Stay With Me (11 page)

Rolling my eyes, I said, “Ugh. I don’t care to hear your details.”

“I’m just saying, I don’t even think I actually had sex with the girl. I woke up the next morning still in my boxer briefs. She made an advancement toward me and I tried to explain to her I wasn’t interested and I apologized for any misconduct on my part. Needless to say, she was pissed I was turning her down. Really pissed. She ended up throwing me and my clothes out onto the street where I had to call Gus to come pick me up.”

I thought back to what Ann had said about Thano having no idea on what he missed out on. Come to think of it, she never actually said they had sex. I felt a little silly for the way I acted. It wasn’t like Thano was taking me out on a date for Christ’s sake. I was going to be working for him.

Tilting my head, I stared at him. “Why are you telling me all of this? What do you care what I think?”

He swallowed hard and shrugged. “I don’t know. The idea of you thinking I would sleep around bothered me. I like . . . I mean . . . I want . . . I um . . . shit.” He sighed as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

My heart was racing. What does he like? What does he want? Dear God, what’s under his shirt?

“Kilyn, you make me feel something I haven’t felt in a long time. It both excites and scares me. We keep running into each other and Gus would say it was a sign and, fuck I don’t know, maybe it is. All I really know is I want to get to know you better.”

My brow lifted. “Get to know me better how?”

His eyes turned dark while he quickly swept them over me. My body responded with a shudder. When he took a step closer to me, my heart was pounding so loudly I couldn’t hear my own thoughts.

His hand slipped around the back of my neck, pulling me closer.

Oh. Dear. God.

My knees shook as I reached up and grabbed onto his arms to keep myself from falling. Thano softly ran his lips along my neck and a small moan slipped from my mouth.

I could feel his hot breath on my skin as he talked in a low voice. “I want to know what I do that makes the pulse in your neck beat like this.”

My breath caught when he pressed his lips to my neck and whispered, “Eísai tósi ómorfos.”

The foreign words swam around in my mind so beautifully. With my breathing labored, I panted out, “I have no idea . . . what you . . . just said. But you can get to know me in any way you’d like.”

It might have made me sound like a cheap whore, but in that moment I didn’t care. All I cared about was this man was able to bring back feelings I had buried long ago.

And I liked it.

I liked it a lot.

T
HE WAY KILYN
was breathing had my dick throbbing. I fought the urge to push her into her car and fuck her right here in the parking lot.

Jesus, Thano. Get a grip.

It didn’t help matters any when she practically gave me the invitation to do just that.

Kissing along her jaw, I forced myself to pull back.

“I’ll pick you up at ten?”

She nodded, her eyes closed and her lips parted slightly. “O—okay. Ten. Yep. Work. Right.”

When I stepped back, her body was swaying and I couldn’t help but smile. I loved how she reacted to me. No woman had ever responded to me like Kilyn did. Not even Savannah, but that had to be because we were so young when we started dating.

I stopped and looked at her. She still had her eyes closed.

“Kilyn?”

Snapping them open, she jumped. “Right. I’ll be ready and have my measuring tape and notepad to assess everything.”

When her eyes widened in horror, I laughed.

Lifting her hands, she started babbling and damn it if it didn’t make me that much more attracted to her.

“No, wait. I don’t mean I’m going to be assessing your size or how well you do. Not that I think we’re going to do anything because I totally don’t think that, but I have to admit I’m pretty well turned on right now, you know.” She motioned with her hands up and down. “Look at you. You’re hot and sweaty, and I can see through your shirt, and you kissed my neck and whispered something to me in Greek and . . . and,” she looked around, “man, did a warm front come through or something? It’s so hot.”

I forced the laugh back down as I reached for her hand and gently kissed the back of it. “See you at ten, ladybug.”

Her smile made my heart skip a beat. “See ya at ten,” she softly replied.

Turning on my heels, I walked over to my car, trying like hell to figure out what in the hell I was doing. I wasn’t ready for a relationship, but I was so drawn to Kilyn, I had to have her.

All of her.

“What do you mean you’re not coming over for dinner tonight?”

Slipping the T-shirt over my head, I put the phone back up to my ear. “Thad and Nicholaus will be there, Mama. You won’t even know I’m gone.”

“Why do you assume such things? I will know. Your cousins are in town. I’m making a huge dinner.”

Running my hand through my hair, I attempted to get it to dry faster. “I’ve got plans I can’t cancel.”

The silence on the other end of the phone told me her head was spinning. “A girl?”

“No,” I lied.

“You’re lying to me, Athanasios.”

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the cologne and did a quick spray. Kilyn mentioned how good I smelled in the cooking class Gus and I went to. That night I went and bought another bottle of Creed. The shit isn’t cheap, but the way it made her eyes flare was enough for me to drop a few hundred dollars for an extra bottle.

“Mama, why do you think I’m lying?”

She huffed into the phone. “I don’t think, Athanasios Adrax Drivas, I know you’re lying. What is her name?”

“It is not a girl. It’s business.”

“Why don’t you want to tell me? She isn’t Greek, is she? Please tell me it isn’t serious.”

I could imagine my mother now. Leaning against the counter, pinching the bridge of her nose as she cursed in Greek. She thought it was okay to curse in Greek, even though all of her children spoke it and knew exactly what she was saying.

“I don’t understand why you boys can’t settle down with a good Greek girl. I’m not getting any younger. I need grandchildren.”

I nearly choked on my own spit. “Grandchildren?”

She started rattling off in Greek how her sister’s kids were all married and why her three boys were so selfish.

“You should talk to Thaddeus, Mama. He’s been dating a girl for almost three months now.”

My mother gasped.

I shook my head and sighed. I threw my older brother under the bus, and for what? So I’d get my mother off my own back. I should have felt guilty about it, yet I didn’t. I was somewhat amused knowing Thaddeus would have the wrath of our mother on him tonight.

“Why has he not told me?”

“You’ll have to ask him, Mama. I really need to get going. I have a business meeting at ten.”

It wasn’t really a lie. Okay, it was, but whatever. I’d make it up to her and go and spend the entire day with her tomorrow.

“You call me tonight so I can hear your voice, Athanasios. I worry about you. It’s been too long. It’s time to move on.”

My heart ached in my chest. I’d never be able to move on from the loss of Savannah. She was the only love I’d ever known.

“Love you, Mama. I’ll try and call tonight. Bye.”

“Bye, darling. Love you back.”

The phone went dead and I couldn’t help but start laughing. If I knew my mother, she was dialing up Thaddeus right now.

My hand shook slightly as I reached up to ring Kilyn’s doorbell.
What in the hell is wrong with me?

Before I even hit it, the door flew up, causing me to jump.

“Hey! You’re right on time. The doorman let me know you were on your way up!”

I took in the sight before me and smiled. Kilyn was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that said
I Love This Life—LOCASH.

Man, it really was her favorite song. The pink Converse shoes tied it all together. Of course, the ponytail finished off the look. She looked so fucking adorable, I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss the living shit out of her.

Pulling her lip between her teeth, she grinned while she watched me ogle her. I don’t think I’d ever seen someone as breathtaking. Her smile had my heart racing and my stomach jumping.

“Am I underdressed? I thought we were just heading up to your cabin. I figured you wouldn’t mind if I got comfy.”

Why does that sound hot as hell?

“No. I think you look adorable.”

She frowned and then smiled bigger. “You’re easy to please, Mr. Drivas.”

Focusing in on those soft lips, I imagined them moving across my body. “Oh, I think you’ll find I’m not that easy to please, Ms. O’Kelly. I tend to like things . . . my way.”

Her smile grew bigger and more crooked as those green eyes lit up. “Really? Is that a challenge?”

“It could be.”

I had to admit I liked the flirting thing we had going on. Kilyn’s personality was contagious. She was so damn chipper all the time.

Reaching for a bag, she threw it over her shoulder and walked out of her apartment. “Well then, I hope you’re up for the challenge. It will make it all the more sweeter when I get my way.”

Jesus, are we talking about sex? I fucking hope so.

The drive up to the cabin proved to be the best hour and a half I’d had in a long time. Kilyn’s sense of humor was amazing and she could say the craziest shit with a deadpan expression.