"Please call me Robby." He slanted an amused look at Olivia. "Definitely single."
"You're in for a special treat." Eleni readied a plate with leftovers. "My granddaughter is an excellent cook."
Olivia shook her head and wrinkled her nose. Robby's eyebrows lifted with a questioning look.
"She's been cooking all day." Eleni plunked a plate on the table. "Try these. You'll love them."
Robby gave the dolmades a dubious look while Eleni went back to the counter to ready another plate. "What are they?" he whispered to Olivia.
"Stuffed grape leaves," she whispered back, then pointed at a messy, lopsided one. "That's one I made."
He smiled and picked it up. "What's inside?"
"Ground meat, onions, bulgar wheat, and spices," Olivia explained. "I suppose that sounds strange."
"Nay. My mother used to stuff minced meat and oats into a sheep's stomach to make haggis."
"Eew." Olivia made a face, then lowered her voice. "You don't have to eat it if you don't want to."
"My granddaughter made all this food," Eleni boasted as she spooned rice onto a plate. "One of her suitors came for dinner. Spiro."
Robby's hand flinched, tightening so hard that the grape leaf squished and the stuffing popped out. It bounced off the pickle jar and splatted on the table. "Sorry." He dropped the mangled grape leaf on the plate.
Olivia stifled a laugh. He was jealous! "Here." She grabbed a cloth napkin and reached for his hand to wipe off the mess.
"Thank you." His fingers curled around hers.
Her heart raced, and she glanced at his eyes. Big mistake. Whenever she looked at his eyes, she felt like she was drowning. And actually enjoying it.
"Well, what do you think?" Eleni plunked another plate on the table, this one filled with lamb, rice, and spanakopita. "Looks delicious, doesn't it?"
He never took his eyes off Olivia. "Yes. I can't wait to have a taste." He continued to hold her hand. His thumb smoothed over her knuckles.
Her skin tingled as goose bumps rushed up her arms.
"You won't find a better cook than Olivia," Eleni announced. "She uses lots of fresh garlic."
His gaze shifted to the plates of food. "Garlic?"
"Yes." Eleni smiled proudly. "Try it. You'll love it."
"I - actually, I ate right before coming here." Robby gave her an apologetic look. "But it looks and smells so wonderful, I wonder if you would mind if I took it home with me to eat later?"
Eleni pursed her lips. "I suppose I could wrap this up."
"That would be great." Robby smiled at her. "Thank you."
"Hmm." Eleni tilted her head, studying him. "Why are you interested in my granddaughter?"
His hand tightened on hers. "I've never met anyone like Olivia before." He looked at her and smiled. "She's beautiful, brave, and clever. I feel...at home with her, but at the same time, completely lost."
Olivia was melting inside. The man was practically a stranger, but she didn't seem to care. A deep sense of longing welled up inside her. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to be touched. She wanted him to love her.
She must be losing her mind. She'd always been so sensible before. Always carefully analyzing all available information and options before taking action. Now she just wanted to throw herself at this guy.
"Why don't you two take a little walk?" Eleni suggested. "The moon is beautiful tonight."
"That's a great idea." He stood, releasing Olivia's hand. "Will ye walk with me, lass?"
"Yes." She grabbed her sweater, pulled it over her head, then fixed the clip that held her hair in place on the back of her head.
"No funny stuff," Eleni warned. "I'll be watching with the telescope."
CHAPTER 6
This was one of those moments, Robby thought as he strolled along the beach with Olivia. One of those rare and perfect moments that he would remember a hundred years from now. If he lived that long. The minute he left this island, he would jump back into the ongoing struggle against the Malcontents. He'd been eager to do that for weeks, but for the first time in many months, he was happy to be exactly where he was.
A nearly full moon shone over the sea, causing sparkles on the dark waves. The moon was also casting Olivia's shadow, so he walked close to a line of tamarisk trees that disrupted her shadow and, hopefully, disguised the fact that his was missing.
The air was crisp and cool, and the breeze caressed his face with the scent of salt and Olivia. He breathed deeply, enjoying her fragrance. Type A negative mixed with rose-scented soap. The scent of wool from her thick knitted jumper. A hint of lemon from her hands. His hands, too, after squashing one of her stuffed grape leaves.
There'd been an awkward moment when Olivia's grandmother had wanted him to eat real food, but he thought he'd avoided it without looking suspicious. Overall, he'd thoroughly enjoyed the feisty grandmother's blatant attempts at matchmaking. And he'd enjoyed seeing the close, protective bond between the two women. Even now, when he glanced back, he could see Mrs. Sotiris watching them through the telescope.
The breeze was tormenting Olivia, blowing a curly lock of her hair across her face. She was telling him about her childhood and the family trips here every summer, but the tendril of hair kept wafting into her mouth. She hooked it behind an ear, but the next breeze dislodged it once again.
"Allow me." He smoothed it behind her ear, then let his fingers linger there, outlining the shape of her ear. "Ye're fortunate to have a close, loving family." No doubt they would object to her becoming involved with a vampire.
"What about your family?" She tilted her head slightly as his fingers moved to her neck.
He rested his fingertips on her carotid artery. It throbbed against the pads of his fingers, an erotic sensation that caused his gums to tingle and his groin to tighten. He lifted his fingers and stepped back. Control yerself. It didn't take much to trigger an onslaught of lust for Olivia, and he couldn't risk glowing red eyes. "My family has passed away, except for my grandfather."
"I'm so sorry. It must be...lonesome for you."
His chest tightened with a sudden realization. He was lonesome. And although he had good friends, there were some things a man didn't discuss with other men.
Like the need to feel loved. Another guy would laugh and call that a weakness. Hell, he'd considered it a weakness, too. He'd taken pride in being self-sufficient. He'd played the role of the proud, tough warrior for so long, it was all he knew.
And then he'd found himself entirely helpless and humiliated while the Malcontents tortured him. His self-sufficiency had been nothing but an illusion. His pride had only covered up the deep, gaping loneliness inside.
He glanced at Olivia. She was watching him curiously, but not even attempting to do therapy on him. Even so, it was happening. He was seeing things he'd never seen before. A warm, gentle feeling swelled in his chest, tempering the hard lust that had seized him earlier. Lord Almighty, he truly cared for this woman.
He swallowed hard. How should he go about this? When should he tell her the truth about himself? "I hear there's stiff competition over who's going to win yer heart." Stiff? Bad choice of words. He avoided looking down.
She waved a hand in dismissal. "That's my grandmother's doing. I'm not really interested in any of the men here."
"Then I have a chance?"
Her eyes widened. "Are you...competing?"
"Aye. Are you...interested?"
Her cheeks turned a rosy pink. "Maybe. But you have to understand, I've worked hard to get where I am. I'm not giving up my career."
"I wouldna want ye to." He resumed his stroll, clasping his hands behind his back to keep from touching her as she walked beside him. "What do ye do at the Bureau?"
"Criminal interrogation and analysis, mostly. When I was working on my master's, I interviewed a bunch of inmates at the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Texas. I convinced a guy on death row to confess to some unsolved murders, and it was covered in all the local papers. When the FBI offered me a job, I jumped on it. I've always wanted to use my gift for something important."
"Then ye shouldna stop."
She smiled wryly. "Tell that to my parents. They want me to get a cozy little private practice in a nice suburb and only see the right kind of mentally disturbed people."