Free The Enigmatic Greek by Catherine George Page A

said carefully.
    ‘I can’t tell you. If I bring the subject up she refuses to discuss it. My beautiful mother may look sweet and malleable, but she has a will of iron, and pride to match.’ He broke off at a knock on the door and smiled at Sofia as she came in to put a coffee tray on a table in front of the sofa.
    ‘The meal was delicious,’ Eleanor told her.
    ‘
Efcharisto
,’ said the woman, pleased, and began clearing the dinner table. ‘Do you need anything else,
kyrie?
’ she asked Alex.
    He shook his head. ‘Nothing more tonight.’
    She wished them both good night and went out with the trolley.
    ‘Yannis didn’t come back with her,’ said Eleanor. ‘Does she live nearby?’
    ‘Right here in the
Kastro
, in a ground floor apartment adjoining the kitchen.’
    ‘She’s a widow?’
    Alex nodded soberly. ‘When her husband died a year or so after I took over the island I offered her the job of housekeeper, with rooms in the
Kastro
for her and the boy.’ He gestured towards the sofa. ‘Let’s move over there.’ He smiled blandly. ‘Perhaps you’d even pour my coffee.’
    Eleanor grinned at him. ‘My pleasure!’
    Alex shot her a probing glance as they sat down. ‘Doyou feel happier now you know that Sofia and Yannis sleep in the building?’
    She stared at him in surprise. ‘No. I wasn’t unhappy before.’
    ‘So you really do believe I mean you no harm.’
    ‘It never occurred to me to think otherwise.’ She paused. ‘I assume Sofia is accustomed to catering for guests?’
    Alex gave her a smile which transformed his face from merely handsome to off-the-charts breath-taking. ‘If that’s a way of asking whether I bring a lot of women here, the ladies I know are city dwellers who demand venues more sophisticated than a remote island lacking even a
taverna.
Besides, this place is my retreat. And, if you’re worried about the proprieties, your deeds yesterday ensure that your reputation can survive a couple of nights alone here with me.’ He reached for the coffee pot and refilled their cups. ‘Tell me more about yourself and the life you lead.’

CHAPTER FOUR
    E LEANOR shook her head. ‘I’d much rather talk about Alexei Drakos.’
    He raised a dark eyebrow. ‘You had no trouble in talking about yourself to my mother.’
    ‘That’s different.’
    ‘Because you liked her from the moment you met, whereas you’re still not comfortable with me.’
    Her eyes flashed. ‘Do you blame me? It’s not every day I meet a man who threatens me with a lawsuit!’
    He shrugged impenitently. ‘I will always do everything within my power to protect my mother. And at the time of my threat I’d only just met you. But since then I have compelling reasons to be grateful to you.’
    ‘I see. So when will you give me the interview?’
    ‘In the morning—early, if you wish.’
    ‘I do.’ And once she’d written the piece and Alexei had vetted it she would send it off to Ross McLean and then catch the first possible flight back home. Alex might be the most powerfully attractive man she was ever likely to meet, but she disliked the idea of being marooned here with no way of getting off his island until he agreed to take her to Karpyros to catch the ferry. As soon as he did she would leave whether she could get an earlier flight or not. She could spend the waiting time exploring Crete.
    ‘What are you thinking about now?’ he demanded. ‘Nothing pleasant, by the look on that expressive face of yours.’
    ‘On the contrary, I’m glad that you’re willing to get on with the interview right away.’ She smiled politely. ‘The moment you approve it I’ll send it off and get the ferry to Crete out of your way.’
    He raised a dark eyebrow. ‘This is rather different from the woman who insisted on a week’s holiday. What’s changed your mind?’
    Her chin lifted. ‘On Karpyros I could have left any time I wished. Here I can’t.’
    Alex frowned. ‘You’re not a prisoner, Eleanor. The