Wedding Party Collection: Here Comes The Groom: The Bridegroom's Vow / The Billionaire Bridegroom

He caught her looking at him. Her heart did a little kick. “Why did you bother to bring your suitcase, Alexandra?”

To hear him say her name with that slight trace of accent sent a ripple of forbidden excitement through her body.

“I didn’t think I’d have enough time to visit all the exhibits and make it back to Thessalonica in one day, so I booked a room in Soufli for the night.”

“Which hotel?”

“The Ilias.”

“Considering the influx of tourists for the big event, I’m amazed they had anything available.”

“I don’t think they did. But as soon as I said your name, there was no problem.”

At that remark he pulled his cell phone out of his suit jacket pocket and made a call. Except for words like hello and goodbye, it was impossible to follow his Greek. Curious to know who he was phoning, she waited for an explanation after he clicked off, but it never came.

Finally she couldn’t stand it any longer. “Is everything all right?”

“It is now,” came the mysterious reply.

She hated it when he refused to explain his actions, particularly in this case because she was afraid they had something to do with her. In order to get her mind off him, she studied her map. It was printed on the brochure the man at the car rental desk had given her when he’d handed back her passport.

“You see that little area outside Soufli?” He touched the spot with his index finger.

At his close proximity, she drew in an unsteady breath. “Yes.”

“That’s called Dadia. We’ll be sleeping there tonight.”

She bit the inside of her lip. “Have you forgotten the government dinner at the Dodona Palace this evening? I accepted for you a month ago.”

“On my way here I told them I needed another twenty-four hours to convalesce from my accident. My cousin Vaso is going to attend in my place.”

Alex turned her head to look out the side window. No matter which member of the illustrious Pandakis family was sent, the officials would be disappointed because it was Dimitrios they wanted. Instead, he was going to be with her.

If he didn’t have worries about her being able to get around the country without his help, then the only other reason she could imagine him showing up like this was that he needed a legitimate excuse to put space between him and his nephew.

Maybe there’d been another unpleasant episode with Leon this morning, and Dimitrios hadn’t recovered enough to deal with it yet. Ananke Pandakis hadn’t said more than two words to her at breakfast.

Alex had wanted to ask the other woman to tell Leon how sorry she was for having offended him with her insensitive remarks. But the negative tension radiating from his mother had made conversation impossible. As soon as the taxi arrived, Alex had been only too glad to slip away from the villa.

“What should we do about the Ilias?”

“Don’t worry. I canceled your reservation.”

“Some desperate tourist is going to be very happy.”

“But not you?”

He was playing the relentless inquisitor again. When he was like this, there was no stopping him.

“I’m perfectly content to spend the night anywhere, you know that. Is there something special about Dadia?”

“It’s the forest that’s famous. As a boy, I explored every centimeter of it with my brother.”

“Your favorite place?” She couldn’t help asking. His love of mountaineering must have been born there.

He nodded. “I’ve been back several times, but I haven’t climbed to the top of Gibrena Peak since my brother Leonides died.”

He’d spoken of his brother’s death to Mrs. Landau, but this was the first time he’d mentioned it to Alex. Moved by his tone, her hands clutched together. “You’ll see it through different eyes this time.”

“That’s true. You can’t return and expect things to be the same. But knowing you and your passion for life, I shall enjoy watching your reaction. Tell me now if you didn’t bring suitable clothing. There’s a store in the village we’re coming to where we can buy what you need.”

Panic gripped Alex in its vise.

“I—I didn’t bring any walking clothes to Greece.”

“No problem.”

Perspiration broke out on her hairline. “Why don’t you drop me off in Soufli to do my work? It will leave you free to visit your old haunt unencumbered. We can meet at the silk mansion in the morning for the trip back.”

“Have you forgotten your hotel room is gone?”

She shifted in the seat. “I’ll find something else.”

“It’s already noon. Too late in the day to make other arrangements.”

“Is it very steep in the forest?”

“I suppose that all depends on your definition of the word steep.”

“Can I explore it in this outfit and my sneakers, or are you talking about scaling walls?”

Deep-throated laughter rumbled out of him. “I’m not asking you to climb a mountain.”

“That’s good.” She could have wept in relief. “A picture of all those plaques and trophies in your closet flashed before my eyes. It almost gave me a heart attack.”

“So that explains why you took so long to find the garment bag.” He was still chuckling.

Heat filled her cheeks. “I admit I’m a bit of a snoop.”

“I prefer to call it an inquiring mind. It’s what makes you an irreplaceable secretary. If I haven’t said it before, you’ve redefined the word for me, and I’m indebted to you, Alexandra.”

Whenever he said her name, he made it sound so beautiful.

“Thank you,” she whispered in agony. A nagging voice cried, Is it worth it to be the bridesmaid, but never the bride?

“Tomorrow will be soon enough to inspect the exhibits. Today I’d like to reward you for all your hard work by showing you a national treasure. How does that appeal to you?”

Oh, Dimitrios. If you only knew. “That sounds lovely.”