by Robin Gianna
Any chance Laurel might be oblivious to what his aunt was referring to? He glanced at her and saw a small smile on her face. Since Stella was as subtle as a sledgehammer, he knew she’d probably figure it out. With his aunt’s brows still lowered into a near scowl, she grabbed his face and gave him a kiss on each cheek before trudging up the steep road without a backward glance.
“Andronikos? Is that your full name?” Laurel tilted her head at him as they resumed walking toward his house.
“Yes, after my grandfather. Quite a mouthful. My aunts and mother are the only ones who use it.”
“I like it. Andros for warrior and Nike for victory. It suits you.”
“You think?”
“I do think.” Her beautiful lips curved wider. “So does your aunt feel a need to protect you from women on the hunt?”
So much for hoping she wasn’t listening. “Or women from me, maybe. I had a bit of a reputation as a young man. Sorry she was rude to you, but don’t take it personally. Stella enjoys being rude to everyone.”
“And here I was feeling special.”
He had to laugh at that, enjoying the teasing smile in her eyes, glad she wasn’t hypersensitive, or thinking less of him after his aunt’s remarks. “You are, believe me. I knew that the first day I met you, and you were so stubborn about me treating your hand.”
“Stubbornness is a special trait?”
“Never knew I found it attractive until I met you. But combined with beauty, brains and your unique brand of humor? Oh, yeah.”
The eyes that met his had a twinkle in them but seemed to be searching too. She didn’t have to look hard to see he had a major jones for her, and he didn’t know what the hell to do about it, since it appeared to be mutual. Maybe some intimate time together far away from Kastorini or Delphi would burn it out, since that was pretty much his MO anyway. Laurel was leaving soon, so she wouldn’t want more than that either, and just thinking about all that made his pulse quicken. “So there’s my house, on the right with the—”
“Daddy! Laurel!”
Just as it had every day for the past two years, his heart warmed at the sight of his daughter tearing up the road to meet them, hair and arms flying, leaving the front door wide open behind her. It warmed even more when she flung herself at him, as though it had been days instead of hours since they’d been together.
“Koukla mou.” He swung her into his arms, smiling at the excitement in her eyes, wondering how he’d gotten so incredibly lucky to have a daughter with such a sunny, happy nature. “What have you been up to since lunch?”
“Trouble with a capital T.”
He heard Laurel laugh, and grinned. “Her usual answer. Gets it from her papou. I have a bad feeling that’s going to be her answer for the next fifteen years, which strikes fear into her father’s heart.”
“Don’t be scared, Daddy. I’m just kidding!” She wriggled from his arms and grabbed Laurel’s hand. “Come on. I want to show you my fairy house.”
“Cassie, let’s be polite and offer Miss Laurel something to drink first. Didn’t your Thea Taryn make lemonade this morning? Let’s go inside and ask her for some.”
“She’s out back with Petros, kicking the football.”
“I don’t think I can wait that long to see the fairy house, Andros. Mind if we have some after?”
“It’s here.” Cassie tugged Laurel to the side of the house where a small strip of dirt contained various flowers his mother planted and tended for him.
“These flowers are so pretty!” Laurel turned to him. “Are you a gardener?”
“Can’t tell a weed from a flower. When I bought the house, my mother couldn’t stand the weedy scrub and planted them.”
“My yiayia is good with flowers,” Cassie said. “She lets me help her grow them.”
“I don’t know much about flowers, Cassie. Maybe you could teach me some things.”
His daughter beamed at the suggestion, pointing at various blooms as she said some plant names. Andros had a feeling she might just be making them up as she went along, and his chest filled with warmth all over again as he looked from her to the woman sniffing blooms and asking questions, pretending she thought Cassie really was an expert.
Laurel’s face was lit with a smile as bright as Cassie’s, and he could see she’d been an amazing big sister. A sister who’d had to take on becoming their mother. How hard must that have been for her?
“It’s good you have your fairy house tucked in among your yiayia’s flowers, Cassie. You probably know fairies love flowers. You know what else? They love olive wood too. I found this piece of wood that looks just like a little bed, don’t you think?” Laurel pulled it from her purse and Cassie reached for it in awe. “I bet if we find something soft for a mattress, and put a flower petal or pretty leaf on it for a blanket, a fairy will love to come snuggle on it.”
“Do you think fairies probably live in the olive groves, then?”
“I bet they do. I bet they’re really close by, just waiting for a nice bed inside this nice house.”
Seeing the two of them standing close together in front of his home, Cassie plucking flower petals, gave him a strange feeling. Just as he was trying to figure out exactly what it was, a cacophony of voices made him turn. Then stare.
What the hell? Two men were striding fast down the street, one carrying a microphone, the other following with a big camera on his shoulder. Numerous townsfolk were gathered around them, walking, talking and gesturing. Pointing right at him.
“Dr. Drakoulias? Doctor, we’ve been told there’s a mysterious illness in Delphi, and patients came here to your clinic before they got so sick they had to be moved to the hospital in Vlychosia. Is it contagious? Are others in Delphi and here in Kastorini at risk?”
The guy shoved the microphone in his face, and he stepped back, not about to be railroaded into saying something that might trigger public hysteria. “We don’t believe anyone is at risk. If you give me your contact information, I’ll keep you informed as we know more.”
The guy got annoyingly close, with the cameraman right behind him. “Does it have something to do with the archaeological dig? We talked to some of the people working there, and they said it might. And that the dig leader is here with you today.” He shifted his attention behind Andros, craning to see around him. Anger swelled in his chest. He’d be damned if the man was going to harass Laurel and possibly scare Cassie.
“Again, I’ll keep you informed.”
The rude-as-hell jerk shoved past him and stuck the microphone in Laurel’s alarmed face. Andros didn’t even hear the questions the guy started bombarding her with, he just reacted with instinct. Stepped between them and went nearly nose to nose with him, ready to shove him away from her if he had to.
“Ms. Evans doesn’t know any more than you do. Now get off my property.” He turned to grasp Laurel’s arm and Cassie’s hand, hustling them both into the house and away from the media sharks he had a bad feeling had just begun their sniffing around for headline-grabbing blood in the water.
CHAPTER EIGHT
AFTER TALKING ABOUT the media mess with the dig crew for almost an hour, Laurel found herself tuning out the hubbub of conversation as they sat on the back deck of their hotel, darkness shrouding the misty mountains beyond.
How they could still be rehashing the afternoon’s excitement with the media showing up to talk to each one of them, she didn’t know. Lord knew she was beyond tired of talking about it. The shock of them showing up in front of Andros’s house had faded, but she couldn’t get out of her head the surprising expression on Andros’s face when he’d stepped between her and that reporter. His hard-eyed, angry look and aggressive posture had her wondering if he might actually punch the irritating guy, and she was thankful he’d simply cleared them out of there before she’d had to say much.
Part of her had wanted to tell him she could handle it, but the truth was she’d been all too glad he’d hustled her and Cassie away into his house.
It hadn’t occurred to her she might be asked about the sick crew members. Thanks heavens she had some time now to think of how she should answer.
The intrusion had ruined what had been an otherwise beautiful day. Spending time with adorable little Cassie had been even more fun than she’d expected, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Helen had been twelve when their parents had died—about to start her teen years. Adorable in her own way, she’d been a little trying at times too. That might be true for Cassie as well, though she couldn’t imagine the child being anything but cute as a button.
It struck her with surprise that Helen had been even younger than Cassie when their parents started spending entire summers, rather than just weeks, away. How had they been able to leave her that long? Later leaving all three under Laurel’s insufficient care and guidance?
She didn’t think she could do that if she ever had children of her own someday, no matter how much she loved her work. Then fiercely shook her head, feeling a bit like a traitor to judge her parents that way. Reminded herself of how they’d both explained they were showing their girls that family life had to be balanced with work life.
Reminded herself how important their work had been to both them and the archaeological world. Reminded herself it was just as important to her, which she’d nearly forgotten today as she enjoyed herself in Kastorini.
Would this sudden media circus create yet another distraction from the job they had to get done with fewer hands and little time? She’d reminded the crew they had to focus, and they’d all agreed. Still, she knew it was human nature to love being on camera and part of a medical mystery, despite worrying about Mel, Tom and John in the midst of it.
Restlessness overcame her, and she stood. “I’m going to my room to plan where everyone will be working tomorrow. Let’s get an early start. Be at breakfast at seven a.m., please.”
The nods and quick good-nights they sent her way were perfunctory as they kept up the steady yakking, and she shook her head, hoping it didn’t continue tomorrow when they had to get digging instead.
In truth, she’d already planned out tomorrow’s schedule and decided she needed some fresh air instead of a stuffy room. The street outside the hotel was so dark she could hardly see, and she paused, wondering what might calm this strange unease. Maybe just a long walk around the tiny town of Delphi, even a little mindless shopping she hadn’t taken time to do much of, would be enough to help her refocus.
Every store owner competed for the summer tourists, staying open until midnight or later if a single customer was around. One or two shopkeepers stood in their doorways, enthusiastically promising her good prices if she’d just come in and look. Others were busy with customers who had likely earlier toured the ancient sites and the wonderful museum that held the incredibly massive statues, friezes and sphinx. And of course, the stunning bronze Charioteer. That famous Delphi antiquity just might be eclipsed if she could only locate the treasure her parents believed in.
The one they’d died trying to find.
Laurel gave her head another forceful shake and stepped into a jewelry store, wanting to rid herself of thoughts of death and tragedy, of failure and unfinished dreams. At the back of the store, she peered into one of the many open cases of jewelry. A silver necklace reminded her of the one she wore at that moment—the necklace her sisters had given her for her birthday a few years back.
She reached up to grasp it in her hand, glad to have something to think about that made her smile. The three of them had made a massive birthday cake for her, one that ended up flat on one side and such an ugly deep blue they’d all laughed themselves silly over it. But it had tasted good, and it had been a wonderful evening of sisterly togetherness. A lovely memory among so many special moments the four of them had had over the years. A lovely memory among some that were not quite so great. Memories of all the times she’d despaired over her lack of maturity and skill trying to raise them.
A pair of earrings caught her eye and she picked them up, wanting to look more closely at the silver swirls that curled around the stones, thinking they seemed similar to an ancient pattern on a bracelet they’d unearthed at the dig.
“Moonstones help protect you during your travels, I’ve heard,” a deep voice said next to her ear. “Maybe you should get those earrings, since you’ll be moving on soon.”
She turned to see Andros behind her, but of course she’d known it was him. Even if she hadn’t recognized his voice, every nerve in her body had, tingling and quivery and instantly alert to his nearness. Just as they had been earlier in Kastorini, when flirting with him had been so much fun, even as she’d told herself she shouldn’t. When touching and kissing him had been at the forefront of her mind even as she’d been fascinated by the history of the place.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hoping to find you. Wondered if the media had harassed you anymore.”
“Thankfully, no. And I don’t need the moonstones quite yet.”
“I thought maybe that had changed. That maybe you’d be closing down the dig sooner rather than later.”
“Why would I?” She stared into his eyes, dark and serious, with a touch of something else. Puzzlement? Frustration? “I’m here until the funding ends and the university tells me I have to leave.”
“Do you really want to have to deal with all the media questions now? They might not have followed you here tonight, but I promise they’ll be up on the mountain, hounding you.”
“I can handle it. I’m not afraid of them. Speaking of which, while I appreciate the gesture, I didn’t need you to rescue me today.” Didn’t need it, maybe, but hoped he didn’t know how much she’d been glad of it.
“I know you didn’t. Just didn’t want him scaring Cassie.”
The way his lips curved showed that was a lie, and that he probably knew she’d been lying too. She found herself smiling back. “Got to admit, he was pretty scary.”
“I do have one question.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Why? Why don’t you just be done with it, so you don’t have to worry about whether the illness has to do with the dig or worry about the damned reporters swarming around?” His hands moved to cup her face, tilting it up as he moved closer, practically torso to torso. “Surely after five years of excavating here, it can’t matter much one way or the other if you close it down now or two weeks from now.”
“We don’t know what amazing artifact we still might find, just like we don’t know anything about Mel and Tom and John and why they got sick. I…okay, I can’t deny it worries me. But since we don’t know if it had anything to do with the dig, I can’t justify completely closing it.”
He just kept staring at her, and, despite the unsettling, irksome conversation, Laurel found she couldn’t move away from his touch. From the heat of his chest so close to hers. Couldn’t stop her gaze from slipping from his eyes to the oh-so-sensual shape of his lips and back. What was it about this man that shook up her libido so completely?
“Until I met you, I’d always figured archaeologists to be easygoing, steady academics who analyzed facts,” he said.
“And the facts are…?”
“Three sick people with similar symptoms. Cause unknown.”
“Those are pretty vague facts, if you could even call them that. I wouldn’t have a chance at any kind of grant if I told them a dig site was kind of like another dig site, but I didn’t really have any idea what might be found there or why.”
His lips curved slightly again as he shook his head. “Who knew your head was as hard as the rocks you’ve unearthed?”
“Is that a compliment?”
The smile spread to his eyes, banishing the deep seriousness, and Laurel found herself relaxing and smiling too, in spite of everything. She didn’t want to have to defend herself and her decisions and her goals to anyone, least of all this man she couldn’t deny sent a zing with a capital Z through every part of her body whenever he was near.
&n
bsp; Like now. Very, very near.
His lips touched her forehead, lingered, and, surprised at the deep pleasure she felt from just that simple touch, Laurel let her eyes drift closed until he dropped his hands and drew back. “If you won’t listen to logic, at least let me buy you the earrings. Maybe they’ll help you remember Delphi, and keep you safe on your travels into that damned cave.”
“Not a good idea.”
“Why? You afraid I’ll expect a thank-you kiss?”
His expression was teasing and serious at the same time, and at his mention of a kiss Laurel’s gaze dropped right to his mouth. She wasn’t sure she should tell him about moonstone lore, but just as she decided that would be a bad idea the words came out in a near whisper. “Because for thousands of years, people have believed moonstones are a channel for passion and love from the giver to the receiver. A talisman for secret love. Carnal love. Can’t risk igniting the power of a moonstone, can we?”
The scorching blaze that instantly filled his eyes weakened her knees, so it was a good thing his strong hands grasped the sides of her waist, pulling her flush against him. Everything about him seemed hot—that look in his eyes, the breath feathering across her lips, every inch of his body touching hers.
“I don’t know. Can we? Seems like something’s ignited even without the stones.”
Whew, boy. Her body answered, Oh, yes, we can, and right now, please, while her brain tried not to short-circuit any more than it already was. She opened her mouth to say something—what, she wasn’t sure—when she realized the shopkeeper had come to stand next to them.
“Welcome, welcome. May I assist you?” he said in a loud, robust voice. “Would you like a price for one or more of our fine pieces of jewelry?”
They both turned, and Andros dropped his hands from her. She should have welcomed the interruption to help her gather her wits, but really wanted to tell the guy to go away so they could get back to the steamy conversation that made her breathless. “No, thank you,” she said. “I was just looking.”