Page 33 of Virgin's Night with the Greek

And it wasn’t as if he himself would somehow find himself in too deep with Willow along the way, even if such an eventuality was on the cards, which it was not. He had no appetite for the level of chaos that emotional commitment wrought, and she was very much not his idea of a life partner. If and when he did marry, it would be to someone like him, someone who wouldn’t upend his existence and who wouldn’t expect more from him than he was willing to give.

Opposites might attract but they didn’t make for happiness. Just look at the example his parents had set. Their marriage had been a volatile train wreck, characterised by fiery yelling on his mother’s part and an increasingly cold shoulder on his father’s, although since they’d produced six children presumably they hadn’t been in opposition all the time.

He wanted none of that. He’d choose an even-keeled union of mutual respect and companionship over passion and ice any day.Hischildren weren’t going to be subjected to snide comments in the common room.Theyweren’t going to repeatedly lose friends through no fault of their own.

But he’d spent over a decade looking out for his family, and actually, now that he thought about it, what he wantedwasn’tirrelevant. He deserved to think solely about himself for a change and deep down he yearnedto kick up his heels and have some contained, harmless fun. Another change of plan was no particular cause for concern. It wasn’t a whim. He knew what he wanted. And what he was doing. Everything would be fine.

‘Are you still there?’ said Zander with a sharpness that jolted him out of his thoughts and returned him to the conversation.

‘Yes.’

‘So?’

‘I’m taking some personal time,’ said Leo, switching off the stove beneath the now bubbling coffee pot.

‘Somewhat?’

‘Some days off. A break.’

‘Now?’

‘Yes.’

‘For how long?’

‘Not long. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, from this moment on, you’re in charge. You know what to do. No need to run anything past me. Just don’t let me down.’

Before Zander could start asking more questions he was unable to answer, such as whether he’d completely lost his mind, Leo hung up and tossed the phone on the worktop. He located a tray and began loading it up, only to freeze when his skin started to prickle, an indication, he’d come to realise, that Willow was in the vicinity.

‘Who was that?’ she said, sidling into the kitchen wearing the black bikini and the pink silky robe that she’d sported the afternoon he’d met her and had caused him so many sleepless nights thereafter.

‘That was Zander.’

‘Trouble back in Athens?’

If there was trouble anywhere, it wasn’t in Athens. It was right here in the seemingly unquenchable desire he had for her that was messing with his behaviour and turning his life upside down. ‘Quite the opposite.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Do you have anywhere else to be right now?’

She shook her glorious head. ‘No.’

‘Anything else to be doing?’

‘No.’

‘Well, as of this moment, for a few more days, at least, neither do I.’

‘I don’t understand,’ she said with a faint frown. ‘I thought we were leaving this evening.’

‘I’ve put Zander in charge of the company for a while.’

The frown vanished. Her eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped. ‘Are you serious?’

‘Yes.’ He handed her the plate of croissants and the bowl of yogurt, which she automatically took.

‘Why?’

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