A Perfect Love: International Billionaires VI: The Greeks (5 page)

“I’m asking for a day.” She pulled out the skills she’d used for years to try and keep Haimon in control. “A lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours. Is it too much to ask for a bit of time?”

“Don’t wheedle or attempt to manipulate me. It won’t work.” His eyes went flat. “Not now. I’m immune.”

The words hurt, much as he’d intended. She’d never wheedled or manipulated anyone, she wanted to yell. She’d loved. She’d cared. She’d sacrificed. Still, none of the protests slipped from her lips because she knew they would make no difference.

“The test is a simple swab of their mouth,” he said. “We’re not talking major surgery.”

“The boys—”

“This isn’t about the boys.” His gaze bore into hers. “This is about stalling.”

“I’m not—”

“You are. And I won’t have it.”

His arrogance fired her tired temper, snapping apart her attempt to find some common ground. “Forget it. I’m not going to try and reason with you anymore.”

“Good.” He took two paces down the hall before returning, closer this time, more threatening. “There’s no whining, no weeping, no wheedling that’s going to deter me from this.”

“I can demand a legal summons.”

“You can.” Leaning closer, invading her personal space, his heat swept around her like a swath of danger. “And you’ll get it.”

“That’s what I want.” She stepped back, trying to get away from him and his heat.

“But you’ll lose far more than you gain,
kardiá
mou
.” Threat no longer merely edged his words, they were filled with it. “I will make sure of it.”

R
afe stared
at his laptop and wrestled with his brain. He needed to answer the ten emails his PA had stated were most important. Then he had to Skype with the manager in charge of studying the potential of a patent they were thinking of acquiring. Finally, he must review and approve the quarterly budget within the next couple of hours.

He didn’t want to do any of it. Not one single item.

“Throw it over here, A!” There was an adolescent squeak at the end of the shout, yet it didn’t lessen the volume or the punch of the command.

He glanced at the boys.

The enclosed pool lay at the top of the hotel, surrounded by walls of glass looking down on the center of London. A line of potted palm trees mixed around the dozens of unoccupied, green lounge chairs. The pool was empty except for his two nephews. But by the amount of water splashing onto the white tile, the amount of screeching and yelling, the amount of arm-waving and leg-kicking, a man could think an army of a thousand had descended to make mayhem and cause destruction.

“My turn,” Aarōn shouted loud enough to make Rafe’s eardrums ring.

This morning he’d been confronted with two very different boys than the ones he’d met the day before. He supposed he should have expected this. They’d been tired; they’d been through a trauma. Naturally, they’d be more subdued than normal. He also had several nieces and nephews. True, they were younger than the twins, but he’d experienced numerous tantrums and several episodes of squealing and screaming.

He knew kids.

Yet he didn’t know teenagers, did he?

He’d been surprised.

Aarōn and Isaák had burst from their hotel bedroom like rambunctious, runaway cubs. They’d devoured the breakfast Rafe had ordered in something less than nine seconds. They’d then proceeded to charge onto the terrace, running up and down its length as if they were competing in the next Olympics. Before he could voice some concern about their climbing on the railing, they’d swooped inside and began arguing about what movie they were going to order.

All before he’d managed to finish his coffee.

He’d admit only to himself he’d started to feel slightly overwhelmed. Slightly out of his element. However, before the thought had formed into a tight knot in the center of his chest, she’d appeared. With one single sentence from her, the boys had turned into docile lambs. And he’d been relieved.

Relieved.

His fingers tightened around the edge of the laptop lying on one of the glass tables strewn around the pool.

“You can’t stop me!” Isaák’s face filled with glee as he yanked the rubber ball from his brother’s hands and dived under the water.

His brother roared in protest and lunged for the feet flapping in Isaák’s wake.

They had ignored him from the moment they’d left their bedroom to the last hour he’d been supervising them here in the hotel pool.

Rafe snorted.
Supervised
.

He didn’t think sitting here watching the boys splash all the water from the pool would be classified as supervising.

This whole situation had been her suggestion. Those devious green eyes had turned cunning as she suggested the twins might like to go to the pool. At first, he’d thought it a good idea. With this noisy, distracting crew out of his sight, he could get his work done.

He’d underestimated Tamsin.

Those lush lips had pursed and the lilting, slurred words that had come from her mouth had landed him here. “You can get to know one another.”

The twins had scowled, obviously not in accord with their sister.

His pride had kicked out his agreement. Surely he could handle a couple of teenagers and win them over. She was right about one thing; he needed to get to know Aarōn and Isaák before he could tear them from her clutches.

A teetering fear tripped into his head.

Could he actually control these boys once he’d ripped them away from Tamsin’s corrupting influence?

His logical brain kicked in. What did it matter? He’d eventually wrest Isaák and Aarōn from Tamsin’s grip and deliver them to his mother and two sisters. All three of the women were entirely capable of raising two teenage boys. Once they were settled with his family, he’d be free to go back to work.

He’d see them, of course. He’d supervise their education.

Still, he wouldn’t need to spend any time worrying about them. That would be his mother’s and sisters’ job.

Two dark heads popped out of the water at the same time. Before he could take in a deep breath of relief—they had been under for quite awhile—Aarōn roared again and pushed his brother’s head under the water.

Rafe found himself halfway out of his chair, but before he called a halt to the immediate death of one of his nephews, Isaák’s laughing face appeared a cool yard away from Aarōn.

“Ha!” The crazy scamp egged his brother on.

“I’ll get you.” Aarōn lunged.

Isaák paddled away from his reach.

“Okay, fine, idiot.” His brother jerked to a stop, his face tight with challenge. “Let’s race.”

Within seconds, the twin terrors were whizzing across the pool, arms arcing, feet kicking in exact unison. In superb form.

Rafe slumped back into his chair. A storming brew of relief clashed with a stunning realization.

They’d taken swimming lessons.

His dread that the boys had been allowed to run wild with no goals or training or purpose were unfounded. Even in this short amount of time with them, he’d figured out quickly they were bright, well-educated, and ready to take on the world. Now, add to this the knowledge that someone had paid for swimming lessons. What other kind of lessons had the boys been given?

He was sure, with every particle in his body; Haimon Drakos had nothing to do with any of the boys’ achievements.

Someone did, though.

Which drew his mind back to her. The woman who was in their hotel room, doing what, precisely? The woman who’d landed him in this supervisory position. The woman who’d also landed him in the position of not being able to move forward with his plans.

She’d stuck to her rejection yesterday even after his threats had turned her face pale. The doctor had been sent away. The DNA tests had not been completed. Rafe had been left to seethe on the terrace while she blithely organized the boys’ belongings and urged them to take a nap.

A nap. As if they were babies.

“I won!” crowed Isaák at one end of the pool.

“You cheated.” His twin charged not only with his words, but his actions.

A splash of water washed over the tiled rim as the boys wrestled themselves into another perilous underwater engagement.

Rafe tried to focus his concentration on his work, yet the instinct to dive in and separate them was almost overwhelming. But the twins had managed to live for thirteen years without killing each other, so surely—

“They’ll be fine.” Her soft, slurred voice came from behind him. “Don’t worry.”

He hated, instantly, that she knew what he was thinking. He hated her, and even more, he hated this damned connection between them. “I hardly think a swimming pool is going to conquer two Vounó males.”

She gave him a sniff and he was conscious of her moving behind him. A wicker bag plopped down on a lounge chair several ones away from his.

Before he could stop himself, he turned to look.

A hot pointed dagger of heat struck deep in his belly.

She was covered. Barely.

At first glance, the beach coverup appeared conservative, conventional. The thing covered her arms to her wrists and fell to almost mid-thigh. But then she moved and the fabric swung around her hips. White beads, laced along the seams of cloth, tinkled and sparkled.

The banked fire of need inside him burst into pure lust.

The coverlet was a woven mesh of tan weaving across her body. Standing still, she appeared decent. Moving, the artifice dropped away. The mesh flashed bare skin in between the trails of lace and beads.

Pale, ivory skin. Perfect.

The beads plinked and plunked.

Craving poured through his blood, hurling any thoughts of business or boys out of his mind altogether.

Once again, she appeared oblivious to his sexual desire. The connection he hated didn’t seem to extend to her sensing the lust pumping in his blood. Turning her back to him, she eased herself onto the lounge chair without taking off the coverlet. He managed to catch a glimpse of the bathing suit underneath, though.

Green. As green as her eyes. A bikini. A bathing suit leaving little to his fertile and heated imagination.

“Come in, Tam!” Isaák’s excited voice cut through the humid air.

“Come in with us and swim.” Aarōn joined the chorus. Both of them lunged to the side of the pool, big grins on their faces.

The invitations to their sister were a blatant contrast to the ignoring he’d received. The flashing thought burned inside him along with the lust.

“In a bit.” She flipped a blond braid over one shoulder and turned to stare across the chairs at him. “I have something I want to discuss with…”

She stuttered to a stop.

“Your uncle,” Rafe filled in.

The boys went silent before the splash of their limbs signaled their retreat.

Tamsin’s lips firmed and her gaze grew bright. With what? Anger? Curiosity? More likely thinking of wheedling something from him. She’d likely spent this past hour analyzing how much he was worth and what she could extract from him.

She was out of luck.

“I want to know.” Pausing, she lowered her voice. “Why you didn’t go to medical school.”

The question was so unexpected compared to what he’d thought she’d ask, he stilled, completely stunned. He’d been so busy thinking about the twins, the DNA test denied, as well as all the myriad of business problems he’d been forced to address from afar, that her question from yesterday had been forgotten.

“What has that got to do with anything?” he barked.

Her shoulders straightened and her jaw tensed. “I want to know.”

Stark, sharp memories swamped him. The young Tam had appeared so soft and so sweet. Yet there had been a few times, times she’d held firm. A time when she’d chided him for making a joke about something important to her. A time when she’d argued passionately for a new law being fought for in the courts. A time when she’d chastised his sister when Rhouth had teased Rafe about his collection of wounded animals.

This was important to her.

Why?

He scowled, trying to understand what this was all about. “I don’t get it. It was ten years ago. What’s important right now are my nephews and their future. That’s what we should be discussing.”

She glanced away from his hard glare to stare at the pool and the laughing boys as they threw the ball back and forth. “We’ll get to them soon enough.”

“Now.” Swiveling in his chair to face her, he clasped his hands in front of him. “I discussed my options with my solicitors this morning.”

“Solicitors. Plural.” The slurred ending to each of her words gave them a sinister taint.

“Correct.” He wasn’t sinister. He was claiming what was his. If he needed a phalanx of solicitors to get what he wanted, then that’s what he’d do. “I’ve been advised getting a legal summons for a DNA is doable. Eventually, I’ll win this.”

“Yes, I supposed you will.” She kept her focus on her brothers. “Eventually.”

Rafe’s hands fisted at his sides as he threw himself back in the chair. She was right, damn her. It would take weeks if she fought him over this. Fury at this woman and her stubbornness threatened to defeat his control. His solicitors had counseled him…
get her consent, it will save time, it’ll be easier, don’t alienate her, get her on your side
…but something about Tamsin’s attitude eroded all his good intentions. “I have little time to spare here. I have work to do back in Greece.”

“So, then.” She turned back to stare at him. “Perhaps we can negotiate.”

The look in her eyes lanced through him, striking him off his game plan. Her gaze was clear and keen. Intelligent and sharp. This was not the sixteen-year-old young lady he’d known years ago. This wasn’t a sweet girl who had turned out to be simply a teasing betrayer. This was a woman who knew what she was doing.

She runs everything.

The remembered words whispered in his ears as he stared into her green eyes. The Drakos clan might be full of liars and thieves, yet no one had ever said they weren’t smart. And all about money. Always about the money. He and his family and his father had learned this the hard way.

She cocked her head, her eyes narrowing.

He could practically see the numbers running in her head.

He didn’t want to negotiate with her. When he’d descended on the run-down hotel, he’d assumed he’d win, easily and handily. Haimon would be charged with numerous crimes and hauled off to jail. Tamsin would be thrown from her home and left in the dust. His nephews would be on his plane on their way to Greece.

His solicitors had counseled him before he’d arrived in London, and once more this morning….
she might ask for money, she might not give away the twins without some monetary settlement
…but he’d been too eager to deliver his revenge to take this into account.

He didn’t want to give her money.

He didn’t want to reward her.

He didn’t want her to win.

Yet what were his options? He had to have the boys and he had to be in Greece. Soon. One of the biggest deals in his life was finally coming together and he couldn’t afford to spend weeks and weeks in England fighting this woman.

“All right.” He forced himself to lounge back and appear relaxed. “How much?”

She jerked as if he’d yanked her ponytail. “What?”

“I’m negotiating, exactly as you requested.” The tang of fury coated his tongue with hot, hard hate. She was just like her lying stepfather and cheating mother. Still, if money was what it took, he had plenty of that. “How much?”

A furrow creased her brow. Then a flash of understanding lit in her gaze. The green turned to cold agate. “Are you suggesting I would take money to allow Aarōn and Isaák to take this test?”