Chapter 17: Seventeen

“Did you kill the monsters, daddy?” Eve’s soft voice came to his ears, and Hank shot a glance to Melina, who just signaled for him to go along with it.

“Yes, Eve. I did, and I’m here to stay now.” He gave Melina a curious stare, but her face showed nothing. She was only there observing both of them, and he was still squishing the girl in his arms.

“Mommy told me, one day daddy would kill them and cross the big sea for me.” The cheerful voice declared to him. “Mommy told me a lot of fun stories about you!”

Eve was a blabbermouth little girl, with no filter, and if she didn’t keep an eye on her, she’d make friends with any stranger who gave her the chance. They lived on a very touristic island, and Evangeline got used to being around different people. What made her double the vigilance on the girl.

“She did, didn’t she?” Henry had a suspicious look on his face. “Maybe you can tell them to me later. I’m sure they are very interesting, Evangeline.” Melina was gorgeous when she blushed. And worst, he knew the scarlet red would reach sinful places he couldn’t wait to rediscover. He didn’t let go of her gaze from above Eve’s head, and when she averted her face from him, he walked inside with Melina following along.

“Muffin, you know this was Mrs. Yiannopoulos’ house, right? Are you okay being with daddy for a while?” Melina waited for Eve to nod, and it didn’t happen. “He’ll walk you back home soon. Mommy needs to get herself ready to see the kitty we talked about.”

“No! I want to go with you.” She whined, trying to get on the floor. “I don’t want you to travel, mommy!”

Melina gave Henry a pointed look that meant everything from anger to retaliation. “Muffin, I’m not going away now. Daddy will walk you home later and we’ll talk some more. Right now, why don’t you ask daddy how he killed the monsters, I’m sure he has very interesting stories to tell you.” Eve’s face lit up, forgetting all about her fake trip. Melina knew the girl would tell him every single story she made up about him and it would mortify her, but if that was the price, she had to pay for her little one to be at peace. So be it.

“I thought you were staying with us?” He said with a stern face, not leaving much for imagination.

“Didn’t you say, you wanted me far away?” She said only to his ears. “I’ve made myself plans.” She turned to Eve. “Behave, Muffin. Mommy, we’ll be waiting for you.” Melina left the house without looking back and, to her surprise, Xanthos waited for her outside, giving life to her little nasty plan. “Hey Xan, so good to see you!” She said out loud and felt the burning in her back. She didn’t need to see Henry to know he had murder written all over his face. Melina bowed her head, shaking slightly, hiding an evil smirk on her lips.

Hank wanted to beat that phony Greek God into a bloody pulp when Melina flung herself at him, and he circled her waist, giving Hank a fuck off stare with a smug grin. ‘Where was that son of a gun who was supposed to be here taking care of this asshole?’ Later, he would take care of it. Now he was about to enjoy the company of his daughter. With one last glimpse, he went inside his house.

“What’s going on, Melina, is he remaining on the island?” Xanthos put his arm around her shoulders. He brought her to him to maintain the show. He knew Melina’s sudden happiness to see him had everything to do with Eve’s father. She wanted to get back at him, and that sucked. Now he understood why he never had a chance with her. They had a heavy and troubled relationship. Xanthos just wanted to know to what extent.

“Yes, he is. Don’t ask me for how long, I have no clue. Since he went to the trouble of buying and renovating my neighbor’s house, I guess Henry will stay for some time.” Melina wasn’t in the spirit to think about that. She had a lot going in her mind. The coming weeks promised to be purgatory, and she didn’t know how to survive them. But she had to, she had to be strong for her little girl.

“Come, let’s get a cup of coffee and you tell me what’s going on between the two of you.” He sighed, stuffing his free hand in his jeans pocket, averting his gaze.

Melina heard the defeated tone in his strong husky voice, but she took it as a good sign, it was time for him to realise they didn’t have a chance, maybe if the situation was different, but her life was too complicated and it was about to get even worse.

“Nothing is going on between the two of us, Xanthos. He is Eve’s father and now he wants her in his life.” She was still trying hard to believe that herself. The thought itself was so hilarious, in a bad way, she couldn’t help but snort.

“What’s so funny? By the rabid glare he shot me, he also wants you.” He finished in a sour tone, sagging his shoulders and putting his hand on the back of Melina’s neck, guiding her to the table.

“It’s more of a nervous laugh than anything else. He may want me, but having me is another different story.” They sat comfortably overlooking the sea on the café’s terrace. Tourists packed the place, and the surrounding buzz was loud.

The day was gorgeous, and Melina didn’t want to spoil talking about her life. She wanted to enjoy a little because the next two weeks it would be torture. She was already desperate enough that in a few hours she would have to pretend to go away to her little girl. They never got away from each other, not even once. And now, he came along and sentenced them to hell. It wasn’t fair. Tears rose in her eyes, and Melina blinked them away. She wasn’t in a mood to explain any more to Xanthos.

He didn’t take his eyes from her and all the emotions storming in Melina’s face. She was quiet, tense. He could see how strained her body was, and every time he tried to pry on the subject, she changed to something else. They talked about everything but what was going on with her; it was unnerving to be left out. He was her lawyer, and he needed the details.

“Melina, I understand this is a touchy subject for you, but as your lawyer, I need to know more about my case. I have to know what we are playing against.” He moved forward and rubbed his palms on his face. Melina barely touched her iced mocha latte while he drank his in one gulp. A couple was getting louder, three tables to the right, and it was upsetting him. He looked in their direction, eye grilling the man. Why would a beautiful woman be with that jackass?

“Don’t worry, Xan. We made a deal, and in a few weeks everything will go back to the way it was.” The coffee had already got warm by the time she sipped on it. She tried to sound convincing, but even to her own ears it sounded forced. The point was, she didn’t believe in what she was saying. From now on, she had to get used to Henry crowding her mind with forbidden, unwanted thoughts, and just to think about him, she felt a sinful pain coiling at the pit of her stomach.

“What kind of deal did you make with him? Don’t you know how risky it is to make deals with the devil, Melina?” Exasperation hit him. “You should have talked to me first!” Xanthos raked his fingers through his strands, messing up his perfectly combed hair.

“I know, but sometimes a deal is better than nothing. Look…” Commotion broke on the terrace, and everybody turned to the weird couple.

“Enough with this crap! I told you I didn’t want to move to some island in the middle of the ocean!” The guy yelled at the beautiful brunette.

The girl’s eyes were an interesting shade of blue, dark blue, and they were tearful. Xanthos nostrils flared, and he set his lips in a strain line. His eyes jumped to her enticing pink lips and when they trembled, his hands turned into fists. Xanthos wanted the chance to be alone with that bastard, to teach him one or two things about how to treat a woman.

“Please, you’re making a scene. Sit down.” She gritted out, looking around.

“I’m not your dog! I’m tired of everything, not to say you. I’m out of this island!” The guy turned around. His chair jerked and fell back as he marched out of there without looking back, leaving a very shaken up woman by the table.