Lexi sighed, wondering if Nelda was right. Since her breakup with Ethan, she hadn’t really been interested in getting involved with anyone. Until she’d seen the guy next door, nobody had excited her enough to make the effort.
“I’m not looking for a relationship right now,” she said. “I have four more sculptures to complete for the gardens. My work is going to keep me too busy for anything else.”
Nelda made a sound that clearly said she was unimpressed. “So you took some photos of this guy, but now he has your camera and won’t return it until you ask him for it. So instead of trying to work from photos that you no longer have, why don’t you walk over and just tell him that you’re an artist and see if he’ll agree to sit for you?”
Lexi chewed her lower lip. “I don’t know…there’s something about him. He makes me nervous.”
“In a creepy way?”
Lexi grimaced. “No, just the opposite. In a pulse-racing, knee-quaking, he’s-too-beautiful-for-me way.”
Nelda stared at Lexi, her mouth open. “Are you kidding me? Have you looked in a mirror lately? I’d kill for your hair, not to mention your legs. Any guy would be lucky to have you take a second look at him, and I don’t care how gorgeous he is.”
Lexi laughed, and they stood silently for a moment as Poseidon slowly rose through the air, supported by three steel cables and guided by the hands of six workers. He floated over the fountain, and then descended until he stood in the center of the pedestal. Ensuring that the statue was level, the workers bolted it into place.
Lexi watched as the director of the gardens gave the order to turn on the water. Once the fountain was filled, the jets came to life and Poseidon seemed to rise from the spray. The garden-oversight committee had arranged for champagne to celebrate the event, and Lexi raised her glass in a toast, feeling a sense of pride and relief that everything had gone smoothly.
“Well, that’s another successful project under your belt,” Nelda said after Lexi shook hands with the director of the gardens and snapped a few final pictures of Poseidon. “What are you working on next?”
“I’ve been struggling with a sculpture of Adonis,” Lexi confessed as they walked back toward the parking lot. “I mean really struggling. I just couldn’t seem to envision the finished project.” She paused. “Then I saw the guy next door, and suddenly he’s all I can think about. He’s exactly what I had in mind for Adonis, which is why I took the photos. I tried to sketch him from memory, but I just can’t seem to capture him.”
“Was he angry that you took his photos?”
Lexi considered the question for a moment. “No, not angry, exactly. He looked more disappointed than anything. Sort of resigned, you know? He probably has tons of people trying to take his picture. I’m sure it gets old after a while.”
Nelda looked skeptical. “Really? He’s that good-looking?”
“You have no idea.” Lexi sighed.
“Okay, if you don’t go over and get your camera, then I’m going to do it for you,” Nelda declared. “I have got to see this man for myself.”
Lexi pulled herself out of her reverie, knowing Nelda would do exactly as she said. “No! Please don’t. I promise that I’ll get my camera from him.”
“And what are you going to say when he asks why you were snapping his picture?”
Lexi shrugged. “I’ll tell him the truth, like you suggested—that I’m an artist and I want to sculpt him.”
“Good,” said Nelda approvingly. “If he’s a laborer, then he might not make much money. Men are pretty simple creatures. I’m sure a little flattery and the promise of some extra cash will be enough incentive to model for you. But if I were you, I’d wear something hot, and it wouldn’t hurt to bring some food with you. Guys love good food.”
Lexi stared blankly at her. “Wear something hot? Are you kidding?”
“It couldn’t hurt. You must have some sexy little dress that shows your cleavage and your legs. He won’t be able to resist you.”
“I’m not interested in sleeping with him, Nelda, just in sculpting him,” Lexi said indignantly, but her words lacked the ring of sincerity.
“Yeah, right,” Nelda scoffed. “At least if you’re sleeping with him, you’ll have easy access to his body for your sculpture.”
Both women were silent for a moment as they considered this.
“I can put together a pretty decent picnic basket,” Lexi mused.
* * *
NIKOS CHRISTAKOS STOOD AT THE kitchen sink washing the paint from a paintbrush when a movement outside caught his attention. He paused and watched through the window as the woman from the house next door made her way along the sidewalk to his front walk. Three days had passed since he’d caught her taking pictures of him, and he’d begun to think she wouldn’t come over to claim her camera. He’d actually decided to head over and return it to her before he left for the day. Now he swiped his hands on a rag and leaned a hip against the counter to watch her approach.
She had a luminous beauty that had nothing to do with cosmetics or artificial enhancements. She wore a red flowered sundress that hugged her breasts and floated around her slender legs, and she carried a covered basket over one arm. Her dark hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders, and Nikos thought she resembled his fantasy version of Little Red Riding Hood. If that made him the Big Bad Wolf, he looked forward to gobbling her up.
Her stride was purposeful, causing her breasts to bounce gently with each step. Her expression was very serious, although he didn’t miss how she opened and closed her hands several times as she walked. He finished wiping the paint from his hands as she began to knock, tentatively at first and then louder. His footsteps echoed through the empty house as he strode to the front door and pulled it open. She stood on the porch, hand poised to knock, and gaped at him.
“Oh!” She lowered her arm and then extended the basket to him with both hands. “Hi. I’ve come with a peace offering.”
She was even prettier up close, and he thought he saw a mixture of apprehension and anticipation in her dark eyes. He could see she was nervous and he took pity on her. Opening the door wider, he stepped back.
“Come on in,” he invited. Sensing her hesitation, he left the door open and turned to walk back through the hallway toward the kitchen. “Your camera is in here,” he called to her over his shoulder.
He picked it up where he had left it and scrolled once more through the photos she had taken of him. When he glanced up, he saw she had stopped in the doorway of the kitchen. She held the basket in front of her like a shield, but her eyes were riveted on him as he held her camera.
He was struck again by her unusual looks. Despite her dark hair and eyes, her skin was so pale that it was almost translucent, as if she didn’t get outside very often. But her shoulders and bare arms were toned and supple, evidence that she wasn’t as fragile as she appeared. Nikos found the thought intriguing.
She came into the kitchen and set the basket down on the counter beside him, eyeing the camera. “I brought you some lunch,” she said, opening the basket and tipping it toward him. “Some cheese and fruit, Caprese sandwiches, two bottles of sparkling water, and my own favorite—chocolate mousse. There’s enough here for you and the rest of your crew.”
Nikos glanced from the basket to her, and his mouth began to water. He told himself his sudden appetite was strictly for the food she had packed for him, and not the result of how delicious she looked in her red dress. He’d only had time for a cup of coffee that morning, and seeing the gourmet cheeses and crunchy bread reminded him of how hungry he was. She must want her camera back very badly if she had gone to the trouble of packing such an elegant meal for a bunch of construction workers.
“Are you trying to bribe me?” he asked, amused. He’d meant it as a joke, but her eyes widened, and she snapped the basket closed.
“No! Of course not. I was just trying to be nice. I mean…” She stared at him as he raised an eyebrow, and her shoulders sagged. “Okay,
yes. I’m totally trying to bribe you. I’m sorry I took pictures of you without your permission, but I really need my camera back. Please.”
Nikos felt something tighten in his chest, and he wondered if she had any clue how charming she looked in her earnestness. He held her camera out to her. “Apology accepted.”
She took the camera, her expression one of surprise. “That’s it? You don’t want to know why I took the pictures?”
A grin pulled Nikos’s mouth. “Okay, I’m listening. Tell me why you took them.”
“Well, I’m an artist, and—” She broke off with a self-conscious laugh. “This is going to sound so ridiculous.”
“Try me.”
She raised dark eyes to his, and Nikos felt a sudden tug of awareness, like the suck of an undertow pulling him helplessly out beyond his depth.
“You must know that you have an amazing physique. I can’t remember the last time I saw—” She broke off again, and color stained her neck and face, vivid against her pale skin. Drawing a deep breath, she raised her chin. “I want to ask if you would be willing to model for me.” She waited, expectant.
Now it was Nikos’s turn to be surprised. It had been years since anyone had asked him to model for them. He wasn’t naive enough not to be aware that he attracted a fair share of female attention, but he couldn’t recall the last time a woman had commented so candidly on his appearance without even knowing him. Most women waited until they were in the bedroom to gush over his body. Although he knew he should enjoy the attention, he actually found it a little annoying. Did she realize that he had once been a top model in Europe? Or that he had abruptly left the business more than eight years ago? He no longer identified with that person. These days, he was simply a carpenter, and that’s how he preferred to be known. He had no desire to step back in front of a camera.
“Sorry,” he said. “I don’t think so. But thank you for asking. I’m flattered.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but he could see from the set of her chin that she was undeterred. “I would pay you, of course, and I could accommodate your schedule, although I work best in daylight. Perhaps if I spoke with your boss, he would agree to let you work part of the day here, and the remaining part with me. I—I would make it worth your while.”
Nikos stared at her, his rampant imagination conjuring up decadent images of her. They were almost enough to make him agree to her proposal. When he finally found his voice, it sounded hoarse. “How?”
She looked a little panic stricken, as if she suddenly realized just how provocative her promise sounded. “Well,” she said, floundering, “I could cover your wages for the time lost on this job, as well as pay you my standard sitting fee. In fact, I’ll pay you ten percent more than what I normally give my models. And I would include meals.”
Nikos experienced a mixture of disappointment and grudging admiration that she hadn’t offered to have sex with him in return for his services. Not that he would have accepted such an arrangement. But for a brief instant, he allowed himself to imagine it. Immediately, heat gathered and spread through his body and he had to push the erotic thoughts out of his head.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, softening his rejection with a lopsided grin. “I’m pretty busy with this job, and I don’t have a lot of extra time.”
“Right. I understand.” She looked regretful as she turned the camera over in her hands, then determinedly raised her chin and smiled. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to change your mind…”
More images of her, delicately pale and gloriously nude, her dark hair spread across his bed, flashed through his head. He was an idiot to refuse her.
“Sorry.”
She sighed and nodded. “Right. Well, enjoy the food.” She held the camera up. “Thanks for this. I won’t bother you again.”
She turned to go, and Nikos didn’t miss the defeated slump of her shoulders. He told himself that he had no cause to feel guilty for not accepting her offer. He had his reasons. He owed her nothing. But suddenly, he didn’t want her to leave. Not like this.
“I’m working alone today,” he said on impulse. “Why don’t you stay and have lunch with me.”
She turned back to him, eyes flitting between him and the basket of food, and then around the empty kitchen as if she suspected him of trying to trick her.
He gave her his most charming grin. “It’ll just go to waste otherwise.”
“Well, if you’re sure…”
“I insist,” he said, and moved to scoop up the basket before she could change her mind. “Let’s take it outside.”
Without waiting to see if she followed him, he moved through the empty house to the back door. After a moment, he heard her footsteps behind him. He held the door open for her and then led her through the construction debris in the backyard to a small table situated on the flagstones beside the empty pool. He set the picnic basket down on the table. Several small trees provided just enough shade that the sun didn’t beat down on them. Eyeing her bare shoulders, he suspected she would burn easily.
“How is this?” he asked as she came to stand beside him.
“Perfect,” she breathed, looking out over Santa Barbara to the distant blue of the Pacific Ocean. “No matter how many times I see this view, I never get tired of it.”
“Yes, it’s stunning,” he said, letting his gaze drift over her features as he drew a chair out for her.
She glanced at him, uncertain, and then sat down, allowing him to adjust the chair beneath her. “What are you doing to the house, exactly?”
“My specialty is restoring older homes, like this one, to their original condition.”
“Oh. I thought—” She broke off and gave an embarrassed laugh. “Well, never mind what I thought. I’m happy to meet you.” She extended a hand toward him. “I’m Lexi Adams.”
Her hand was slim and cool in his, but her handshake was strong. “Nikos Christakos,” he said smoothly.
She stared at him with renewed intensity as he rounded the table and sat down across from her. “You’re Greek.”
“Yes.” He opened the basket and began withdrawing the items inside. She had thought of everything, including glasses and wedges of lemon for the water. He pulled out several plates and set them down.
“I couldn’t quite place your accent,” she said, leaning forward to help him. “Which part of Greece are you from?”
Nikos sat back and watched as she poured two glasses of the sparkling water and then squeezed a wedge of lemon into each.
“I was born on the island of Syros, in the Aegean,” he replied, unwrapping two sandwiches and inhaling the fragrant aroma of fresh basil. Reaching over, he placed one sandwich on her plate. “Do you know it?”
Lexi shook her head. “No. I’ve always wanted to visit the island of Santorini, but I’ve never had the chance. I’ve heard it’s absolutely beautiful.”
“Oh, it is,” he assured her. “Santorini is part of the group of islands I grew up on.”
Lexi picked up her drink. “Wow. I bet that was amazing. The Greek Islands are my idea of paradise. Do you go back often?”
Nikos gave her a brief smile. “No. I left Syros when I was fourteen and I never returned. Someone once said that you can’t go home again, and it seems in my case, it’s true.”
3
LEXI STARED AT NIKOS, the underlying bitterness in his voice momentarily putting her at a loss for words. She didn’t dare ask him why he had left. She told herself she didn’t want to know.
Unsettled, she fussed with her meal, selecting several bits of fruit and cheese as she watched him furtively. He gazed out toward the ocean, his eyes distant and thoughtful. A breeze ruffled his hair, picking out the gold highlights in the darker brown strands. His eyebrows had drawn together, as if he was remembering something unpleasant, and Lexi had an almost irresistible urge to reach over and smooth the furrows from his brow.
Then he flexed his shoulders as if to shrug off the unwelcome thoughts, and turned to her with
a smile. Lexi felt her breath catch in her throat at the sheer splendor of the man. He was male perfection, and in that instant she knew how she wanted to sculpt him.
Not Adonis; she wouldn’t sculpt him as the embodiment of beauty and desire. He was so much more than that. She would portray him as Apollo, the Greek god of the sun. She hadn’t yet begun to carve the details on the roughed-out sculpture that stood in her studio, so it wasn’t too late to change direction. She could picture it clearly; a sculpture of the nude sun god in all his glory. She would give him Nikos’s face, with his chiseled cheekbones and proud nose, his square jaw and sensual mouth. Even his ears were attractive. Her fingers itched to begin.
“What are you thinking, I wonder, as you stare at me so intently?”
The words jerked Lexi out of her reverie and she realized she had been staring at him. He bit into a juicy strawberry as he considered her, and she found herself transfixed by the sight. How would he taste if she were to kiss him right now? Like sweet berries, or something darker and more potent?
“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding a little breathless. She cleared her throat and strove for a breezy, offhand tone. “I was just thinking how handsome you are. In fact, I think you’re the most attractive man I’ve ever seen.” Oh, God. Did that really come out of her mouth? She’d obviously spent too much time in her studio, away from people. She laughed, embarrassed by her own gushing. “I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times, right?”
He gave a philosophical shrug and sliced a thin wedge of cheese, neither confirming nor denying her words. “It’s always interesting to me what people find attractive. Maybe when you get to know me better, you won’t think I’m quite so handsome.”
Lexi sincerely doubted that. She didn’t know what she found most appealing about him—his physical appearance or the sound of his voice. She felt herself vibrating when he spoke. His English was perfect, but she loved his sexy accent and decided she could happily listen to him talk all day. The thought of getting to know this guy on any level caused a tornado of butterflies to unfurl in her stomach. Just the fact that she was having lunch with him made her want to pinch herself to be sure she wasn’t dreaming.
Blazing Bedtime Stories, Volume IX: The EqualizerGod's Gift to Women Page 11