Her stomach rumbled and taking care of her baby instantly became her top priority. Trying to fathom the mindset of the stranger she had married was fruitless anyway. She slipped on the silky robe that matched her negligee and stepped on to the balcony. Her heart missed a beat when she found Takis sitting at a table spread with a variety of breakfast options.
‘Come and eat,’ he said, standing up and holding out a chair for her. As always, he looked gorgeous in black jeans and a cream shirt, beneath which Lissa could see the shadow of his dark chest hairs. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, and she wished she’d worn her shades to hide the evidence that she’d cried herself to sleep last night.
‘What a view,’ she murmured, wanting to distract his attention away from her. On one side of the hotel was the old port and beyond it the white cubed buildings of Mykonos town. An iconic windmill stood on the hill above the town. Lissa turned her head the other way and gave a soft sigh at the sight of the turquoise Aegean Sea sparkling in the sunshine.
‘Perseus One offers the best views of the island. It’s one reason why I bought the hotel.’ Takis poured tea into a cup and placed it in front of Lissa. She buttered a freshly baked roll and filled a bowl with berry fruits and yogurt. Incredibly, the tensions of the previous night had eased.
‘How did a boy from a poor village become one of Greece’s most successful entrepreneurs?’ she asked him.
He shrugged. ‘It was hard at first. I was sixteen when I left my village and hitched a ride to Thessaloniki. I had no money and slept on the streets until I found work as a labourer on a construction site. I think I already told you it’s where I met Jace.’
She nodded. ‘The two of you became friends.’
‘We shared the same drive and ambition. Jace supported his mother, but when he went to prison I looked after Iliana. It was the very least I could do after Jace had saved my life.’
He saw that Lissa was shocked. ‘We were attacked by a gang. One of them attempted to stab me in the back and Jace punched him. Witnesses were paid to lie and say that Jace had started the fight. He was found guilty of grievous assault for which he was given a prison sentence.’
‘That was terribly unfair. Poor Jace. Eleanor said that you and Jace are as close as brothers.’
‘I guess we are.’ Takis was silent for a moment and then released his breath slowly. ‘I had a half-brother who died when he was a small child.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Lissa waited for him to add more to the tiny snippet of information about his past. But she sensed he had retreated into himself and had told her more than he’d intended.
‘Soon after Jace was released from prison our fortunes changed when we won two million euros on a lottery ticket,’ Takis continued. ‘We shared the money equally and came to Mykonos because we’d heard that it had a great party scene. This hotel was for sale. It was derelict, but I saw its potential. I used my winnings to buy the place and turned it into the most exclusive resort on the island. At the same time I put myself through college, studying every evening, and gained a business degree.’
‘You make it sound easy, but you must have worked incredibly hard,’ Lissa murmured, feeling huge respect for him. The people she knew, people like Tommy Matheson, took their wealthy lifestyles for granted. They had been handed them. It’s what people had believed of her too.
Takis looked at his watch. ‘My helicopter pilot has just arrived from Athens and we will leave for Santorini in an hour.’ His brows rose when Lissa nodded. ‘I expected an argument.’
‘We did enough of that last night,’ she said ruefully. The state of their marriage was the elephant in the room that neither of them had addressed. There would have to be a discussion, but this morning there was a precarious connection between them that she did not want to break. ‘Besides, it’s too nice a day to argue.’
Takis grinned, and Lissa’s breath snagged in her throat. He was impossibly sexy when he smiled. ‘For once we both agree on something, koúkla mou,’ he murmured. ‘I propose we call a truce for today.’
‘That’s two things we agree on.’ She smiled back at him and her heart lifted as she felt a little spurt of hope that they could work things out. ‘Who knows, we might actually get the hang of this marriage thing.’
* * *
Lissa had assumed that the helicopter would take them directly to the villa in Santorini, and she was surprised when they landed in the grounds of a grand-looking building on the island.
‘I thought you might like to see the hotel I purchased a few months ago. The building has been undergoing extensive renovations and I plan for it to open next summer,’ Takis explained as he ushered her through the front door.
The hotel’s main lobby was still a shell, but Lissa immediately saw its potential. Sunlight streamed through the huge windows, and the views of the caldera were breathtaking. ‘I’m guessing that you can watch the sunset from this side of the hotel.’
Takis nodded. ‘The rooms in the original part of the building were once caves that had been carved into the mountainside and were used to store wine. The hotel has been extended and there are fifty guest rooms and suites.’
He gave Lissa a tour of the ground floor and pointed out the various function rooms. ‘As you can see, there is still a lot of work to be done inside. I asked a few interior designers to pitch a concept for the hotel and they all suggested it should be a party venue. Admittedly the designers came up with different themes, but essentially it would have the same club vibe as Perseus One in Mykonos.’ He rubbed his hand over his stubbled jaw. ‘I’m not sure it will work as well here.’
Lissa followed him through a set of doors and stepped on to a patio. From outside it was clear to see that the hotel had literally been carved out of the cliff in a series of terraces. A few rooms, she guessed they were the suites, had private pools. Far below, the sea was cobalt blue and made a stunning contrast to the white walls of the hotel and the vivid pink bougainvillea that tumbled over the balconies.
‘Santorini has the reputation of being the most romantic of the Cyclades islands,’ she said. ‘I think you should make romance the theme of this hotel. Perseus One is where people go to party. But say a couple met at the nightclub in Mykonos, and a year or so later they wanted to return to Greece to get married. The Santorini hotel could offer wedding packages.’
She walked across the patio, which jutted out from the cliff so that it appeared to be floating above the sea. ‘This would be a perfect setting for weddings. And you could also promote anniversary packages. People like to return to the place where they were married.’
Lissa warmed to her theme as ideas bounced around her head. ‘I see Perseus One as the young, hip hotel for singles who want to have a good time and perhaps find romance. You could name this hotel Aphrodite after the goddess of love. The concept here is a little more grown-up, still fun but the decor is elegant and tranquil, and instead of a nightclub you have a restaurant that offers fine dining.’
She blushed when she realised that she had been talking non-stop. ‘Sorry, I got carried away. I’m sure you have a vision for your new hotel.’
‘I do now, thanks to you.’ Takis took off his sunglasses and the gleam in his grey eyes made Lissa’s heart flip. ‘I really think you’re on to something with the wedding venue suggestion. Which leads me to the reason I brought you here.’
A woman walked across the foyer towards them. ‘This is Zoe,’ Takis introduced her. ‘Zoe, I would like you to meet my wife, Lissa.’
As they exchanged greetings Lissa immediately liked the Greek woman’s friendly smile.
‘Zoe is an architect,’ Takis explained. ‘My idea is for you to design the lobby and function rooms and Zoe will work alongside you to advise you from an architectural perspective.’ He smiled at Lissa’s stunned expression. ‘That is, if you decide to accept the contract I am offering you.’
‘Seriously?’
she asked huskily. She wanted to work when the baby was older, but instead of returning to hotel management she had been thinking about starting an interior design business. ‘Why have you asked me when you could hire a more qualified and experienced interior designer?’
‘I was impressed with your designs at Francine’s hotel when I looked through the portfolio that you had left on the desk. I also know that you recently completed an online design course and were awarded a diploma. While we were in Athens I overheard you phone your sister to tell her of your success,’ Takis explained when Lissa looked puzzled. ‘I wondered why you did not share your news with me.’
‘I didn’t think you would be interested,’ she confessed. She remembered when she was a child, feeling proud that she’d won a prize at school for an art project, but when she’d rushed home to tell her grandfather, he’d told her that drawing pictures was a waste of time. She couldn’t bear to have had Takis react in the same way.
‘I like your idea of making the hotel a wedding venue,’ Takis said. ‘The name Aphrodite is a nice touch. You have the vision and artistic flare, and Zoe will help with the structural elements of your designs.’
‘I would love to accept the contract.’ Lissa could not hide her excitement. Ideas for the Aphrodite’s lobby were already forming in her mind. ‘This is an incredible opportunity for me. I won’t let you down,’ she promised Takis. She felt overwhelmed by his faith in her.
Maybe things were starting to fall into place, Lissa thought later when they had returned to the villa and she immediately set about turning the garden room into a design studio. She had been hurt that Takis had kept his distance after their wedding when he had left her in Santorini and returned to Athens. But earlier he had opened up a tiny chink when he’d talked about himself. She felt a connection with him because, like her, he had experienced tragedy in his life. The death of his younger brother. She only wished he’d revealed more. Why hadn’t he?
Lissa frowned as she remembered his strange reaction when he’d felt the baby move inside her. He’d looked horrified, and the almost tortured expression on his face had been the same as at the ultrasound scan when Takis had stared at the baby’s image on the screen. Was his reaction something to do with his brother’s death?
He had not planned to have a child, Lissa reminded herself. Undoubtedly, he had been shocked when he’d learned of her pregnancy, and it was not surprising if he was taking some time to come to terms with the prospect of fatherhood. But he was the one who had insisted on marrying her and she was glad of his determination to claim his baby.
The rapport she’d felt with Takis today filled her with hope that they could make a success of their marriage. She certainly wanted to. She wanted him, Lissa admitted, feeling a sharp tug of longing in the pit of her stomach when she thought, as she so often did, of all the wonderful ways he had made love to her on the magical night they had spent together. It seemed like a lifetime ago when they had swum beneath the stars at the Pangalos hotel. She had been plagued with insecurities she’d had as a result of her grandfather’s coldness towards her, but now she was going to be a mother and she had discovered that she was strong and fierce and utterly determined to protect her child from feeling rejected by his father.
She sighed as her mind returned to Takis. After their perfect night together she had crept from his bed while he was still sleeping, afraid that if she stayed she might not be able to hide how much he affected her. She had returned to Oxford and tried to get over him. But she never had. Night after lonely night she had ached for him, and the ache was worse now that he was back in her life, but not in the way she wanted.
Lissa’s stomach grumbled, reminding her that it was time she fed her baby. She had asked the housekeeper to make moussaka for dinner because it was Takis’s favourite. But when she went into the dining room she was surprised to see only one place had been set on the table.
Efthalia came in, carrying a casserole dish. ‘Kyrios Samaras told me that he would not be staying for dinner,’ she explained.
With a sinking heart and a sickening sense of déjà vu, Lissa looked out of the window and saw the pilot climb into the helicopter. Was Takis planning to abandon her once more? Disappointment brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them away as anger swept through her in a hot tide of temper. She would not let Takis do this to her. To their baby.
She hurried across the hallway and burst into his study. ‘You have asked me several times if I was playing games, even though I’ve always been honest and open with you. Now I’m asking you the same question.’ She glared at him. ‘You had better have a good explanation for why you are leaving me and our baby again.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
TAKIS CLOSED HIS laptop case with a decisive snap, but Lissa noted that he evaded eye contact with her. ‘I am returning to Athens because it is where my business is based.’
‘You could work remotely from the villa just as easily as if you were in your office.’
‘Not everything can be managed online. I prefer to meet my executive team face to face.’
‘You are making excuses.’ She bit her lip. ‘I thought you would stay in Santorini and we would both be involved with the plans for the refurbishment of the Aphrodite.’
‘You don’t need me here. I trust that you will do a good job, and you can discuss your design ideas with Zoe.’ He started to walk towards the door, but Lissa planted herself firmly in front of him. ‘You said you were bored and had nothing to do. Now you have the hotel project to occupy you.’
‘Is that why you gave me the contract?’ She felt sick with the realisation that he had been humouring her. That he did not really have any faith in her, he was merely trying to find a way to amuse her while he was gone. The pleasure she’d felt that he had chosen her to design the Aphrodite evaporated, leaving anger and hurt in its place. ‘I am not a child who you need to keep entertained.’
‘You are acting like one. I gave you the design contract because I like your ideas. I need to be in Athens, but you will remain here in Santorini to oversee the work on the Aphrodite.’ Frustration edged into his voice. But there was something else too that Lissa didn’t quite recognise. Desperation. And it bolstered her.
‘The real reason you’re leaving is because it suits you for us to live apart,’ Lissa asserted as he stepped past her. ‘What are you afraid of, Takis?’
He turned in the doorway and frowned at her. ‘What do you mean? I’m not afraid of anything.’
‘I think you are lying.’ She should have quailed at the glowering look he sent her, but temper won over common sense, which urged her to remove herself from the conversation and the room with her dignity intact. ‘I think you are afraid of me.’
He walked back to her. Not walked, stalked like a wolf hunting down its prey, Lissa thought when he smiled, showing his white teeth. But he did not smile with his eyes, and his hard gaze bored into her. ‘Why would I be afraid of you, koúkla mou?’ he asked, his voice deceptively soft, but she heard the bite behind it.
Lissa did not know what came over her then. Perhaps it was the memory of the way he had kissed her at their wedding with a hungry passion that had lit a flame inside her. Or how he’d kissed her the previous night in Mykonos and the taste of him lingered on her lips still.
Maybe it was simply because she wanted to, she decided as she stood on tiptoe and balanced herself by putting her hands on his shoulders. ‘I think you are afraid of this,’ she whispered against his mouth, and then she kissed him.
He stiffened and clamped his hands over hers as if he intended to pull her away from him. His mouth was an inflexible line, and Lissa was sure she had lost whatever silly battle she had started. He didn’t want her, and his rejection was nothing new, she thought bleakly. She was an expert at being rejected. She dipped her tongue into his mouth, wanting one last taste of him, and to her amazement he gave a low growl from deep in his throat. The
sound was shockingly erotic and raw with sexual need.
He dropped his hands and wrapped his arms around her, hauling her up against his whipcord body. His lips moved over hers as he took control of the kiss and the fire inside Lissa became an inferno. She felt Takis shake and knew that she was shaking too. When she finally tore her mouth from his and stepped away from him, his eyes glittered, and he looked stunned.
‘Damn you,’ he said thickly. ‘What do you want from me, Lissa?’
‘I want a proper marriage.’ The words burst from her. ‘When you insisted that we should marry for the sake of our baby, what did you envisage our relationship would be like? You must have thought about it,’ she said when he frowned. ‘Is your plan for us to always live apart? You in Athens and me here in the villa? And what will happen when our son is born? Will you ignore him as you do me? Because if that is your plan, to be an absent father like you are an absent husband, it’s not good enough.’
‘The baby is not here yet,’ Takis said icily. There was no sign in his cold eyes of the hot desire that had blazed there moments ago.
‘We should use the time before he arrives to learn more about each other and discuss how we want to be parents. But how can we do that if you keep running away?’
‘I am not running away,’ he said furiously.
‘Why don’t you want to spend time with me?’ Her voice rose with the hurt and anger she could not hide. ‘I am the mother of your child. Don’t you want to know what kind of mother I will be, or don’t you care?’
‘Theos, Lissa.’ He raked his hand through his hair. ‘What do you want from me?’ he repeated harshly.
‘I want to know what kind of father you will be. What kind of husband, and whether you actually want to be married to me—because that is not at all clear.’
She swallowed as a thought occurred to her. ‘You left me to spend my wedding night alone after you dumped me here. Is that because you have other interests in Athens besides your business?’
Nine Months to Tame the Tycoon--An Uplifting International Romance Page 12