The Greek Rule (The Greek Series) (22 page)

“
Agape mou
.”

Lifting her glass with shaky hands, she took a sip of wine, and then bit her bottom lip. He returned his thumb to her mouth, asking her to listen.

“I will not lose you. You can work for Luca as long as you please. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“It’s not about work, it’s—”

“Shh,
agape mou
.” His thumb rested on her lips. Alexandros would do anything to make her happy. “Please listen to me. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I was wrong to expect you to change your whole world. If you don’t want to live in Greece, we can live in New York. I’ll headquarter there. Costa will be here, and I’ll fly in as often as is necessary. Say yes, Athena, say you will marry me. I want you to be mine—
panta,
forever.”

“I can’t.” Her lips trembled.

“Why? Have you given your word to someone else?” He wiped a tear escaping her eye.

Thee mou, thankfully she has only given her word, her body she gave to me.

He felt the pang of guilt shred his gut again. This time he was really selfish. He wanted her all to himself.

“I will take care of it. We’ll break the engagement, tactfully.”

“No,” she said, a small sound escaping her throat. “There is no one else for me.”

“I want to take care of you, to make you my wife, to love you everyday of my life.” He caught another tear and bent to place his lips on her wet cheek. “Do you love me?”

He swallowed the knot choking him. The truth would determine his next action.

“Yes, Alexandros, I love you. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved. Last night you shattered my heart, and now it can not be pieced together.”

Tears were coming too fast. Her eyes were red and swollen. He couldn’t understand how their love could hurt her.

“We can go anywhere you want. You don’t have to be involved with a Greek in Greece. I will go with you.
Agape mou
, I’ll be happy and make you happy no matter where we choose to live. As long as we’re together.”

“Alexandros, if you really care for me, you’ll agree with one request.”

“What is in you heart? Tell me, and I’ll make anything you want happen. You have my word. Anything to make you smile, to stop those tears from burning your beautiful eyes.”

Her knees shook in a quick up and down motion. She barely looked at him; rather she stared at the knot she was twisting her hands into.

“I want a truce. I don’t want to fight with you, it hurts too much.”

Her blunt honesty hit him hard.

“I want to enjoy the wedding tomorrow. I don’t want Costa and Heather to know anything is wrong. It’s the most special day in their lives, nothing should ruin it.” Her gaze met his, and there was pleading in her eyes.

“We’ll enjoy the wedding, together.”

“Okay, but no more talk about last night. No talk about us. I cannot do this. We will be civil and mature towards each other. If you still want to, we can talk after the wedding.”

“Absolutely,” he said, wondering if they were discussing the same things. What was she saying? Was she planning to walk out on him?

“My brother is scheduled to arrive in the morning, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to see him. And, I don’t want him to see me like this. He can see right through me.”

“Do you want to see him after we’ve settled this?”

“I have no choice. I will see him at the church. We’ll deal with us after the wedding. Will you keep your distance and remember the truce?”

Pride was starting to intervene. She could not want more than he’d offered her. In his desire to make Athena his, he’d made a mistake, he hadn’t committed a sin. She was not making any sense.

Regardless, he’d given her his word, and he would respect any request she made. He’d deal with Demo on her behalf. Hoping she would realize she wasn’t being reasonable, he nodded his head in confused silence.

They finished their meal in forced politeness, settling the bill in a hurry. He drove to
Kalithea
and bid her goodnight at the main entrance with a simple kiss on the cheek. He walked to the study at the other end of the villa, as far away from her room as possible without leaving her completely alone.

Athena opened the door to her room and found herself standing in a garden. Apparently, Alexandros had flowers delivered for the previous night, and they filled the room with an exotic aroma that was rousing. The bittersweet emotion took control of her, and she lay on the bed, crying into a soft wet pillow.

Tears poured from her eyes in an endless stream. This had been the last night with the man she loved. He may be sorry, but she could never forgive his transgression.

She couldn’t bear the thought of him seeking gratification with another woman. Even though she’d given herself to him completely, it had not satiated his physical passion. She didn’t know how to pleasure him, not the way he was accustomed.

She’d taken what he had given her, had drowned in the tidal wave of pleasure he bestowed on her, but she was not enough for him. He had wanted more. He’d looked for and had found more.

Her body filled with pain. Before today, she would never have entertained the thought of forgiving a man for betraying her. She had to remain strong. She had to listen to her head and not her heart. How could she ever trust him again?

She heard the Ducati zoom away. Was Alexandros leaving the house in the middle of the night to find the green dress? Why had she not fought to keep him?

Pain engulfed her. She walked out to the side veranda and watched the motorcycle’s headlight wind through the cliff side.

Alexandros needed to clear his head. None of this made sense. He drove around the island, pushing the Ducati’s limits. Pulling up in front of a
kafeneion,
where only men gather, he walked up to the cousins who had finished the dance with him the night before, Spiro and Gianni.

They ordered a round of beers and began to talk.

“What happened to our smooth cousin? You’ve never introduced a woman to the family before.”

“Spiro, I plan to make that woman my wife.” Alexandros answered, a big weight lifted off his chest with the admission.

“It must be something in the air. Both of you, so fast.” Spiro hit his cousin’s back and laughed. “I hope it’s not contagious.”

“We should be so lucky,” Gianni said, flipping his
komboloi
. “I spent some time with Athena, and she seems fantastic.”

“She is. When did you see her?” Alexandros placed a hand over Gianni’s
komboloi
and stopped it from moving.

“Your father asked me to keep an eye on her at the cabana. She wanted to stay alone, and he wasn’t comfortable with that. I stayed in the cabana next door to hers, and we ran into each other in the morning.”

“How could you lose your future bride and give her so much room away from you?” Spiro continued to tease his cousin. “Any one of us could have stolen her out of your arms.”

“Cut it out, I’m not in the mood for you right now.”

“Hey, I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect, Alexandros. I was only joking.”

Alexandros nodded and accepted his apology.

“I’ll be right back.” Spiro stood. “I need to pick up some cigarettes.”

Alexandros watched Spiro stroll to the kiosk on the corner, knowing he had not said anything out of malice. Spiro was ignorant of the events that had transpired since the family party and didn’t understand the current situation.

“Gianni, tell me what happened in the morning and how she didn’t recognize you from the party.” He leaned back on his chair and pulled his own
komboloi
out of his pocket.

“Well, she met a lot of us at the party, and I only said hello there. When your father asked me to keep an eye on her, I washed the gel out of my hair and the curls returned. I put on my sunglasses and followed her on the Vespa as she went for a run around eleven o’clock today.”

“A run at that time?”

“Yes, and let me tell you, I don’t know what happened between you, but she was giving the road a pounding. She was very upset. And from the look of it cousin, if you want to make her your wife, you would do best not to cross her in the future. She is incredibly determined.”

“When did you talk with her?”

“We went for a snack to Makis
taverna
.”

Even though his father had arranged for Gianni to watch over her, Alexandros was growing jealous. She’d gone off with another man.

“I saw her suddenly stop running, and she started to look sick. I walked up, offered her some water, and we got to talking.” Gianni quickly clarified the event. “When I invited her to the
taverna
she hesitated, so I assured her my fiancée was meeting me. I made up a story about how they would enjoy each other’s company and all.”

“Thank you for looking after her.”

“You’d do the same for me, for the woman I love. She’s special, and you are lucky. I saw you come over in the afternoon, and I called your father to tell him I was leaving. Why are you here? Is she still at the cabana?”

“No, she’s at
Kalithea
.”

“I have to ask again. Why are you here?”

“I cannot be so close to her, and not be with her.” Alexandros snapped the worry beads into his palm and let out an agitated breath. “Something happened and she is very annoyed. But it makes no sense.”

“You’ll figure it out. She’s worth it. Go back to her and maybe she’ll tell you. Some idiot probably told her something ridiculous. You know how jealous people can get.”

“One more beer, and I’ll be on my way.”

****

Alexandros arrived at
Kalithea
in a calmer frame of mind. He would deal with this in the morning and the explanation would be right in front of him. He undressed and could not resist walking to Athena’s room. Needing to check on her, and to know she was all right, he opened the door.

She was lying with her back to him. Her hair spread on the pillow and her breath soft and steady. He bent to kiss her, running a tender hand over the curve of her waist. Her slender hand covered his and held it against her. Alexandros did not wait for a formal invite. He lifted the sheet and gently got in beside her. Spooning her warm body, he curled his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

Chapter Twenty-three

Athena awoke and felt Alexandros’s warm breath against the nape of her neck. She didn’t stir, not wanting to wake him. Closing her eyes, she lay still and drifted in and out of a sweet sleep. When Alexandros woke half an hour later, she remained motionless. Whispering something she didn’t hear, he kissed her shoulder and got out of bed.

Moments later, he returned to speak through the window.

“You have about an hour before we leave. I assume you’ll be helping Heather dress for the wedding.”

“Yes, thank you. I’ll be ready fast.”

“Take your time. Costa will wait for her. I left you some coffee on the table… if you want it. I can’t join you, but I’ll be back by the time you’re ready.”

Only when she was sure he was gone, did she turn to face the window. She wanted to go to him, to ask him to hold her, and make the hurt go away. Her heart ached, and she craved his soothing touch. She had loved him. She still loved him, even after he’d betrayed her love.

Athena now understood the term
fool in love
. She was the fool. How could she still love him? Why did her heart ache, and why was he the only one who could fix it?

Showering, she let the tears run down her face and vanish into the clear water. The droplets urged her on, giving her the strength to face the day. She had a duty to fulfill, and she would bury her own needs to do it.

Slowly, she readied herself to face the family and friends she’d laughed with only days ago. Athena made a mental note to smile more as she applied makeup under her eyes to hide the puffy darkness. She pinned her hair high and allowed a few tendrils to fall. Stepping into her simple, but very elegant blue linen dress, she was satisfied with her appearance.

She gathered the makeup case and the hair styling tools into a bag and went to tell Alexandros she was ready. He was sitting at the table outside the kitchen. His eyes lit up as she approached.

“You look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You’re not dressed yet?”

“No, I’ll dress after I return from the airport.” He paused. “I saw Gianni at the
kafeneion
last night. He told me he spent a bit time with you yesterday on the beach.”

“Yes, we had a light lunch. You know him?”

Relief spread through her. He had seen Gianni last night… at the
kafeneion
, a traditionally all male hangout. It explained why he smelled of alcohol and cigarettes when he came home. She had not talked to him, she hadn’t told him she had lain awake waiting for him to return. She’d held his hand, inviting him into her bed, and thankfully, he’d stayed. Finally, she’d been able to sleep.