Chapter 16

16

A n hour later she used the spare key she kept in the glove compartment of her car to let them in to her apartment. They felt like naughty teenagers who'd stayed out past curfew, trying not to giggle. They were exhausted but their need for each other far outweighed the need to sleep. Quietly, so as not to disturb Nora, they kissed hungrily as they made their way towards her bedroom .

"Nora's asleep," she reminded him, tugging his hand and pulling him into the bathroom. She locked the door behind them and smiled .

"Shower," he murmured, leaning over to turn on the water as he yanked off his shirt. " Brilliant ."

Watching him get undressed made her heart start beating faster and she dropped her own clothes in anticipation of what was to come; just these few days apart left her yearning for him .

"Damn, I like watching you take your clothes off," he said softly. "But I love your bare body even more ."

Strong but gentle fingers fondled her breasts, and she slowly backed against the wall because the pleasure made it hard to think, much less concentrate on standing still. He was cupping one of them now, rubbing the nipple with his thumb and watching as her eyes got heavy. "How does it feel to know you're really mine?" he whispered .

"Wonderful," she breathed. "Like it's the best thing that has ever happened to me ."

"Does the idea of being mine forever arouse you?" He was toying with her, playing with her breasts, circling her nipples as they tightened with need .

"Y-yes." She gasped as he pinched one nipple harder than before and then bent his head to soothe the burn with his tongue .

"My wife," he growled under his breath. "You have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy making love to my wife ."

"Who did you make love to before?" she panted, fire running through her at his touch .

"A woman who didn't realize she was mine ."

"You're a little possessive," she grunted as he moved his hand down her torso, abandoning her breasts, which resulted in an immediate sense of loss. One hand cupped her backside while the fingers of his other hand spread the lips between her legs and began to explore .

"You have a problem with that?" He slid a finger into her and could feel the urgency, her frantic need for him, escalate. She'd become so incredibly wet, so quickly, it excited him to think he had that effect on her .

"No." She could barely talk as he rolled his finger from side to side, finding her already engorged clit and teasing it until it was so stiff and hard she could feel the pressure as he moved over it. She wanted him inside of her and pressed against him, lifting one leg and wrapping it around his legs .

Their mouths locked together feverishly, and he plunged his tongue in and out in a motion similar to what he was going to do with his cock shortly. The whimpers escaping her made him harder than ever and he roughly pulled up her other leg so she was completely off the ground and her wetness rubbed onto his skin. He turned and set her beautiful bare ass on the counter, spread her thighs and used his hand to put the head of his penis against her pulsing entrance. They'd talked about dispensing with the use of condoms when they were still in Greece and he was damned if he was going to worry about it now that she was going to remain his wife, so he drove into her, sheathing himself completely .

"Damn, you feel good," he sighed, closing his eyes against the pleasure. This wasn't just good, it was beyond his wildest dreams. She was so slick the sensations were almost overwhelming when she rocked up her hips in a frantic attempt to bring him deeper, hold him closer .

"Don't ever stop," she moaned, arms around his neck, her lips seeking his greedily .

"Never." He surged deeper, going faster and harder as he felt himself swelling, trying to keep from coming too soon. He reached down to find her clit again, stroking through the tender folds that were now afire for him. She was so ready, he could feel her clenching him, legs tightening around his waist, sweat starting to trickle between her breasts .

He caught her lips in a sweet but scorching kiss just as she broke apart, jerking against him, her scream swallowed in his mouth until he followed suit, his orgasm hard and seemingly endless as they continued to move together. Their torsos remained pressed tightly against one another as if they couldn't bear even the tiniest separation of skin. She was still shaking, her breath coming in little hiccups of need, eyes still closed. In that moment, he became aware that this was exactly what he'd wanted, what he'd been waiting for—the only thing missing in his life. Now that he had her—really had her—he was never letting her go. Whatever it took, she was his and he was hers. Nothing else made any sense .

T hey woke up late in the morning. After a long night of talking and lovemaking that had them up until nearly dawn, it was almost noon before they stirred. Nudging him with her elbow, Paige sat up and smiled down at him .

"I'm hungry!" she announced. "And there is no food in the apartment, so get up !"

Though he barely opened his eyes, he arched a brow. "I live alone, without a kitchen, and there was always coffee at my house ."

She poked him with her toe. "I've been gone for three weeks! Normally I have coffee and bagels !"

He opened his eyes. "Yeah? I'm gonna like that ."

"Get up!" she repeated, laughing. "We need to take a shower!" She grabbed her phone to see if she'd missed any calls and found a line of green dots, showing five missed calls and 11 texts. All were from Raegan except one, from Tom :

Stopping by at noon to pack Raegan's things .

Her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. "Shit!" She called Raegan back immediately but there was no answer .

"What's wrong?" Apollo asked, following her into the bathroom .

"Something is going on with Raegan—get dressed !"

He didn't answer but by the time she'd used the bathroom, washed her face and brushed her teeth, he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and traded places with her so she could get dressed as well .

Her phone rang just as she pulled a tank top over her head and she grabbed it. " Raegan !"

"Oh my God—where have you been ?"

"We were asleep! What's going on ?"

"Tom and my mom talked the doctor into getting me released into his care and when I tried to say no they said I couldn't leave without someone to care for me and you didn't pick up and my insurance won't pay for another day unless — "

"Fuck!" Paige slid her feet into a pair of sandals. "Where are you? Tom texted that he's on his way over here to get your things !"

"He took my keys so he'll be there any minute! Stop him, Paige, please! I was asleep and he and my mom had breakfast! I wasn't aware of what was going on until about an hour ago ."

"Hang tight, I won't let him get your stuff ."

"Someone's coming !"

Raegan disconnected abruptly and Paige turned to Apollo just as they heard a key in the lock. "She doesn't want him to take her stuff!" she whispered urgently. "What do we do ?"

He just smiled and pulled something out of his pocket. "I meant for this to happen in a more romantic setting, but I want you to wear it. So put it on now and we'll have a do-over when we're alone." He showed her Thespina's ring .

"Is that …?"

" Yaya's wedding ring—she wanted you to wear it until we bought something else, so it would feel more official ."

She smiled and pressed her lips to his as he slid the simple band on the ring finger of her left hand. Amazingly, it was a perfect fit and they broke apart long enough to grin just as Tom opened the door. He scowled at them .

"I guess I should have knocked," he said sarcastically .

"You should have." Paige levelled a look at him .

"I'm getting Raegan's things—she's moving in with me ."

"She's not." Paige shook her head. "I don't know what you and her mother are trying to do, but she doesn't want to move in with you, Tom ."

"That's not what she told me." He smirked as he folded his arms across his chest .

"I think you need to leave." Apollo spoke quietly, but his voice was intense .

"I think you need to make me ."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Tom, you haven't been in a fistfight since Robby Carlson punched you in the nose in the second grade! So knock it off. Look, Raegan is terrified of her father and — "

"Her mom told me you would say that," he snapped. "So just let me get her things ."

"No. The only way you're getting her things is if she tells me herself. Go ahead and call her, Tom ."

Tom gave her a dirty look but pulled out his phone and dialed. He tapped his foot impatiently and then his face morphed into a smile. "Hey, Raegan… No, I'm here at the apartment and—what do you mean?" His smile tightened and he turned his back, as though doing so would keep Paige and Apollo from hearing what he was saying. "We talked about this… No, it's not. Dammit, Raegan, we made a deal!" His free hand clenched into a fist and he stalked out of the apartment, still talking .

"We should get to the hospital," Paige said to Apollo. "I'm afraid he's on his way there to strong-arm her !"

Apollo nodded, following her. "I just want to point out, for what it's worth, that we never had any of this kind of drama when we were in Greece ."

She turned, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Sophia and Giorgios seem to have all kinds of drama, but I promise, once we get Raegan settled, there won't be anything else like this. In all the years we've been friends, the only drama has been her being broke !"

He just nodded again, taking the keys from her hand. "Do you mind if I drive? Your hands are shaking ."

Paige glanced down and realized he was right. "I guess he rattles me after last night …"

"I know, koukla mou ." He leaned over to press his lips to hers and let them linger. "But you're always safe with me ."

M ick met them at the hospital and was waiting in the lobby when they got there, hurrying over to them .

"That Tom dickhead just went up in the elevator ."

"Shit!" Paige turned and ran towards the stairs, disappearing behind the door .

"Are you taking the stairs?" Mick asked Apollo .

Apollo chuckled. "No. I'm taking the elevator because I'm sure Tom won't be taking the stairs, so I'll head him off at the elevator bay if necessary ."

"Just in case, I'll go up the stairs," Mick said, a grin lighting his blue eyes. "Dude, I gotta tell you—this is the most fun I've had since college. You didn't tell me meeting the little woman would be this much of an adventure." He headed to the stairs, still chuckling .

Apollo hit the UP button, shaking his head. There was that word again. Adventure . She'd only wanted to experience some of life's adventures before settling down and Tom hadn't been willing to give that to her. Except he was unwittingly doing it now, even though the idiot had no idea what that truly meant. It wasn't what Apollo had in mind, either, but he knew if something like this was happening to Mick, nothing would stop him from helping, so he didn't begrudge her taking care of her friend. He just hoped they could handle this once and for all right now; they had a lot of other things to do. There was also something he hadn't told her, but it didn't seem like the middle of a crisis was the right time .

He stepped out of the elevator just as Tom was storming out of Raegan's room. Mick was leaning against the wall, his large body relaxed and amused, his lips twitching as he fought laughter .

"You can have the crazy little whore!" Tom spat at Apollo as he whipped past him .

Without missing a beat, Apollo reached out and shoved Tom against the wall, his left hand gripping Tom's forearm as Apollo's right forearm pressed against Tom's sternum. "Did you just call my wife a whore?" he hissed under his breath .

"What would you call a woman who was screwing someone else while married ?"

"Someone who was separated," he said in a quiet but deadly tone. " Apologize ."

"Fuck you." Tom grunted as Apollo dug his elbow into his chest .

"I said apologize ."

"I'd do it if I were you." Mick ambled by, his six foot five inch frame dwarfing both Apollo's and Tom's as he leaned over. "He's been in love with her since the first time he laid eyes on her—he might get grumpy if you don't apologize and then we'll all wind up in jail 'cause I'll say you hit him first ."

Tom narrowed his eyes .

"Paige said you're up for a promotion," Mick continued, a toothpick appearing in his mouth as though he didn't have a care in the world. "Getting arrested would be bad ."

"Damn you!" Tom hissed, meeting Apollo's eyes heatedly .

"For fuck's sake, say you're sorry!" Mick rolled his eyes .

"I'm sorry!" Tom huffed. "Jesus, did it ever occur to you that I loved her? That finding out she was already married might have hurt me ?"

"Is that why you're determined to fuck her best friend?" Apollo groused, releasing him abruptly .

"Yeah! Aside from the fact that Raegan's hot, I wanted to hurt Paige the way she hurt me." He suddenly sighed. "But I guess that backfired ."

"Look, man." Mick was still chewing his toothpick. "Let it go. Paige and Apollo—I didn't hear about anything else until he left to go back to Greece. They were stupid back then, but there's obviously something special between them and after three years apart, they need to work it out. None of this is Raegan's fault, so why drag her into it? This car accident was really bad—she could have died—and she doesn't need the drama. If you want to be her friend, maybe make some phone calls to help her with the police reports and insurance or something. Maybe send over a meal when she gets settled ."

"I don't even know where she's going!" Tom protested, suddenly defeated as he leaned against the wall. "They wouldn't tell me ."

"If you'd behave like a gentleman, that might change." Mick patted him on the shoulder. "Go on home, man, and do something helpful for Raegan. Then send her a text and apologize for trying to manipulate her and tell her what nice thing you've done—with no talk about sex or moving in with you. Come on, you're a good-looking guy with money—the chicks have to be crawling out of the woodwork ."

Tom looked away. "I guess. They're just kind of boring ."

Apollo narrowed his eyes. "Paige isn't boring at all. She would've been willing to meet you halfway but she said you wouldn't compromise ."

"I didn't realize what I had," he admitted in a gruff voice. "I didn't know how boring other women were until Paige went to Greece. I went out on two dates and after the second one was so bad I couldn't wait to get away from her, I wound up at the casino talking with Raegan and realized she was a lot like Paige—funny and quirky, but real smart and hard-working. A little bit more of a mess than Paige, but she had that… something . I didn't realize how much I enjoyed it until after she was gone ."

"Paige is mine," Apollo said quietly. "And she loves me too, but there are lots of smart, quirky women out there that are strong and professional, but still want to live a little before having kids and all that ."

"I guess so." Tom seemed sad .

"You'll find someone," Mick said. "Stop pushing so hard ."

Tom paused and glanced back over his shoulder as he started walking away. "Are you taking her on adventures ?"

"You bet your ass I am." Apollo grinned .

"What kind?" Tom's eyes were guileless, genuinely confused .

"I don't know yet." Apollo didn't know why, but he felt a moment of sympathy for the guy; he was obviously genuinely confused about what that meant. "I mean—here's an example. The day she came to see me in Greece I asked her why she didn't mail me the papers and she said even though it was something done in a drunken haze, it didn't seem fair to end a marriage without a conversation. So I took her to lunch. Once we started talking, I realized that no matter what we decided about the marriage, I wanted her to think back kindly on our time together. I drove us down to Cape Sounion and watched the sun set over the Temple of Poseidon. It was romantic and scenic, a little mini-hike up to the temple, and the most gorgeous view… She said it was her first adventure in Greece. That's when I knew what she needed ."

Tom still seemed a little confused, but he nodded. "I, I guess I get that. I, uh, I appreciate your honesty. I have a lot to think about ."

"Good luck." Apollo watched him disappear into the elevator and then glanced at Mick. "You're starving, aren't you ?"

"Do you know how many awesome breakfast places there are here?!" he demanded .

"You didn't care about any of that stuff you said—you just didn't want to wind up in a fight or in jail !"

Mick laughed, deep and rumbling, shaking his head. "Naw, man, I meant it—I was just using it to my advantage ."

"Dude, we're moving Raegan out of here. There's no time for breakfast ."

"Yeah, there is." Mick winked. "Come on." He headed back towards her room .

Apollo followed in confusion, but was glad that the situation had been diffused and that he really hadn't wound up in jail. That could get him kicked out of the country, which was not in the plan .

Raegan was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail as she sat up in bed. The woman in tears beside her had to be her mother, Nora, and Apollo caught Paige's impatient stance as she stood between them .

"I just don't understand what's happening," Nora was sniffling. "Raegan, you're my light and my love, but I don't understand these things you keep saying about your father! You know they're not true and — "

"Mom." Raegan gripped her hands tightly. "I love you. You were the best mom you could possibly be with your issues but — "

"I don't have issues!" Nora was crying harder now .

"Mom!" Raegan squeezed her hands and forced her to look at her. "Please, Mom, listen to me. You have bipolar disorder. You know this. I don't know why you stopped taking your meds but …"

"I had to! I feel like I'm underwater all the time. The only time I feel okay is when I wake up in the morning, but the minute I start taking them, I just float around in a cloud, like I don't feel anything. It's terrible, Raegan ."

"Mom—those are the meds that keep you from having suicidal thoughts. Remember? Remember when you tried to kill yourself ?"

Nora's tears dripped down her face. "But that stuff about your father — "

"Is true. I don't blame you. You weren't medicated, you could barely take care of yourself, much less me, but I can't ever be alone with him. I won't visit you in Phoenix ever again. Please trust me. Please let me handle this ."

"I just don't… How could he?!" Her eyes filled with tears and she sank into the nearest chair .

"That's why he keeps talking you out of taking your medication," Paige added gently. "He knows when you're lucid, even if you don't feel right, the memories can come drifting back ."

"But I can't leave him," Nora looked up sadly. "I can't work, I can't…do anything ."

"Let me get better," Raegan said quietly. "Then we'll figure out what you can do. Promise me you'll go back on the meds, Mom ?"

"Okay." Nora was sniffling so Paige handed her a tissue .

"So, what's the plan?" Apollo asked softly .

"I'm taking Raegan to my mom's until we can find an apartment with an elevator or something else…" She glanced at Apollo. "Can we get her settled and meet my parents and then take care of our stuff ?"

"Of course." He looked around. "What do we need to do ?"

"Please, someone mention food," Mick murmured .

Raegan smiled. "I like him ."

T he next 24 hours were a whirlwind. Bringing Apollo to her parents' house and introducing him as her husband had been almost surreal, with what felt like a million questions and endless doubts. Apollo was a rock, though, answering patiently and reassuring her parents that he would take care of her. It seemed to take forever, and while she understood her parents' concerns, she had so many other things on her mind. She still hadn't gone back to work, she was going to pick up Raegan and get her settled in the guest room in a few hours, and she and Apollo still didn't have a plan for the immediate future .

"Holy hot as hell!" her sister, Nicky, murmured as Paige got the sofa bed in the guest room ready while Apollo talked with her father. "I can't believe you're married to him !"

Paige managed to smile. "Get drunk during spring break and you, too, can accidentally marry a Greek god ."

"Seems to me he's a lot more than an accidental husband ."

"He's pretty amazing," Paige admitted, hugging the pillow to her chest as she paused from putting the pillowcase on. "I just don't know what we're going to do. He doesn't want to live here, but he'd do it for me and …"

"Why don't you want to move to Greece? Are you afraid he would do something to you ?"

"Not something terrible," Paige said quickly. "I just think I would be lonely. No friends, with a whole new lifestyle and culture—and I don't know the language. What would I do all day while he worked ?"

"Learn the language? Wander the streets and get to know the area? Go to the beach until it's too cold? Spend time with his family? You have a whole country at your disposal ."

"I know." Paige finished setting up the bed and was surprised to see that Nicky had gone and Apollo was leaning against the doorjamb watching her .

"Ready to go get Raegan?" he asked .

"Yes." Paige nodded .

"You really need to relax." He pulled her against him and kissed the tip of her nose. "You weren't like this in Greece ."

"I had nothing going on in Greece!" she protested mildly. "All I had to think about was you ."

"Seems to me you were happier in Greece," he said mildly .

"I was," she admitted. "I really was. The idea of going back to work tomorrow…ugh. I can't even think about it ."

"So don't." He put his hand around the back of her neck and held her close as he stared into her face. "I want to take care of you—your crazy friends too. I've been watching you run around like a chicken with your head cut off for two days now and I hate it. What can I do to make this better, koukla mou ?"

"I don't know ."

"In a perfect world, what do you want ?"

She looked up at him and bit her lip. " You ."

"Here or there ?"

"Anywhere," she admitted. "But I… If we have to move to San Francisco or L.A. or some other crazy place, I think I'd rather be in Greece ."

"I'll find a way to make it work here in the States," he said softly. "I only want you in Greece if you feel safe with me ."

"I do feel safe with you—I'm more afraid I'm going to be lonely. You work all the time and I don't want your sister to be my best friend out of pity ."

"Lena adores you, but you won't be alone that much. I'm going to cut back on the hours because my father is going to be working a little more ."

"You really want to do this? With me ?"

"I sure as hell don't want to do it with anyone else." He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them softly, one at a time. "I'm going to put five thousand dollars in an account in your dad's name, here in the U.S. He'll set you up with a debit card and I won't have access to that money. If you ever feel like you need to leave Greece because of me, the money will be there. You'll also have access to all my accounts and your own money. I won't ever let you feel as though you have to ask me for anything you need. Everything that's mine is now half yours ."

Tears puddled in her eyes. "That's kind of overwhelming ."

"In a good way ?"

"Yeah." She nuzzled against his chest. "But how do I tell my family ?"

"They already know, koukla ."

"They do?" She raised tear-filled eyes. "How do they know ?"

"Because they already figured out that both of us were willing to make the sacrifice for the other, but in the end, your dad and I had a talk and he reminded me that he expects me to take care of you both emotionally and financially. He knows for sure that I can do that in Greece. Here in the U.S., it's a gamble, and he wants you to be happy and secure more than he wants you to be close by. I'm sure in a perfect world he'd like both, but when he put it out there in black and white, I realized he's right. We talked about what it would take to make sure you weren't just safe, but felt confident and independent in such new surroundings too. So money that I can't touch, perhaps a safety deposit box where you can keep — "

"Wait, stop!" She put a finger on his lips and shook her head, frowning. "I'm worried about things like loneliness and lacking my own money for things like shoes and makeup—not running away from you in the middle of the night! Goodness, I'm not afraid of you, Apollo. I'm nervous about such a huge lifestyle change and not having anyone to talk to the first time we have a fight… I'm thinking ahead to having our first baby and wondering what the hospitals are like. I already know that in the off-chance you beat me or some other horrible thing, my father would either be on the first plane or he'd buy me the ticket to get away. I just don't want to get caught up in life—your work and kids and all that, and find myself alone with no purpose, no job, no life outside of you ."

"Honey, you can get a job if you want to. Or you can come work with me at the company—we desperately need a marketing specialist and you've already shown an interest in that." He ran his hands down her back and gently squeezed the soft, round globes of her behind. "But I was thinking about all those adventures you want to have ."

"You were ?"

"Well, yeah." He grinned. "I'm planning to take a little time off now because you'll need to take care of Raegan and pack up your whole life if you're going to move to Greece. In the meantime, I thought we'd have some local mini-adventures like going to the Grand Canyon and Sedona, things like that ."

"God, I love you." She leaned up and kissed him, hard, her eyes glittering with tears .

"That's good," he murmured. "Because I was also thinking we should have a wedding ."

She paused, cocking her head. "You're kidding, right ?"

"No." He grinned. "I don't think it's right that neither of us remember getting married, and honestly, my mother won't rest until she meets your family. How about we plan a small ceremony here in Vegas and then go on a honeymoon. Would you like that ?"

"Yes! Oh my gosh, yes!" She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and hugging him tightly .

"I love you, baby. All I want is to make you happy ."

"You have. You are. I am!" She giggled at how flustered she was .