Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
W illow
“I think I’d like to get married right here,” I said quietly. Dimitrios was behind me; I wasn’t certain he heard me at all. He’d been on the phone for over an hour, ensuring everything in his world was as it should be.
He’d been deep in thought most of the time after what had occurred on the beach. He wasn’t angry, acting fairly unemotional. I dared not ask him about the studio again.
But I wanted to.
Another almost two days had passed and they were strangely some of the best I’d ever experienced. The guilt for thinking and feeling that way remained, but I was relaxed, at peace with myself and the world that I’d been brought into.
How was that possible?
He’d acted the part, like the way we’d been the first day, but there was a distinctive chill in the air.
We’d spent hours walking the beach, and had dinners that had seemed to bring us closer together. Yet we were still locked in our own personal prisons. But it was the nights and mornings of passion that had kept me thrilled and eager for the rest of my life.
Yet that wasn’t going to happen. Weeks, I believed. Months, maybe. Not years.
No, I wasn’t entirely prepared for what we were preparing to do, but with Leandro’s funeral the next day, the world Dimitrios had taken over and promised to keep intact would be front and center once again.
Including in the news.
Even his brothers had called, commenting on the pictures they’d seen online of the two of us. Dancing. Walking on the beach near a restaurant. Eating a fucking ice cream cone upon my insistence. Who didn’t know there was a budding romance? What hadn’t been mentioned was our ‘engagement.’ If you could call what we were doing anything traditional.
I glanced at my ring finger, laughing softly to myself. Would there be a glorious diamond the size of a walnut to convince people we were truly in love? I had a feeling there would be. The game. Following through with pretenses. Baiting the lure.
When I heard his footsteps behind me, I stiffened. Why this time when I hadn’t since the first night at dinner?
Dimitrios placed his hands on my shoulders, squeezing gently. “My parents will want a traditional church ceremony.” Sadly, his bland voice didn’t match his gentle gesture.
“Do you always do what your parents tell you?”
He chuckled. “I’m a son of tradition like my father and grandfather before him. We are a very close family. You haven’t met my cousins. They are so damn old school it’s annoying.”
I adored his laugh, the deep baritone always sending sparks throughout my system. “That’s fine. Since I have no one attending I have no real say.”
His exhale was full of anxiety as he turned me around to face him. “You have no friends?”
“A best friend, but she’s not in a position to travel and after paying for the plane tickets for my parents, I’m not sure I can swing it for her and a room.” I hated that. I wanted to work, to have a fulfilling profession and not be some arm candy he used for whatever length of time the contract was in place. I was daydreaming if I thought this was anything more than a temporary arrangement. Still, earning a master’s in business administration didn’t have employers beating down my door.
“I’ll make the arrangements. You can lean on me for anything you need.”
“I pay my own way. I work for everything I get. No big trust fund for this girl and no allowance from a husband either.”
He shook his head. “You are a different woman than any I’ve met.”
“Why? Because I’m not completely enamored by your money or your lifestyle?”
“Yes. That’s part of it, Willow. Women think of me as a great catch first for the money in my bank accounts. As you might imagine, they hold no interest for me.”
Well, I could pat myself on the back. I’d risen to the ranks of being ‘different.’ “When are we leaving?”
“In half an hour. I have one additional phone call to make. We’ll take the scenic route.”
I was surprised when he remained behind me.
“I need to ask you a question, Willow. Did your father always travel with his laptop?”
I stiffened, uncertain what he was getting at. “He hasn’t traveled in years. I don’t know.”
“Do you know why it would be stolen?”
Turning around, I studied his eyes. They were filled with concern. “No. Daddy didn’t talk about his business often. It bored my mother. Why would someone steal engineering plans?”
“So many good questions.”
“You’re being cryptic.”
“Only because I’m a cautious man.”
That he was.
He kissed the top of my head and moved away. He’d been taking his calls in private, as if I couldn’t handle the topic.
Or maybe because he was determining what he would do with me when I was no longer of use. I hated thinking that way, but it was the truth. I was expendable just like my brother. Shane hadn’t called and as of yet, I hadn’t been instructed to even send him a text. That would begin later today.
I suspected there would be some announcement of our engagement after the funeral. I wasn’t certain I could stomach attending. It was too close to home. I’d talked to my uncle briefly, but the call had been stiff and controlled. I hadn’t been allowed to tell him about our plans.
My uncle wouldn’t be a happy man. He was still enraged, acting as if he would find the killer. I had no way of being able to handle his anger along with mine. At least Dimitrios had stepped in, keeping the conversation short with little information provided.
But my uncle wasn’t a stupid man. He would realize he was being used.
Just like I was.
The thought had troubled me all night. I hated the feeling, the knowing that my life didn’t mean anything in Dimitrios’ powerful world. I watched as he walked from the room, holding his head high with confidence that never wavered.
“I’ll get my things.” I’d issued the statement just as he was walking out. Whether or not he heard me I couldn’t tell. I’d already packed most of my items except for the wet bathing suit hanging over the shower door. I’d insisted on wearing it the one the last time we’d ventured into the surf. I’d suddenly felt as if we were being watched. The last thing I’d wanted was for pictures of my naked body to end up on some tabloid.
Dimitrios hadn’t given a hoot if there was someone standing in the shadows, taking pictures of the two of us. He’d paraded his naked body—correction, his gorgeous naked body—around the beach for me to gaze upon.
And hunger for.
He couldn’t care less about what other people thought. If only I could be that way. I’d lived a quiet life, never seeking attention. That just wasn’t me. However, Shane adored attention and always had. The class clown. The jock. The school hero.
What was he now?
I yanked the still damp bathing suit off the shower, grimacing at how wet it remained. Other items in my suitcase would be soaked by the time we arrived back… home.
Not my home.
His home.
With the bag in my hand, I headed downstairs. The house was quiet, music no longer playing as it had been the last few days. Yet I heard his deep voice coming from another room. Maybe it wasn’t fair to listen in on his conversation, but I couldn’t help myself. He hadn’t wanted to discuss whatever plan was cooking up in his mind other than our marriage.
Why had my father brought his laptop to Greece? I hadn’t heard he was working on a project he couldn’t get away from.
I placed the duffle near the front door, quietly heading down the hall. I didn’t need to get close to the door before I was able to hear the one side of the conversation.
“I know that, Havros, but she’s the only chance we have of finding the fuck. She’ll make an excellent ploy. The best thing is that she listens to me. Like a good girl should.”
His statement struck me hard, more so than if he’d made the comment days before. Here I’d thought we were partners, sharing in discovering who was behind the terrible crime. Sadly, I’d experienced far too much disappointment in my life. He was using me and nothing more.
To say I was spitting angry was an understatement. But I was also sad, so much so tears formed in my eyes. I’d been such a fool to think the time we’d spent together had been about anything more than buttering me up. How could I have been so damn stupid? How?
I backed down the hallway, still chastising myself. Still as quiet as a church mouse, I grabbed my bag and headed outside to wait. What a shame the beautiful time we’d spent together had been ruined by his arrogance.
His desperate need to find anyone with information regarding his brother’s murder.
He didn’t care who he had to use or the method in doing so.
I dropped the bag by the car, still fighting an ugly level of emotions. My thoughts were all over the place, more so than days before. Was it because I’d placed some trust in the handsome Greek? I sat down near the fountain, struggling to make sense of anything. That’s what people experiencing serious grief did. Right? They processed. They second guessed. They hated themselves.
I definitely hated me.
As I stared into the water, I wished I had a penny so I could make a wish. Or was it a quarter now? A half dollar? The stupid thing was no wish I made would come true.
I closed my eyes, wishing anyway. What the heck. It couldn’t hurt.
A plopping noise caught my attention and I jerked toward the front of the house. My senses were usually electrified every time Dimitrios was close, but not this time. Maybe my fury and hatred were responsible for masking his arrival. I stared down at the water, realizing a Greek coin now lay at the bottom.
“ Ta óneira tha gínontai pánta pragmatikótita an to epithymeís arketá .”
“I have no clue,” I told him. Nor did I really want to know. I was certain it was his notion of the truth.
“I said if you always wish hard enough dreams will come true.”
“Bullshit. Wishes and dreams are nothing more than fantasies, sick and twisted every time.” I jerked up, doing my best to avoid both the man and his usual heated gaze.
He caught my arm as he’d done a dozen times. “What’s wrong, little dove? You’re still concerned.”
“Nothing. Why should anything be wrong? Now that you’ve gotten your jollies, you can spend the rest of your time concentrating on hunting. I wonder if you’ll paint me with blood, so the animal is more attracted.”
I was surprised he didn’t challenge me, but he did shut down just as he’d done several times before. He said nothing as I stormed toward the car, jumping inside and slamming the door. But as he turned around to face the Solstice, I couldn’t help myself. I glanced at his face.
Hard. Cold.
Calculated.
Just like I thought.