Page 52 of Claimed Gem

She walked over to the three brothers, ignoring Damon’s glare as she slipped her arm around Ries’ waist. When he smiled down at her, she returned it and then leaned up on her tiptoes and whispered. “I missed you. Is everything okay?”

Ries kissed her on the nose and nodded once. “Damon and Nicolai, I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Stephanie. Stephanie, this is my oldest brother Damon, and Nicolai, whom you’ve already met.”

“Nice to see you again,” she murmured.

“I’m glad to see you suffered no harm at Angelo’s hands,” Nicolai told her.

“I’m fine,” she said, for what felt like the thirty-fifth time today.

“Brother, I was under the impression after speaking with Miss Harris that she was going to return to the States,” Damon inquired quietly.

“I never said that,” Stephanie told him, daring him to continue putting words into her mouth. “And I don’t find your argument persuasive.”

Damon had the good grace to purse his lips and nod once, “Well, you’re welcome to prove me wrong.”

“I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to figure out the future on behalf of everyone else,” Ries told him. “Stephanie is not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to the idea.”

Ries was angry in Damon’s presence, and Stephanie could see why. His brother seemed to think that he was in control of everything and that it was okay for him to pass judgment on everyone else around him.

Nicolai was totally different, and as Ries led her over to join the others, Nicolai stepped to her other side and kept up a lively conversation about everything from the weather, to the latest shopping trends.

Stephanie was grateful that Ries had at least one brother who seemed to be supportive of him and she decided that Ries needed a little help in being more confident around his brothers. Damon was going to be no help, but Nicolai seemed like an ally.

Stephanie began to think of ways they could both help Ries become the man he wanted to be.

After eating, Ries and Stephanie were shown to their luxurious, separate rooms. Upon seeing how far apart they were, Ries stepped in and informed the maid that they would both be utilizing his room and asked that Stephanie’s belongings be moved.

“Is this going to cause problems with your brother?” Stephanie asked as they soaked in a hot tub of water half an hour later.

Ries shrugged. “I could care less. Damon doesn’t approve of anything I do, but that doesn’t matter to me anymore. If he doesn’t want to trust me, fine. I will make my own decisions.”

“Well, I for one, like the way you were thinking today. Thank you for coming to save me,” she said softly, “in case I didn’t make that clear earlier.”

“You were exhausted and a bit distraught.” Ries told her, grinning. “I will always come to rescue you.” He tipped her head to the side and sealed his vow with a kiss. “Ready to get out of the tub?”

Stephanie tingled at the thought of what might come next. “Yes.”

“Good, I’ll leave you to it then,” Ries told her, standing up and quickly drying himself off. Stephanie couldn’t take her eyes off him as he moved.

“I would love to stay and chat, but Damon has requested a meeting with the Moustakas brothers to devise a plan to save our company. He didn’t command my presence, but if we want to be kept in the loop, I had better attend.”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Stephanie said. Her hopes of intimacy could wait. “The other women invited me to go to the beach with them…” she trailed off, looking to Ries for approval. She wasn’t going anywhere without his opinion of the security of the situation, for a while.

“Then you should go,” Ries told her, handing her a towel. His eyes lit up as she stood up and water sluiced off her body. “God, I wish I could stay here with you, but…”

“No, it’s okay. You don’t mind me going with them?”

“Stephanie, Angelo is dead and can’t hurt us. Dmitrius has left Greece, although we’re all sure he will return or find another way to get to us.

“We will have to be vigilant, but I can assure you that no one takes their wives’ safety more seriously than the Moustakas brothers. They are not new to this game. You will be perfectly safe with them, no matter where you go.”

Stephanie finished drying herself off as Ries went to dress. She liked this new version of Ries where he was confident and no longer bothered by his brothers’ opinions.

Now, she just needed to help his brothers recognize that Ries had a lot to offer. Just because he didn’t do things exactly like Damon would, didn’t mean they were wrong or inefficient.

Ries deserved his brother’s respect, and she was determined to see that he got it.

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