Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Dani
Alight sea breeze blew the white curtains on the balcony into a billowy wave.
Beyond the door, she could see the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean sparkling under Helios’s rays as she lay in bed.
She’d never truly believed in Greek myths before this trip, but as she stared at her own Greek god sitting shirtless out on the balcony railing, she’d come around on the whole idea.
Theo truly was God’s gift.
It had been a week since they’d discovered the eye of the Minotaur.
Fortunately, the piece remained intact despite Theo tossing it at Maurice.
For now, the gem was being held in a vault at the police station, but eventually it would make its way to one of Athens’s many museums. Theo’s gut initially told him the ruby likely came from some other land, given that rubies weren’t typically found in Greece.
As he’d explained to the police, it may have made its way to Greece during the Persian ruler Xerxes I’s invasion.
What that meant for Papantonis’s account remained to be seen.
Perhaps his stories had been true. Perhaps the Persians found the beast’s remains and traded it for the ruby.
They would probably never learn the truth.
As Dani and Theo had come to understand, like most Greek tales, the lines between fact and mythology sometimes blurred.
Which had given Theo a great idea for his next story.
And when she’d teasingly asked him to make sure he described Xerxes in his story to look like that hot guy who played him in the movies, the one from Love Actually, Theo had simply responded, “Whatever you want, babe.” She almost liked it when he called her “babe” more than when he called her “Juicy.” Almost.
The first few days after the discovery had been hectic, full of police interviews and questionings, consultations with the Greek Archaeological Service, and meetings with the US Embassy.
Thankfully, due to Vautour’s notoriety, no one had questioned Theo’s and Dani’s presence at the Acropolis nor believed Vautour’s, Louis’s, and Maurice’s claims that they’d merely followed them there.
At long, long last, Pierre Vautour was in jail.
Theo and Dani had presented enough evidence to support their claims, including Theo’s medallion, which gave the police location data for his movements over the last year. Such as Pierre’s Aegean island villa.
And the estate of the Minotaur’s Children.
Even though the GPS had been spotty, it still managed to capture a brief ping at the estate.
Not wanting to break their agreement with Lysander, they lied and said the estate was another of Vautour’s.
But when the police went to check it out, it was suddenly empty.
All the books in the library, gone. The eye emblem on the door to the Labyrinth, missing.
The only indication that the house had been connected to the secret society was the intricate maze pattern built into the floor.
Even the property records pointed to shell companies and off-shore accounts that would likely take ages to untangle.
In the eyes of the law, the Minotaur’s Children didn’t exist. But Theo and Dani were okay with that. After all, if it wasn’t for Lysander, who knew where they might be right now.
Certainly not where she was currently relaxing in a cliffside luxury resort on Santorini—all-inclusive, courtesy of some unknown benefactor.
Or, more likely, Lysander.
Dani stared at Theo as he sipped on his coffee, unaware of her gaze. She caught a glimpse of his tattoo as he lifted his arm—It’s always been you. Truer words had never been spoken.
God, she loved him. She couldn’t stand watching him any longer without touching him.
She climbed out of bed and headed to the balcony.
The instant he noticed her movement out of the corner of his eye, he startled.
It probably would take a while for his nerves to relax.
Even with Vautour, Louis, and Maurice in jail and the police on their side, Theo hadn’t quite gotten used to his freedom.
But just as quickly as he’d startled, he smiled, seeing it was only her.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Καλημ?ρα,” she replied, planting a quick kiss on his lips.
“Been working on your Greek?” he asked, reaching out for her as she approached and immediately wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I figured if we’re going to be here for a while, I need to put in a little more effort to learn the language.”
“Sounds good coming from your lips.”
“Yeah?”
“Mm-hmm. I love everything that comes from those lips.” He kissed her again, this time giving her a taste of his coffee-soaked tongue.
“Is that an invitation?” she asked, pressing her hips against his cock and waggling her brows.
“That depends on how you’re feeling about how we’re going to tell our families about us today. If you want to make the announcement obvious because my dick is hard, then sure. Because they landed at the airport a little while ago, and they’re on their way here right now.”
“What?!” Dani shouted. “Theo! What time is it? Why didn’t you wake me up?”
She started to pull away from his arms so she could get ready.
After Andreas had asked Theo and Dani to stay for a few more weeks to help with the research and excavation, their families had insisted that they fly out to Greece to see them.
All of them. Dani’s parents and Eddie. Theo’s parents, sister, and her husband and kids.
They’d made a few video calls over the last couple of days, but they’d yet to tell their families about their relationship.
Partly because after spending the last year fighting for his life, Theo didn’t want to put himself in danger again right away by telling Eddie he was fucking his sister.
But mainly, they wanted to focus on them. Learning about each other in these new capacities. Loving each other without family distractions.
Andreas and Theo still weren’t sure how to handle the potential that they were cousins.
For now, they decided to keep it to themselves.
They figured Theo’s reunion with his family and catching them up on his year in captivity was probably all the excitement they needed for now.
But they already made plans for Andreas (and Christos) to visit them in the US.
Because all of them, blood relatives or not, were now family.
“Not so fast,” Theo said, pulling her back in his arms. “They still need to drive from the airport and check into the hotel. It’s not like they’re going to arrive and immediately come knocking on our door. I told them we could meet for lunch once they got settled in.”
“Do you not remember your mom? She will come to your room immediately. You’re her baby. She literally hugged the laptop when you called that first time.”
Dani laughed, thinking about Mrs. Galanis’s boobs pressed against the laptop camera.
“It will be fine. Though I suppose we probably should have thought about what we’re going to say,” Theo said, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.
Dani pulled her lips into a tight line. Yes, they probably should have talked about it, but Dani had been avoiding this conversation for the last week.
Not because she didn’t know how she felt about Theo.
She loved him, unequivocally, fully, and deeply.
She’d never loved anyone the way she loved him.
She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, traveling the world, going on all the adventures, reading together on the couch, and eating all the fries and drinking all the micheladas until they grew old together.
If she didn’t have what Harold and Patricia had, then she didn’t want it.
But what if that’s not what his family wanted? Or rather, what if he couldn’t stand up to them? She wasn’t a Triple G. The ability to disappoint his parents wasn’t in Theo’s blood.
“I can see those wheels spinning in your head,” Theo said, stealing her from her thoughts. “Tell me, what are you thinking?”
“What if…what if they’re upset?”
“They’ll get over it. And do you really think it’ll be all that surprising to them? We haven’t exactly been hiding it on the phone calls. We just haven’t told them. Besides, I’m sure they all always wondered. I visit you more than I visit my parents.”
“That’s only because it’s patently uncool to say you’re heading home to see your mom and dad.”
“And you know me, the epitome of coolness,” he said, flashing her his dorkiest cool smile.
“What if…what if it doesn’t work out between us?”
“Impossible. I already know all your flaws, and I’m perfect,” he said, smiling.
She buried her head in his chest, laughing.
“And you’re sure this is what you really want?” she asked.
“Juicy,” he said, taking her chin in his hand and tipping her face up to meet his, “I imprinted your words on my body. It has always been you. It will always be you. And now that I’ve had this time with you, there will never be anyone else. I love you. Nothing will ever change that.”
She put both of her hands on his face and kissed him. Every unspoken moment, every questioning glance, went into that kiss. They already had what Harold and Patricia had had, and no one could take that away from them.
“You pinche cabron!”
Eddie’s voice bellowed over the sound of the waves crashing below.
Dani and Theo released their mouths from each other and spun every which way, searching for Eddie. There he was, looking up from a balcony below them and one over. Crap.
“What happened?!” Dani’s mother’s voice called out seconds before peering up at them from the balcony neighboring Eddie’s. “Daniela?! What are you doing? Is that…is that Theo?” Her mother squinted, trying to figure out if the bearded man holding her was Theo.
“Daniela?!” Great, now Theo’s parents were out there on the balcony above Dani and Theo’s, and moments later, Ophelia, her husband, and their kids joined them.
“Oooooh!” Theo’s seven-year-old niece cooed. “Unckie Theo and Auntie Cochina are kissing!”
“Ewww!” his ten-year-old nephew called out, making a barfing face.
Heads were popping up all over the place, giving Dani whiplash trying to figure out where everyone’s voices were coming from.
“Theo?” his mom said, staring down at them with her hands on her hips while Dani was still in his arms and both of them were half-undressed. “What is going on?”
Theo and Dani looked at each other. “Well?” he said to her.
“Here goes nothing, I suppose. Love you no matter what happens?” she asked.
He smiled. “Always.”