he hadn’t been able to rid his mind of the memory of what had nearly happened right in this room. He’d almost kissed her, and if he had, he wouldn’t have stopped there.
He never went into a business meeting unprepared, but he hadn’t been prepared for her today. If he had been, he would have handled the situation better. He wasn’t even clear on what he’d said to her. The words he’d spoken had been nothing but babble in his ears because he’d had to focus all his energy on staying still when, with every fiber of his being, he’d wanted to go to her, take her into his arms and act on the proposition she’d just made him. How many times had he imagined having her beneath him, plunging into her again and again?
Now, he’d hurt her—the last thing he’d wanted. But it was for her own good, and for his. Roman raised his hands, intending to run them through his hair. When he saw they were shaking, he dropped them back down on the blanket. Something akin to fear moved through him.
No other woman had ever affected him this way. For years, he’d been guiltily lusting after Philly Angelis—ever since she was sixteen. He’d taught himself to live with the steady thrum of desire he’d felt whenever he was near her. And for years, he’d been able to control it by reminding himself that she was too young for him. But since she’d returned from college a year ago, all of his discipline and control had been slipping away. Whenever she was near, desire escalated into a raging need that bordered on pain. There’d been an incident at the Angelises’ family restaurant, the Poseidon, when he was sure Kit had caught him watching Philly. Roman had seen something in Kit’s eyes. A question? A warning? But then Theo and Nik had joined them, and Kit had said nothing.
But Roman didn’t need a warning from Kit. Even without the age difference, he could never act on his attraction to her. The Angelises were family to him. Kit and Nik and Theo were the brothers he’d never had. Becoming sexually involved with their little sister was out of the question. Her father, Spiro, a man Roman looked on as a second father, was an old-fashioned Greek. He’d expect commitment. Marriage.
Hell, Philly would expect it. And deserve it. And Roman had long ago decided that marriage was not on his agenda. Oliver Enterprises would always be his first priority. Ever since he was a boy, he’d dreamed of running the company his father had created. But there was a price to pay. A wife and family would always suffer from neglect. He’d experienced that personally and so had his sisters. His father had buried himself in the business while they’d been growing up, and even more so after their mother’s death. Roman had spent more time with his younger sisters than Mario Oliver ever had. He was now on wife number three, and she was already constantly complaining that she saw nothing of him.
I’m very attracted to you and I want to make love with you.
God. This time Roman managed to run his still-trembling hands through his hair. Words always made things more real. When she’d looked into his eyes and spoken them, he’d very nearly lost it. He could have had her right here in his hospital bed. Or on the floor. Or in the chair where he’d been sitting and fantasizing about her. It would have been wild and crazy and perhaps once would have been enough. But Roman didn’t think so.
He’d done the right thing, the only thing he could do. Whatever hurt Philly had experienced today would pale in comparison to the way he’d hurt her if he acted on his feelings. She’d keep her distance now. He’d stay away from her family’s restaurant and gradually the feelings would fade.
They had to.
He glanced down at the business papers he’d been reading, but it was a long time before he could actually see them.
1
One month later…
“YES, CALL ME BACK just as soon as you have some information on flights.” I hung up the phone on my travel agent and turned to face my two curious cats.
Well, Pretzels was curious. And a bit apprehensive. He could always sense it when I was thinking of leaving him for any length of time. Not that I did it very often. Peanuts, his sister, had a more complacent nature. Though they looked very much alike, a pure silvery-gray with white paws, they had very different personalities.
Right now, both cats were seated on the wide window seat of the small apartment I kept in the mansion my aunt Cass had inherited from her father. The house was huge, and it took a lot of money to keep the place going, so about four years ago the family had decided to renovate it into apartments. My brothers and I each paid rent on our own places, and my dad and new stepmother, Helena lived in the gardener’s cottage. When we eventually moved out, Aunt Cass could continue to make a good income by renting the apartments out.
“I’m going to go to Greece,” I informed my two pets. Saying the words aloud helped make my plan more of a reality, and a little thrill moved through me. I hadn’t told anyone yet, so Pretzels and Peanuts were functioning as my test audience. It was a role they often played. My family tended to be a bit protective of me, and I wasn’t sure how they’d react to my trip. Of course, now that I’d made my decision, I was going to go to Greece no matter what, but I’d have a better time if they weren’t worrying too much.
Pretzels immediately leaped off the window seat and joined me on the couch. His apprehension had escalated into high anxiety. I lifted him onto my lap and began to stroke him. “You’ll be with Aunt Cass and Kit.” I pictured first one apartment and then the other in my mind. Then I pictured Aunt Cass and Kit. Almost immediately he began to calm. “They’ll take good care of you.”
With a sigh, Pretzels settled himself firmly on my lap as if to keep me there. He was a bit possessive of me. Peanuts remained on the window seat cleaning her paws. I sensed she was already anticipating the extra treats she would receive from Aunt Cass and Kit.
Of all my brothers, Kit was the one who most loved animals. He had a huge dog named Ari who often stayed with me when Kit was working on one of his P.I. jobs. Luckily my cats loved Ari, and vice versa. Kit would be the primary caretaker of my animals while I was away, and Aunt Cass would serve as backup.
As soon as I told them of my plans.
Pretzels was already snoring, so I eased him off of my lap and, after stopping to scratch Peanuts behind the ears, let myself out of my apartment. The cats had taken it pretty well. I hoped the news would go as well with the rest of the family.
As I climbed the stairs to the third-floor tower room where my aunt Cass spent much of her time, I tried to gather my thoughts—something that I was finding increasingly difficult to do since I’d walked out of Roman’s hospital room a month ago. I’d vowed that day that I was going to get him out of my system once and for all. My utter failure to accomplish that was what had triggered my decision to go to Greece.
In the past month, Roman and I had only run into one another once, at the wedding reception my father, Spiro, and his new wife, Helena, had given at the Poseidon. That had been two weeks after I’d left his hospital room for the last time. I couldn’t avoid attending my father and Helena’s party; neither could Roman. But we’d managed to steer clear of each other.
What I couldn’t shake were the feelings he stirred up in me. All he’d had to do was walk down the steps to the main dining room of the Poseidon, and I’d realized that I wanted him even more desperately than I had before. Nothing had changed. Frustrated and angry with myself, I’d thrown myself into my work, but that hadn’t helped, either.
Dr. Wilson at the vet hospital had begun to depend on me to help him diagnose what was troubling the animals he saw, and recently he’d commented on the fact that I’d seemed distracted. That’s when I’d decided that drastic action
