Chapter 2
Tallia sank down onto the neat four-poster bed the moment Fidelio left the room. Her eyes, which she had been struggling to keep open for the past two hours, slid shut. She was exhausted, bone weary, but the painkillers she took in the bathroom made her stomach ache and she knew she wouldn't be able to drift off immediately.
Swallowing thickly, she wished she had asked for something to eat as nausea began to churn in her gut, but she already felt like such a nuisance that she hadn't wanted to bother poor Fidelio. Though he never showed a moment of impatience, Tallia couldn't help but feel like a millstone hanging from his neck, slowing him down every step of this journey.
She hadn't exactly wanted to come here in the first place, but Emily had been insistent that she visit Greece. After everything Tallia put her younger sister through during the past eighteen months, she thought the least she could do was cede to her sibling’s wishes.
In truth, she had been eager to get away and she had always wanted to see Greece, so she hadn't put up much resistance. She just never imagined how exhausting travel would be in her condition. When Emmy convinced her to make the trip she told her it would be a snap, a brief flight to Athens followed by a helicopter ride to Tanos, the island where Fidelio grew up and where most of the Eustakhios family lived.
That had been the plan, until the weather and almost everything else conspired to delay them at every turn. First, their plane sat on the runway for hours in London, grounded at Heathrow due to a violent lightning storm over the Midi, in the south of France. Then, when they finally reached Athens, they discovered the helicopter had been diverted elsewhere on company business, thus requiring a harrowing taxi ride through the capital to the water, just in time to miss the ferry to Tanos.
Eventually they ended up hiring a water Taxi that took them out to an island where they managed to catch a later ferry to Tanos. Once they reached Tanos, Tallia discovered the trip was still not complete when Fidelio hustled her onto his boat to bring them to Seleni. Apparently that last bit was a little surprise. In London Fidelio never mention to her or Emmy that they would not be staying on Tanos, but rather on his brother’s private island.
Tallia knew it was no one’s fault that the trip took twice as long as expected, and two years ago she would not have cared about the delays. But because her health was still flagging, it had been the longest day of her life. Poor Fidelio must have apologized a thousand times, even though he was not to blame. She felt especially bad for him as she suspected he was quite embarrassed by all the problems they ran into. Fortunately she and Fidelio shared similar, easy-going temperaments and managed to keep each other amused during the trip with idle conversation and stupid jokes.
They passed most of the time speculating on how Emmy would have reacted if she were with them. Emmy was high-strung and impatient and would be joining them in a few days, once the photo shoot she was working on concluded. Tallia prayed her sister would have an easier time getting to Seleni or heads would roll.
Lying as still as possible to help her stomach settle down, Tallia was just grateful they were here. As the day wore on, she had begun to fear that she might actually collapse before they reached Tanos. Obviously she was not as far along in her recovery as she hoped.
That thought made Tallia want to cry, because she was sick to death of being an invalid. Growing up she couldn't remember ever being truly ill. Oh, she suffered the odd cold like everyone else, but she had never seen the inside of a hospital. For the past eighteen months however, she had lived in hospital, specifically a hospital bed, hooked up to more machines and tubes than she could count.
Since she didn't want to end up right back in hospital, she had put on a brave front all day. Alone in her guest room, she fretted that she had pushed herself much too hard. Her back hurt so badly her very bones seemed to be on fire, and her head was pounding.
Thankfully dinner would be at nine, so she would have almost three hours to rest and recuperate. She had not missed the worried look on Fidelio's face as he showed her to her room, and didn't want to let him down by having a relapse. She liked Fidelio, and as his future sister in law she wanted to make a good impression. It certainly wouldn't do to fall apart on him.
Sighing glumly, Tallia couldn’t help but wonder if she should have stayed in London, or maybe waited to travel with Emmy. Fidelio though, had asked her privately to come ahead to help him plan for when Emmy joined them. Sensing how nervous he was about the prospect of marriage, Tallia had gladly agreed. She was excited, knowing Fidelio was going to pop the question when Emmy arrived, and so happy that her sister was getting married she didn't want anything to ruin the occasion.
Emmy had come a long way in the last year and a half. She had turned her life around remarkably, and Tallia was so proud of her younger sister that she would have done anything to insure Emmy's happiness. A grueling trot across Europe is a small price to pay, she told herself, for your sister’s future.
She had to smile when she thought of the plans she and Fidelio hatched up between them during the interminable trip. Everything was going to be perfect for Emmy; she didn't doubt it for a moment. A harsh, dark-eyed face popped into her head, and Tallia was forced to remember Fidelio's brother. Though really how one could forget the man, Tallia had no idea, if anything she had been suppressing all thoughts of the intimidating older Eustakhios brother since leaving him downstairs.
Fidelio had told her only a few things in passing about his brother, but the image he painted was as different as chalk from cheese to the reality of the imposing, disapproving brute who met them at the dock when they arrived at Seleni. Fidelio had believed his brother to be safely occupied with business in Athens, so she knew it had been even more of a shock to him to see the tall, broad shouldered man waiting for them when they arrived. Fidelio's groan of dread as he throttled down on the engine had spoke volumes.
It would seem that in person the brother Fidelio described in glowing terms as a kind, considerate, rock of cool, conservative authority, was mostly just a rock- possessed of a biting temper. Tallia was not so far gone that she missed the anger in Costa Eustakhios's proud face. The man was about as intimidating as a loaded gun, and just as impressive in appearance.
Tallia shivered just thinking of his darkly tan skin, stretched taut over high cheekbones, his wide, smooth brow, and hard, square jaw. Costa looked as if he were molded from bronze, and the lack of expression on his face suggested he just might in fact be cast from some unyielding metal.
She supposed Costa could be called handsome, but there was so much harsh disdain in his face, such pride and arrogance, that she just found him scary. His eyes however, threw her. Tallia dared meet his dark gaze only once, when he shook her hand as if he meant to snap it off. She had been completely shocked by the incongruity of his light, mellow brown eyes, given the starkness of his features and the icy hauteur of his expression.
Those caramel colored eyes, striated with gold, were disconcertingly beautiful and suggested a soulful, sweet nature, which she knew was ridiculous. There was nothing mild about Costa Eustakhios. He was big, dark, and disapproving. Tallia wished he had stayed in Athens as Fidelio promised.
Costa made her unaccountably nervous. She had no idea what she had done to antagonize the man, but it was obvious he did not like her. Aware that she did not deal well with the opposite sex, even in the best of conditions, Tallia prayed she would not have to spend any length of time with the man. She wished fervently he would avoid her, as he seemed to dislike her so much.
Rolling carefully onto her side, Tallia felt her thoughts begin to drift and surrendered happily to sleep.
Costa could hardly keep himself from staring throughout the evening meal, like a calf-eyed boy, at Fidelio's little friend. It was infuriating to find himself so weak that he too was falling beneath the girl’s charms. Yet there was no denying how lovely Tallia Maitland was- on the outside, he made a point to remind himself snidely.
When he came dow
n to the terrace overlooking the sea at the rear of the house where they would be eating, he was quite late. In no mood for company, much less the company he was to be subjected to, Costa saw no reason to pretend as if he were an eager host. He found Tallia and Fidelio waiting for him, sprawled together like a pair of naughty children on one long lounge chair, enjoying cocktails.
He would not have thought it possible, yet Tallia was even more exquisite than he remembered with the dark night sky setting off her striking looks. Her eyes sparkled in the light of the torches lit around the terrace, and there was a hint of delicate color in her snow-white complexion. She had changed into a narrow pink skirt and a cream-colored v-neck shirt with three-quarter sleeves, sprinkled with tiny white sequins. The outfit was very simple and probably quite inexpensive, though on her, it looked the height of elegance.
Sourly, he imagined a potato sack would look ravishing if draped over her long, delicate figure, and that was why she made a fortune wearing hideous haute couture. She had on flat, silver strapped sandals, and as he made himself a drink Costa caught himself staring inanely at her tiny toes, which were painted a gleaming shade of iridescent sky blue.
A quarter of an hour and three gin and tonics later, Costa moved to sit at the head of the wide teak table with Fidelio on one side of him and Tallia on the other. Ari and Neni immediately began serving the food. They did not stand on formality at Seleni. Once the dishes were brought out, Ari and Neni retired to the kitchen, leaving them to serve themselves at their leisure.
Fidelio directed the conversation towards food and a lengthy description of the island, for Tallia's benefit. He then began recounting the misadventures he and Tallia suffered while getting to the island. Costa wasn't quite certain what Fidelio was up to, though he suspected his brother was just trying to keep him from asking uncomfortable questions about his relationship with Tallia.
More than once Costa caught Fidelio looking at him nervously. He knew his brother well and sensed the younger man had something he wanted to tell him, but was unsure how to go about doing it. Costa didn't encourage Fidelio to spill the beans and added nothing to the conversation. The last thing he wanted was to hear his brother tell him about his feelings for Tallia and his intention to marry her.
In no mood for chitchat, Costa retreated behind a wall of cold silence guaranteed to dissuade intimate revelations. It irked him to realize he was content to listen to Fidelio prattle on about life in London and the hassles of international travel, because it left him free to study their gorgeous dinner companion.
Costa couldn’t help marveling that Tallia was truly a stunner. Her hair seemed to glow against the darkening sky, and her fine, bloodless skin appeared luminous under the faint starlight. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of her, and she couldn’t help but notice. A faint flush bloomed across her cheeks as they ate, infusing just enough warmth into her complexion to make her seem real.
When the main course was finished, Ari and Neni appeared to clear the table before coffee and desert was served, Fidelio unexpectedly excused himself to make a phone call. Deciding to check his messages, as they seemed to be taking a little break, Costa excused himself and retreated to the safety of his study.
He felt like a coward as he left the terrace, knowing that it was inexcusably rude of him to leave a guest in his home alone. But he felt an overwhelming need to get away from Tallia, if only for a moment. He had the strange feeling that he should not stay alone with her out on the balcony, as the balmy night lent an air of romance that was oddly intoxicating. For a moment, as he stared across the table at her without Fidelio's presence there as a comfortable buffer, her jewel toned eyes had pulled him in, the slumberous cast of her guileless gaze making something twist deep inside him.
Gritting his teeth, Costa forced himself to check his email and lingered over the process for an inordinate amount of time, stalling outrageously. By the time he returned to the terrace Fidelio and Tallia were back at the table, their heads bent together as they enjoyed coffee and nibbled on a plate of Calamini's delicious cookies.
Watching them unobserved, Costa felt a tight pressure in his chest. Tallia was clearly at ease with his brother, her posture far more relaxed now that she was alone with her lover, her soft, childlike laughter drifting across the terrace to tease him. She and Fidelio were arguing softly, flirtatiously, the sort of play fighting which came so easily to a couple in the first flush of love.
A hot, corrosive sensation knifed through him, and Costa was disturbed to realize he was envious. Clearing his throat, he stepped out onto the terrace and watched the two lovers pull apart with satisfaction.
Taking his seat, Costa toyed with the idea of picking at them and finally asking a few pointed questions about their relationship. I am a master negotiator- a master manipulator, he thought coldly, just as his business rivals and dismissed lovers characterized him so loudly and often in the press. He knew he could make things very uncomfortable between the three of them without much effort.
It was the fatigue he saw in Tallia's face though, which gave him pause. Her eyes, which looked so bright before dinner, were now half lidded and moved sluggishly. Fidelio seemed to notice Tallia was fading at the same time and made their excuses.
Costa rose and nodded politely, gritting his teeth again as he watched Fidelio wrap an arm around Tallia and escort her into the house. Scowling into the darkness, he tried not to imagine what they would be doing upstairs, if Fidelio would be kissing that wide, delicate mouth of Tallia's, or worse.
He had intended to wait outside for his brother to return, so they could finally have it out, but the idea of Fidelio lingering in Tallia's room sent Costa back into the house. He took the stairs two at a time, not really knowing what he would do when he got to her room, since he could hardly barge in on the two of them. They were adults and Costa was not some crotchety old-school gargoyle that could rail about propriety, not given his history with women.
His fears proved groundless and he felt like a fool when he ran into Fidelio in the corridor at the top of the stairs. "Everything all right?" he asked curtly, to hide his relief.
Looking mildly surprised to see him, Fidelio nodded, "The trip took a lot out of Tallia."
"So it would seem… perhaps we should all call it a night, we can talk tomorrow," Costa suggested, feeling awkward and not liking it in the least.
He never felt awkward around Fidelio. His brother was the only person he could talk to and with whom he felt comfortable to be himself. Then again, he had never felt attracted to any of Fidelio's girlfriends before, and that hardened his resolve to get rid of Tallia in the morning. He couldn't have her getting between him and his brother. Worse, the idea of her married to Fidelio filled him with irrational, volcanic rage. There was no way in hell he would spend the rest of his life watching her hanging off his brother’s arm while he lusted after her like a fool.
Fidelio opened his mouth, as if he would say something, and then abruptly nodded. With a happy grin, he slapped Costa companionably on the arm and headed off to his room. Costa watched him go with a painful knot in his gut, feeling like a complete bastard.
Without Tallia there to distract him, he finally noticed how happy Fidelio looked, in truth he couldn't recall the last time he had seen his brother looking quite so pleased with life. Clearly, Fidelio was in love. Shaking his head, knowing what he had to do the following day, Costa went to his room with a heavy heart.