Greek for Beginners by Jackie Braun Read Free Book Online Page A

warmed. “That is good. Very good.”
    â€œOh?”
    â€œIt would not do for me to be propositioning a woman who is already spoken for.”
    â€œNo worries there.” Feeling emboldened, she added, “I speak for myself these days.”
    â€œAnother reason to like you. Now, back to my predicament. My mother and grandmother mean well. They think I am pining.”
    â€œPining?” She didn’t like the sound of that. It implied another woman was in the picture.
    He shook his head. “Perhaps lonely is a better word.”
    Better, but improbable. “I don’t think so. You don’t look lonely to me.”
    More to the point, men who looked like Nick Costas didn’t tend to get lonely. They tended to have smartphones filled with the names and numbers of women who were eager to share meals and mattress space.
    Nick took a sip of his coffee. “Lacking for companionship,” he said at last.
    Laughter bubbled out before she could stop it. “Sorry. I find that even harder to believe.”
    â€œUnfortunately, my mother and grandmother are less inclined to see the truth. So, they have been...matchmaking. I told them I have no need for their help.”
    â€œBecause you can get your own dates.”
    â€œYes, as our lunch proves. But...” The corners of his mouth turned down and he shrugged.
    â€œHow do I figure into this?”
    Darcie thought she knew, and she was already flattered, but since jumping to conclusions was her specialty, she decided a little clarification wouldn’t hurt. Besides, it would be really embarrassing if she was wrong.
    â€œThere is a woman who recently returned to Greece after living in London for a few years. My mother knows her mother, and has invited both of them to my brother’s wedding. Now I am expected to be her escort. I told her and my grandmother that I already have a date. You.”
    The smile he sent Darcie could have melted a glacier. She shivered anyway and gooseflesh pricked her arms.
    â€œOh.” Her mouth threatened to fall open again. She kept it closed by putting her elbow on the tabletop and propping her chin on her fist.
    â€œWhat is this look?” he asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face.
    She dropped the hand from her chin and busied herself lining up the cutlery next to her plate. “I was going for nonchalant, but I suppose you could call it gobsmacked.”
    â€œGobsmacked? I am not familiar with this term.”
    â€œUm, it means shocked.”
    â€œBecause we barely know one another,” he guessed.
    â€œSure.” She moved the knife one-sixteenth of an inch to the right. “That reason will do.”
    â€œIt is a lot to ask, but I was hoping you would agree.” When she continued to fuss with her utensils, he reached across the table and settled his hand over hers. “I would be most grateful.”
    Darcie glanced up and moistened her lips. It was all Nick could do not to moan. That sexy mouth of hers was going to be his undoing. The table was narrow enough that it would take little effort to lean across it and kiss her. It was tempting. She was tempting.
    â€œI don’t speak Greek,” Darcie said, interrupting his fantasy.
    For a moment, he wasn’t sure he could speak at all.
    â€œNick?”
    He cleared his throat, bemused by the strange infatuation he felt. “That will not be a problem. Both of my parents are fluent in English, and my grandmother knows enough to get by. I can always translate if she does not understand something or if you do not.”
    â€œThat’s...good.”
    And still she hesitated. So, he decided to sweeten the deal. “Have you had any luck getting a refund on your tour?”
    â€œNo. I left a message last night and planned to call again today.”
    Nick had left messages as well. Stavros was either passed out cold or screening his calls. If Nick had to bet on one, he would put money on the