The Summer Deal (14 page)

“Was there anybody in the car?” she asked, barely audible.

He shook his head side to side, took her hand, fluttering over his face, and kissed the inside of her palm before answering. “No, both cars were empty. Did you call the police?”

Sammy pulled a few inches from him and gave him the cordless phone crushed between them. The operator on the other end repeated in Greek, “...vehicles to the location of the call. Hello, what is the nature of your emergency?”

Demo confirmed their location and the events that had transpired. He disconnected and called the front desk, requesting the staff keep all guests out of the area.

They were still on the floor when Tony threw open the front door. He leaned on his knees, and with his chest heaving, he stared in shock. “What the hell happened here? Are you hurt?”

“No, we’re fine. Some idiot rammed the jeep, and the gas tanks exploded.”

“If you’re not hurt, go get dressed. I heard the cops pulling in at the front entrance.” Tony pointed out they were sitting practically naked on the floor. Demo still in his bathing suit and Sammy wrapped in a towel. Demo stood, but did not want to leave her.

“Go. I’ll look out for Sammy. I’ll be outside her door,” Tony insisted.

Demo went into his room and pulled on a t-shirt. Sammy appeared in a tank dress before he had enough time to cross the suite and reach her door. He took her hand and held it tight while he talked with his brother and the police officers. His thumb caressed the inside of her wrist, offering assurance that he was with her.

The fire department had secured the area and was examining the charred remains. The officials conducted interviews in Greek at Demo’s insistence. He didn’t want them to traumatize Sammy any further.

Before finalizing their questioning, a young detective asked Sammy directly, “Is there a reason someone would try to hurt you or your boyfriend?”

“No, I’ve only been in Greece a few days. I barely know anyone here.” Her voice was stronger, and she returned with a question of her own. “You believe this wasn’t an accident, that it was a malicious act?”

Her one question was answered by a flood of many more.

“We don’t know. It could have been an accident, but then why did the driver leave? Where is he now? Did you see anyone run from the scene?”

“I told you, she didn’t come outside. She’s done talking to you. Let her rest.” Demo led her to the veranda table and asked Tony to wait with her while he finished with the police.

Loud conversation followed for twenty more minutes, then Demo reappeared telling her they were leaving for the village tonight and asked her to finish preparing for the trip immediately. He motioned for his brother to join him.

Demo switched back to Greek.

“Two years ago, the
bastardo’s
brother’s car was rammed the same way. The brother went missing, but the car didn’t ignite like these. The vehicle hitting his brother’s was reported stolen weeks earlier. No explanation was given or conclusion ever reached.”

“Daniels was in Miami only a few days ago. He can’t be here.” Tony argued. “Plus, how would he learn where Sammy is?”

“This is too much of a coincidence to take a chance. And, if it was an accident, where is the driver?” Demo pounded the table with a heavy fist. “A car tailed us when we were going to Mano’s. At first, I wasn’t sure, so I made some unreasonable turns and the car followed. Eventually, I lost him.” Demo massaged his temples. “I never thought we’d have a problem here. I didn’t even consider keeping a security team on her while in Greece. Shit, he could’ve got to her when she was at
Koukouvagia
by herself. How could I’ve missed that?” Demo glared out over the water. “What the hell does he want with her?”

“He is wanted by the authorities.” Tony’s voice was low and steady. “They’ve issued the arrest warrants. He can’t get far.”

“Unless he’s already gone. I’m not willing to gamble on Sammy’s safety or peace of mind.” He leaned over the table and spoke in a whisper. “I’m taking her to Pappou’s
house in the village.”

“No way. Demo, you can’t. Grandpa’s place is archaic. It’s been closed up for years. It may not even have electricity or running water.”

“It does. Teddy has been using it when he goes hunting. Even if Daniels could find it on a map, no one will be able to come within miles of the village without us knowing about it.”

Tony stood and stared at his brother. “What do you think this is? 1944? What are you going to do? Shoot him with one of Pappou’s shot guns?”

“If he dares to come close.” Demo was not open to any other suggestions. “I’ve instructed the PI to contact you at eight in the morning and eight in the evening on a daily basis. I don’t know if my cell will work up there. You can try Thea Eleni’s phone, and if it doesn’t work, send Teddy every two days with updates.”

“You don’t need to go two and a half hours into the mountains. You can go to headquarters in Athens. The security is top notch—”

“It’s the first place he’ll check. No.”

“What are you going to tell Sammy?”

“I need to get away and relax while they re-fit the windows and clean up outside. It’s a peaceful spot, with no distractions, and she could study for her exam.”

“Listen, you do what you want big brother, but it won’t work if she looks at it as lying and not protecting.”

Tony warned him before about being honest with her, but he was not able to convince him to reveal the complete truth then, and he wouldn’t now.

“You turning into a sentimental guy?”

“No, just a smarter one than you,” Tony said, walking toward the door. “I’m going to pick up Zoë. Meet you at the port in an hour.”

Demo needed to protect Sammy and keep her safe. He would make sure he covered all the bases, and she would not be affected. Besides, they didn’t know if this was an accident.

Dismissing what his brother had said, he quickly packed his clothes. Sammy came into the room as he collected the textbooks into a box. Her face was pale and her eyes wide as she joined him and dusted the broken glass off the books. She dropped them on the table and began to pace the area.

Nervous laughter filled the room, and her hands covered her face. He stopped packing, and silently gathered her body, rattling with laughter, into his arms. He knew this was a defensive reaction from the stress and threat she felt.

“It’s supposed to be the summer of fun. The first and last time I let my hair down and let my inhibitions go. I was going to allow the energy of this
magical
place to carry me, and I wasn’t going to plan my every move. Things like that never work out for people like me.” In spite of the laughter, Sammy’s voice was mournful, her non-plans destroyed.

“Perfect,” he said, attempting an encouraging smile. “Letting my hair down and my inhibitions go for the summer is exactly what I had planned, too. We’ll have unplanned fun together.”

The nervous laughter continued. “That’s impossible. I wasn’t thinking amusement park fun. Anyway, I know you. My God, you’re my boss. It’s not practical.”

“We’ve been over this before. Do we need to go there again?”

He held her, smoothed her hair down her back, and thought how wrong she was. It was more than practical.

Why didn’t she see him as anything other than her employer?

He had his job cut out for him. But hard work never worried him, it would only make the reward that much sweeter.

He felt the tension build within her body, and was annoyed that he had been thinking of his needs and not hers. She came first, and right now, above all other things, he needed to keep her safe.

“Demo, I know you might think I’m overreacting, but I think Brad may be behind the accident. It reminded me of a night two years ago.”

“Daniels’s brother,” he said as relief spread through him. She nodded in acknowledgement. She knew, and he wouldn’t feel like a heel for keeping it from her. “I know,
koukla mou
. The same feeling has been plaguing me, too.”

“You said he’s in Miami, and I know that logically, I shouldn’t be worried. But I am. I wouldn’t put this hideous act past him. I feel like he did it to send a message that he’s here.”

Her fear tore at him, and he struggled not to tell her about the blue SUV.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly and burrowed into his embrace. “I’m scared, Demo.”

“I know, but I promise, I won’t let him near you. I will take care of it.” He kissed the top of her head and silently prayed that he would not let her down.

She snuggled closer, and he enveloped her into him. Once they were in the village, no one could get near her without clearing it with him first. Brad could never touch her there.

“Sammy, I finalized the plans for us to go to Pappou’s village tonight. You’ll be safe there, but modern amenities are limited. So if you need to take care of anything that requires phone or Internet, do it before we leave. Do you want to call home?”

“No, I spoke to my mother last night.” She pushed her hands against his chest, but he held her wrists, refusing to allow the distance. She met his gaze with concern. “You can’t leave and go to your grandfather’s home. Not when the amenities are so limited. What about work? We haven’t finished the files we were going to go over tonight. We won’t even have a computer there.”

“Stop thinking about work. I pay people a lot of money to do it, and I trust I’ve hired the right ones. You just finished saying you didn’t want this to be a practical summer. Let go—like you said— trust me, and enjoy the summer. It may not be a sandy beach in the mountains, but there is a river and an icy waterfall.”

“I feel guilty taking you from your life. You had plans and I’ve ruined them.” She scraped her lower lip with pearly white teeth, and he forgot about being proper.

He brushed his lips against hers, urging them to soften. “Perhaps you weren’t hearing me yesterday, but the only plan I have
is
to enjoy being with you.”

“It can’t be. I work for you, and we can’t have a personal relationship. It isn’t right. We made a mistake. We need to stop this now.”

“Okay, have it your way. You’re fired. File for unemployment when we get back.”

Her face was hot as he continued to trail kisses over her skin. He sealed his lips to hers and demanded entrance into her warmth. This was right. Sammy molded perfectly to him. They fit.

Lifting his head for a moment, he raised a dark brow in question. “Deal?”

He could feel the tension within her as she contemplated the possibilities, but there was still hesitation in her face. He continued to argue his case.

“Safety won’t be an issue where we’re going, and there are many benefits to being together. First, you have a qualified tour guide who speaks the language and knows the customs of the land. Second, you’re mind might be uncertain, but your body likes the idea.” He outlined her swollen breasts with his knuckles and feathered his thumb over her hard nipples.

Sammy didn’t move, she didn’t speak, but when he pressed against her, his length on her abdomen, she gasped. He took the opportunity to cover her open mouth again, and kissed her with a promise of the ecstasy he would deliver if she accepted him.

Maybe it was the danger that floated in the air, or maybe it was his protective male ego, but Demo needed to feel her. An overwhelming urge to possess her, to shield her, and to be with her consumed him. He was done denying it. He would have her.

“Third,” he said, cupping the rounds of her bottom, “I’m ready, willing and able.”

“I can see that,” she said in a throaty voice. She went on her toes and asked, her warm breath against his lips, “What happens in Greece, stays in Greece. Deal?”

“Unless we both agree to take it with us,” he said.

Sensing the awakening flames within her, he obliged her with a kiss, sealing their agreement. Sammy welcomed and encouraged him by running the tip of her tongue over his lips when he pulled away. Reclaiming her mouth, he indulged and intensified the act.

With o
ne hand on the small of her back, pressing for complete contact, the other working fervently to free her breast of the linen dress
,
h
e fondled the swollen globe, appreciating the taut pink peak on the tip.

Demo tasted the soft flesh, and then his lips closed, possessing one more tiny part of her. Hearing her breath catch, and seeing her head fall back, pleasured him and he ached to explore more of her body.

He roamed over her enticing flesh with starved lips and splaying hands.

Perfection.

Her flushed rosy skin was exquisite, created to make love. Demo claimed the softness of her neck with long, lazy kisses. He wanted to show her how much he cared, and he wanted her worries to melt away, as she melted, like chocolate, in his hands.

His palm caressed the curve of her thigh, committing the creamy texture to memory. Skimming over her center, Demo stroked the satiny barrier with a hunger he had not known before. Then moving the dress away, he cupped her moist core and felt a tremor run over her.

Need and desire crushed his chest. He wanted every inch of her, every sweet breath.