Tall Dark Handsome Lycan (17 page)

Elena’s face darkened
and Sam cleared her throat as she raised her glass. “I…I want to make a toast. To this beautiful country. Thank you, Leo and Mr. and Mrs. Stefanos for your hospitality. I’ll never forget it.”

And
she would never forget him, she thought as she smiled at him. He returned her smile with a look of amusement and raised his glass as his gaze shifted imperceptibly to the two sisters. Sam realised he knew she’d raised her glass to stop the inevitable battle Elena was going to start with Katina.

“You must return one day,” Leo
’s father said.

Her heart stopped.
She could never return. “One day,” she lied gently.

S
he caught Leo staring at her intently.  His eyes were darker than ever and his mouth quirked as though he was trying hard to control some deep, dark emotion. Sam felt a thread of electricity run through them and she tore her gaze from his. His energy was palpable and she wondered what he was thinking about.

Maria arrived to take the dinner plates
away and placed a salad in front of everyone. Sam caught Alek’s frown as he stared at his two forks. He picked up the dessert fork and Elena cleared her throat delicately. He watched her motioning slightly to the other fork next to his plate and he gave her a look that was both grateful and embarrassed.

“
You work your way in from the outside,” Katina remarked under her breath.

Sam
snapped an annoyed glance Katina’s way.  From the head of the table, Leo said, “I am sure they are better things to teach the children, Katina, than which fork to use.” He gave Alek a wink. “Personally, I still get confused. If I had it my way, we would use one fork and one spoon.”

With a grateful expression on his young face, Alek smiled at Leo and Sam nearly drew back at the sudden rush of feeling flowing through her heart.

If she didn’t know any better, she
was
slowly but surely falling in love with Leo. 

Sam was relieved when the dinner ended.  After a couple of aperitifs in the drawing room, Leo’s parents and the Spanakis family bade everyone good night.

Sam
looked up at Leo. “I’m going to take the Volvo and drive Alek home.”

Leo nodded.
“I’ll come with you.”

Fifteen minutes later
, they were winding down a small road with Alek silent in the back seat.  Sam peered out into the night. “Where’s the orphanage, Alek?”

“You didn’t pick him up directly in front earlier?”
Leo asked.

Sam shook her head, giving him a sideways
glance. “I met Alek on the main road. He thought it would be easier for me.”

“It’s the last building on this road,” the young boy replied in a small voice.

Leo drove to the front of the orphanage and put the car in park. He and Sam stared up in silence at the dark, sad, neglected building. Sam glanced at Leo and caught his grimace. She turned around and faced Alek.

“Did you enjoy yourself tonight, honey?”

Alek nodded. “Thanks for inviting me.” He collected his bags and opened his door. “Thanks again for the paint set, Leo.”

“
I am very pleased you like it, young man.”

Alek nodded and got out of the car.
Sam’s heart constricted as she watched him make his way slowly up the steps to the front of the building. He paused at the top and turned around. Slowly, he raised his hand and waved good bye.

S
am blinked away the threat of tears and smiled as she waved back.

“Alek is a great kid,” Leo said as he drove away.

She nodded, unable to speak. 

“He’s going to be fine
, Sam,” Leo said quietly.  “That boy is a survivor.”

They drove in silence to the
house and once inside, he turned to her at the stairs.  His expression was tense. “We still need to talk, Sam. Would you like to have a drink with me in the library?”

S
he was too emotional and decided against it. So many things had happened to her the past few hours, she couldn’t think straight.   “Could I take a rain check?  I think I’ll just turn in.” Apart from worrying about Alek, Sam realized she had a whole other worry to contend with. 

Somewhere along the line, she had fallen in love with Leo. 

He nodded slowly. “I understand.  We will talk tomorrow. I am meeting Carlos Ventura at six. We can talk tomorrow night after he leaves.”

Sam nodded, unable to shake the
strange sensation she had at the back of her neck at the mere mention of the casino mogul. “Good night, Leo,” she said softly.

“Good night, Sam,” he said, his
gaze dipping to her mouth.

Sam turned and went up the stairs before she did something foolish like fling herself into his strong arms and beg for his soothing touch.

                                                  * * * *

Grim-faced, Leo went into the library and poured himself a drink.  H
is gut tightened with concern for Sam.  He knew she worried about Alek, and he wished he could do something to make her feel better.

And yet, h
e knew if they were alone, he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her.  

Leo’s
gut clenched. She was leaving next week.  What the hell was he going to do?

He couldn’t let
her leave. Something had happened to him, since the first moment they met, and he realized he was as charmed and beguiled by Sam’s magnetic energy as everyone else was.

He
closed his eyes, his mouth drawn in a tense line, and thought of the beautiful woman getting ready for bed upstairs. Everyone was drawn to her. Children loved her. His parents loved her. Alek and Elena loved her.
He loved—

An
invisible hand punched him in the gut before he could finish his thought.

He swore roughly under his breath
and took a deep swig of his drink.

He
loved her.

                                                * * * *

Sam spent most of the next day alone as she went to the beach and stopped in town to do some shopping.
She carried her bags up to her room and smiled as she thought about all the toys and souvenirs she had bought for the kids back home.  She had even found a beautiful, silver bracelet for Toni and a very stylish pair of sunglasses for John.

Sam knew she spoiled the kids at
Somerset, but she didn’t care.  They deserved to be spoilt.  She pictured Elizabeth opening her gifts, squealing with delight at the pretty clothes and dolls and Sam grinned.

She was packing away her gifts when Maria came to the door.

The older woman smiled as she waved the portable phone she carried. “Toni is on the phone for you.”

Pleased, Sam took the phone.
“Hi. Twice in a couple of days. I’m touched. How are you and John?”

“We’re both great and we miss you,” Toni said, her tone sounding strange. “Are…are you enjoying yourself?”

Sam grinned. “It’s so beautiful here, Toni.”

Toni laughed, but it sounded hollow.
“Did you see the library?”

“I love it.”
Something was wrong. This wasn’t the Toni she knew. “Hey, it must be past midnight there? What are you still doing up?”

“I wanted to tell you to check your email.
Elizabeth drew a picture of you lying on the beach and she asked me—begged me, actually—to send it to you right away. I scanned it and sent it to your email.”

Sam’s spirits soared.
“Okay. Please give Elizabeth a big hug and kiss from me, and thank you so much for checking in on her for me.”

“Um, Sam?
There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Okay,” Sam replied slowly, tensing.
Something was definitely wrong.

“I bought the bike and…and…”

“Toni, what is it?”

“Sam, I had an accident.
I just got back from the hospital. I’m…I’m wearing a cast on my arm.”

Sam’s blood drained from her head.  I
t couldn’t be. Her cards were never wrong. “Toni, I’m so sorry,” she whispered tremulously. “Are you all right?”

“
This isn’t your fault. I was careless and you warned me of that.  John was okay when I bought it, but when I called him from the hospital, he hit the roof. He…er just got off the phone with Leo.”

Sam froze.
“What?”

“Oh, Sam.
What a mess I’ve made of things,” Toni wailed. “I’m so sorry. John called to speak to you and Leo answered the phone. They got to talking and John told him everything.”

Sam couldn’t speak.
Oh my God! Leo must think she was the most irresponsible, careless, stupid woman alive. How was she ever going to make amends with him now? She was the one directly responsible for placing his sister’s life in danger.

“Anyway
, I called to warn you, Sam, because I know how my brother can get. If it’s any consolation, I think John and Leo bonded.”

“
They have their mutual disappointment in me in common,” Sam said miserably.

“Sam, it wasn’t your fault.
You even warned me to be careful.” Toni paused, sighing wearily. “Okay, now that we have that out of the way, why is Leo staying at the house?  It was supposed to be empty.”

“He’s here on business for the two weeks.
He picked me up at the airport.”

“Is he…is he being a
….beast to you?”

Her heart skipped a beat.  “Not at all.”  H
e will be, however, she thought miserably. “He’s actually been very nice.” She paused. “Your parents are great, too. I met them twice. They came over for dinner and the second time they came with Katina, Elena, and their parents.” There was dead air on the other end of the line. “Toni, are you there?”

“I’m here.
Did that witch say anything rude to you?”

Sam knew who she was
referring to. “I don’t think I was Katina’s favourite person. Elena is a different story, though. She’s really sweet. I like her a lot.”

“
Elena is a lot like me.  We…er…always felt we never quite fit in with our family.”

“I think your visit here next month will be a success.
I told you that you didn’t have anything to worry about.”

“Sam?  You haven’t noticed anything strange or out of the ordinary?”

“Like what?”

Toni cleared her throat after a lengthy pause.  “Never mind.”

They chatted for a few more minutes and John got on the phone. “How’s my sis?” He asked in his warm, friendly voice.

Guilt flooded through
Sam. “John, I’m really sorry about Toni. I shouldn’t have encouraged her to buy the bike.”

“I know you are
and I’m sorry I called you. Leo was quite upset about it. He said something about you placing too much credibility on those cards. I hate to admit it, Sam, but I agreed with him. I remember you consulted your cards for everything growing up.”

They chatted for a few more minutes and Sam put down the phone
, relieved that John had forgiven her. Now she just had to find Leo and apologise to him for her carelessness.

Sam couldn’t find him anywhere and went into the kitchen and asked Maria where he
’d gone.

“He went to run a quick errand, but he will be back in ten minutes.
Do you want to have dinner with me in the kitchen? Leo will be having his meeting in his office at that time.”

“That would be great.
”  She paused, chewing her lower lip.  “Maria, do you think he’ll let me use his computer?”  She asked, remembering what Toni had said about Elizabeth’s picture.

The housekeeper chuckled softly.
“I do not think Leo will deny you anything.” Sam blushed and remained silent. “I’ll have dinner ready for us in twenty minutes. Do you like pasta?”

Sam smiled.
“My favourite. I’ll go wash up and meet you here in a few minutes.”

She went up to her room to freshen up.
After she spent a couple of hours with Maria, she helped her clear the table and placed the dishes in the dishwasher.  Wishing her a good night, Sam went back up to her room around eight and waited for Leo.

She lay on the bed with a
worn copy of
Pride and Prejudice
and read, trying to concentrate on Elizabeth and Darcy’s dilemma, when her eyes began to droop. She had eaten too much over dinner and was having a hard time staying awake.

S
he closed her eyes and, shortly thereafter, fell into a deep sleep.

Sam woke up three hours later, disappointed when she
glanced at the time. It was too late for her to talk to Leo now. She would have to wait until the morning.  Sighing, she reached into her luggage for her nightgown and she saw her Tarot lying next to her tops.