Читать книгу Ultimate Romance Collection - Rebecca Winters, Amalie Berlin - Страница 100
ОглавлениеSOON THEY DROVE back to the house with the paint. While Lys carried the bags into the living room, Takis brought in the fresco and set it back on the mantel. “Shall we eat? I’m starving.”
Lys chuckled. “Aren’t you always?”
They walked into the kitchen, where he’d put the wrapped vase of flowers in the sink earlier. She set the food on the table and they sat down to eat.
Halfway through a second sandwich he smiled at her. “We’ll set up our computers to the hotel’s mainframe. Giorgos won’t be the wiser when we use this house to discuss business while we transform this place. Have you told him we’re engaged?”
“Last night I showed him my ring.”
Takis’s eyes glittered with amusement. “It’s the best thing that could have happened to him. He took one look at you and fell hard. I feel sorry for him because there’s only one of you.”
“Speaking of problems, maybe I should go alone to the paint store next time.”
“Why?”
She laughed. “You do that so well.”
“What?” He stared at her.
“Pretend you don’t know that woman can’t wait to see you again.”
His mouth curved sensuously. “You noticed.”
“Even blind, I would have been able to tell.”
“Now you know what I put up with whenever you’re with me. We both know Giorgos is already a lost cause. As for Basil, I’ve done business with him from time to time and have never known him to give anything away. But he was so besotted with my fiancée and her violet eyes, he lost his head.”
She scoffed. “I thought he did it because he cares for you. More and more I’m convinced that’s the way Nassos felt about you upon a first meeting, not to mention the manager, who was so impressed, he introduced you to Nassos twelve years ago.”
He sucked in his breath. “Why do I feel I’m being set up for something?”
“Why don’t you believe you’re a wonderful son worth loving?”
They finished eating in silence before he started to clean up. “Thank you for bringing lunch.” She felt his eyes on her. “We should leave for my parents’ in a few minutes. If you need to freshen up, the water is on now. Don’t worry. I cleaned the downstairs bathroom. This house has stood vacant for a long time.”
“I thought as much.”
She got up and discovered it next to the area for a washer and dryer down the little hall off the kitchen. There was a lot of work to be done, but Lys found she couldn’t wait to help.
When she came out, he stood in the kitchen waiting for her. The realization of what they were about to do frightened her. “Takis? What if they can’t accept me?”
“We’ve been over this before—they will adore you. Are you saying you want to back out?” His voice sounded too quiet.
“No, but I’m nervous.”
His hands reached out and he drew her against him. “Perhaps now would be the best time to put the seal on our relationship.” When his compelling mouth closed over hers, she’d been halfway out of breath in anticipation. The shocking hunger in his kiss robbed her of the rest and she clung to him in a wine-dark rapture.
There was no thought of holding back on her part. Her desire for him was so great, she had no idea how long they stood there clinging to each other, trying without success to satisfy wants and needs that had been kept in check until now.
“I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you,” he murmured, kissing every inch of her face and throat. “The desire we feel for each other is real. Don’t tell me it isn’t.”
“I won’t,” she whispered, incapable of saying anything else.
Again he swept her away in another kiss that went on and on. His mouth was doing miraculous things to her. She couldn’t bear the thought of this moment ending, but Takis had more control than she did and finally lifted his mouth from hers. His breathing had grown shallow too. “Much as I’m enjoying this, we’re going to be late if we don’t leave now.”
She couldn’t think, let alone talk, and was embarrassed for him to witness the state of her intoxication. Needing to do something concrete, she pulled out of his arms and reached for the vase of flowers. After grabbing her purse, she headed for the living room.
He opened the front door and helped her out to his car. She hid her flushed face from him as much as she could for the short drive to the Manolis hotel. To her surprise he drove down an alley behind the buildings, parked by his parents’ truck and came around to help her out.
“Are you ready?” he murmured.
She clung to the vase. What a question when her legs were wobbling! His kiss had changed her concept of what went on between a man and a woman now that she was so deeply in love with this fantastic man.
Of course she’d been kissed before and had enjoyed it, but she’d never gone to bed with the men she’d dated. During Nassos’s talks with her about men and marriage, she’d learned that he expected her to wait until her wedding night. Maybe if she’d fallen in love with one of those men, she might not have been able to resist. But it hadn’t happened and now she knew why after Takis had aroused her passion.
Suddenly the back door opened. Lys recognized his mother, who’d passed on her reddish dark-blond hair to Lukios. She cried Takis’s name and reached out to hug him. But it was his same startling hazel eyes that fastened on Lys.
“Mama? This is my fiancée, Lys Theron. She’s the light of my life.” The words came out smooth as silk and sounded so truthful, it shook her to the foundations.
Lys looked for signs that she was upset or disappointed, but instead she let go of Takis to hug her, flowers and all. They were both the same medium height. “This is a great day. Welcome to the family.”
The unexpected warmth brought tears to Lys’s eyes. “Thank you, Hestia. Takis has talked about his angel mama so much, I feel I know you already.” In that moment Lys shared an unexpected glance with Takis. From the intense look in his eyes, she’d said the right thing to his mother.
“She’s brought you flowers. Shall we go inside and unwrap them?”
Hestia wiped her eyes. “Come on. Your father is in the living room waiting for you.”
Nikanor Manolis. The man for whom this charade was all about.
Takis grasped her hand and took her through the kitchen to the living room.
Lys saw immediately that he took after his father in height and features. The older man with salt-and-pepper hair stood in front of the fireplace dressed in dark pants and a white shirt.
“Baba? I would like you to meet the woman I’m going to marry.” Hearing those words almost gave her a heart attack. “Lys Theron, this is my father, Nikanor.”
She shook his hand. “How do you do, Kyrie Manolis. It’s an honor.”
He gave her a speculative glance. “Lukios tells us you two met in Italy.”
“Yes. I was on a short vacation.”
“You love my son?”
After everything Takis had told her about his father, she guessed she wasn’t surprised he would ask a blunt question like that. But Lys could hardly think for the blood pounding in her ears. “From the first moment I met him, I couldn’t help it.” She didn’t dare look at Takis right then. To her surprise his father kissed her on both cheeks, putting his stamp of approval on the news.
“Look what she brought us!” Hestia came in the room carrying the vase of pink roses and lavender daisies, breaking the tension. “They are so beautiful!” She set them on the coffee table.
“I’m glad you like them. Those colors are perfect together.”
“I think so too. Sit down. I’ve made tea.”
Takis led her over to the couch and squeezed her hand, revealing his emotions. In a minute his mother came back with a tray of tea and kourambiedes to serve everyone.
“What are your plans?” his father asked.
“We’ve set the date for June fourth, provided that’s a convenient time for you and Mama. It’s not a holiday. The engagement announcement is ready to be given to the newspaper.”
His father looked at Lys. His brows lifted the same way Takis’s sometimes did. “Tell us about your family.”
She’d been ready for that question. “My mother was an American, born on Long Island, who died when I was little. My father was working in New York, but he was from Kasos Island here in Crete. In his will he specified that he wanted his best friend to be my guardian should he die before I turned eighteen. That best friend was Nassos Rodino, who died very recently.
“He and his wife, Danae, raised me from the age of seventeen after my father was killed in a plane accident. She’s the only person I have left and still lives on Kasos. Contrary to what the media reported after his death, we love each other as mother and daughter and will always mourn Nassos’s passing. He was like a father to me.”
“We’re sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you. Danae met Takis for the first time the other night. When she learned he planned to live here for good and work at his family’s hotel, she gave us her blessing. To be truthful, she never liked the men I dated. I’m pretty sure it’s because they weren’t from Crete.”
Takis shot her a look of surprise.
“All along both she and Nassos insisted that one day I marry a Cretan who honors his family,” Lys added on a burst of inspiration. It was only the truth.
The older man’s gray eyes lit up before he turned to Takis. “That’s what you want to do, my son? Work here at the hotel now that you’re home for good?”
Lys’s eyes closed tightly, waiting for the answer that would change Takis’s world.
“It’s what I want, Baba.”
“Then so be it.”
She knew those words had to be the sweetest Takis had ever heard.
“Hestia? They want to be married June fourth.”
“I heard.”
“In the Agios Titos church,” Takis supplied.
“Ah. That’s where we were married.” Her face beamed. “How soon will it go in the paper?”
“We’ll submit it tomorrow. It will probably show up the next day. We plan to see the priest next week.”
His father nodded in what seemed like total satisfaction.
“When I’m not busy working for you, Baba, I’ll be busy fixing up the old Andropolis house. You know the one that has stood vacant for close to a year. Besides paint, it needs new flooring and plumbing.”
“You’re good at those jobs.”
A compliment from his father must be doing wonders for him, but Lys didn’t dare look at him and instead munched on one of his mother’s fantastic walnut cookies.
“We will have everyone for dinner Friday night to celebrate. Our whole family together.”
If his mother had a serious illness, Lys couldn’t tell. Nothing seemed wrong with Takis’s father either. All she knew was that this get-together had to have left their son overjoyed.
Hestia moved over by Lys to examine the ring. “It doesn’t surprise me he gave you the snake ring. My Takis was always immersed in our Minoan culture.”
“I’m fascinated by it too. When he picked it up at Basil’s, he also bought a replica of a fresco from the museum I admired. We’re going to hang it over the fireplace and use those colors to decorate. You’ll have to come and see it.”
“I’ll bring Kori and Doris with me.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting them and the children.”
“Everyone will be excited to get to know you. They love Takis and won’t be able to wait to see his house.”
“Takis will have to put up a railing on the upstairs terrace first so they won’t fall.”
“I’ll take care of it before they come!” he spoke up, as if they were an old married couple. She shouldn’t have been surprised that he was listening.
Lys was getting in deeper and deeper. She loved him so much, but if he didn’t love her just as intensely... While he kissed his father, Lys stood up, taking one more cookie from the plate. “These are so good, Hestia, I want the recipe.”
“I’ll give it to you.”
In a moment Takis reached her side. “Mama, Lys and I need to leave so you two can get back to work. I’ll be over for breakfast tomorrow and we’ll talk hotel business.”
She walked them out of the room and through the kitchen to the back of the hotel where the cars were parked. “Where do you live, Lys?”
“Since I started working in the accounts department of the Rodino Hotel four years ago, I’ve lived in a room there, but I’ve gone home to the island on weekends.”
“Will you continue to work there when you’re married?”
“I—I don’t know.” She hesitated. “Takis and I still have many things to talk about.”
“Amen to that.” He’d come up behind them. “We’ll see you on Friday, Mama.” He kissed her before helping Lys get in his car.
Hestia stood there smiling and waved as they drove down the alley to the next street.
“Your parents are wonderful,” Lys murmured when they’d turned the corner.
He didn’t respond. She turned her head toward him, waiting for him to say something. But he just kept driving until they arrived back at his house. Worried that something was wrong, she got out of the car and hurried toward the front door. In seconds, he’d unlocked it so they could go inside.
When it closed behind them, she felt his hands on her shoulders. He whirled her around. She couldn’t understand the white ring outlining his mouth.
“Takis—” Her heart was thudding. “What did I do to make you this upset?”
“I’m not upset.” He gave her a little shake. “Don’t you know what you did back there was so miraculous, I’m afraid I’m dreaming.”
Relief filled her system. “What do you mean?”
“You really don’t get it, do you? You’ve charmed my parents so completely, you’ve made it possible for me to get in their good graces again.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t do anything. Can’t you see how much they adore you?”
“That’s your doing. You make me look good.”
“What a ridiculous thing to say!”
“Ridiculous or not, you have my undying gratitude.” His hands ran up and down her arms, bringing her against his hard male body. “Damn—we don’t have a couch, let alone a bed, so I can’t kiss you the way I want.”
“It’s probably a good thing there’s no furniture.”
“You don’t really mean that.” His deep grating voice sent waves of desire through her body. “I could eat you alive standing right here and know you feel the same way.”
She took a deep breath. “I admit I’ve been strongly attracted to you from the beginning, Takis.”
His gaze poured over her features relentlessly. “Have you ever been to bed with a man?”
“Would it matter to you if I had?”
“Yes,” he bit out.
“Why? You’ve had intimate relations with other women.”
A pained look crossed over his face. “I’m jealous of any man who has ever made love to you. I’d rather be the only one who knew that kind of joy.”
“That works for women too.”
“Are you admitting you’re jealous of my past relationships?”
“Not jealous. But I do want to know about the one you had with your girlfriend in high school.”
“We didn’t sleep together, Lys. I was trying to honor her until we could be married.”
Tears clogged her throat. “She was a very lucky woman to be loved by you. If the accident hadn’t happened, you would never have left Crete and would probably be married with children by now.”
“But destiny had something else in mind for me, and I’m in the battle of my life to regain what I lost.”
She struggled to understand. “Tell me exactly what it is you think you lost. Your parents are thrilled you’ve come home and your father wants you working with him again.”
His chest rose and fell visibly. “Because you’re going to be at my side.”
“You honestly believe it took me to make this happen today? If that’s true, then I feel sorry for you.”
Lines marred his striking features. “How else to explain why they want to tell the whole family Friday night?”
“How about accepting the fact that you’re their son and they love you? Do you need more than that? For so long you’ve been telling yourself that you’re an unworthy son, you couldn’t see what was in their eyes today. Why don’t you just sit down with your father and tell him all the feelings in your heart?”
“My friend Cesare has asked me the same question.”
“Then listen to him! Your fear has brought you to a standstill. For a man as outstanding and remarkable as you are, I find it inconceivable you’re in such terrible pain. A simple conversation with your father could change the way you look at life.” She lowered her head. “In a way, you remind me of Nassos.”
Takis’s head reared back. “What do you mean?”
“Remember the letter he wrote to me? Just think what might have happened if he’d gone to Danae and had admitted he’d been wrong to divorce her and wanted her back. But his fear that he might not be forgiven wouldn’t let him do that and he died unexpectedly, never knowing how much she loved him and wanted to get back with him.”
His brows furrowed. “How does that have anything to do with me?”
“It has everything to do with you. You’re afraid to talk to your father for fear you’ll hear him say he can never forgive you for leaving Crete. But the point is, he might say something else quite different to you.
“Just think, Takis. After my talk with Danae, I realized she would have told Nassos she wanted him back, but he never gave her a chance. It’s so sad that it’s too late for them. Please don’t let it be too late for you and your father.”
She kissed his firm jaw. “Now I’m going to leave and get back to the hotel. I’ve let work go too long. When you’re ready to start applying the primer, I’ll come and help.”
As she started out the door he said, “You still haven’t told me if you’ve been to bed with a man.”
She paused and turned to him. “Shall we make a deal? When you decide to have that talk with your father, then I’ll tell you all the secret details of my intimate life with men.”
“Was it true what you said about your boyfriends not being from Crete?”
“Yes.”
“How many were there?”
“I only had three serious ones. All of them were born in other parts of Greece, the sons of wealthy parents who came to Crete for vacations and stayed at the hotel. I knew Nassos and Danae weren’t impressed with any of them.”
Her words brought a smile of satisfaction to his arresting features.
“By the way, I love your parents.”
* * *
The next morning Takis made arrangements for a Skype conference call with his partners. He’d set up his computer in the kitchen while the guys sat at the computer in Cesare’s office at the castello.
“You’re looking good, amico.” This from Cesare.
“It’s great seeing you guys again.”
“Before we hear your news, we have some of our own,” Vincenzo exclaimed.
“Good or bad?”
“Definitely good. My cousin Dimi is going to marry Filippa in June at her church in Florence. They made the decision last evening, but want to keep it low-key with only family and close friends. You’re invited, of course, if you can make it. We’ll text you the time and address of the church.”
Takis’s mind leaped ahead. He would take Lys with him so his friends could meet her. Cesare had seen her, but it wasn’t the same thing as talking to her. “I’m very happy for him. Dimi deserves it.”
“Being that Filippa is Gemma’s best friend, my wife is beyond thrilled. But now we want to know what’s going on with you.”
“Quite a lot actually. The sale of my hotels in New York has gone through. Furthermore I’ve bought myself a house two blocks from my parents’ hotel in Tylissos and now have internet.”
“You sound good.”
“I am. Two days ago Lys Theron and I got officially engaged. Our announcement went in the newspaper today. I’m emailing you a copy of it as we speak.”
After total silence, Cesare let out an ear-piercing whistle. “You’re actually getting married?”
“We decided it was the best way to keep news about Nassos’s will a secret. By implying that Lys and I are in a romantic relationship ending in marriage, no one will know or suspect I’m co-owner of the Rodino Hotel. She has informed the staff that she’s the new owner.”
Vincenzo leaned forward. “So what will you do? Get divorced after the six months’ stipulation concerning hotel ownership has passed?”
“There’ll be no divorce.”
“Is she on board with all this?”
Takis had been waiting for Vincenzo’s astute question, which meant his friend had been thinking hard about the things Takis hadn’t explained. “I intend our marriage to last forever.”
Cesare cocked his head. “The Takis I know wouldn’t publicly announce his engagement to be married unless he wanted it more than anything else in this world.”
“In the beginning I suggested the engagement in order to protect the relationship with my father. But I’ve fallen in love and yes, a life with her is what I want more than anything else in this world.”
After a silence, “I take it you didn’t have that conversation with him after all.”
First Cesare, then Lys, now Cesare again. “I’m handling all I can for the moment. Any problems I need to know about business on your end?”
“Sofia, your assistant, might be getting married soon and will have to move back to Geneva,” Vincenzo interjected. “That means we’ll be needing to find a new person to replace her. Got anyone in mind?”
“Let me talk to her first. In the meantime I’ll send Dimi a text to congratulate him.”
“He’ll like that.”
“I know you guys are busy so I’ll let you go.”
“What’s the hurry?”
“I’m waiting for a man to come and help me install a railing for the upstairs terrace on my house. You can’t believe what a disaster this place is.”
“Then we won’t keep you. Ciao, Takis.”
“Ciao, guys. It’s always good to talk to you.”
He ended the session and got back to work, purposely keeping their conference short. He knew they were worried about him and the rushed engagement. But he didn’t want to let them delve into his psyche too deeply until Lys admitted that she was crazy in love with him too.
Once the wrought iron railing had been installed, he swept the stone tiles. Before long a truck from the local furniture store delivered a full-size swing with a canopy he’d ordered online.
The workers carried it upstairs to the terrace. They also brought up a round glass-topped table set in wrought iron with an umbrella and six matching chairs. There was also a matching side table he put next to the swing. Until the interior of the house was done, the terrace would be his hideaway with Lys. In the evening, the neighbors wouldn’t be able to see them entwined.
After the men left, he phoned Lys. “How soon can the owner of the hotel come to my house this evening? I would pick you up, but I want to finish getting the primer paint on the walls by tonight. There’s a surprise waiting.”
“That sounds exciting. I’ll be there as soon as I can with dinner.” Click.
She did that a lot, cut him off so he wouldn’t argue, but he found he liked everything she did. He was in love. The kind that went soul deep. One day soon he would get her to admit she couldn’t live without him either.
