At least Leo was silent on the drive and Sam was thankful for that. She leaned her head back against the headrest and turned her face away from his rigid profile. She stared at the countryside rolling by her window—the olive groves, the tourists on pedalos, the busy tavernas—as the soothing purr of the car’s engine calmed her.
Sam closed her eyes and a weariness so profound overcame her, she fell deeply and soundly asleep, oblivious to everything around her.
* * * *
Sam was at total peace. Comfort and security flowed through her veins and she sighed as she nestled her head deeper into her pillow. Mm, she was so relaxed. She released another sigh as she drifted in between the states of dreaming and awake.
A deep voice said something, but she couldn’t make out the words. They were foreign. She did, however, like the sound of it. It sounded warm, soothing.
Suddenly, her bed swerved and a piercing honk penetrated her mind. The voice said something again, but this time it didn’t sound soothing—it sounded furious.
Her eyes flew open and she stared at a dashboard.
She blinked, taking a few seconds to gather her bearings as she stared at her hand lying on a strong, muscular thigh. Mortified, her confusion fled and she lifted her head from Leo’s shoulder.
Straightening in her seat, she shot Leo a quick, sideways glance and their gazes met briefly. Her face burned as she caught the light of amusement on his face and something else—something she couldn’t define. Had it been warmth? Sam wasn’t certain. She gave him another quick look and noted his cold and distant profile, making her wonder if she had seen any warmth at all.
Chapter 2
“I must have been more tired than I thought.”
“Yes,” he offered casually.
Sam glanced at him and he met her gaze briefly. Sam tensed under the full impact of his indifference and she diverted her attention back to the road, wondering if the warmth she’d seen earlier had ever happened at all.
Right from the start, two months ago on the phone, Leo had made his feelings for her perfectly clear. He disliked her and there was no reason to think his feelings had changed. Her Tarot cards were in one of her bags in the trunk of the car and she decided to have another look at them once she settled in the house. Frustration welled in her breast. It should have been easy to read her cards and discover why he thought the worst of her and John, but after her few attempts the past few weeks, she couldn’t make anything out. Leo was a total mystery.
That’s what irked Sam the most about him. Men had always been an open book to her and Leo was the one man immune to her gift.
What made him different? All she wanted to know were two things—why he disliked her and how she could change it. If he liked her and they became friends, it would certainly help Leo’s family accept John.
“Look to your right, past the hill.”
She peered through her window. They were winding down a small private road and Sam watched the hill slip away to reveal what was, in her mind, the most beautiful house she’d ever seen. It had a wide, wrap-around veranda and olive groves surrounding the grounds giving it a secluded, private air.
The two-story spread was made up entirely of white stone with a square tower at each corner. Arched windows, framed in blue, and huge balconies decorated the front, with floral vines and multi-coloured flowers in gold pots peppering the entrance. Sam glanced at the land surrounding it and spotted a white gazebo draped in roses in the distance. It was lovely.
She drew in a deep breath of appreciation and looked at him. “What a spectacular home.”
He gave her a swift, sideways glance and Sam caught something flicker in his eyes as he stared briefly at her mouth. Brusquely, he returned his attention to the road.
This was a first, she thought uneasily. She hadn’t had a lot of experience with men, but she was perceptive enough to know when a man found her mouth interesting. It left her feeling curiously pleased.
Her stomach fluttered and she wiped her thought from forming. He didn’t even like her.
Her mind veered to more disturbing grounds and she found herself wondering what kind of women he dated. Curiosity made her steal another look at his detached, unsmiling profile. Sam scowled, willing her thoughts to take another turn, but they didn’t. She wondered about Katina, the woman he was supposedly announcing his engagement to soon, and pictured a dark, sexy, voluptuous Mediterranean heiress with limpid eyes, pouty lips, and cleavage.
“Do you have any riding experience with horses?” He asked. “You cannot see it from here, but we have a stable in the back.”
She couldn’t deny the thrilling effect his rich, deep voice had on her. “I grew up on a ranch, but I haven’t ridden a horse in so long, I doubt I remember how.”
“It will come back to you.”
They fell into another silence as Leo veered onto the circular drive in front of the house and parked at the entrance. Without saying a word, he got out of the car and walked toward the rear. Sam felt a curious sense of disappointment he hadn’t bothered to open her door. Quickly, she unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for her purse lying on the floor next to her feet when she heard her door open. She looked up and saw Leo extending his hand to her.
Silently, she cursed the warm flush on her cheeks. She placed her hand in his and her stomach somersaulted as a sudden awareness flowed through her veins. His touch was firm, gentle and comforting, making her feel oddly secure. The connection between them was palpable and she dropped her gaze from his penetrating stare as she got out of the car.
“Thank-you,” she offered politely, drawing herself up beside him.
“Leo! Yassou!”
Sam turned and watched a plump, older woman dressed in a floral dress and white apron bustling toward them. The woman had a huge, beaming smile on her face and her hands were flailing in the air. “Leo!”
“Maria, this is Samantha Hope,” Leo began smoothly once the woman reached their side. “Samantha, this is Maria.”
Sam smiled as the older woman took her hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Maria,” she said. She recalled the Greek phrase Toni had made her practice and prayed she didn’t make a mess of it. “I’m so excited to be here,” she said in Greek. “Toni has told me so many wonderful stories about her childhood here with you.”
Maria’s smile wavered and disappeared. Sam tensed and glanced up with concern at Leo. There was a curious mixture of amusement and admiration on his face.
“Although I applaud anyone attempting to converse in a language not their own,” he said dryly, “you just told Maria you look forward to your eternity here, and Toni told you to feel free and sprout anything you need.”
Sam’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh. I’m sorry. I’m afraid my Greek needs more work.”
Maria’s kind smile returned. “You try and that counts, no?”
Sam lifted her brows in surprise. “You speak English.”
Maria shrugged, her dark eyes sparkling with pleasure. “I do, but not very good. I try, like you.”
“Yes, and that’s the important thing,” Sam said, returning her smile, feeling an immediate sense of ease with the woman.
“One favour, separakalo,” Maria continued. “We will speak only English. I want to practice for my trip to America when I visit my sister next month.
Sam laughed softly. “All right.”
“Very good.”
Sam’s spirits lifted. For the first time since she set foot on Greek soil, she felt welcome. The older woman’s aura was warm and friendly, filled with pink and yellow hues. “Toni sends you her love.”
Maria pulled Sam toward the house. “Toni is a good girl. In Greek we say, kalo koritsi. I am very pleased she found love and got married.”
Sam immediately sensed Leo’s displeasure behind her, and hid her surprise. It seemed the housekeeper was not as opposed to Toni’s sudden marriage to John as he was. At least one person in the household was on Sam’s side.
Maria paused
at the entrance and turned to Sam. “And I am very pleased you are staying here, too.”
“You’re very kind, Maria. Thank you for making me feel so welcome.”
Sam heard the sound of the trunk slamming shut and she turned her attention to Leo. She narrowed her eyes against the glare of the bright sun and watched Leo’s long, muscular legs devour the ground between them. Sam’s stomach lurched.
How was she going to spend two weeks with this man? He riled her, infuriated her, and interested her all in one breath. Reluctantly, she acknowledged her mounting attraction to him. She thought about the Tarot in her luggage, praying the cards would finally give her some insight on him.
As Leo’s confident strides closed the gap between them, he shot her a compelling look. Abruptly, Sam turned to Maria.
The older woman smiled. “And you? Such a beautiful woman has a husband, no?”
“I’m not married,” Sam said, flattered Maria thought she was beautiful. A little voice in her head wondered if Leo thought she was beautiful, too.
Maria made a face. “No? A boyfriend?”
Sam shook her head, laughing softly.
Maria made a surprised sound. “That cannot be.” The older woman’s attention went slowly from Sam to Leo and back to Sam again. “Maybe you will find love soon.”
Embarrassment warmed Sam’s face. Maria’s meaning had been clear and Sam prayed Leo hadn’t read between the lines. She cast him a brief glance and noted his stern profile, his solid, towering stance, his tense mouth. His aura, however, was still invisible.
Leo cleared his throat abruptly. “I think we should take our guest inside instead of keeping her out here under the hot sun.”
“Malista, Leo,” Maria agreed, her gaze skimming over Sam’s fair skin. “You will burn, my dear. You are very pale. Pretty, but pale, yes?”
Sam was drawn to Maria’s friendly disposition and she wondered how a woman as gracious and sociable as Maria could work for someone as cold and distant as Leo.
She followed them into the house and almost immediately, Maria left them to finish her work. Sam’s unease fled as soon she stepped into the front hall, the magnificence of the house overwhelming her.
The hall’s high ceiling was topped by a massive chandelier, two huge brass doors stood on each side of the entrance, and a long, spiral stairwell of dark wood wound its way up to a landing that had a corridor on each side.
“This house has been in my family for generations.”
“My goodness,” she said, turning to him. “Toni never mentioned her summer home was so spectacular.”
Leo narrowed his eyes. “Surely you must have known the extent of Toni’s heritage. You have been her closest friend the past year and yet, you expect me to believe all this is a surprise to you?”
Her shackles rose. “Yes, that’s exactly what I expect you to believe. Frankly, I’m beginning to resent your implication that John and I are in cahoots to squander your sister’s money.” She watched him raise a haughty brow. “I knew Toni was well off, but I never knew to what extent. Not that I cared to know. Contrary to what you may think, Mr. Stef—Leo, I’m not interested in your sister’s bank balance. It’s her friendship I value,” she added, her voice taut with strain and frustration.
“And her husband?” He asked softly, but Sam could see the glint of anger in his eyes. “Where do his interests lie?” His gaze roamed slowly and deliberately over her body, making her skin tingle where his look trailed.
“What are you implying?”
“He is an ex-lover, perhaps?”
His insinuation was disgusting and Sam’s composure snapped. Without thinking, she raised her hand and swung it toward his face. With lightning reflexes, he caught her wrist in a grip that made her cry out.
“Let me go,” she choked out.
“Perhaps there is truth to what I said?”
She jerked her hand from his grasp and took an unsteady step back, her heart pounding in her throat. She could handle the insults directed at her, but she wouldn’t have him attacking John’s dignity. For one horrifying moment she felt the back of her eyes prick with tears and she swallowed hard. She wasn’t going to break down in front of him. She drew her shoulders up and met his dark glare with an icy one of her own. “I will not stand here and listen to you insult my brother.”
Her words stilled him as a strange quiet fell over him. He stared at her for what seemed an eternity with an odd expression on his face before he spoke. “John is your brother?”
“He’s my foster brother. My family took him in when he was eight years old.” Sam paused, her anger slowly evaporating as confusion settled over her. “You didn’t know?”
“No.”
She pursed her lips. “Well, it’s no wonder Toni didn’t tell you, is it? You never gave her the chance to tell you anything about us, did you?”
His expression hardened. “I know that you profess to be psychic and you own a store that sells magic spells,” he replied cynically.
He’d mentioned the word psychic like it was a dirty word. Her ire returned. “My customers are all aware the magic spells are for amusement only. As for me professing to be psychic, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I give people hope. I help them. My readings offer guidance and direction.”
His lips curled sardonically. “Do you honestly expect me to believe you have the ability to foresee the future?”
“Believe what you want. I don’t have to explain myself to you. I know a sceptic when I see one, and the only remedy for people like you is a reading.”
Leo’s brows shot up. “You want to give me a reading?”
Sam gritted her teeth. “I don’t need to give you a reading to tell you how judgmental and narrow-minded you are. I don’t need to look at my cards to see you’re in danger of severing all ties with your sister if you don’t allow her to live her own life.”
“Enough. You’re in no position to tell me how I should deal with my family. You don’t know anything about us and you don’t have all the facts.”
“Perhaps I should give you a reading then, to get all the facts.”
“I don’t think so.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“Nothing.” Clenching his jaw, Leo picked up Sam’s luggage. “Your room is this way. Follow me.”
Sam stared at his back and contemplated taking the front door and never looking back, but she couldn’t do that, could she? Her passport and return ticket were in one of the bags Leo carried.
She would have to book a motel. At her first opportunity, she would make a few calls and find a room. Sam took a deep breath and followed him up the stairs, down a long corridor to a door. He placed the luggage down.
“This is where you will be staying. I hope you find it satisfactory.” He opened the door.
Sam entered the room as a rush of awareness flared in her spine as she brushed past him. There was something intimate about him showing her where she was going to sleep and she willed the flutters in her stomach to go away. Her uneasiness disappeared the moment she glanced around. The room was exquisite.
On the left stood a mahogany vanity set with a gold-trimmed mirror and a crystal vase brimming with yellow tulips. The balcony doors were ajar, trailing their white silk curtains on the thick burgundy carpet. And in the center stood a four poster bed, raised on a six inch platform, its cream satin bedspread gleaming under the shaft of sunlight streaming in from the outside.
She turned to him, unable to hide her delight. “Are you sure this is my room? It’s lovely.”
“All the rooms look like this.”
Sam almost flinched at his rebuff. Humiliated, she watched him enter the room and deposit her luggage on the floor by the bed. As he bent, her gaze went to his muscular shoulders, taut and sinewy through his black silk shirt. She looked away, annoyed with herself.
“There are some things I need to discuss with you, Sam,” he began brusquely, his tone prompting her to look at him. “I’ll give you time to f
reshen up and I would like to see you in my office. Maria will come and collect you in thirty minutes.”
Sam nodded. With a curt bow, he strode from the room. Just like that, she thought resentfully. No offer to let her rest first. No concern for the fact she hadn’t eaten a decent meal. Only a curt command to see him in his office.
At least he had given her thirty minutes to make herself more presentable. She went to the floor length mirror by the dresser and grimaced when she caught sight of her reflection. Her hair was a mess, tumbling down her shoulders in a mass of unruly waves, her top was wrinkled, and her face was hauntingly pale with a pair of green eyes staring back at her, a hint of lavender beneath them suggesting her fatigue.
All in all, she looked and felt terrible. Booking a motel for two weeks would definitely cause a gap in her finances, but that was a price she was willing to pay. Spending two weeks under one roof with Leo was out of the question.
A half hour later, she stood in front of the big, brass door that led into Leo’s office. Sam was unsettled. Granted, she looked better after her shower and fresh change of clothes, but inwardly she was a mess. Not only was the prospect of a discussion with Leo daunting, the jet lag she suffered made her head throb and her hunger pains had grown with persisting force, making her weak-kneed and desperate. She hoped whatever unpleasantness was in store for her would be over quickly so she could return to the privacy of her room. After a short nap, she’d go into the nearest town, grab a bite, and find a motel.
Sam smoothed her hands over her white denims and tugged the hem of her yellow wrap-around top. The sooner she went in, the sooner she’d come out, she reasoned, and tapped lightly on the door.
No response.
She tapped again, harder this time.
Again, no response. Sam frowned, overhearing a sound from within. Slowly, she opened the door with one hand, while her other hand went up to the clip that secured her riotous red mane in a precarious bun.
Leo’s office was huge and it took her a few moments to find him. He was seated behind a desk to the far right of the room, his head bent over a pile of papers. He seemed intent on what he was reading and for a moment she felt like she was intruding.
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