The Greek's Baby Bargain (4 page)

After a wonderful afternoon exploring the museums he had suggested, Emma strolled home through the afternoon sunshine, her mind going through the outfits she’d brought with her, trying to figure out which would be best for the night with her handsome stranger. That evening, Emma wished her friends a good night, then headed out of her hotel. She knew how to get to the restaurant, having asked the hotel desk clerk for directions. It was early, only seven o’clock, but it was a lovely evening and she would enjoy the walk as she watched the sun set over the horizon. She wasn’t sure how long it would take to get there, but she wasn’t spending any of the money Dimitri had given her, all of it was safely tucked away in an envelope, ready to return to him. There was no way she could accept his money, regardless of what he asked.

She arrived at the restaurant a half hour early, glad that the walk hadn’t been too long. Sitting outside in the late evening sunshine, she found a bench and simply watched the sun set, lighting the sea on fire as it descended. The air was dry and there were no clouds in the sky, so the rays of the sun shot out over the buildings before disappearing behind the horizon. It was almost exactly eight o’clock when she stood up and walked the last block to the restaurant and sure enough, Dimitri was waiting for her at the bar, standing up to greet her when she walked in.

Emma looked around at the elegant restaurant, then smoothed the cotton of her best summer dress down over her stomach and hips self-consciously. “I’m sorry,” she said as soon as he walked over to greet her. “I didn’t realize how inappropriate this dress would be,” she explained, noting the beautiful cocktail dresses on the other female patrons which contrasted dramatically with her drab looking outfit.

“You look lovely,” he assured her. “But if you feel uncomfortable, would you like to go somewhere else? There’s a good seafood restaurant about a block away. It is more casual,” he said.

Emma surveyed his immaculate dark suit with the crisp white shirt and shook her head. “No, then you would feel odd in your suit. I’ll be fine,” she said, taking the purse strap off her shoulder and tucking the inexpensive bag under her arm as if she were hiding it.

In response, Dimitri loosened his tie, then whipped it off his neck. “Come along,” he said, chuckling at her expression. “I can dress down easily.” He took her hand in his and led her out of the overwhelming elegance. He tossed his tie to a body guard standing outside, then took off his jacket as well, tossing it to another waiting guard. “This way,” he said and walked down the street.

“How did you like the museums?” he asked as they walked along the sidewalk amidst the other late evening revelers.

“Oh, they were wonderful,” she said enthusiastically. “I can’t believe how old some of the items were. The Etruscan artifacts were simply amazing,” she gushed, referring to the pre-Roman art that had been discovered in Greece several centuries earlier. She talked about the various art and urns, the importance of the items, how they date them and how wonderful everything was in general. “Thank you very much for your recommendation. I went back to the hotel later and tried to find out more about the museum but it wasn’t listed in my guide book.”

He shook his head. “It wouldn’t be. The museum is new, only built about two years ago.”

 

“How did you know about it?” she asked, looking up at him with only the dim sunlight illuminating his face.

They had arrived at the restaurant and the maitre’d took them immediately to a table on the outer edge of the balcony. Emma was grateful for the slight breeze that gently lifted her hair, cooling her heated skin as he looked across the table at her.

“I paid for it,” he said simply.

 

Emma’s eyes widened and she looked down at the menu. “Oh,” was all she could say.

Dimitri laughed softly at her response. “And the calamari? Was it not the best? I’ve known the owner for years and he’s always taken pride in his secret recipe for frying the rings.”

Emma smiled shyly but she shook her head. “Actually, I didn’t go to the restaurant,” she explained then reached into her purse, taking out the envelope and sliding it across the table toward him. “Here. I can’t take this from you,” she said, then quickly picked up her menu again, hiding her face behind the large obstruction.

When she’d finally decided on what she wanted, and also felt safe to come out of hiding, she put the menu down and reached for her glass of water. “Emma, you didn’t take a cab here, did you?”

Emma shook her head, grateful for the cold water as it slid down her throat.

 

“Why not?”

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. “Because I don’t have the money for it. And I won’t take your money. I barely know you. I don’t even know your last name. I’m afraid I can’t take money from a man I don’t know.”

Dimitri smiled and shook his head. “You’re one of a kind, Emma. But from now on, you’ll take a cab when you come to meet me somewhere or you will permit me to pick you up. I promise not to molest you.”

Emma took another sip and blushed, the idea of him molesting her had a certain amount of appeal, if she finally found out what it would be like to be kissed by this man. She’d been thinking about his mouth all day long, wondering if he would be soft and gentle. He probably would be, she sighed happily. He seemed like a very nice man.

She heard his soft chuckle and her eyes snapped back to his. “Unless you’d like me to, that is.”

Emma blushed painfully and tried to smile but the man was too overwhelming. And how could he read her thoughts so accurately? “No. I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Tell me more about your day,” he said, pouring the wine into her glass that had just been delivered.

They talked about her day, the sights in Athens, and the things to see outside of Athens for hours. She had no idea how many bottles of wine they went through but she knew it was late when she looked up to see that they were the last people in the restaurant. “Goodness,” she gasped. “I think we should get out of here,” she said, already rising and pulling out her wallet. “Here, let me pay for my half of the meal. How much was it?” she asked.

Dimitri also rose and pulled out his wallet. “I will not permit you to pay for dinner, Emma,” he said, tossing several large bills onto the table.

 

“Please tell me dinner wasn’t that expensive,” she said, horrified by the amount of money on the table.

 

“Of course not,” he said and put a hand on her shoulder to turn her away. “Don’t worry about it anyway.”

“Don’t worry about it?” she asked, looking over her shoulder, trying to count the money. Just the amount she’d counted was more than he’d given her earlier in the day and there were more large bills under that. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that we were drinking that much wine. I’ll be more careful in the future,” she said, allowing him to guide her out of the restaurant.

Dimitri chuckled. “I can afford to take you out to dinner, Emma. Please don’t worry about the expense.’

 

They were outside by this time and Emma couldn’t maintain eye contact with him. “Will you allow me to drive you home?” he asked. “Or do I put you into a cab?”

Emma shook her head at the first words. “Please, you don’t have to worry about me. I can get home on my own,” she said, her eyes revealing her anxiety over the large amount of money he was trying to hand to her.

Dimitri couldn’t help it. He laughed outright, pulling her into his arms and hugging her gently. “Emma, I can’t get over what a selfless person you are. Are you real?” he asked softly.

Emma looked up at him, not sure what was so funny but the feeling of being in his arms was even more overwhelming than she’d expected. She could barely breathe as she stared up into his handsome face, feeling the muscles of his chest through his immaculate white shirt. Her fingers were aching to explore, but more than that, she wanted him to kiss her. Her eyes couldn’t move away from his mouth, wondering what it would be like.

“Nothing about this evening is real,” she whispered, licking her own lips.

Dimitri stopped and looked down at her. Slowly, painfully slowly, he lowered his lips, holding her in his arms against his body as his mouth gently covered hers. As far as Emma was concerned, the whole world had lost reality as her mind spun away, focused only on this moment, his lips, this kiss. It was everything she’d hoped but nothing like she could have anticipated. His mouth was warm, hot even, as it covered hers, teasing, tempting, nibbling on her mouth.

Emma had been kissed before, but never had anything felt this incredible, this wild, this overwhelming. Her arms crept up, moving around his neck, her fingers lacing through his thick hair. His hands were resting on her waist but the heat coming through to her skin was making her wriggle. The more she tried to stop herself from moving, the harder it became.

He lifted his mouth from hers and looked down into her face. Emma’s eyes fluttered open and she inhaled shakily, wanting to step back out of his arms, assuming that was the right thing to do, but not wanting to move, not sure if she even could. She saw the quick flash of surprise on his face before he quickly masked it and wondered about it but words would not form in her mind.

“I think I should take you home,” he said, his voice deep, with a hint of humor in it.

The humor was what broke through to her consciousness. She quickly pulled out of his arms, aware of how inexperienced she was compared to him. “I’m sorry,” she said and glanced down at the pavement. “Thank you for dinner. It was wonderful,” she said and pulled her purse over her shoulder.

Dimitri sighed and took her hand. “Come along, Emma,” he said and handed her into the limousine despite her protests. “Emma, it is after two o’clock in the morning. You’re never going to be able to catch a cab at this time of the night, and I’m not allowing you to walk home. So be a good girl and get into the car,” he said softly, but firmly.

Emma ducked into the back, worried about the word, “girl”. Is that how he saw her? As young and inexperienced? She’d dated, several guys, she thought indignantly. Where did he get off calling her a “girl”? She took a seat and crossed her arms over her chest, irritated now and wondering how she could convince him that she wasn’t as pathetic as she’d appeared to be during that first kiss.

They were already at her hotel before she could figure out a way to show him that she was a woman. Biting her lip, she felt discouraged and deflated. Standing on the sidewalk outside the entrance, she felt him get out behind her and turned to face him. “Thank you again for dinner. I really enjoyed it,” she said politely.

“You’re welcome,” he replied. He didn’t make a move to kiss her again, but took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles gently.

 

She was about to turn and leave but she just couldn’t leave him with his current impression. “Dimitri,” she started, only to stop when he turned and faced her.

 

“Yes?” he prompted.

Indecision almost overwhelming her, she decided to just dive in and tell him what she needed to say. “I know…back there at the restaurant…well, I’m not a child,” she rushed out. “I’m not as inexperienced as you think.”

Dimitri looked at the lovely woman trying bravely to stand up to him and he knew he should just walk away. But she had occupied his mind all afternoon and there was just no getting around the fact that he wanted her. He couldn’t have her, he knew. She was innocent and he was far from it. But nor could he just walk away. There was something about her that he needed, wanted, must have. Walking up so she was less than an inch from him, he looked down into her beautiful eyes, trying to scare her. “You’re not?”

“No.”

 

“You should be running away from me right now.”

 

Emma inhaled slightly, smelling the essence of him that was spicy but definitely male. “I won’t.”

 

“You should.”

 

Shaking her head, she said, “I can’t.”

Dimitri knew he should ignore her. He should just get into the car and drive away, forget about her. But instead, he bent low, his mouth taking possession of hers while his hand slipped into her hair, holding her head in place while his mouth ravaged hers, doing to her what he’d wanted to do earlier. This time, he didn’t hold anything back, giving her all of the passion she stirred within him. He could feel her trembling against him but he also felt her pulse where his thumb rested against her neck. When her arms moved up around his neck and her body moved against his, he was lost. He held her closely, pulling her harder against the length of him, letting her feel what she did to his body while his tongue delved into her mouth, exploring, tasting and finding the honey he knew was inside her.

Groaning, he pulled away and looked down at her expression. Everything she was feeling was written on her face and he could no more stop the next words from coming from his mouth than he could stop breathing. “Have dinner with me tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll send a car for you.”

“Okay,” she said, happily.

 

“Good night, Emma,” he growled and pushed her gently toward the entrance. Chapter 4

Emma barely slept that night and when she did finally drift off, she dreamt of a tall, powerful Greek man who was slowly undressing her, making her squirm with delight and pleasure.

She woke to her friends squealing in excitement. Looking at the clock, she realized it was already ten o’clock in the morning. Sitting up, she watched dazedly as her roommates carried a large, red box to her, placing it on her lap.

“What’s this?” she asked, yawning deeply and pushing the pillow behind her so she could sit in the bed more comfortably.

 

“That’s what we’d like to know,” Doris said, her friend from school who had convinced her to take the trip with the other two friends.

 

Emma’s eyes widened as she read the tag attached to the giant bow. “It’s for me?”

 

“Yes, silly. Doesn’t the tag say so? We’re all intrigued,” Lisbeth said.

Emma picked up the tag and read the words although they were a little blurry due to a lack of sleep on her part. “This will fit the ambiance. D.” She blinked in an attempt to clear the fuzziness from her eyes and her brain, then re-read the tag again, just to make sure she wasn’t just imagining the words. Even the second time, they still said the same thing.