His white smile dazzled her. “It’s one thing to be formal in front of other people, but it’s long past the time we functioned on a first name basis in private. Don’t you agree?”
He took the cases from her hands and put them in the back seat of the car. While she watched, it dawned on her he was really here. To make things even more difficult for her, he was such an attractive Greek male, she couldn’t look anywhere else.
The sage-colored summer suit with a white, open-necked silk shirt brought out the blackness of his hair and olive-toned skin. She had the overwhelming urge to hold him as she’d done on the plane when she’d cradled his head and shoulders in her lap.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming while we were on the phone?” This wasn’t the way this day was supposed to go, yet she was so thrilled to see him, she could hardly stand it.
“It was a last-minute decision. Rather than work at my office alone, I thought it might be more fun to join you while we both test the system for flaws.” He opened the passenger door for her.
Fun?
Alex didn’t know what to think. He’d teased her before, but never to this extent.
Averting her eyes, she climbed in the front seat. After he’d shut the door and had gone around to the driver’s seat she asked, “Should you have flown anywhere this soon after your accident?”
He turned the key in the ignition, revving the engine. “Do I detect a note of pique in my secretary? I promise I won’t bother you while we make our inspection.”
“That isn’t why I asked the question,” she said in a quiet voice. “I realize that without a command of your language, you were probably concerned I couldn’t do this by myself. I just hope you won’t suffer a relapse.”
They pulled away from the curb and followed the exit signs. “If you’re worried you’ll have to nurse me halfway through the day, I promise I’m feeling fine.”
“That’s reassuring, especially when it’s so close to the opening of the fair.”
He didn’t respond to her comment. Instead, he drove the car with the same expertise he did everything else. Before long they’d left the airport and were headed for Soufli, which according to her map was sixty-five kilometers away.
She sent him a furtive glance. It was still hard to believe he’d come all this distance when there were other things that needed his attention at his office.
He caught her looking at him. Her heart did a little kick. “Why did you bother to bring your suitcase, Alexandra?”
To hear him say her name with that slight trace of accent sent a ripple of forbidden excitement through her body.
“I didn’t think I’d have enough time to visit all the exhibits and make it back to Thessalonica in one day, so I booked a room in Soufli for the night.”
“Which hotel?”
“The Ilias.”
“Considering the influx of tourists for the big event, I’m amazed they had anything available.”
“I don’t think they did. But as soon as I said your name, there was no problem.”
At that remark he pulled his cell phone out of his suit jacket pocket and made a call. Except for words like hello and goodbye, it was impossible to follow his Greek. Curious to know who he was phoning, she waited for an explanation after he clicked off, but it never came.
Finally she couldn’t stand it any longer. “Is everything all right?”
“It is now,” came the mysterious reply.
She hated it when he refused to explain his actions, particularly in this case because she was afraid they had something to do with her. In order to get her mind off him, she studied her map. It was printed on the brochure the man at the car rental desk had given her when he’d handed back her passport.
“You see that little area outside Soufli?” He touched the spot with his index finger.
At his close proximity, she drew in an unsteady breath. “Yes.”
“That’s called Dadia. We’ll be sleeping there tonight.”
She bit the inside of her lip. “Have you forgotten the government dinner at the Dodona Palace this evening? I accepted for you a month ago.”
“On my way here I told them I needed another twenty-four hours to convalesce from my accident. My cousin Vaso is going to attend in my place.”
Alex turned her head to look out the side window. No matter which member of the illustrious Pandakis family was sent, the officials would be disappointed because it was Dimitrios they wanted. Instead, he was going to be with her.
If he didn’t have worries about her being able to get around the country without his help, then the only other reason she could imagine him showing up like this was that he needed a legitimate excuse to put space between him and his nephew.
Maybe there’d been another unpleasant episode with Leon this morning, and Dimitrios hadn’t recovered enough to deal with it yet. Ananke Pandakis hadn’t said more than two words to her at breakfast.
Alex had wanted to ask the other woman to tell Leon how sorry she was for having offended him with her insensitive remarks. But the negative tension radiating from his mother had made conversation impossible. As soon as the taxi arrived, Alex had been only too glad to slip away from the villa.
“What should we do about the Ilias?”
“Don’t worry. I canceled your reservation.”
“Some desperate tourist is going to be very happy.”
“But not you?”
He was playing the relentless inquisitor again. When he was like this, there was no stopping him.
“I’m perfectly content to spend the night anywhere, you know that. Is there something special about Dadia?”
“It’s the forest that’s famous. As a boy, I explored every centimeter of it with my brother.”
“Your favorite place?” She couldn’t help asking. His love of mountaineering must have been born there.
He nodded. “I’ve been back several times, but I haven’t climbed to the top of Gibrena Peak since my brother Leonides died.”
He’d spoken of his brother’s death to Mrs. Landau, but this was the first time he’d mentioned it to Alex. Moved by his tone, her hands clutched together. “You’ll see it through different eyes this time.”
“That’s true. You can’t return and expect things to be the same. But knowing you and your passion for life, I shall enjoy watching your reaction. Tell me now if you didn’t bring suitable clothing. There’s a store in the village we’re coming to where we can buy what you need.”
Panic gripped Alex in its vise.
“I—I didn’t bring any walking clothes to Greece.”
“No problem.”
Perspiration broke out on her hairline. “Why don’t you drop me off in Soufli to do my work? It will leave you free to visit your old haunt unencumbered. We can meet at the silk mansion in the morning for the trip back.”
“Have you forgotten your hotel room is gone?”
She shifted in the seat. “I’ll find something else.”
“It’s already noon. Too late in the day to make other arrangements.”
“Is it very steep in the forest?”
“I suppose that all depends on your definition of the word steep.”
“Can I explore