“Not now,” I grumbled, rubbing my temples. The pounding in my head matched the rhythm of his excited barks. “We’ll go for a run later.”
He whined, pawing at the ground insistently, but I wasn’t in the mood for his shenanigans. My thoughts were too consumed with Tia’s warm brown eyes and the way her curves had been outlined by my silk robe.
“Mésa!” I commanded, pointing back into my suite.
Zeus ignored me and trotted off. Unusual behavior for him.
I considered going after him, but the shower called to me more urgently. Zeus knew his way around the villa. The staff would redirect him if necessary.
“Fine,” I muttered to the empty room. “Have it your way.”
I headed for the bathroom, stripping off my pajama pants. A shower would clear my head, wash away the stale smell of whiskey clinging to my skin.
The water pressure was perfect, as always, the temperature scalding just the way I preferred it. Steam filled the spacious marble shower as I braced my hands against the wall, letting the hot water cascade over my shoulders, down my back.
I turned off the water after soaping my body and yanked a towel from the heated rack. Wrapping the towel around my waist, Ipadded back into the bedroom and dressed quickly in a t-shirt and jeans. I would have a quick breakfast, then pay Tia a visit.
A knock at my door drew my attention. At my invitation, one of the housemaids opened it, letting me know that my father requested my presence downstairs.
I exhaled in irritation. If this was going to be another lecture about responsible driving or my duties to the family business, I wasn’t in the mood.
Despite my reservations, I trudged to the main dining room, where I heard voices. The staff had worked overnight, clearing away any traces of the party. Now, it was as if the party had never happened.
“What did I do this time?” I asked, stepping inside to find most of my relatives gathered in an untidy cluster. Then I froze. “Tia?”
“Hi.”
She sat at the long table, looking both out of place and somehow right at home with Zeus planted firmly beside her with his chin resting on her thigh as she absently stroked his head. He looked utterly content under her touch.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, moving closer.
My father stood by the window, arms crossed, his expression unreadable as always. Uncle Dimitrios leaned against the marble mantelpiece, watching the scene with undisguised curiosity.
Theia Irida stepped forward, arms crossed. “Maria found her walking the Kastraki road alone, just after midnight,” she said. “It was unsafe. And unnecessary.”
“What do you mean, walking?” I interrupted, looking from Maria to Tia. “You left in a car with Katalina.”
My father pushed away from the window, taking three steps toward the buffet. “Your friend was abandoned on a deserted road.”
“Katalina and I had a disagreement,” Tia said, her voice calm despite the emotion in her voice. She folded her hands neatly on the table. “She kicked me out of the car.”
The implications of her simple statement forced me to take a step back. Katalina had abandoned her—alone, at night, on a rural road miles from anywhere.
And it was entirely my fault.
“The poor girl was trembling with fatigue,” Yiayia said softly. She moved behind Tia, resting both hands on her shoulders. “We offered her a room after what she’d been through.”
Tia’s hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and she wore linen pants and a blouse. Despite the circumstances, she looked remarkably composed.
“Exhausted is an understatement,” Dimitrios said. “The girl walked nearly five kilometers before Maria found her.”
Irida’s brows drew together, her tone frosty. “She was left without identification. No money. No way to call for help.” She clicked her tongue.
I scrubbed my hand down my face. This was not how I’d wanted to start my morning.
“I just need to get my things from Katalina’s and figure out my next move,” Tia said.
Yiayia’s voice warm but firm. “You’ll stay here, agori mou,” she said to Tia in English. “No more cold roads or darkness. Not while you’re under my roof.”
