Adonis in Athens - Page 36

“Damn, I’m sorry.” She lifted to her feet and settled on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I can’t imagine how much this hurt you.”

“If he wanted to be part of this deal, because it was so big, I would have understood, but to set me up? Damn.” He ran a hand through his hair and then rested his head on her shoulder.

“Did you hang up on him?”

“Kind of. I said I had to go and then hung up—I’m a lot gentler with him since the stroke, you know? Greeks yell a lot, but watching him almost die changed that some.”

“I can imagine.”

They didn’t speak for a long time, as the sun rose higher in the sky and it got warmer. Finally, Paige stirred, getting to her feet and holding out her hands.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Shower.” She smiled. “You’re all sweaty and we smell like sex.”

He chuckled. “I wonder why.”

They padded into the shower and Paige gently pushed him under the spray. When he was wet, she turned him so his back was to her and nudged him towards the wall.

“Put your hands on the wall,” she said softly.

He did as she asked, letting his head hang down as she lathered up a washcloth. She washed his back with slow, firm strokes and then moved down over his well-shaped ass and thighs. Adding more soap, she did his arms and then slid beneath them so she could move around and wash his chest. His eyes were closed, his breathing steady, and she could almost feel the pain radiating from him.

“Let it out,” she said softly. “Yell, cry, hit something…it’s okay. I’ll be right here.”

He reached out and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing so tight she almost couldn’t breathe. He buried his face in her hair, his body shaking slightly as he tried to hold back the powerful emotions raging through his veins. Men like him didn’t cry, but this was the first time in his life as an adult he wanted to. The lack of trust from his father hurt like nothing else ever had, and he couldn’t understand the need to dupe him. Two old men playing games with the younger generation. He’d sacrificed a lot to make sure the family was taken care of while his father had been so sick they didn’t know if he would recover. And this was the thanks he got.

The water had cooled and he felt Paige shiver in his arms. He quickly reached over to turn off the spray and grabbed a big towel to wrap her in. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t realize the water had gotten cold.”

“It’s okay.” She frowned suddenly. “What’s that noise?”

He paused and then a groan escaped him. “Fuck. They’re not going to let this go. Get dressed—it’s time to meet the family. I’m not sure which of the family, but someone is here.”

She nodded. “What do you want me to do?”

He leaned over and kissed her. “Not a damn thing. Just be yourself. I don’t care what they think.” He dressed more quickly than she did and reached for her hand as she combed the knots out of her wet hair. “Come down when you’re ready. I meant what I said last night—I love you and they’re going to have to get over the fact that we eloped three years ago. This new development with the business has shown me that I’ve sacrificed too much, and I’m definitely not going to sacrifice you.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’ll be down in a few minutes. Go make up with your father. No matter what, he did what he thought was right and I know how much you love him. Staying angry doesn’t help anything.”

“Maybe not, but it makes me feel better.” He turned to go.

“Apollo?”

He paused, glancing over his shoulder at her. “Yes?”

“I love you too.”

He headed downstairs with a faint smile on his face. Hearing those four words made up for a lot of what had happened this morning, and now he knew exactly how he was going to face it. He’d been prepared for a fight when his parents found out he’d been secretly married to a ksena—foreigner—for three years, but now he had leverage. Though he was still pissed at his father, a part of him understood the older man’s reluctance to leave something this big to his somewhat inexperienced son. However, he now had the opportunity to use it to his advantage. For his father to be here this early in the morning, he most likely felt guilty—despite this hiccup, Apollo and his father were close, so Dimitri would know his lack of trust had hurt his son.

As he’d predicted, his father stood in the mostly empty living room with Melina. Father and son faced off and she made a hasty exit, heading upstairs to find Paige after pressing a quick kiss to her brother’s cheek.

“It’s early,” Apollo said dryly. “You couldn’t wait for me to get to the office?”

“I figured there would be words,” his father responded, equally droll. “Better we exchange them in private.”

Apollo shrugged. “Don’t bullshit me—you wanted to catch Paige and me off guard. Admit it.”

His father smiled. “You know me well.”