He embodied attributes of the men in her erotic fantasies on lonely nights. The kind of men that spelled trouble in real life, as any smart woman knew. Add immortal to that and you had a dangerous package. Vicky had made a hard effort to convince herself that she’d accepted his offer in order to experience a unique view of the mountain, but that was laughable. Her reaction to him frightened her in a way that was too tempting to ignore. Never had she been so deliciously unsettled.
She let her gaze linger on him and felt once more the sizzle of excitement arc through her. The corner of his mouth lifted yet he didn’t remove his eyes from the road. They’d been going up the eastern side of the mountain, far removed from the hiking trails. She had the sense of ascending quickly and smoothly, and she barely noticed the beauty of her surroundings.
He reached out and grasped her hand, strong, lean fingers squeezing hers. “Don’t be scared,” he said in good English with an indistinct accent that conveyed the experience of a man who lived in different countries.
Vicky was nervous, but not scared. “I’m not.”
“There’s an entrance coming up…it’s an illusion for camouflage purposes.”
She turned her gaze to the front and her body froze. The car was heading straight for a solid wall of rock and trees. “Oh, God!”
“It’s not what it seems…you won’t be hurt.”
Instinct kicked in and she screamed and shielded her face as the vehicle went through. With her heart pounding, she pried her hand away from her eyes and stared through the intact windshield. Impossible.
“Here we are, Vicky.”
The vehicle cruised on a smooth road that curved to the front of a stone villa with enormous windows. He cut the engine and stepped out. Vicky was too stunned to move, even when he opened the door for her. Her heart was still racing.
He held out his hand and she got out on wobbly legs. “That was weird…”
“I’m sorry…I couldn’t think of any other way to prepare you.”
As her breath calmed a fraction, Vicky took in the earthy elegance of the villa. Made of tan and gray stone and a dark-tiled roof, it nestled comfortably within a copse of pine trees. Leandros had left her side to retrieve their baggage.
“So this is supposed to be invisible to the human eye?” she questioned.
“That’s correct.”
She looked at him. “Why can I see it, then?”
He grinned, showing perfect, white teeth. “Because you’re in my company.”
She gave a wry smile. “Of course.”
He chuckled and handed her a bag of groceries. The rest, he carried without effort up the few steps to the villa’s front door. Her heart skipped with sudden unease and her steps faltered as she looked at his commanding stature. Vicky wasn’t naive. When a man invited a woman to stay at a residence for a few days, it was about sex. But why me? Her sexual experience with conservative men hardly translated into the image of a sexual tigress—the sort of woman a demigod would want in his bed.
She realized it was a mistake coming here. The man was beyond her league. She’d embarrass herself. He must have picked up on her hesitation because he glanced over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow and she forced her legs to move. Too late, Vicky. She followed him into the building and almost pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming—even her most exotic dreams hadn’t taken her to a private dwelling of the gods. The inside was decorated with understated elegance. When they entered the living room, the floor to ceiling windows drew her attention. Placing the bag on a nearby coffee table, she walked over to them.
Her breath fanned out across the pane of one window as she gazed across at the peaks of Olympus. The villa was so close she could make out the colors of clothing worn by a small group of hikers filing their way along a narrow ridge of loose debris toward the summits. The mists had thinned since yesterday and she watched, mesmerized, as they parted, exposing the distinct characteristics of the three famous peaks. Her breath caught. Though barren and unwelcoming, the ancient rocks possessed a serene dignity that was nothing less than majestic.
Her fingers brushed against the window as she felt the heat of Leandros’ body behind her, her senses alert to the forbidding energy that set him apart from humans. Her muscles weakened, her body threatening to lean against him.
“Was it worth the trip?” he asked, his voice a deep velvet.
Her pulse hadn’t settled. “Yes.” She paused and focused her eyes on a prominent peak that resembled a half-crown. That was Stefani. “Do they live among us like you?” Her voice came out huskier than she wanted and it was getting harder to think with him standing so close.