Adonis in Athens, page 18
Paige took a step back and forced herself to breathe. “Believe it or not, having fun doesn’t mean being an irresponsible fool. I made one reckless decision three years ago—and honestly, I can’t call it a mistake because he’s a great guy.”
“Then why are you back here?”
She rolled her eyes. “Because my best friend was in a terrible car accident?”
“And where is he?”
“In Greece, running his family’s business.”
“What do they do? Are they olive farmers? No, wait—fishermen?” He was grinning at her, condescension all over his face.
She shook her head. “Does it make a difference, Tom? You want Raegan? You can have her, but she won’t be interested in your little McMansion and weekend golf outings once she’s back on her feet. Remember the girl with the pink hair and tattoos? Not exactly the country club debutante you have in mind.”
He snorted. “She’ll do it because she wants the money, the prestige—and she’ll do anything to stay away from her daddy.”
Paige stiffened, unable to believe Raegan had told him about that. “Well, that’s between you and her, I guess, but I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“No?” He walked towards her again, pausing right in front of her, making her uncomfortable with his proximity. “Not even a little bit jealous, honey?”
“Not a single iota.” She turned her face away, taking a step back as he leaned forward. “Besides, if you want Raegan, why do you care what I think?”
He chuckled. “Men like me? We don’t like to lose…” His voice dropped to a whisper. “You wasted nearly two years of my life and now I have to start over with Raegan, who’s going to need a lot of training to learn how to behave, how to dress, how to act appropriately in front of my colleagues—time I don’t have. I’m up for a promotion in January and I need a fiancée before then.”
“If you think that’s going to be Raegan,” she laughed, “give it your best shot. She won’t give up her piercings and tattoos for anyone—much less you.”
“She gave it all up when she was in my bed last weekend,” he shot back. “And I have pictures to prove it.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know Raegan collects sex videos, right? Like, she has them of pretty much every guy she’s slept with. It’s her idea of porn.”
He growled, advancing on her until she was up against the wall. “You really fucked me over, Paige. Now I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel because I’m out of time.”
Paige felt a moment of concern but reminded herself she was in a public place and he was a big baby anyway. She remembered a time he’d hurt his ankle golfing. It wasn’t even a sprain but he spent two days on the couch, moaning and whining like he’d broken a bone. Despite his bullish stance, she wasn’t afraid of him; she was too ticked off.
“Leave me alone, Tom,” she said in a tired voice, wondering why she’d put up with him for so long. “If you think Raegan is the woman you can mold into what you need, go for it. Take her home and take care of her and pay all her bills—she has a ton, by the way.”
He grunted. “She’ll pay me back. One way or another.”
“Really?” Though she just wanted to get away from him, part of her was angry that not only was he willing to replace her with her best friend, but that he was taking advantage of Raegan’s precarious situation in the process. If she’d told him about her father, he knew Raegan would do almost anything not to have to go home to Phoenix. Which left her at his mercy.
“What’s the matter, Paige?” He reached out to rub his knuckles across her cheek. “You starting to see what you’ll be missing?”
Paige was vaguely aware of the elevator door opening again but she was squirming to move away from his disgusting touch and nauseating closeness. “Get away from me!” she hissed. “I don’t miss anything about you!”
“How are you going to pay your rent without Raegan’s share, hmm?” He chuckled. “You’ll be on your knees, begging me to take you back—probably in about two months. And that’s where I’m going to make you stay—on your knees.”
“Go to hell!” Paige moved to the side, trying to get away, but he closed fingers around her wrist painfully. “I’d rather be homeless on the street than living with you!”
“You’re too proud for that and you know it! Maybe if you drop to your knees right now, and give me a little head, I’d consider—”
“The only thing you should consider is taking your hands off my wife.” Apollo’s deep, resonating growl made both of them jump, but Paige reacted first, practically vaulting herself into her husband’s arms.
15
“Apollo!” She buried her face in his chest as one of his arms closed around her waist and held her tight.
“Who the fuck are you?!” Tom spat out.
“I just told you—I’m her husband. And if I ever see your hands on her again, I’ll tear you apart.”
“You and what army?” Tom snarled, suddenly full of bravado.
Someone moved from behind Apollo, a tall guy with a bald head and the biggest hands Paige had ever seen. She blinked, lifting her head slightly to stare.
“The name’s Michael Laughlin,” the big man said to Paige, winking and smiling down at her. He glanced at Tom. “Also known as the army that’s going to kick your punk-ass if you don’t get the hell out of here.”
Tom’s face was red and he was sputtering, but he moved into the open elevator doors. “You’ll be sorry, Paige! You and Raegan both will be sorry! Mark my words—when these Neanderthals leave you high and dry, don’t come running to me!”
“I won’t,” she whispered, shaking her head. “Believe me.”
As the elevator doors closed, she sagged against Apollo in relief.
“Hi,” he said gently, looking down at her.
“Hi.” She blinked away tears. “You…you’re here.”
He smiled. “Wasn’t that the plan?”
“I don’t…how did you know where to find me?”
“I knew Raegan’s name, and figured she could only be at a handful of hospitals. I made calls before I left and we came straight here from the airport.”
Tears started to fall as she buried her face in his chest. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” she sobbed. “He was just boring—he was never mean or crazy like this! He was a nice guy, just not you—when did he change? What just happened?”
“Guys do dumb things when their hearts are broken,” Mick spoke quietly.
“I’m sorry.” Paige struggled to wipe her face and Mick presented her with a handkerchief.
She blinked, staring at it. “You have a handkerchief?”
He laughed. “Yeah, I know. Weird, right? Something my grandfather instilled in me.”
“And he’s been getting laid because of it since college!” Apollo grunted. “So keep your sex-fueled hanky away from my wife.”
Paige gave a half-hearted giggle, snatching it from Mick’s hand while nodding shyly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He winked.
“Are you okay, koukla mou?” Apollo asked after she’d wiped her face and blown her nose, holding her close to him.
“I am now that you’re here,” she admitted. “I don’t know what’s wrong with Tom—he’s never behaved like that before.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll make sure he doesn’t come near you again.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m really glad you’re here, but we have to talk,” she said softly.
“Yes.” He kissed the top of her head. “But we’ll do it later, when we’re alone. Right now, we should go check on Raegan and see what we can do for her.”
“You don’t have to do anything!” she protested. “That’s my responsibility and—”
“Anything that’s your responsibility is also my responsibility.” He wrapped his fingers around hers, his green eyes boring into hers intently. “We have to talk, absolutely, but everything can wait until we’ve settled things with Raegan. Tell me how she is.”
Paige updated him on her friend’s condition and he nodded. “So she’ll need care.”
“Yeah, but…” She sighed. “It’s a long, complicated story.”
“Then you’ll catch me up later. Let’s go talk to Raegan and then I desperately need some sleep.”
“Crap—Raegan’s mom is staying at our apartment!”
“I can get a hotel,” Mick said immediately, nodding. “Don’t worry about me.”
“We’re married,” Apollo reminded Paige when she hesitated. “And I’ll be damned if I sleep at a hotel a few miles away from my wife. Raegan’s mom is going to have to get over it.”
She nodded quickly. “You’re right, of course. I’m being silly. Come on.” She slid her hand into his and tugged him towards Raegan’s room. She was still reeling at the fact that he was here and she felt like there was so much they needed to say. She also had a lot to say to Raegan and now she was a little overwhelmed. When she glanced at Apollo, he just gave her a reassuring smile and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
“Whatever’s going on, don’t worry—we’ll handle it together.”
She smiled, a slight flush turning her cheeks pink. “I feel bad about the way I left, but you…”
“We’ll talk later,” he repeated firmly.
They walked into Raegan’s room and she was sitting up, her eyes wide as she looked at Paige. “What’s going on?! I just got the craziest text from Tom.”
“You slept with him?” Paige demanded, shaking her head.
“I tried to tell you…”
“When?”
“Before! But you kept interrupting and telling me to rest and my mom was here and the pain meds and…” She burst into tears.
“Oh, Raegan.”
“Who did she sleep with?” Mick asked, confused since he’d come in a few seconds behind them.
Apollo shot him a look but Raegan’s eyes widened and she swiped at her face. “Who are they?” she finally whispered.
Paige smiled and pulled Apollo forward. “Don’t you remember Apollo? From spring break?”
Raegan managed a faint smile. “You’ve filled out.”
He arched a brow. “That’s good, right?”
“Yeah.”
“This is my closest friend in the world. Three years ago he decided to go to the Bahamas for spring break and I came here.” Apollo glanced at his friend. “So, Mick, this is Paige and Raegan. Ladies, this is the one and only Michael Laughlin…otherwise known as Mick.”
Mick shook both of their hands and smiled, his blue eyes twinkling with what could easily be construed as perpetual mischief. “So...who’d you sleep with?” he asked Raegan, cocking his head.
Apollo bit back a laugh but Raegan merely sighed, closing her eyes. “Tom—but it was a moment of weakness,” she whispered.
“Yeah, but—why?” Paige looked baffled. “He’s boring and…I’ve told you he wasn’t very good.”
“He wasn’t bad,” Raegan bit her lip. “He just doesn’t have any imagination—about anything.”
“You still didn’t tell me why.”
“Because you called me from Greece and said you were falling in love with your husband, thinking about staying—which meant that I was going to be here alone and he was there. With a house and money and the answer to all my problems.”
“I told you I wouldn’t leave you high and dry!” Paige protested. “And do you really want to sell your soul to Tom for some money?”
“It’s not just money,” Raegan said quietly. “It’s security. I’ve never had that, Paige. Remember how I grew up—I’ve never had safety, security, money or even love. My mother loves me as much as she’s able with her mental health issues, but my father is an evil man. Something that guarantees I never have to ask him for anything is worth selling my soul for.”
“So that’s what you’re going to do?” Paige asked, frowning. “You’re going to start dating Tom? Do you know what he just said to me? I mean, he showed a side I’ve never seen before.”
“He was pretty aggressive,” Apollo said. “I know this is really none of my business, but I would think twice about getting involved with a guy like him. I’m glad we showed up when we did.”
“He asked me to suck him off, right there in the elevator bay,” Paige told her. “Is that what you have to look forward to?”
“I don’t know,” Raegan said sadly. “But I can’t work, Paige. I can’t pay my share of the rent. My credit cards are maxed out and—”
“We’d paid all but one of them off!” Paige said in exasperation. “Did you seriously max them out in two weeks?”
“The transmission blew on the car!” Raegan said. “And the brakes were gone. It was over a thousand dollars!”
“And the other four thousand?” Paige asked dryly.
“You know I don’t cook, so I was eating out every night. I got the other job and needed new shoes—really sexy but comfortable enough for me to dance in. And new clothes.”
Paige made a face. “Yeah, we need to talk about your new job.”
“I didn’t want you to have to bail me out again so I got a job dancing, just two nights a week. They said I could make 300-400 a night on weekends and I worked the rest of the week at the casino. I figured I could pay off the credit card in a couple of months and stop working there but now…”
“Now you have to decide what you want,” Paige said firmly. “I’m willing to do whatever’s necessary to help you, but if you choose Tom…”
“I would never choose Tom over you!” she cried. “But this is a huge burden for you. You’ve been taking care of me—one way or another—since we met. It might be time for me to take care of myself.”
“Letting Tom buy you is how you take care of yourself?” Paige shook her head.
“Can we talk alone for a minute?” Raegan asked softly. She glanced at Apollo and Mick apologetically. “I’m sorry, but I need a few minutes. Some of this is personal and I can’t…I don’t really know you guys.”
“No problem.” Apollo leaned over to kiss Paige’s cheek. “We’ll go get a cup of coffee and give you guys about 20 minutes, okay?”
“Thank you.” Paige felt an overwhelming urge to run after him and ask him to stay; the last thing she wanted was for him to run screaming from so much drama. He hadn’t come 7,000 miles to run away, though; she knew him well enough to know that. She was torn in several directions right now and wanted to handle all of them at once. Since that wasn’t possible, she decided to take care of Raegan first. They’d been there for each other since they were 17—but Raegan had a decision to make.
“I can’t believe you slept with Tom!” was all she managed to say once they were alone.
Raegan looked away. “Me either.”
“Wasn’t it spectacularly disappointing?”
Raegan nodded sadly. “Kinda. And then I felt guilty, like I was cheating on you.”
Paige burst out laughing. “I don’t think it works that way.”
Raegan smiled wanly. “I know. I was drowning, Paige. And now I’m basically underwater. I don’t know how you’re going to help me. Especially now that Apollo’s here. It’s obvious he loves you and you’re going to—”
“If he loves me, he’ll want to help you too. But you have to decide, girlfriend. Really. I hate being the kind of person who demands you take sides, but after the way he behaved earlier, I don’t want anything to do with him.”
“I don’t want to be with him either. After we went out a couple of times, I realized what you were talking about—he’s really self-absorbed and boring. All he talks about is work, his house and golf. The sex was okay…it wasn’t terrible, but there was no chemistry. I was really dumb. Please don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not mad—I’m just worried about you. Your judgement lately, your issues with money, your relationship with your mom…at some point, Raegan, you have to take control of your life.”
“I know.” She looked down sadly. “I just don’t know how.”
“Look, I really, really need to talk to Apollo. I left without a word—I just told his sister to tell him I had an emergency and left. I overheard something that made me doubt our future, and we have to talk it out or this is never gonna work. Can you promise me you won’t say or do anything until I come back in the morning?”
“Can we ask the nurses to keep Tom out of here?” Raegan looked like a scared little girl. “Whenever I’m around him, he’s like a whirlwind. Money, solutions to everything, even the sex—it’s like he mesmerizes me with his plans until I can’t think straight.”
“I’ll talk to them. All you have to do is rest, okay?”
“Okay.”
“If Tom shows up, text me. Is your phone charged?”
“Yes.”
“Can you handle your mother if she gets here before I get back in the morning?”
“I think so. Yes.”
“I’m going to find Apollo, so we can talk. Then I’m going to get some sleep and I’ll be back in the morning. If Tom bothers you at all, though, text or call me.”
“Okay.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Paige hugged her, gathered her things and headed out to find Apollo. Luckily, he was just stepping off the elevator and she walked right into his arms. Burying her face in his chest she whispered, “I’m sorry.”
“For?”
“Leaving like that. It was a shitty thing to do but I was so worried about Raegan and then I heard you…”
“That’s my cue!” Mick leaned over to kiss Paige’s cheek. “I’m glad we got to meet but I’m going to get some sleep. I assume you two have a lot to discuss and, to be honest, I’ve been on too many planes, in too many time zones, in too short of a time!” He slapped Apollo on the back, got in the elevator and disappeared.
“He seems like a good guy,” she said when they were alone.
“The best.” He looked down into her eyes. “You look exhausted.”
“You too.” She slid her arms up and around his neck.
