“Besides the fact that the quartz crystalline structure resembles freshly fallen snow and is only quarried on this island?”
“Besides that.”
“He passed on a piece of trivia I found interesting. The visual effects team working on the American films of the Twilight saga used very fine pure white Thassos marble dust, which they added to the face paint. That’s why there’s this incredible sparkling effect when sunlight touches the vampires’ skin! Trust my dad to know details like that. He’s the smartest man I ever met.”
Stavros filed the information away. “Have you told him that lately?”
“All the time.”
“Lucky man.” Since Stavros’s father already believed he was the smartest man living, Stavros had never paid him such a compliment.
“I’m the lucky one to have a father like him.”
“You know what I think?”
She flicked him a curious glance.
“Despinis Linford is the smartest woman I ever met.”
“Hardly.” Another troubled sigh passed her lips. “Please. Call me Andrea.”
“Then I insist you call me Stavros.”
“The sign of the cross. A holy name.”
“My parents regret giving it to me. I’m afraid I’m the apololos provato of their brood.”
She turned her head to look at him. “You? The black sheep of the Konstantinos family? Why would you say such a thing?”
“Maybe because I choose to do things other than live up to my father’s dreams for me.”
“It sounds like you have dreams of your own and think for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that. You ought to wear it as a badge of courage rather than a curse.”
A curse. That was exactly what it had been like, but she made it sound like something to be proud of. A different way to look at himself? How did she manage to do that without even being aware of her power? The thought was daunting because he realized he could really care about her. That was a complication he didn’t need right now.
“You’re fortunate to have a father who approves of you.”
“You mean yours really doesn’t?”
“Afraid not.” His voice grated. “Your incredulity tells me how different our fathers are. In my whole life, we’ve rarely seen eye to eye on anything. Unless it’s his way, it isn’t right.”
“But you’re obviously successful!”
“Not in his eyes.”
“That’s horrible.” Her voice shook. “How painful for you.”
“I’m used to it.”
“Even so, I can hear the hurt in your voice deep down.” Her keen perception astounded him. She studied him for a minute. “For what it’s worth, I approve of you.”
“Why?”
“When we first met, you were ready to give me a full interrogation at the quarry. But after I introduced myself, you listened, and in your unique way, you apologized and let me look for Darren with you. I find that admirable and think I like you much better now.”
Andrea Linford, where did you come from?
Little did she know he already liked her to the point he was ready to carry her off to an unknown location where they could get to know each other for as long as they wanted, undisturbed by anything or one. It shocked him that he would entertain such a thought when he’d only just met her.
They’d neared the trail that led to the cave. It was getting too dark for tourists to be out. Stavros had been watching for anyone walking along the winding stone road bordered by heavy underbrush.
He pulled to a stop. “We’ll have to go on foot from here. Grab one of the parkas. I know it’ll drown you, but it will also keep you warm. The temperature inside the cave is always cooler, especially at night. Darren might not be here. If he isn’t, then let’s whisper once we get inside while we wait and turn off the flashlights. In case he does show up, we don’t want our voices and lights to scare him off before we approach him.”
“Understood.”
Andrea understood about a lot more things than he could have imagined.
They both got out and put on a coat. She reached for two bottles of water she could carry in the pockets of her parka.
He handed her the smaller flashlight, making sure it worked, then turned on the big one. After throwing a blanket over his shoulder, he locked the Jeep. Before he knew it, she’d gone down the path ahead of him. Because of the overgrowth of mountain foliage, it grew so narrow in spots that they had to proceed single file. So far, they hadn’t seen anyone.
Soon, they came to the large mouth of the cave. It looked like a dark hole. He moved past her, flashing his light around the interior for any sign of the teen. They went deeper, until the shaft of light lit up the dragon-like stalactite. Though it was always dark in the cave, the night gave it added menace.
If Darren intended to hide in here, Stavros doubted he’d go much farther for fear of getting lost. He turned to Andrea and put his lips close to her ear. Again, he was assailed by the delicious scent of her. Maybe it was the shampoo from her wavy dark blond hair, which fell loose to her neck. “Let’s sit here awhile and see if he comes.”
* * *
Andrea nodded and edged away in order to counteract the feel of his warm breath against her skin. He hadn’t touched her, but he didn’t have to for her to be intensely aware of him. After he spread out the blanket, she sat down cross-legged. In the next moment he’d taken the same position facing her.
The last thing she saw before they turned off their lights was the bone structure of his striking eastern Macedonian features. He was fiercely male, all of him.
Just thinking about all of him made her swallow hard. She felt the cool darkness enshroud them. If she was nervous and disturbed, it wasn’t because they were in a cave that was black as pitch. Something had happened to her from the moment Stavros Konstantinos had alighted from his car looking like a Greek statue come to life. It was so strange because she hadn’t been interested in any man since Ferrante.
“Do you know what a rare creature you are?” His whisper came out of the darkness.
Her body trembled in reaction. “Why do you say that?” she whispered back.
“Because your behavior is so perfect, you’ve forced me to break the silence in order to tell you so.”
Andrea couldn’t help but smile. “I learned early in life that most men don’t like chatter. Of course, my father isn’t like most men. I loved him and always wanted to go with him wherever he was sent.”
“Is he waiting for you in Thessaloniki?”
“No. He stays in a village near the Skouries mine for three weeks at a time. Then he comes to our furnished apartment in the city to see me for a week. While I’m at the office, he cooks up a storm for us. I take time off when he arrives so we can explore the sites together.”
“Your father never married again?”
“I once asked him that question because he’s had his share of girlfriends. He told me that because he has to move around the globe every so often, he decided it would be too difficult to be married. Plus, he said, I was the only child he wanted.”
“I can understand that. Both his reasons make perfect sense. Would you have liked a stepmother?”
No one had ever asked her that question. “I don’t know, since I never grew up with