by Tee, Marian
Schuyler's smile of greeting disappeared the moment she saw his smirk, and Ioniko nearly laughed out loud when he heard her squeak.
"I wish you had let me join you, koukla mou," he told her with sham heartfelt regret, and this time her squeal too closely resembled a screeching mouse that he could no longer help it. He threw his head back with a laugh, and her third squeal was even worse, with the way it reminded him of angry wild boars.
She pleaded him to forget the whole thing while he was determined not to forget a fucking second. She was such a fucking delight to be with, her responses never ceasing to bore him, that he really should've known by then.
Having grown up hearing stories about the way the gods and the Fates played with the lives of mortal men like men, he really should've known, should've expected that when things were going rather smooth sailing...
Well, if it didn't last for Odysseus, who was supposed to be the wisest man in Ancient Greece...
He should've known smooth sailing wouldn't have lasted for him either.
And it didn't.
* * *
They had only been at his apartment for some minutes when Schuyler's phone had sounded an alert, and in reaching for it he had unintentionally read another man's message for her.
"A man named Clay texted you," Ioniko heard himself say even as he fought against the urge to drive his fist into the closest wall. "He's asking if you're free for dinner this weekend."
She had tried to explain, he would give her that at least, but at that moment Ioniko had been so crazy with jealousy he had needed to leave before he was tempted to say something hurtful.
He had spent the rest of the night in his study after that, trying to get liquor to numb his anger. But it proved useless, and his jealousy and rage only kept fucking building.
He was well aware that the quickest way to stop Schuyler from dating other men was to claim he was in love with her.
But he wasn't, and he didn't want to lie about it.
He wasn't fucking in love with her, and even if he wanted to be, there was just something about her...just something about her that kept him from fully trusting her, and damn if he knew what that was.
He left for the office at the crack of dawn, intending to spend the rest of the day at work, but a text from his sister had him cursing under his breath and his driver racing like a madman just to get Ioniko back at the apartment as soon as possible.
And when he found Schuyler at the balcony, it was just in time to find his beautiful little doll angrily wiping tears off her face, and his chest clenched.
"I don't want to miss him, but I do. Why can't he see this is the only way I can protect myself? And it's not like I asked to sleep around, dammit. I just need to protect myself, and I need it even more now because I really miss him, and it's so scary---"
He saw his sister's face and Sara's on the screen, and their expressions changed into one of comical shock upon seeing him in the background.
Katya immediately tried to alert Schuyler to his arrival. "Schuy---"
But Schuyler was still on a roll. "I've never missed a guy before! Never---"
Sara tried to do the same. "Schuy..."
And still Schuyler went on. "And I don't want to. I hate myself for it."
Ioniko started walking towards her.
"But I just can't help it. I miss him so much---aaaah!" Schuyler let out a startled cry as Ioniko swept her off the lounge chair.
Their gazes met, and the tears in her eyes made him feel like the lowest bastard alive. I'll make it up to her, he vowed to himself. But for now, he simply gave her the truth. "I missed you, too."
She started to cry, and he could only tighten his arms around her. She told him it was just her hormones, and he of course agreed without hesitation, Google having taught him to never argue with a woman suffering from her monthly condition.
He did his best to keep his promise afterwards, pulling out all the stops to give Schuyler an unforgettable weekend in his beloved city. But in the end, it still wasn't enough. On their last day in Athens, he came back from work to find her waiting for him, and the look in her eyes...
"I'm guessing it's time to talk."
And so they did. She spoke, he listened. He asked, she answered. And the whole fucking time, it was obvious how much she was hurting. It was so fucking clear she was asking for something she didn't even want, and yet...
He looked down at her broodingly. Couldn't she feel how damn right it was to be in his arms and have him hold her?
"I want you, Schuyler...and we both know you want me back. You want to be mine." It was the truth. They both knew it was the truth, but even so he needed to hear the words---
"Yes." Her voice was a fragile whisper. "I want to be yours."
Ioniko's heart thundered against his chest, and it was only after hearing her actually say them that he realize he had been holding his breath the entire time. "So be it then." A part of him despised himself for letting Schuyler have her way, but in the end, his desire was his downfall, and she had him by the balls because of it.
Even so, pride demanded that he at least let her know there were limits he would not cross, not even for her.
"I cannot promise to wait for as long as you need me to," he said tightly, "but I will try---"
A kiss cut him off, and Ioniko was stunned rigid. It had been an incredibly long time since someone had managed to stun the shit out of him, but this kiss...he had definitely not seen it coming, knowing how shy and wary Schuyler was of him.
An endearingly clumsy movement of her lips doused him out of his shock, and Ioniko wasted no time in seizing control of the kiss as his passion surged into life. He urged her lips to part open and drove his tongue inside to claim his prize.
Eísai díkos mou.
You are mine.
And he strove to remember this when it was time to let her go. Willed himself to believe in it while he paced his hotel room, knowing that it was about this time some asshole would come knocking on Schuyler's door---
Fuck this.
Since he had an entire squad tailing her the moment they had landed back in Miami, all it took was one quick call, and his driver already knew where to drop him off. He stepped out of the limousine, and as soon as his driver sped away, he gained an unobstructed view of the restaurant across the street...and the couple seated on one of the windowside tables.
Fuck.
It didn't matter that they had an entire table between them. Didn't matter that not once had she come close to having the other man touch her. It just didn't fucking feel right---
"Ioniko?"
The voice was familiar, and he turned towards it.
Stavros Manolis grinned when he saw that it was indeed the Greek billionaire that, once upon a time, had almost been a rival of his. "Are you here for business as well?"
"Ne."
Stavros saw the other man's gaze drift back to the restaurant across the street, and he had no problem spotting the redhead that Ioniko was staring at. "Your girlfriend?"
Ioniko's lips twisted. "Not exactly."
Stavros raised a brow. "So you've finally found a woman who's able to say no to you?"
"While the woman in question definitely hasn't any trouble saying no to me," Ioniko said dryly, "we both know she is not the first one..." He stopped speaking when he saw the way Stavros' gaze snap back to Schuyler, and when his friend started to frown, he asked right away, "What is it?"
"I was thinking something was familiar about her."
Ioniko frowned. "So you noticed it, too?" His gaze narrowed at Schuyler. "It's funny, though, but I still can't..."
"She reminds me of Mairi."
Ioniko stiffened. "Schuyler isn't a brunette---"
Stavros shook his head. "I'm not talking about superficial similarities."
Ah.
"Maybe it's her smile? Or the way she acts?" Stavros rubbed his jaw. "To be honest, it's been a while since Willow and I met up with Damen and Mairi, so I could be wrong."
; "Could be," Ioniko heard himself say.
"Anyway, it was nice meeting you. Willow and I will be here for another week, so if you're sticking around, we should have dinner together."
"Ne. I'll call you."
"If you can...bring your not-exactly-girlfriend with you," Stavros suggested with a smirk.
"Fuck you."
Stavros laughed. "I'll be seeing you." He turned to walk away, not realizing that with just a few words he had managed to turn his friend's world upside down.
Ioniko slowly turned his gaze back to Schuyler, but he couldn't even fucking see her this time. All he could see, all he could think about was...
Mairi.
Part III
Several years ago
"Ioniko."
A helpless rage washed over him at the fragile tone of her voice. Even now, he still couldn't say with certainty that this woman truly held his heart in its entirety. But at the very least, a piece of it was hers, and for him that was enough. With a piece of his heart lost to hers, he hurt when she hurt, and right now the pain that was tearing through him was excruciating.
The whole of Greece thought she was trash, and with no company willing to brave the combined wrath of Esther Leventis and that of the Kokinos' clan, she had been forced to take on a job that was not much different from modern-day slavery...
And there was nothing he could do or say about it, he thought sickly.
He was Ioniko fucking Vlahos, the head of his own billion-dollar empire, and yet when it came down to what really mattered, fate had rendered his fortune useless, and all he could do was watch as the only woman who meant something to him continued to suffer.
"If you do not want me to fight for you, then you must look strong in front of me. You must look strong and happy that you have indeed chosen Damen Leventis over me. That you do not regret loving him. Because if you continue looking the way you look now, you tempt me to go back on my word and try to steal you away."
The silence held between them, and for one agonizing second, it was almost as if she would choose him. Almost as if she would let him take her hand and kiss her pain away.
Almost.
But in the end, it was just that.
Almost.
Because the moment she spoke, everything became clear.
"I'll always love Damen, Ioniko."
The truth was in her words. In the way her voice shook with both love and strength.
"The life we share may not always be perfect, but he will always be the reason I breathe, and I know..."
It was in the way she never tired of loving the other man even if it meant her tears would fall endlessly.
"I know you are one of the reasons why I'm by his side and for that I'm eternally grateful."
It was in the way she looked at him without seeing him.
"I'll always treasure your friendship, Ioniko, and I'll always be humbled by it."
Because for Mairi, it was and would always and only be Damen.
And never him.
Part IV
Ioniko had no fucking idea how he had gotten to Schuyler's building. One moment, he was lost in the pain of his past, and the next thing he knew, he was outside her front door, and she was standing before him, her beautiful eyes wide with shock.
"Can I come in?" he heard himself ask.
"Uh...of course."
He stepped past her and watched Schuyler shut the door closed and activate the locks like she was handling the Rubik's cube version of manual security systems. When she finally turned around, she bumped straight into him, and Ioniko had to swiftly reach out to prevent her from losing her balance.
"You're okay?"
"Um, yes---"
He let go of her as soon as he heard her words, feeling like he had lost all rights to touch her.
"What's wrong?"
His gaze swerved back to Schuyler at her words, and Ioniko realized with a jerk that she was doing it again.
"Please just don't stare at me like that."
Subconsciously or not, she was once again reading the truth in his heart---
"Tell me what's wrong."
And he didn't fucking want that.
Fuck no.
He nearly snarled the words out, and he had to clench his jaw against the urge to tell her to stop.
Don't look inside of me.
Don't.
Just don't.
Because if she did...if she fucking did...then she would know that even if he was looking at her right now, it was someone else he was seeing. That even as she started talking, and his own lips started moving in return---
Ioniko, I'm sorry.
You didn't do anything wrong.
It was as if he wasn't himself.
Is it because I wanted to date someone else? Because if it is, I've already decided it won't happen again.
It was as if he had turned into a spectator of his own life and standing before Schuyler was a doppelganger that moved like him. Spoke like him. Bled like him. And because it wasn't him, things were fast unfolding beyond his control---
I know...I know it was stupid. So you have...you have my word. I'm not going to date another guy again. Okay?
He found himself unable to reach for her even as the pain in her voice flayed him.
Ioniko, please.
It was as if his hands were tied, his lips sewn shut, and all he could do was watch---
Say something, please.
She was breaking, fucking crumbling before his very eyes, and all he could do was fucking stare---
Please.
He tried. He goddamn tried to speak. But with the echoes of Mairi's name still on his lips, he just couldn't risk hurting her more.
Please, Ioniko.
Her eyes closed as if she could no longer bear the sight of him. I'm sorry, koukla mou. Her tears started to fall, and shamed anguish incinerated him from within. He had to tell her the truth. It was the least he could do, and after that, she could decide whether to forgive and trust him again---
"Don't you want me anymore?"
For one moment, all Ioniko could do was stare at her.
Theo. God.
He saw her lips started to tremble, and the few shackles that were left to chain him to the past broke under the heartbreaking weight of her words. No. God. Fuck. No. What had he fucking done?
"Schuyler." He hauled her into his arms, and she started to sob, her tears branding his chest in a way that threatened to destroy him. God. In his desperate need to right things between them, he had unknowingly driven Schuyler to cast her pride aside and speak of words that should never have crossed her lips. She had humiliated herself because of him, and he had no fucking idea how to make it up to her.
No goddamn idea---
Until he felt her trying to regain control of herself.
No goddamn idea---
Until he felt her starting to pull away.
And that was when he heard himself say, "I still want you."
She jerked in his arms.
"I still want you," he repeated doggedly, "and that's why I had to see you."
He let her go. Waited until her tremulous gaze lifted to his. And what he saw in her eyes clinched it for him.
For better or for worse...
"Marry me, Schulyer."
Even if she might not yet know the truth about her feelings...
He owed her this, for she was already in love with him.
"Marry me," the billionaire repeated, and this time his deep voice had taken on a rough undertone, and it was that, above all things, which convinced Schuyler that she wasn't dreaming. That this was real. And that...rather than her world crashing down on her, it might actually just be beginning.
Or the second chance she had asked for, she thought dizzily.
And as soon as the thought formed in her mind, so did her lips start to move and form her answer.
"Yes." Tears started falling anew, and her voice shook even harder as she said again, "Yes." A smile wobbled over her lip
s. "Yes, I'll marry you."
And then she was throwing herself back into his arms, Schuyler raising herself on her toes as her lips covered his.
Ah, koukla mou.
His chest felt dangerously close to caving in at the soul-ripping innocence in her kiss. It was so damn pure: a kiss that was unblemished by deception, a kiss with nothing to hide, and because of that, it was a kiss he would never ever deserve.
Her lips started to move, a silent plea for him to kiss her back, and it almost had him wrenching away in an acute sense of self-loathing and shame. Theo. That God would allow a bastard like him to cross paths with an angel like her, he would never understand...
But the moment he heard her whisper tremulously against his lips---
"I need you..."
He realized he had failed Schuyler again.
Fuck.
His fingers drove through the silky tresses of her hair as he assumed command of the kiss, his lips parting hers open so he could give her what he had unintentionally made her plead for.
Never again.
He vowed it to himself even as he cupped her face so he could deepen the kiss and taste the innermost secrets of her mouth. His tongue stroked against her, over and over until it had her nails digging into his back and she was moaning against his mouth. He could feel her trembling within his embrace, but it wasn't enough. He wanted, needed to have her crazy with need, wanted his beautiful little doll so out of her mind with pleasure that maybe, just maybe, he could get a little closer to making it up to her.
I'm sorry, koukla mou.
The words were embedded in his every caress, and his hands shook as they swept over the tempting curves of her body. A moment later, and he was carrying Schuyler to her bedroom, and their gazes locked as he slowly laid her down on the bed.
Theo. God. No. Don't.
He wished he could tell her to stop looking at him like he was perfect, but if he did that, the truth would eventually come out, and she'd be hurt all over again. What good would salvaging his conscience bring if it meant making her suffer even more?
So damn fucking sorry.
He slowly undressed her, and the sight of her naked flesh was too beautiful beyond words. Her satiny skin. Her pert, round breasts. And then, finally, the quivering pink flesh between her legs.
