LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Good.” Full of adrenaline, he drove them to the hotel.

      “You can park in my spot. I’ll show you.”

      Leon had seen them together enough to wave him on through. Takis helped her out of the car and locked it. After putting his arm around her shoulders, they walked to the bank of elevators. The feel of her body brushing against his side lit him on fire.

      When they passed Giorgos in the main hallway, the other man said, “Lys—you’ve a dozen messages on your desk.”

      “Any emergencies?”

      “No.”

      “Then I’ll get to them later. Thanks.”

      Before long they climbed in the helicopter and headed for the island. Lys kept examining the ring. All of a sudden she flashed him a glance. “You were right when you said this would have unique significance.”

      His brows lifted. “You think Danae will approve?”

      “She’ll probably tell you she can see why Nassos found you such an amazing young man.”

      Within a half hour they’d arrived at the fabulous villa, a place that reflected the personality of the famous hotelier. Danae had a feast prepared with some of Lys’s favorite fish dishes. As they walked through to the dining room the housekeeper was pouring them snifters of Metaxa, a smooth Greek brandy Takis loved.

      Danae stood at the head of the table. “Before we eat, I’d like to make a toast to the two of you. May this engagement smooth the path with your family and take away some of the sadness in Lys’s heart.”

      Amen.

      “Wait! I have a surprise.” She went over to the sideboard and brought Lys a gift wrapped in plain paper.

      “What’s this?”

      “I found it in the bottom drawer of Nassos’s dresser while I was cleaning out the penthouse. When I opened it, I remembered. After Kristos’s funeral, Nassos brought this back to give you one day for a special occasion. It was a small painting of Kasos Island that he once gave your mom.” Danae smiled at Lys. “I think this is the perfect occasion now that you’re wearing Takis’s ring.”

      Takis could tell Lys’s hands were trembling as she undid the paper. “Oh, Danae.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “This is so wonderful. I’ll always cherish it.”

      Danae had just given Takis another reason to like the woman Nassos had married.

      Lys quickly wrapped it up and put it on the empty chair next to her. “Thank you, Danae.”

      “Consider that it came from Nassos, who was born here too.”

      “I’m so touched he kept it all this time.”

      “He loved you.” Her gaze flicked to Takis, after glancing at Lys’s hand. “In my opinion you couldn’t have chosen a more perfect ring for Lys, who was fascinated with Minoan culture from the time she first came to live with us.”

      “I could tell that,” Takis said after taking another drink of brandy. “She was so taken with one of the frescoes at Basil’s, I bought it for her.”

      Danae’s glance fell on Lys. “I bet it was the prince in the chariot.”

      “Danae—”

      The older woman kept right on talking. “Lys wasn’t so different from little girls everywhere, but she was never one to buy posters of the latest rock stars to hang on her bedroom wall. A Cretan warrior was her idea of perfection.”

      * * *

      Two hours later they flew back to the hotel. To her relief, Danae hadn’t expounded anymore on the fresco. She could have told Takis that Lys had taken one look at the prince years ago when they’d seen the real fresco in the museum, and had fallen in love on sight. The fact that he bore a strong resemblance to Takis was something she knew Danae would tease her about quite mercilessly the next time they were alone.

      Only now did Lys remember Takis saying he’d tell his parents it was love at first sight after meeting her. But there was one difference.

      Lys had fallen in love with him. For real.

      She knew it to the very core of her being. From here on out she had to be careful he didn’t find out how she really felt about him.

      This engagement was on slippery ground because he was acting like a man in love who wanted to marry her. During dinner he’d shown excitement over the June 4 wedding date Danae had suggested. Lys would be the greatest fool alive if she started to believe that she might be able to have what she desired most in the secret recess of her heart.

      At ten thirty they got out of the helicopter and headed for the elevator. Takis held the door so it wouldn’t close. “Why don’t I come by for you in the morning? We’ll stop to eat somewhere on the way to my house. Your car will be safe parked outside tonight.”

      “I’m not worried about that.” He noticed her clutching the gift in her arm. “What time were you thinking?”

      “Since you’re running the hotel, you need to take care of those phone calls Giorgos told you about. So why don’t you call me when you’re ready and I’ll come for you.”

      “All right.”

      He allowed the doors to close and they rode to the third floor, where he walked her to her room. Lys was so afraid that he might want to come in and she would let him, she was totally thrown when he told her he needed to get going. After giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he turned away and strode down the hall to the elevator.

      She felt totally bereft. You idiot, Lys!

      After entering her suite, she put the gift on the coffee table and left to go downstairs. Lys was too wound up to go to bed yet. When she entered the office she found Giorgos still at the front desk talking with Chloe, who helped run the counter. The second he saw Lys, he followed to her office. That habit of his was getting on her nerves.

      She sat down in her swivel chair. “I’m surprised you’re still here. Where’s Magda?” She and another staff member served as assistant managers on alternating nights.

      “I got a phone call that she’s sick, so I stayed.”

      Lys was afraid she knew why. “That was good of you, but I’m here now so you can leave.”

      “Sometimes I don’t feel like going back to an empty flat.”

      How well she knew that. “Tell me the truth. Do you wish you were home in Athens?”

      “No,” he answered almost angrily and moved closer to her desk.

      “I hope you’re telling me the truth. Now that I’ve taken ownership of the hotel, it’s important to me that everyone is happy.”

      His eyes widened. “This hotel is your inheritance?”

      “That’s right.”

      She could see her revelation had completely thrown him.

      “But you’re so young—” Whoa. “I thought—”

      “You thought Kyrie Rodino would have willed it to his ex-wife,” she interjected. “That would have been a natural assumption. What else is troubling you?”

      He hunched his shoulders. “Who’s the mystery man?”

      Lys decided it was time to set him straight and douse his hopes there could be anything between the two of them. She held out her left hand. He eyed it as if in disbelief.

      “You can be the first on the staff to learn Takis Manolis asked me to marry him.” What she would give if she could believe he truly did love her...

      Giorgos’s head jerked up. “How soon?”

      “Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

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