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She wore green, not because it complemented her eyes, but because it was the color of beginnings. This trip was a new beginning for her, for her life. She’d fallen prey to the depression that rampaged through her mother’s family, and, being a psychology student, she’d ignored the symptoms. Now, though, she was making a new start, even if it meant taking the annoying little pills every day.

She clipped the clusters of pure white pearls to her ears and stepped onto the terrace again. The night sky over Greece was just as spectacular as the day had been. Stars shone brilliantly, and the full ball of the moon reigned over them majestically. Geneva breathed it in and lifted her face to feel the breeze stroke over it and through her hair. She could feel every worry, every anxiety she’d had in the months since David’s death sliding away.

“I won’t forget you,” she whispered. “I love you, and you’ll always be a part of me.”

The sound of the waves peacefully lapping the beach was her response. Taking it as a sign, she moved back into the room to find her shoes before she could head down to the gala. Brian would be too busy to come up for her, and she needed to steady herself before she could see him again. There were feelings bubbling in her that were so strong so fast that she couldn’t be sure, not yet, that they were real.

The grand ballroom of the resort was magnificent. Chandeliers dripped crystals overhead while some of the wealthiest and most famous people in the world mingled in the lights they cast. One curving wall of the room was all doors that stood wide open and let in the warm, fragrant night air. Geneva stood at the top of the curving staircase and watched it all. What was she doing here? She didn’t belong among the wealthy and extravagantly beautiful. She’d been made for teaching and studying. Not for this.

Through the crush of the people surrounding him, her eyes met Brian’s as he watched her. He knew, she thought suddenly. He knew that she was standing there debating whether or not to stay. The challenge in his eyes was clear. Stay or run.

And she knew that if she ran, everything he’d helped her achieve would be a loss.

Brian watched her step down the stairs and thought she looked like Cinderella entering the ball. She looked a little hesitant, a little wary, and a lot nervous. Almost like a lamb being led to the slaughter.

Oh God, she was beautiful.

The dress she wore was the color of emeralds and swept from the swell of her breasts to nip in at her tiny waist and flowed down to her knees. Pearls winked at her ears and around her neck. Combs sparkled in her hair as it was pulled back at the sides and the rest was left in a straight fall to her shoulders. Her very pretty, very smooth shoulders. He fought off the urge to just drag her off to his suite and drown himself in her. Instead, he forced himself to look away and focus on what those around him were saying.

His resort was a success and, for its opening week, had pulled in dozens of celebrities and wealthy patrons. Customers, Brian mused, well-paying customers. They looked for luxury, beauty, and entertainment when they went on a vacation, and his resort provided all of that for them. He was damn proud of it. The fact that he’d built this one on his own, without his father’s help or instructions, was only icing on the cake.

Once he was sure the last of the guests had arrived, his event coordinator nodded to him from across the room. Brian made his way over to the small stage that had been set up at one end of the ballroom and climbed it. Lifting the microphone, he grinned at the audience and welcomed them to his place.

Geneva watched him from where she stood and discovered that she was so proud of him for all the hard work he’d put in on it. He’d come up with the idea as he’d been sitting at her kitchen table just months before David’s death. Then, after the accident and funeral, he’d enlisted her help in drafting the plans, sketches. At a time when she’d found it ridiculously insensitive, Brian had ignored her protests and asked her about what sorts of things she’d want to do at a resort in Greece. In order to keep her mind occupied, she now realized. He’d been doing it all along, helping her stay strong and keep moving. How had she missed what he’d done?

She applauded enthusiastically when the speech was over and thought of how this resort was partly hers, too. It had been her grudging answers that had inspired so much of what she’d seen on her tour of the enormous vacation spot. Brian Littrell had done it again, and she couldn’t be more pleased.

Brian found her in an intent conversation with two of his cousins, who’d flown in for the opening. She was sipping from a flute of champagne, and her smile was quiet and pretty. He wanted to run his lips over the curve of her neck and stopped himself from reaching out and touching her.

“Kevin, Alex.” He clapped a hand on their shoulders and grinned. “What do you think?”

Kevin, a tall, dark, and definitely handsome man, smiled back, his green eyes twinkling. “I think you’ve outdone all of the other Littrell hotels. It’s incredible.”

“So are the people,” Alex chimed in. He ran a hand over his short, dark hair as his deep brown eyes scanned the guests who chatted and danced to the music of a string orchestra. “You keep pulling in people who are wealthy along with the ordinary folk, this place is going to turn you a gorgeous penny.” He tapped his glass with the one Brian carried. “Congratulations.”

Geneva watched the three men talk business, but her attention was distracted by the breeze floating in through the open doors. She moved over to lean against the doorframe and found she could smell the strong, sweet scents of the flowers that speared up in the flowerbeds and in the large urns that were set in strategic locations along lamplit pathways.

“Geneva?” A hand touched her shoulder lightly, and, when she turned, she found Brian studying her with a small smile playing on his lips. “You haven’t told me what you think.”

She took his hand in hers and squeezed lightly. “It’s perfect. All those ideas you had months ago, I can just see them going up all over the place. Brian, I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks. Thank you for coming,” he replied sincerely, though he found himself shaken with the knowledge that she had such a store of pride in him. He wondered if she had come to believe that he felt that way about her, too. “It meant a lot to me that you would be here.”

“Of course, I would. You’ve been such a good friend, Brian. Especially the last month or so. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” She leaned up and brushed her lips over his cheek. “I’m glad I came, though. This country is beautiful, and you’ve added to its beauty.”

So have you. “Will you dance with me?” He gestured to the couples swaying behind them. “Please?”

“Absolutely.”

When she was in his arms, he could feel every muscle in him relax. She felt so perfect against him, and he realized that they fit. Every curve, every angle of their bodies fit together, and they moved in rhythm with each other. What did that say about them? he wondered, then shook it off. He didn’t want to overanalyze it to death. It was enough to just be with her.

Geneva Kessler had come into his life when they’d been nine years old. She’d been the skinny girl with braces and glasses. The one with brains. The other girls would tease her mercilessly, and he hadn’t really noticed until he saw her crying behind a tree during recess. His parents had always taught him to stand up for himself and others that were being hurt. God was always watching and would reward those who helped others, and Brian was a big believer in God.

He’d marched over to the not-so-skinny girls, who considered themselves popular, and gave them a piece of his mind. The fact that he was part of their “popular” clique and still yelled at them was shocking. They’d definitely left Geneva alone after that, but Brian hadn’t. He’d started hanging out with her and stuck with her and Chloe even when, in high school, they’d been part of very different groups of people. Now, over fifteen years later, look where they were.

Together.

“What’s so funny?” Geneva leaned back in his arms and studied him curiously when he chuckled quietly.

Brian shook his head. “I was just remembering the day we first met. The first time I really talked to you. Do you remember Missy Burns and Glenna Stevens?”

“God, how could I forget?” She rolled her eyes. “They made my life a living hell all through elementary school. I wonder where they are now?”

He grinned. “My sources say that Missy’s currently on husband number three and has two kids. She’s got a degree in education but doesn’t do anything with it. Glenna’s married, too, and I think she’s the librarian at our elementary school now.”

“Wow. A librarian, huh? The tables have surely turned.” She pressed her cheek to his. “And here I am, in Athens, at a party with Hollywood actors and actresses and Greece’s elite. And you.”

“And me,” he repeated then stepped away until his hands linked with hers. “Walk with me.”

She frowned. “What? Where?”

Brian gestured to the doors and the balmy, enchanting Grecian night. “Walk with me, Geneva Kessler. I need to get out of here.”

“Aren’t they going to wonder where you are?” she asked as he tugged her towards the exit.

He shook his head. “My staff knows what to do. Besides, I don’t need to do anything else. Except mingle. I’d rather mingle with you than with some of these amazingly superficial people. So, walk with me.”

And he drew her out into the moonlit night.