Aimee tried to remember the reasons she’d had for not getting physical with Alexi again, but her resolve had fled the moment he’d placed his lips on her own. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I don’t want you talking to strange men,” Alexi whispered in her ear before nipping the lobe, sending arcs of pleasure racing down her spine.
His words registered just as his hands found their way beneath her shirt and she froze. “You don’t want me talking to strange men?” Aimee’s voice was cold, and she struggled to control her ragged breathing.
Alexi gave her a hot look. “That’s what I said.”
I can’t believe the audacity of the man! She shoved him, putting a chair between them before pointing to the door. “Get. Out.”
“Aimee, why are you upset? So, I’m jealous. I admit it. You should be happy…”
“I should be happy? I’m not your possession, Alexi. I will talk to whomever I want, whenever I want.” When Alexi started around the chair, she glared at him. “If you don’t want me to scream loud enough to bring the entire household running, leave now. You are the most egotistical, narrow-minded idiot I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet. Get out and stay away from me.”
Alexi opened his mouth to argue and then closed it. “Fine. I will give you time to calm down, but this isn’t over between us. I’ve never felt this kind of jealousy before, and while you might not appreciate the way I handled myself, know this. You are mine until I say otherwise.” His declaration made, he left the room.
Aimee’s mouth hung open. She tried to process what had just happened and ended up only more confused. Alexi seemed to think he had some claim upon her person because they’d had sex, no—they’d made love and it had been wonderful…
Aimee allowed the sweet memories to register for a moment, but then his possessive declaration brought her anger back full force. “He doesn’t own me! He doesn’t have the right to tell me who I can talk to! And he doesn’t get to say when things are over between us, because I already said they were. The fact my body goes up in flames every time he walks into the room means nothing. Nothing!”
It took hours for her emotions to calm down. Aimee busied herself with selecting the perfect picture of Leo and Gemma’s wedding to give to the reporter. She briefly toyed with the idea of asking for permission first, but decided it would be better to beg for forgiveness second.
The picture she chose showed Leo and Gemma, facing one another. The love they felt seemed to rise right off the computer screen. So much for me ever finding that kind of love. I only attract possessive assholes who think they have the right to order me around and dictate my life. Gemma girl, you lucked out with Leo. Thank God you didn’t end up marrying Alexi, he would have made you miserable.
*****
After only a few hours of sleep, Aimee awakened, glanced at the clock and grimaced. She rushed through a shower and then tied her hair up haphazardly into a ponytail. She pulled on jeans and a shirt, grabbed the flash drive, and slipped from her rooms.
The quickest way to reach the maintenance gate was the way she’d gone last night, and she stepped out onto the balcony and headed for the stairs. She didn’t see anyone in the gardens below and walked briskly towards the edge of the property. She smiled as she approached the gate and found the reporter waiting anxiously for her. “Good morning.”
James’s smile was relieved. “I thought maybe you changed your mind.”
“No.” She extended the flash drive through the fence. “I think you’ll like what’s on there.”
James took it and then handed it off to a man behind him with a laptop. “My editor sent someone out to verify the picture and bring the check.”
“This is gold, James,” the man whispered excitedly.
“Now for our part of the bargain.” James handed an envelope through the gate.
A loud shout came from behind her. Aimee turned to see Alexi rushing towards her. She clutched the envelope to her chest. “Get out of here!”
The reporter and his colleague needed no further incentive and disappeared, leaving Aimee to face Alexi alone.
Alexi grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to move her out from in front of the gate. “You lied to me!” he roared.
“There’s no one out there.” Aimee struggled to hold her ground.
“Move. Out. Of. My. Way.”
“Okhi! I will not. Besides, he’s gone.”
Alexi was furious. “What were you telling him?”
“I didn’t tell him anything.” She pushed away from him. The envelope James had given her fell to the ground.
Alexi seized upon it before she could and opened it with a loud curse. “What is this for if you didn’t tell him anything? How could you do this? I told you about the emails. You know how important it is to keep my identity concealed! I can’t believe you would jeopardize our safety for money! What about Gemma? Did you even think about her when you were making a deal with the devil?”
“Alexi, wait! I didn’t tell James anything.”
“James? You’re on a first name basis with a reporter? Great! Just how long has this been going on?”
Aimee’s shoulder stiffened at the implied insult. “It hasn’t. I just met him last night. I didn’t tell him anything.”
“Aimee, I’m not stupid. There is a lot of money in this envelope…”
“Ten thousand dollars,” she murmured.
“Ten grand? You sold me out for ten grand? I would have paid you ten times that to keep my secret,” he spat at her. He tossed the envelope at her, turning on his heel. “Enjoy your money.”
Aimee gathered up the envelope and the bills that had spilled from it, tears gathering in her eyes. “Alexi, wait!”
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” He kept walking. “You had the right idea last night. Let’s keep away from one another.”
Aimee watched him enter the house, shutting the door behind him. She took a shaky breath, her emotions in turmoil. She did want him to leave her alone. But now that he’d given her what she wanted, there was a gaping hole in her heart. Her knees trembled when she realized Alexi might be the only one who could fill it.
What have I done? I don’t really want him to go away. God, I love him and I just ruined any chance of ever calling him mine. I don’t care that he likes to control everything around him…
Her despair was so intense, she collapsed beneath the nearest tree. She pulled her knees up to her chest, bitter tears coursing down her cheeks. In a matter of minutes her entire future had turned from one of hope to one so bleak she couldn’t even see her way back into the house.
*****
How long she sat there feeling sorry for herself, she didn’t know. She finally wiped her cheeks with her fingers, her eyes feeling scratchy and puffy from crying, her hands shaking as she tried to think of anything besides Alexi and the mess she’d made of things. She pushed herself up from the ground, barely finding the energy to turn and head for the balcony stairs. She almost made it to her rooms.
“Good morning… Aimee, what’s wrong?” Gemma’s voice. From the note of worry in it, Aimee knew Gemma had spotted her distress.
Aimee covered her face with her hands. “God, Gemma. I just made a huge mistake and Alexi hates me!”
“Alexi doesn’t hate you,” Gemma protested.
“Yeah, he does.” Aimee couldn’t get the way he’d looked at her out of her mind. “He won’t even let me explain.”
“Why don’t you tell me what happened and maybe together we can figure this out?” Gemma beckoned Aimee to join her in her room.
In the privacy of Gemma’s suite, Aimee spilled the entire story. How she’d been depressed at the thought of going back to the States alone and taking another meaningless job. About the reporter and how she’d seen an opportunity to pay her own way and jumped at it. “I was going to tell you about the picture, but I didn’t want Leo to try and stop me. It’s a good one and James, the reporter, promised me they wouldn’t write any sordid story t
o go with it.”
Gemma was quiet for a long moment. “Why is Alexi mad at you?”
“He thinks I told the reporter about him being alive.”
“Ah! That would make him very upset. There is something going on that neither Alexi nor Leo will tell me, but I’ve noticed more security guards around these last few days. Is there something you want to tell me?”
Aimee shook her head, not wanting to upset Gemma for no reason. With her pregnancy and morning sickness, Gemma had enough to worry about. She didn’t need to add worrying about some unknown entity trying to kill everyone around her. “What am I going to do about Alexi? He was really mad.”
“You like him, don’t you?” Gemma asked.
Aimee started to shake her head, but realized there was no point in denying it. Her shoulders slumped. “Yes, damn it! I can’t fall for a guy like him. I mean, where is it supposed to go? We come from two different worlds and I like to make my own decisions…”
Gemma shook her head with a laugh, “Listen to you. Two separate worlds? Leo and I were in the same boat as you and Alexi and look how things turned out for us. What’s really bothering you about Alexi?”
“The man always has to be in control. I can’t be some man’s possession.”
Gemma reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I know Alexi likes to be in control of things, but it’s because he feels the need to protect everyone around him. If you two could learn to talk to one another instead of jumping to conclusions, you might find you have more in common than you think.”
“That may be true, but I don’t think he’s ever going to want to talk to me again.”
Gemma was thoughtful. “When is the picture going to print?”
“Probably tomorrow. They were really excited to get it. No one else has a picture of you and Leo together. God, Gemma. I can’t believe I screwed this up so badly. I have to fix this, no matter what it takes. I love him.”
“Tell him that,” Gemma suggested.
“He won’t listen to me. He thinks I betrayed him and never wants to see me again.” Aimee lowered her head, her brain trying to come up with some way of redeeming this situation.
Gemma had a conspiratorial look on her face. “I think I might have an idea.” She lowered her voice. “What if you…”
Chapter 14
The next morning…
Aimee waited nervously inside her rooms, jumping when her phone beeped and she saw the text from Gemma. She smoothed her hands down her pants and then left her rooms, heading for the breakfast dining room.
Everyone was there except for Alexi, but Gemma had assured her that Alexi wouldn’t leave without saying good morning to his parents. Aimee accepted the cup of coffee from the maid and then the fragrant piece of spanakopita. It had become her favorite breakfast. She forked the first bite into her mouth, savoring the saltiness of the feta cheese, mixed with the spinach, scallions and seasonings. The flaky phyllo pastry added just the right amount of crunch to the meal. If Alexi kicked her out of the mansion, this might be the last time she enjoyed spanakopita for breakfast, so she was determined to enjoy it.
Aimee took a sip of her coffee and gave Gemma a hesitant smile. Gemma looked at Leo. “He loved the picture.”
Leo nodded. “It was very well done. Thank you for taking the initiative to provide the public with a visual testimony to the love we share.”
Alexi strode into the room and then stopped when he saw Aimee sitting there. When he would have turned and left, Leo stopped him with a terse word. Alexi nodded and then took a seat at the table. “Kalimera.”
The greeting was returned. Leo pushed the newspaper across the table towards Alexi. “Did you see this morning’s news? That is a very good picture, don’t you think?”
Alexi frowned as he took in the picture. He looked across the table, meeting Aimee’s eyes.
Aimee took a deep breath. “I didn’t tell them about you. I swear. They wanted a picture of Leo and Gemma. The money they paid me is so I can go to photography school…”
“I already told you I was going to pay your tuition.” Alexi’s voice was rough with anger.
“But can’t you see, I didn’t want you to pay for it. I know the money means nothing to you, but to me, it means I can take care of myself.”
Alexi’s angry expression wavered. “Why won’t you let someone else take that burden on for a while? It’s okay to ask for help.”
Leo gave his brother a stern look. “I hope you’re listening to yourself for a change. Since everyone is here, now might be a good time to talk about what’s been going on and about the future.”
“Now is not the correct time.”
“I disagree. Our parents, Gemma and Kassi are the only ones who don’t know the threat…”
Kassi cleared her throat. “Actually, I kind of read an email on Alexi’s laptop the other day. I know you guys haven’t been telling me everything.”
Gemma looked irritated. “Well, at least you saw that much. Leo hasn’t told me a thing. You’d better start talking,” she informed him, a militant look in her eyes.
“Alexi,” Vasil said. “You mother and I would very much like to know what is going on in our own household. Now, I would suggest one of my sons explain what is going on. We’re all ears.”
Alexi and Leo took turns filling those gathered in on the emails and threats. Tressa cried when she realized how determined this person was. Vasil was furious, demanding this person be identified and brought to justice.
Alexi shared a look with Aimee and then spoke into the ensuing silence. “We know where the emails are coming from.”
“What?” Leo demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Aimee swallowed a sick feeling. “Because he was too busy being angry with me for talking to that reporter.” Have I endangered everyone?
Alexi looked slightly chagrined. “You and I must talk later. As for the emails, they are coming from Macris.”
There was stunned silence around the table. Aimee frowned. “What is Macris?”
“Not what, whom,” Vasil told her. “Drossos Macris was my business partner in the early years, but he behaved dishonorably and our association was terminated.”
“Dishonorably? How?” Gemma asked.
“He smuggled Greek antiquities out of the country and then brought in cheap replacements. When I discovered what he was up to, I notified the authorities and he was arrested. He died in prison several years later, leaving his wife and young son alone and almost penniless. For years, I tried to help them by sending monthly checks, but they were always returned un-cashed. After a decade, I stopped sending them.”
“What happened to the wife and son?” Aimee asked.
“The wife became ill and was institutionalized a few years ago. I remember my mother praying for her once,” Kassi said.
Aimee frowned. “And the son?”
Vasil looked sad. “Once Drossos Junior reached his majority, he tried to take Moustakas Shipping to the courts, declaring half of our company should have been his. The courts threw his suit out, and frankly, we haven’t heard anything from him for years.”
“It would seem that is not true,” Alexi said. “I did some checking last night with Piotr and the younger Drossos has made friends with some very unsavory men. If this man is issuing these threats, we need to take them very seriously.”
Leo looked at Alexi. “Still think you want to poke the bear?”
Alexi looked very determined. “Nai. The sooner the better. I’m going to send an email this morning. How often he checks his email will determine how quickly he responds.”
Aimee looked to Alexi for an explanation. “Poke the bear?”
“I’m going to let our friend know he wasn’t successful in getting me to back down and invite him to meet me. I’ll pretend to be Leo, but when he comes to the meeting place, he’ll find both of us there, along with Piotr and two dozen guards. Drossos’ days of issuing threats are finished.” Alexi grinned, but it wasn’t filled with
warmth, but determination. “In the meantime, you all have extra security personnel watching your backs. Gemma, I know I do not have the right, but I would ask that you consider sticking close to the estate and keeping Damien with you.”
Gemma nodded, concern etched on her face. “Of course, Alexi. Damien and I will amuse ourselves here for the next little while.”
“Aimee and Kassi, I would ask the same of you.”
Aimee immediately shook her head in denial. “I can’t do that. I’ll be careful, but I have my first bona fide photo shoot this afternoon. Someone actually liked my portfolio and wants to pay me to take pictures of them.”
Alexi frowned. “I don’t like it.”
Aimee clenched her jaw. “I don’t care.” When Alexi’s look darkened, she hurried to defuse the situation, for the sake of the others present. “Look, I can take care of myself, and Kassi can come with me. Can’t you?”
Kassi smiled. “Yes, it will be fun. Alexi, relax. We’ll take a guard with us and everything will be fine.”
For a moment Aimee was afraid he was going to demand her compliance, but then he relaxed. “Fine, but try not to take any other engagements until this is all over? We worry… I worry about you.”
Aimee’s heart fluttered. Coming from a control freak like Alexi, that admission was a lot. Had he forgiven her? We definitely need to talk.
Vasil clapped his hands. “Get to work, boys. I have a new grandbaby on the way and I don’t want to spend my time worrying about everyone’s safety when they step foot off the estate.”
Leo stood. “Patéras, Alexi and I will set things right. Thank you for your understanding. Alexi, let’s go write that email.”
Alexi followed suit. He bent down and whispered in Aimee’s ear. “I don’t have time right now, but when you return this afternoon, you and I are going to have dinner together. Just the two of us. We are going to clear the air, once and for all.”
Is that a threat or a promise? Aimee met his eyes and then bit her lip, anxiety rising in her chest. “Okay.” There was a promise lurking behind his dark gaze, but given his earlier anger, he could also be looking for a chance to berate her once more. Uncertainty lodged in her throat, stealing some of the joy she should be feeling at landing her first official job as a photographer. I wish I knew what he wanted to talk about. One thing was for certain. Her future happiness rested entirely on the result of the conversation.
Her Greek Protector Page 13
