Contracted for the Petrakis Heir by West Annie

Author:West Annie [Annie, West]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarlequinUKLtd
Published: 2018-01-31T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

‘WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS?’ Alice peered from the helicopter at the square towers rising from the tiny village below.

She’d got over her initial nerves about flying in the machine soon after they left Athens. Now she was storing impressions of the country she’d only seen on film. She’d expected Greece to be all white beaches and endless blue skies, but there was much more.

Adoni turned, his eyes locking on hers, making her skin tingle. ‘Houses.’

‘Houses? They don’t look like it.’ They were like windmills without the sails, or watchtowers.

An expression she couldn’t decipher played around his mouth. ‘Welcome to the Mani. It’s a peninsula at the southern end of mainland Greece. We do things differently here.’ The pilot said something in Greek and Adoni laughed.

‘Why do they have towers?’

‘Because the locals are known for holding grudges. In the old days their feuds sometimes lasted years. They were renowned as proud fighters. Each tower—’ he waved a hand ‘—was once the secure part of the house. The windows are small so defenders could shoot at their neighbours.’

Alice shivered. ‘It sounds grim.’

He smiled. ‘We don’t generally shoot these days.’

‘You’re from here?’ Alice gazed at the barren mountains whose folds plunged into the sea. Some seemed almost bare and others were carved into narrow terraces. It looked wild and windswept yet majestic. Here and there more fertile areas showed green.

They passed another village, a cluster of stone houses and square towers.

‘Yes, I’m a Maniot. I was born in Athens but my...father’s family is from here.’ Alice heard repressed emotion on the word father and winced inwardly, remembering what Adoni had said about his parents. He didn’t know who his biological father was. ‘This is where we came for feast days and holidays. It’s where I’ve built my own retreat.’

As if on cue the helicopter swooped low. Ahead was a cove, its waters aquamarine. A cluster of buildings sheltered at its centre and small boats floated on the crystal sea. On the far side was a headland with a tumble of houses and a now familiar tower.

But it was the building on the nearest headland that caught her breath. Built of local stone, it resembled a traditional tower. But there the resemblance ended. This tower had windows so large she saw right through to the other side. And below it on ground level sprawled a stone and glass building that extended to hang suspended over the steep slope to the sea. The result was unique, daring but elegant, yet part of the landscape.

‘That’s your house?’ Alice turned to Adoni as the chopper came in to land. She hadn’t expected this. His grand London hotel and David’s estate in Devon that he was negotiating to buy were both traditional.

‘It is.’ His eyes met hers but she had no idea what was going through his mind.

‘It’s...amazing. Truly original.’

Those winged eyebrows soared. ‘I’m glad you like it. I didn’t know you had an interest in architecture.’ Was that approval in his expression? Warmth?

Alice’s breath thickened, her skin tingling as it too often did around Adoni.

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