Chapter 9

9

T he words had come out in a rush and she blanched as soon as she said them, taking an inadvertent step back and closing her eyes. "Shit." She blew out a breath and practically ran towards the stairs; she had to get away from him quickly .

"Paige." His voice was quiet but held a command she couldn't ignore .

She stopped, though she didn't turn around .

"Why are you walking away from me ?"

"What else am I supposed to do when I just committed the cardinal sin of relationships ?"

"Paige. Turn around, please ."

She hesitated, warring with the humiliation burning through her .

"Please turn around, koukla mou ."

She swallowed and slowly turned to face him. His face was emotionless, but his green eyes burned with so much intensity she was rooted in place as she watched him struggle to say whatever was on his mind .

"I love you, too." He hadn't known that's what he would say until the words came out, but once they did, it felt right. Raised as a strong, proud Greek man, showing this kind of intimacy and vulnerability was unheard of, but he didn't care. He was secure in both his manhood and his feelings for her; showing her the way he felt didn't make him less of a man in his mind .

"Three days!" she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. "Three days together, then three years apart, and today marks the second time we've spent three days together—how can we feel like this?! It's…it's…it's stupid !"

"Is it?" He approached her slowly, reaching out to wipe the tears that were spilling down her cheeks. "Why is it stupid ?"

"No foundation! No history! We still don't even know each other !"

"Sure we do." He smiled. "You have a degree in marketing, speak Spanish in addition to English, and work for a professional hockey team. I know what your parents do for a living, that you have one sister and that you love Greek food. You're 24 and were born and raised in Las Vegas. Your best friend is Raegan, your ex-boyfriend is Tom Malone, your sister is Nicky, and this is your first trip to Europe." He paused, running tender fingers along her cheek. "You're smart, classy and independent. You like to giggle and you snore very softly." He moved closer so their bodies were touching. "When you make love, your skin turns a flushed pink color, and when you come, you dig your nails into whatever part of my body you happen to grab on to." He rubbed his lips very gently along hers. "And you're very fond of adventures. Now tell me what you know about me ."

"What?" She was blinking at him in confusion .

"What do you know about me ?"

"I, um…" She looked up and for a moment couldn't remember anything. Then his green eyes locked on hers and everything fell into place. "You're 25 and were born here in Athens. You went to Yale and got both your bachelor's and master's degrees. You speak three languages—Greek, English and Spanish. You have two sisters, Sophia and Melina, and you're very close to Melina but almost never mention Sophia ."

He smiled. "Correct. What else ?"

"You run your family's shipping business because your father had a stroke and it's very important that you make it a success. You love your country, especially the beach, and you're very knowledgeable about your heritage. You don't like onions — "

"How do you know that?" he demanded, laughing in surprise .

"You picked them out of the salad the other day and again with the souvlaki we had ."

He nodded. "What else, koukla ?"

"You're generous, caring and thoughtful. You're passionate when you make love, but also very gentle, which tells me who you are as a man. And although you're too busy most of the time, you seem to like adventures too ."

"What's your favorite color?" he asked .

"Um, pink. Hot pink ."

"Mine is azure—the color of the Mediterranean." He squinted slightly. "I love American hot dogs, especially Hebrew National, and the band Nickelback. I want children, but not quite yet, and visiting Japan is at the top of my bucket list ."

She was still looking into his mesmerizing green eyes. "I, um…I love cheesecake and my favorite bands are Rise Against and Nickelback. I want children too, but they scare the crap out of me, and visiting Australia is at the top of my bucket list ."

"Do you like sushi ?"

" No ."

"Good. Me either." He cocked his head. "What else is there, baby? I think that covers the important stuff ."

"Apollo?" She was on the verge of tears again, overwhelmed by everything she was feeling and how fast things were moving .

"You said you loved me and the feeling is mutual. Can we please go upstairs and make love ?"

"It's not that simple !"

"But it is." He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to bed .

A pollo was sitting on the balcony with a cup of coffee when his phone rang just after seven. He'd let Paige sleep—they'd made love until late in the night—but he'd needed to mentally prepare himself for the day. His father would be the first obstacle, but with the deal with the Italians finalized, he wasn't too worried about it. His mother and Sophia would be another story, but luckily, it was his father who was calling now .

" Kalimera ." Good morning .

" Apollo !"

His father's voice held a booming passion Apollo hadn't heard in months, and it made him happy, though he didn't say anything about it. "I hear you were in the office yesterday meeting with the Italians," was what he said instead .

"With Pio, not Fabrizio ."

"Did you not trust me to handle it ?"

Dimitri Lakkas laughed, long and deep .

"I'm glad you're amused," Apollo said dryly .

"Apollo. I was involved in every aspect of this deal—did you really think I would leave something this big to chance ?"

Apollo frowned, his heart rate picking up as he tried to read between the lines. "Wait a minute—was this fake? Did you set this deal up as a test ?"

"It wasn't fake! Don't be ridiculous! But yes, this was a test of sorts ."

"A test." Apollo clenched the phone in one hand and made a fist in the other. "So it wasn't really a deal ."

"Yes, yes, it was a deal! You just solidified a multimillion-dollar contract for us! You've done an incredible job. I'm proud of you ."

"What the hell are you talking about?" It took all his self-control not to yell, but even though he was angry, he hadn't raised his voice to his father since the stroke and he wouldn't start now .

"The deal was already in the works before I got sick. Pio had a heart attack just two weeks after my stroke and things fell to the wayside. We spoke about six months ago, out of genuine concern for each other, and discovered that each other's companies had been taken over by family members. We decided we would set up a little test to see how they worked when the stakes were high. You passed with flying colors. With a little help from your pretty friend ."

Apollo snorted. "I've been busting my ass seven days a week, 12-hour days most of the time, and you thought I needed to be tested?!" His voice got a little louder .

"Son, I trust you with my life, but not everyone loves you as I do and — "

"And you made a fucking fool out of me !"

"Apollo." Dimitri's voice dropped. "That's not true. You need to — "

"I don't need to do shit. I can't talk to you right now. I'm sorry, Baba , I have to go." He disconnected and realized his hand was shaking. "Sonofabitch!" He threw the phone across the balcony where it bounced against the wall and a piece of the protective casing snapped off .

"Good thing you have a cover," Paige said softly, kneeling beside him. "What happened, babe? You sounded so upset ."

He took a deep breath and repeated the discussion with his father .

"Damn, I'm sorry." She lifted to her feet and settled on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I can't imagine how much this hurt you ."

"If he wanted to be part of this deal, because it was so big, I would have understood, but to set me up? Damn." He ran a hand through his hair and then rested his head on her shoulder .

"Did you hang up on him ?"

"Kind of. I said I had to go and then hung up—I'm a lot gentler with him since the stroke, you know? Greeks yell a lot, but watching him almost die changed that some ."

"I can imagine ."

They didn't speak for a long time, as the sun rose higher in the sky and it got warmer. Finally, Paige stirred, getting to her feet and holding out her hands .

"Where are we going?" he asked .

"Shower." She smiled. "You're all sweaty and we smell like sex ."

He chuckled. "I wonder why ."

They padded into the shower and Paige gently pushed him under the spray. When he was wet, she turned him so his back was to her and nudged him towards the wall .

"Put your hands on the wall," she said softly .

He did as she asked, letting his head hang down as she lathered up a washcloth. She washed his back with slow, firm strokes and then moved down over his well-shaped ass and thighs. Adding more soap, she did his arms and then slid beneath them so she could move around and wash his chest. His eyes were closed, his breathing steady, and she could almost feel the pain radiating from him .

"Let it out," she said softly. "Yell, cry, hit something…it's okay. I'll be right here ."

He reached out and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing so tight she almost couldn't breathe. He buried his face in her hair, his body shaking slightly as he tried to hold back the powerful emotions raging through his veins. Men like him didn't cry, but this was the first time in his life as an adult he wanted to. The lack of trust from his father hurt like nothing else ever had, and he couldn't understand the need to dupe him. Two old men playing games with the younger generation. He'd sacrificed a lot to make sure the family was taken care of while his father had been so sick they didn't know if he would recover. And this was the thanks he got .

The water had cooled and he felt Paige shiver in his arms. He quickly reached over to turn off the spray and grabbed a big towel to wrap her in. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't realize the water had gotten cold ."

"It's okay." She frowned suddenly. "What's that noise ?"

He paused and then a groan escaped him. "Fuck. They're not going to let this go. Get dressed—it's time to meet the family. I'm not sure which of the family, but someone is here ."

She nodded. "What do you want me to do ?"

He leaned over and kissed her. "Not a damn thing. Just be yourself. I don't care what they think." He dressed more quickly than she did and reached for her hand as she combed the knots out of her wet hair. "Come down when you're ready. I meant what I said last night—I love you and they're going to have to get over the fact that we eloped three years ago. This new development with the business has shown me that I've sacrificed too much, and I'm definitely not going to sacrifice you ."

She squeezed his hand. "I'll be down in a few minutes. Go make up with your father. No matter what, he did what he thought was right and I know how much you love him. Staying angry doesn't help anything ."

"Maybe not, but it makes me feel better." He turned to go .

" Apollo ?"

He paused, glancing over his shoulder at her. " Yes ?"

"I love you too ."

H e headed downstairs with a faint smile on his face. Hearing those four words made up for a lot of what had happened this morning, and now he knew exactly how he was going to face it. He'd been prepared for a fight when his parents found out he'd been secretly married to a ksena — foreigner —for three years, but now he had leverage. Though he was still pissed at his father, a part of him understood the older man's reluctance to leave something this big to his somewhat inexperienced son. However, he now had the opportunity to use it to his advantage. For his father to be here this early in the morning, he most likely felt guilty—despite this hiccup, Apollo and his father were close, so Dimitri would know his lack of trust had hurt his son .

As he'd predicted, his father stood in the mostly empty living room with Melina. Father and son faced off and she made a hasty exit, heading upstairs to find Paige after pressing a quick kiss to her brother's cheek .

"It's early," Apollo said dryly. "You couldn't wait for me to get to the office ?"

"I figured there would be words," his father responded, equally droll. "Better we exchange them in private ."

Apollo shrugged. "Don't bullshit me—you wanted to catch Paige and me off guard. Admit it ."

His father smiled. "You know me well ."

"Not as well as I thought." Apollo folded his arms across his chest and waited. His father was a ruthless businessman, but a softie when it came to his kids .

"You have to understand why I did what I did ."

"I don't and I never will. You could have told me. You could have given me the respect I've always given you. You should have—because my reputation has been irreparably damaged. The staff will never respect me now ."

"Apollo! This is ridiculous! They know nothing !"

"They know that right after I supposedly landed a multimillion-dollar contract, my father came in and closed the deal. It doesn't matter what was said or how it was said—you effectively erased every bit of respect I'd earned in the last year. You'll have my resignation by the end of the day ."

"Apollo!" Dimitri's face flushed red. "This is nonsense! This was Pio's game and I played along because he asked it of me! He didn't trust Fabrizio, and I didn't think it would be a big deal to make it seem as though I had the same issue with you, but this was never my — "

"Again, if you truly trusted me, you would have told me and we could have done things differently. By going in there yesterday to handle the actual signing of the paperwork, you undermined everything I'd done. Since you obviously want to be back at work, it's the perfect time for me to spread my wings, perhaps take my skills elsewhere ."

"Apollo, enough!" Dimitri's voice was loud but controlled. "I apologize for going behind your back, but it was not you whom we were testing. I was having a little fun, but not because of distrust or because I thought you couldn't do it ."

"It amounts to the same damn thing!" Apollo yelled, throwing up his hands. "Even if you walked in there today and had a meeting with the staff to tell them exactly what happened and that this was a little game you and Pio played, the seeds of doubt are planted. And if I'm not capable of running the business, there's no point in my being the CEO. You might as well come back to work, Baba ."

Dimitri pursed his lips. "You're overreacting because your mind is on the pretty American—something else we have to discuss ."

"There's nothing to discuss." Apollo met his father's eyes defiantly. He'd planned to draw this out a little, make his father grovel, but he was madder now than he'd been when he first found out .

" Kali-mera ." Paige tried to keep her voice steady as she stepped into the room with her hand outstretched to Dimitri. "I'm Paige ."

" Kalimera , Paige." Dimitri smiled at the young woman in surprise. Pio had told him she was very attractive, but he hadn't expected her to be wholesome as well. Apollo's taste in women over the years had leaned towards less sophisticated, wilder and a bit on the trashy side. He understood that those women had been chosen for one specific reason, without substance or interest in a relationship, but Paige didn't even come close to what he'd thought was Apollo's type and he was pleasantly surprised .

"Let's have some coffee," Apollo said .

"I'll make it." Melina had come in behind Paige and turned around again .

"It would be helpful if you had a place for people to sit," Dimitri muttered in Greek, looking around .

"I'll get chairs from the kitchen," Paige said .

"I'll get them." Apollo put a hand on her arm. Though he wouldn't throw her to the wolves, he knew his father wouldn't be unkind if he left them alone. Even if he didn't like her or approve of their relationship, he wouldn't use his first opportunity with her to say or do something hurtful. His mother might be a different story, but not his father. He left the room after putting a soft kiss on her cheek .

"Do you speak English?" Paige said quietly .

"Enough," he nodded. "I speak less, understand more ."

She nodded. "I'm sorry we're getting off on the wrong foot. Apollo and I did something foolish, but we really care for each other. We were young and…" She held up her hands, palms up as she shrugged. "I can't explain why we did it ."

"Love," he said simply, a twinkle in his eyes. "Sometimes this is not easy to explain ."

She knew her cheeks turned pink, but she didn't avert her gaze. "We just wanted a little time to be together…to see if we still feel the same. Does that make sense ?"

He nodded. "Of course. This is smart. The situation with the business—" He said something in Greek she didn't understand and paused at her frown, scratching his head. "Bad timing ?"

She smiled. "Yes. An added complication ."

Apollo came in with four folding chairs and set them down, opening each and motioning for his father to sit. He walked with a cane even though he didn't need it most of the time. It was simply a little extra protection for when he occasionally lost his balance, and Apollo didn't like the thought of him getting overtired .

"I'm going to get the table too," he said, going back to the stairs .

Dimitri sat down and looked up at Paige. "You will sit also? You are too tall ."

She smiled and sat beside him .

"Apollo is angry," he said after a moment. "I did not wish this ."

"He's hurt," she corrected mildly. "He thinks you don't trust him—and he's worked very hard to earn your trust. It means a lot to him to know you're proud of him ."

The older man's eyes grew cloudy. "Very proud!" he whispered hoarsely. "He is…" He launched into a torrent of Greek that she didn't understand, but it wasn't hard to get the gist of it: how much he loved his son .

Standing just outside the doorway listening, Apollo felt a moment of shame at his earlier behavior but he had to stand his ground. The older generation often tried to micromanage everything and had a hard time letting go. He didn't begrudge his father coming back to work, but undermining a deal he'd worked so hard to make happen was humiliating. He couldn't let this be a precedent; hopefully, there would be a way to work past this because despite his waning anger, he knew the guys at the office would be looking to his father now instead of him. It was the way things worked in a small company like theirs, and he hadn't put in this many hours and given up so much to go backwards .

Walking into the room, he pulled out the legs of the card table and set it in front of Paige and his father. Melina came in with a tray of coffee and some kind of sweets that she'd obviously brought with her since he didn't have any in the house .

"You'll have to translate," Dimitri said. "I cannot carry on a quality conversation in English ."

"I know." Apollo nodded, sitting next to Paige and reaching for her hand. She squeezed his fingers and he was surprised to see how clammy hers were; she was putting on a brave front despite her nervousness .

"I would like to know your plans," Dimitri looked from Paige to Apollo. He'd said this in English though he didn't think the rest of the things on his mind could be spoken as easily in a foreign tongue .

"We don't know," Apollo admitted, responding in English since his father understood the language better than he spoke it. "She's staying for another 10 days and we're going to try to figure it out ."

"Your mother is extremely unhappy with you," Dimitri switched to Greek. "This will be complicated for both of you ."

"I know." Apollo responded in kind. "But I can't help that now. We've been married for three years and we don't have a lot of time to make a decision ."

"It seems to me your hearts have already made the decision. It's just the details that have to be worked out ."

"The details include jobs that are 7,000 miles apart," he said dryly. "Although it appears that I may have to start looking at other options now ."

"Ridiculous!" Dimitri grunted. "The men in the office will do as they're told or they will find themselves unemployed !"

"That's just it," Apollo sighed. "We can force them to do as I say, but we can't force them to respect me. You know I'm right, Baba . I understand why you did it—I really do—but you've hurt me both personally and professionally. I can forgive you the personal hurt, because I know what was in your heart, but I don't know what to do about the professional situation ."

Dimitri sighed, shaking his head as he sipped the strong espresso Melina had made. "This is something we must discuss, but for today, you have much bigger problems ."

" Mama ?"

The two men locked gazes and Dimitri nodded .

Paige didn't understand the words but she could tell something had just happened that brought them together. She'd gotten used to hearing the pronunciation of Baba and Mama —with the emphasis on the second "a" and a "b" sound instead of a "p" sound for the Greek version of dad —but when Apollo said mama this time, it was filled with trepidation .

"What about your mother?" she asked worriedly .

He met her eyes. "It's not going to be fun ."

"The good news," Melina said after a moment, "is that you're going to love Yaya ." Yaya was also pronounced with emphasis on the second " a ."

"And Sophia?" Apollo asked .

Melina grimaced. "Well, maybe a present would help soften her up ."

Apollo groaned. "Look, she's my wife. If we decide to end it, that's our business, but I'll be damned if it's going to be because Mama and Sophia don't like her or try to run her off. I'm serious—if they try to make me choose sides, I'll be on the next flight to America ."

Melina's eyes widened but Dimitri merely nodded. "I will attempt to talk to your mother, but you know how she is ."

"Mama is expecting you for dinner. 2:30." Melina looked nervous .

"Could we tell Sophia not to bring Giorgios?" Apollo muttered .

Melina snorted .

Dimitri shook his head. "This is probably not the best day for that ."