The Vampire and the Virgin (8 page)

minute she was basking in the warm glow of her attraction to Robby, and another, she was backing off in cold

fear. “I told him about my abilities.”

“How did he take it?”

“He…seemed all right with it.”

“
Seemed?
Couldn’t you tell how he was feeling?”

“No, I couldn’t.” Olivia strode to the table. “Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever met anyone you

couldn’t read?”

Eleni shook her head slowly. “No. Never.”

A chill tickled the back of Olivia’s neck. “Doesn’t that strike you as really strange?”

“I suppose. This is…making you fear him?”

With a groan, Olivia sat and rested her elbows on the table. “A little, yes. I thought if I told him I could detect

lies, he would make a run for it. But he didn’t.”

“You tried on purpose to scare him away?”

“Yes.”

Eleni regarded her with narrowed eyes. “Child, you’re not making any sense. Didn’t you tell me you have

trouble dating because you always know when a man is lying?”

“Yes.”

“So you don’t want to date men you can read, and now you don’t want to date the man you can’t read. You

have two choices, and you’re rejecting them both.”

Olivia winced. She hated to admit it, but Yia Yia was making a good point. “I didn’t realize I would ever have a

choice. Robby caught me completely off guard. I simply reacted emotionally.”

“With fear.”

“Yes, with fear. It was scary as hell!”

“Watch your language, young lady.”

Olivia groaned and rubbed her forehead. “I need to analyze the situation and figure out the pros and cons, so I

can arrive at a logical course of—”

“Child,” Eleni interrupted her. “Sometimes, you don’t need to think.”

“I always think things through. I’ve spent years honing my ability to analyze any given—”

“Do you like him?” Eleni asked.

“Yes, but—”

“You find him attractive?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then, it’s settled.” Eleni waved a hand in dismissal. “There are no buts.”

“There are, too! I don’t know if I can trust him. I don’t know what he’s feeling.”

Eleni shrugged and started rolling another grape leaf. “He came to see you because he wanted to meet you.

That means he was attracted to you. Did he ask to see you again?”

“Yes. Tonight.”

“Then he is still attracted to you. It’s not brain surgery, you know.”

Olivia slumped in her chair. Was she overanalyzing again? “I won’t know if he lies to me.”

Eleni arranged her finished grape leaves in the bottom of a pot. “I loved your grandfather dearly, and he loved

me. But there were days, bad days when I could feel more anger or resentment from him than love, and it would

hurt something terrible.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

Eleni sighed. “I never speak of it because over the years he always stayed faithful. He always found a way to

keep on loving me. But it was hard. There were times when I wished I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. So what

keep on loving me. But it was hard. There were times when I wished I couldn’t tell what he was feeling. So what

I’m saying is this could be a blessing for you.”

Olivia swallowed hard. “I don’t know. I still think it’s scary.”

“Of course it is.” Eleni went back to stuffing grape leaves. “Everything worthwhile is scary.”

“You think I should continue to see him?”

Eleni huffed. “I think you should help me with the cooking. I still have my hopes for Spiro. And my friend, Alexia

—she’s hoping you’ll fall for her son, Giorgios.”

Olivia smiled and reached for a grape leaf. She didn’t care how handsome the Greek men were. They

couldn’t compare to Robby MacKay.

Robby had said she was brave and beautiful. There wasn’t a whole lot she could do about her looks, but she

could work on being brave. Tonight she’d see him again. And if he tried to kiss her, she wouldn’t chicken out.

could work on being brave. Tonight she’d see him again. And if he tried to kiss her, she wouldn’t chicken out.

S
hortly after sunset, Robby met Carlos in the garden at Roman’s villa for their weekly

sparring match. Barefoot, bare-chested, and dressed in white martial-arts pants, they bowed to each other on

the rectangular-shaped lawn. The nearly full moon shone down on them, casting Carlos’s shadow across the

green grass, but not Robby’s.

At the back of the garden, a row of white stone columns gleamed in the moonlight as they stood guard at the

head of the reflection pool. The scent of roses and gardenias filled the air, and Robby glanced quickly at the

flower beds, wondering if he should pick a bouquet for Olivia.

His attention snapped back to Carlos as the were-panther began to shift his weight back and forth. Robby

had learned not to underestimate him.

“I could beat you easily if I shifted,” the Brazilian boasted as he danced around the garden’s perimeter.

“I could beat you easily in my sleep. If I slept.”

“Too bad you can’t dream about your angel,” Carlos said, his amber eyes twinkling. “I know her name.”

Robby frowned as he pivoted to keep Carlos in view. He didn’t recall mentioning Olivia by name. After meeting

her the night before, he’d returned to the villa to investigate her on Roman’s computer. She was employed by

the FBI as a professional consultant and stationed in Kansas City. She’d earned a master’s degree at the

University of Texas. She was twenty-four and the oldest of three children. Her family resided in Houston, Texas,

where her father worked as a geologist for an oil company.

Just as the sun neared the horizon, Robby had finished compiling all the information into one report. He’d

clicked on Print, then stumbled off to his bedroom for his death-sleep.

Now, he narrowed his eyes. “Ye looked at my private papers.”

“What do you expect me to do all day while you’re playing dead?” Carlos feigned an attack, then jumped back,

grinning. “I’m a good investigator, too, you know. So out of the goodness of my heart, I decided to help you.”

“Hell, no. Stay out of my business.”

Carlos shrugged with a nonchalant look. “Fine. I guess you don’t want to hear what I learned today.”

The bastard. Robby was contemplating how to get Carlos to talk when the wily were-panther suddenly

pounced forward with a flying kick.

He dodged it just in time.

Carlos chuckled as he pranced backward in retreat. “Ooh,
muchacho
. That was close.”

“Talk.”

“Yes, sir. Lovely weather we’ve been having.”

“About Olivia, ye bloody hellcat!”

Carlos laughed. “Well, if you insist.” He crouched low as he circled Robby. “I went shopping for supplies

around noon, and everyone in Grikos was talking about the beautiful American girl who’s come to visit her old

widowed grandmother.”

So the four burly uncles were actually one frail old woman. Robby swiveled to keep up with Carlos. “Go on.”

“The grandmother is Eleni Sotiris, and apparently she has some odd empathic abilities. The rumor is that

Olivia shares the same gift.”

Robby shrugged one shoulder. “I already know about that.”

“Oh.” Carlos gave him a sly look. “Then I guess you also know that the grandmother’s looking for a nice

Greek boy to marry Olivia.”

Robby stiffened. The thought of Olivia marrying another man was…wrong. More than wrong. It was infuriating.

Too late, he realized Carlos had made his move, and he leaped to the side. The kick that would have struck him

in the chest landed on his arm.

Bugger. It smarted, but Robby would never admit it. He deserved the pain for letting Carlos distract him.

“One point for me,” Carlos announced.

“Aye, though ye had to resort to trickery and lies.”

“I’m telling the truth,
muchacho
. If you go to the taverna in Grikos, you’ll find them laying bets on which guy

will win Olivia’s heart. So far, the leading contenders are Giorgios, Dimitrios, and Spiro.”

Robby gulped. He was competing with three men? Men who could see Olivia during the day, who could court

her while he lay useless in his death-sleep.

her while he lay useless in his death-sleep.

A surge of possessiveness grabbed hold of him. Dammit, he wanted her for himself. But what on earth did

he have to offer her? Could he in clear conscience woo Olivia, knowing it could eventually be a death sentence

for her?

Carlos spun and aimed a roundhouse kick at Robby’s chest. With vampire speed, he seized Carlos’s leg

and hurled him through the air.

Carlos fell on his rump. “Umph.”

Robby cocked an eyebrow. “I thought cats always landed on their feet.”

Carlos snorted, then rolled onto his back and leaped forward into a standing position. “One point for you, Big

Red.”

“What do ye know of the three men?” Robby moved forward, forcing the were-panther to retreat toward the

reflection pool.

Carlos grinned. “How badly do you want to know?”

“Enough to rip yer arms off if ye continue to play cat and mouse with me.”

“You can’t blame me for acting like a cat.” Carlos feinted to the right, then danced to the left. “I heard the

grandmother favors Spiro. He’s a goat herder.”

“A goat herder?”

“A very good-looking one. I’ve seen him.”

Robby couldn’t imagine Olivia being content to live out the rest of her days on an island with a goat herder.

Even though he was undead, he could show her the world. He could help her with her work at the FBI. Thanks

to Roman’s scientific breakthrough, he could even father children. Surely he was better suited for her than a

goat herder.

But a goat herder could be with her during the day. Or maybe not. Didn’t he have to be with his goats? The

more Robby considered it, the more he decided he had a fighting chance.

“I saw her, too.” Carlos snuck behind Robby.

He pivoted. “Ye saw Olivia?”

“Oh, yeah. I can see why you have the hots for her.” Carlos made sizzling sounds while he wiped his hands

on his hips.

Robby’s hands curled into fists.

“I saw her and her grandmother coming out of the butcher’s shop. Man, what a rack!”

With a growl, Robby lunged forward at vampire speed and seized Carlos by the neck.

“Rack of lamb,” Carlos squeaked. “That’s what they bought.”

Robby eased his grip. “Ye’d better have nine lives, ye mangy cat, for I canna allow you to insult…Olivia.” With a

shock, he realized he’d come damned close to saying “my woman.” Somehow in just a few nights, he’d

become obsessed with her. He still managed to be realistic, though. There was so much he didn’t know about

her. What if she couldn’t be trusted? An employee from the FBI might be more inclined to kill a vampire than

date one. He didn’t want to fall in love just to have his heart crushed with betrayal.

Carlos cocked an eyebrow. “How many lives do you have,
muchacho
?”

Robby felt a slight jab in his stomach and glanced down to discover a knife pointed at his belly. “Ye brought a

weapon? That’s cheating.”

“You think a Malcontent’s going to fight fair?” Carlos smirked. “I win.”

“Nay.” Robby gave the were-panther’s throat a slight squeeze. “I could have pinched yer head off. I win.”

“I would have stabbed you first.” Carlos gave him a little poke. “I win.”

With vampire speed, Robby seized the knife and tossed it away. Before Carlos could even object, Robby

picked him up and dropped him with a splash in the reflection pool.

“Merda,”
Carlos growled.

“
I
win.” With a smile, Robby grabbed the fallen knife and circled the garden, cutting flowers.

“The mighty warrior gathering flowers.” Carlos climbed out of the reflection pool, his white pants dripping.

“You are so owned.” He walked over to Robby, then shook his head vigorously, causing water to fly off his long

black hair and shower Robby. “Take that.”

Robby continued to smile. He was going to shower anyway before his date with Olivia.

“Did you see him?” Eleni asked as she fixed herself some tea. “Is he coming?”

“Not yet.” Olivia shut the back door behind her. She’d just checked the beach, but no sign of Robby.

Eleni yawned. “It’s after eleven. Why does he keep such late hours?”

“I don’t know.” Olivia had mixed feelings about her grandmother’s insistence on meeting Robby. No doubt

she intended to interrogate him. “You don’t have to stay up, you know.”

“Of course I do. I have to make sure this young man is a decent sort.” Eleni set her mug on the kitchen table

with a
clunk
. “He should court you at a proper time.”

“He’s not courting me.”

Eleni snorted. “He’d better be. If he can’t see what a prize you are, then—” Her eyes widened. “Is that him?”

Olivia whirled to look out the windowpane in the back door. There was a man in the courtyard, standing with

Olivia whirled to look out the windowpane in the back door. There was a man in the courtyard, standing with

his back to them. Moonlight glinted off his red hair.
Robby
. Her heart began to pound. How thrilling…and

confusing. She’d just checked the beach and it had been empty. How had he arrived here so fast?

Eleni scurried to the kitchen window and peered out. “
Agios Kyrios
, he’s a big man. Looks very strong.”

“Yes.” Olivia hesitated with her hand on the doorknob. He must be waiting for her to join him. “Can you sense

his emotions?”

Eleni tilted her head, concentrating. “No, I can’t.” She slanted a sly grin at her granddaughter. “I’ve never met a