Chapter 4
The next day…
Alexi entered the breakfast room and nodded to both of his parents who were already seated and eating. “Kalimera.”
“Good morning, Alexi. You look like you are feeling much more rested,” Tressa told him as he kissed her on both cheeks.
“I am.” Alexi took a seat and then ordered some black coffee from the maid who appeared at his back. He’d suffered with a headache for most of the prior day, but he’d managed to hide that from everyone except Aimee.
Kassi entered the room, still in her pajamas and looking as if she had just woken up. Tressa made a noise of disapproval at her niece’s attire, but she didn’t seem to notice.
Alexi arched one brow. “Cousin, I see you have no pressing plans for today?”
Kassi stuck her tongue out at him and slouched into a chair on the other end of the table. “I received your summons, so talk. I’m going right back to bed after you say whatever is so important it couldn’t wait until this afternoon.”
Alexi hid his grin at her grousing. “I am going to work today….” He held his hand up when his parents started to object. “With Leo not around, someone needs to see that things are running smoothly.”
“Alexi, there’s no need for you to do that. There are competent people in place handling everything.” Vasil assured him.
Alexi set his cup down and met everyone’s eyes. “Let me be clear, I am going to work today. I was not asking permission.”
“Surely another day of rest…”
“Mitéra, I understand your concern, but trust me, getting back to work is good medicine for me. Now, I have a request, but before I make it, was anyone able to contact Leo?”
Kassi shook her head. “I sent both he and Gemma emails, but neither of them has responded as of this morning.”
“I would like to be notified immediately when you hear from them. Which brings me to my request… I would like news of my miraculous return from the dead to stay within the walls of the estate.”
Vasil spluttered. “What is this you ask of us?”
“Why?” There was a look of confusion in Tressa’s eyes.
“Alexi, surely you won’t be able to keep something like this quiet for long,” Kassi commented.
“And why not? As far as anyone is concerned, there is only one Moustakas twin alive. They will see me and naturally assume I am Leo. My hair is longer, my skin darker. People will believe what we want them to.”
He paused and once again met everyone’s eyes. “This is important to me. I would like you all to assure me that my return will be kept as quiet as possible.”
“But, why?” Vasil demanded. “Alexi, this makes no sense.”
“I have my reasons and would ask that you simply honor my request. I have no intention of sharing the details at this time. I’m asking you to trust me.”
He could see the hurt in his parents’ eyes, thinking that he didn’t trust them, but until he had a chance to evaluate and identify the threat to himself, Leo, and the entire Moustakas family, the less they knew the better.
“It’s going to be difficult,” Kassi warned him. “There are reporters camped outside the gates and they have been there for a week now. They want an interview with the new groom.”
“And they will have to deal with their disappointment. I will not be giving any interviews, either as Leo or myself. Do I have everyone’s support in this?”
“What about when Leo and Gemma return?” Tressa asked.
Yes, what about that? Leo and I will need to have a long talk, as well as Gemma and I. But before that, I hope to have some idea of the nature of the threat so that a solution can be found. I refuse to isolate myself from my family any longer. Alexi nodded, satisfied with his conclusion. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. Kassi, I trust you will let me know the minute you hear anything from Leo or Gemma?”
“I will. Alexi, are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Alexi nodded and picked up his coffee cup, wishing he felt as confident as he acted. He was flying solo here and making decisions that would affect them all, but he refused to remain hostage to the threatening emails. He would not hide away in a bedroom or isolate himself from everyone he cared for. Never again. What he had been doing before the accident hadn’t really been living, but simply existing from day to day. He’d been given a second chance and he wasn’t going to waste a minute of it.
*****
Sydney, Australia…
“We got clearance to land in Honiara but not until late tomorrow. The pilot tried everything to get the flight approved for today, but he wasn’t successful,” Leo told Gemma as he led her across the street to the hotel where he’d secured a suite of rooms for them.
Gemma nodded tiredly. “I can’t imagine living in this part of the world. I overheard someone talking about the relief effort. Most of the islands don’t even have access to phones and the devastation from the earthquake and tsunami damaged the few roads that were passable.”
Leo smiled tenderly down into her eyes. “I’ll draw you a hot bath when we get upstairs and we’ll order room service. How does that sound?”
Gemma leaned into his embrace. “Wonderful. I need to fire up the computer and see if I can get ahold of Aimee as well. The last time I contacted her Damien was taking a nap.”
“We’ll do that, but after you take a bath.”
Gemma allowed him to guide her into the elevator. It shuttled them straight to the penthouse suite, complete with an outside waterfall pool and private patio. “Wow! It looks like the pool is sitting on the edge of the building.”
“Want to go for a swim first?” Leo suggested, eyeing his new bride and wondering just how tired she actually was. They’d been married for less than a week, but short of the two blissful days they’d spent on his family’s island, they hadn’t really enjoyed much of a honeymoon. Might as well take advantage of the rest of today and tonight to make up for lost time.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck just beneath her ear, smiling when she moaned and tipped her head to give him better access. “I’m going to order up a light snack while you get into the pool.”
Gemma nodded and tried to turn, but he stopped her. “Where are you going?”
“To find our luggage and my swimsuit.”
Leo’s eyes twinkled as he shook his head. “There’s no one up here but us and I have a desire to swim with you without any barriers between our bodies.”
Gemma’s eyes opened wide, mock horror written across her face. “What? You want to swim…naked?”
Leo grinned at her. “That is exactly what I want. Any objections?”
Gemma looked at him for a minute and then pushed away from his hold. “None, except you should hurry. That water looks very inviting and I’m suddenly not feeling all that tired.”
She started stripping out of her clothing as she walked backwards through the open patio doors, giving him a come-hither look. When he just stood there watching, she smiled at him and tossed her shirt at his face. He caught it with a laugh, abandoning the thought of doing anything that would prevent him from being with his new bride. He stalked towards her, never once taking his eyes off her body as it was revealed to his eyes.
She slipped her shorts down her tan legs, revealing miniscule panties that barely covered her womanly secrets. She was enjoying teasing him, making a production of unfastening her bra and letting the straps slip down her arms. She turned to face him, her eyes already darkening with her rising lust as the cups slipped down her lush breasts, snagging on the turgid tips before falling to the patio.
She reached up, cupping them for a moment, licking her lips as she enjoyed the brief pressure. She backed up another step, letting her hands skim down her sides, her thumbs snagging the elastic bands at her hips. “You’re falling behind,” she teased, her voice rich with promise.
She pulled the elastic down, releasing it mid-thigh so that the small scrap of fabric fell to the patio, revealing her body fully to his gaze. She turned towards the water, giving him a view of her luscious ass.
Leo’s blood boiled with his need for her. He stepped forward and tugged at his shirt. Several buttons popped off, but he never took his eyes off of his bride.
She paused at the edge of the pool and then executed a perfect dive into the deep end, her body gliding beneath the water, hiding her sexy curves for a moment.
By the time Leo had stripped his own clothing off, he was at the end of his self-control. His wife’s impromptu striptease had ignited a fire inside his body that had been smoldering for the last twenty-four hours. The physical chemistry between them was always strong and the few blissful days of their honeymoon hadn’t dulled it. Rather, he wanted her more now than ever before. He dove into the pool, swimming beneath the water until he was even with her. He surfaced, smiling when she looped her arms over his shoulders and brought her body up against his own.
She leaned forward, and he sealed their lips together, thankful that he’d chosen to stay in the shallower end of the pool where he could support them both by standing up. He threaded one hand into her hair and used the other to keep her body pressed against his own. Their kiss turned ravenous and he let his lips skim over her jawline and then down her neck. He lifted her up but he still couldn’t reach her breasts.
With a growl that sent shivers through her body, he moved them towards the side of the pool, using it to hold her up. He lifted her above the water’s surface until he could feast on her breasts, only stopping when she tugged on his hair and moaned, not necessarily in delight. “Tender?”
Gemma blushed, a trait he hoped she never lost, and nodded. “I don’t know…”
Leo softened his touches and then slipped both hands beneath her thighs. “Let’s try something else then.” He pulled her towards him, slowly bringing his hips to rest between her spread thighs. He kissed her deeply as his body found her own and sunk into her welcoming warmth.
She thrust her hands into his hair, tugging his head until he kissed her again. She arched her back, bringing their bodies even closer together. Leo murmured an apology. “This isn’t going to last long.”
“I don’t care. I’m almost there.”
Leo kissed her neck, nibbling on her earlobe. He felt her body tighten as she neared that pinnacle where pleasure and ecstasy became one. He moved his arms down and wrapped her legs around his waist, leaving his hands free to explore the rest of her body. They immediately found her breasts, tweaking the nipples slightly, but not enough to cause pain.
He leaned her back, making room for his mouth to lick a trail down to the breasts. He sucked one nipple into his mouth, pressing it against the roof of his mouth while he suckled gently on her, smiling against her flesh when she moaned and shivered in reaction.
He turned his attention to her other breast, his fingers moving down her stomach to play between her thighs. He found the hard nub of her pleasure and lightly stroked up one side and down the other, lightly dipping his fingertip into her in a tease that had her pressing closer to him, silently begging for more.
He loved the way she eagerly involved herself in their lovemaking. When she leaned forward and bit his neck, he couldn’t stop the groan that escaped his throat. He kissed her, murmuring against her lips. “Look at me. Keep your eyes on mine.”
He waited until her green eyes collided with his own dark gaze and then he slowed his movements within her, wanting to draw out their pleasure as long as possible. “Eísai i zoí mou. My life. My confidant.”
Gemma looked at him with so much love, he knew he would move heaven and earth to make sure nothing ever removed that look from her face. Her words echoed what he was feeling. “You are my world. I’m so glad you came to the States and found Damien and me.” Her lips kissed a map over his face, her hands dug into his shoulders as she pressed closer to him. She lifted her hips slightly, and then pressed down, moaning in pleasure as her eyes closed.
Leo groaned as her body tightened around him. “God, Gemma. Do that again.”
Gemma did, her breathing coming rapidly as passion consumed them both. He kissed her, his mouth devouring hers, his tongue slipping between her teeth. When she sucked lightly on it, his fingers tightened on her thighs and he increased his tempo.
They were both panting as he increased the depth of his thrusts, her eyes widening each time he bottomed out inside of her. “Making love with you is like nothing else on this earth.”
Gemma nodded, her eyelids lowering slightly as she neared orgasm. “Leo, I…I love you.”
Leo smiled at her, “Kardia mou. You and Damien are the joy of my life. My heart. Come with me now. Together.”
*****
An hour later, Gemma felt Leo’s hand on her shoulder, waking her from the slight slumber she’d fallen into after he’d carried her from the pool and to an oversized lounger. “If you want to talk to Aimee and possibly Damien, now might be a good time.”
She stretched her arms up above her head. “I’ll try Aimee.” She took the cell phone Leo pressed into her hand and swiped her thumb across the contact list until she came to Aimee’s number. When it connected and rang multiple times with no answer, she disconnected the call with a frown. “She didn’t pick up. She also hasn’t set up her voicemail.”
“Maybe Damien tired her out and she’s already in bed?”
“Maybe. I know there have been days where he’s exhausted me before dinnertime,” Gemma admitted.
Leo chuckled. “You could try the estate?”
Gemma shook her head. “No, I don’t want to risk waking up your parents. Maybe I should check my email? She said she was going to send me some pictures.”
Leo pulled a face. “I should probably do the same. I’m sure the company is doing just fine without my presence, but it wouldn’t hurt to check in from time to time. I would hate for any problems to arise that could give the board cause to doubt my ability to run things.”
He rolled from the lounger, reaching down a hand and pulling her to stand beside him. She came into his arms and he rubbed a hand down her back as she stretched like a cat against him. When his hands wandered lower, she giggled and then spun away from him, laughing when he tried to pull her back.
“Shall I order up dinner? I think somebody forgot about that snack,” she asked with a knowing smirk as they stepped inside the penthouse.
Leo broke into a grin. “That sounds good. I’ll be back in a minute.” He disappeared into the bedroom and returned a few moments later with his laptop. He set it down on the dining room table and then leaned down and kissed her, only stepping away when things threatened to get out of hand again. “Work first, play later.” He sauntered towards the penthouse’s kitchen without a backward look.
Gemma chuckled and rubbed her lips with a finger as she waited for the machine to boot up. She opened up her email server, mentally groaning when she saw how many unanswered emails she had. “I need to get rid of some of this junk mail.” She scrolled through the most recent messages.
“Hey, there’s an email from Kassi marked urgent.” She clicked it open and then started reading, her eyes going wide and excited. “Leo! Leo, you need to see this!” Her voice rose in excitement.
“What is it?” Leo returned to the dining room with a glass of water.
Gemma sat in front of the open laptop. “You’re not going to believe this. Look!” She pointed to the screen. “Alexi is home!”
“What? When? How?” Leo demanded. He set the glass of water down, pulling Gemma’s laptop towards him. “I can’t believe it. Alexi got home two days ago!”
Gemma wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning over his shoulder. “Does it really matter? He’s home.” She leaned forward so that their eyes could meet. “And that means we can go home as well. I miss my son.”
Leo kissed her and then nodded. “I need to call my parents. I can only imagine how excited they are to have him home again. I don’t think they will mind being woken up for this call.”
“Why don’t you call Alexi first? I’ll try Aimee again as well.”
Leo laughed. “Yes, why don’t I call Alexi first? Dinner can wait for a bit.”
Gemma beamed. Leo was obviously excited to see Alexi again, but now that the moment was at hand, she felt a twinge of unease. The last time she and Alexi had seen one another, she’d thought he was the man she’d met in Paris and was falling in love with him. The memory of their time together increased her tension. What will be, will be. I’m married to Leo now and Alexi and my time together was all under false pretenses. I hope he can understand that and we can all get along together.
Another thought raced through her brain and she paused. What if I still find myself attracted to Alexi? God, that would be horrible. I don’t love him, I only thought I did. I fell in love with Leo.
Her mind was in turmoil.
Leo saved her from her thoughts by pointing to the computer. “It’s getting ready to connect.”
Gemma spied her own reflection in the glass tabletop. She giggled. “Would you like some clothes or are you and your brother used to conversing in the nude?”
Leo looked at her and then at himself before barking a laugh and pausing the computer’s actions. “Clothing is definitely required. There should be robes in the bathroom.”
“I’ll grab them.” She wandered towards the master bathroom, hoping Leo’s call to his brother went as he hoped. Before seeing that picture, Leo had never expected to speak to his brother again. This trip was going to change all of that. It was going to change lots of things!