The frown was back and he hated to be the one to chase her smile away, nor did he want her to think that the watching vultures were the only reason he’d kissed her. They hadn’t even entered his mind until she’d pulled away. He’d just wanted to kiss her. He’d spent most of their moments together wanting to kiss her, among other things. After spending a sleepless night lying on that damn sofa, listening to her softly snoring in the dark, his entire body begged for some attention.
But it didn’t hurt to remind both of them what they were really doing there. His revelations the night before had put a new softness in her eyes when she looked at him, and a new tenderness in his heart when he looked at her. He’d never told anyone what he’d told her last night. There was something about her that made him want to open up, spill his soul, and that should be the last thing he wanted to do with a woman, especially an attractive one half naked in his bed. They both needed to remember this was a business arrangement. There was no room for heartfelt confessions of any kind.
“Let’s go inside then,” she murmured, stepping into the house.
He brought her hand to his lips for a gentle kiss. Her eyes widened but she smiled and the knot in his gut loosened a bit.
He followed her into the house where absolute chaos reigned. Mrs. Ballas stood next to his housekeeper, who watched the scene before her with one hand over her bosom, the other over her mouth. The maid who had come in for the day to help set up the children’s bedrooms watched in total amazement as six little girls turned his couches into trampolines while screeching at the tops of their lungs.
“Quiet!” Luca shouted.
Seven pairs of eyes stared at him in astonishment, including Constance’s.
“Sit,” he said, jabbing his finger at the couches.
The girls dropped onto the sofas and watched him warily.
“Mrs. Lasko has made some snacks for you, and some movies are being set up for you to watch. You will eat and watch the movies with minimal noise and mess. Is that understood?”
The girls all nodded. Constance watched him, biting her lip like she was trying to keep from laughing.
“What?” he asked her.
“You want the girls to sit quietly through several movies? Without making any mess at all?”
“I fail to see why that’s amusing.”
She cleared her throat but the amused smile remained. “Which movies did you get?”
He had no idea. He glanced at Mrs. Lasko who proudly said, “Barney.”
Constance grimaced which sparked a frown in Luca. “What’s wrong with Barney?”
Constance’s eyebrow rose. “Nothing. They don’t get to watch many movies, so I’m sure it will be fine.”
“But?”
“But…Barney is a large purple dinosaur generally more popular with younger children.”
His frown deepened. “They don’t look all that old.”
“The songs also have an annoying tendency to get stuck in your head for days at a time. It drives me nuts. You, I think, will be absolutely certifiable by the end of the day.”
“You underestimate my mental acuity.”
She shrugged and smiled at him. “We’ll see.”
He ignored that. “Mrs. Lasko, is their food ready?”
She nodded and quickly exited, dragging the maid behind her.
“Mr. Vasilakis—” Constance started.
He interrupted her, irritated by her sudden formality since the arrival of the children. “Stanzia, my ring is on your finger. You spent last night in my bed. Call me Luca.”
Her mouth opened and closed a couple times, her face red as the merlot they’d had for dinner the night before. Her eyes darted around the room at their audience. Luckily, only the girls remained and they were too busy using Joe as a May pole to have heard what he said. Her priority was, of course, making sure the girls didn’t know about their sleeping arrangements and continuing the whole vacation-with-a-friend story. He, on the other hand, needed the world to think their engagement was real. Their charade would never work if she wouldn’t call him by his Christian name. Maybe they could spin it as a nickname, calling each other Mr. and Mrs. Vasilakis.
That thought made his stomach drop, though he wasn’t entirely sure if it was a bad feeling or not. It was odd.
Constance recovered herself and tried again.
“I addressed you so for the children’s benefit, but if you prefer it, fine. Luca. Even if I could get them to sit through one movie, multiple movies will bore them to tears. Even if it was something they wanted to watch. If they are going to be in your home then they need to be able to do something that will actually keep them entertained.”