Claiming The Drakos Heir. Jennifer Faye
Читать онлайн книгу.
he recalled that little pink robe. He swallowed hard. Did she realize it barely covered her? It was so tantalizing, hinting at the curvy goodness that lay beneath. But the robe never really revealed anything scandalous. It was more the knowledge that she didn’t have a thing on underneath that turned his blood red-hot.
He tugged on his shirt collar. It was a bit warm out, even with the sea breeze. His mind was still replaying the images of Popi. He’d gotten a good view of her shapely legs. They were long and smooth. His mouth grew dry. Why did this woman have to be so good-looking? It was a distraction that he didn’t need or want.
His back teeth ground together. He had to get past the superficial. His purpose for coming to the island couldn’t be forgotten. If he stayed focused, he would soon forget about Popi’s finer assets. At least he hoped so.
Apollo walked back out the front door. He started down the steps with no particular destination in mind. He didn’t even know anything about this island, except that the woman who was carrying his last living relative lived here.
He came to a stop and turned. Why was he walking away? Maybe because that’s what he’d been doing his whole life. But no more.
Apollo returned to the porch and took a seat in one of the two wicker chairs. They looked stiff and uninviting, but once he was seated, he found them surprisingly comfortable. He lounged back and decided to learn more about Infinity Island. He pulled out his phone and typed the name into the search engine.
He was surprised by the large number of articles written about the island. In his limited experience with women, he knew it may take Popi quite some time to get ready. He settled back in the chair, pulled up the first article about this “wedding” island and started to read.
To his surprise there was a picture of Popi, smiling at the camera. She was arm and arm with another woman. He wondered if this was today’s bride. The caption beneath the photo said that the other woman was the owner, while Popi was the wedding planner.
Apollo inwardly groaned. This woman believed in hearts, flowers and happily-ever-afters. Those were things he’d purposely avoided all his adult life. What exactly had he gotten himself into? Maybe he should have let his army of attorneys handle it. But he didn’t want to put either of them through a long, drawn-out legal battle. They’d already been through so much—especially Popi.
And so he kept reading about the island. The more he knew, the easier it would be to reason with her, should it come to that. After all, the heir to the Drakos fortune couldn’t be raised in a hut on some small, out-of-the-way island...
A movement out of the corner of his eye had him glancing up. In a whirl of coral gauzy material, and with long brown curls bouncing, Popi walked swiftly away from the bungalow. Apparently she hadn’t noticed him sitting off to the side.
He got to his feet and slipped the phone in his pocket, but in just that small amount of time she’d darted down a path. The problem was there were a lot of paths, and he wasn’t sure which one she’d gone down. How could a very pregnant woman move so quickly?
He knew she was busy with the wedding, but after it was over, perhaps at the reception, he could grab a moment of her time. He just wanted her to know he was here now. She didn’t have to go through the remainder of this pregnancy alone.
SHE DIDN’T NEED any more complications.
Popi made a mental note to let the supervisor in charge of the move know about the man showing up at her bungalow on the wrong day. And on top of it, the man hadn’t done anything she’d instructed him to do. In fact, the man had done absolutely nothing. He better not even try to charge time for today. She wouldn’t stand for it.
Popi headed straight for the Hideaway Café. She refused to let herself get utterly distracted by that man—no matter how sexy he was with those mesmerizing blue eyes and that intriguing tattoo on his bicep. She halted her thoughts. She had a very important wedding today. Everything else would have to wait until another time—including the mystery man.
Popi came to a stop on the patio of the café. This was Lea’s dream wedding spot. It had the most awesome view of the bay, but as beautiful as the view was, it wasn’t Popi’s vision for saying “I do.” Whenever she got married, she loved the idea of a lush garden. Intimate and yet with hundreds of colorful blooms in every shade imaginable.
Popi paused to take in the view. She’d worked closely with Lea to plan this wedding down to the finest detail. Lea had told her not to push so hard, but Popi needed to focus on the wedding. Working was her way of dealing with the loss of her sister. The work kept her grounded when everything around her felt as though it was spinning out of control.
All the outdoor white tables with their colorful umbrellas had been removed to make room for rows of white folding chairs. Lea had opted for wildflowers, which included locally grown orchids. Popi hadn’t been sure about the idea, but now seeing them in arrangements throughout the venue, she had to admit it looked stunning.
There was little more than an hour until the wedding—time that would be needed to get the bride ready. Though Lea had moved to the island little more than a year ago, she was embracing the Greek culture, and the older women on the island had filled Lea’s head with all the wedding traditions. Lea was excited to merge some of the old ways with some of her own traditions. It would make for a beautiful wedding.
After inspecting the venue preparations, Popi took off for Lea’s bungalow. Thankfully there was a golf cart at the offices. She planned to acquire it, as her feet were getting tired and the event hadn’t even begun. Carrying around an extra human was taxing.
She placed a hand on her aching lower back. “Not that I’d have it any other way. We’ll make your parents proud.”
She sat in the cart and then set off down the familiar path. One of the first Greek traditions they’d dealt with was setting the wedding date. When the elders on the island had heard the wedding was to be in August, they immediately spoke up. They advised that if the wedding must be in August, then the first two weeks of the month should be avoided at all costs, as they were reserved for religious reasons.
Neither Lea nor Popi were very religious, but, they reasoned, why tempt fate and the ire of the elders? As such, they planned the wedding for the last weekend in the month. Everyone seemed pleased with the decision, as Xander had arranged for a cruise ship to take everyone from the island for a Mediterranean cruise right after the reception.
The plan was, while they were all off on a two-week cruise, followed by temporary lodgings in Athens, the island would undergo extensive renovations. When the citizens were allowed to return to their bungalows, everything would be updated and the crews would be out of their way. It was quite an amazing gift from the bridegroom to his new extended family.
A couple of minutes later, Popi pulled to a stop in front of Lea’s bungalow. The bridegroom wasn’t there. He was bunking with the island’s handyman, Joseph, until the wedding. In the time Xander had been on the island, the older man had taken him under his wing, like a father would do.
When Popi entered the bungalow, she was surprised to find so many women rushing around. But she didn’t see Lea among them. And then her name was called. She glanced around, finding Lea waving her to the guest room.
Popi made her way to Lea. Once inside the room, she closed the door. “What are you doing in here instead of your room?”
Lea rolled her eyes. “The elders are so caught up in the wedding. They think my soon-to-be husband is in line to be a saint for all he’s doing for them that they don’t want to jinx anything.”
“Do I dare ask what that means?”
“They’re preparing the marital bed... Um...what did they call it? Oh, yes, to krevati.”
“What?” She’d heard of the tradition but she’d never heard of anyone