Chapter 6 #2
He dropped his hand and stepped back. “So how do you see this working?”
She blinked her eyes to clear the tears away. “We should spend time together, and not just to talk about the past. Get to know each other again.”
“I think we made a start tonight,” he said, nodding to the bed behind her.
She nibbled on her lower lip. “Uh, I think we should stay out of bed until we’re married. We know we’re sexually compatible and I think that just complicates things.”
“Sex never complicates things.”
“For you, maybe. For me, it makes me want to just curl up in your arms and say to hell with the rest of the world, and that’s not any way to solve problems.”
Christos poured himself another drink. “Fine. No sex until we’re married.”
“Do you think you’ll trust me by then?”
“I have no idea, but being married does grant me the privilege of your bed and I don’t intend to deny myself.”
Two weeks, she thought. Could she change his mind in that time?
Theo woke Ava by running into her bedroom and jumping on the bed. His little voice was loud and filled with joy. She’d never really been a cheerful morning-person, but when faced with Theo’s grin she couldn’t help but smile back at him.
“What are you so excited about?” she asked him. He was dressed and had on a pair of sandals that Ari had given him when they’d arrived. The shoes were traditional Greek ones that even Ari wore.
“Baba. He’s going to take us out on his boat today.”
“He is?” she asked. She hoped that Christos knew what he was doing. Promising to make time for Theo was one thing; actually promising to take him out on the boat was something else. She didn’t want to see Theo disappointed if Christos had to stay late at the office.
“Yes. As soon as you get up. I’ve been awake for a long time now.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Give me a minute to wash my face and I’ll be downstairs for my coffee and we can talk about this.”
“You don’t have to do that. Baba is bringing you your coffee.”
“He is?” She didn’t want to see Christos until she had a chance to comb her hair and brush her teeth. She was about to toss back the covers and make a run for the bathroom.
“I told him…” Theo trailed off. She could guess what her chatty little son had said. Something about Mommy being cranky until she had her first cup of coffee.
She ruffled his hair and drew him close for a hug. “Did you tell him I need coffee first thing?”
Theo nodded against her neck, hugging her back.
“Yes, he did.”
She glanced up at Christos, who stood in the doorway holding a mug of coffee in each hand. He wore a pair of casual white trousers and a black T-shirt. He looked as if he’d had a good night’s sleep, something she envied him.
He came into her room and handed her one of the mugs. She tried to pat down her hair, which was probably flat on one side and sticking straight out on the other. She took a sip of the coffee and tried to play it cool.
“What’s this about a boat?”
Christos leaned against the dresser in the corner and sipped his coffee. “After our conversation last night, I decided to take the day off and invite you both to join me on my yacht.”
“I thought we were going on a boat,” Theo said.
“A yacht is a name for a big boat.”
“Oh. How big?”
“Big enough,” Christos said. “Would you like to join us, Ava?”
“Yes. I’d like that.”
“Good. We’ll get out of your hair and wait for you downstairs.”
Theo gave her a sloppy kiss and a hug and ran out the door. Christos paused in the doorway.
“Are you sure about this? Taking a day off work?”
“You said something last night that made sense.”
“Only one thing?” she asked. Actually she was surprised anything she’d said made sense. She’d been flying blind, driven by emotion, and that never boded well for making sense.
“Well, the not-sleeping-together thing is insane.”
She flushed. “Depends on your point of view.”
“I’m going to change yours on that topic. But I was referring to when you said that you couldn’t build a relationship by yourself.”
“I’m glad you were listening,” she said.
He put his coffee mug down on the dresser and walked back to the bed. He sat down next to her, his lean hip pressing against her body.
“I always listen,” he said.
“I hope so,” she said. She’d pinned her hopes for a happy future on the fact that one day he’d really hear her say that she hadn’t betrayed him and believe her.
He traced his finger along the line of the sheet where she had it clutched to her chest. “What are you sleeping in?”
She shook her head. “I think we’ll leave that to your imagination.”
He fingered the cap sleeve of her shirt. “I think we shouldn’t. I’m picturing you naked.”
“Clearly I’m not.”
“Pity.”
“Sometimes Theo gets scared at night and sleeps with me.”
He ran his finger down the edge of the scoop neck of her pajama top. “What scares him?”
She struggled to keep focused on the conversation and not the feel of his finger moving over her skin. “Different things. He can’t always recall.”
“Do you always soothe him?”
“Yes. We pray and I sing to him.”
“That’s one of the things I admire about you,” he said.
“What?”
“The way you mother Theo. You’re very good with him.”
When he’d first been born, she’d been surprised at how much she loved her son. Having him had added a dimension to her life that she’d never realized was missing. He gave her someone to love and on whom to pour all the caring she’d hidden away for years.
“He’s easy to love.”
“Yes, he is,” Christos said. He leaned toward her and she lifted herself up to him. “Are you sure about this no-sex rule?”
She shook her head.
“Baba, come on. She’ll take all day to get ready if you don’t leave her room.”
Christos dropped a quick kiss on her lips and stood, picking up his coffee mug on the way out of the room. As the door closed behind the two Theakis males, Ava pulled the covers over her head and tried not to let her heart believe that today was the start of a new life with Christos and Theo.