“Come on, sweetheart.” He lifted her out of the seat and entered the private back door where his parents had lived in their own apartment since their marriage. “Mama? Look who I’ve got with me!” His mother came running from the kitchen into the living room. “She’s breathing just fine now.”
“Ah!” She pulled Cassia into her arms. “Come with me and I’ll give you some grape juice.” Grapes grew in profusion on this part of Crete.
“Tak-Tak!” his niece called to him, not wanting to be parted from him. He smiled because she couldn’t say the is part yet. He grinned at his mother, who laughed.
“I’m right behind you, Cassia.”
While his father was busy with hotel business, he had his mother to himself in the kitchen. She put a plate of his favorite homemade dakos on the table, a combination of rusk, feta cheese, olives and tomatoes. Cassia sat in the high chair drinking her juice while he devoured six of them without taking a breath and finished off the moussaka.
Afterward he held Cassia and read to her from a bundle of children’s books he’d brought her on his last trip home. She had a favorite called Am I Small? He had to read it to her over and over again.
The little Greek girl in the story asked every animal she met if she was small. It had a surprise ending. Cassia couldn’t wait for it. Neither could Takis, who was totally entertained by her responses.
At quarter to ten, Kori ran into the apartment and found her daughter asleep in his arms. She thanked him with a hug and hurried out to the car where Deimos was waiting for them.
Takis turned out lights and went to bed in the guest room he used whenever he came home for a visit. However, now that he was back for good, he needed to figure out where to live. Tomorrow he’d look around the neighborhood and find a house like his brother’s and Kori’s, close to the hotel.
Takis took a long time to get to sleep, knowing the nub of his restlessness had to do with a certain female who’d come to live in his heart. They weren’t engaged yet, but the way he was feeling, he didn’t know how he was going to keep his desire for her to himself much longer. Earlier in the car he’d kissed her, but it hadn’t lasted long enough and he’d been forced to restrain himself.
The next morning, he installed the other two car seats before visiting a Realtor in the village. By late afternoon he’d finally been shown a small Cretan stone house he liked with a beautiful flowering almond tree. It had been up for sale close to a year and was two blocks away from the hotel. The place suited him with two bedrooms upstairs and a little terrace over the lower main rooms covered in vines.
Takis stood in the kitchen while they talked about the need to paint the interior and upgrade the plumbing. The house would do for him and not stand out. While he and the Realtor finished up the negotiations, his cell phone rang. One check of the caller ID caused his adrenaline to kick in. He swiped to accept the call.
“Lys?”
“I’m glad you answered.” She sounded a little out of breath. “Can you talk?”
“In a few minutes I’ll be free for the rest of the evening.”
“I just flew back from Kasos.” She’d been with Danae. “How soon can you meet me at my suite?” The fact that she wanted to see him right away might not be good news, but he refused to think that way.
“I have a better idea. I’ll pick you up in front of the hotel in a half hour. There’s something I want to show you. We’ll talk then.”
“All right. I’ll be ready.”
He hung up and thanked the Realtor, who drove them back to his office. The older man handed him the keys to the house. Takis walked outside to his car with a sense of satisfaction that he was now a homeowner on Crete, the land of his ancestors.
En route to Heraklion, he stopped for some takeout of his favorite foods; rosemary-flavored fried snails, Sfaki pies and a Greek raki liqueur made from grapes. He liked the idea of sharing his first meal in his own home with Lys where they could be alone.
Before long he reached the hotel. Lys stood out from everyone when he pulled up in front. Her black blouse and dark gray skirt made the perfect foil for the tawny gold hair he was dying to run his hands through. He leaned across and opened the door for her.
“Hi!” Lys climbed in the front, bringing her flowery fragrance with her. “Umm. Something smells good,” she remarked as he drove away and headed out of town.
“I’m hungry and thought we could eat after we reach our destination.”
“Where are we going?”
“To Tylissos. I bought a house today and thought you might like to see it.”
She made a strange sound in her throat. “Already?”
“My parents’ apartment is small. They don’t need another person underfoot while they tend my niece during the day. She naps on the bed I use while I’m here.”
“How old is she?”
“Cassia is three. I’m crazy about her. The cute little thing has chronic asthma. Yesterday my sister had to take her to the hospital so the doctor could help her, but she’s back home now.”
“Oh, the poor darling.”
“She handles it like there’s nothing wrong. Now tell me about you. I take it you’ve had a talk with Danae.”
“Yes.”
The short one-syllable answer could mean anything. “Is it a good or bad sign that you can’t look at me? Don’t you know I’m fine with whatever you have to say?” At least that’s what he was telling himself right this minute.
“After discussing everything with Danae, she surprised me so much I’m not sure what I am supposed to say.”
He left that answer alone and drove into Tylissos and it wasn’t long before he pulled up next to a house on the corner. “We’ve arrived.”
While she got out, he reached for the bag of food on the backseat. After they walked to the front door, he put the key in the lock and opened it. “Welcome to my humble abode. I’m afraid we’ll have to eat in the kitchen standing up.”
Her chuckle reminded him not everyone had such a pleasant nature. So far there wasn’t anything about her he didn’t love. While she wandered around, he put their cartons of food on the counter next to the utensils.
After a minute, she came back and they started to eat. “Your house is charming, especially the terrace.”
“Best seen at twilight.” The house needed work from the main floor up.
“Takis—”
They both smiled in understanding. It felt right to be here with her like this. He’d never known such a moment of contentment and wanted to freeze it.
Once he’d poured the raki into plastic cups, he handed one to her. “To our health,” he said in Greek. They drank some before he asked her what Danae had said. She kept drinking. “Why are you so reticent to tell me?”
Her frown spoke volumes. “I wish I hadn’t talked to her at all.”
“Why?”
“Because she thinks an engagement could be a good idea for the reasons you suggested, but she says it doesn’t go far enough.”
* * *
“What does she mean?”
“Her blessing is contingent on us taking the engagement a step further, which makes this whole discussion ridiculous.”
“How much further?”
She shook her head. “None of it matters.”
“It does to me. Go on.”
“I told Danae about everything you confided in me concerning your relationship with your family, especially your father. She was very sympathetic, but she’s convinced they won’t believe you’re serious about living here for good unless we put a formal announcement of our engagement in the paper.”
Elated with that response, he said, “I tend to agree with her.”
Lys looked surprised. “That’s not all,” she murmured, not meeting his eyes.
“Wha
t’s wrong?”
“She says we’ll have to put a wedding date in the announcement, but the paper won’t publish it if the date is longer than three months away. That’s so soon!”
A strange sensation shot through Takis. If he believed in such things, he had the feeling Nassos had spoken through Danae. No one could sew up a deal like Nassos, covering all the bases. “What reason did she give?”
“I was raised in the Greek Orthodox church and so were you. She knows your parents are traditionalists. Because of the scandal that surrounded me after Nassos died, a promise of marriage to me in the writeup will show their friends and neighbors that you never believed the gossip about me.
“Danae said that in honoring me that way, they’ll see you intend to be a good, loyal husband and they’ll be happy you’ve come home for good. Every parent wants to see his or her child making plans to settle down and have a family. Anything less than a newspaper announcement with a wedding date won’t carry the necessary weight.”
The woman was brilliant. “Danae’s right. Did she say anything else?”
After pacing the floor, she came to a halt. “Yes. After knowing your history, she says she likes you and approves of you for my husband. She knows Nassos would approve of you too.”
That sounded exactly like something Nassos would have said in order to protect Lys. “I’m humbled by her opinion. She’s a true Cretan. The more I think about it, the more I know she’s right about everything she said. How do you feel about it?” The blood hammered in his ears while he waited for her answer.
“I—I didn’t expect her to be so direct,” she stammered.
“You still haven’t answered my question. Does it upset you that I’m the first man Danae has ever approved of for you?”
Her knuckles turned white while her hands clenched the edge of the counter. “I’m not upset.”
“Then why are you so tense?”
“We’re not in love! We don’t intend to actually get married—” Lys protested. “It would hurt your family too much to pretend something that won’t happen. I told Danae as much, so we’ll forget the whole idea of an engagement.”
His eyes narrowed on her features. “I don’t want to forget any of it. The idea of marrying you appeals to me more and more.”
A quiet gasp escaped her lips. “Please be serious, Takis.”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life. When I first suggested the idea of getting engaged, my main concern was to fit in with my family again and it seemed the perfect way to do it. But now I find that I want to be married, and Danae is right. Three months will be a perfect amount of time to grow close before we get married.”
Color filled her cheeks. “We’d probably end up not being able to stand each other!”
Someone was on his side. Lys hadn’t said no to the whole idea because she loved Danae and listened to her. “That’s the whole point of an engagement, isn’t it? To find out how we really feel? I know how I really feel at this moment.”
In the next breath, he pulled her into his arms. After kissing her long and hard, he relinquished her mouth. “Do you think you could see yourself living in this house as my wife? I’d give you free reign to furnish it any way you like.”
“Don’t say any more,” she cried softly and eased away from him. “You told me you want acceptance from your family. I can promise you that won’t happen when they find out I’m the daughter of the man who gave you your first job in New York. I represent everything that took you away from them in the first place.”
When he’d confided in her at his lowest ebb, she’d taken his pain to heart. Unfortunately, he’d done too good a job and needed to turn this around.
“Besides the fact that I left Crete of my own free will, keep in mind we didn’t meet until a few weeks ago. When I tell them I’ve found the woman I want to marry, you have nothing to worry about.”
CHAPTER SIX
THE WOMAN HE wanted to marry?
After the intensity of that kiss, Lys was dying to believe him. Deep in her heart she wanted marriage to Takis with every atom in her body, but she was too confused to think.
Astounded by the strength of her feelings, she said, “It’s getting dark... I need to get back to the hotel.”
Ignoring him, she put everything in the bag except the bottle of liqueur, which she left on the counter. They walked out of the house and Lys hurried to his car. As she put the bag in the backseat, Takis caught up with her and slid behind the wheel.
“On the way home I’ll drive you past the Manolis Hotel. It looks like something Cassia would build with her blocks. Two for the bottom floor and one for the top.”
Several turns brought them to the main street where the buildings sprang from the cement and had grown side by side. Because of his description, she picked it out immediately, painted in yellow with dark-brown-framed windows and matching tiles on the roof. A sign hung over the bottom right entrance.
He stopped in front, not pressing her to talk about anything. During the last eleven years, she assumed nothing here had changed in all that time. She thought about the eighteen-year-old boy who’d wanted to help expand his father’s hotel business. Instead, he’d ended up in New York thanks to Nassos and her father. Now he’d come full circle and was back for good.
“What are you thinking?”
She took a deep breath. “That you’ve accomplished miracles in your life.”
His features took on a grim cast. “I’ll take the one that hasn’t happened yet.”
She presumed he was talking about his relationship with his father. Her heart ached for what he was going through.
He started driving again and they headed for Heraklion. “Since you know where I’ll be living and how I’m spending my time, I’ll leave it up to you to decide when you want to get together to talk business.”
Nassos couldn’t have known his will would put them in such a difficult position. In Italy Takis had told Cesare he didn’t want the hotel, let alone the complication of it being tied to Lys.
“Takis? Are you worried that if we don’t get engaged, somehow word will reach your father that there’s another reason you’re tied to the hotel when we’re seen together?”
“Anything’s possible, but I’ll deal with it by Skyping with you on the computer when you feel the need for a meeting.”
“I still wouldn’t do that in the office where Giorgos or one of the staff could walk in.”
“Then we’ll do it from your hotel room.”
By the time he’d driven up in front of the hotel, she was in torment. He got out and came around to open her door. “I’ll be working on my house for the next week. If anything comes up, give me a call. Kalinikta, Lys.”
“Good night,” she whispered. “Thank you for the delicious food.”
“You’re welcome,” he whispered against her lips before kissing her. Lys’s attraction to him was overpowering. Obeying a blind need, she kissed him back again and again, relishing the slight rasp that sent tingles of desire through her body. After that, she found the strength to dash inside the hotel entrance to the elevators.
With pounding heart she reached her room, filled with unassuaged longings. After a minute when she had caught her breath, she called the front desk to find out if there were any messages for her. Thankful when she learned there was nothing pressing, she hung up and took a shower.
Lys had hoped to fall asleep watching TV, but she couldn’t concentrate. Throughout the night she tossed and turned. Her fear that Takis’s father would learn about Nassos’s willed gift wouldn’t leave her alone. Her mind relived what Danae had told her, that she approved of Takis and felt he’d make the right husband for her. Lys was so in love, she wanted him for her husband.
Takis hadn’t asked for Nassos’s gift. Who would have dreamed he would pass away t
his early in life? Nassos hadn’t known the degree of fragility between Takis and his father, otherwise he wouldn’t have put Takis in this situation. Nassos would have found another way to show his admiration.
When morning came, she felt like she hadn’t slept at all and knew she had to see Takis again. He’d become her whole life! After eating breakfast in her room, she dressed in dark brown pleated pants with a matching-colored long-sleeved sweater.
Once she’d run a brush through her hair and had applied an apricot frost lipstick, she went down to the office to return phone calls and talk to some vendors. She texted Danae that she’d call her later in the day. Lys wasn’t prepared to talk to her yet.
Around noon she told Giorgos she was leaving without giving him a reason and headed for the parking garage before he could detain her. Giorgos couldn’t hide his frustration that she’d been avoiding him. Takis had planted a seed. Clearly it had taken root.
Once out on the road, she made several stops to buy souvlaki, fruit and soda. All the way to Takis’s house she hoped she’d see his car parked outside. To her relief she did find the car there and parked behind it. Anxious to talk to him, she grabbed the sack of food and hurried to the front door. After knocking twice with no response, she tried the handle. To her surprise it opened.
“Takis?” she called out. “Are you here?” No answer. She crossed through to the kitchen and saw a couple of old wooden chairs and a card table. On the counter he’d left a coffee thermos. He must have gone somewhere. Maybe he’d gotten hungry and had walked to the hotel that was only a few blocks away.
She put the food on the table knowing he’d be back or he wouldn’t have left the door unlocked. While she waited for him, she went up the small staircase to the second floor. Both tiny bedrooms were separated by a bathroom that needed work. And before she could prevent the thought from forming, she decided that one of the bedrooms would make a perfect nursery.
Bound to Her Greek Billionaire Page 8
