Chapter 8

8

W ith a satisfied smile, he reluctantly pulled out and slid off the bed to dispose of the condom. She padded after him, following him into the bathroom and waiting until he'd tossed the condom before using the facilities. She seemed oblivious to the fact that he stood in the doorway watching her until she glanced up and caught his stare .

"Am I not supposed to do this in front of you?" she asked curiously .

"It's fine with me," he smiled. "Just most women usually don't ."

She got up and washed her hands, glancing back at him. "Do you have a lot of women spend the night here ?"

He shook his head. "No. Only one woman who's not related to me has ever been here and she never spent the night—I always drove her home after ."

She nodded even though she hated the thought that he'd shared the bed they'd just made love in with someone else .

"Does that bother you?" he asked, following her back to bed .

"How can it?" she countered. "We didn't see or talk to each other for more than three years. I have no right to be jealous ."

"But you are." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "I've had my share of boring sex as well, you know ?"

She sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around herself .

"Are you cold, honey ?"

She shook her head. "No. Just a little sad and overwhelmed ."

"Why are you sad ?"

"Because in 48 hours I'll be on a plane going far, far away from you." Tears puddled in her eyes .

"You can come back," he said, dropping to his knees in front of her and moving between her legs. "And in winter, when business is slower, maybe I could come to you for a week or two ."

Big tears splashed down her cheeks and he pulled her close, hating to see her cry, especially when he was the cause. " Signomi ," he whispered. I'm sorry .

"What?" she sniffled .

"That means I'm sorry. I hate that both times we've been together made you cry ."

"Not your fault." She nestled against him .

"Come. Let's go to bed." He got to his feet and crawled onto the bed. He held out his hand and after a moment she took it, allowing him to pull her close. "In the morning we'll think of something. I promise ."

"You really want me to come back?" she whispered in the darkness as they started to doze off .

" Koukla mou . I don't want you to leave ."

A pollo was sound asleep when something bounced on the bed, startling him awake. He sat up with a start, staring at Paige in shock as she bounced on her knees, her eyes shining .

"I can stay! I can stay!" She gripped his arm. "Did you hear me ?!"

"The whole neighborhood probably heard you," he murmured, pulling her down and into the curve of his arm. "How about you tell me what's going on by whispering softly so I can get my heart rate back to normal ."

" Sig-nomi !" She giggled and wiggled until she was resting her chin on his chest so she could look at him. "So last night, after I talked to my boss, I was upset and I emailed my friend Becca. She's the head of media relations for the team, but since that's another department, and she's not my boss, we've gotten friendly. I told her what was happening and asked her what she thought I should do." She took a breath. "Well, I guess she went in and told Steve, my boss, what she thought of him. She sent me an email a couple hours later telling me to stay another 10 days! She said she was giving me permission and that she'd handle the deal with Tom's company personally!" She finally stopped talking and looked into his eyes. "I guess she went to our GM and got Steve into trouble—hey! Are you listening? Aren't you happy ?"

He took her hand and slowly brought it to his crotch, letting it rest on his erection. "Very, very happy ."

T wo hours later, after another round of passionate lovemaking and an equally erotic shower together, they were sitting on his balcony drinking espresso and nibbling some pastries he'd bought at a bakery down the street. Her feet were propped up on the rail as she stared out at the water, a smile on her face .

"Is that smile from good sex, good coffee or the sea breeze?" he asked, watching her .

"All three?" she laughed, her hair flowing out behind her as the wind picked up .

"You're a ray of sunshine in my life," he said, leaning over to run his lips across hers .

"It's not causing sunburn, is it?" she asked in amusement .

"Not yet ."

Grinning over at him, she couldn't help the happiness that filled her. She had 12 more days with him, and she couldn't express how grateful she was to Becca. She would definitely bring her back a nice gift. In the meantime, she had to remember to call the airlines to change her return flight. Her phone buzzed, indicating she had a text, and she frowned down at it. She was glad Apollo had Wi-Fi at his house but she'd hoped she wouldn't get notifications from work .

Opening the text program she saw several posts from Raegan and groaned .

"What is it?" Apollo asked. "Is it work ?"

She shook her head. "It's Raegan. I guess Tom's been calling her …"

Apollo got up and disappeared into the house, coming back a moment later with a cordless phone. "Call her," he said. "I know it's going to bother you until you find out what's going on ."

"Are you sure?" She met his gaze worriedly .

"I told you—it's a flat fee. Call her." He kissed her lightly. "I'm going to get dressed ."

"Thank you." She watched him go and then dialed the number to her apartment .

Raegan answered on the first ring. "Oh my God, what's going on ?!"

"So much," Paige sighed .

"Are you really at Apollo's house?" Raegan had been shocked when she'd gotten a text from Paige last night telling her some of the news about Apollo .

"I really am. I'll text you a picture of the view from his balcony in a minute," she said, grabbing her cell phone as she balanced the cordless house phone on her shoulder. "But tell me what Tom said ."

"He called here and left, like, a thousand messages in the last two days," Raegan grumbled. "And since I obviously didn't call him back, he came to work !"

"He went to the casino?" Paige asked in disbelief. "Seriously? Oh my God, Raegan! He didn't get you into trouble, did he? I'm going to talk to him !"

"It's fine, he was very nice, just a little freaked out that you'd gone out of the country by yourself and that you weren't answering your phone ."

"I turned off roaming," Paige rolled her eyes. "Geez, it's expensive. But I've got Wi-Fi at Apollo's house and I can check in via email every day ."

"Tell me what happened at work," Raegan said excitedly. "And whether or not you got lucky with your Greek stud !"

"Oh, I definitely got lucky, in more ways than one," Paige giggled. She told Raegan about her conversation with Steve and then Becca's subsequent email. "So I'll be here an extra 10 days ."

"Do you want me to call your parents ?"

Paige grimaced. "No, I'll call my mom tomorrow. I still can't believe Tom actually went to find you at work ."

"He's pretty freaked out," Raegan said slowly. "I think you need to sit down with him when you get back and let him know it's really over. I don't think he believes it, like this is another one of your stall tactics ."

"I should have ended it after the first time he proposed." She looked up with an appreciative stare as Apollo came back out in a pair of khaki shorts and a polo shirt .

"Well, you're going to have to deal with it now, I guess," Raegan said. "Especially since you're technically married to someone else ."

"Yeah." Paige sighed. "Anyway, thanks for holding down the fort for me. I'll email Tom and tell him to knock it off ."

"Don't worry about Tom—I'll handle him until you get home—just call back sometime when you can give me details !"

Paige laughed. "I will— promise !"

"Love you! Have a blast !"

"I will! Love you too!" Paige hung up with a grin .

A fter sending an email to Becca and another to Steve, Paige got dressed and they headed into Athens. They were going to the place he'd mentioned before, Monastiraki, where she could do a little shopping and they could eat the big midday meal. She wasn't used to the schedule in Greece but found it interesting that they ate their big meal of the day just a bit later than Americans ate lunch, usually around 2:30 or 3:00. Then, later in the evening, often as late as 10:00 or 11:00, they would have a lighter meal. Apollo said some people ate two large meals, but because he was often up early, he didn't like to eat that much right before bed .

"Last night was a bit of an exception," he explained as they parked in a pay lot and then walked down the winding streets. "If I eat a big meal at 2:30 or so, I like to eat something light around 8:00. If I'm in bed at midnight, I've had time to digest. Otherwise, it can keep me up ."

"How does everyone else do it?" she asked curiously .

"Well, the lifestyle here is interesting. Except for small children and the elderly, most of us are up late. We go out at 10 or 11 for coffee or drinks and dancing… You'll see the restaurants and cafes are always packed, no matter what day of the week it is. Especially in the summer ."

"On nights when the team is off or out of town, I'm usually in bed by 11," she said. "Kind of boring, I guess ."

"Different lifestyle, different culture ."

"How did you adjust when you went to the U.S. for college ?"

He grinned. "I was 18 and full of piss and vinegar—getting ready for a four-year party! It was great. I loved living in the U.S ."

"But you were anxious to get home, too," she said, glancing up at him .

"The whole reason my parents paid for my fancy education was so I could take over the business. Otherwise, I could have gone to the university here in Greece ."

"Is the education you got in the U.S. so much better ?"

"I went to Yale," he shrugged. "So yes, that's a big deal even here, but besides that, I spent a lot of time making contacts, especially in grad school. My father has always wanted to expand the business and by sending me to school in the U.S., he not only expanded my understanding of the language, he immersed me in the culture so that I could mingle with businessmen from both Europe and North America ."

"That's smart." She paused. "Are you still looking to expand the business into America ?"

He hesitated, not wanting to mislead her about the chances of him moving to the U.S. They were trying to expand into either Los Angeles or San Francisco, but so far the logistics had been a nightmare and he didn't have a good grip on what was going to happen. "We'd like to, but the expense doesn't seem like a worthwhile risk right now. We have a steady income with what we do now, but I'd have to invest everything we have to open a branch in the U.S. With the economy the way it is here, I'm not sure that would be wise ."

"No, probably not." She looked around at the busy streets, trying to ignore the disappointment that washed over her. Athens was bustling with energy all the time—it reminded her a lot of Las Vegas. Except the buildings were a lot older and there was the most gorgeous beach she'd ever seen nearby. Not to mention a green-eyed hunk who rocked her world in more ways than one. A tiny voice inside of her asked why she couldn't live here. She would miss her family but she would have Apollo. Of course, just because he was gorgeous, rich and absolutely everything she'd ever dreamed of in a man, that didn't mean he felt the same way about her. Sure, he was interested and there was this thing between them, but this was his country, his home, his family. If she moved here and something went wrong, she'd have no one to turn to, no one she could count on. How could she take a risk like that ?

She was startled back to the present when he stopped walking and pointed. "That's the Church of the Pantanassa. I can't remember dates and such, but it's the cathedral from the monastery for which this area got its name. The monastery is gone, but this building remains ."

"Built in the tenth century," she giggled. "I looked up Monastiraki before we left this morning so I had an idea what I would see in the area ."

He leaned over and kissed her. "You don't need me for anything then !"

She reached up to touch his face. "Not true. You've made me so happy in two days, it's a little hard to believe this is just a vacation ."

"No matter what happens between us," he said quietly, "this is much more than just a vacation. Now come on—let me play tour guide ."

Monastiraki was like an entire neighborhood of flea market shops and stalls. She found everything from jewelry and clothing to souvenirs, gourmet spices and wines. Though she didn't have a lot of spending money, since she wasn't paying for two of the four nights she'd budgeted for at the hotel, she was able to buy gifts for her parents, Nicky, Raegan and Becca. She wandered through shop after shop, lost in everything Greek, completely unaware of how much time had passed .

Apollo followed amiably, watching her delight as he carried her bags, helped her barter with some of the more crotchety shopkeepers, and pointed out historical buildings in their midst. Finally, when the sun was high in the sky and they were both hot and sweaty, he nudged her towards a food court of sorts, filled with restaurant after restaurant .

"We can come back another day," he said firmly. "But I'm dying of thirst and starving ."

She grinned. "Me too! And everything around here smells yummy !"

They chose a place where Apollo knew the owner and Paige discovered the joy of souvlaki . She tried both lamb and chicken, plucking the grilled, savory meat off the skewers and dipping them in tzatziki, which had become one of her favorite things. Afterwards, they walked back through the shops and she stopped in front of one selling hand-painted canvases of different images of Greece. There was one in particular that she loved—a sunset view of the Temple of Poseidon, so realistic she felt like she was there. It was too big for her suitcase, though, and she fretted over how she would get it home .

"I own a shipping company," Apollo whispered in her ear. "I could probably stick it in a crate somewhere and get it to you ."

She bit her lip. She wanted it desperately, but it was expensive as well as difficult to transport .

"Let me buy it for you," he said softly. "You haven't let me buy you anything all day. What if it's a belated wedding present ?"

She smiled. "I want to say no, but I can't—I want to look at this painting forever ."

"Consider it yours." He spoke to the artist in Greek and within minutes they were moving back down the street, the painting securely wrapped in foam and ready for transport .

"Thank you!" She threw her arms around his neck happily. "This has been the second-best day ever !"

"I know you're going to tell me last night was the best day ever, right?" he joked, laughing with her .

"Last night was the very best sex ever," she amended, "but the best day ever is still watching the sun set while we were in Sounion ."

He kissed her forehead. "Well, tonight we watch the sun set at the Acropolis. Let's take a cab back to the car to drop all this stuff off and then we can walk up there ."

"Okay." She followed along, a little bit tired but having too much fun to care. She'd dreamed of seeing the Acropolis in person most of her life and now she was going to climb right up and touch it, walk on the same grounds as the ancient Greeks had more than 2,000 years ago. It was a little surreal and when they got to the gates, where Apollo paid the entrance fee, she felt somewhat awed .

"How many times have you climbed up here?" she asked as they set out on the path .

"Dozens," he said. "And though I don't go out of my way to come anymore, I still find it very inspirational to see what they accomplished so long ago, with no modern tools or conveniences ."

"I can't even stand it," she said, staring up towards the top where the Parthenon stood in all its majesty .

"Come on, sweet dreamer… Let's get today's adventure under way ."

"Wasn't the whole day part of the adventure?" she asked .

"That was shopping," he chuckled. " This is adventure !"

Laughing, they walked the rest of the way up, pausing to sit in the seats of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, located on the southern slope of the Acropolis. It was magnificent, and though she knew it had been restored sometime in the last hundred years, enough of its original beauty was still intact to add authenticity .

As Paige leaned back on one of the hard stone seats, Apollo pulled out his phone and took her picture. She was sunburned and sweaty, but he'd never seen her look so alive. Her eyes flashed with excitement—almost as sexy as they'd been last night when she'd come undone beneath him—and her skin glowed from both the sun and the fresh air. Tonight he wanted to make love to her on the balcony of his house, long after the neighbors were asleep. With the lights out and a blanket to partially cover them, no one would be the wiser and there would be nothing but their bodies, the wind, and the sound of the sea in the background .

"The sun is going down soon!" Paige called to him. "And they'll close! Come on !"

Laughing, he followed, caught up in her excitement .

T hey'd just gotten back to the house when he got a series of texts from Melina. She seemed a little frantic, telling him he had to call her immediately and he reluctantly dialed her number .

"Where have you been?!" she cried .

"Lena, come on—that's a dumb question ."

" Baba was in the office today!" she whispered. " Working ."

"What?" He froze. He'd taken over his father's office but the old man still had a key. He didn't have business secrets from him, but the divorce papers were probably still sitting right where he'd left them on the edge of his desk. Shit !

"And Mr. Carozo came in! They were in your office for over an hour ."

"Are you serious?" Apollo felt annoyance crawl through his gut, leaving him a little out of sorts. If it hadn't been for the divorce papers left on the desk, he wouldn't give a shit, but based on Melina's panicked voice, he was guessing they'd been found. "So he saw the papers ?"

"Oh, yes." Melina was still whispering; she lived with their parents, so it was hard to have privacy .

" And ?"

"Be prepared. They're having a meeting now—Mama , Baba, Yaya , Sophia and Giorgios ."

"Like it's any of his business!" he muttered. He wasn't fond of his brother-in-law and avoided him as much as he could .

"There's a little good news, though ."

"Thank God ."

"The Italians signed all the contracts—the deal is done and you've made Baba very happy ."

"I'm not sure any amount of money will make Mama get over my being married for three years without telling her. To an American, no less ."

"Well, that's the other thing—Mr. Carozo adores Paige. I mean, he went on and on about her for at least 30 minutes, telling Baba all about how she put Mrs. Romano in her place and how she would be such a great addition to the business—and the family ."

"Oh, shit." He groaned. "He said all that ?"

"Yes!" Her voice dropped. "I have to go—Mama's calling for me!" She disconnected .

"What's going on?" Paige had been watching Apollo intently and though she didn't understand more than one or two words of Greek, his facial expressions and body language said it all .

"As you Americans say—the cat is out of the bag ."

Her eyes widened. "About… us ?"

"I left the divorce papers on my desk and my father went in to meet with Mr. Carozo today ."

"Oh, shit ."

"It'll be okay." He pulled her close. "Thanks to you, we just closed a deal worth millions. Even if they're upset with me, they won't be upset with you. Apparently, Pio Carozo is a big fan of yours ."

She flushed. "Maybe I should go home and come back in a month or so, after you've had time to talk to them and — "

"No." He kissed her. "I'll handle my family. Once they meet you — "

"Meet me?!" She shook her head vehemently. "That wasn't part of the deal. Your sister was one thing, but no way! Apollo, that's just asking for trouble! No matter what, the outcome goes against us !"

"How?" he demanded .

"If they like me, and we can't find a way to make this work, everyone will be hurt and it'll make it even harder for us to split. If we decide to try to stay together but they don't like me, it's going to make it that much harder for me to stay. And, of course, if they don't like me and things don't work out between us, you're going to hear I told you so forever !"

He grunted. "That last scenario is the least of my concerns, but you have a decision to make. Now that they know about us, either I sign the papers immediately and put you on a plane home, or you stay like we planned and meet the family. There are no other options. I mean, you could stay anyway, but they would find us. Athens is a big city, but unless we went to an island or something, people know me and if my mother started making calls, they'd find us. Not to mention, my mother has a key to my house ."

She sighed. "You know, maybe this is a sign that this is just too complicated ."

His eyes darkened and a scowl covered his features. "Really? After all we've shared the last few days, you're willing to walk away ?"

"What choice do we have?" she asked in a helpless voice. "I'm not ready to decide to move to Greece, and you can't move to the U.S. We were supposed to have two weeks to see if we even wanted to work that hard, but now that your family is involved …"

"So you've already made your decision? Were you going to tell me?!" He glared at her .

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't put words in my mouth! I haven't made any decisions but you already hurt me once—even though I was equally responsible for how dumb we were! But now? After last night? What do you think it's going to do to me to go home knowing I'll never see you again? I don't know how to make this work but I'm staying because I can't imagine living with the knowledge that I didn't even try! Dammit, I love you, Apollo !"