The Renegade Billionaire

She and Stavros hadn’t come back to the boat any too soon. A little earlier and the sight of the two of them wrapped in each other’s arms on the sand would have provided unexpected entertainment for anyone watching. Heat swept through her body as she remembered how expertly Stavros had brought her alive. Andrea still felt alive and he wasn’t even touching her.

“Our paradise has been invaded,” Stavros murmured. “No more isolation for us.” All of a sudden, he closed the hamper and got up, unaware of her private thoughts. He stood there shirtless in the hot sun while the breeze blew his black hair away from his forehead. There couldn’t be a more fabulous man alive.

“It’s time to leave. Besides the overcrowding, you’ve gotten enough sun. Put your life jacket back on, Andrea.” She’d forgotten, but he never forgot anything to make her comfortable or safe. “I’ll jump out and push us off.”

Something was bothering him, but she couldn’t read his mind. Already she regretted he was bringing this glorious outing to a close. With what looked like effortless male agility, Stavros got out to move the boat into deeper water. It took a lot of strength, though he made it look like child’s play. In a minute, he came around the driver’s side to climb back on.

But as he started to get in, she heard a groan. He managed to make it inside the boat, but he sank to the floor, grabbing his lower leg. His features contorted in pain.

“Turn over on your stomach, Stavros.”

Groaning again, he made a great effort to do as she’d asked. Andrea hunkered down and noticed immediately the small cut just above his ankle. The bleeding was minimal. “I don’t believe it. That stingray got you. This looks like the cut on Dad’s foot. Don’t move. I’m phoning for help.”

She lunged for her purse and pulled out her cell phone to call emergency services. Stavros was already losing color.

The second the dispatcher answered, she said, “This is Despinis Linford. Send an ambulance to the private boat dock at Thassos marina ASAP. Kyrie Stavros Konstantinos has been stung by a stingray above the back of the ankle. He’ll be in a blue-and-white speedboat. I’ll blast the horn to help you spot him. Hurry!”

“Andrea,” he muttered when she clicked off. “You shouldn’t have told them my name.” She could tell he was barely holding on because of the pain.

She got behind the wheel of the boat and turned on the engine. “Everyone knows who you are. I did it to get you the best care immediately.” She backed the boat around, then put the gear in forward and they shot away from the beach. The marina was just around the headland.

“Hang on, Stavros. You’ll be out of your pain soon.” Andrea thanked providence that they hadn’t gone to some beach farther away where help wouldn’t be available as fast.

Once she’d rounded the point, she headed straight for the boat dock. To her joy, she saw an ambulance drawing near. She pressed on the horn and kept pressing. After lowering her speed, she cut the engine and allowed the boat to slide into its

private berth. The ambulance attendants came running with a gurney. A crowd of people had assembled, wanting to know what was going on.

“Take good care of him,” she begged as they lifted him out of the boat.

“I’ll be fine, Andrea.” His voice sounded weak.

“I know you will. I’ll come to the medical center in a few minutes.”

She watched him being put in the ambulance. After it drove off, she slipped on her denims. Then she gathered up his clothes. The keys to the house and Jeep were in his pocket. She pulled them out and put them in her purse along with the boat key. Andrea would have to leave the hamper for now.

One of the bystanders tied up the boat for her. She thanked him before heading for the Jeep in the parking area.

There were signs leading to the medical center, but she knew where it was because she’d checked it out as part of her job, in case of emergencies on the tour here. She found a parking space near the ER entrance and rushed inside. The staff person in triage needed information. Andrea told her what she could.

“Are you a relative?”

“No. A friend. How soon can I go in to see him?”

“Let me call the desk.”

Andrea waited ten minutes in agony before she was allowed through the doors to his curtained cubicle. Stavros, dressed in a hospital gown, lay there with his eyes closed. The middle-aged ER doctor smiled at her. “Despinis Linford?” She nodded. “I’m Dr. Goulas. Come in. I understand you’re the heroine who got our island’s most famous resident here in record time.”

Andrea knew Stavros was revered. “I tried. How is he?”

“We’re already giving him pain medication through the drip. He’s drifting in and out of sleep. The pain from that sting has traveled up his limb and could last forty-eight hours. I’ve checked his vital signs. Kyrie Konstantinos is doing well. I’ve given him a tetanus shot to be on the safe side.

“What we’re going to do now is soak his lower leg in hot water for about an hour. That reduces a lot of the pain. Then I’ll inject more painkiller around the cut and take a look to see if there’s any foreign matter before I sew it up.”

She took a shaky breath. “Can I stay in here with him?”

“I’d like you to. When he was brought in, his greatest concern was you. It will ease his mind to know he can see and talk to you. Why don’t you sit down? This has been an ordeal for you too.”

Andrea nodded and took a seat in one of the chairs. “We’d seen the stingray earlier, but it was out in deeper water. I couldn’t believe it had come in right by his boat.”