Bound to Her Greek Billionaire

by Rebecca Winters

  A long silence ensued before Danae jumped up from the chair and hugged her hard. “Thank you for saying that to me. I love you too, Lys. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

  With those words, Lys’s pain was lifted. “I feel the same.” She finally let go of Danae, and wiped her eyes. “Tell me something else. Would you have liked to inherit the hotel and run it?”

  Danae shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what I would have liked. He wanted a stay-at-home wife and didn’t want me working at the hotel after we were married. Now I’m not interested.”

  “But you could read between the lines in his letter to me. He admitted he was wrong about divorcing you, and he was wrong not to have let you work alongside him after you were married.”

  She grasped Lys’s hands. “You’re very sweet, but it’s too late for that.”

  “Are you sure? You could talk to Xander and fight for it. I’d step aside in an instant if I knew it was what you wanted.”

  “It isn’t. Truly. But I’ll take your advice and get movers in here to ship everything back to the villa.”

  “I’m glad about that!” Lys hugged her again, then headed for the foyer.

  Danae followed. “Where are you going?”

  “Back to my room. I need to return Anita’s call. You remember my mother’s friend? She came to Nassos’s funeral.”

  “Of course. It was wonderful of her to come.”

  “I know. I couldn’t believe she’d fly all this way from New York.” Lys pressed the button that opened the elevator doors, then turned to Danae. “If you need anything, just phone me.”

  “I want you to come to the villa as soon as you can. It’s so empty now.”

  “I promise to visit you all the time.”

  “You mean it?”

  “Of course I do. I love you, Danae. Yassou.”

  Lys rode the private elevator six floors to the lobby, then took the main elevator back to the third floor. She needed to make a phone call to Anita on Long Island. They’d stayed in close touch over the years.

  Anita had invited Lys to stay with her and her husband, Bob, for a time. Maybe a little vacation would be a good thing. Maybe not. She just didn’t know.

  * * *

  The limo pulled up to the Rodino Hotel in Heraklion. For the moment he had business to take care of here. Lys Theron had no idea he’d flown to Heraklion two days ago to stay with his family. Now he was ready to talk to her, but he wanted the element of surprise on his side.

  Before he’d left for New York, Takis had done every job there was to do there at the hotel for that year. He’d often escorted VIPs to the penthouse Nassos used for business. No doubt Lys Theron lived there now.

  There was a private elevator down the right hall that went straight to the top. If Nassos hadn’t changed his six-digit birthday code on the keypad, Takis would be able to go on up. Otherwise he’d have to phone her from downstairs. His pulse raced at the thought of seeing her again.

  The code hadn’t changed. After the doors opened, he stepped inside for the short ride and entered the outer hallway when it stopped. But he needed to alert her he was here. Even if it was presumptuous, when he explained how he’d gained access to the elevator, he hoped she’d understand.

  Takis had just pressed the digits of the phone number written on the envelope she’d given him when the door to the penthouse opened. He received a surprise because instead of Lys Theron standing there, the stylish black-haired woman he’d seen at the older man’s funeral emerged without her veil.

  She glared at him. “No one is permitted up here. Who are you?”

  “I’m sorry to have alarmed you,” he murmured. “I was just calling Kyria Theron to let her know I was out here.”

  The attractive woman scrutinized him. “This isn’t her apartment.”

  What?

  “How did you get up here?”

  Takis would have to proceed carefully. “I’m the new co-owner of the hotel.” After many talks with his partners in the last week, that’s what he was saying right now, but it was subject to change depending on many things.

  “What’s your name?” she murmured.

  “Takis Manolis.”

  Her eyes widened. “Lys told me.”

  He nodded. “I saw you at the church on the day of Nassos’s funeral.” This had to be the widow. “You must be Kyria Rodino.”

  “Yes. I was married to Nassos for twenty-four years and heard your name mentioned with fondness for the last twelve of them.”

  The revelation stunned him. “He was instrumental in changing my life. I’ll never forget him.”

  Her eyes glistened over. “Neither will I.”

  Takis had a hard time taking it all in. “I’m very sorry for your loss. Please forgive me. I thought Kyria Theron lived here. Do you know where I can find her?”

  “She has her own suite at the hotel. I have to leave and will ride down in the elevator with you.”

  Takis had made a big mistake coming up here.

  Once they reached the hotel foyer, he thanked her for her help and the two of them parted company. He walked into the main lounge where he could be private and rang her number.

  Before long he heard, “Kyrie Manolis?” She sounded surprised. “I wondered when I might hear from you.”

  “I just arrived at the hotel and am in the lounge. We have to talk.” Before any more time passed he needed to explain that he’d trespassed earlier and had alarmed Nassos’s former wife. “When will it be convenient for you?”

  “I’ll be right down.”

  “Efharisto.”

  Within two minutes the dark-blonde woman he’d come to see walked toward him dressed in a storm-gray crewneck sweater with long sleeves and a matching skirt. Some Cretan women in mourning wore darker clothes, if not black, for a long time.

  Yet even garbed in somber colors, the feminine curves of her figure and the long legs he admired couldn’t be hidden. She not only ignited his senses, but those of every male within her radius.

  Takis had the additional advantage of being able to stare into those violet eyes at close range. When he’d been inside the church, he’d thought no eyes could be that color. At the time he’d assumed the sun shining through the stained glass had to have been responsible.

  But the hotel lounge was no church. If anything, their color bordered on purple and mesmerized him almost as much as the enticing curve of her mouth. He wondered how many men had known its taste and had run their hands through hair as luscious as swirling caramel cream.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Kyrie Manolis.”

  “I’ve been looking forward to talking to you too. Since we’re co-owners, I’d rather you called me Takis.”

  “So you’ve decided.”

  “Yes. Do you mind if I call you Lys?”

  “I’d prefer it. If you’ll come with me, we’ll go to my suite to talk. Until the situation is settled and made official, I’d prefer us to meet in private rather than Nassos’s office so we don’t have to make explanations to anyone.”

  “You took the words out of my mouth.”

  They walked to the bank of elevators and took the next empty one that carried them to the third floor. He followed her to the end of the hall where she opened the door to a small foyer. It led into a typical hotel suite sitting room. Nothing special here, nothing that told him about her personality.

  “There’s a guest bathroom down that hall. If you’d like to freshen up, I’ll call the kitchen and ask for lunch to be served. Anything special you would like?”

  “Why don’t you surprise me?” He watched her disappear before he left the room. When he returned, he found her seated in one of the chairs around the coffee table with the phone in her hand.

  Her gaze wandered over him as
he sat down. He enjoyed the sensation far too much and castigated himself. “Danae just called to tell me she met you outside the penthouse door looking for me. I’m curious. How did you gain access to the private elevator?”

  He leaned forward with his hands clasped between this legs. “When I worked here for a year, I was given the code to take VIPs to the penthouse for Nassos.”

  A genuine smile broke out on her beautiful face. “You knew his birthday code.”

  “I’m afraid I couldn’t resist finding out if it still worked, but I caught Kyria Rodino off guard. For that, I’m sorry.”

  “That’s my fault. When I told you I lived at the hotel, I failed to be more specific. It wasn’t until Nassos separated from Danae that he moved to the penthouse.”

  “I had no right to do what I did.”

  “I’m sure Danae was more amused than offended once you introduced yourself. It’s something Nassos might have pulled if he’d been in your shoes. He had an impish side and indicated you were clever.”

  “If you translate that, it means I went where angels feared to tread far too often.” The gentle chuckle that came out of her coincided with the rap on the door to the suite. Takis got up first. “I’ll get it.”

  After tipping the employee, he carried their tray of food into the sitting room and put it on the coffee table. He removed the covers on horiatiki salad and Greek club sandwiches filled with lamb while she poured the coffee for them.

  They both sat back to eat. She appeared hungry too. He swallowed his second half in no time. “This is an excellent lunch. Kudos to the chef.”

  “You can tell Eduardo yourself.”

  Takis glanced at her over his coffee cup. “My attorney examined the legal work and it is quite clear that Nassos didn’t give either of us a choice. We’re stuck for six months. How do you feel about that?”

  She averted her eyes. “I don’t have a right to feel much of anything. As I told you earlier, it’s possible he didn’t want me to be the sole owner for fear I might make bad decisions. The one man he felt he could trust was you, so I can understand why he made certain you would be there to help me if I got into trouble.”

  Nice as that compliment sounded, he didn’t buy it. “Have you gotten into trouble in the past?”

  His question seemed to unsettle her. She put her coffee cup on the table. “Not in business, but he didn’t always approve of the men I’ve dated.”

  That had been the one thing on his mind since he’d seen her in the church. If she was in a relationship now, he should be happy about it.

  No doubt Nassos hadn’t liked any male who tried to get too close to her. He’d probably had a man in mind for her, but only when the time was right. By becoming her guardian, he’d taken his responsibility seriously.

  “Though I can’t imagine it, is it possible he didn’t want you to fall for someone who wanted more than your love?” A man would have to be blind not to want a relationship with her if he could. The fact that she was the owner of one of the most famous hotels in Greece would make a man heady if he could have both.

  She sat back in the chair. “He couldn’t have known that he would die this early in his life.”

  “No,” he muttered. “No man knows that.”

  “But I wouldn’t put it past him to have worried that I might make a bad emotional decision because of some man, even at the age of sixty or seventy.”

  “If Nassos had a fear that you could put the welfare of the hotel at risk no matter your age, he would never have willed half of it to you. I’m convinced your personal happiness was all that concerned him.”

  “Coming from you, that means a lot.”

  What Takis still hadn’t worked out yet was why Nassos had made him co-owner. His partners had tried to disabuse him of the notion that when Nassos had made out his will, he’d seen Takis as the needy boy from Crete.

  He still didn’t want his father to know he’d inherited it from Nassos. He feared his parent wouldn’t understand and would wonder what Takis had done to deserve such a gift.

  Her features grew animated and she got to her feet to pour herself another cup of coffee. “Now that you’re here, I have a proposition for you.”

  The course of their conversation intrigued him. “Go ahead.”

  “When six months have passed, Nassos said we could do whatever we wanted with the hotel. I’ll be honest and tell you up front that I’d like to buy your half. I’ll be twenty-seven by then and will have come into the inheritance from my father. Whatever price you set, I’ll be able to meet it.”

  Takis hadn’t been expecting a proposition like that. Her own father’s inheritance would make her independently wealthy. There was no question she’d be able to buy him out. In half a year’s time this unwanted situation could be turned around and he’d be done with it.

  “On the face of it I like the idea. Since you worked with Nassos, then he would have taught you how to invest your money wisely.”

  Her eyes lit up, reaching his insides. “I’d like to think that’s true. Takis...if it suits you, I’ll continue to run the hotel, leaving you free to go back to your other businesses.” If she was eager to see the last of him, he had news for her. “But if you want to be here full-time in a hands-on capacity to honor Nassos’s wishes, then we’ll work things out any way you’d like.”

  Hands-on?

  Not only was she gorgeous, she was too good to be true. He hadn’t known what to expect, but it wasn’t this amenable woman whose only agenda he could see was to eventually own the hotel outright. If she had an ulterior motive somewhere, he hadn’t detected it yet.

  When she’d told him at the castello they were co-owners, hadn’t Takis wanted to be free of Nassos’s gift?

  He got to his feet, troubled because she was seducing him without even trying. Not since losing his girlfriend had he felt such emotion. But this was much stronger because he was no longer an eighteen-year-old boy.

  “You’ve made this insanely easy for me in every way. Why don’t we meet tomorrow morning at the Villa Kerasia outside the city? The quiet, small back room of the dining area will help us to keep a low profile while we talk business and discuss where we go from here.”

  “That sounds good to me,” she answered without taking a breath. “Before you leave, I wanted you to know that within the week the penthouse will be empty. You can use it, decorate it, do whatever you want.”

  “Thank you. But when I’m in Crete, I stay with my family.”

  Her eyes went suspiciously bright. “Of course. Tylissos isn’t that far from here. How lucky you are to have family to come home to. I envy you.”

  “I am fortunate,” he admitted, but his thoughts were on her. She’d just lost Nassos and would be vulnerable for a long time. Takis didn’t want to feel any emotions where she was concerned, but to his chagrin she’d aroused much more in him than the urge to comfort her. “Thank you for lunch. I’ll let myself out and see you in the morning. How does eight thirty sound to you?”

  “Perfect.”

  So was she. Tomorrow he’d be with her again. It was the only reason he could leave the hotel at all.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  LYS AWAKENED EARLY the next morning. She’d been restless during the night, otherwise her comforter wouldn’t be on the floor at the side of her bed. The unexpected advent of Takis Manolis in her life had shaken her world.

  The fact that he would be co-owner of the hotel with her for the next six months wasn’t nearly as disconcerting as the man himself. He was a Cretan Adonis who’d gotten under her skin and had turned her insides to mush the first time she’d laid eyes on him. She wished to heaven she weren’t excited to be meeting him for breakfast, but she couldn’t turn off those hormones working madly inside her body.

  There was nothing professional about her feelings for him. She
had no idea how she was going to be able to work with him and not reveal how susceptible she was to his male charisma. No woman alive could be indifferent to him. Somehow she needed to be the exception. But she feared that it would be an impossible task.

  Once she’d showered and washed her hair, Lys changed her mind five times about what to wear, something she never did, which proved he was in her head. She eventually settled on pleated navy pants with a navy blouse edged in navy lace and matching sweater.

  Not only would she continue to wear dark colors to honor Nassos’s memory, but she refused to dress in order to attract Takis’s attention. Other women probably did it on a regular basis. But his appeal had affected her so greatly, it was embarrassing. She had no idea how long Danae would wear black before returning to her normal wardrobe. Lys would follow her example.

  Once she’d brushed her hair and put on a soft pink lipstick, she left the hotel driving one of their service vans so she wouldn’t be recognized by the paparazzi. She headed out of town under an overcast sky to the little settlement of Vlahiana southwest of Heraklion. She took in the beauty of the hills and vineyards rolling in the distance. Several villages clung to the hillsides, beckoning her toward them.

  Takis had lived on Crete until he was eighteen and probably knew every inch of it. She was pleased he’d wanted them to meet at the small country inn hidden away where there wouldn’t be any press around.

  Nassos had once brought her and Danae here, explaining about the building that had been completely restored with ancient stones, a perfect blend with the near-white bleached wood. The artist in him had liked what had been done to it. She didn’t wonder that Takis had chosen this same place to talk.

  To her surprise, she saw his tall, well-honed physique walking toward her as she pulled up in the small parking area. He could have no way of knowing what she’d worn, but he’d dressed in charcoal-colored trousers and a navy sport shirt open at the neck, looking marvelous.