Tall Dark Handsome Lycan (8 page)

Sam took the pad with one hand and extended her other hand.
“I’m Samantha Hope. Please call me Sam.”

He smiled shyly.
“I’m Alekos Karadimos, but everyone calls me Alek.”

“Alek.
What a nice name. You speak English so well.”

He shrugged casually.
“My mom was Canadian.”

Sam waited, expecting him to say more, but when he remained silent
, she looked down at his drawing and an immediate thread of excitement ran up her back.  This kid was talented, she thought. He needed to hone his craft, but she could see a diamond in the rough. “It’s fabulous. You’ve done a great job capturing the froth where the waves come down. That’s very hard to do with a ballpoint pen. Alek, I’m really impressed,” she added, smiling up at him.  She could tell he was pleased.

“
Thanks, but I’m having trouble with the edge of the water and the sky.” He pointed to the horizon. “See where they meet? It looks like a streak of silver, all shiny. It kind of glows and I can’t get that.” He must have mistaken Sam’s intent listening for disinterest because he shrugged self-consciously. “It doesn’t matter.  It’s just a stupid picture.”

Sam shook her head quickly.
  “No, don’t say that. It’s lovely. Alek, I know what you’re trying to say. You want that shimmery look. I can help you. First, as talented as you are, that’s a tough thing to capture with a pen.  The charcoal will help, but you’ll need to angle it properly.” She flipped his page to a blank one. “I’ll draw it here and you can use it as a guide. I don’t want to draw directly on your picture. You have a very distinct hand.”

Surprise lit his young face.
“Are you an artist?”

It was Sam’s turn to shrug.
“I sketch when I can. It’s a hobby.  Come, sit next to me so you can see what I do,” she murmured as she began to draw.

Alek
sat next to her, and within a few swirls of her hand, a scene of the horizon appeared with the silvery look and feel of the light touching the water.

“
You did that in three minutes. You
are
an artist,” he said, his brown gaze glued to her picture.

Sam laughed softly.
“Hardly, but I love to draw.”

Alek
looked at her shyly. “Can…can you do that again so I can see exactly what you did?”

“Sure.
It would be my pleasure.”

And for the next two hours she drew another four pictures for him of different aspects of the beach
while Alek asked her tons of questions.

“Hey, thanks,” he said again.

“It’s wasn’t any trouble, Alek.” She reached into her bag and took out the two apples Maria had given her to bring to the beach. “Do you want an apple?” She handed him one without waiting for him to reply and she noticed how quickly he ate it. He seemed hungry, and Sam’s sixth sense started to rise. She took a closer look at him and noticed his dark hair hadn’t seen shampoo in a week and his hands were dirty. “Are you here alone, Alek?” She asked gently.

“Yeah.”

“Do you come to this beach often to draw?”

“Only when I can get away.”

She didn’t want to press him. “I’m here on vacation. I love Greece. The weather is remarkable.”

He shrugged indifferently.
“I guess.”

“You must be hot in those jeans.
You don’t like to swim?”

“I don’t have a bathing suit.”

Tread carefully, Sam told herself. “Your parents should get you one. I can’t imagine living near a beach like this and not owning a bathing suit.” Sam crossed her fingers and hoped he’d answer.

He
stared at the last picture she drew for him and said quietly, “I don’t have parents.  I live in the orphanage on the hill.”

“I’m sorry, Alek,” she said softly
, but she had expected that.  It was all crystal clear to her now, and she wondered why she hadn’t picked up on it when she had first seen him on the beach. The only explanation she came up with was that she’d been thinking about Leo at the time.
It disturbed her to realize how he affected her so much even when he wasn’t around. It bothered her even more that she hadn’t even been able to spot a troubled boy.

“It’s no big deal,” Alek said.
“I don’t need anyone.”

He sounded like so many of the kids her parents had welcomed into their fam
ily as foster children, and of the children who came to Somerset’s orphanage.

He rose abruptly.  “I gotto go.”

“All right, but promise you’ll come back tomorrow. I’ll pack us both a lunch and we can draw some more.”

His face lit up at th
at prospect. “Okay.”

“Promise?”
She asked again as she rose and pulled her shorts and top out of her bag.  Quickly, she slipped them on.  Oh my God, she was running late and she’d promised Maria she had nothing to worry about.

“
I’ll be here tomorrow,” Alek said.

S
he gathered all her things. “Great. If something happens and you can’t make it, I’m at the villa just a couple of miles up the road. You can’t miss it. Go down the private road across the street from the tavern with blue tables out front.”

Alek nodded. “Okay.”

She held out her hand. “Alek, it was a pleasure meeting you and I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

His face turned red, but he grinned for the first time.
“Me too. Bye, Sam.”        

                                          
* * * *

Mo
st of the walk back to the house was uphill and the sun was beating down her face the entire way. By the time Sam reached the front door, she was exhausted. Her face was flushed, her T-shirt clung to her with perspiration, and she panted as she pushed the door open.

“I can’t believe I didn’t pack a water bottle,” she muttered under her breath.

She stepped into the great hall and nearly collided into Leo. A dark frown appeared above his brows as he took in her state.

“Yes.
Water would have been a wise choice,” he remarked, taking in her parched, dishevelled appearance. “I told you the Volvo was available any time you needed it.”

Sam tried to smile, but she needed water, and she needed it fast.
“Thank you. I think I’ll be using it next time.”

His expression softened as he gave her an approving
look. “A tan suits you.”

“Thanks.
Toni kept saying how pale I was.  Now she’ll be happy when she sees me.”

“I
am on my way out for a few hours. I have a business meeting, but I will be back in time for dinner at six. My parents should be arriving at the same time.” His gaze went to her tote bag. “Leave your bag with me. I will bring it up to your room while you go into the kitchen.  We have bottled water and juice in the fridge.  Or soda, if you prefer.”

She nestled her bag more securely around her shoulder.
“No, thank you. I’ll take it up, but I will take your suggestion and drink something.”

“
How will you spend the rest of the afternoon?”

She didn’t want to tell him she was going to make dinner in case Maria hadn’t mentioned
it to him. Instead, she said, “Nothing too special. I might go into the town and visit the shops.”

He nodded.
“I will see you later, then.”

Sam watched his retreating back as he made his way out the door.
If she hurried, she had just enough time to shower, prepare and cook dinner, and set the table.

                                                 
* * * *

Everything went without a hitch.
Sam was in the kitchen with Maria and Leo and his parents, whom Sam had not met yet, were in the dining room.

“Thank you so much,” Maria said
, smiling. The older woman gave her a head to toe look. “And you look so pretty. In Greek we say
koukla
. That is a pretty dress and the white shows off the colour you got today.” She reached out for one of Sam’s long tresses and tucked a long curl behind her ear. “Such beautiful hair. You should leave it down more. No more buns, please. You are a young woman.”

Sam smiled.
It had taken her over thirty minutes to tame her wavy mane and she wore one of her favourite sundresses, a white, sleeveless dress with pretty little roses embroidered along the knee-length hem. Gold, strappy sandals complemented her outfit.

“
Efharisto
, Maria,” Sam said.

“You are very welcome.
Go now. Present yourself to his parents.”

Worry settled on Sam’s face. 
She wanted to make a nice impression on Leo’s parents—for John’s sake.

“Do not worry
. They will like you very much,” Maria said as if she’d read Sam’s mind.

“I hope so,” Sam murmured.

Consumed with nerves
, Sam made her way into the dining room. Leo rose from his seat at the head of the table the moment she entered.  He gave her a long look, his gaze resting a few moments longer on her hair.  Their gazes met and he smiled at her. Sam returned his smile, feeling an immediate sense of ease. She could tell he approved of her appearance.

“Sam, I would like you to meet my parents,” he said deeply, making his way toward her.

Sam looked at the couple seated at the table and stiffened for a brief moment.  My God!  They looked too young to be his parents.

Leo’s
father rose from his seat and stretched out his hand. He had Leo’s dark, handsome looks and an admiring twinkle in his eyes as he smiled at Sam.

“I
’m Harry. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Samantha,” he said. His voice was as rich and deep as his son’s and Sam felt an instant connection with the older man.

She shook his hand and smiled.
“The pleasure is mine. Thank you for allowing me to visit your beautiful home.”

Leo’s hand went to the small of her back and he directed her gently to his mother.
  His touch comforted her.

His mother did not
rise from her seat. She sat regally, her back erect as she eyed Sam imperially. She had a grand air about her, very poised and dignified, and Sam smiled nervously.  All of a sudden, his mother raised her face and Sam could have sworn the older woman sniffed the air.  Sam panicked as paranoia settled in.  She had showered well when she had returned from the beach, hadn’t she?   

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs
. Stefanos.”

“C
all me Christina,” she said haughtily. “Please sit down.”

Leo walked Sam to her sid
e of the table and seated her to his right, directly across from his mother. He held out her chair and Sam took it gratefully.

“How do you find our weather, Miss Hope?”
Christina began as she reached for her glass of red wine.

“Sam, please.”
She took the wine Leo offered her. “It’s lovely. I never realized how beautiful your country is, Mrs. Stef—Christina.”

“You’ve never
been to Greece before?” Harry asked politely.

“No.
I’ve never been abroad.”

Christina gave her a hard
look. “And the plane ride?”

Sam smiled.
“It was long, but I read a couple of magazines, finished a crossword puzzle, and took a nap. Toni told me the key to surviving a long trip on a plane is to keep yourself busy.”

Christina’s face tensed.
“She is correct. And how is my daughter, Sam? I trust married life is treating her well.”

“Toni
and John are very happy.”

“I understand they are living in a small abode and my daughter
—” She paused, her tone dropping distastefully, “
walks
to work.”

“
Yes. Somerset is a very small town.”

Christina turned to her son. “Leonidis.”

“Yes, mother.”

“Have you spoken to Toni about what we talked about?
That I want to buy her a car?”

“Yes, I
have.”

A tinge of exasperation darkened his mother’s face.
“What did she say?”

“She refused.”

Harry chuckled. “No doubt to annoy you, my dear wife.”

“Yes, no doubt,” Christina murmured and turned another hard
look on Sam. “Tell me, Sam—since you seem to be the only person my daughter gets along with these days—how did you two meet?”

Sam could
feel the tension mount between them and she realized the warm connection she had with Leo’s father was definitely lacking with his mother. “It was last winter and the sidewalks were icy. Toni had just arrived into town and she slipped outside on the pavement of my shop,
The Crystal Ball
. I took her to my brother’s— John’s—clinic, and he treated her sprain. We’ve been good friends ever since. She works in my shop with me now.”