Stay With Me (25 page)

K
ILYN PRACTICALLY MELTED
into my body when I whispered in her ear that I loved her. Her body shook as she gazed lovingly into my eyes.

With a beautiful smile, she softly said, “I hope you know you just changed the whole game.”

With a chuckle, I winked. “And you know I’m playing for keeps, right?”

Her eyes sparkled and practically lit up the dark hallway. “What about me not being Greek? I still haven’t perfected that damn honey cake thing your mother said was your favorite.”

Laughing, I pressed my lips to hers. With her arms wrapping around my neck, we quickly got lost in each other.

I barely heard a male’s voice clear his throat. Pressing myself into Kilyn, she moaned into my mouth and it took everything out of me not to take her right here.

“Um . . . excuse me? Kilyn?”

Breaking our kiss, she whipped her head to the side. “Dale. Oh, gosh, I totally forgot all about you.”

Ouch. Not what any guy wants to hear under any circumstances.

With a frown, Dale asked, “Am I interrupting something?”

Not really knowing where this guy thought he was going to get with Kilyn, I decided to make a statement loud and clear.

“Yes, me getting back together with my girlfriend.”

Kilyn looked back at me, her mouth gaped open. We never really were officially dating so I’m sure my declaration came as a surprise, and I hoped like hell she didn’t get upset with me.

When she slowly smiled, I knew I was in the clear.

“I see. So does this mean our dinner is being cut short, Kilyn?”

Cutting in before she could say something, I laughed. “Hell no. Why don’t the two of you join us? My friend Gus’s sisters are in town and I’m sure they would love for someone new to join our group.”

Dale looked at Kilyn and then back to me. “Sure. Why not. I’m not ready to call it an evening yet.”

Lacing my fingers with Kilyn’s, I lead them both over to our table. “Gus, Casandra, Lacy, this is Kilyn and one of her clients, Dale.”

Casandra and Lacy both eye fucked the hell out of Dale and I knew he was no longer my problem. “Client?” Lucy asked.

“I’m an interior designer. Dale’s father has a house in the mountains I’m decorating.”

Casandra perked up and patted the seat between her and Lucy. Dale quickly took it.

“Ah . . . I’ll grab our drinks,” Kilyn said as she watched Dale completely become engrossed with Gus’s sisters. Gus, of course, did a quick hello and focused back in on the girl at the next table.

“I’ll help you,” I said, placing my hand on her lower back and following her over to the table. Grabbing Dale’s drink, I motioned to let the waitress know Kilyn and Dale were now joining our table.

Kilyn chuckled as we made our way back. “I’m pretty sure we could drop the drinks off and slip right on out without anyone noticing we’re gone.”

Wiggling my eyebrows, I asked, “Is your work with Dale done?”

She flashed me a seductive smile. “Yep.”

We set the drinks down and I grabbed a few twenty-dollar bills out of my wallet and tossed them onto the table.

Taking Kilyn’s hand in mine, I practically dragged her out. “Did you drive here?”

“No, my car is still at the office. Did you?”

Reaching my hand, I waved for a taxi. “No, Gus drove.”

I could practically feel the desire pooling off of Kilyn. The sooner I got her back to my place the better.

Once the taxi pulled up, I held the door open for her as she slipped in. Giving him my address, I quickly pulled her over to me and pressed my lips to hers.

When my phone started ringing, we both groaned. Pulling it out of my pocket, I rolled my eyes when I saw it was my mother.

“It’s like she has hidden cameras everywhere.”

Kilyn giggled as she settled in next to me. God it felt good having her with me.

“Hey, Mama.”

“Athanasios, your father needs you to come over and help him with this bookshelf.”

“Now?”

She made a tsking sound and said, “Yes, now. Thaddeus and Nicholaus are not answering their phones. You father is going to kill himself if you don’t come help.”

I silently cursed my brothers. “I’m kind of in the middle of something; can I come over tomorrow and help him?”

My mother started yelling at my father in Greek as Kilyn covered her mouth and laughed.

“Tomorrow? Tomorrow I could be dead!”

Oh, Lord. Now she sounds like Yiayia. “Mama, I seriously don’t think you’ll die before Dad gets the bookshelf up.”

“You don’t know that, Athanasios. No one can predict these things. What are you doing that you are so busy you can’t come help your father?”

I knew I was about open up Pandora’s Box, but what the hell.

“I’m on a date.”

Kilyn’s hands dropped to her lap while her mouth gaped open. “Thano!” she whispered.

For the first time in a long time I did the unthinkable.

I silenced my mother.

“Did you say you were on a date? Dimitris! Your youngest son is on a date.”

I could hear my father saying something in the background but I couldn’t make it out.

“Praise the heavens above. Bring her to me.”

My eyes about popped out of my head. “What?”

“Now. Bring me this girl so I can see who has captured my son’s heart.”

“Um . . .” Turning to Kilyn she wore a look of horror on her face.

She slowly shook her head.

“Um . . . Mama, we sort of had plans and I’m not sure we can change them.”

“Have you eaten?”

“No . . . I mean, yes! Yes, we ate.”

Just then Kilyn’s stomach growled. She laughed and my mother heard her.

“Awe! Your stomach tells the truth. I’ll put a little something on; it won’t take long. I’ll see you in about thirty minutes.”

Feeling a sense of panic wash over me that I was losing control of this conversation, I called out, “Wait! We can’t, Mama! You’ve already met her!”

Pulling the phone from my ear, I stared at it.

“She hung up.”

I turned to look at Kilyn. Her mouth was open as she stared at me. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

“Same.”

With a long drawn out moan, I dropped my head back against the seat. “I fucked up. Again.”

“What happens if we don’t go?”

“She will call my cell over and over as she drives to my apartment. If I’m not there I wouldn’t be surprised if she turns on the tracker. I’m almost positive she has one on each of her son’s phones.”

Kilyn laughed while taking my hand in hers. “She’s going to find out sooner or later. We might as well get it over with.”

She began looking over her body.

“What are you doing?”

“Seeing if I have anything I really love on before your mother or grandmother spits on me.”

I stared at her for a few seconds before I lost it laughing. “What makes you think they’ll spit on you? And they don’t actually spit, anymore. They just make the noise.”

She lifted her eyebrow. “Says you. If either one of them compliments me, I get spit on. I’ve been reading up on Greek superstitions and all of that.”

My heart jumped as I looked at her. “You have?”

With a sweeter than sweet smile, she nodded. “I have.”

Slipping my hand around her neck, I pulled her lips to mine and kissed them. When I pulled back some, I searched her face. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

Without taking my eyes off of her, I told the taxi driver we had a change of plans and gave him my parents’ address.

It didn’t matter if my parents loved or hated Kilyn. I had nothing to prove to them and, although I wanted their approval, I didn’t need it.

Kilyn’s eyes dropped to my lips as she licked her own. “I have to be honest with you, Thano.”

“Please always be honest with me, ladybug.”

Lifting her eyes to mine, she scrunched her nose up in the most adorable way and said, “I’m scared to death for your parents to find out about me.”

With a lighthearted laugh, I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to me. “Somehow, I think it’s going to be okay.”

“How do you know?”

I shrugged and said, “Because my mother already likes you.”

“She doesn’t even know me.”

“That’s not true. She has met you a few times. And that whole thing with her and her posse showing up at the Onion Creek Gardens, that was totally planned.”

Kilyn pulled back some to look at me. “It was?”

“Yep. I had told my mother about you. She started piecing things together and took it upon herself to go check you out.”

Now it was her turn to let out a moan and drop her head back. “Oh, dear God. Thano, I made such a fool out of myself that day. I totally messed up the dishes and I dropped something and broke it. Oh, God! This is bad! This. Is. So. Bad.”

My heart felt so full and I was surprised I wasn’t the least bit worried about the wrath of my mother. Pulling Kilyn onto my lap, I lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “This is not bad. This is you and I finding our way back to each other. I don’t think it was a coincidence you and I running into each other all those times. We were meant to be together. Even if I couldn’t see it at first, I’ve always known it in my heart. All we have to do is show up, eat some food, help my father with some bookshelf and then I’m taking you home and making love to you all night.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “All night, huh?”

I gently kissed around her face. “All night.”

“Is that a Greek thing . . . the stamina?”

I could feel my body heating as Kilyn squirmed about in my lap. “Hell, yes, that’s a Greek thing.”

Sinking her teeth into her lip, she smiled big. “I think I’m going to like having a Greek boyfriend.”

“Oh, baby, trust me. There are so many things about having a Greek boyfriend you’re going to love.”

Pushing her ass against my hard dick, she winked. “Starting with this?”

A low growl came from the back of my throat as I whispered against her lips. “Me trelaíneis, Kilyn.”

I
HAD NO
idea what Thano whispered and I didn’t care. I was too lost in his kiss to care about anything. The way he made me feel was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.

The kiss was broken much sooner than I would have liked as the taxi driver cleared his throat. “We’re almost there, sir.”