by Joya Ryan
Kyros’s eyes skated to me and he smiled. He had the same black hair and olive skin as Leo but his eyes were dark-blue instead of Leo’s powder-blue. His accent was also much heavier.
“Paige Levine, this is my cousin Kyros Savas. He heads up the shipping port in Greece. Paige is my new assistant.”
“So nice to you meet you.” I shook his hand.
“And you, Miss Levine. Thank you for all your help and arranging my stay. I understand you are running the show in Leandro’s world.”
I opened my mouth to reply but Leo cut me off. “Yes, she is.”
Siobhan came back into the mix, giving a pouty face and demanding Leo dance with her. He shot a glance at me and I knew he was silently telling me to step in and deflect. Unfortunately my mind was still churning around our previous conversation. I smiled at him, then Siobhan.
“A friendly dance is always nice,” I said, smiling at Siobhan’s efforts to get Leo in her grasp.
She tugged him onto the dance floor and he glared at me the entire time. The group dispersed and Kyros handed me a fresh flute of champagne from a passing tray as we stood and looked over the party.
“Do you visit the states often?” I asked.
“Fairly. Leandro and I are close but his domain is here and mine is in Greece, so we travel more for personal time than business. Though even when we’re trying to relax, business is still typically conducted.”
“Of course.” I smiled. Kyros gave off the same easygoing vibe Leo did. It was nice chatting with someone who didn’t seem to have an agenda, and maybe I could learn something from him since he was a key player in the shipping business. “May I ask how you two decided who would work in which country?”
“When our fathers passed on the business to us, it was split down the middle. Since we have a heavy presence in both Greece and the US, Leandro and I discussed which we’d prefer. I wanted to stay in Greece, Leandro wanted to leave, so the decision was simple.”
“I can’t imagine anyone wanting to leave Greece,” I said. “It must be magical.”
He smiled. “It can be. But for some, it is anything but.” Kyros’s eyes landed on Leo and pity flashed over his face. Had something happened to make Leo want to leave Greece?
“Our family is quite large and most are here in the US. He is the favorite uncle after all.”
“No,” I gasped with exaggeration, and Kyros laughed. Leo had mentioned family being important the day I moved in, but never any details since.
“Oh yes. We both are the only boys amongst many sisters. His little nieces and nephews idolize him.”
I looked at Leo. I could see how he could be idolized. Between that contagious laugh and good-natured ease about him, he’d probably be the best uncle ever, spoiling with candy and everything a mother never would allow.
“Family is important,” I said, not because I knew what that felt like, but because it seemed like the right thing to say. The only snip of family I could relate to were Amy and Hazel and yes, they were important. Which was a big reason I wanted to stay in New York and close to them.
“Yes, very. Especially when so much has been built.”
I nodded and understood, once again recalling what Leo had said when we talked in my doorway when I first moved here. The Savas men were part of a shipping empire. An empire that would likely continue to get passed down for generations. Their devotion made sense. Though I couldn’t exactly relate. My mother probably wouldn’t even leave me her Elvis Presley plate collection, much less a legacy.
“It’s a shame you live so far away.”
“Yes, but his sisters are here in the US, and Leo’s been living permanently here for”—Kyros looked at the ceiling—“six years now. Ever since . . .”
He trailed off as if remembering who he was talking to.
“Ever since?” I pressed.
“Forgive me,” Kyros said, “I got caught up.” He smiled. “So you are Leo’s new assistant. Are you enjoying the position so far?”
I recognized a change of subject anywhere. But it wasn’t my place to press Kyros. I did, however, want to know what had happened to make Leo leave Greece.
As far as enjoying my position? I glanced at Leo and was about to reply when the song ended and Leo all but sprinted back toward me.
“Miss Levine,” he growled, obviously mad I’d enabled his dance with Siobhan where he likely had his ass pinched the whole time.
“Did you enjoy your friendly mingle?” I said with exaggerated innocence in my voice. Judging by the scowl on his face, he didn’t miss my point.
“Would you like to get some air on the back terrace?” he said. I could definitely tell that was code for: I’m going to chew your ass out for this.
“Sure,” I said, then turned to Kyros. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You as well. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
That was true. Though he was living on the opposite end of the property, we would work under the same roof often.
He said something to Leo in Greek and Leo responded. The way he spoke made tingles rush up my spine, and the need to jump and grab every word with my mouth skyrocketed. But Leo didn’t seem thrilled by the conversation they were having.
“Let’s go over that tomorrow,” Leo said and Kyros nodded.
With a hand planted firmly on my lower back, Leo steered me to the back terrace. His every muscle was tense and his long legs ate up the distance between the main ballroom and back doors in milliseconds.
Once we were outside, I took a deep breath of spring air wafting off the water and ruffling a few waves at the lake below. The view was incredible. Paired with the dim lights along the deck, the flecks of yellow gave a soft glow to the entire terrace. A terrace on which we were alone.
“You dropped the ball on the whole deflect thing there, Red,” he said, taking my champagne glass and draining the contents.
“Poor Leo, getting hit on all the time. Must be rough.”
This was not how I’d typically talk to my boss, but nothing about Leo or tonight felt like a boss or job. It felt . . . nice. Just being in his company. Having his eyes on me. Watching his smile light up when he spoke. It was enthralling.
He smirked and set the flute down. “My ass feels like a pin cushion.”
I laughed. “I’m sorry, but it was one dance and you survived just fine.”
“A lot can change in one dance,” he said, his voice a little gravelly and I knew he was talking about my dance with Colin again.
“I work for you, Leo.”
“Temporarily.”
His remark made a shot of anger and sadness flare through my veins. Two conflicting emotions I had no business feeling in the first place. I knew I was temporary. But throwing it in my face—pointing out my weakness or why I may be less trustworthy—was not going to happen. Temporary didn’t mean dishonest. And it sure as hell didn’t mean I would give anything less than all I was to Leo in my job.
I wouldn’t stand there and take the back and forth anymore. I was tired of the give and take. Mostly because when he had given me his faith in the slip purchase overseas, I felt truly whole for the first time in . . . ever. Like for once, someone believed in me. Then tonight, to have him take pieces of it away by questioning my loyalty? No. I couldn’t handle it. Because it made the empty ache in my gut redouble.
“If you have such a problem trusting me with your interests, perhaps you shouldn’t have hired me. Temporarily or not.”
The moment I said it, I regretted it. I was in a position where a bold statement like that could easily get me canned. Stupid pride had taken over once more and I let it control my words. But the truth was, I was tired. Tired of being a person who was doubted when all I wanted was the opposite. To gain trust. Earn respect.
He looked at me for a long moment as if trying to read my face. It was the same way he looked at me the night at the bar. Like he could tell I was struggling, and part of me hated that. The other part wanted to do what I had
done that night. Reach out. Take some of that warmth that radiated from him, and get lost in it.
“You’re right,” he said, and my heart stopped. I’d let my mouth get the better of me and now I was going to get fired. “You deserve more credit. I do have trust in you.”
His words hit something straight through my chest. And it was more than the words. It was the way he said them. Could he really have trust in me?
“Don’t say that if you don’t mean it,” I whispered. Because I didn’t want to do this anymore. Didn’t want to think one thing, feel like I was making progress with him, then have it snatched away with one questioning glare or insinuating tone.
“I mean it.” He stepped closer.
“Thank you,” I said a little softer than I meant to.
“Did you enjoy talking to Kyros?”
“Yes, he’s very nice. Told me about your sisters and family.”
Leo smiled and his gaze locked on something in the distance as if pulling from happy memories. “I have a wonderful family. Four sisters and thirteen nieces and nephews.”
“Whoa,” I said. “Big.”
The smile was still on his face when he shrugged. “We’re Greek.”
“So you want a large family?” The moment I asked that, I wished I could take it back. It wasn’t a question for an employee to ask her boss. Nor was it a question I should have asked at all. It also tapped on the earlier conversation we’d had about children and family. It was after that discussion that Leo had seemed a bit colder toward me.
Something sad, then angry shot across Leo’s face, then he was back to his relaxed facade.
“Yes, I want a large family.” He tilted his head and examined me. “What is your family situation? Any siblings?”
I should have known the questions would get turned around on me. Now I really wanted a drink. “Hazel and Amy are the closest things to siblings I have.”
“You never said much about your parents. Only that your mother would never have grandkids.”
It was one of those things I knew deep down since I was a teenager: I wasn’t the mothering type. Mostly because I was terrified I’d mess up. If I ever hurt a kid—my kid—the way my mother hurt me? Abandon her. Turn her away, not believe her, leave her to deal with things alone . . . No. I couldn’t. Wouldn’t run the risk.
Not to mention, I wasn’t marriage material, much less mother material. I tended to only attract assholes or men who saw me for one thing.
“My mom lives in Indiana. Dad left when I was a teenager.”
“I’m sorry,” Leo said with all sincerity.
I shrugged. “Things happen.”
He looked at me again. “You’re not much of an emotional shower are you?”
“Why did you leave Greece?” I asked, hoping to God the subject change would get back to him and away from me.
His face went hard. I’d never seen him show this kind of stern anger other than when he mentioned my leaving him in the bar at our interview.
“Personal reasons.”
Now I was intrigued. Mostly because, for the breezy, relaxed sort of guy Leo typically was, he was now kind of brooding. Pissy almost.
“Don’t care to share then?” I pressed.
“Would you like to tell me about your family?”
I folded my lips and he smiled. “Touché,” I said. “But . . .” I took a step closer, because for whatever reason, the look on his face, something that resembled pain, wasn’t sitting well with me. The need to know, to fix that look, surfaced.
“I’m a good listener,” I said. “If you ever want to talk.”
His expression was serious, but he reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “Who listens to you, angel?”
The sentiment made something shift in my chest. He’d called me angel only once before, and it was the night at the bar, when I was wrapped around him. The memory, along with the endearment, chipped away another piece of the ice in me.
My brow furrowed and I looked at him. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I mean,” he shifted his hips so that they brushed against mine and I forced my heart rate to stay even. A battle I was losing. “You seem to listen a lot. I watched you in there tonight. You’re good with people, adapting and working a room.”
I smiled because it was the second stellar compliment he’d dished tonight.
“But”—his face fell and I couldn’t figure out why he seemed disappointed—“do you ever slow down? Be yourself?”
“What makes you think I’m not being myself right now?”
“Because I saw you—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I dismissed. “That night at the bar. Are you still holding on to that?”
“You going to give me something else to hold on to?”
He was right. Even my best friends had no idea what was going on in my life. No idea of what had gone on. Even Amy didn’t know the extent of my past and how badly it affected me. It wasn’t their fault. I knew they cared. I just couldn’t admit to certain things, past or present. And the reason was simple: What if they didn’t believe me? It was a risk I couldn’t take. Because it’d break my heart. But Leo? He didn’t know the details of my life, and he didn’t need to.
Yet somehow he saw me. Tapped into a part of me that was long neglected and I both liked and hated him for it. While pieces of his praise and trust made me feel stronger, it also made me feel weaker. Made me nervous, because he was slowly shifting into something I didn’t want to lose and someone I didn’t want to disappoint.
“You caught me on a bad night when you saw me at the bar,” I said softly.
He cupped my hip and brushed his thumb along my stomach. “I didn’t think it was so bad . . . aside from your leaving.”
I looked up at him because his tone was gruff but his eyes were haunted. “What happened in Greece?”
He stared at me for a long moment, then finally said, “Something I had no control over and no way to fix.”
My chest stung as I looked in his eyes and gently gripped the lapel of his tux. “I understand the feeling.”
His steady stare ate me up like an undertow, sucking me into its depths. He leaned in, but before his lips touched mine, he stopped.
My breath caught because the thought of him pulling away was too much to bear, especially when I wanted to wipe that sad look off his face. I grabbed his lapel tighter and tugged him until his mouth mashed against mine.
His hand on my waist tightened and pulled me closer. Parting my lips, I licked the seam of his mouth and he groaned, instantly meeting my attentions with his. Plunging deep, he drank me down.
I reached up and cupped his face, causing my strapless dress to shift a little lower. I needed to kiss him, touch him, just for a second. Because in this moment, we were just two people. Like we were the day I met him. So I lifted to my tiptoes and slung one arm around his shoulders to get closer.
He devoured my mouth, his big hands gripping my ass and pressing me farther into him. I didn’t care about anything but feeling him. It was like my brain shut out all thoughts except for his heat. His hold. His mouth. Just Leo. That was all I could understand in that moment.
His erection pressed against my stomach and I arched into it, subtly grinding my hips. The slinky silk of my dress came down just a bit more from the movement.
It wasn’t until he pulled away slightly and looked at me with raw lust that I realized what had happened.
“Fuck, you’re like a piece of wicked fruit tempting me,” he rasped, looking me in the eyes, then trailing lower to take in my breasts.
My dress had come down just enough to show a hint of my nipples. Before I could back away and tug it up, Leo leaned in and ran his tongue along one breast.
Forget moving away. I moaned and wished so hard he’d keep going. The pleasure that shot through me wasn’t expected, but the dose was so sharp I felt it all the way to my throbbing core.
I cupped his hard cock through his pants, ready to take it out when a g
ust of cold breeze hit me and I remembered where I was. Where we were. Out on a terrace at a major function, where we could be seen at any time.
I pushed myself away from him and instantly righted my dress.
“T-that was . . .” I tugged once more, making sure I was fully covered.
“Tasty,” Leo finished, smiling.
I shot him a look. He was all swagger, and grinning in my direction like he’d just declared victory in some war between us. In a way he had. I’d been weak and gave in to something that was—
“Unprofessional.”
With a quick assessment of my hair, I turned and headed back toward the party inside. It wasn’t lost on me that this was the second time I’d walked away from Leo. But just like the first, I knew a bad idea when I saw it, and there was nothing good that could have come from this. From us.
Because whenever it came to me, typically happiness had nowhere to bloom.
Chapter Ten
I’m sorry, you want me to do what?” I paused midswipe on my tablet and looked up at Leo.
“I want you to set up dates for me with the women on this list.” Leo handed me a typed list of women’s names and contact information. A quick chill of confusion pricked my skin. Surely he wasn’t serious.
“Romantic dates?” I said.
“What else?”
“You’ve got to be joking.”
Leo leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head like he owned the damn world. Well, not the world—oceans maybe, but not the world. Since last weekend after we kissed, he hadn’t said more than a few words, and most of them were orders.
Well, I had kissed him, then walked out. Again.
The first few days I had been terrified he would fire me. But so far, he’d been doing the opposite. He’d been giving me more work actually. So long as I kept my job, I’d be okay. The main point was that kissing, or anything else with Leo, was a bad idea. It was also becoming harder to resist. At least I stopped before I clawed my way through his tuxedo pants and hopped on for what I knew would have been an incredible ride.
I also stopped before those emotions, the ones I was having a hard time controlling, got even further out of control.
