Claiming the Drakos Heir

“Not the gardening.” He shook his head. “Stop trying to figure out ways to fix me. Some things and some people can’t be fixed.”

She didn’t believe that. But she knew arguing with him would be pointless—

“Miss Costas?”

Popi glanced over her shoulder to find one of the young maids heading toward her. Popi got to her feet and brushed off the gloves that Apollo had loaned her. Apollo moved beside Popi with a concerned look on his face.

The young woman stopped in front of her. “You wanted to know when the baby woke up. He’s up now and in a fine mood.” The young girl looked at Apollo and blushed. “I should get back to the house.”

Popi held back a laugh until the young woman was out of sight.

Apollo studied her. “What’s so amusing?”

“Someone has a crush on you.”

His gaze moved from her to the young maid and then back to Popi. He shook his head. “No.”

“Yes. Didn’t you see her blush?”

He noticeably swallowed. “I should probably replace her.”

Popi shook her head. “Don’t do that. I’m sure she needs the job. Besides, if you replace all of the females that have a crush on you, then you’d have a very small staff.”

Apollo’s mouth opened but nothing came out. He pressed his lips together. Was that a tinge of color in his cheeks?

“As long as you don’t encourage her, you shouldn’t have a problem with her.”

Apollo’s brow arched. “Who else should I be cautious around?”

Popi shrugged. She didn’t want him to become even more withdrawn. This was the only maid to make her infatuation blatantly obvious.

“What about you?” he asked.

“What about me?” Suddenly she felt quite uncomfortable. Surely he wasn’t asking what she thought.

His blue eyes studied her. “Do you have a secret crush on me too?”

“Uh...” The breath got caught in the back of her throat. And suddenly the sun was quite uncomfortably hot. “I should go check on the baby.”

She turned and walked as fast as she could without breaking into a run. She should have answered him, but she hated lying. And there was no way she was admitting to him that she too had a crush on him, because it was nothing more than a rush of hormones.

After giving birth, her body was all over the place. Plus Apollo had helped her through the scariest, yet most profound moment of her life—giving birth to Seb. For that she would always be grateful to him.

Right now Apollo was just having some fun at her expense. Nothing more. His deep laughter followed her up the path. It wasn’t like he was truly interested in her answer. Right?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THINGS WERE CHANGING...

For the better, she liked to think.

Popi refilled her coffee cup and moved to the terrace. Now that she knew about Apollo’s passion for gardening and his willingness to teach her, she regularly joined him when Seb didn’t need her.

But she found that their conversation centered on agriculture. And she simply didn’t have the same passion for flowers and trees that Apollo did. She’d been hoping they would connect on a deeper level. Because if he couldn’t connect with her, would he be able to do it with Seb?

She leaned back in the cushioned chair and sipped her morning coffee. The baby had already been up, eaten and played before going back down for a morning nap. That had been Popi’s cue to grab some coffee before heading to the garden.

It was at Apollo’s insistence a nanny had been hired. She was an older woman with years of experience and stellar references that were all verified. In the end, Popi realized that having another person devoted to the care and nurturing of Seb could only ever be a good thing. And it in no way detracted from her interactions with the baby.

“I thought I might find you here.” Apollo’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

She turned to find him approaching the empty chair next to hers. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d slept in.”

“Not a chance. I’ve been getting up with the sun for so many years that I don’t know if I could sleep late even if I needed to.” He sat down. “I take it the baby had you up early.”