“Something you have to learn about the Greek male. He loves to dance.” Dimitrios put out his hands. “Indulge me.”
Delicious waves of excitement raced through her body. Maybe her dream to become unforgettable to him was starting to come true. Her legs almost buckled as she dared to imagine he might really want to hold her close. “I don’t think—”
“This is one time when I don’t want you to think, Alexandra. Just go with the music. The bouzouki is too compelling to ignore.”
“I don’t know any Greek dances,” she grumbled.
But her declaration had no effect on him as he drew her resisting body into his arms.
“All you have to do is relax,” he whispered near her ear. After he’d removed her glasses and put them on the bed, he held her close enough that she could follow his lead.
Earlier she’d practically melted to feel his broad chest against her back. Now that her curves were melded to his rock-hard physique, her bones turned to liquid every time their legs brushed against each other.
Zeus in her arms.
She didn’t dare let this go on any longer.
“I think we’d better stop. You’ve had enough activity for one day.”
“I’ll live to see another.”
As if to make his point, he pulled her closer and moved her around the room with practised ease.
“Dimitrios,” she begged.
“I like it when you say my name. I like being with you. Admit you enjoy my company, too.” She felt his deep voice resonate to every cell in her sensitized body.
“If that weren’t true, I wouldn’t have worked for you all these years.”
“A man likes to hear the words once in a while, even from his secretary.”
“Well, now that you’ve been given your wish, I really must insist we stop. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“So we do.”
He stopped moving his legs, but continued to rock her in place. “Thank you for the dance, Alexandra. It was exactly what the doctor ordered.”
His hands seemed to slide away reluctantly, leaving her bereft. “I’ll see you in the morning. Be sure to lock the door after me.” He reached for his backpack.
“Wait,” she cried.
“Yes?” He paused at the entrance.
“Where’s your sleeping bag?”
“In the trunk of the car.”
“What if you should become ill during the night?”
He shot her an enigmatic glance. “It isn’t going to happen.”
“But it could!” After their hike, she was fearful he might have overdone things. “I don’t think I’ll get any sleep tonight knowing you’re out there somewhere in the forest where you might suffer a dizzy spell and no one would be there to help you.”
He rubbed his jaw absently. “If you’re that concerned, then I’ll sleep in the car outside the cottage door.”
“No!” she cried. “You’re too big and you need a good night’s rest,” she stammered. “Stay in here. It isn’t as if we haven’t spent all night in the same bedroom before. That way if you’re sick, I’ll be here to help you.”
She could read nothing from his expression. “That’s very generous of you. If you’re sure—”
“Of course.” Once again she disappeared into the bathroom.
With pounding heart, he turned off the lamp and slid under the covers. When his adorable secretary finally emerged, his hungry gaze followed her silhouette as she got in her bed and purposely rolled away from him.
One dance with her and a fire had been lit that wasn’t about to go out. He could still feel her delectable body pressed against him. In fact he was dangerously close to joining her in her bed.
The cell phone rang. Smothering a groan of frustration, he reached for it and clicked on.
“Yassou.” He spoke in Greek.
“Uncle?”
Relief swept over Dimitrios. “Leon, thank goodness. Where are you right now?”
“With Nikos.”
“He’s a good friend.”
After a brief silence, “You shouldn’t have left the villa until you were better,” he blurted in a voice of chastisement, which was very touching.
“I found that out earlier today. Fortunately I’m in bed now.”
“Where?”
“At the lodge on the edge of the Dadia forest.”
“With Ms. Hamilton?”
He sucked in his breath. “Yes.”
“Mother told me I jumped to conclusions about your confiding in her. I’m sorry. It was rude of me to walk out on you like that.”
“There’s no need for apologies. It was a misunderstanding all the way around.”
“What are you doing in Dadia?”
“Reliving a memory I have of your father. I should have shared it with you years ago, but when he died, I was in so much pain, I shut off emotionally.”
“Uncle Vaso told me you two were really close.”
“Very. When your grandparents were killed, Leonides became mother, father and brother to me. After his death, I suffered. Then you were born, and it was like having my brother back. Only you were my little brother, and I could boss you around for a change.”
His nephew laughed. Dimitrios felt the dark clouds begin to disperse.
“I’d like to climb the peak with you, Leon.”
“I’d love it,” his nephew responded emotionally.
“Good. Then we’ll plan it after I get back from my honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon?”
“Yes.” Dimitrios realized that nothing less than marriage would satisfy him. “I’m going to take a long one, and I’ll need someone to run things in New York while I’m away.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. Who else would I ask to fill in for me? Maybe by the time I return home, you’ll know better if you want to finish college and go into business with me, or live the religious life.
“Personally, I’d like my nephew with me. Any sons or daughters I have won’t be able to help me until I’m a much older man.”
“Uncle, you’re going too fast for me.”
That’s the point, Leon. I want to fill your head with enough ideas to confuse you.
“I feel breathless these days.”
“You’re in love with Ms. Hamilton, aren’t you.”
Dimitrios’s eyes closed tightly. “Yes.”
“I knew it the moment you told me to take her to the villa with us.”
“You have all the right instincts, Leon. That’s why you’ll make it in business if that’s what you choose.”
Another long period of quiet followed before his nephew spoke again. “Have you asked her to marry you?”
“As soon as the fair is over.”