Adonis in Athens - Page 26

Apollo shook hands with Fabrizio and Maria, and stood with his arm around Paige as their car disappeared down the busy street.

“You did it!” she whispered happily in his ear.

“We did it!” He turned to kiss her soundly on the lips.

“Is it really a done deal?” Her eyes shone with happiness for him. “I mean, is it possible they go home tonight and change their minds?”

He shrugged as they waited for his car to come up. “Anything is possible, but not likely. Pio’s been in the industry a long time and is known to be a straight shooter—tough as nails, but honest and fair. I doubt he would give me a handshake with a definitive answer and then jerk me around.”

“I’m so excited for you!” she said.

“Baby, it was all you.” He bent to kiss her and she moved up against him.

“You’ve never called me baby before,” she murmured.

“Don’t you like it?”

“I like koukla better, but with your accent, baby is really sexy.”

“Yeah?” His smoldering eyes met hers and he felt the twitch in his slacks that reminded him how badly he wanted her. “So when I make you come tonight, which one do you want me to use?”

Her breath hitched in anticipation but she didn’t break his gaze as she whispered, “Both of them.”

He drove home on autopilot—although downtown Athens on a Saturday night always required at least a little concentration—thinking about all the different ways she’d made him happy in just two days. She continued to surprise him, and he wasn’t sure why. He’d known she was special the moment they met, so his reluctance to admit that she was the one for him had to stem from a subconscious fear that she didn’t feel the same. She wanted him—the sexual tension was practically palpable—but she was holding back. She still hadn’t even entertained the possibility of staying in Greece, and that’s what scared him. He knew two days wasn’t nearly enough time to decide to spend the rest of your life with someone, but he couldn’t imagine letting her go now that he had her back. Convincing her to stay would be something else entirely, though.

“Did you call Melina?” she asked as they drove. “You promised you’d tell her what happened.”

“I sent her a text,” he smiled. “And told her I was taking the morning off unless Pio or Fabrizio called.”

“Are we sleeping in?” she asked innocently.

“We don’t have to sleep,” he shrugged. “But you’re going to be tired.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she pretended to look confused. “But I do need to make a phone call when we get home. If you want me to stay a little longer, I have to talk to my boss. I sent an email but he hasn’t responded.”

“Of course,” he replied. “You should take care of that right away.”

His plan had been to carry her up the stairs and ravage her, but getting her to stay in Greece longer was more important and he respected her wish to be up front with her boss. He wasn’t sure what his plan would be if her boss refused and she tried to leave in two days, but if he had to, he’d get on the flight with her and spend a week or two in Vegas. Once this contract was inked, he’d deserve a week’s vacation.

They walked inside and he led her to his office. He booted up his computer and told her to log in to anything she liked before he headed upstairs to give her privacy. He hung up his suit and lounged against the pillows on the bed, pulling out his phone to check messages; three from Melina, one from Tasos, and two from his mother. He would have to talk to his mother soon—he’d been avoiding her since Paige had arrived—but certainly not this late. It was after midnight and the only thing on his mind tonight was Paige. Though he desperately wanted to be inside her and make her scream his name a few times, it wasn’t truly about sex. He just wanted to be with her, continue getting to know her and enjoying the little nuances that made her special. Sex would come; of that he was sure.

He heard her steps on the stairs and put down his phone, surprised to see her dejected face when she came through the door. She kicked off her shoes and threw herself down on the bed, resting on her stomach and folding her arms under her head.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Weren’t you granted any more time?”

She made a face. “My fucking ex! Ugh!” She sat up, sitting back on her haunches and folding her arms across her chest.

“What happened?” He had an uncomfortable feeling in his gut, but didn’t want her to see it.

“The way we met was through my job. The first week I started the team had an open house, where we invited local businesses and celebrities to a special evening. The players were all there and they turned on the charm, a total booze fest intended to sell VIP boxes and top-of-the-line season ticket packages. Tom was already a rising star accountant at his firm, and when one of the junior partners couldn’t go because one of his kids was sick, Tom took his place. He zoomed in on me the moment he saw me and when I told him I wouldn’t go out with him, he said he’d get his firm to sponsor a box in exchange for one date—no sex, no pressure, just that I would give him a chance and get to know him.”

Apollo shook his head. “And of course you said yes, because for a brand new employee in the sales department, that kind of sale immediately gave you status.”

She nodded. “And he’s a genuinely nice guy. I’m not in love with him, but it’s not because he’s an asshole or anything… I just don’t think he’s the right guy for me.”

“That makes sense.” He already hated this Tom guy, but the last thing he wanted to do was behave like a possessive jerk.

“Anyway, apparently Tom is trying that again. He’s a junior partner now and he called today to talk to me. When he got my voice mail message stating that I’m on vacation, he called my boss and said that his firm was interested in two sets of premium season tickets—but the catch is that he and his partners want me to go in and personally make the presentation.”