Page 63 of Loving the Greek Billionaire

Stavros laughed. “It absolutely is.” His expression turned sober. “I think if you and Rose do pull through, then you need to come out of the woodwork and be the face of the company again, instead of all this cloak-and-dagger stuff.” He stretched his abs. “Even if the relationship with you and Rose doesn’t work out, I still think you need to come out of the shadows and rejoin the world. You’ve been hiding long enough.”

“But the gold diggers,” Leo protested.

“There will always be sharks in the water. That doesn’t mean you should stop swimming. I’ll have your back.”

“Thanks, man.”

“You got it. Not to mention, it’s exhausting pretending to be you all the time. After Mykonos, I’m looking forward to going home, where the staff knows who is who.” Stavros stood and brushed the sand off. “If you’re done wallowing in self-pity, then I’m going to bed. Some of us have to actually work for a living.”

“Hey.” At the teasing dig, Leo threw some sand at Stavros’s already moving legs.

Stavros laughed and then disappeared inside the bungalow.

Leo watched the waves for a few minutes, trying to work up his courage to tell Rose the truth. She deserved to know. He needed to find the right time. In his mind, he rehearsed various scenarios and speeches to keep Rose from hating him completely. Every scene ended the same, with Rose walking out of his life.

With that dismal image in his mind, Leo went to bed, with the inkling that sleep would be elusive until he found the right way to tell her. He gave a wry chuckle as he slipped under the sheets. All his skills for running a multi-billion-dollar olive oil industry were worthless when he faced affairs of the heart.

♥ ♥ ♥

As Rose finished dressing, she heard voices from the living room. She easily picked out the children’s voices, along with Mr. P’s and Stavros’s. A little thrill went through her at hearing his tones. She could listen to him for hours with his charming Greek accent when he spoke English.

Though her Greek was coming along and Stavros was doing his best to learn French—she suspected to make her happy—she found conversation flowed best when they spoke their common language of English.

A female voice pricked her ears. Who else is here? Rose threw on a couple of bracelets and took one fleeting glance in the mirror before exiting her room to find out who the mystery woman was. She hadn’t noticed a new arrival on the schedule.

“Kyrene!” Rose rushed over to the woman and gave her a hug, followed by a kiss on each cheek. “I didn’t know you were joining us.” She gave Stavros a pointed look.

He had the decency to look abashedly smug.

“Surprise!” Kyrene sang out. “Mr. Papadakis brought me in to help out with your sightseeing of Rhodes.”

“Wonderful.” Rose was delighted to have Kyrene with her again. “You’ve met the children?”

“We’re old chums,” Kyrene said, ruffling Adonis’s hair. “Are you ready?”

Rose checked the supplies in her bag. “I think so.” She looked at the children. “Did you brush your teeth?”

“Yes,” they chorused.

Rose arched a brow at Adonis. “Are you sure? Did you use toothpaste?” He consistently resisted brushing his teeth when asked.

He studied the floor with a frown.

“Adonis?” Rose waited for him to raise his head. “As soon as you’re brushed, we can go.”

He scowled. “Fine.” He stomped off to the bathroom.

“I’ll make sure he does it right this time.” Mr. P followed after him.

Once Adonis had clean teeth, they set off.

Rose was grateful to have Kyrene with them but missed having Stavros there. He and Mr. P had stayed behind to attend to business matters.

In front of the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, Rose bent down in front of Adonis, adjusting her skirt for modesty. “How would you like to be a knight for the day?”

Adonis’s brown eyes widened. “Really, can I?”

“Yes,” Rose said. “May I borrow your sword?” she asked him.

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