A Perfect Love: International Billionaires VI: The Greeks (11 page)

The same window seat where she’d lost her heart once and for all.

Restless, she surged off the bed and walked to the low oak table where the servant had put her suitcase. After the chilly reception on the front steps, Tam had expected to be led to the farthest, tiniest bedroom. Instead, the servant had graciously ushered her into this beautiful bedroom filled with painful memories.

She flipped open the lid and inspected her pile of cheap clothing. If she wasn’t mistaken, Nephele and her daughters had all been wearing couture. They were supposed to wash and dress for dinner, but she knew nothing in this suitcase was going to compete with anything worn by the other women downstairs.

She slammed the suitcase shut. So what? So they’d just have to deal with Tamsin Drakos as she was. Simple green cotton dress and all.

“Tam!” Isaák threw open the bedroom door, a big grin on his face.

“You’re supposed to knock—”

“You won’t believe how big our bedroom is.” He stuttered to a stop and took a look around. “Wow! Yours is even bigger.”

“Surprise, surprise.” She was suddenly tired of trying to keep it all together. Tired of trying to keep a stiff upper lip. Tired of always being a Goody Two-shoes being painted as some kind of villain.

Aarōn popped his head around his twin. “What’s wrong, Tammy?”

I don’t want to be here where I’m not wanted.

I don’t want to know Rafe as he is now.

I want to go back to our old life.

“Nothing.” She paced to the vanity and bent down to look in the mirror. Her hair had fallen out of the twist she’d stuck it in earlier this morning in oh-so-distant London.

So what? She didn’t care.

“There’s something wrong.” Isaák edged into the room as if tiptoeing toward an explosive. “I can tell.”

She rounded on her brothers, ignoring their wide, surprised eyes. True, she rarely lost her cool…actually, she never lost her cool with the boys, but at this moment? She didn’t care. “Did you wash?”

“Yeeesss.” Aarōn stood in the doorway, a frown on his face.

“Then let’s go.” She marched past Isaák and nearly stomped on his brother before he quickly stepped aside. “Your family is waiting for us.”

The twins silently walked behind her as she stalked along the carpeted hallway. She ignored the new paintings on the walls. She ignored the gleam of satiny wood on the antique tables lining the hallway. And she absolutely ignored the rich scent of the white lilies blossoming in ivory bowls on the glossy tops.

She turned the corner and glared at the wide carpeted stairs. The sound of laughter echoed up from the downstairs like a taunt.

“They are your family now, too, Tam,” Isaák said softly from behind.

No. They aren’t.

The words trembled on her tongue, yet some last vestige of protectiveness stopped her from saying them. The boys couldn’t do anything about what the Vounós thought of Tamsin Drakos. Plus, she’d promised Rafe she wouldn’t interfere with their connection to this family.

She was stuck. And flying apart.

Aarōn came to stand right beside her. “Tam.” His expression shone with resolve, as if he had heard the words she couldn’t force out. “Don’t worry. We’re always going to be your family.”

She fought back the tears. She knew she had the boys’ loyalty, but if she insisted on keeping it, she very much feared she’d tear them in two. “Come on.” Her voice wavered and to cover it, she coughed. “Let’s go and eat.”

Both boys frowned as if they were about to object or argue or press the point, still, she couldn’t do this right now. She had to have a moment to figure out what she was going to do, how she was going to hang on to the twins without hurting them. She turned away and started down the steps.

“Finally.” The one word, spoken in an accented, male voice made her head pop up from the contemplation of the carpet. Rafe stood at the bottom of the stairs. He’d changed into a white cotton shirt and tan chinos. The shirt clung to his broad shoulders and he’d rolled the sleeves up to show muscled forearms.

A frizz of unwanted lust stripped any words from her mouth.

“Rafe!” Isaák bounded down the stairs, all thoughts of grumpy sisters clearly left behind. “Our room is brilliant.”

“Good.” A long-fingered hand landed on the boy’s shoulder in a firm grip. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

“I’d be happier if I didn’t have to share it with the idiot.” Aarōn stayed by her side.

“Here we go again,” Rafe said, but his eyes lit with humor.

From the corner of her eye, Tam saw the twitch of Aarōn’s mouth. Before she could say or do anything to stop this growing connection or even figure out if she wanted to, he’d bounced down the stairs to stand by his uncle too.

“I guess it’s okay,” Aarōn admitted with a shrug.

“I’m hungry,” his brother announced.

“Then it’s a good thing your
giagiá
has produced quite a spread.” Rafe patted his other nephew on the shoulder. “The tables have been set outside. Why don’t you go out and see.”

Her brothers dashed through the open terrace doors, leaving a cool silence behind.

He glanced up, his gaze giving nothing away. “Do you like your room?”

Did he know what room his mother had put her? Did he remember or care?

“It’s fine.”

“Fine.” He rolled the word around his mouth, sarcasm edging it.

Anger surged once more. “I said it was fine and it is.”

“I’m glad we could accommodate you to your liking.” The sarcasm was now ladled onto his sentence.

“But not for long, right?” she spat out, her anger boiling inside.

His eyes widened. Yet before he could tell her what she already knew, his mother smoothly interjected. “Is there a problem?”

Her son swung around. “Not with me. However, Tam—”

“Ah.” Nephele raised her head to meet Tamsin’s glower. “Please. Come and eat with the family.”

This woman was nothing other than kind and genteel. There wasn’t an ounce of anger or distrust in her dark eyes. But everything in her rebelled. She wanted to strike out. She wanted to hurt someone like she hurt. She wanted to hit.

Him.

“Come, Tamsin,” the woman’s calm voice continued. “Come join the family.”

S
he had to get a job
.

Tamsin rolled off the bed. The last two days searching for a job had been fruitless, but she couldn’t back down. Sitting in the middle of the entire Vounó clan the night of their arrival, it had become very clear.

She wasn’t wanted.

A quiet puff of air escaped her lips. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. Nephele had been everything gracious. Rhachel had greeted her warmly. A smattering of aunts had chatted to her about the boys.

But Rhouth, her old best friend, had pointedly ignored her, even in the face of a whispered rebuke from her mother.

Rafe had ignored her, too.

Even when his mother and Rhachel had given him hard stares.

Her laughter huffed out of her mouth, a faint sound in the cool bedroom. Not only did she have to worry about forcing the boys to choose between this family and her somewhere down the line, she also was in danger of tearing the Vounó family apart.

Spending another night staring at another ceiling, she’d tried. Tried to figure out how she could possibly make this work. One overriding conclusion had sat right in the middle of her brain.

She needed a job.

A job would get her out of the family’s hair. She could find a place to live. A place somewhere near for her and the twins. Aarōn and Isaák could come over anytime they wanted and she wouldn’t have to darken the Vounó door ever again, forcing various family members to take a side.

A job would also give her some standing with Rafe.

She hated, just hated, being beholden to him.

So. A job.

Walking to the armoire, she pulled out the simply cut white dress with laced edges she’d worn the last two days. This wasn’t the kind of dress you’d normally wear to interviews, yet it was the only thing she had that projected an air of professionalism.

Slipping the dress over her head, she tugged it in place while sliding on her sandals. The past two days had been depressing. No one seemed to be hiring and her rusty Greek hadn’t helped her objective although her passport proved she was a citizen. Still, she’d find something. She had no choice.

She turned to look in the vanity mirror.

Two worried eyes stared back.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered to herself.

She’d find a job soon. That would give her some sense of security. She’d applied to several hotels hoping for a management job of some sort. However, if she had to, she’d take a waitressing job. Or one as a maid. Anything that gave her a toehold in Greece.

Anything that gave her some power.

Brushing her long hair back into a bun, she slapped on some mascara. She’d do. Grabbing her purse, she opened her bedroom door and slipped into the hall.

“There you are.”

The woman’s voice was kind and warm, but Tam stiffened in shock. She’d been sure to give everyone time to leave. Weren’t they all going to tour Rafe’s office before having lunch near the Acropolis?

She glanced over. “Mrs. Vounó.”

“Please.” The older woman gave her a gentle smile. “Call me Nephele.”

Tamsin straightened. The friendly gesture offered only a checkmate in the future. If she responded in kind, at least two-thirds of this woman’s children would howl a rebuke and leave this nice lady in a fix. “Um…”

“I thought we might have missed you today.”

“Missed me?”

“These last two days you’ve disappeared right after breakfast.” Nephele’s steady gaze never left her own. “We haven’t had a chance to reacquaint ourselves.”

“Reacquaint ourselves?” Although Nephele and Rhachel had been gracious, she had assumed it was merely to preserve the peace—not any real interest in her.

“But I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time on the drive in to see the office this morning.” The woman walked over and patted Tamsin on the arm. “During lunch, too.”

“No.” She stepped back. “I can’t.”

“Is that so?” A fine brow rose and the dark eyes grew distant. “You have more old friends to visit today?”

She’d used it as an excuse. She was wary of letting any of the Vounós know what her real agenda was. Better to get a job, find a place to stay, and then make a stand for a part of the boys’ life. “Yes,” she muttered. “More old friends.”

“Hmm.” Nephele looked behind her and smiled. “Ah, here are your boys.”

Your boys.

Tam stared at the woman. Did Nephele mean her words? Did she understand the bond? Or was the older woman merely biding her time while she drew the twins into the Vounó clan, before cutting her out once and for all?

“Tam!” Isaák hooted while he ran down the lengthy hall.

“You’re coming with us today for sure.” Aarōn smiled at her as he dashed behind his twin.

A great well of love washed through her at the sight of her boys. She’d missed them these past two days. Yet, beyond the real fact she needed to find a job to establish some control over this situation, she’d also realized hovering around them as they got to know their new family wasn’t wise. Plus, she’d promised Rafe not to do so.

“And my boy,” the older woman said, a warmth, much like the warmth inside of Tam’s heart, filled the words.

Rafe sauntered behind Aarōn and Isaák, his gaze pinned on his mother, ignoring Tamsin.

“Raphael.” His mother greeted him with a smile as she wrapped her arms around the twins.

A wrench of bittersweet grief threatened to close Tam’s throat at the sight. She’d been the only one to ever touch the twins like that. Only her. She gazed at her boys’ faces. They were smiling. They were happy. They were safe with Nephele.

She should be grateful and happy for her boys. She should. She knew she should.

But she wasn’t.

“Are you ready to go?” Rafe’s dark gaze finally landed on her in an opaque stare.

“She says she’s made plans again.” His mother’s voice was soft, disappoint in each word.

Real disappointment? Or fake? Tam couldn’t tell.

“Come on, Tammy.” Isaák pouted. “You’ve said the same thing for two days now.”

“You can’t have that many old friends,” Aarōn chimed in.

Their uncle’s stare turned steely and his words shot out like a command. “I believe you can forgo your friends for one day.”

This arrogance was why she needed a job. “I’m afraid not.”

The twins moaned. Nephele’s quiet gaze never left her face.

Rafe’s expression turned stony. “
Mi̱téra.
Could you take the boys downstairs? I would like to discuss something with Tamsin.”

She curbed the impulse to run down the stairs after the departing group. Instead, she straightened and stared at the man standing before her. He wore a crisp white shirt under his dark blue suit. A red power tie cut a line down his broad chest.

“You’re not visiting friends.” His accusation came, tough and sure.

“No?” Her hand grasped the leather of her purse. “How do you know?”

“I had you followed.”

“What?” Outrage blended with her now familiar anger at him. “You have no right.”

He stuck his hands in his pockets in a sharp jerk. “For all I knew, you could have been meeting with Haimon.”

“Haimon?” Gaping at him, she waved the accusation away with a snap. “He’s sick. He’s surely still in London.”

“Who knows?” He shrugged, the linen cloth of his suit clinging to the broad length of his shoulders. “What’s important was I had to find out what you were doing.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Why are you searching for a job?” He stared at her, the edges of his mouth grim.

Her hand tightened on the purse’s leather handle. “How do you know that’s what I’ve been doing?”

“Don’t try and lie.” His black eyes went flat. “You visited a total of ten hotels in the past two days.”

“You really have been watching me.” She should have thought about this. She should have realized Raphael Vounó would think nothing of invading her privacy. For years, she’d never been questioned about what she was doing or where she was going. Sometimes she’d wondered what it would be like to have someone lovingly care about her daily agenda. Yet this, this wasn’t loving. This was all about control.

“Answer the question, Tamsin.”

“I don’t have to.” She made to walk past him, but he caught her arm at the elbow. The contact sizzled across her skin and flushed her cheeks.

He stilled. Then dropped his hand. “Don’t be a child,” he growled.

“That’s precisely why I’m searching for a job.” Why not tell him? He’d figured it out anyway. “Because I’m an adult.”

A frustrated frown crossed his brow. “You don’t need a job.”

“Yes, I do.”

“You’ve got everything you could want here.” His hand lifted, waving at the riches surrounding them.

“I don’t belong here.” Swiveling away from him, she started walking down the hallway. “I need some independence.”

She felt him behind her, a looming, disgruntled presence.

Worry, mixed with anger, zigzagged inside her.

Rafe was rich and clearly powerful. She didn’t think he had any connections with the hotel industry. Still, if he didn’t want her to get a job, was it possible he could get her blackballed?

Stopping at the top of the stairs, she turned to confront him. “Don’t you dare stand in my way.”

“What?” Pure puzzlement crossed his features.

“Don’t go throwing your weight around with friends so no one will hire me.”

Puzzlement turned to shock. “I wouldn’t do that.”

“You would.” She took a first step down. “I’m sure you would.”

“Are you also sure,
kardiá
mou,
” his voice lilted with sudden amusement, “that I know every hotelier in Athens?”

Ignoring him and his humor, she stomped down the last of the stairs. The hallway was filled with a bevy of laughing children, scolding mamas and aunts, and Nephele and the twins. All of them turned quiet as they watched her and Rafe approach.

“
Mi̱téra.
” His voice came from behind her, the amusement still curling on the edges of the words. “I find myself unable to convince Tamsin to join us today.”

At the look of disappointment on Nephele’s face, Tam rushed in. “I’m very sorry—”

“She is insistent on getting a job,” he continued.

“A job?” His mother’s expression filled with astonishment. “Why would she need a job?”

“Apparently, she doesn’t like our hospitality.” The words came off as teasing, yet this couldn’t be true, could it? The Rafe she knew now didn’t have a teasing bone in his rigid body. There had to be an ugly intent. She became sure of it when she watched the effect his statement had on his family. They didn’t see the joke at all.

The silence after his words went hostile immediately.

“No, that’s not exactly…” She stumbled to a halt.

Rafe walked to her side. She felt his heat along her body and took in a deep breath. Which made it all worse when the smell of him—heated chocolate, sweet and spice—filled her lungs.

“Come on, Tam.” Aarōn gave her a worried frown. “You don’t need a job.”

“I do,” she said. “I really do.”

The silence deepened. She glanced around and met a fleet of flinty glares.

Her gaze stopped at Nephele, who was staring at her son. A smile flashed across her face. “Stop your teasing,
gios mou.
”

The silence changed in an instant from hostile to confused.

And then amused.

“What would a girl want with a job when she has all this?” One of the aunts tutted. “Foolishness.”

“Raphael is always teasing.” Another aunt smiled at him and wagged her finger.

Always teasing? This man who’d been filled with barely contained rage from the moment she’d seen him again—this man teased? Tam looked over and met two dancing black eyes.

A sudden shot of memory tore through her. These same eyes years ago, looking up at her from the garden. His teasing words that made her laugh as he laughed with her.

“Come on, Tamsin.” His voice was low and quiet, but the slightest whiff of long ago tease clung to his plea. “Come with us.”

Eláte
.

The oh-so-familiar entreaty echoed from her past, pulling her into a present she knew she should fight. Fight for her independence. Fight any lingering hope there was any of the old Rafe in this new one standing before her.

Straightening, she pushed herself to fight.

Something moved in his eyes, something alive with memories and yet also full of new promise. The something clutched in her throat and made every promise she’d made to herself inconsequential.

“Okay.” The word pushed through her turmoil.

His eyes blazed.

With what? Triumph at the fact he’d stopped her from establishing her independence? Or happiness she was coming with him?

He turned before she could figure it out. “She’s coming with us after all.”

Rhachel laughed. “Not only is Rafe the ultimate tease, he’s able to charm anyone into doing what he wants them to do.”

A flush of mortification heated her skin. Charm? It hadn’t been charm choking her throat. It had been old stupid memories and wishes. Ones she should have ignored. “Wait. I think—”

“That’s great.” Isaák bounced around her, a big grin on his face. “Rafe says his office is ultra cool.”

“We’ve missed you.” Aarōn mouth twisted, the admission clearly disturbing to his teenage masculinity.

The words stopped her from fighting any further. What did it matter if she took this one day off from hunting for the elusive job? The boys were still in a new world and needed her.

“I’ve missed you guys too.” She patted Aarōn’s shoulder. Isaák threw his arm around her waist as his twin leaned in to give her a quick kiss on her cheek. For a moment, she basked in their certain love, a smile coming to her face.

She dared a peek above their heads and met two dark eyes that no longer danced or blazed. That something moved again in the black. The something she couldn’t put a name to and yet it touched her just as powerfully as the love for her boys did.

“
T
his is so cool
.” Isaák’s excited voice echoed in the long, brightly lit hallway.

The office
was
cool. The air-conditioning wafted across Tamsin’s skin, making her shiver.