The Greek Tycoon's Secret Heir (1 of 2 free samples)

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COPYRIGHT
The Greek Tycoon's Secret Heir by Katherine Garbera. Copyright 2008 by Katherine Garbera.
All Rights Reserved. Sharing not permitted.

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THE GREEK TYCOON'S SECRET HEIR

Katherine Garbera

This book is dedicated to Patty Ann Souder and her men Bill, Neil and Ian. Thank you, Patty, for being the big sister I never had.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
http://www.dailylit.com/books/greek-tycoons-secret-heir/acknowledgments


ONE

"There's a man waiting for you in the principal's office," Laurette Jones said as she came into Ava Monroe's classroom. "I'll take care of your class until you come back."

"Is everything okay with Theo?" Ava asked. Her son was enrolled in pre-kindergarten at the exclusive Florida boarding school where she taught second grade. It was rare for her to be called away from her class in the middle of the day. The relative quiet of the warm February afternoon suddenly seemed ominous.

"I don't know. Karin asked me to come and get you." Laurette worked for principal Karin Andrews in the administration offices.

"Thanks, Laurette," Ava said, hurrying down the hallway, fighting the urge to run. She knew she was borrowing trouble, but Theo had asthma and they'd yet to find any medicine to get it under control. Just the thought that he might be having a breathing episode made her palms sweat.

She stopped by the nurse's office on her way and learned that Theo wasn't there. Relief swamped her. She hoped that Theo hadn't gotten into trouble in class. He wasn't a hellion but he was lively, and his teacher was pretty understanding most days.

She rounded the corner leading to the administration offices and heard a deep voice speaking in a heavy accent. She froze in her tracks. She'd never forgotten that voice, because she still heard it in her dreams. Christos Theakis. Her heart beat faster as she tried to tell herself she was imagining things. But she knew she wasn't. She rapped on the frame of the open door that led to Karin Andrews's office.

"Come in, Ava, we've been waiting for you."

She stepped into the office. And there he was. Christos leaned against Karin's desk, but straightened to his full height when she entered. He was about six feet tall and dressed in that cool European style that was both casual and sophisticated.

She brushed her hands down the sides of her floral-print skirt and told her self she wasn't still the small-town girl he'd once seduced. But she felt as though she was.

"Hello, Christos. I am so sorry about your recent loss."

He nodded his head solemnly at her offer of condolences. She saw grief and sorrow in his eyes, but he quickly controlled the emotions.

She'd had Christos and the entire Theakis family on the brain since they'd been in the news over the past month. His older brother, Stavros, sister-in-law, Nikki, and two nieces had been killed when their private jet had crashed minutes after take-off from Athens, Greece.

Ava, who had once been nanny to the girls, had burst into tears when the reporter had revealed the names. Things hadn't ended well with her employment with the Theakis family, but she'd adored those children.

Her son had been confused about why she was crying and had consoled her as only a four-year-old could, with his favorite stuffed animal, Monkey man, and lots of hugs.

But the sting of knowing that the little girls she'd played with and cared for were deceased was still with her.

"We need to talk."

Christos's terse words snapped her back to the present. Such arrogance. She used to find it attractive. Ah, who was she kidding, she still did. There was something appealing about a man who knew what he wanted and made no bones about it. So different from the wishy-washy men in her circle, who struggled even to decide where they should eat dinner on a Friday night.

"Yes, we do," she said, trying to project a little arrogance of her own.

Christos arched an eyebrow at her and turned away. "May we use your office, Ms. Andrews?"

Karin flushed under Christos's gaze, something Ava had rarely seen the ultra professional woman do. She gave Christos a warm smile as she stood and walked toward the door. "Of course. And please, call me Karin."

The walnut-paneled door closed behind the principal with a distinctive thud. Christos said nothing and the silence built around them. Ava tried to figure out what to say but all the words running around in her head sounded banal.

Finally she glanced up at him and found he hadn't moved from his position against the desk. "So . . . why are you here?"

"To claim the Theakis heir."

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