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She loved him. That he was completely certain of. Was it wrong that she had so quickly gotten used to being able to spend his money as well or be used to the comfort and luxury that came with it?
“Damen?”
He looked up, realizing that he had been standing at the doorway all this time with a frown on his face. He moved forward, summoning a penitent smile. “I am sorry. I was thinking about work.”
She waited for him to speak about it, but he didn’t. As he sat on one of the stools surrounding the breakfast counter, she asked softly, “Would you like to talk about it?”
A shuttered expression fell over his face. “It is nothing.” He would never let Mairi know how much his decision to love her was costing him. The entire business world might be laughing at him behind his back, but Damen knew whatever he lost was worth having Mairi by his side.
His voice was curt and dismissive, and she took the warning to heart. Did he think she was too stupid to understand the way his business worked? Biting her lip, she prayed silently that Damen didn’t think he was engaged to a ninny.
The microwave sounded off behind her, and trying not to sound relieved at the chance to change the subject, she said cheerfully, “The pasta’s ready.”
The smell was delightful, and the taste even more so. After enjoying a forkful of the pasta, he was impressed enough to say, “It’s very good – enough for me to wonder if perhaps you’d like to start a restaurant?”
“A restaurant?”
He said smoothly, “It won’t mean you have to work every day. You’ll simply be in charge of creating a menu and setting the overall theme.”
A restaurant...
Only Greek billionaires like Damen Leventis would think that opening a restaurant and putting a schoolteacher in charge of it was an investment worth risking, Mairi thought dazedly. “I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of undertaking.” If she failed, it would mean causing him to lose thousands of euros – or even hundreds of thousands, and she wasn’t ready for that kind of failure just yet.
“Well, it was just a thought.” He paused. “In case you become bored with your life.”
“Oh, I’ll never be bored.” Her lips curved into another smile. “You’re with me, Damen. It’s all I ask for.”
He shook his head. “You never fail to surprise me, with how open you are about your feelings.”
Her smile almost faltered. She wasn’t as open as he thought she was. There were so many things she had yet to tell him, but her love for Damen made her scared to risk it.
After dinner, they went straight to the bedroom, Mairi waiting in bed while Damen took a shower. Her iPhone sounded a beep, indicating a new email.
Congratulations! You have successfully passed our test. We will start sending you writing assignments tomorrow at the rate of $.002 per word or $1 per 500-word article.
Hearing the door of the en-suite bathroom open, Mairi quickly deleted the message before looking up at Damen. “Feel more relaxed now?”
Deciding not to comment on how flustered she seemed, he answered casually, “Yes.” Joining her in bed, Damen wordlessly pulled her into his arms and took her lips for a kiss.
Her receipt of his kiss was as passionate as before, enough to assuage his doubts. For now.
They did not make love that night, but Mairi did not seem to mind, falling asleep in his arms almost right away. Even in her slumber, she appeared...uneasy, an unhappy frown furrowing her forehead. Quietly, Damen reached past Mairi for her iPhone.
He scanned her messages, but again there was nothing new from the past few minutes. His face became grim.
What are you hiding from me, matakia mou?
Chapter 8
Late afternoon the next day, Mairi was so excited she pumped her fist in the air, feeling beyond ecstatic. It was a cry that rang throughout the entire National Library of Greece, whose vastness was made even more impressive by its ornately designed columns, glass ceilings, and shelves that were so high Mairi’s neck had gotten a crick when she had first glimpsed it.
The librarian, who was unfortunately stacking books in a nearby shelf, looked at her in disapproval. “Quiet,” the woman hissed in Greek.
Oh, drat. She had forgotten she was one) in a public library and two) in disguise.
Mumbling an apology, Mairi slid further down in her seat, hoping she hadn’t stupidly blown her cover with her not-exactly-subtle cry of triumph. After arranging her bangs to make sure they covered half of her face, she pushed her large aviator glasses back up. It had been surprisingly difficult typing with dark glasses on, but she had needed to be 100% sure no one would recognize her here.
Mairi glanced back at her screen, and again she couldn’t help but grin. Twenty articles for the day. That meant $20! If she kept this up, she could have $200 in ten days – enough to buy something really nice for Damen when they celebrated their first month together.
