“To a friend of her mother’s in New York. If that’s her plan, I’ve got to stop her.”
* * *
Takis broke all speed records driving into Heraklion. It was a miracle he wasn’t pulled over. To his relief, her car was still in its space when he parked his Acura. But she could have called for a limo. There wasn’t a moment to lose.
He hurried to her suite and knocked on the door. When she didn’t answer, he phoned her. Still no response. Without a second to lose, he raced to the front office. Magda was on duty.
“Have you seen Lys this afternoon?”
“No.”
“She hasn’t left the hotel?”
“Not that I know of. Let me check with the manager.” She came right back. “No one has heard from her.”
“Then I need a card key to her room. I’m worried about her. We’re due at our engagement party.”
Magda seemed hesitant.
“Tell you what. Will you come with me and let me in?”
“Yes.” She grabbed a card key. Then she turned to the other woman manning the desk and said she’d be right back. Together they hurried to the third floor.
Magda knocked on Lys’s door and called out to her. After no response, she used the card key to let them inside.
“Lys?” Takis called her name. “It’s Takis. Are you ill?”
“What are you doing inside my suite?” sounded a familiar voice in an unfamiliar tone. He could rule out sickness. Her voice sounded strong.
Relief flooded his system that she hadn’t gone anywhere yet. He thanked Magda. “I’ll take care of this now. I promise you’re not in any trouble.”
“I’ll have to take your word for that.”
After she left, he started down the hall. “I’m coming in the bedroom, so if you’re not decent, you’d better hide under the covers.”
“I’m dressed if that’s what you mean.”
He moved inside. She looked adorable sitting on the side of her bed in a pink robe and bare feet, her face splotchy from crying.
Her purple eyes stared accusingly at him. “How did you get in here?”
“I’m part owner of the hotel, remember?” He sat down on a side chair.
“Nobody knows that.”
“Magda let me in.”
“Of course she did once you used your charm on her. She should be fired!”
“On the contrary, she passed the most important test for me by functioning in a crisis.”
“What crisis?”
“I couldn’t find you anywhere. After the talk with my mother, I feared you might be in here too ill to respond. In my opinion we should make Magda general manager if Giorgos ever leaves.”
Lys lowered her head. “Then your mother told you everything.”
Takis loved this woman with every atom of his body. “Yes.”
She got to her feet. “The headline in the paper has probably ruined everything you’ve tried to do where your father is concerned. For all I know it already has.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong.”
Lys paced the floor, then turned to him. “Why didn’t you answer your phone this morning?”
“I was out shopping for our bedroom furniture with my father and turned it off.”
Lys blinked. “You went with your father to do that?”
“Yes. It’s tradition for the parents. He insisted and we had a lot of fun.”
“Then it means he didn’t see the paper this morning.”
“True, but I did, and I told my parents about it at breakfast.”
He heard her take a quick breath. “Did your mother tell you I’ve broken our engagement?”
“Yes.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out the ring. “Here’s the proof. It would have been nice if you’d told me first.”
“I did try, but you weren’t anywhere around.”
“We’ve got all the time in the world now.”
“You don’t need an explanation. We both know we can’t go on with this lie any longer. It’s not fair to your parents who love you.”
“What lie is that?”
“The only reason two people should get married is because they love each other. Your parents have to know the real reason we got engaged. But since you don’t want them to know about the will, I can’t go on with this deception.”
“You don’t have to. They know about it.”
He could see her swallowing hard. “When did they find out?”
“I told them this afternoon.”
She sank down on the end of the bed. “I don’t understand.”
Takis got to his feet. “I finally had the talk with them you urged me to have. You were right about everything and I was wrong. When I explained about the will, they told me they were thrilled Nassos thought enough of me to give me such a gift.”
“Oh, Takis—” she cried, sounding overjoyed. “Then there are no more shadows? You’re happy at last?”
“No. I’m still waiting for you to tell me if you love me. The other night you wanted me to stay with you. An admission of love would have brought me running to you.”
She looked away from him. “You’re being very unkind, Takis. After talking to your mother, you know I do.”
“You do what?”
“Love you.”
“When did you know?”
“In your office in Italy. But none of it matters because a love like mine needs to be reciprocated, which it isn’t, so I wish you’d leave now.”
“I can’t do that because I love you more than life.”
A gasp escaped her lips. She turned to him. “I don’t believe you,” she whispered.
“Do you honestly think I would have asked you to marry me if you hadn’t turned my world inside out? I knew at the funeral you were the woman for me. The moment was surreal to watch my destiny walk past me. The feeling I had for you transcended the physical. How can you doubt it?”
“Because I’m afraid to believe it.”
He reached for her left hand and slid the ring back on her finger. Then he cupped her beautiful face in his hands. “I can understand that fear. You lost your parents and Nassos. But you’re never going to lose me. We’re going to get married and raise a family.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. The love-light in her eyes blinded him. “I love you so much I don’t think I can contain it.”
“I don’t want you to try.” Driven by desire, he picked up his bride-to-be and carried her over to the bed, following her down on the mattress. “If you had any idea how long I’ve been waiting to love you like this. Give me your mouth, my love.”
Her passionate response was a revelation to Takis, but they’d no sooner started kissing each other than her cell rang, followed by a loud knock on the hotel room door.
He was slow to relinquish her luscious mouth. “I’ll get the door while you answer the phone.”
When