Tall Dark Handsome Lycan (7 page)

“Indeed we were,” Leo
commented slowly, giving Sam another guarded look. Wary, she met his gaze and braced herself for the sardonic comment that was sure to follow, but none came. Instead, he returned his attention to Maria. “You are certain you have time to cook dinner for my parents’ visit tonight? Would you rather stay at the hospital with Nitsa?”

Sam
stifled a moan. His parents? For dinner
tonight
? Her stomach dropped at the thought of meeting more of the Stefanos clan. 

“
It is no problem, Leo.”  Maria said.  “I am going to fix something very special for your mother and father. I will come back for a couple of hours this afternoon to cook.”

Sam knew
Maria’s schedule was full with Nitsa and there was no way the older woman would rather be cooking than staying with her daughter.  Sam wanted to help.  Surely Maria wouldn’t object if Sam offered to cook dinner?

“Very well,” Leo said deeply.
“And you, Sam? How will you spend the day?”

She struggled to find her voice.
“I’m going down to the beach.”

“Enjoy your day,” he said, giving her a slight, mocking bow
before he left.

When he was gone, she
almost sighed with relief. She may not have been able to read his cards or see his aura, but his energy was palpable and it stirred her senses.

“I think Leo is impressed with you.”

Sam almost laughed at the thought.  “He doesn’t even like me,” she replied without thinking, and immediately bit her lip, giving the older woman a rueful look. “I’m sorry, Maria. I shouldn’t have said that. I know how much you respect him. It’s just that Leo and I…we…we don’t get along.”

“I noticed nothing of the kind.
” Maria sighed as she stared at the door Leo had taken. “Don’t blame him,
koritsimou
, for his proud manner. He has changed so much since that terrible woman.  He does not trust his heart anymore.”

Sam frowned.
“What woman?”

“Catherine
. He was engaged to her
two hun
—” She gasped and coughed, Maria’s hand rising sharply to her chest.  Sam rose abruptly, concerned the woman was going to choke.  

“Let me get you some water!” 

“No.  No.  I am fine,” Maria said, waving a hand in the air.  She turned to butter the toast.  “As I was saying, he was engaged to a woman who changed his life, and not for the better.  She make him not believe in true love.”

“What happened?”
She couldn’t picture Leo as an impressionable man.  All Sam could see was his arrogance and pride. Actually, after last night, Sam had seen a bit more than that. He’d displayed compassion and kindness, she admitted reluctantly. Hadn’t he taken her dinner tray up to her room?

“He was in love, or he thought he was,” Maria explained.
“Until one day, Leo found out she was sleeping with another man, a man with as much power as Leo. So Leo ended the relationship. He became very hard and suspicious with the matters of the heart. He lost faith in love.”

Sam couldn’t help but
feel sorry for him. “How awful for him.”

“Yes, but it worked out for the best.
It was better he found out her true character before they got married.”

“I don’t understand.
How could she sleep with another man if she had L—” Sam coughed and sputtered. Mortified, she lifted her coffee cup to her mouth to hide her embarrassment. She couldn’t believe what she was about to voice out loud.  Her lack of sleep had given her a loose tongue, and she dared a look at Maria. The older woman regarded her with approval.

“Catherine
knew how to manipulate a man.  She was a very bad woman with no heart.  A…a witch, some say.”

“I suppose only a witch could have that kind of power of Leo,” Sam said, laughing softly.  She saw Maria’s expression shift, as though she was pleased.

“He lost his head with her beauty.  I believe she put him under a spell.”

“
Was she American?”  Sam asked, ignoring the comment about spells.  Maria looked like she almost believed it. 

“Yes, but do not compare yourself to her. You are a beautiful woman inside and out.”

“I’m not… I wasn’t—” Sam sputtered her incoherent thought. Had she been comparing herself to Catherine? Did Leo dislike her so much because she was an American? “I was just wondering why he’s always so… Why he doesn’t…” she trailed off, unable to reason her jumbled thoughts.

“You want to know why he seems harsh with you.”
Maria smiled kindly. “Do not confuse Leo’s fear of you with hate. He has closed himself from feeling anything for so long, he does not understand the emotions you are bringing up in him. You have a kind soul, Sam, and you are much more beautiful than Catherine ever was, or even Katina. I suppose you heard the rumour he will announce his engagement to her soon? Well, now that you are here, I am not so sure about that.”

Mortified
, Sam quickly interjected, “You’ve misunderstood the nature of mine and Leo’s relationship, Maria. He doesn’t even like me.”

“
You are mistaken. I see the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching him.  And every time you are near, I see the way he stiffens.”

Sam shook her head.
“He’s only keeping an eye on me to make sure I don’t run off with the family silver.”

Maria laughed.
“There is fire between you two. It is good. I have not seen anyone bring fire into Leo’s eyes for a very long time. I am pleased Katina will soon see she has met her match in you. Hmph. I never liked her. She is too jealous and possessive.  A very cold woman.” Maria placed a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice next to Sam’s coffee and smiled. “You must eat now.  We have plenty of time to talk later.”

How was
Sam going to convince Maria she had absolutely nothing going on with Leo?  She saw the older woman stare at the clock again and worry settled on her kind features.

“Maria, go to the hospital and come back at dinner time.
I’ll return from the beach at two o’clock to make dinner and set the table.”

Maria
looked aghast. “Oh, no. You cannot do that. You are a guest.”

“I’m a friend.
And friends help each other.  Besides, I love cooking and I promise to make something special Leo’s parents will enjoy,” she offered, smiling.

“No.
You cannot. It would be too much to ask of you.”

“I
t will be my pleasure to help you. You’ve been so nice to me since I arrived and I want to repay your kindness. Please.”

Maria
seemed hesitant. “Are you sure? It will help me so much.”

“I’m positive.”
 

Maria’s hesitation melt
ed away and she gave Sam a grateful look. “Thank you so much,
koritsimou
. That will help me a lot.”

                                   
               * * * *

Sam was happy the beach wasn’t full of bathers when she
arrived. She strolled around, trying to find a good spot and settled for a quiet area, placing her colourfully patterned beach blanket on the white sand. It was only ten thirty and the sun hadn’t reached its peak yet, but she could tell it was going to be a very hot day.

She removed her shorts and
T-shirt, folding them neatly before putting them in her tote bag. Sam grabbed her sunscreen and applied it liberally over her body. Her bikini didn’t offer much protection, and she wondered if buying it for this trip had been a smart move. A one piece might have been a better choice if she wanted to avoid sunburn. She was thankful, however, she wasn’t like most redheads who freckled.

As she l
athered the sun screen over her stomach and semi-exposed breasts, she glanced at the other people on the beach. She saw a few families, some couples, and a young boy of about sixteen not too far from her, wearing scruffy jeans and a worn T-shirt. He was sitting directly on the sand, bent over a dog-eared sketchpad, drawing what she guessed was the seascape because he kept looking up and squinting directly at the ocean.

Sam smiled.
A future artist in the making, she mused.  She thought about the art class she had organized back home at Somerset’s orphanage and a surge of excitement coursed through her veins.  She couldn’t wait to return home and work with the kids. Sam looked at her watch and tried to figure out the time difference in Somerset. It was late night at the orphanage now and Elizabeth was asleep.

Sam’s heart swelled with love for the little girl.
God, how she missed her. How she missed them all.

For a long time, Sam’s mother had suggested Sam could adopt
Elizabeth, and Sam had contemplated it, but how would it work? She was always at her shop, at the orphanage, or giving readings for her fast growing clientele.  How could she care for a little girl? Would she have the time? Did she even have what it took to be a single parent?

She lay on her blanket and closed her
eyes, dreading the day Elizabeth was adopted by someone else. 

She sighed wearily.  She wanted it all.  A husband and children, but with no
prospects for husband material in her life, the subject was pretty much moot.  An image of Leo’s face swam before her and she slowly opened her eyes. Wasn’t she being a tad presumptuous thinking about Leo in a husbandly way? He told her he wanted to kiss her, not marry her, she thought.

Sam shifted uncomfortably on her towel.
Her day on the beach was going to be futile if she kept thinking about him. 

Sam took a deep breath and concentrated on the soothing sounds around her.
The waves rushing on the beach, the soft chirping of the birds, the happy voices of the children. She sighed and settled comfortably on her towel. Fifteen minutes later, she fell asleep.

                                       
        * * * *

Sam stood in a swirling mist, a
lone and afraid.  Her long, sheer nightgown swayed in the slight breeze and she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. She couldn’t see anything except the cloudy haze of the mist. Sam shivered.

“Do
not be frightened. I am here now,” said a deep, familiar voice behind her.

H
is strong arms circled her waist and drew her body close to his. She shivered again, but this time from the heady feeling his touch was stirring in her limbs. His lips grazed her neck and she sighed.  His hands slid up her waist and slipped around the front to cup her breasts. Sam gasped.

“You
are so beautiful,” he said, his voice hoarse with desire.

H
is hands glided up to her shoulders and he gently turned her around to face him. 

She drew her arms up and around his shoulders and lifted her face for a kiss, but as she waited with anticipation, she watched his face transform and change into a beast.  Horror washed over her as she watched his jowls snap with rage.

Sam screamed.             

                                                
* * * *

“
Kiria?”

Sam stirred from her dream a
nd opened her eyes, squinting at the young boy who had been drawing earlier. She sat up.

He
looked apologetic.  “
Signomi, Kiria. Thelo na ksero an borro
—”

Sam raised a hand.
“I’m sorry. I don’t speak Greek.”

“I’m sorry to bother you, Miss, but I noticed you have a sketch pad sticking out of your bag.
My…my pen ran out of ink and I was hoping you had one I could borrow.”

It took her a few moments to collect her thoughts and t
o stop her heart from hammering in her throat. That dream! Sam knew the difference between having a regular dream and a special one. And this was a special one. Was it trying to tell her Leo was a monster—a rude, cold, arrogant, beast?

The hair
s at the back of her neck were up and her legs and arms tingled.  She tried focusing on the young boy staring at her.

“Miss, are you all right?”

Sam attempted a smile. “Of course.” She turned and grabbed her tote bag.  Quickly she rummaged through it. “Here. It’s charcoal.  It’s better to use on what you’re trying to draw than a pen.”

He took the charcoal pencil, his expression going from apologetic to interested in
one second flat. “How do you know what I’m drawing?”

Sam smiled,
feeling more at ease. At least he was diverting her from thinking about that disconcerting dream and what it meant. 

Sh
e liked the young boy. His aura was sweet and genuine with gentle hues of blues and greens.

“You
kept drawing after you stared at the ocean. May I see it?” She gestured to the dog-eared sketch pad he carried.

He shrugged.
“Yeah, sure, but it’s not very good.”