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Her knuckles rapped on the door. She hadn’t been this nervous since she came home from school with a below average grade on her report card. She didn’t know why she was so jittery. Cristo certainly was nice enough. Besides, this whole thing was his idea.
The door swung open and there before her stood her almost-fiancé, all six foot plus of toned muscle. She tilted her chin upward in order to meet his gaze. “I...I thought over what you said earlier, and I have a few questions for you.”
He hesitated and then swung the door open. “Come in.”
She glanced around, making sure they were alone. As she did so, she took in the difference in decor between this suite and the other units. For one thing, the standard black upholstered furniture was leather in this suite. The art on the walls consisted of prints in the other suites, but in here everything was original, one-of-a-kind paintings. And lastly, the suite definitely had a lived-in feel—a sense of hominess to it.
Behind her, she could hear the door snick shut. It was just the two of them, alone. Suddenly Kyra didn’t feel quite so confident, so ready to strike a business deal. Right now, even the memory of Sofia’s encouraging words sounded foolish. After all, she didn’t go out on limbs and take big risks. She liked to play it safe.
Cristo cleared his throat. “Should I take your presence to mean you’ve changed your mind about my offer?”
She forced her gaze to meet his. “It depends on your answers to my questions.”
“What would you like to know?”
Comfortable that she’d left herself an out, should she need it, she leveled her shoulders. “The pretense of being your fiancée, it would only be a show for others, right? You don’t want me to, um...sleep with you?”
“No. No. Nothing like that.”
She breathed a little easier. “And how long would I have to pretend to be your fiancée?”
“I’ll be honest with you. I’m not sure.”
“So this is going to take longer than a day or two?”
He hesitated. “Yes, it will. But only until my business deal is concluded. It could be a few weeks or as long as a couple of months—”
“Months?” Kyra shook her head. No way. He was simply asking too much of her. “That’s not possible. I can’t pretend to be your fiancée for that long.”
“Are you planning to return to the States before then?”
The easiest way out of this mess was to say yes, but in truth she wasn’t leaving Greece until she had a chance to track down her father’s family. And since she didn’t have a starting point, she didn’t know how long that would take her. “No. I’m not leaving yet. I...I have things to do here.”
“Anything I can help you with?” When she cast him a skeptical look, he rushed to add, “There are no strings attached to that offer. I like you. You make me smile, and it’s been a while since anyone did that. Whether you agree to this plan or not, I’d like to help you out, if I can.”
Now, why did he have to go and do that? It would have been so much easier to say no to a man who was pushy and arrogant. None of those descriptions quite fit Cristo Kiriakas. He was more like a really hot, Grecian...gentleman.
“Thank you. That’s very kind of you. But not necessary.”
“It may not be necessary, but I’d like to help. What has you here in Greece?”
His eyes told her that he was serious. He was really interested in her. So what would it hurt to open up and share a little with him?
“I’m here to find my extended family, or what’s left of it.” Cristo’s brows rose with surprise, encouraging her to continue. “My father passed away a little more than a year ago. He’d always wondered about his extended family and had promised one day we’d take a trip here to see what we could learn. Now that he can’t finish our research, I’m taking up where he left off.”
“It sounds important.”
“It is. For me, that is. My mother doesn’t understand my need to do this.” In fact, her mother had done everything in her power to curtail Kyra’s trip, from pleading to offering up excuse after excuse until she finally resorted to a big guilt trip.
“I know some people who go by the name Pappas—”
“You do?” Could it really be this simple? “How do I find them?”
He held up a hand. “Slow down. Pappas isn’t exactly a unique name.”
“Oh.” She’d known that from her research, but after hitting so many dead ends, she just wanted some hope.
“Do you have much family in the States?” Cristo’s voice halted her thoughts.
“There’s just me and my mother. The rest of my mother’s family, small as it was, passed away. I thought my mother would understand my need to find out more about my past, especially after losing my father. But all she did was get angry and resentful any time I brought up a trip to Greece. Finally, I just stopped trying to make her understand.”
“So you thought by taking a job here that you would have the perfect excuse to investigate your family’s roots?”
She nodded. At the same time, her phone chimed. Expecting it to be Sofia, she grabbed it from her pocket. The caller ID said Mom. Kyra forwarded the call to her voice mail before slipping the phone back in her pocket.
“If you need to answer that, go ahead.”
“It’s not important. I’ll get it later.” The last thing Kyra needed right now was to talk to her mother in front of Cristo—a man who had a way of short-circuiting her thoughts with just a look. No man had ever had that kind of power over her. And she wasn’t sure she liked it, but another part of her found him exciting—exhilarating—unlike any man she’d ever known.
“Suit yourself.” He moved to the fully stocked refrigerator and removed a bottle of water. He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Would you care for one, too?”
What would it hurt? After all, he was being nice enough and she was a bit thirsty. “Yes. Thank you.”
Her phone chimed again. It wasn’t like her mother to call right back. Kyra did a quick time change in her head and realized that her mother should be at her second part-time job. Perhaps she was just checking in on one of her breaks.
When Cristo handed over the bottle, their fingers brushed. Their gazes met and held. The breath caught in her throat. She’d never gazed into eyes so intense, so full of energy. She’d heard people talk about instant attraction but she hadn’t really known what they were talking about until now. Sure, she’d noticed some really good-looking guys, but they’d always been easily forgotten. Something told her that Cristo would not be so easily dismissed.
He stepped back. “If you’d like something to eat, I could order from the restaurant downstairs.”
“No, thanks. I’m fine.” With the flutter of nerves in her stomach, there was no way she could eat a bite of anything. “About the arrangement. Will we have to be seen in public together?”
“Definitely.” His gaze narrowed. “Will that be a problem? Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No. No boyfriend.” She glanced down at her casual clothes and then at his designer suit. “But I don’t have anything appropriate in my wardrobe.”
“No worries. A new wardrobe and accessories will be part of your benefits package.”
Just like that he could arrange for a new, designer wardrobe without even a thought. Wow. How much was this man worth?
With a slight tremor in her hand, she pressed the cold bottle to her lips and took a small sip. She tried to recall the other questions she’d wanted to ask, but her mind drew a blank. At least she’d asked the important ones.
He walked over and placed his bottle on the bar. “I know this is rushing things, but I really need to know your answer to my offer.”
“You definitely don’t give a girl much time to weigh her options.”
His voice grew deeper. “Maybe I just don’t want to give you time to find an excuse to back out on me. I can already tell you’re going to make my life interesting. You, my dear, are quite intriguing. And I find that refreshing.”
“Is that all you find attractive?” The flirtatious words slipped over her lips before they registered in her mind.
His eyes lit up as the heat of embarrassment swirled in her chest and rose up her neck. What was she doing? She barely even knew this man. And yet, she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame, but if she wasn’t cautious, she’d get burned.
“It’s definitely not the only attractive aspect of this arrangement. Not even close—”
“The money you offered, is it still part of the deal?”
He nodded.
“And can you pay me weekly?” She wanted to pay down the mortgage as soon as possible.
His brows rose. “If that’s what you’d like.”
“It is.”
She made the mistake of gazing into his eyes and noting that he looked at her with genuine interest. Did she really intrigue him? Her heart fluttered. Would it be so bad to have a gorgeous fiancé for just a bit? After all, you only live once. What did it hurt to have a little adventure?
And aside from the money, he’d mentioned helping her to search for her family roots. Now she had to make certain it was part of the deal. “And you agree to assist me in the search for my extended family?”
“I do.”
She stepped up to him and extended her hand. “You have yourself a fiancée.”
Instead of accepting her hand and shaking it, he lifted it to his lips. His feathery light kiss sent waves of delicious sensations coursing through her body. Much too soon he released her.
“When, um...do we start?” She hoped her voice sounded calmer than she felt at the moment.
“Right now. You have a wedding to plan and we need to get to know each other much better if we are going to convince others that we’re a genuine couple.”
Her phone chimed. It was her mother again. Something was definitely wrong. Kyra couldn’t deny it any longer. “Excuse me for a moment while I answer this.”
He nodded in understanding.
Kyra moved toward the wall of windows that overlooked the white sandy beach and aquamarine water. She pressed the phone to her ear. Before she could utter a word, she heard her mother’s voice.
“Kyra, why didn’t you answer your phone? I didn’t call to talk to your voice mail. Do you even listen to your messages? If you had, you’d know this is important—”
“Mom, stop. Take a breath and then tell me what’s the matter.”
“Everything.”
Her mother had a way of blowing things out of proportion. Please let this be one of those times. “Mom, are you all right? You aren’t in the hospital, are you?”
“The hospital? Why would I be there?”
Kyra exhaled a relieved sigh. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”
“My life. It’s over. You have to come home.”
Not melodramatic at all. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
“How would you know? You don’t even know what’s the matter.”
Kyra fully expected this would be another engineered guilt trip. “Mom, just tell me.”
“I would if you’d quit interrupting.”
Keeping her back to Cristo, Kyra rolled her eyes. Why did talking to her mother always have to be an exercise in patience? Her father must have had more patience than a saint. “I’m listening now.”
“They let me go. Can you believe that? After all I did for them. Is there no longer any such thing as loyalty and respect?”
“Who let you go?”
“The cleaning company. They said they lost some contracts and had to downsize. How can they do that? Don’t they know I have bills to pay?” Her mother’s voice cracked with emotion. “Kyra, you have to come home right away. I need you.”
She should have known it’d come round to this. “I can’t. I have a job to do.”
“But we’re going to lose our home.” There was an awkward pause. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m all alone.”
“Don’t worry.” Kyra may not agree with everything her mother said and did, but she still loved her. And her mother didn’t deserve to lose her home—no one did. “You won’t lose your home. I’ll help you.”
Kyra, realizing that she’d said too much in front of Cristo, wound up the phone conversation. She promised to call her mother back soon.
Not sure how much Cristo had overheard, her body tensed. Her mother always did have the most amazing timing. Still, there was no undoing what had been done.
She turned to him. He was staring at her with questions reflected in his eyes. She couldn’t blame him. If the roles had been reversed, she would have been curious, as well. “Sorry. That was my mother.”
“I take it there’s a problem.”
Kyra really didn’t want to get into this with him. “There is, but it’s nothing I can’t deal with.”
He arched a dark brow. “Are you sure about that? I mean, if you have to leave Greece, it’s best that we end our arrangement now—”
“No. That won’t be necessary.” And she didn’t add that the money he’d been willing to pay her for her time would be a huge help with her mother’s plight. Her doubts about whether she really wanted to move forward with this plan had just been overturned. She owed this to her mother. “I’m all yours—so to speak.”
CHAPTER THREE
KYRA WAS ALL HIS.
Cristo couldn’t deny that he liked the sound of those words. In fact, that wasn’t the only thing he could imagine passing by that tempting mouth.
Cristo gave himself a mental shake. What was he doing daydreaming about this woman? He knew better than to think of romance. He’d witnessed firsthand what happened when the romance turned cold. His parents were like the king and queen of Frostville. He got frostbite every time they were in the same room. He refused to end up unhappy like them.
Cristo cleared his throat. “Maybe we should start this relationship over.” He held out his hand to her. “Hi. I’m Cristo.”
She slipped her slender hand in his. He immediately noticed the coolness of her skin. She was undeniably nervous. That was good because he was, too.
Her fingers tightened around his hand. “Hi. My name’s Kyra. I have the feeling this is going to be quite an adventure.”
He had the same feeling but for other reasons, none that he wanted to delve into at the moment. “Let me know whatever you’ll need to make this arrangement as pleasant as possible.”
As she pulled her hand away, surprise reflected in her eyes. “You make it sound like I’ve just released the genie from the magic lantern.”
“Not exactly. But I do want you to be comfortable during our time together.” Cristo knew how thorough Stravos was with his background checks of potential business associates. “I need this engagement to be as authentic as possible. Don’t spare any detail or expense.”
“What expense?”
“For our wedding.”
“You’re serious? You really want me to plan a wedding that’s never going to happen?”
He nodded. “You have no idea what type of man I’m dealing with. Nikolaos Stravos is sharp and thorough.”
“But if people know about this engagement, how are you going to explain it when we break up?”
“I thought about it and we’ll handle it just like everyone else who calls off their wedding. We’ll tell people it’s an amicable split and we’d appreciate everyone respecting our privacy during this difficult time.”
“That may be fine for the public but not for close friends and relatives.”
“I’ve thought of that, too.” He smiled, liking having all of the answers. “We’ll tell them we couldn’t agree on kids. You want a couple and I want none.”
“Are you serious?”
He nodded. “It’s a legitimate reason with no associated scandal. We won’t be the first couple to break up over the subject.”
She paused as though giving the subject serious consideration. “I suppose it’ll work.”
He cleared his throat. “It’s the truth, at least partially. I’m too busy for a family.” That wasn’t the only reason he’d written off being a father, but it was all he was willing to share at the moment. “If we’re going to do this, we have to make the relationship authentic to hold up under scrutiny. Starting with you moving in here.”
“But...but I can’t. I told you I’m not sleeping with you.”
“And I don’t expect you to. But if people are supposed to believe we’re getting married, then they’ll expect us to be intimate.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he held up his hand silencing her. “We only have to give people the impression. Nothing more. Is that going to be a problem?”
Her worried gaze met his. He couldn’t blame her for hesitating. He knew he was asking a lot of her. But he was stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. She’d been a really good sport, until now.
He had to give her an out. He owed her that much. “It’s okay if you want to back out. I will totally understand.”
For a moment, he thought she had indeed changed her mind—that she was going to head for the door and never look back. His body tensed. He didn’t have a plan B. He’d only devised this plan, such as it was, on the spur of the moment.
When she spoke, her voice was surprisingly calm and held a note of certainty. “You’re right. People will grow suspicious if we don’t act like a normal engaged couple. But won’t people talk about me being a maid?”
He shook his head. “You’ve only been on the job for two days, and I’m guessing you haven’t met many guests.”
“No. Not really.”
“Good. I wouldn’t worry.” She glanced around the suite as though trying to decide how they would coexist. He could ease her mind. “Don’t worry. There’s a guest room with a lock on the door. But I’m sure you probably already know that.”
She nodded. “When do you want me to move in?”
“Now. I’ll send someone to gather your stuff. It’ll be less obvious if you aren’t lugging around your suitcases. Are you staying in the employee accommodations?”
She gave him the unit number. “But I...I need to tell my friend.”
“Remember, this arrangement has to be kept strictly between us. You can’t tell anyone about it or it’ll never work. Nikolaos Stravos has contacts everywhere.”
“Understood.”
“Good. You stay here and I’ll have your luggage delivered to you.” Her mouth opened, then closed. “Is there a problem?”
She shook her head. “I’ll have Sofia toss my things together.”
“Good. Because we have big plans tonight.”
* * *
Was this really happening?
Dressed in a maroon designer dress from the overpriced boutique in the lobby, Kyra held on to Cristo’s arm. She was glad to have something to steady her as her knees felt like gelatin. Her hair had been professionally styled and her makeup had been applied by a cosmetologist. It was certainly a lot of fuss for a dinner date. What was Cristo up to?
She highly doubted she’d be able to eat a bite. Her stomach was a ball of nerves. They paused at the entrance of the resort’s High Tide Restaurant. The place was dimly lit with candles on each table. Gentle, soothing music played in the background, but it wasn’t having any effect on Kyra.
Numerous heads turned as the maître d’ escorted them to a corner table. Cristo made a point of greeting people. It was like being on the arm of royalty as everyone seemed to know him. At last at their table, Cristo pulled out her chair. Quite the gentleman. She was impressed.
He took the seat across from her. “Relax. You look beautiful.”
Heat warmed her cheeks. She knew she shouldn’t let his words get to her. Everything he said and did tonight was all an act. “You look quite handsome yourself.”
“Thank you.” He sat up a little straighter as a smile reflected in his eyes. “Can I order you some wine? Maybe it’ll help you relax.”
“Is it that obvious?” She worried her bottom lip while fidgeting with the silverware.
He reached out to her. His hand engulfed hers, stilling it. “Just a little.”
Her gaze met his before glancing down at their clasped hands. She attempted to pull away, but he tightened his grip and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, sending wave after wave of delicious sensations coursing through her body.
She struggled to come up with a coherent thought. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to get my fiancée to relax and enjoy herself. We don’t want anyone wondering why you look so unhappy, do we?”
“Oh.” She glanced around, making sure they weren’t being watched. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice the bumpy start to their evening. Cristo was right, she needed to do better at holding up her end of this deal—no matter how unnerving it was being in this dimly lit restaurant at a candlelit table with the most handsome man in the room while trying to remain detached.
After making sure the server wasn’t within earshot, she said softly, “Would you mind releasing my hand?”
Cristo’s brows lifted, but he didn’t say a word as he pulled away. She immediately noticed the coldness where he’d once been touching her. She shoved the unsettling thought aside as she picked up the menu. Just act normal.
“Would you like me to recommend something?”
Her gaze lifted over the edge of the menu, which was written in both Greek and English. “Do you have it memorized?”
“Would it be bad if I said I did?”
“Really?” He nodded and she added, “You take a hands-on boss to a whole new level.”
His eyes twinkled as his smile grew broader and she suddenly realized that her words could be taken out of context. It’d been a total slip of the tongue. Hadn’t it?
“The chef’s specialty is seafood.”
She forced her gaze to remain on the menu instead of continuing to stare into Cristo’s eyes. Though her gaze focused on the scrolled entrées, none of it registered in her mind. “I’m not really a seafood fan.”
“Beef? Salad? Pasta—”
“Pasta sounds good.” Especially on a nervous stomach.
Cristo talked her through the menu. His voice was soothing and little by little she began to relax. She decided on chicken Alfredo and Cristo surprised her by ordering the same thing.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
His brows drew together. “Do what?”
“Order the same thing just to make me feel better.”
A smile warmed his face. “Perhaps we just have similar tastes.”
Perhaps they did. Now, why did that warm a spot in her chest? It wasn’t as if this was a real date. Everything was a case of make-believe. Did that include his words?
He didn’t give her time to contemplate the question as he continued the conversation, moving on to subjects such as how the weather compared to New York, and the differences between the Blue Tide Resort and his flagship business, the Glamour Hotel in New York City, where she’d previously worked.
She appreciated that he was trying so hard to put her at ease. It was as though they were on a genuine date. He even flirted with her, making her laugh. Kyra was thoroughly impressed. She didn’t think he would be this patient or kind. She had to keep reminding herself that it was all a show. But the more he talked, the harder it was to remember this wasn’t a date.
Much later, the meal was over and Cristo stared at her in the wavering candlelight. “How about dessert?”
She shook her head as she pressed a hand to her full stomach. “Not me. I’m going to have to run extra long tomorrow just to wear off a fraction of these calories.”
He pressed his elbows to the table and leaned forward. “You don’t have to worry. You look amazing. Enjoy tonight. Consider it a new beginning for both of us.”
A new beginning? Why did it seem as though he was trying to seduce her tonight? Maybe because he was. She was going to have to be extra careful around this charmer.
“The dinner was great. Thank you so much. But I honestly can’t eat another bite.”
A frown pulled at his lips. “I have something special ordered just for you.”
“You do?” No one had ever gone to this much trouble for her, pretend or real.
He nodded. “Will you at least sample it? I wouldn’t want the chef to be insulted.”
“Of course.” Then she had an idea. “Why don’t you share it with me?”
“You have a deal.” He signaled to the waiter that they were ready for the final course. It seemed almost instantaneous when the waiter appeared. He approached with a solitary cupcake.