her. She’d just lost Nassos and would be vulnerable for a long time. Takis didn’t want to feel any emotions where she was concerned, but to his chagrin she’d aroused much more in him than the urge to comfort her. “Thank you for lunch. I’ll let myself out and see you in the morning. How does eight thirty sound to you?”
“Perfect.”
So was she. Tomorrow he’d be with her again. It was the only reason he could leave the hotel at all.
LYS AWAKENED EARLY the next morning. She’d been restless during the night, otherwise her comforter wouldn’t be on the floor at the side of her bed. The unexpected advent of Takis Manolis in her life had shaken her world.
The fact that he would be co-owner of the hotel with her for the next six months wasn’t nearly as disconcerting as the man himself. He was a Cretan Adonis who’d gotten under her skin and had turned her insides to mush the first time she’d laid eyes on him. She wished to heaven she weren’t excited to be meeting him for breakfast, but she couldn’t turn off those hormones working madly inside her body.
There was nothing professional about her feelings for him. She had no idea how she was going to be able to work with him and not reveal how susceptible she was to his male charisma. No woman alive could be indifferent to him. Somehow she needed to be the exception. But she feared that it would be an impossible task.
Once she’d showered and washed her hair, Lys changed her mind five times about what to wear, something she never did, which proved he was in her head. She eventually settled on pleated navy pants with a navy blouse edged in navy lace and matching sweater.
Not only would she continue to wear dark colors to honor Nassos’s memory, but she refused to dress in order to attract Takis’s attention. Other women probably did it on a regular basis. But his appeal had affected her so greatly, it was embarrassing. She had no idea how long Danae would wear black before returning to her normal wardrobe. Lys would follow her example.
Once she’d brushed her hair and put on a soft pink lipstick, she left the hotel driving one of their service vans so she wouldn’t be recognized by the paparazzi. She headed out of town under an overcast sky to the little settlement of Vlahiana southwest of Heraklion. She took in the beauty of the hills and vineyards rolling in the distance. Several villages clung to the hillsides, beckoning her toward them.
Takis had lived on Crete until he was eighteen and probably knew every inch of it. She was pleased he’d wanted them to meet at the small country inn hidden away where there wouldn’t be any press around.
Nassos had once brought her and Danae here, explaining about the building that had been completely restored with ancient stones, a perfect blend with the near-white bleached wood. The artist in him had liked what had been done to it. She didn’t wonder that Takis had chosen this same place to talk.
To her surprise, she saw his tall, well-honed physique walking toward her as she pulled up in the small parking area. He could have no way of knowing what she’d worn, but he’d dressed in charcoal-colored trousers and a navy sport shirt open at the neck, looking marvelous.
“We match,” he said after opening the van door for her. As she got out, the scent of the soap he’d used in the shower assailed her senses. Her arm brushed against his chest by accident. The slight contact sent a thrill of excitement through her body. “I’ve already ordered our breakfast. It’s waiting out on the back patio for us.”
It turned out they had the area to themselves. The trellis roof above them dripped with shocking red bougainvillea. He helped her to sit at the small round table before he took a seat opposite her. The sight of so many delicious-looking items told her he was a typical Cretan who loved his food. There were sausages, smoked pork, eggs with staka, cream cheese pie and coffee.
She bit into a piece of pie. “If I ate this way every morning, pretty soon I wouldn’t be able to get through the doors to the office.”
“That will never be your problem, and I happen to think it’s much nicer to eat while we talk business.”
“I won’t argue with you there.” Her awareness of him made it difficult to keep her eyes off him while he devoured his food.
As he drank his coffee, he asked, “Were you running the hotel singlehandedly before Nassos died?”
“Pretty much, along with the general manager. Nassos spent most of his time watching over his other investments, which are now Danae’s. But there’s no question Nassos kept his eagle eye on everything. Since he’s been gone, I’ve continued to do things the same way, but I’ll admit I worry that I’m missing something.”
“Do the staff know you’re the new owner?”
“No. I’m sure they think that Nassos gave the hotel to Danae even though he divorced her. I know the manager assumes as much.”
His piercing gaze stared directly into hers. “How do you feel about having to share the business with me?”
She sat back in the chair. “To be honest, when the attorney gave me Nassos’s letter and I read what was inside, I almost went into shock. But by the time I flew to Italy, I’d managed to calm down.”
“Your anger didn’t show.”
“I never felt anger. Not at all. If anything I felt hurt for Danae, who should have inherited the hotel. They met years ago while she’d been working at another hotel. She would be a natural to run everything, but he was too blind to see what he was doing.”
He lowered his coffee cup. “You didn’t expect to inherit?”
She frowned. “I didn’t expect him to die, but I know what you meant to say. I had no expectations. I imagined that in time I’d meet a man, get married and years from now lose Nassos. Instead, he’s gone and he has made you co-owner. That’s all I know. But to answer your question, no, I’m not angry.”
“What did you mean he was too blind?”
Lys shouldn’t have said what she did. Now he’d dig until he got the answer he wanted. At this point it didn’t matter if he knew the truth. In fact it would be better if it did.
“Tell you what. If you’ve finished eating, why don’t we go to the hotel?” She was enjoying this time with him far too much. “If I show you the letter Nassos instructed the attorney to give to me, then you’ll understand and won’t have so many questions. I wish I had brought it with me. Did you bring a car?”
“No. I came in a taxi from home.”
“Then I’ll drive us back to town and we can talk in my sitting room at the hotel. Would it bother you if I’m behind the wheel?”
His half smile gave her a fluttery feeling in her chest. “I’m looking forward to it.” He put some bills on the table before helping her up. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man, let alone have one to help her into the van.
The thrill of being with him was like nothing she’d ever experienced. She wished they were going off and not coming back. A silly thought, but one that told her she was in serious trouble where Takis was concerned.
Before long she pulled into the private parking space in the hotel garage and they rode the elevator to her floor. They’d done this before when she’d welcomed him inside her room. After telling him he was welcome to freshen up, she went into the bedroom to get the letter out of the side table drawer.
Once she’d made a detour to her own bathroom, she entered the sitting room and handed it to him before subsiding in one of the upholstered chairs around the coffee table. She’d never invited a man into her hotel room before. But with Takis, everything was feeling so natural.
* * *
Takis felt her eyes on him as he opened it to read. Within seconds he couldn’t believe what