“Congratulations! Zander and I have had a bet on to see how long it would take you to propose. He thought it might be another week, but I figured sooner. I won, but then I’m a married man and know the look of a man under the spell of woman magic.”
“My wife-to-be has it in spades.”
CHAPTER NINE
“READY, HONEY?”
“I’ve been ready for this a long time.” Andrea stood there outfitted in white silk, carrying gardenias. A lace mantilla covered her hair.
“You look like your mom did on our wedding day. Absolutely gorgeous.”
“You’re going to make me cry, Dad.”
“We can’t have that. Stavros is waiting for you at the front of the church. I like him, honey.”
“I love him so much.”
She put her hand on his arm, proud of her attractive father as they walked down the aisle of the Virgin Mary Church in Panagia. Her eyes fastened on Stavros. He looked so dark and splendid in his black dress suit, she couldn’t see anyone else. But she knew the whole Konstantinos family and all of their close friends were there, with the exception of Stavros’s father. Stavros didn’t have hope that he’d come, but Andrea prayed he would.
Stavros had talked to the priest, expressing his desire that they have a simple ceremony. Over the past month Andrea had come to know him better and recognized his need for understatement, even in his religious vows. He truly was a modest man.
Her father led her to the front of the church and took her bouquet. Stavros reached for her hand and squeezed it. His gray eyes had a glow she’d never seen before. It ignited the flame that burned inside her. This was no longer a fairy tale, but blissful reality.
The priest nodded to them. “Andrea and Stavros, let us pray.”
Their ceremony didn’t take long. Rings were exchanged. She was so excited to be married to him, she could hardly wait for the part to come where the priest pronounced them husband and wife.
The second the words were spoken, Stavros drew her into his arms. “You could have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of this moment,” he whispered against her lips before kissing her. For a little while, she forgot the world and kissed him back, unable to believe he was now her husband.
“Come on, you two,” Leon murmured. “You’re taking forever. Dad wants to be the first to congratulate you. He and Mom are waiting.”
They both heard what Leon said. Andrea stopped kissing her husband. “Your father came,” she whispered against his lips. Joy filled her heart. “Oh, darling—”
Stavros lifted his head. In that instant, she saw a light in those beautiful gray eyes she’d never seen before.
“I can see him. Except for silver in his hair, he’s a cross between you and Leon.”
Her husband crushed her to him. She knew what this moment meant to him. When he’d gotten hold of his emotions, he grasped her hand and walked her down the aisle to the vestibule to greet the two people who’d brought her beloved Stavros into the world.
While Stavros’s father reached for him, his mother hugged Andrea. “You’ve made my son very happy,” she said in a voice filled with tears. “I saw it in his face at the villa.”
Andrea was so thrilled, she hugged her harder. “I’m going to try to make him happy forever. My mother died when I was born. I want us to be friends.” By now, both of them were crying.
Stavros pulled her away. “Andrea? This is my father, Charis. I’ve wanted to introduce you for a long time.”
The older man’s eyes were a lighter gray than Stavros’s, and they were moist with emotion. He had to clear his throat before he spoke. “It’s an honor for me to meet the woman my son has chosen. He tells me you’ve saved his life and the company’s reputation. I can’t ask for more than that from a daughter-in-law. Welcome to the family.”
Andrea smiled up at him. “I love him to the last breath in me. And I love you because you and your wife have raised the most marvelous son on earth.”
Stavros put his arm around her waist and pressed her to his side. “There are no words to express how I really feel about you, Andrea,” he whispered. “All I can do is show you.” She didn’t know how long they clung to each other before Leon reminded them other people were waiting.
They moved on to sign the wedding documents. Once that was done, Stavros walked her out into the hot noonday sun for pictures and congratulations.
Andrea’s dad was the next person to hug her. His blue eyes twinkled. “You’re Kyria Konstantinos now.”
“I know. Can you believe it?”
“Stavros is getting the jewel in the crown, but I think he knows it by now.”
“Dad—” She hugged him harder.
Leon butted in. “Save me some room. My brother is a lucky man.” He kissed her on the cheek.
“Thank you, Leon. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
Then came his wife and children. They were followed by Theo and his family and Zander. Soon there was a crush of Stavros’s relatives and friends, Raisa and her husband among them.
Suddenly she felt Stavros grab her around the waist. “Let’s get back to the house. The sooner we feed our guests, the sooner we can leave on our honeymoon.”
Leon drove them in a limo to the villa. A procession followed behind them, but Andrea was oblivious because Stavros was kissing the life out of her. She loved him so terribly and knew that his father’s appearance had taken away the crushing pain of the past.
The first person Andrea hugged when they reached the house was Raisa. The housekeeper had spent several days preparing the wedding feast. Andrea had helped her with some of it.
A florist had come to fill the house with flowers. The villa was a showplace. Everyone marveled. Andrea was so proud of Stavros she could burst. He’d done all this and had accomplished so much in his life.
After many toasts and a lot of laughter, the wedding guests began to leave. While Stavros walked his parents out to Leon’s limo, Andrea said goodbye to her father at the helicopter pad. He was flying to Thessaloniki, where he’d board a jet headed for the States.
Andrea was thankful for the privacy because she’d burst into tears with joy over Stavros’s reconciliation with his father. “I’m so thankful he came, Dad.”
“I am too, but don’t forget that Stavros is going to need you more than ever.”
“Thank heaven I have you. Thank you for my life, Dad. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, everything that you are and stand for. Take care of yourself. Stavros says we’ll fly to Denver next month to see you. I can’t wait.”
“Neither can I, honey. Love you.” He gave her one more kiss before climbing into the helicopter.
She backed away to watch it take off and felt Stavros’s arms encircle her waist. He waved to her father, then turned her around. “Guess what? Everyone’s gone. Now it’s just you and me. Let’s hurry inside and change.”
“You haven’t told me where we’re going tonight.” Their bags were packed for a trip to Paris tomorrow.
A smile broke one corner of his compelling mouth. “You’ll find out in a few minutes. I’ve been dreaming about it since the night we went searching for Darren.”
He wanted to camp out with her! How did he know that was one of her secret desires?
They climbed the steps together. “I’ve been waiting to do this,” he said and picked her up to carry her over the threshold. She didn’t know how he did it while she was still in her wedding finery. He kissed her as he walked her through the house to the guest bedroom she’d been using. After he put her down, he undid the buttons on the back of her dress.
She felt him kiss the nape of her neck. His touch melted her.
“Hurry.” He didn’t have to tell her that. “Last person to the Jeep pays the penalty.”
Andrea trembled with e
xcitement as she stepped out of her dress. After laying it on the bed, she pulled a pair of shorts and a T-shirt out of the drawer and dressed in record time. After stepping into leather sandals, she raced through the house. But no matter how fast she’d been, Stavros had beaten her outside and was waiting in the Jeep wearing a crew-neck shirt and jeans.
“You cheated,” she accused him.
He laughed hard and leaned across to give her a kiss. “I admit I changed out here.”
“Where’s your suit?”
“In the car.”
“I hope you’re not going to take a long time to find the right spot.”
“Is my gorgeous wife nagging already?” he teased. Stavros started the engine and they were off down the road.
“Well, it is our honeymoon and I’ve never been on one before.”
“Neither have I.”
“I’m nervous.”
“So am I.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’ve never been a husband before. I want everything to be perfect for us, Andrea.”
“It already is because your father came and he loves you.”
“Agreed.”
“I have hopes of his coming to our first baby’s christening.”
“First?”
“Yes. I want your babies, darling. I told your mother I want us to be friends. She’ll make the most wonderful grandmother. Honestly, Stavros, she’s such a beauty it’s no wonder you turned out like a Greek god.”
He grinned. “I did?”
“My friendship with her is important to me.”
“When she gets to know you better, she’ll come to realize that the daughter she always wished she could have is my angel wife.”
Tears trembled on her lashes. “Dad is crazy about you.”
“I like him.”
“He said those exact words to me about you before he walked me down the aisle. The ceremony was perfect.”
“Short.”
She chuckled. “I know traditional Greek weddings take hours. Thank you for sparing us that in this heat.”
“The black sheep strikes again.”
“Now that we’re partners in crime we’ll be known as Mr. and Mrs. Black Sheep.”
He threw back his head in laughter.
It thrilled her that he sounded so happy.
“Did you know you looked like a vision coming down that aisle? I was so mesmerized I couldn’t think.”
“You weren’t the only one in that condition. But I feel that way whenever I see you or sense your presence.”
The night was exquisite as they drove through the scented pines. When he slowed down outside the village, it wasn’t long before he found them the secluded spot where they’d spent another memorable night. He stopped the Jeep and turned off the engine.
“Would you believe me if I told you that the night we spent here the first time, I wanted it to be our wedding night.”
“So did I,” she whispered.
They climbed out of the Jeep and set up their little camp with the aid of the big flashlight.
“Oh—you bought a new sleeping bag!” Already her heart was pounding outrageously.
“Tonight we’re doing this Italian-style. I measured this spot for our marriage bed to make sure it would hold two.”
“You’ve outdone yourself, Figaro.”
“So you like our bedroom.”
“I adore it.” She took off her sandals and climbed inside the bag. He could probably hear her heart thudding.
“Well, aren’t you a brazen little hussy.”
Andrea pulled the bag’s edge up to her chin and looked out at him. “You already knew that about me when I asked if I could come with you to look for Darren. I figured that since you’re going to wield a heavy penalty tonight, we might as well hurry and get this over with.”
“Get what over with?” His voice sounded like silk as he turned off the flashlight and climbed in next to her.
“The thing the nuns talked to me about back in Venezuela.”
“Like what?” He chuckled and pulled her into him to nuzzle her neck.
“Oh...just things.”
“I’m not sure I know where to start.”
“Don’t drive me crazy, Stavros! I’ve been waiting for this all my life.”
He started kissing her. “You mean this?”
“Yes.”
“And this?”
“Y-yes.”
“How about this?”
“Stavros!”
Andrea woke up several times during the night tangled in her husband’s arms. Ecstasy like she’d never known had caused her to cling to him. He’d taught her a new language to speak. Eager for more, she started kissing him to wake him up so she could show him how fluent she was becoming. He responded with a husband’s kiss, hot and consuming.
Oh, yes... Out of all the languages she’d learned, she liked this one best and intended to become an expert at it.
* * * * *
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CHAPTER ONE
“SCUSA.”
Dante DeFiore stepped into the path of a young woman trying to skirt around the line at Ristorante Massimo. Her long blond hair swished over her shoulder as she turned to him. Her icy blue gaze met his. The impact of her piercing stare rocked him. He couldn’t turn away. Thick black eyeliner and sky-blue eye shadow that shimmered succeeded in making her stunning eyes even more extraordinary.
Dante cleared his throat. “Signorina, are you meeting someone?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Really?” He truly was surprised. “Someone as beautiful as you shouldn’t be alone.”
Her fine brows rose and a smile tugged at her tempting lips.
He smiled back. Any other time, he’d have been happy to ask her to be his personal guest but not tonight. Inwardly he groaned. Why did he have to have his hands full juggling both positions of maître d’ and head chef when the most delicious creature was standing in front of him?
He choked down his regret. It just wasn’t meant to be. Tonight there was no time for flirting—not even with this stunning woman who could easily turn heads on the runways of Milan.
He glanced away from her in order to clear his thoughts. Expectant looks from the people waiting to be seated reminded him of his duties. He turned back to those amazing blue eyes. “I hate to say this, but you’ll have to take your place at the end of the line.”
“It’s okay.” Her pink glossy lips lifted into a knowing smile. “You don’t have to worry. I work here.”
“Here?” Impossible. He’d certainly remember her. By the sounds of her speech, she was American.
“This is Mr. Bianco’s restaurant, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then I’m in the right place.”
Suddenly the pieces fell into place. His staff had been cut in half because of a nasty virus running rampant throughout Rome. He’d called around to see if any busine
ss associates could loan him an employee or two. Apparently when Luigi said he might be able to track down a friend of one of his daughters, he’d gotten lucky.
Relief flooded through Dante. Help was here at last and by the looks of her, she’d certainly be able to draw in the crowds. Not so long ago, they hadn’t needed anyone to draw in customers; his grandfather’s cooking was renowned throughout Rome. But in recent months all of that had changed.
“And I’d be the luckiest man in the world to have such a beauty working here. You’ll have the men lined up down the street. Just give me a moment.” Dante turned and signaled to the waiter.
When Michael approached Dante, the man’s forehead was creased in confusion. “What do you need?”
In that moment, Dante’s mind drew a blank. All he could envision were those mesmerizing blue eyes. This was ridiculous. He had a business to run.
When he glanced over at the line of customers at the door, the anxious stares struck a chord in his mind. “Michael, could you seat that couple over there?” He pointed to an older couple. “Give them the corner table. It’s their fortieth anniversary, so make sure their meal is on us.”
“No problema.”
Lines of exhaustion bracketed Michael’s mouth. Dante couldn’t blame the guy. Being shorthanded and having to see to the dining room himself was a lot of work.
Dante turned his attention back to his unexpected employee. She had her arms crossed and her slender hip hitched to the side. A slight smile pulled at the corners of her lush lips as though she knew she’d caught him off guard—something that rarely happened to him.
He started to smile back when a patron entered the door and called out a greeting, reminding Dante that work came first. Since his grandfather was no longer around to help shoulder the burden of running this place, Dante’s social life had been reduced to interaction with the guests of Ristorante Massimo.
After a brief ciao to a regular patron, Dante turned back to his temporary employee. “Thanks for coming. If you give me your coat, I can hang it up for you.”
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