Playing by the Greek's Rules (9 page)

‘Minoan art. This is a sideline. And if I go with you, people will speculate. How would you explain our relationship to your father? Would you want us to pretend to be in a relationship? Are we supposed to have known one another for ages or something?'

‘No.' His frown suggested that option hadn't occurred to him. ‘There is no need to tell anything other than the truth, which is that I'm inviting you to the wedding as a friend.'

‘Friend with benefits?'

He put the plate back down on the shelf and replaced the earrings carefully. ‘That part is strictly between us.'

‘And if your father asks how we met?'

‘Tell him the truth. He'd be amused, I assure you.'

‘So you don't want to pretend we're madly in love or anything? I don't have to pose as your girlfriend?'

‘No. You'd be going as yourself, Lily.' A muscle flickered in his lean jaw. ‘God knows, the wedding will be stressful enough without us playing roles that feel unnatural.'

It was his obvious distaste for lies and games that made up her mind. After David, a man whose instinct was to tell the truth was appealing. ‘When would we leave?'

‘Next Saturday. The wedding is on Tuesday but there will be four days of celebrations.' It was obvious from his expression he'd rather be dragged naked through an active volcano than join in those celebrations and a horrible thought crept into her mind.

‘You're not going because you're planning to break off the wedding, are you?'

‘No.' His gaze didn't shift from hers. ‘But I won't tell you it didn't cross my mind.'

‘I'm glad you rose above your natural impulse to wreck someone else's happiness. And if you really think it would help to have me there, then I'll come, if only to make sure you don't have second thoughts and decide to sabotage your father's big day.' Lily sank down onto the edge of her bed, thinking. ‘I'll need to ask for time off.'

‘Is that a problem? I could make a few calls.'

‘No way!' Imagining how the curator at the museum would respond to personal intervention from Nik Zervakis, Lily recoiled in alarm. ‘I'm quite capable of handling it myself. I don't need to bring in the heavy artillery, I'll simply ask the question. I'm owed holiday and my post ends in a couple of weeks anyway. Where exactly are we going? Where is “home” for you?'

‘My father owns an island off the north coast of Crete. You will like it. The western part of the island has Minoan remains and there is a Venetian castle on one of the hilltops. It is separated from Crete by a lagoon and the beaches are some of the best anywhere in Greece. When you're not reminding me to smile, I'm sure you'll enjoy exploring.'

‘And he
owns
this island? So tourists can't visit.'

‘That's right. It belongs to my family.'

Lily looked at him doubtfully. ‘How many guests will there be?'

‘Does it matter?'

‘I wondered, that's all.' She wanted to ask where they'd be sleeping but decided that if his father could afford a private island then presumably there wasn't a shortage of beds. ‘I need to go shopping.'

‘Given that you are doing me a favour, I insist you allow me to take care of that side of things.'

‘No. Apart from last night, which wasn't real, I buy my own clothes. But thanks.'

‘Last night didn't feel real?' He gave her a long, penetrating look and she felt heat rush into her cheeks as she remembered all the very real things he'd done to her and she'd done to him.

‘I mean it wasn't really my life. More like a dreamy moment you know is never going to happen again.' Realising it was long past time she kept her mouth shut, she gave a weak smile. ‘I'll buy or borrow clothes, don't worry. I'm good at putting together a wardrobe. Colours are my thing. The secret is to accessorise. I won't embarrass you even if we're surrounded by people dressed head to toe in Prada.'

‘That possibility didn't enter my head. My concern was purely about the pressure on your budget.'

‘I'm creative. It's not a problem.' She remembered she was wearing his shirt. ‘I'll return this, obviously.'

A smile flickered at the corners of his mouth. ‘It looks better on you than it does on me. Keep it.'

His gaze collided with hers and suddenly it was hard to breathe. Sexual tension simmered in the air and she was acutely aware of the oppressive heat in the small room that had no air conditioning. Blistering, blinding awareness clouded her vision until the only thing in her world was him. She wanted so badly to touch him. She wanted to lean into that muscled power, rip off those clothes and beg him to do all the things he'd done to her the night before. Shaken, she assumed she was alone in feeling that way and then saw something flare in his eyes and knew she wasn't. He was sexually aroused and thinking all the things she was thinking.

‘Nik—'

‘Saturday.' His tone was thickened, his eyes a dark, dangerous black. ‘I will pick you up at eight a.m.'

She watched him leave, wondering what the rules of engagement were when one night wasn't enough.

CHAPTER SIX

N
IK
PUT
HIS
foot down and pushed the Ferrari to its limits on the empty road that led to the north-western tip of Crete.

He spent the majority of his time at the ZervaCo offices in San Francisco. When he returned to Crete it was to his villa on the beach near Chania, not to the island that had been his home growing up.

For reasons he tried not to think about, he'd avoided the place for the past few years and the closer he got to their destination, the blacker his mood.

Lily, by contrast, was visibly excited. She'd been waiting on the street when he'd arrived, her bag by her feet and she'd proceeded to question him non-stop. ‘So will this be like
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
? I loved that movie. Will there be dancing? Brittany and I have been learning the
kalamatianós
at the
taverna
near our apartment so I should be able to join in as long as no one minds losing their toes.' She hummed a Greek tune to herself and he sent her an exasperated look.

‘Are you ever
not
cheerful?'

The humming stopped and she glanced at him. ‘You want me to be miserable? Did I misunderstand the brief, because I thought I was supposed to be the sunshine to your thundercloud. I didn't realise I had to be a thundercloud, too.'

Despite his mood, he found himself smiling. ‘Are you capable of being a thundercloud?'

‘I'm human. I have my low moments, same as anyone.'

‘Tell me your last low moment.'

‘No, because then I might cry and you'd dump me by the side of the road and leave me to be pecked to death by buzzards.' She gave him a cheery smile. ‘This is the point where you reassure me that you wouldn't leave me by the side of the road, and that there are no buzzards in Crete.'

‘There are buzzards. Crete has a varied habitat. We have vultures, Golden Eagle, kestrel—' he slowed down as he approached a narrow section of the road ‘—but I have no intention of leaving you by the side of the road.'

‘I'd like to think that decision is driven by your inherent good nature and kindness towards your fellow man, but I'm pretty sure it's because you don't want to have to go to this wedding alone.'

‘You're right. My actions are almost always driven by self-interest.'

‘I don't understand you at all. I love weddings.'

‘Even when you don't know the people involved?'

‘I support the principle. I think it's lovely that your father is getting married again.'

Nik struggled to subdue a rush of emotion. ‘It is not lovely that he is getting married again. It's ill advised.'

‘That's your opinion. But it isn't what
you
think that matters, is it? It's what
he
thinks.' She spoke with gentle emphasis. ‘And he thinks it's a good idea. For the record, I think it says a lot about a person that he is prepared to get married again.'

‘It does.' As they hit a straight section of road, he pushed the car to its limits and the engine gave a throaty roar. ‘It says he's a man with an inability to learn from his mistakes.'

‘I don't see it that way.' Her hair whipped around her face and she anchored it with her hand and lifted her face to the sun. ‘I think it shows optimism and I love that.'

Hearing the breathy, happy note in her voice he shook his head. ‘Lily, how have you survived in this world without being eaten alive by unscrupulous people determined to take advantage of you?'

‘I've been hurt on many occasions.'

‘That doesn't surprise me.'

‘It's part of life. I'm not going to let it shatter my belief in human nature. I'm an optimist. And what would it mean to give up? That would be like saying that love isn't out there, that it doesn't exist, and how depressing would
that
be?'

Nik, who lived his life firmly of the conviction that love didn't exist, didn't find it remotely depressing. To him, it was simply fact. ‘Clearly you are the perfect wedding guest. You could set up a business, weddingguests.com. Optimists-R-us. You could be the guaranteed smile at every wedding.'

‘Your cynicism is deeply depressing.'

‘Your optimism is deeply concerning.'

‘I prefer to think of it as inspiring. I don't want to be one of those people who think that a challenging past has to mean a challenging future.'

‘You had a challenging past?' He remembered that she'd mentioned being brought up in foster care and hoped she wasn't about to give him the whole story.

She didn't. Instead she shrugged and kept her eyes straight ahead. ‘It was a bit like a bad version of
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
. I was never “just right” for anyone, but that was my bad luck. I didn't meet the right family. Doesn't mean I don't believe there are loads of great families out there.'

‘Doesn't what happened to you cause you to question the validity of any of these emotions you feel? The fact that the last guy lied to you
and
his wife doesn't put you off relationships?'

‘It was one guy. I know enough about statistics to know you can't draw a reliable conclusion from a sample of one.' She frowned. ‘If I'm honest, I'm working from a bigger sample than that because he's the third relationship I've had, but I still don't think you can make a judgement on the opposite sex based on the behaviour of a few.'

Nik, who had done exactly that, stayed silent and of course she noticed because she was nothing if not observant.

‘Put it this way—if I'm bitten by a shark am I going to avoid swimming in the sea? I could, but then I'd be depriving myself of one of my favourite activities so instead I choose to carry on swimming and be a little more alert. Life isn't always about taking the safe option. Risk has to be balanced against the joy of living. I call it being receptive.'

‘I call it being ridiculously naïve.'

She looked affronted. ‘You're cross and irritable because you're not looking forward to this, but there is no reason to take it out on me. I'm here as a volunteer, remember?'

‘You're right. I apologise.'

‘Accepted. But for your father's sake you need to work on your body language. If you think you're a thundercloud you're deluding yourself because right now you're more of a tropical cyclone. You have to stop being judgemental and embrace what's happening.'

Nik took the sharp right-hand turn that led down to the beach and the private ferry. ‘I am finding it hard to embrace something I know to be a mistake. It's like watching someone driving their car full speed towards a brick wall and not trying to do something to stop it.'

‘You don't know it's a mistake,' she said calmly. ‘And even if it is, he's an adult and should be allowed to make his own decisions. Now smile.'

He pulled in, killed the engine and turned to look at her.

Those unusual violet eyes reminded him of the spring flowers that grew high in the mountains. ‘I will not be so hypocritical as to pretend I am pleased, but I promise not to spoil the moment.'

‘If you don't smile then you
will
spoil the moment! Poor Diandra might take one look at your face and decide she doesn't want to marry into your family and then your father would be heartbroken. I can't believe I'm saying this, but be hypocritical if that's what it takes to make you smile.'

‘Poor Diandra will not be poor for long so I think it unlikely she'll let anything stand in the way of her wedding, even my intimidating presence.'

Her eyes widened. ‘Is that what this is about? You think she's after his money?'

‘I have no idea but I'd be a fool not to consider it.' Nik saw no reason to be anything but honest. ‘He is mega wealthy. She was his cook.'

‘What does her occupation have to do with it? Love is about people, not professions. And I find it very offensive that you'd even think that. You can't judge a person based on their income. I know plenty of wealthy people who are slimeballs. In fact if we're going with stereotypes here, I'd say that generally speaking in order to amass great wealth you have to be prepared to be pretty ruthless. There are plenty of wealthy people who aren't that nice.'

Nik, who had never aspired to be ‘nice', was careful not to let his expression change. ‘Are you calling me a slimeball?'

‘I'm simply pointing out that income isn't an indicator of a person's worth.'

‘You mean because you don't know the level of expenditure?'

‘No! Why is everything about money with you? I'm talking about
emotional
worth. Your father told me about Diandra. He was ill with flu last winter after Callie left. He was so ill at one point he couldn't drag himself from the bed. I sympathised because it happened to me once and I hope I never get flu again. Anyway, Diandra cared for him the whole time. She was the one who called the doctor. She made all his meals. That was kind, don't you think?'

‘Or opportunistic.'

‘If you carry on thinking like that you are going to die lonely. He met her when she cooked him her special moussaka to try and tempt him to eat. I
love
that he doesn't care what she does.'

‘He should care. She stands to gain an enormous amount financially from this wedding.'

‘That's horrible.'

‘It is truly horrible. Finally we find something we agree on.'

‘I wasn't agreeing with you! It's your attitude that's horrible, not this wedding. You're not only a judgemental cynic, you're also a raging snob.'

Nik breathed deeply. ‘I am not a raging snob, but I am realistic.'

‘No, what you are is damaged. Not everything has a price, Nik, and there are things in life that are far more important than money. Your father is trying to make a family and I think that's admirable.' She fumbled with the seat belt. ‘Get me out of this car before I'm contaminated by you. Your thundercloud is about to rain all over my sunny patch of life.'

Your father is trying to make a family.

Nik thought about everything that had gone before.

He'd buried the pain and hurt deep and it was something he had never talked about with anyone, especially not his father, who had his own pain to deal with. What would happen when this relationship collapsed?

‘If my father entered relationships with some degree of caution and objective contemplation then I would be less concerned, but he makes the same mistake you make. He confuses physical intimacy with love.' He saw the colour streak across her cheeks.

‘I'm not confused. Have I spun fairy tales about the night we spent together? Have I fallen in love with you? No. I know exactly what it was and what we did. You're in a little compartment in my brain labelled “Once in a Lifetime Experiences” along with skydiving and a helicopter flight over the New York skyline. It was amazing by the way.'

‘The helicopter flight was amazing?'

‘No, I haven't done that yet. I was talking about the night with you, although there were moments that felt as nerve-racking as skydiving.' Her mouth tilted into a self-conscious smile. ‘Of course it's also a little embarrassing looking at you in daylight after all those things we did in the dark, but I'm trying not to think about it. Now stop being annoying. In fact, stop talking for a while. That way I'm less likely to kill you before we arrive.'

Nik refrained from pointing out she'd been the only one in the dark. He'd had perfect vision and he'd used it to his own shameless advantage. There wasn't a single corner of her body he hadn't explored and the memory of every delicious curve was welded in his brain.

He tried to work out what it was about her that was so appealing. Innocence wasn't a quality he generally admired in a person so he had to assume the power of the attraction stemmed from the sheer novelty of being with someone who had managed to retain such an untarnished view of the world.

‘Are you embarrassed about the night we spent together?'

‘I would be if I thought about it, so I'm not thinking about it. I'm living in the moment.' Having offered that simple solution to the problem, she reached into the back of the car for her hat. ‘You could take the same approach to the wedding. You're not here to fix it or protect anyone. You're here as a guest and your only responsibility is to smile and look happy. Is this it? Are we here? Because I don't see an island. Maybe your father might have changed the venue when he saw the black cloud of your presence approaching over the horizon.'

Nik dragged his gaze from her mouth to the jetty. ‘This is it. From here, we go by boat.'

* * *

Lily stood in the prow of the boat feeling the cool brush of the wind on her face and tasting the salty air. The boat skimmed and bounced over the sparkling ocean towards the large island in the distance, sending a light spray over her face and tangling her hair.

Nik stood behind the wheel, legs braced, eyes hidden behind a pair of dark glasses. Despite the unsmiling set of his mouth, he looked more approachable and less the hard-headed businessman.

‘This is so much fun. I think I might love it more than your Ferrari.'

He gave a smile that turned him from insanely good-looking to devastating, and she felt the intensity of the attraction like a physical punch.

It was true he didn't seem to display any of the family values that were so important to her, but that didn't do anything to diminish the sexual attraction.

As far as she could tell, he couldn't be more perfect for a short-term relationship.

For the whole trip in the car she'd been aware of him. As he'd shifted gear his hand had brushed against her bare thigh and she'd discovered that being with him was an exciting, exhilarating experience that was like nothing she'd experienced before.