Chapter 23
Stephanie gripped Ries’ hand as they stepped into the dining room gilded with gold and rich, dark woods. He could feel the fear of the unknown setting her the tiniest bit on edge. Alexi took care of the introductions.
“Everyone, this is Ries Kafatos and Stephanie Harris.” Alexei announced their names as though they were supposed to be there. As though they were part of the family. “I’ll let you all introduce yourselves.” Alexi headed for the other end of the long table and sat down.
Stephanie watched as another man joined them, “I am Leonidis Moustakas, but my friends call me Leo.” He held out a hand to a gorgeous woman with auburn hair and smile that was warm and friendly. “This is my lovely wife, Gemma. Our son Damien will be joining us this evening.”
“Stephanie, is it?” Gemma asked, coming forward and taking Stephanie’s hands in hers. “It’s so good to meet you. I heard what happened, are you okay?” Stephanie realized with a start that she had an American accent, and she moved as though she and Stephanie were already friends.
“I’m fine,” Stephanie told her warmly, immediately liking this woman.
“Well, I have a feeling you and I are going to become very close. Come and meet the others. This is Aimee. If you’re looking to stir things up a bit, she’s your girl.”
“Nice to meet you,” Stephanie told the other woman, whose eyes sparkled up at her from her plush dining chair.
“Same. We’re all going swimming later at the beach. You should think about coming with us. Just us girls…”
“We’ll see about that,” Alexi told her with a soft reprimand in his voice. “None of us can be too careful these days.”
Aimee made a face at him and then carried on as if he hadn’t spoken, drawing knowing smiles from everyone at the table. “Don’t mind him. We’ll have adequate protection. Just as long as they stay out of my sight, I’m good.”
Gemma shook her head and then pulled Stephanie over to the last woman at the table. “This is Kassi. She is Alexi and Leo’s cousin and is married to Piotr.”
Piotr nodded at her and Kassi smiled broadly in her direction. “Welcome.”
“Thank you.”
“You must be famished and tired. I know your rooms are being prepared as we speak. Maybe after you eat you can rest for a bit. Being kidnapped and shot at takes a toll on a girl,” Gemma told her, as though this were a regular occurrence in the family.
This is going to take some getting used to, Stephanie thought. But not in a bad way.
She turned and looked for Ries. He was standing near the doorway with Nicolai and Damon, both of whom had joined them while she was meeting the others.
His stance was very rigid, and she could tell he wasn’t very happy.
“If you’ll excuse me for a minute?” she flashed a gracious smile at the other women and turned to walk toward Ries.
She walked over to the three brothers, ignoring Damon’s glare as she slipped her arm around Ries’ waist. When he smiled down at her, she returned it and then leaned up on her tiptoes and whispered. “I missed you. Is everything okay?”
Ries kissed her on the nose and nodded once. “Damon and Nicolai, I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Stephanie. Stephanie, this is my oldest brother Damon, and Nicolai, whom you’ve already met.”
“Nice to see you again,” she murmured.
“I’m glad to see you suffered no harm at Angelo’s hands,” Nicolai told her.
“I’m fine,” she said, for what felt like the thirty-fifth time today.
“Brother, I was under the impression after speaking with Miss Harris that she was going to return to the States,” Damon inquired quietly.
“I never said that,” Stephanie told him, daring him to continue putting words into her mouth. “And I don’t find your argument persuasive.”
Damon had the good grace to purse his lips and nod once, “Well, you’re welcome to prove me wrong.”
“I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to figure out the future on behalf of everyone else,” Ries told him. “Stephanie is not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to the idea.”
Ries was angry in Damon’s presence, and Stephanie could see why. His brother seemed to think that he was in control of everything and that it was okay for him to pass judgment on everyone else around him.
Nicolai was totally different, and as Ries led her over to join the others, Nicolai stepped to her other side and kept up a lively conversation about everything from the weather, to the latest shopping trends.
Stephanie was grateful that Ries had at least one brother who seemed to be supportive of him and she decided that Ries needed a little help in being more confident around his brothers. Damon was going to be no help, but Nicolai seemed like an ally.
Stephanie began to think of ways they could both help Ries become the man he wanted to be.
After eating, Ries and Stephanie were shown to their luxurious, separate rooms. Upon seeing how far apart they were, Ries stepped in and informed the maid that they would both be utilizing his room and asked that Stephanie’s belongings be moved.
“Is this going to cause problems with your brother?” Stephanie asked as they soaked in a hot tub of water half an hour later.
Ries shrugged. “I could care less. Damon doesn’t approve of anything I do, but that doesn’t matter to me anymore. If he doesn’t want to trust me, fine. I will make my own decisions.”
“Well, I for one, like the way you were thinking today. Thank you for coming to save me,” she said softly, “in case I didn’t make that clear earlier.”
“You were exhausted and a bit distraught.” Ries told her, grinning. “I will always come to rescue you.” He tipped her head to the side and sealed his vow with a kiss. “Ready to get out of the tub?”
Stephanie tingled at the thought of what might come next. “Yes.”
“Good, I’ll leave you to it then,” Ries told her, standing up and quickly drying himself off. Stephanie couldn’t take her eyes off him as he moved.
“I would love to stay and chat, but Damon has requested a meeting with the Moustakas brothers to devise a plan to save our company. He didn’t command my presence, but if we want to be kept in the loop, I had better attend.”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Stephanie said. Her hopes of intimacy could wait. “The other women invited me to go to the beach with them…” she trailed off, looking to Ries for approval. She wasn’t going anywhere without his opinion of the security of the situation, for a while.
“Then you should go,” Ries told her, handing her a towel. His eyes lit up as she stood up and water sluiced off her body. “God, I wish I could stay here with you, but…”
“No, it’s okay. You don’t mind me going with them?”
“Stephanie, Angelo is dead and can’t hurt us. Dmitrius has left Greece, although we’re all sure he will return or find another way to get to us.
“We will have to be vigilant, but I can assure you that no one takes their wives’ safety more seriously than the Moustakas brothers. They are not new to this game. You will be perfectly safe with them, no matter where you go.”
Stephanie finished drying herself off as Ries went to dress. She liked this new version of Ries where he was confident and no longer bothered by his brothers’ opinions.
Now, she just needed to help his brothers recognize that Ries had a lot to offer. Just because he didn’t do things exactly like Damon would, didn’t mean they were wrong or inefficient.
Ries deserved his brother’s respect, and she was determined to see that he got it.