Pretending with the Greek Billionaire (14 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Luca took the remnants of the roll from Constance’s fingers and removed the plate with the rest of the desiccated bread from her grasp. Then he took her hands and kissed each one.

“Stop worrying. He’s the one who saw that picture of us and decided he liked you, remember? This should be easy.”

“Yes, but what if he’s changed his mind? We got engaged so quickly. He might think I’m just here for…for…”

“For my money? For a few nights in my bed?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave.

Her breath left her in a gush that left her cheeks flaming red and Luca chuckled, leaning in to kiss her. “I sincerely hope the last one is true.”

“Luca,” she said, glancing around to make sure no one heard him.

“You have got to relax,” he said, with a little laugh.

“Easy for you to say. It’s not my father we’re about to meet.”

“We can do that next. Let’s get mine out of the way first.”

“You’d want to meet my dad?”

“The man who produced you? Of course. I wanted to meet him before, remember? Not so sure how he’d feel about me…”

Constance laughed. “As long as I’m happy, he’d be happy.”

“And are you? Happy?”

He found himself surprisingly anxious to hear the answer to that question. She gazed up into his eyes and opened her mouth to speak but never got the chance.

“Well, look at the happy couple,” his father said, staring down at them before taking a seat.

Luca sat back, all playfulness disappearing at his father’s disapproving, and unexpected, tone. “Father, I’d like you to meet Constance McMurty. Constance, my father, Augustine Vasilakis.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vasilakis. Luca has told me so much about you.”

“Has he? I’m afraid the only things I know about you I had to find out from my investigators.”

“Father,” Luca said, his tone as close to warning as he’d ever dared get with his father.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Augustine said, waving a finger between the two of them before unfolding and laying his napkin in his lap. “You want to make sure the photographers you’ve got clogging up the streets all get a good shot.”

Luca frowned, his anxiety turning to anger. “We were not putting on a show for anyone’s benefit. Theirs or yours.”

“Of course you were,” he said, not even bothering to look at Luca. He waved a server over, ordered a glass of wine and sat back to scrutinize them, his gaze lingering on Constance.

“So, you’re his
fiancée
at the moment, or so I’ve heard.”

Constance blanched and Luca’s anger burned hotter.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Constance said, her forehead creased with a small frown. “Have I done something to offend you?”

“No,” Luca said. “You haven’t.”

His father glanced at him, eyebrows raised. “I’m capable of answering for myself, Luca.”

The waiter brought his wine but was waved away when he asked if they were ready to order.

“Now, to get back to the question of my offense. Of course I’m offended,” he said, but his gaze was on Luca. A small thing to be grateful for in what was apparently going to be a disaster of epic proportions, but if shit was about to get ugly, Luca preferred it fall on him, not Constance. His dad shook his head. “That you would think you could fool me into thinking you’ve changed by staging some sham wedding, complete with orphans for God’s sake, is not only offensive, it’s downright infuriating.”

“I don’t understand where your anger is coming from,” Luca said. “You were thrilled when photos first surfaced of us together. Your exact words, I believe, were, ‘Finally, a girl your mother would be proud to welcome to our home.’ Why the sudden change of heart?”

“I’ll admit I was thrilled initially to see you keeping company with someone of a little more substance, for once. But reconciling the son I knew becoming suddenly engaged to a woman with six children to care for was a little more difficult. If you were truly getting married, I wanted to know more about who you were bringing into the family, as any father would.

“My people did a little more digging and discovered that your Miss McMurty here had never once been seen in your presence or anywhere near anyone you associate with until the day those photos were taken. Yet almost immediately, you are engaged, and large donations have been made to the organization she is associated with. I have no idea how much you’re paying her on top of the money you’ve already shelled out, and frankly any woman who would agree to whatever deal you made is reprehensible. But if you think for one second you can bribe and lie your way into my good graces you are sorely mistaken.

“You’ve made some poor choices in your life, Luca, but even I thought you to be better than this. When will you ever learn that the only way to get ahead in life is to work for it? You can’t lie or buy your way into success. You are never going to make anything of yourself this way. And to drag this young woman down into your deceptions with you, though I’m no longer sure considering the behavior I’ve seen who did the dragging, not to mention using a bunch of innocent children, is nothing short of shameful—”

“That is enough!” Constance slammed her napkin onto the table and Luca and Augustine both looked at her with what he was sure were twin expressions of shock. Mirrored by most of the people in the restaurant. The phones started coming out and Luca was sure within moments their little scene would be all over the internet. Ah well. No help for it. And frankly, the fact that she was defending him was something he was happy to share. No one had ever done such a thing for him before.

He had seen her irritated, even angry, but he’d never seen Constance in full-blown fury. She was magnificent with her flashing eyes and heated cheeks, her chest out and back straight, ready for battle. This might even be fun to watch, especially since it wasn’t aimed at him.

He’d listened to his father’s tirade with growing anger and a sinking heart, but while things between he and Constance had recently grown a great deal more complicated than he expected, his father wasn’t really wrong. How do you argue with that?

Constance was apparently going to try. She stood up, her whole body radiating fury.

“Mr. Vasilakis, I don’t know where you get your information, but I assure you nothing about my relationship with your son is false. Yes, it’s true that we’d only met that day of the first picture and, yes, we became engaged immediately after. It might have been a whirlwind and it might have been unexpected, for us as well as anyone else, but that does not make it any less real. He proposed, I said yes, he bought me a beautiful ring I will cherish for the rest of my life, and I’ve been sharing his home, and his bed, ever since.”

Luca tried not to look too surprised. She wasn’t lying, but she was gilding the truth a bit. He’d never have expected it from his oh-so-proper-Constance.

“To suggest that he has paid me to do any of this is incredibly offensive and you owe me an apology. And you owe your son one as well. Luca might be a bit impetuous and yes, at times he can be irresponsible and maybe even immature…”

Luca’s eyes narrowed, wondering where she was going with all that.

“But he is also good, and kind, and loving. He is amazing with my girls. They adore him. If you don’t believe that, come see it for yourself instead of sending your flunkies out to Google lies from the internet. Don’t you dare accuse him of wrongdoing or berate him like he is some misbehaving child. Luca is a wonderful, decent man who deserves a hell of a lot more credit than anyone ever gives him, and I will not sit by while you belittle and criticize him.”

Augustine stared in stunned silence at her and she seemed to realize what she’d just done. Her shoulders slumped a bit, the righteous indignation bleeding out of her bit by bit. She turned to Luca with wide, worried eyes.

He stood and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him so he could kiss her temple.

“I’m sorry,” she mouthed to him.

“Shhh,” he whispered in her ear. “It’s okay. You were incredible.”

She looked up at him and he gave her a gentle kiss, briefly resting his forehead against hers.

“Thank you,” he whispered, stroking her face. Then he turned to his father, keeping his arm firmly around her. “You may think whatever you like about me, Father. But Constance is off limits. Short of inviting you into our bedroom, there is no way for me to prove anything to you and I have no desire to try. I think we’ve listened to enough for one day.”

He slapped enough euros on the table to cover their bill and took Constance’s hand.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take my fiancée home.”

His father stood as they left, but he didn’t say anything to call them back. If Luca wasn’t mistaken, and he could have been since he’d never seen anything like it before, there might have been a look of grudging respect and approval on his old man’s face.

Maybe miracles did happen.

They pushed through the doors of the restaurant and were met with a mob of flashing cameras. Constance buried her face against his chest and he wrapped his arm more firmly about her. Reporters started screaming questions at them.

What did you discuss with your father?

Are you fighting with your father?

What was the argument about?

Does he approve of your marriage?

How does he feel about your fiancée?

Things looked like they were getting heated in there. Care to comment?

Constance! Constance! How does it feel to have Luca’s father hate you?

Luca! Did he threaten to cut you off if you married Constance?

Your fans want to know! Do you have a message to share?

Yeah…he’d love to tell everyone to fuck off and get out of their faces, but he refrained. Barely.

Luca shoved through them, for once not worried about trying to make a good impression. Constance trembled under his arm. He needed to get her out of there. They made it to his car and he ushered her in, running around to get in the driver’s side. This time, he didn’t take it nice and slow so they could get their shots of the happy couple leaving. He revved the engine to serve as warning, lurched forward a foot or two to show he was serious, and then he applied foot to pedal and got them out of there.

They were followed, of course, but they couldn’t pass the gates of Luca’s estate. He ground to a halt as close to the door as he could get and hurried around to help Constance out of the car.

“I don’t feel so well,” she murmured.

Her face had gone pale as the white linen dress she wore. Luca wasn’t taking any chances. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside, ignoring the vultures screeching at them from the other side of the gate.

Chapter Sixteen

Constance sipped at the water Luca handed her and then put it down, taking a couple deep breaths.

“Thank you. I’m sorry I freaked out. I …I just need a break. I want all this to stop. Just for five minutes. Something.” Constance knew she was whining like a two-year-old but she couldn’t help it. If one more camera went off in her face, she was going to scream. How the hell did Luca deal with this every day of his life and not go completely insane?

He pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his chest in a gesture so tender it made her heart twist. Sometimes, most times, he was a total ass, but there were moments like this where a different person seemed to peek out. She sank into him, letting him soothe her. His hands rubbed down her back, his lips moving against her hair as he mumbled in Greek to her, interspersed with kisses so sweet she wanted to cuddle against him and never move.

He tilted her face up so he could meet her gaze, smoothing her hair out of her face. “
Omorf
í
koritsi mou
,” he said, surprising her with the sweet term of endearment. His beautiful girl. It drew a smile from her and she pressed closer to him. He kissed her, his lips gentle, almost chaste.

“Come on,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. “Let’s get out of here.”

Relief flooded through her. “Where are we going?”

“There’s a spot I know where they won’t find us.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. She had to jog a little to keep up with his long stride.

“What about the kids?”

Luca stopped and pulled his phone from his pocket, quickly firing off a text. He received a response a few seconds later and grabbed her hand again. “They are still at the beach with Joe and Mrs. Ballas. Joe’s getting ready to build a bonfire for s’mores. They have them covered for the night. Let’s go.”

They were in a part of the house she hadn’t been in before. Luca pushed open a door and flipped on the lights. They were in a garage, a fully stocked garage. Constance’s jaw dropped at the assortment of designer cars and motorcycles neatly lined up on the shining concrete surface of Luca’s custom garage. Each vehicle in there probably cost more than she made in a year. What in the world did he need with so many of them on this tiny island?

She gawked at each shiny new specimen, not really noticing where he was leading her until they came to a stop in front of a shiny black and chrome work of art—that Constance would get on over her dead body.

“That’s a motorcycle,” she said.

Luca’s eyebrow rose. “Very good.”

“You don’t expect me to ride on that thing?” She rode a moped, sure, but that was a little scooter. It was like a toddler’s tricycle compared to the massive piece of equipment in front of her.

He pulled a helmet out of a compartment in the back and handed it to her. “Yes, I do.”

He kicked a leg over the bike and sat down and somehow that small act made things tighten low and deep in her belly. What the hell was it about a motorcycle that made a man so freaking hot? Luca was insanely attractive to begin with, but sitting with that impressive hunk of machinery between his legs, his jeans taut over his thighs, his shirt doing nothing at all to hide the well-sculpted body it covered made her want to straddle him herself.

She swallowed hard and gripped the helmet in her hands. Luca put his on and held out a hand to her. “Come on, baby. Ride with me.”

She pulled the helmet on, feeling ridiculous with the heavy thing balanced on her head. He pulled her closer and helped her strap it on, then tugged on her hand again so she was forced to either slide onto the bike or jump across to the other side.

“Can’t we take a car?” she asked, her heart already pounding in her throat.

Luca shook his head. “This is faster and I can take it places I can’t take a car. We want to lose the vultures, not lead them to where we’re going.”

He pulled on her arms and wrapped them around his waist. “Just hold on tight. You’ll be fine.”

Constance tightened her arms about him and leaned her face against his back. Hmm, this form of transportation did have its benefits, she’d say that much.

Luca kicked the bike on and revved the engine. It vibrated between her legs and Constance gasped, pressing her thighs closer to Luca. She couldn’t really hear him over the sound of the bike, but his laughter rumbled against her chest. Okay, so she could definitely learn to enjoy certain aspects of riding the thing.

He hit a button on a control dangling from the keychain and the garage door opened. “Hold on,” he yelled back to her.

Before she had a chance to respond, he released the throttle and they were off. She sucked in a breath, squeezed her eyes tight, and held on for dear life. Luca didn’t take it slow, either. He flew out of the garage and through the narrow space in the barely opened gate. He must have hit the button again once they were through because when she looked back, everything had started closing. He cranked a hard right onto the main road, and they were gone. She squeezed her eyes shut and held on for dear life.

After a second, once she realized they were still moving and had not died in a ball of twisted fiery metal, Constance opened her eyes and risked a glance behind them. Three of the cars that had been parked in front of the house were following them, photographers hanging out the windows of two of them while their fellows drove.

“There’s three of them following us!” she yelled to Luca.

He nodded and patted her hand, squeezing it tight. “Hold on!” he yelled back.

She renewed her grip on him and held on while he weaved in and out of traffic, gunning ahead when no one was in front of them and zooming around anyone who got in their way. The cars behind them kept up for a few minutes but gradually they began to drop back. They couldn’t weave around the other cars the way Luca could.

“We’re losing them!” she yelled, adrenaline rushing through her.

“Wahoo!” Luca shouted, giving the bike a little extra juice.

The motorcycle flew, pulling ahead of everyone else and finally leaving the congested, narrow streets of town behind them. Constance laughed, and shouted, “Wahoo!” along with him. Exhilaration pumped through her, igniting every cell in her body. The huge machine beneath her still vibrated with power and so did the man between her thighs. Her breath caught in her throat, a wave of desire rolling through her so strongly she moaned aloud.

She pressed closer to Luca. As always, he seemed to know exactly what she wanted. He reached a hand back, dragging it up her thigh, his nails lightly biting into her skin. She gasped again.

“How much farther?” she yelled at the vicinity of his ear.

“We’re almost there!”

Thank God, because if he didn’t touch her soon she might explode from the pressure building inside. She spread her legs wider, trying to get as close to him as she could without upsetting the delicate balance of the bike. She was wearing a sundress and they were flying over asphalt. The last thing in the world she wanted was to make him wreck, but if he couldn’t touch her just yet, maybe she could have a little fun with him. Carefully.

She let her hands trail down his belly until they skirted the band of his jeans. She knew the exact moment he realized what she was going to do. He sat up straighter, every muscle in his body that was pressed so tightly against her tensed and she was pretty sure he held his breath. His back no longer expanded and contrasted with each breath.

She let her hands dip farther until they found the hardening bulge straining against the seam of his jeans. She pressed against him, her fingers caressing the contours of his rigid length. The bike swerved slightly, and she stopped tormenting him so she could renew her death grip around his waist. Okay, so that had been a bad idea. Sort of. Excitement still thrummed through her. She’d never been so alive, so aware.

Luca turned the bike onto a narrow dirt path with trees overhanging so far it was almost impassable. He had to reduce the speed of the bike to a near crawl to get through the growth unscathed. He reached behind him and Constance gasped when his hand gripped her thigh, squeezing it and pulling it slightly over his own leg as far as he could. She draped herself around him, her hands reaching around to find him hard and straining for release.

Her fingers trailed under his shirt, reaching up to caress the hard lines of his abs, tracing every ridge and cord. His hand squeezed her thigh again and then he had to use both hands to keep the bike steady as it crawled down an incline. She pulled her attention away from Luca long enough to see where they were.

A little house, more like a hut really, stood nestled among the trees. Down a short, rocky path, a small expanse of beach stretched before it, the turquoise waves gently lapping at the shoreline. No one else was around. No neighbors. No boats. They were secluded in the beautiful, tiny cove. Constance sighed with pleasure but didn’t get a chance to do much more.

As soon as Luca parked the bike and cut the engine, he ripped off his helmet and pulled her around so she sat in front of him, straddling his waist. Everything else on her radar disappeared. Everything but
him
. He yanked her helmet off and then his lips were on hers, his hands cupping her face as their tongues tangled together. She fisted her hands in his hair, dragging him closer, trying to bring him deeper.

She fumbled with his zipper and he reached between them and jerked it down. He grabbed a condom from his back pocket and quickly rolled it on. Then he hooked one of her legs around his hip, yanked her panties to the side, and plunged into her, his mouth muffling her cries.

Oh yes, this is what she wanted, what she needed. She wrapped her other leg around his waist and lifted her hips to meet his thrusts. The pleasure that had been building inside her since the moment he’d kicked the motorcycle on built to a crescendo and her legs tightened around him. One more thrust and she was over the edge, shattering into a million pieces, pulsating around him as he poured his own pleasure into her.

They clung together for a moment, struggling to catch their breath. Constance looked up at him with a shaky laugh. “I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before. I think I liked it.”

Luca’s laugh rang out, sending little ripples through her where their bodies were still connected. She sucked in a breath and he leaned down to kiss her again. He stirred inside her again and she pressed closer, wrapped her arms about his neck.

He chuckled again. “Let’s take this inside. I want to take my time with the next one.”

“Yes, sir,” she said.

He quickly adjusted their clothes and then moved off the bike, keeping his arms wrapped around her, holding her in place against him. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind carrying her in, which was a good thing because she wasn’t all that sure her legs were in proper working order just yet.

Once inside, he let her slide down his body until her feet touched the floor. She still didn’t let go of him, instead rising on her toes to kiss him. He groaned against her, exploring her mouth until she was breathless and trembling. When he pulled away she gave a little moan of protest. He grinned at her and took her hand.

“Hold on to that thought,” he said, pulling her farther into the room. “I want to show you around first.”

She gave him a mock pout but followed him into the center of the room. The bungalow was a circular structure, mostly made of the whitewashed stone that prevailed on the islands. A large arched doorway took up one section of the curved space. A tiny kitchen area took up another side. Nothing more than a sink, a short countertop, and a small refrigerator. A door to the left closed off what she assumed was a bathroom. A large, comfortable-looking couch took up the space on the opposite wall. Other than a low coffee table, there was no other furniture in the room.

“There’s no bed,” she said with a slight frown.

He grinned again and led her to large double wood doors. He pushed them open and she gasped.

“Oh Luca, this is beautiful,” she said, pure joy filling her.

The doors opened onto a wood terrace covered with a latticed trellis dripping with vines and flowers. A large circular recliner hung from chains in the center of the terrace. Well, it wasn’t a recliner. It was a bed really, or large enough to be one anyway. It reminded her of those DIY shows that took old trampolines and converted them to hanging beds. It was piled high with a soft looking cushion and large, fluffy pillows, and Constance just wanted to jump right in and cuddle down. And steps away, the ocean lapped softly at the tiny sliver of beach that they had all to themselves.

“What is this place?” she asked him, her voice quiet. “It’s so peaceful here.”

He nodded, his face as relaxed and content as she’d ever seen it as he looked around. “It’s my little hideout,” he said. “I come here sometimes when I can’t stand the circus anymore.”

Constance shook her head. “I think I’d stay here all the time. It’s amazing.”

She bit her lip, briefly wondering how many other women he’d brought here. But she pushed the thought from her mind, not wanting anything to spoil the amazing moment.

“You’re the only one I’ve ever brought here,” he said softly.

Constance’s gaze shot to his, her eyes widening. “Really?”

He stepped closer. “Not even Joe knows about this place. You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted to share it with.”

“Oh, Luca,” she murmured, bringing her hand up to caress his cheek.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and began to sway with her.

She laughed. “What are you doing?”

“Dancing.”

“Hmm,” she said, draping her arms around his neck. “But there’s no music.”

He leaned down to gently kiss her. “I don’t need music when I’m with you.”

Her eyebrow rose slightly. “Are you getting a little corny in your old age?”

“No, Miss McMurty. I believe you are being a disruptive influence on me.”

“Oh, I am, huh?” He was being completely silly, but her heart swelled with every word. She liked silly Luca. Hopefully he’d stick around for a while.

“Most definitely.” He pulled her in closer. “I haven’t had a thing to drink except for that one small glass of wine with dinner last night. I’ve cleaned up my language. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I said a fucking swear word,” he said with an impish smile.