by Leslie North
Chapter 5
Eva stayed up late trying to figure out what she had learned that she could use as leverage on Callum. She thought about trying to buy him off, but she knew Antonio was paying him well and had promised to buy him a plane ticket back to the States. She had an allowance, but she was going to need it for college and she didn’t think she could match whatever Antonio was paying Callum to stay. If only she could get Callum to be more like he had been at the Parthenon—she’d liked that version of him. But they were supposed to work math in the morning—she was even worse at that than she was at science.
She woke in the morning and headed downstairs to make coffee. Gaia might be gone, but there was still a house full of servants, and Martina and Eugenia were cooking what looked like an omeleta Horiatiki. Eva grabbed the Greek version of biscotti, koulourakia and headed for the back patio and the pool. She nibbled on the crunchy koulourakia and sipped her coffee. Part of her plan for going to school in the States was to stop being the baby of the family.
She wanted to have some fun. She wanted a boyfriend. She wanted to be kissed, to have her breath stolen away by being with someone, and to experience everything she read about in her steamy romance novels. She was never going to get that with Antonio watching over her, and now with Dareios becoming her brother-in-law she’d have two hawks guarding her. Which meant she really had to get rid of Callum soon so she could get a tutor she liked—someone who would bring up her scores without making her feel like an idiot.
Dusting off her fingers, she headed back to her room and pulled on her skimpiest bikini and headed back to the pool. Today, she was going to make Callum realize she wasn’t just a girl. She was out to drive him crazy. She piled her hair on top of her head, clipped it in place, and dipped a toe in the water. The air was still warm, as was the water of the pool.
The two piece bikini was made from a stretchy fabric that clung to her body. Alexandra had picked it out for her, saying the fire-orange color made her skin look vibrant. She’d also said not to let Antonio see her in it.
The top was nothing more than two very small triangles of fabric, held in place by a thin strap. The bottom wasn’t much more. A very thin piece of fabric revealed more of her ass than it covered. She sank down into the water. She could hear Callum’s footsteps. She knew he’d arrived from the short rush of breath pushed from his lungs.
She turned slowly and gave him the traditional Greek good morning. “Kalimera, Callum.”
***
Callum swallowed convulsively several times before he found his voice. It hadn’t been on his schedule to see Eva this early. And, dammit, he liked schedules. Order, routine, plans—all of that kept his life in order. That wasn’t something he’d had much of growing up, and these days he clung to his timetables as if they were all he had. Sometimes he felt like that was the case. But right now he had Eva swimming in the pool in something barely there.
He tried not to stare at her breasts—or the scraps of fabric covering those perfect mounds. Clutching his towel, he asked, “What are you doing out here so early?”
Eva smiled. “I thought I’d join you today. That is okay, isn’t it? I mean, I do live here.”
Callum nodded. His mouth dried and his pulse kept hammering. He wanted to turn around and walk away as fast as he could, but that was a coward’s way out. And this was her home, and therefore her pool. If she wanted to swim in it, who was he to tell her she couldn’t. “I can come back later.”
“But I wanted to swim with you. I hate to swim alone. You know, it’s all too easy to drown.” She batted her eyes at him and pushed her bottom lip out in what looked like to him a mock pout. He was willing to bet she’d been practicing that look.
Pretty sure she was playing him, he dropped his towel and headed toward the deep end. He dove in and started a lap. He’d gotten three laps in when the feeling of being watched sent a shiver down his back. He stopped and turned.
Eva sat on the edge of the pool, watching him. “You know, I could watch you all day.”
Face hot, he turned and dove into another lap. Maybe if I swim until I can’t feel my arms, I can get out of the water without embarrassing myself. His body had tightened and while he liked baggy swim shorts, there was no way he could exit the water with a boner.
He swam another ten laps and paused to catch his breath at the far end of the pool. Turning, he asked, “Are you cooking breakfast or am I?”
Eva lifted her head and laughed. “Silly. We have tons of servants. Breakfast should be out soon. In fact, why don’t I go inside and get you coffee while you finish your swim.”
Callum stared at her. “Tons. Servants. Of course.” For a minute he’d forgotten she was little Miss Rich Girl. He gave a nod.
Eva’s smile faded a little. She tried to shore it up, but she stood and headed inside. He watched that tight little ass of hers as it disappeared. He cursed softly under his breath. The way that suit barely covered her body had his mind conjuring up all sorts of things they could be doing instead of lessons. But he had to keep a focus here. He needed the cash, the ticket home—and he did not need a rich girl using him for a toy. He pulled himself from the pool and started to plan a lesson that would occupy her brain for the day—and that shouldn’t be too hard, given that he’d yet to really find out if she had a mind.
Chapter 6
For once Eva didn’t have to struggle through the math. She wasn’t certain what had changed, but something had. She kept thinking about the Parthenon—about ratios and geometry, and how math and art could be linked. Somehow that made it easier to apply herself to the problems—and Callum seemed stunned. She liked that. She did so well that he gave her the afternoon off. She wasn’t sure what she’d do with a whole afternoon without books, but she heard a car pull up and the front door open. Hearing Alexandra’s voice, Eva bolted for her and pounced on her in the hall.
“You’re back! Come talk to me while I change clothes and then we’ll head into the city to shop! Hi, Dareios!”
Dareios stood next to Alexandra. He was a good looking man, one of those Greeks who had pale hair and blue eyes. He’d been friends with Antonio for so long that Eva had always thought of him more like another brother, but Alexandra’s interest had become something much more than that. Eva was glad to see them both smiling—and both still very much in love.
Dareios gave Eva a kiss on the cheek and smiled at Alexandra. “I see I’ve lost my bride-to-be already. Go with your sister, Alex. It gives me a good excuse to have a nap.”
Alexandra laughed and turned to hug Eva. “Come on. You can go into the city as you are. And I need to start shopping for a wedding dress. How goes the math?”
Heading outside with Alexandra, Eva wrinkled her nose. “I hate it. I think Antonio got all the math genes in the family.”
Climbing into the limo, Alexandra told the driver to take them into Athens to the shops. He already knew all their favorite stores. The day was warm, with a cool breeze. Alexandra glanced at Eva. “Antonio is a banker. He’s supposed to like math. You just need enough to get into college. So stop whining.”
“I don’t whine. But I don’t want to think about lessons today. What are you looking for?”
Alexandra shrugged. “I’ll know it when I see it. I just want something elegant.”
They headed for the Attica, one of the biggest department stores in Athens, but Alexandra found nothing she liked. Next they headed to their favorite boutiques, including Linea Piu and Vera Wang. Eva found several dressed she liked, but Alexandra kept shaking her head. Finally, at Primalicia, Alexandra found a strapless gown with a hi-low hem that ended in front just above her knees and draping to the ground behind in a mock train. The silk held just the faintest hint of pink in the blush tones. The dress would only need minor alterations to fit perfectly.
“Alexandra, you look like a fairytale princess!” Eva told her, walking around her sister. “It’s perfect.”
Alexandra grinned. “I love it. Now, what about your d
ress? Claire isn’t here so we’ll have to get something that can be fitted to her later.” After getting final measurements to fit the dress, Alexandra changed and she and Eva started to look over bridesmaids dressed. Eva fell in love with a shimmery sheath in silver sequins, with little bows down the back that left a series of openings in the dress. “What do you think?” She held up the dress.
“Try it on.”
Eva did—and feel even more in love with the gown. Showing it off to Alexandra she did a small turn. The sequins picked up the surrounding colors, making the dress appear to shimmer with each movement she made. “It’s absolutely gorgeous! I was kind of expecting something I’d never want to wear again. But this…I’m sure I’ll find plenty of places to wear this again. Do you think Claire will like it? Maybe we should get hers in a different color?”
Shaking her head, Alexandra pulled out a different dress, something with similar silver sequins but with a fuller skirt. “I think this for Claire—if it fits her. And maybe we should pick out shoes to match.”
Eva nodded and went to change. They spent the rest of the afternoon finding shoes to match, and talking about decorations for the wedding. Exhausted, they stopped at a café for tea and milopitakia, an apple-filled cookie that was one of Eva’s favorite treats.
Sitting at the café table, Eva started to tear her cookie into bits, and Alexandra asked, “What is it? Callum?”
Eva threw down the rest of her milopitakia. “How did you guess?”
Alexandra shrugged. “A sister knows. Tell me about it? He’s cute.”
“A cute slave driver. But…well, I keep getting glimpses of someone else.” She told Alexandra about their trip to the Parthenon. “He seemed…so nice then. And the next day it’s back to books, lessons, and more books!” She wrinkled her nose.
“Sounds to me like maybe you like him.”
“Him maybe—the tutor not so much. I…I want to get rid of him.”
“Why not just ask Antonio to fire him?”
Eva sipped her tea and nibbled on a milopitakia. “I thought about that. And about…well, about getting him fired other ways. But when it comes down to it, I’d hate it if Callum ended up in real trouble.” She gave a groan. “Why does it all have to be so complicated?”
Alexandra put a hand over Eva’s. “Sounds to me like you’re growing up, little sister. Do you want me to talk to Antonio about Callum? Or talk to Callum?”
Eva sat up. “No. You’re right—this is my problem. Which means I’m going to figure out what to do about Callum.” She smiled. “Maybe I’ll just become an overnight genius and that will be the end to all this tutoring!”
Chapter 7
Callum stopped at the doorway to the library. Usually when he arrived for Eva’s morning lessons, she was still asleep or lounging by the pool or still eating breakfast. There’d been one morning she was even out jogging. Anything seemed better to her than using her brain. But today she sat in a ray of sunshine, her head bent over an open book. She’d curled up on a chair, her bare feet tucked under her and her sandals on the floor next to the chair. She had the tip of her thumb in her mouth and her hair loose around her shoulders. His heart gave a lurch in his chest. He’d never seen anything so adorable.
Eva looked up and smiled. His chest tightened again and he wondered if he was having a heart attack. She waved her fingers at him and turned back to the book. “Why do you think they make all these rules for math that are just there to be rules?”
Clearing his throat, he walked in. “Okay, either shopping really agrees with you or you’re some kind of pod-Eva who has taken control of the real Eva.”
She glanced up at him. “Am I really that bad?”
Glancing at the book, he raised his eyebrows. “Wow, calculus. I wasn’t going to throw that at you for another month.”
She closed the book and stared at him. “Do you know, I realized yesterday that I’ve never balanced my own checkbook. I don’t have to. I never look at a bill and add up the costs or try to figure out a tip. I just throw down a credit card and let Antonio worry about it.”
He blinked. “Uh…okay.”
Wetting her lips, she looked down at the book and fussed with a corner of it. “But before we get into numbers, can I ask you something?”
She looked up at him, her dark eyes huge. A lump tightened in his throat. He swallowed, but it stayed stuck. He was sure he was opening the door to something, and he wasn’t certain he could. But he couldn’t ignore the plea in those dark eyes. He waved a hand. “Sure.”
“Why don’t you like me?” She wiggled around on her chair to face him. “Sometimes you act as if you can’t stand to be in the same room with me. Do you think I’m stupid? Is that it? Or…or do you just hate teaching? But I don’t think that’s it because sometimes you’re…you’re…”
“I’m what?”
“Nice.” The word came out in a small voice.
Callum stared at her. Way to go, Woods! You’ve gone and hurt her feelings. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Please don’t lie to me.” Eva put both feet on the floor. He glanced at them and his thoughts tangled. She had beautiful feet—a high arch and well shaped. She also had gold paint on her toenails. He dragged his stare from her feet back to her face and found her frowning at him. “I can tell when someone likes me. Do you have a girlfriend back home? Is that it?”
Callum shook his head. He pulled up a chair next to her and sat down, his hands folded in his lap. “I don’t have a girlfriend back home. And what’s that got to do with anything?”
She twirled a lock of hair around a finger. “I thought maybe you thought…well, I was hoping you’d been mean to try and keep from liking me too much. That would be better than you not liking me at all.”
He had to blink again. “Uh…somewhere I lost the logic in that. Look, Eva, you’re a beautiful young woman, but I’m twenty-four. I’m way too old for you…and…and frankly, I’m your tutor!”
“I wish you weren’t,” she muttered. Her mouth pulled into a pout.
He sat up. “What? Why? Okay, now I’m starting to think you hate me.”
She faced him, her chin coming up. “I do. A little. When you’re mean.”
“Okay, and I guess I’m mean a lot of the time.” She nodded and caught her lower lip between her teeth. Callum let out a breath. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, leaving it standing up. “That…that is not acceptable. I really am just trying to teach you, Eva.”
“Sometimes I feel like…well, I feel dumb. But I didn’t at the Parthenon. I liked that.” He touched the edge of the book in her lap. “Too much of these, hun?”
“And the lectures and the lessons and a lot of stuff that doesn’t really make sense. I can’t remember things if I don’t know why I’m supposed to know them.”
Callum nodded. He should have seen this coming—a good teacher would have. He should have tried to find a better way sooner to reach her, instead of assuming she just wasn’t very smart. He’d put her down as a spoilt rich girl—a dark-haired bimbo. He’d failed her. He didn’t like that. Now he stared at her, took in the dark eyes and the spark lurking there. He wasn’t going to underestimate her again. He held out his hand. “Make you a deal. Let’s lose this tutor and student thing. Let’s try being friends…and let’s figure out a better way for you to get into college. Deal?”
Eva grinned and put her hand into his. “Deal!”
***
Antonio stood on the balcony to his bedroom. Below, Dareios had dragged Alexandra, Callum and Eva into a game of volleyball in the pool. They’d set up the net and it was boys against girls, but the girls were winning. The girls were also shamelessly cheating. But everyone was laughing. It was good to see that—to hear the noise. Matthias’ death had hit the girls hard—they hadn’t been ready for it. Antonio had been—their father had seen to that. But Matthias had been such a presence in all their lives that his loss had left a gap—the house had seemed oddly quiet and empty
for too long. Now…now life filled the estate again. Antonio smiled.
He had to admit, too, he was rather impressed with Callum. Eva was actually applying herself as she never had before. He watched as Eva tried to dunk Callum to get to the ball before he could. Callum twisted away so Eva went under the water, but Callum pulled her up. For a second, the two seemed frozen in each other’s arms. But then Eva splashed water at Callum and called for a foul, and appealed to Alexandra to come in on her side, claiming they should get an extra point just because. Callum started to explain how that math didn’t add up, and Antonio could see a water war about to break out.
Shaking his head, he turned from the window.
Claire came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her damp hair. “Are the kids all playing nicely.”
Antonio smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. “They are. And Dareios is the worst babysitter ever.” A splash and a shriek rose up to their room. “I think that is the girls getting their just punishment for cheating at the game.”
Claire grinned. She dropped the towel and held out a small strip. “I have a surprise for you.”
Antonio glanced at the strip. “Is the color supposed to mean something?”
“Yes. It means no champagne for me at Alexandra’s wedding!” He stared at her. She batted at his hand. “Silly, I thought Eva was the only one who had trouble adding things up.”
“You’re...?”
“I am.” She grinned. “There’s going to be a little Antonio or Antoinette around soon.”
Grinning, Antonio swept her up in his arms. “That’s it. Back into bed for you.”
She laughed. “For the next eight months? I don’t think so.”
He plopped her down on the bed and stretched out next to her. “We have to tell the others. I’ll go grab—”