Closing my eyes, I pulled my phone back out and hit Thad’s number. It rang five times before he picked it up.
“You better have a damn good reason why you’re not here with us. Mom is hounding me and Nicholaus about grandchildren.”
I shook my head and sighed.
“Did you hear me, Thano? Grandchildren!”
“Listen, Thad, I need your help.”
He laughed. “Fuck you. I need your help! Maybe you didn’t hear me. Grandchildren.”
Glancing over to Kilyn, I watched as she turned and headed back into the house. No use in trying to put the fire out now. We were stuck.
“Thad! A tree fell on my car and I’m stuck up at the cabin.”
“What? Why in the hell are you up there? Didn’t you check the weather? A storm is blowing in.”
Rolling my eyes, I pushed out another breath of air. “Yes. I know. The last time I checked the weather it wasn’t supposed to be in until later tonight. It blew in earlier and Kilyn and I are up here. We can’t leave because my car is crushed. Is there any way you can come and get us in your truck?”
“Um . . . yeah. How bad is it up there?”
“It’s getting worse, but the snow isn’t sticking yet. I think you can make it fine; it’s getting out of here that has me worried if the snow keeps falling like this. And bring something to eat just in case. There is nothing in the house.”
“Wait, what do I tell Mom and Dad? They’re going to ask.”
Staring at my car, I moaned. “I don’t care what you tell them, just come get us.”
“I’m on my way.”
Dropping my hand to my side, I slowly shook my head and cursed under my breath for being so stupid.
“Thano? Maybe we should add more wood to the fireplace.”
Her voice snapped me out of my daze. “Right, I’ll grab more.”
After hauling in more wood and piling it next to the fire, Kilyn and I both looked at each other. “Do you think your brother will make it?”
Not wanting her to worry, I flashed her a smile. “Hell yeah. He goes hunting all the time up in the mountains and has driven in worse than this.”
She barely grinned as she nodded her head. Plopping on one of the pillows, she stared up at me. “Do you hunt?”
Sitting next to her, I stared into the fire. “I used to go a lot when I was kid.”
“Did you grow out of it or something?”
I turned to look at her and my breath caught. She had her legs pulled up to her chest with her chin resting on her knees. My chest ached as I looked at her. I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone so beautiful, and that thought alone filled me with guilt. I used to think Savannah was the most breathtaking woman . . . but Kilyn . . . she stole the very air around me.
Lifting my hand up, I pushed a piece of her dark hair behind her ear. “Omorfía sas eínai áthiktos.”
Her eyes lit up with desire as I spoke to her in Greek. Why I did it, I had no clue. I have only ever talked to my family in Greek. Maybe it was because I didn’t want Savannah to hear the things I desperately wanted to say to Kilyn.
Lifting her head up, she tilted her head and asked with the cutest damn smile ever, “What did you say?”
I fought within myself to lie or tell her what I really said. In the end, I wanted her to know.
“Your beauty is untouchable.”
Swallowing hard, her lips parted slightly. Her eyes sparkled with a happiness I desperately wanted to see every time I looked at those beautiful green eyes.
“No one has ever said anything so beautiful like that to me before.”
My heart hurt knowing she hadn’t been loved like she deserved to be. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to start falling for her. If I hadn’t already.
“That’s a shame; you deserve to be treated like a princess.”
The sparkle in her eyes vanished before she turned and looked into the fire. For a few moments she was lost in another world. One that I instantly knew was unkind to her.
“I’m sorry I got us stuck up here,” I finally admitted.
With a lighthearted laugh, Kilyn dropped her legs and sat crisscross. “Yes! A man who can admit when he has done wrong. God, it is so refreshing.”
With a huff, I shot her a look. “Don’t get used to it. It happens less than you think.”
Her beautiful smile was back. “Really? Are all Greek men stubborn?”
“Yes. And demanding. Controlling. Plus, we’re always right.”
The crooked grin across her face made me happy. I was glad to know I was able to pull her from the thoughts that made her sad.