With an inward wince, he looked away. "I think some sand blew into them." He hated to lie, so he quickly changed the subject. "Do ye want me to take ye home?"
She glanced at her grandmother, then shook her head. "You've endured enough interrogation for one evening. And you should hurry home to wash out your eyes." The wind swept her hair across her face, and she shoved it back.
"Here." He handed her the tortoiseshell contraption he'd removed from her hair, and winced when she opened the claw. "Bugger, look at the teeth on that thing. It doesna poke holes in yer head?"
With a laugh, she twisted her hair onto the back of her head. "No."
He moved closer to observe her attaching the claw.
She slanted him an amused look. "Are you worried about my safety?"
He smiled. "I willna let anything harm a hair on yer head. May I see you tomorrow night?"
Her cheeks bloomed pink. "Yes."
"Good." He pressed a light kiss against her brow. "I'll wait here to make sure ye get home safely."
"Good night." She strode back down the beach.
He observed her graceful walk, her hair piled on the back of her head, and her slender, elegant neck. His gaze lowered to her well-rounded hips, which swayed with every step. He flexed his hands, recalling the feel of her rump. Thank God the bones in his fingers had healed properly. There were times when a man needed nimble fingers.
Olivia woke Wednesday morning with thoughts of Robby. She snuggled under the blankets, closed her eyes, and remembered every delicious detail of the hottest kiss she'd ever indulged in. First he'd pulled her against him like a man losing control, then he'd hovered over her mouth like a man straining to regain control. His struggle had excited her, making her want to push him past the brink.
She didn't need to read his emotions. His desire and passion had been clear with every movement of his lips and every touch of his hands. He'd shown himself to be bold and demanding with the way he'd pulled her tight against his erection. Shocking, but so exciting.
She smiled to herself. There was something sweet about Robby, too. Something trustworthy that made her feel safe, even though her lie detecting skills didn't work on him.
She was beginning to like the fact that she couldn't read his emotions. For the first time in her life she'd been able to kiss a man only feeling her own emotions. Instead of the usual flood of lust pouring out of the guy, drowning her desires with his needs, she'd only felt herself. Suddenly, it had all been about her. Every shudder, every tingle, every heart-pounding sensation - it had all come from her. She liked it. She wanted more.
She wanted Robby.
With a sigh, she sat up. She couldn't call it love. She'd only known the man a few days. She couldn't fall in love that fast, could she?
Why not? An inner voice chided her. Robby MacKay was a gorgeous, sexy, fascinating man. And he wants you. She'd have to be made out of stone not to react to that.
But what if she was simply reacting to his desire? Or maybe she was fascinated with him because she couldn't read him. With a groan, she headed to the bathroom. She was overanalyzing again.
Hopefully, her grandmother was no longer angry with her. Last night, after she 'd climbed the stairs to the courtyard, Eleni had given her a stern look.
"Decent people should be in bed by now," she'd huffed. Then she'd tramped inside the house to her bedroom.
Olivia ventured into the kitchen. Her grandmother was sitting at the table, nibbling on bread, olives, and feta cheese. There was an aura of concern and worry, but no anger that Olivia could detect.
Eleni stood with a smile. "Sit down and eat, child. I'll fix you a cup of tea."
"Thanks." Olivia sawed off a piece of bread, then reached for the pot of honey.
"I went to the bakery early this morning and asked if anyone knew about a house owned by a foreigner on the other side of Petra."
Olivia frowned as she drizzled honey on her bread. "You're checking up on Robby?"
"Of course." Eleni plunked a cup of tea in front of her. "Don't you think you should know something about the man you're kissing?"
"I know a lot about him."
"You know his address?"
Olivia bit off a hunk of bread to keep from having to answer.
"I take that as a no." Eleni sat across from her.
"I know important things about him."
"Like how much he has in his checking account?" Her grandmother popped a morsel of feta cheese in her mouth.
Olivia snorted. "He's employed. And he's a sweet, considerate man."
"He was groping you like a...a squid with suction cups attached to your rump."
Olivia laughed.
Eleni huffed. "I wasn't making a joke, young lady. You barely know the man, but you were...I hope you don't make a habit of behaving like that."
"I don't. Believe me. I...I don't know how it happened. I've never gotten so carried away before."
Eleni's eyes softened. Obviously, she could tell her granddaughter was telling the truth. "Are you in love with him?"
Olivia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I don't know. I feel very strongly for him, but as a psychologist, I have serious doubts a person can actually fall in love this quickly."
Eleni waved a hand in dismissal. "It's not science. It's love."
"There's a certain amount of science involved," Olivia protested. "Chemistry, hormones, pheromones - "
"And how are your hormones reacting?"
Olivia winced. "Off the charts."
"And the chemistry?"
"Highly combustible. We could provide electricity for half the United States."
Eleni nodded knowingly. "You're falling in love."
"It's too fast."
"Then slow it down."
"We're leaving for Houston in two weeks." Olivia drank some hot tea.
"That's plenty of time. Besides, he can come to Houston, too. He'll need to if he's going to ask permission to marry you."
Olivia spewed some tea on the table. "Who said anything about marriage?" She grabbed a napkin to wipe up the mess.
Her grandmother narrowed her eyes. "Surely you're not intending to live in carnal sin?"
"I just met the man."
"You looked well acquainted with him last night."
Olivia ate some more bread. "I am...extremely attracted to him. But I still can't read his emotions, so I don't know how he feels about me."
"Child, he was mauling you like a bear. We can safely assume he's attracted to you."
"That doesn't mean he wants to marry me."
"If he wants to climb the honey tree, he'll have to."
Olivia shook her head, smiling. "You make him sound like Pooh Bear."
"Hmm. I hope he's more intelligent than that." Eleni motioned toward the fridge. "He forgot his plate of food."
"I'll give it to him tonight."
"We can take it to him right now." Eleni stood and started clearing off the table. "I found out at the bakery which house he's staying at."
"What else did you find out?"
Eleni placed the cheese and olives in the fridge. "The house is owned by a rich American family, the Draganestis, and they have lots of friends who come and go. No one has seen much of your Robby, but they all know a man named Carlos who is also living there. Now, go on and get dressed, so we can go."
Thirty minutes later Olivia was dressed in jeans and her nicest cashmere sweater and knocking on the door of an elegant villa. Pots of overflowing geraniums flanked the rough, antique wooden door. The house was dazzling bright in the morning sunshine, with a fresh coat of whitewash. The tiled roof looked new, as well as the stone-paved driveway.
Eleni had insisted on coming as a chaperone. She was wearing one of her best black dresses, and she clutched a canvas tote bag filled with foil-wrapped food.
The door cracked, and a young man peered out at them. He flashed a smile as if he recognized them, then opened the door wider and leaned his long, slim body against the door frame.
"Good morning." Olivia suspected this was Carlos. "We're here to see Robby MacKay."
He nodded. "You must be Olivia and Eleni Sotiris."
Olivia detected a slight accent. "Yes, we are. Robby told you about us?"
His grin widened, showing off very white teeth. "Menina, everyone on the island knows about you."