Doukas by Demetra Georgiou

Chapter 12

 

I’m having the best dream. I’m lying comfortably, surrounded by colors and fragrances, and someone is holding me tight, whispering something in my ear. For the life of me, I can’t understand the words, but they bring a smile to my face.

As I awaken, I can’t make out whether it’s day or night because Doukas surrounds me. We’re lying on our sides with his arms around me while mine rest on his naked chest.

It’s difficult to say how long I stay here. I could watch the rhythmic rise and fall of his naked chest forever.

“If I open my eyes, will I find your luminous gaze on me?”

I smile and burrow further into his arms. “I’m fairly certain you will.”

He chuckles and opens his sleepy ones. “Then, for once, reality is better. How are you feeling, baby?”

“I’m very well. Waking up with you definitely has its advantages.”

His hand traces my side and finds its way to my tingling clit. His expert fingers soon have me wet and aching. Doukas grins as he pries my legs open. From one moment to the next, he’s fully sheathed inside me, and I scream at the sudden invasion.

“I love it when you scream for me, Ria,” he says as he pounds into me over and over again.

I meet his thrusts, trying to keep him close to me.

“Doukas?” I plead, waiting for him to give me what I need, and thankfully, he does.

When I fall, he’s right here with me, making love to me and cradling me in his arms. Nothing ever seems fair or right until I’m with him. I reach out and put my hands on his damp back, but his pounding doesn’t waver, and I feel the familiar sensation building once again.

“Come with me, baby,” he whispers, and I clench around him, pulling a groan from deep within his chest.

His cock twitches inside me as he comes, it’s my undoing, and I follow his lead, bringing my mouth to his and letting everything go.

Once again, we kiss until breathing becomes a challenge, but then we keep our bodies joined, reluctant to let go.

When we finally settle, my eyes close, and I surrender to a peaceful slumber with thoughts of Doukas swirling in my mind. I don’t feel coherent enough to draw any conclusions, but I do know one thing.

That man’s got numerous tricks in his arsenal and uses every single one to capture my mind and heart.

 

 

The first thing I see when I open my eyes again is Doukas’s face observing me closely.

He smiles. “There you are!”

“There you are, too.”

God, could I sound any lamer?

“I’ll call for breakfast and then for the doctor.”

“I don’t need a doctor, Doukas.”

“You might be right, but please, do it for me and my peace of mind.”

I concede and snuggle closer to him. “I’ve missed you this past week. Thank you for taking care of me.”

His arms close around me, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Looking after you, Ria…it feels right. When I saw him hitting you…I don’t want to feel this way ever again. I would’ve killed him if my need to come to you wasn’t greater.”

“Thank you for being there for me,” I say, and then something occurs to me. “That night, he said that you were protecting me. Not your men, but—”

“By every Lord standing. When we call to protect our own, we’re all standing together. I wanted to keep guard and protect you, but my brothers refused to let me do this alone. I was due to come to you that night, but Giorgos called us, and we all rushed.”

“How can I thank you? All of you. I’m practically a stranger, and yet you helped me while I… I’m so sorry for everything I accused you of.”

“Don’t apologize, baby, never to me. And you’re not a stranger. Who says that we have to conform to time limits? When you know, you know.”

And he’s right.

“Are you like this in all your relationships, Doukas?” I ask, and he immediately adopts a somewhat defensive stance.

“No, Ria.”

“That’s it? All I get is a no?” I find it hard to breathe, thinking that my Doukas has shared the same moments with someone else. “When was your last relationship?”

He shakes his head, but he sees that I’m not going to budge on this, and after a moment, he sighs. I know I asked, but now I’m genuinely dreading what is about to come out of his mouth.

“My last relationship ended two months ago, but it was nothing like what you and I have.”

“How do you know?”

“It was different, Ria. We were together for about three weeks, but it was purely physical. Frankly, I’m surprised it lasted that long. None of my past relationships ever came here or met my whole family. I like to fuck, and I have a healthy sex drive. I’m not going to apologize for that.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

But that was the wake-up call I needed because my mind has been wandering to perilous places. Doukas has never lied to me, and I trust him implicitly, but I can’t just throw caution to the wind because I’m with a man I’ve never dreamt of meeting. He’s handsome, rich, and despite his profession, he’s been a good and caring man to me. At the same time, though, I have to be sensible.

Rising from the bed gingerly, I move towards the bathroom. I need to get on with my day and manage at least one aspect of my life. I’m not jealous, or at least I understand that I shouldn’t be and that makes all the difference.

“Ria?” Doukas stops me by my arm and turns me to him. “What did I say?”

I smile at him and cup his beautiful cheek tracing my fingers across his stubble. “Nothing, Doukas. I’m not thrilled picturing you with other women, but I understand how unreasonable this is. I just need to get on with my day.”

Seemingly, he breathes a sigh of relief as if he never expected this answer. He takes my hand off his cheek and kisses the inside of my palm before leading me to the bathroom.

“So, if I ask you to spend tonight as well, you won’t object?”

That’s an eye-roll-worthy moment if I ever had one, and I make my sentiments known. Doukas chuckles as he ushers me in the shower.

“Can we go to my place instead? It’s closer to the taverna, and I think it’s going to be a late one tonight. I have to get things in order.”

“We can stay wherever you want, as long as we are together.” His husky voice is so inviting, more so than the warmth of his embrace. “But I was under the impression that the delivery for your windowpanes isn’t due until Tuesday.”

I shake my head. “I know, but I have to make sure the place is clean. Perhaps I can put some tables outside and open. I can’t afford to stay closed, Doukas, I have to do whatever I can.”

“I want to help you.”

I shake my head. “It means a lot that you’re suggesting it. Just be here for me.”

And I know that I don’t need to ask twice.

 

 

Doukas finally harassed me into having the doctor take a look at me, and—as I suspected—there was nothing new.

By the time we finally sit down for breakfast at the small sitting area just outside his bedroom, I’m famished.

“How’s Icarus?”

“Someone took a shot at him,” he offers. How can he be so casual about this? “The bullet just grazed his left side. The doctor told him to take it easy, but knowing him, he’ll be out and about sooner than that.”

“I like your brothers and Harmonia. Your dynamic as a family is amazing. Who are you closer to?”

Doukas chuckles. “That’s a tough one, but if I had to pick, I’d say Alcaeus. He’s a good man and the reason our family is still standing. After Dad died, things were tumultuous and uncertain. There was a contract for all of our heads—even Harmonia’s. She was only nine years old.”

I gasp, horrified. What kind of monster would make out a contract to kill a little girl?

“Who are the Royals? I mean, the term is familiar, but what is it? A last name, nickname, a title? From what you and your brothers mentioned yesterday, they sound important, despite what Harmonia said about having a word with them.”

Doukas grins, and those two perfect dimples appear on his face. “Yes, Harmonia says that a lot, but she’ll never act on that. In short, the Royals are our bosses. They’re three brothers, and they control everything in Greece. That’s all you need to know, Ria, and I’m sure this information wouldn’t be hard to find. Over time there have been insinuations in the press, but nothing concrete. No one has ever mentioned their name—or ours, for that matter.”

“Didn’t they help you when your father died?”

“They wanted to, but our family had to send out a clear message. Some positions in our syndicate are inherited, but you don’t stay in this life for long if you don’t prove yourself.”

“How old were you?”

“A few months shy of eighteen.”

Losing a parent isn’t easy. It doesn’t matter whether your seven or seventy, there’s a void you can never fill.

“I’m sorry. My dad died had a heart attack two years ago and died, so I know how it is to lose someone so suddenly.”

Doukas nods. “Thank you. To make a long story short, Alcaeus found out that the leader of Thessaly had ordered the hit and…neutralized him. All by himself. None of the Nastos family was left alive. We’d never be where we are today if it wasn’t for Alcaeus.”

He falls silent after that. His features harden, no doubt reliving his father’s untimely death. I don’t like to see him hurt.

“I’m glad that you’re here with me,” I say and take a healthy sip from my coffee.

Seeing that Victoras prepared breakfast yesterday, I thought they fended for themselves, but I was proven wrong when a maid and a male servant brought our breakfast into Doukas’s rooms earlier. This family is a class of their own. Doukas mentioned in passing that they employ about ten people, and yet, none of the Tremes is spoilt.

“So, what are your plans for today?” I ask in an attempt to take him away from his haunting memories.

He closes his eyes briefly and gives me a forced smile. “Since a brunette beauty denied my help, I’m going to the office after all.”

“Oh, so you do work in that shipping company you’ve mentioned?”

“What did you think? Crime is a full-time job, Ria.”

He’s fully dressed in a grey suit and a deep green shirt that, on many, would seem ridiculous, but not on him. I, on the other hand, wear one of Harmonia’s dresses that she graciously provided. When the maid came with the breakfast tray, she informed Doukas that his sister had sent an assortment of clothes and cosmetics to choose from.

I opted for a simple white dress that’s too short, but it was the only one that wasn’t too tight on me. That girl needs to put on a kilo or two.

I clench my thighs, trying to find anything else to bide my time because I’m not sure how to go about what’s really troubling me.

“Doukas?” I ask and put my cup on the coffee table.

“Hm?”

“There’s something we need to discuss.” I pause to gauge his reaction, but his face is a mask. Here goes nothing. “You came inside me twice. Last night, and then this morning, and you didn’t wear a condom.”

He closes his eyes as if trying to conjure the image into his mind. “So, I did. You’re the first woman I’ve ever come inside bare, but I don’t regret it.” Doukas is up in a flash, sitting me on his lap. “For one brief moment, when I hold you in my arms with nothing between us, I know what heaven is like. I can’t bring myself to regret it.”

I open my mouth to answer, but that proves fruitless as he cups my nape and brings my mouth to his. I’m only human, and clutching the lapels of his expensive suits has become a favorite habit of mine. When he finally lets me go, and those blue eyes stare tenderly at me, I’m not sure what I was going to say.

“You distract me,” I accuse.

“So do you, but you don’t see me complaining,” he says with a lazy smile but quickly sobers up when I shift uncomfortably in his lap. “Very well, tell me what’s troubling you, baby.”

“Doukas, I’m not on the pill.”

Instantly his demeanor changes from relaxed to serious. He doesn’t seem angry or annoyed but not elated either. That makes two of us.

“Are you…I don’t know how to put it. Are you on your fertile days?”

I shake my head. “No, but I don’t like taking any risks.”

“You’re right. Can’t you start the pill or something?”

“I don’t react well to contraceptive pills. I’m not allergic, but they mess up my whole system, and sometimes I get sick.”

Doukas kisses my forehead and puts my hair behind my ears. “I don’t want that. I’ll wear a condom, and we’ll be more careful.”

“Just in case, I’ll take the morning-after pill.”

Doukas doesn’t say anything else, but I don’t need him to. Yet another thing we agree on.