Читать книгу Ultimate Romance Collection - Rebecca Winters, Amalie Berlin - Страница 95
ОглавлениеTAKIS KNEW HE HADN’T dreamed up this meeting with the woman Nassos had helped raise. When she left his office, her flowery fragrance lingered, providing proof she’d been in here.
He’d seen tears in her eyes when she’d heard him enter the room. She’d just been looking at Nassos’s picture. The exquisite woman who’d walked down the aisle at the funeral had been his ward at one time. Shame on Takis for wondering if she could have been the mistress talked about in the news.
How old was Lys Theron? Twenty-five, twenty-six? And now she was half owner of the hotel, with Takis owning the other half.
Several emotions bombarded him, not the least of which was the attraction to her he’d felt at the funeral. He looked at the envelope his hand had squeezed without his being aware of it. According to her, this was Nassos’s gift to him.
Utterly incredulous, he opened it and pulled out a letter and a deed. To his shock it was official all right, signed with Nassos’s distinctive signature, stamped and dated. There it was in bold letters.
Takis Manolis, half owner of the Rodino Hotel in Heraklion.
The letter indicated he should get in touch with the attorney Xander as soon as possible. Once Takis returned to Heraklion, he could sign the deed in front of witnesses so it could be recorded and filed for the court.
He read more. Neither owner would be free to do what they wanted with the hotel until six months had passed.
Aghast, he shook his head. What on earth had possessed Nassos to do such a thing?
Once Takis’s hotels in New York had started making money, he’d paid the older hotelier for the help he’d given him. No amount could really be enough. How did you assign goodness a monetary value? He’d tried, but to his chagrin Nassos was now gone and there’d be no last time to thank him for everything.
This unimaginable development had thrown him.
For Nassos to turn around and simply give him half the hotel in Heraklion made no sense whatsoever. Takis didn’t want the hotel! He’d paid him back generously.
What in the hell was Nassos thinking? Now that he’d passed away, there was no way to confront him about this. The inconceivable gesture made him feel as if he’d always be the boy who’d come from near poverty. The thought hurt him in a way that went soul deep.
To add to the hurt, this deed had been delivered by special messenger in the form of Nassos’s beautiful former ward. Why would he force Takis’s hand by making him a co-owner with her?
She was too damn beautiful. The kind of woman he never imagined to meet. Didn’t want to meet. Only one other woman had touched his heart and she’d died. He didn’t want to experience those kinds of feelings again. Yet a few minutes with this woman and a fire had been lit.
How did she feel about being half owner with a stranger, even if she knew a lot about him from Nassos and her father?
His thoughts centered on what she’d told him about the way the press had labeled her in the cruelest of ways. With her kind of unforgettable looks, she was an easy target. Was Nassos’s divorce the result of his taking on Kristos’s lovely teenage daughter to raise?
What business is it of yours to care, Manolis?
Unfortunately it was his business until he could fly to Crete and clear up this whole mess with the attorney of record.
Adrenaline surged through his veins. He wished to hell none of this had happened. He still couldn’t believe Nassos was gone. Worse, he didn’t want to know anything about her. Takis wished he’d never laid eyes on her. He didn’t want this kind of a complication in his life. Loving a woman made you vulnerable.
A violent epithet flew from his lips. In his rage he tossed the deed across the room. It hit Cesare in the chest as he walked inside Takis’s office.
With great calm his friend picked it up and put it on the desk. He shot Takis a questioning glance. “I take it this had something to do with the drop-dead-gorgeous woman I saw leaving the hotel a minute ago. Where on earth did she come from?”
Takis had trouble getting his emotions under control. “You don’t want to know.”
“Yes I do. You’ve been with several women over the years, but I’ve never seen you turned inside out by one before.”
“It’s not just the woman. It’s everything!” His voice shook. “I feel like my world has been blown to smithereens and I don’t know where I am anymore.”
Takis should never have left his parents’ home. He should have stayed on Crete and worked alongside his brother. He’d been so certain he’d had all the answers to help his family. But in the end he’d accepted the help of a wealthy man.
The thought of the deeded gift sickened him. That kind of gift might be given to a son, but Takis hadn’t been Nassos’s son. He was the son of Nikanor, who after all these years still didn’t want his money. Neither did his brother. Worse, one of his parents was probably ill and Takis didn’t have a clue because he’d been living out of the country for years. He was the ingrate of all time.
“What’s the point of anything, Cesare?”
Worry lines darkened the features of his Italian friend. “Hold on, Takis. Come with me. We’re going for a ride. My car is parked in the rear lot of the castello.”
“You don’t want to be with me.”
“Well, I refuse to leave you here alone. It wouldn’t do for Sofia to find you in this condition.” Cesare was right about that. He didn’t want his assistant privy to his personal life. “Whatever trouble you’re in, we’re going to talk about it. Let’s go.”
Takis grabbed the papers and stuffed them inside his suit jacket. They walked swiftly through the corridors past some of the guests to the outside. Cesare started up his sports car. He followed the road around from the back of the castello and they drove down the hill to the little village of Sopri. Before long he parked in front of a sports bar on the outskirts that didn’t look crowded this time of day.
They went inside and found a quiet spot in a corner. Cesare ordered appetizers and their favorite Peroni, a pale lager from the brewery that had been founded in Lombardi. Once they’d been served rolls along with a hot plate of grigliata mista di carne, he eyed Takis.
“You didn’t eat breakfast, which might explain the state you were in. You need lunch, amico, and you’ve got me for an audience. Now start talking and don’t stop.”
Cesare knew Takis’s weakness for their grilled sausage, lamb and steak mix. Combined with the lager, it did taste good and he could feel his strength returning.
He pulled the deed out of his pocket and pushed it toward Cesare. “As you know, I attended Nassos Rodino’s funeral while I was in Crete. Would you believe in his will he gave half the Hotel Rodino in Heraklion to me as a gift? The other half was given to that woman you saw. She was the courier who delivered it.”
His friend studied it. “Who is she?”
“Lys Theron, the daughter of Kristos Theron, the hotel owner in New York who gave me my first job after I reached the States. You remember me talking about him. When he died, his best friend, Nassos, Rodino became her guardian and brought her back to Crete to raise.”
A low whistle came out of Cesare. But Takis didn’t want to talk about the beautiful woman who’d robbed him of breath the moment he’d laid eyes on her. She was another problem altogether.
“I thought the money I sent to Nassos for his help had changed his image of me as the poverty-stricken teen from Tylissos.” He swallowed part of his lager. “But I was wrong. In his mind’s eye I would always be the poor son of poor Nikanor Manolis, humbly scraping out a living day after day.
“I never wanted anything from Nassos. His kindness gave me a new life, but I paid him back. To be handed a deed to part ownership of a property that isn’t mine, that I never earned, is worse than a stiletto to the gut.”
Cesare shot forward in his seat. “You couldn’t be more wrong. It’s his tribute to your raving success.”
“You think?”
“Of course.”
Takis shook his head. “Maybe the problem lies inside me. Maybe I’ve been too proud wanting to make a success of my life. Nassos’s gift of the hotel takes me back to the time when I was eighteen. He approached me about furthering my education, not the other way around, Cesare.
“The hotel manager I worked for arranged for me to meet Nassos. I never asked for his help. When I finally accepted it and left for New York, I started paying him back as soon as I could. But being given half ownership of his hotel now doesn’t feel right and has made me feel...guilty all over again.”
“What’s gotten into you, Takis? Guilty for what? Help me understand.”
“That I’ve failed my family.”
“In what way?”
“I left them to do something purely selfish. I accepted a rich man’s help. My father couldn’t give me that kind of help or encourage me. If I’d been any kind of a man, I would have stayed home and helped him.”
“That’s crazy talk, Takis. I left home too in order to pursue a dream and accepted a lot of help along the way.”
“This is different, Cesare. You’re not a Cretan.”
“So what? I’m a Sicilian. What’s the difference? My pride is no less fierce than yours.”
Takis had no answer for that. “You don’t understand. My brother stayed behind to work with my father. He never failed him. But that wasn’t the case with his second-born son. What did I do? I took off. When I think about it now, I cringe to realize how deeply I must have disgraced him.”
“Disgraced?” Cesare sounded angry. “You don’t know any such thing. He must be bursting with pride over you. When was the last time you had a real heart-to-heart talk with him?”
“Before I left for New York, we talked. I went to him with ideas for what we could do with the hotel. He looked me in the eye and told me my plans for the family hotel didn’t fit his vision, and that one day when I was a man, I’d understand. That was it! End of conversation. It shut me down. After eleven years I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”
“Then you need to force another conversation with him and find out what he meant.”
“My father isn’t easy to talk to.”
“Then it’s time you faced him so you won’t stay in that hellhole you’re digging for yourself. Let me ask you a question. Do you think me selfish? Or Vincenzo?”
Takis didn’t have to voice the easy no that came to his mind.
“Come on and finish your food. Then we’re going back to the castello to talk to Vincenzo before he leaves for Lake Como with Gemma. You’re not the only one who has known the pain of separation from family. Don’t forget that he ran from his father as fast as he could and hid out in New York under a different name for over ten years.”
Takis had forgotten nothing. The three of them would never have met if they hadn’t left their homes and their countries and gone to New York. He couldn’t imagine what his life would have been like if he hadn’t met Cesare and Vincenzo. The friendship they’d forged in college had changed his entire world.
All because Nassos made it possible for you, Manolis, said a voice in his head, sending him into worse turmoil.
Cesare paid the bill and got to his feet. “Are you ready?”
* * *
Once Lys had received the return phone call from Danae at noon, she walked out the door of the penthouse foyer to the elevator off the small hallway to await her arrival. The penthouse in Crete had been Nassos’s domain, and a decision had to be made about the furnishings.
After being back a week from Milan, Lys still hadn’t heard a word from Takis Manolis. But she’d daydreamed about him and what it would be like to go out with him. Since meeting him, she couldn’t imagine ever being attracted to another man. She’d hoped to know his plans before telling Danae the latest state of affairs, but no such luck.
The doors of the elevator opened. Lys greeted the dark-haired beauty and walked back in the penthouse with her. Dressed in mourning clothes, she looked particularly elegant in a Kasper color-blocked black Jacquard jacket and skirt. Danae had always been a fashion plate and was the true love of Nassos’s life.
No matter what he’d told Lys in his letter to her, she feared Danae might still blame her for their divorce. The pain of that would never leave her. No olive branch offered could ever change the past.
If Lys had known what would happen after Nassos had insisted she leave New York and come to live with him and Danae, she would have run away rather than have stepped foot on Crete. Hindsight was a wonderful thing, but it came far too late.
“Thank you for coming, Danae. I’m sure you hoped we’d seen the last of each other at the funeral, but I’m carrying out one last thing Nassos would have wanted done, even if it wasn’t in the will. Come in the living room and sit down—I’d like to explain a few things.”
The older woman followed her and found a seat on one of the upholstered chairs. Danae’s natural olive complexion had paled. “I can’t imagine what would have been so important you had to see me in person.”
“Maybe you’ll think it isn’t important when I tell you, but I have to do it. As you know, Nassos left me half the hotel and nothing else. That means everything in this penthouse is yours. He lived up here after he left the villa. I happen to know you are the one who designed it and put it all together years ago. You’re a real artist in many ways. All this furniture you picked out, the paintings... You know he would have wanted you to have everything.”
She jumped to her feet, visibly disturbed. “I don’t want anything,” she bit out too fast, revealing her pain.
Lys could understand that and her heart went out to her. “If you don’t want any of it, then you need to make arrangements for it to be sold or given away, or whatever you think is best. Otherwise I’ll ask the co-owner of the hotel to do with it as he or she wishes.”
“Who is it?”
“Would it surprise you to know its Takis Manolis?”
Danae’s head reared. “Actually it doesn’t. Nassos liked him very much.”
Lys was glad she’d told her the truth. “I don’t know if he wants it. But until he signs and files the official document with the court, it’s still up in the air. On Xander’s instructions I flew to Italy, handed him the documents and left.”
“So you met him.”
“Yes.”
“What’s he like?”
She took a deep breath. “Very attractive, but I haven’t heard from him. Maybe he’s trying to find a way to get out of it and possibly designate a person from his New York chain. That could be the reason there’s been no word yet.
“Xander will have to be the one to keep us informed. I just thought you might like to have the movers come before anything else happens.”
No sound came out of Danae. Lys could tell she was in a bad way and she wanted to comfort her.
“Nassos’s death came as a painful shock to both of us.” The anguished look on Danae’s face prompted Lys to reveal something she’d held back since the divorce. “I’d like to talk frankly with you. When my father died, I was afraid to come to Crete, where I didn’t know anyone. But I was underage and as you know, Nassos made a promise to my father to take care of me in case he died. I realize that my arrival was probably your worst nightmare, but it was something I had no control over.”
Danae lowered her eyes.
“You were so wonderful to me, I got over a lot of my pain and started to be happy with you. In time I learned to adore you. But you must know that you were the great passion of Nassos’s life.”
The other woman started to tremble.
“I have something to show you.” Lys pulled the letter from Nassos out of her purse and handed it to her. Nassos hadn’t meant anyone else to read it, but Lys couldn’t keep it from Danae, who deserved to know the truth.
“So you won’t think I’m holding anything back, I want you to read this. Xander gave it to me after reading the contents of the will to you.”
She watched as the older woman took in the contents. Soon her shoulders shook.
“As you’ve read, Nassos wanted children and I happened to fill a hole in his heart for a while as the daughter you two never had.”
Danae looked crushed and put a hand to her throat. “I—I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to love a child that wasn’t mine. That’s why I didn’t want to adopt.”
“I can understand that. I’m sure a lot of childless parents worry about the same thing when they adopt. But you showed me so much love, perhaps it was just that Nassos had more faith in your parenting abilities than you did. When he moved to the penthouse after your divorce, he was a ruined man.”
“Why didn’t he tell me all these things?” she cried in agony.
“His pride. What about yours? Would you have listened?”
She shook her dark head. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I harbored a lot of resentment over the years because he didn’t want me to work. When he begged me to consider adoption, I felt anger because of the many times I’d begged him to let me try even part-time work. We were both so hardheaded.”
“I’m so sorry, Danae.” As they stared at each other, Lys reached for the letter she put back in her purse. “I hope you’ll listen to me now because there’s something else I’ve wanted to tell you since your separation from him.” Her throat swelled with emotion.
“I love you. You were kind and loving and helped me so much. The two of you had a beautiful marriage in so many ways. For what it’s worth, you would have made a wonderful mother. Maybe there’s a man out there who could fulfill that dream for you. Many women have babies at your age. It’s not too late if you decide to get married again. You’re a very beautiful woman.”
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.
