Ultimate Romance Collection. Rebecca Winters

wouldn’t be able to see them entwined.

      After the men left, he phoned Lys. “How soon can the owner of the hotel come to my house this evening? I would pick you up, but I want to finish getting the primer paint on the walls by tonight. There’s a surprise waiting.”

      “That sounds exciting. I’ll be there as soon as I can with dinner.” Click.

      She did that a lot, cut him off so he wouldn’t argue, but he found he liked everything she did. He was in love. The kind that went soul deep. One day soon he would get her to admit she couldn’t live without him either.

       CHAPTER NINE

      AS LYS PULLED the van behind Takis’s car at seven, she saw the surprise he’d mentioned. An attractive wrought iron railing with a motif of grapes and leaves had been installed on the terrace. He got things done so fast it was scary.

      When she went inside, she was astounded to see Takis had put the primer on everywhere. It looked like a new house already!

      She heard him call to her. “Come on up and bring the food!”

      Lys needed no urging to dash upstairs. “Oh, Takis—this is fabulous!” she cried when she walked out on the terrace. It was even better than what she had imagined earlier.

      He relieved her of the bags and put them on the table. She ran over to the swing and sat in the middle. “I love it!”

      Takis followed her down so he was half lying on top of her. “So do I.” He devoured her mouth until she was breathless. “I’ve been waiting for this since the moment I bought the house.”

      With his rock-hard legs tangled around hers and their bodies trying to merge, Lys had never known such euphoria. He was male perfection and she couldn’t get enough of him. They lost track of time in their need to communicate.

      “What if someone sees us?” she asked after coming up for breath.

      “They won’t. It’s dark now, so I can do what I want.” He bit her lobe gently.

      “Takis—not here—”

      “Are you afraid for us to make love?” He teased, kissing her throat.

      “I thought that was what we were doing.”

      His deep laugh rumbled through her. “You say you had three boyfriends?”

      She hid her face in his neck. “I did, but—”

      “But it wasn’t like this?”

      Lys trembled. “We should eat. The food will be cold.”

      “Not until you tell me the truth. You’ve never been to bed with a man. Admit it.”

      “You’re right. I haven’t.”

      He kissed her with such tenderness, she couldn’t believe it. “You have no idea how that changes my whole world.”

      “Why?”

      “Nassos did the perfect job of protecting you so you could wear white to your wedding. Until we’re married, I promise to honor his wishes for you.”

      She couldn’t wait to lie in bed with him all night while they loved each other into oblivion. But what if he didn’t love her the same way?

      He kissed her lips once more. “You’re so quiet. What’s wrong?”

      “Nothing,” she muttered. Lys should never have admitted the truth.

      “I think my fiancée is hungry.”

      “I think it’s the other way around.”

      He gave her another deep kiss before standing up. “Come on.” He reached for her hands. “Let’s sit at our new table to eat.”

      After he’d set everything up he said, “I had a conference call with my partners this morning and there’s news. We’ve been invited to Dimi Gagliardi’s wedding in June. I don’t know the exact date yet. He’s Vincenzo’s only cousin and one of my favorite people.

      “He’s marrying the best friend of Vincenzo’s wife, Gemma, Filippa. We’ll be flying to Florence for the ceremony.”

      “That sounds exciting.”

      He darted her a searching glance. “Now we have more important things to talk about. Next Tuesday evening the priest would like to meet us at the church.”

      Would he talk to the priest if he didn’t love her? If he didn’t want to marry her? She had to believe he meant what he said, but it was hard. “I think I’d better go. When I left the office, I still had some work to do.”

      He wiped his mouth. “In that case I’ll follow you back to Heraklion and help you.”

      “I thought you didn’t want to be seen.”

      “That was before our wedding announcement went in the newspaper. No one will think anything except that I’m so crazy about you, I can’t stay away from you. For personal reasons, I want to make sure you get home safely. You’re the most important person in my life.”

      No, she wasn’t! Takis’s father took priority, which was the reason they were in this situation now. Lys got up from the table and helped clean it off before going inside and down the stairs. Only a few minutes later, she had left the house and climbed into the van.

      “Drive safely.” He leaned in to kiss her hungrily. His touch caused her to melt before she turned on the engine and headed for Heraklion. Takis drove right behind her. At the hotel she parked the van and Takis parked in the empty space next to hers that Nassos had once used.

      With his arm around her shoulders they took the elevator to the main floor and walked to her office. Along the way he kept her so close, anyone seeing them would assume they were lovers. By now the staff already knew.

      Magda smiled her greeting before they disappeared down the hall to Lys’s office. Takis walked her inside and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve got to have this before we do anything else.”

      She saw the blaze of desire in his eyes before he covered her mouth with his own, giving her a kiss that couldn’t disguise his need. The slightest contact with him set her on fire and she found herself responding, helpless to do otherwise.

      “We need a swing in here too,” he whispered, kissing her eyes, nose, virtually every feature until he captured her mouth once more. “I’ll arrange to have one sent from the store.”

      “Takis—” Lys finally found the strength to ease away from him. “I thought you wanted to help me work.”

      “I lied. Now that we’re engaged, I don’t want to be apart from you. I want you with me day and night.”

      “Please don’t say that.”

      He caught her face in his hands. “Why? Because you know you want the same thing?”

      “This is all happening so fast!”

      His eyes gleamed like lasers. “That’s not true. I saw you at the funeral and was determined to meet you the next time I came to Crete no matter what I had to do. Can you deny you felt something for me in my office in Italy?” he demanded before devouring her again.

      Something in his tone convinced her he wasn’t lying about his feelings. They’d both felt the chemistry between them when she’d flown to Milan. But a strong physical attraction didn’t mean he loved her the way she loved him. Once they were married and he’d been reconciled with his father in his own mind, how would he feel then?

      But for Lys, she’d never be able to love another man again. There was no one who came close to Takis. If their marriage didn’t work out, she’d be like Danae and live a single life. With the money from her father, she could buy a place on Kasos near Danae. They could travel together,