The Greek Rule (The Greek Series) (12 page)

“No, not tears, I cannot see you cry.” Alexandros sat beside her and wiped her cheeks with his thumbs. “Takis was watching. He was ready to intervene if I did not make it in time, or if Giorgio tried to remove you from the club.
Thee mou
, I did make it.”

“With some questions, we found out what Giorgio had purchased from an unsavory character earlier last night.” He took her tight fist into his hand and held it close. “The doctor said it would not be harmful to you and that you could just sleep it off. It simply made you unaware of what was happening, and you could not think for yourself. Doctor Petrakis assured me there are no lasting effects.”

“Where are my clothes?”

“I brought you home, helped you change, and you slept. Thankfully, safe at home.”

“Just slept?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Just slept,” he assured her. “Drink some more water. It will help your head.”

She gathered her knees to her chest, rocking her body as she drank.
The pillow beside her had been used
,
and both sides of the bed were rumpled. She had shared his bed and did not even remember it.
Her gaze darted around the room and found their clothes spread on the window seat.

“Are you hurt?” Athena couldn’t see anything, but the clothes were soiled.

“No. Why?”

She pointed to his shirt. “There is blood on your sleeve.”

“That is his blood. Not mine, his.
Bastardos!”

She continued to rock on the bed as he paced the room.

“I’m sorry,
agape mou
. I should have protected you better. I should have anticipated last night. It is my fault he had the opportunity to do this horrible thing to you. Athena, please forgive me.”

Athena watched his shoulders come closer together as he sat on the chair and massaged his temples. She felt his regret, his misplaced sense of failure. Last night she’d recognized that Giorgio was up to no good, but she had refused to do anything about it. It wasn’t Alexandros’ fault, how could he have known?

She got out of bed, walked to him and tilted his face up to hers. “I needed you, and you came.”

Wrapping his arms around her knees, Alexandros pulled her toward him. He kissed her stomach and then stood to take her face in his palms.

“I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you. Thank God you are okay.”

“It’s my fault.” She looked up into his hurt eyes. “When I saw Giorgios, I knew that he wasn’t right. I was aware of what happened between you, but I don’t think the other women were. My instinct told me to leave the club, but I didn’t want to ruin the night. I didn’t want to put a damper on the party. I made the wrong choice. I should’ve listened to my gut.”

“It is definitely not your fault. Don’t ever say that. But,
I
promise not to leave you accessible to anything like that again. I promise to listen to
my instinct,
and I will be with you. Do not worry about Giorgios anymore. He has been dealt with. He is in custody. I won’t let him near you again.”

Feeling her knees wobble, she sat in the chair. Alexandros tried to make her comfortable, but she wanted time alone. He told her to go back to bed, take the aspirin he had left on the nightstand, and rest. He went to get something for breakfast.

Athena could not stay in bed. She got up, determined to put last night behind her and make the most of the day. Putting his shirt in the sink to soak, she made the bed and opened all the shutters to air out the room.

Something deep inside was different. She shrugged, deciding not to analyze any further.

****

Upon Alexandros’s return, she was showered, dressed, and sitting on the veranda by the little blue table.

He laid the tray down and looked at her with worried eyes. “Do you feel better now?”

“I do, and I’ll be good as new after I have some coffee and a newspaper.”

They ate in silence, reading the papers. She was so grateful for his comforting company and allowed herself to relax.

He folded the NEA and appeared to be examining her with a long, detailed sweep of his gaze over her body. “Do you really feel all right?”

“I really do.” She flashed him what she hoped was an assuring smile.

“How can you answer with the easy smile of someone who has spent the last week relaxing on the beach? There is no trace of the night’s happenings on your gorgeous face.” He grinned approvingly and kissed the back of her hand. “I’m awed with your resilience.”

“Stop it.” She shifted her balance. “It’s not that—”

“Athena, you’re a very strong person, and I admire you more with every moment we spend together.”

“Sure. So amazing that I put myself in danger last night.”

“Don’t talk like that. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Forget it.” She waived her hand in the air. “I don’t want to discuss it any more. Let’s do something special today. Okay?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Anything.” She shrugged and tucked her fingers under her thighs. “What did you have planned?”

“I wanted to pickup a wedding gift for Heather. The store is in Athens, so I was thinking of combining the shopping trip with a visit to one of our ships. Do you feel up for a helicopter ride today, or would you rather I have the present brought here?”

“Do you know what you want to get?”

“Not specifically, but I know where I want to buy it and approximately what I want. They could send a few pieces, and I will choose. The other option is that we go together and make a day of it. We could spend the afternoon shopping and watch Athens light up after the sun goes down. I would really enjoy spending time together, if you feel up to it.”

“I absolutely adore Athens at night.” Athena’s spirits lifted as she anticipated the trip. “My favorite thing to do is to sit at Lycavitos Mount and look down at the city when it is dark. I just don’t want Heather to think I abandoned her.”

“What if we return to Santorini for after a late dinner, and we bring back Athens’s best
galaktoboureko
for dessert?”

“It sounds fantastic.
Pame,
let’s go.”

Alexandros stood and walked behind her chair. His long arms covered hers and he entwined their fingers as he softly kissed the side of her neck.

“I will make a few calls while you get ready,
agape mou.
”

This time she enjoyed hearing him call her his love. Something had changed in her, in her feelings for him. She smiled and kissed his hand as it lingered near her shoulders. He slowly let go and walked away to make the arrangements.

Chapter Thirteen

Athena strolled into her room and went straight for the wardrobe closet. She swung open the heavy wooden door and spent a few seconds surveying her clothes. It was too warm for slacks and shorts were inappropriate for the trip, so she turned her attention to the neatly arranged dresses. After a few minutes of flipping through the hanging garments, she decided on a cream-colored linen sheath dress. She added a pair of designer sandals and a matching clutch to complete the simple outfit.

Looking into the mirror, she was satisfied with the way the dress complimented her figure. Her hair fell loose down her back and the sun had bronzed her cheeks. She added a small amount of mascara and lip-gloss to complete her look.

She was looking forward to spending the day with Alexandros in Athens. She could hardly wait to survey the tempting shops with their unique pieces not found in any department store, and of course, the most enjoyable part of shopping in Athens was the level of service the storeowners there offered to each of their patrons. They always seemed to take a personal interest in accommodating their client’s needs.

But most of all, she wanted to be with Alexandros. To sit beside him and feel his thigh brush hers, to walk with him as his arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her into contact with his body. Somehow, she had stopped thinking of him as a Greek playboy. He was Alexandros, a man she wanted to know better.

She wanted to experience what lovers of the past three thousand years had, to look into his eyes and lose herself in the taste of his mouth below the awe of the ancient Acropolis, the birthplace of the modern civilized world. There was nothing civilized about her thoughts, though. She yearned to abandon all logic, to be and to feel nothing but the joy of being his.

The soft knock at the door sobered her mind.

“One moment, I’m still getting ready.”

“It’s just me,” replied Heather as she opened the door and stepped into the room. “Getting ready for what?”

“
Kalimera.
Alexandros and I are going to Athens for a few hours.”

“Are you feeling alright? I was worried about you after Costa explained what had happened. I wanted to come and make sure you would be okay, but Costa insisted that Alexandros was taking good care of you.” Heather gave Athena a quick hug before she sat on the edge of the bed. “You know, that gorgeous brother-in-law of mine stormed into Asteri, punched Giorgios, pulled you into his arms and carried you away.”

“He carried me out of the club?”

“Yeah, it was like a scene out of one of those romance novels or something. I think he was breathing fire holding you so tight, keeping you safe from all the bad in the world, specifically from Giorgios.”

Heather went quiet and looked at her feet. “I’m so sorry Athena. I had no idea who Giorgios was. You did though, and that is why you were so edgy. You should have told me and we could have left.”

“I know, but I didn’t want to ruin the evening for you. I thought I could handle him, and then I thought he had left.” Athena said remorsefully.

“Well we’re very lucky Alexandros thought ahead and let Takis know we were going to be there. I had no clue Giorgios was all over you until the guys came storming in. The place went silent, except for the music, and Alexandros made it known that you were with him and no one had any right to touch you.”

“How did he do that?”

“Simple. He said it. Alexandros is a very, very respected man, and I do not think anyone would question him. Besides, he looked very intimidating stalking across the floor and punching out his cousin. Carrying you out of there eliminated any doubt that you were his. I knew you were safe with him.”

Athena sat beside her friend and stared in disbelief.

“You should have seen him,” Heather continued. “Well you did, but you obviously don’t remember. There is no question as to how he feels about you, or what he would do for you.”

Unable to speak, Athena tried to digest the scene in her mind.

“You know how he is with his family?” Heather asked, and Athena nodded remembering the afternoon on the veranda and the phone call. “He is very protective of the people he loves, and you are obviously one of those people. He must really love you. I think he would do anything for you.”

“Heather, you’re too much of a romantic. Maybe something was slipped into your drink too, and you hallucinated all of this.” Athena was trying to lighten the mood, but could see that her friend was not buying it. “He is being nice and attentive to me because of you and Costa. We’re just friends.”

Heather raised an inquisitive blonde eyebrow and her lips curved into a smile. Her eyes sparkled as Athena continued to deny what was happening before them.

“Okay, perhaps a little more than friends. Alexandros is not what I expected him to be. He’s really nice.”

“Nice? Perhaps that drink did something to
your
brain. He is amazing, and he is crazy about you. Costa says he has never seen his brother show any feelings toward a woman in front of the family before, and Alexandros is definitely not hiding his feelings for you.”

“You’re exaggerating. We may like spending time together, but we only have a week. Nothing happens in a week. After the wedding, we will go back to our separate lives, very far away from each other. We live and work on different sides of the globe, and we have very different ideas on love and romance.”

“Is that so? What do you mean by different?” Heather said and started to giggle.

“Come on, Heather, stop teasing me. You know how I feel about Greek playboys. I can never be involved with one. I can’t take the chance.”

“What about my Costa? Why was he worth taking the chance?”

“Costa is different. He was a real friend.”

“That’s right. You gave Costa a chance, and he became your friend. He is Greek and by many people’s considerations a playboy. Others see him as a perfect catch. For you he is a great friend, but for me he is the man I want to share the rest of my life with. Do you think I would ever have known that if I was as closed-minded as you?”

“Come on, Heather, we are discussing apples and oranges. Besides, both, you and Costa, were willing participants in your relationship. You were both ready to commit exclusively to one another. You are meant for each other.” Athena knew she was rambling, grasping at straws to avoid the truth.