her lips moved, murmuring in Russian.  Eli wondered at her intentions of this trip.  Was this a romantic getaway?  He certainly wouldn’t object if it was, but it certainly would be a surprise to him.  If Viktoriya wanted him like that, she kept it well hidden.  Perhaps it was just a platonic trip.  Her way of cheering Eli up, the same as Vikenti giving him the money to take girls out.  Eli wouldn’t mind that either.  Honestly, he wasn’t sure which situation he wanted more.  Eli wasn’t sure if he was ready for a new relationship, but he sure was sick of being alone.  Ultimately, he decided to stop worrying, and just let the beauty of Cannes wash over him and enjoy this vacation with Viktoriya.

The plan had served him well that afternoon.  Straight off the plane, they found a room in a nice hotel and checked in.  Eli’s heart skipped a beat when he opened the door for her, faced with just one queen-sized bed.  He had shared his bed with Viktoriya the night before, but that was different.  She was sick, and he was comforting her.  But he remembered his vow to himself.  Don’t worry about this trip.  He repeated it to himself several times while Viktoriya changed in the bathroom.  Once she opened that door and stepped out, he didn’t need to remind himself anymore.

Viktoriya looked beautiful in her swimsuit, which wasn’t even that revealing.  The top was navy and white striped, three quarter sleeved with a high midriff cut, matched with a simple navy bikini bottom.  It was a take on a naval seaman’s uniform, and she made it look like she had stepped off a pin up calendar.  He couldn’t wait to have her on his arm.

“I’ve never swam in the ocean,” Viktoriya told him as they walked across the sand.  “Not for recreation, at least.”

“Really, never?” Eli asked, putting his words in her mind.

“I was dumped in the North Sea a few times for training exercises, but I’ve never had a day at the beach.”  She smiled at him.  Eli swore he caught her looking him over from behind her sunglasses.  There was plenty to see, as Eli had elected to wear a pair of box trunks.  He knew he’d obsessed and got worked up over a lot in his life, especially in the past few years, but he had always felt comfortable in a swimsuit.

“I’ll have to make this a great first beach day.” He promised.  With worry put aside, Eli focused only on having fun with Viktoriya.  He raced her down to the water, hearing her laugh.  They swam, splashed, and played in the water until the sun started to disappear from the sky.

Eli wasn’t sure why, but Viktoriya didn’t want to go back to the hotel yet.  Maybe she was afraid of the intimacy the room held.  Maybe she really did just want to watch the moon rise over the sea with him.  He might not know her motives, but he was happy just the same.  She laid beside him in the sand, on her stomach as she held a cigarette between her fingers.  Viktoriya let Eli’s hand wander under bathing suit top as his fingers caressed her back.  He thought he heard her let out a little sigh of pleasure.  Eli felt shockwaves of excitement race from his fingers to his brain each time he reached down to take the cigarette from her hand, and their skin touched.