Bound to Her Greek Billionaire Read online

  Takis’s mind leaped ahead. He would take Lys with him so his friends could meet her. Cesare had seen her, but it wasn’t the same thing as talking to her. “I’m very happy for him. Dimi deserves it.”

  “Being that Filippa is Gemma’s best friend, my wife is beyond thrilled. But now we want to know what’s going on with you.”

  “Quite a lot actually. The sale of my hotels in New York has gone through. Furthermore I’ve bought myself a house two blocks from my parents’ hotel in Tylissos and now have internet.”

  “You sound good.”

  “I am. Two days ago Lys Theron and I got officially engaged. Our announcement went in the newspaper today. I’m emailing you a copy of it as we speak.”

  After total silence, Cesare let out an ear-piercing whistle. “You’re actually getting married?”

  “We decided it was the best way to keep news about Nassos’s will a secret. By implying that Lys and I are in a romantic relationship ending in marriage, no one will know or suspect I’m co-owner of the Rodino Hotel. She has informed the staff that she’s the new owner.”

  Vincenzo leaned forward. “So what will you do? Get divorced after the six months’ stipulation concerning hotel ownership has passed?”

  “There’ll be no divorce.”

  “Is she on board with all this?”

  Takis had been waiting for Vincenzo’s astute question, which meant his friend had been thinking hard about the things Takis hadn’t explained. “I intend our marriage to last forever.”

  Cesare cocked his head. “The Takis I know wouldn’t publicly announce his engagement to be married unless he wanted it more than anything else in this world.”

  “In the beginning I suggested the engagement in order to protect the relationship with my father. But I’ve fallen in love and yes, a life with her is what I want more than anything else in this world.”

  After a silence, “I take it you didn’t have that conversation with him after all.”

  First Cesare, then Lys, now Cesare again. “I’m handling all I can for the moment. Any problems I need to know about business on your end?”

  “Sofia, your assistant, might be getting married soon and will have to move back to Geneva,” Vincenzo interjected. “That means we’ll be needing to find a new person to replace her. Got anyone in mind?”

  “Let me talk to her first. In the meantime I’ll send Dimi a text to congratulate him.”

  “He’ll like that.”

  “I know you guys are busy so I’ll let you go.”

  “What’s the hurry?”

  “I’m waiting for a man to come and help me install a railing for the upstairs terrace on my house. You can’t believe what a disaster this place is.”

  “Then we won’t keep you. Ciao, Takis.”

  “Ciao, guys. It’s always good to talk to you.”

  He ended the session and got back to work, purposely keeping their conference short. He knew they were worried about him and the rushed engagement. But he didn’t want to let them delve into his psyche too deeply until Lys admitted that she was crazy in love with him too.

  Once the wrought iron railing had been installed, he swept the stone tiles. Before long a truck from the local furniture store delivered a full-size swing with a canopy he’d ordered online.

  The workers carried it upstairs to the terrace. They also brought up a round glass-topped table set in wrought iron with an umbrella and six matching chairs. There was also a matching side table he put next to the swing. Until the interior of the house was done, the terrace would be his hideaway with Lys. In the evening, the neighbors wouldn’t be able to see them entwined.

  After the men left, he phoned Lys. “How soon can the owner of the hotel come to my house this evening? I would pick you up, but I want to finish getting the primer paint on the walls by tonight. There’s a surprise waiting.”

  “That sounds exciting. I’ll be there as soon as I can with dinner.” Click.

  She did that a lot, cut him off so he wouldn’t argue, but he found he liked everything she did. He was in love. The kind that went soul deep. One day soon he would get her to admit she couldn’t live without him either.

  CHAPTER NINE

  AS LYS PULLED the van behind Takis’s car at seven, she saw the surprise he’d mentioned. An attractive wrought iron railing with a motif of grapes and leaves had been installed on the terrace. He got things done so fast it was scary.

  When she went inside, she was astounded to see Takis had put the primer on everywhere. It looked like a new house already!

  She heard him call to her. “Come on up and bring the food!”

  Lys needed no urging to dash upstairs. “Oh, Takis—this is fabulous!” she cried when she walked out on the terrace. It was even better than what she had imagined earlier.

  He relieved her of the bags and put them on the table. She ran over to the swing and sat in the middle. “I love it!”

  Takis followed her down so he was half lying on top of her. “So do I.” He devoured her mouth until she was breathless. “I’ve been waiting for this since the moment I bought the house.”

  With his rock-hard legs tangled around hers and their bodies trying to merge, Lys had never known such euphoria. He was male perfection and she couldn’t get enough of him. They lost track of time in their need to communicate.

  “What if someone sees us?” she asked after coming up for breath.

  “They won’t. It’s dark now, so I can do what I want.” He bit her lobe gently.

  “Takis—not here—”

  “Are you afraid for us to make love?” He teased, kissing her throat.

  “I thought that was what we were doing.”

  His deep laugh rumbled through her. “You say you had three boyfriends?”

  She hid her face in his neck. “I did, but—”

  “But it wasn’t like this?”

  Lys trembled. “We should eat. The food will be cold.”

  “Not until you tell me the truth. You’ve never been to bed with a man. Admit it.”

  “You’re right. I haven’t.”

  He kissed her with such tenderness, she couldn’t believe it. “You have no idea how that changes my whole world.”

  “Why?”

  “Nassos did the perfect job of protecting you so you could wear white to your wedding. Until we’re married, I promise to honor his wishes for you.”

  She couldn’t wait to lie in bed with him all night while they loved each other into oblivion. But what if he didn’t love her the same way?

  He kissed her lips once more. “You’re so quiet. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she muttered. Lys should never have admitted the truth.

  “I think my fiancée is hungry.”

  “I think it’s the other way around.”

  He gave her another deep kiss before standing up. “Come on.” He reached for her hands. “Let’s sit at our new table to eat.”

  After he’d set everything up he said, “I had a conference call with my partners this morning and there’s news. We’ve been invited to Dimi Gagliardi’s wedding in June. I don’t know the exact date yet. He’s Vincenzo’s only cousin and one of my favorite people.

  “He’s marrying the best friend of Vincenzo’s wife, Gemma, Filippa. We’ll be flying to Florence for the ceremony.”

  “That sounds exciting.”

  He darted her a searching glance. “Now we have more important things to talk about. Next Tuesday evening the priest would like to meet us at the church.”

  Would he talk to the priest if he didn’t love her? If he didn’t want to marry her? She had to believe he meant what he said, but it was hard. “I think I’d better go. When I left the office, I still had some work to do.”

  He wiped h
is mouth. “In that case I’ll follow you back to Heraklion and help you.”

  “I thought you didn’t want to be seen.”

  “That was before our wedding announcement went in the newspaper. No one will think anything except that I’m so crazy about you, I can’t stay away from you. For personal reasons, I want to make sure you get home safely. You’re the most important person in my life.”

  No, she wasn’t! Takis’s father took priority, which was the reason they were in this situation now. Lys got up from the table and helped clean it off before going inside and down the stairs. Only a few minutes later, she had left the house and climbed into the van.

  “Drive safely.” He leaned in to kiss her hungrily. His touch caused her to melt before she turned on the engine and headed for Heraklion. Takis drove right behind her. At the hotel she parked the van and Takis parked in the empty space next to hers that Nassos had once used.

  With his arm around her shoulders they took the elevator to the main floor and walked to her office. Along the way he kept her so close, anyone seeing them would assume they were lovers. By now the staff already knew.

  Magda smiled her greeting before they disappeared down the hall to Lys’s office. Takis walked her inside and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve got to have this before we do anything else.”

  She saw the blaze of desire in his eyes before he covered her mouth with his own, giving her a kiss that couldn’t disguise his need. The slightest contact with him set her on fire and she found herself responding, helpless to do otherwise.

  “We need a swing in here too,” he whispered, kissing her eyes, nose, virtually every feature until he captured her mouth once more. “I’ll arrange to have one sent from the store.”

  “Takis—” Lys finally found the strength to ease away from him. “I thought you wanted to help me work.”

  “I lied. Now that we’re engaged, I don’t want to be apart from you. I want you with me day and night.”

  “Please don’t say that.”

  He caught her face in his hands. “Why? Because you know you want the same thing?”

  “This is all happening so fast!”

  His eyes gleamed like lasers. “That’s not true. I saw you at the funeral and was determined to meet you the next time I came to Crete no matter what I had to do. Can you deny you felt something for me in my office in Italy?” he demanded before devouring her again.

  Something in his tone convinced her he wasn’t lying about his feelings. They’d both felt the chemistry between them when she’d flown to Milan. But a strong physical attraction didn’t mean he loved her the way she loved him. Once they were married and he’d been reconciled with his father in his own mind, how would he feel then?

  But for Lys, she’d never be able to love another man again. There was no one who came close to Takis. If their marriage didn’t work out, she’d be like Danae and live a single life. With the money from her father, she could buy a place on Kasos near Danae. They could travel together, work on philanthropic projects together. But at this point the thought of Takis not being in her life was impossible to imagine.

  “Lys?”

  Startled, she tore her lips from Takis and turned her head to see Magda in the doorway.

  “Sorry to intrude, but we have a problem.”

  “What is it? You can speak in front of my fiancé. Let me introduce you to Takis Manolis.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Kyrie Manolis. Congratulations on your engagement.”

  “Thank you, Magda. I’m afraid you’ll be seeing me around here a lot. I have a hard time staying away from Lys.”

  The other woman smiled before looking at Lys. “The finance minister Elias Simon from Athens has just checked in and was led to believe he could have the penthouse suite for the rest of the week.”

  Lys shook her head. “I can’t imagine how that happened since we’ve never let guests sleep there. When Kyrie Rodino was alive, he used it for VIP meetings, nothing else. Tell the minister we’ll put him in the Persephone suite.”

  “Will you tell him?” Her eyes pleaded with Lys, who understood her nervousness. Kyrie Simon had a forbidding presence.

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thank you.”

  After she hurried away, Lys turned to Takis. “I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  The minute the two of them walked out to the front desk, the finance minister took one look and burst out, “Takis—”

  “Elias—” The men shook hands.

  “What are you doing here instead of New York? On business again?”

  “I’ve moved back to Crete for good and got engaged.” Takis grabbed Lys around the waist. “I’d like you to meet my gorgeous fiancée, Lys Theron, the former ward of Nassos Rodino. Now that he has passed away, she owns the hotel.”

  The other man’s dark eyes fastened on her in male admiration and they shook hands.

  “I envy you, Takis. If I were thirty years younger...”

  “I’m a very lucky man.”

  “That certainly goes without saying,” he said, smiling at her.

  “Kyrie Simon? I’m sorry that there was a misunderstanding about the penthouse. It’s not a guest room, but we’d love you to stay in the Persephone suite.”

  “No problem.”

  “Magda will check you in. Now if you will excuse me, I have some work to attend to back in my office.”

  “Of course. That gives me time to chat with Takis. You realize you’re going to marry one of the most important men in the country. Has he shown you the hospital he built and funds in Tylissos? It provides such invaluable free medical care for the patients. There’s another one being built in Athens as we speak. He’s a remarkable man.”

  What?

  “I’ll tell you later,” Takis said in an aside and kissed her cheek.

  She went down the hall and sat down at her desk, but she couldn’t concentrate on a thing. He’d built a hospital here? Another one was going up in Athens? How long had that been going on?

  While she was alone, she phoned Danae, who was still awake. After catching her up on the latest news, she asked the older woman what she knew about a hospital in Tylissos that had been built and was free to the patrons.

  “Only that it’s a children’s hospital for those parents who can’t afford big medical expenses. Stella told me about it last year and wished the government would build one here in Heraklion.”

  Lys was stunned. “The government has nothing to do with it. I just found out tonight that Takis is the one who had it built and pays for everything.”

  A long silence ensued. “Your Takis?”

  If only he were... She gripped the phone tighter. “Tonight Kyrie Simon, the minister of finance from Athens, checked into the hotel. He saw Takis. They appear to know each other well and it slipped out during their conversation.”

  “Your fiancé is a dark horse in many ways. What a lovely thing to find out about the man you’re going to marry. If Nassos were still alive, he’d be bursting with pride.”

  “The man who should be overjoyed is his father, but I’m sure he doesn’t know anything about all the great things his son has accomplished. It kills me that Takis lives with this terrible pain. I love him so much, Danae.” They spoke a little longer before she hung up.

  After another minute, Takis came back in her office. Her gaze fused with his. “I just got off the phone with Danae. Why haven’t you told me about these hospitals?”

  He stood in front of her with his legs slightly apart, so handsome, so masculine, she couldn’t look away. “I would have gotten around to it.”

  “You told me your niece had to go to the hospital for an asthma attack. You had it built for her.”

  “For all children with medical pr
oblems whose parents struggle to make a decent living.”

  She shook her head. “But no one knows you were the one.”

  “I want it that way.”

  “Even your parents?”

  “Especially them.”

  “But these hospitals aren’t hotels. Your mother and father would be so thrilled and proud if they knew what you’ve done. And you’re building another one?”

  “I’d rather remain anonymous.”

  “Takis—they deserve to know more about your life!”

  “They didn’t deserve to be abandoned by their son.”

  Lys got to her feet, upset by his comment. “What can I say to convince you that they love you and never thought any such thing?”

  His brows furrowed. “You can’t. I’m sorry Elias let that information slip.”

  “I’m not. Don’t you know how proud I am of you?”

  “Thank you for that. But I know I can trust you not to say anything when we go to the family party tomorrow evening.”

  They weren’t getting anywhere with this conversation. She took a deep breath. “Thank you for helping Magda out of a difficult situation. You’ve won her devotion.” Takis had a rare potent male charm that had made mincemeat of Lys.

  “It was my pleasure. Elias can be very intimidating. That’s why he’s in his particular position. Between us I think he makes the president of the country nervous.”

  Lys chuckled. “By tomorrow morning Magda will tell everyone that my fiancé is on first-name terms with a top-level Greek government official. You’ll have elevated me to new heights in our staff’s opinion.”

  His eyes narrowed on her mouth, sending darts of awareness through her. “Didn’t you know it’s the other way around? Elias insists on being invited to our wedding. He has a worse case on you than Basil. I didn’t think that was possible.”

  She chuckled despite her out-of-control desire for him. “Don’t be silly.”

  “Do you still have work to do, or shall I walk you to your hotel room?”