Page 24 of The Kiss that Captured a Billionaire (Heart & Soul #2)

Sixteen

Three weeks and nearly five thousand miles later, Theo stretched out in the sable leather seat of his jet, feeling the hum of the engines’ purr beneath him.

It was a familiar sound, one that usually blended into the background of endless business flights.

But today, his entire body seemed attuned to it—relaxed, satisfied, and humming with contentment.

Against all odds—and despite his very vocal reservations at the start—he’d driven Rose’s kaleidoscope-on-wheels van across more than half the United States. Somewhere between the Badlands, Big Bend, and the long road back to New York, he’d discovered something unexpected: exhilaration.

They had laughed over terrible diner pie, marveled at what life must have been like for early indigenous people, and fallen asleep to the sound of wind rattling the van’s pop-top.

The last time he’d felt that free—this unbound—was when he and Alexandros had been teenagers, before life had come calling with its responsibilities, expectations, and inherited titles.

His gaze softened as he studied Rose. She was leaning toward the steward, discussing something with that bright, animated smile that still caught him off guard. The cabin light caught the glint of red in her hair and the warmth in her eyes, and for a moment, he just… let himself watch her.

Two weeks ago, they’d learned she wasn’t pregnant. He’d been surprised by his own disappointment, and he’d sensed she felt the same. But as he’d told her—quietly, honestly—it gave him more time to get things right.

A soft ping drew his attention to his phone. A message from Nikos.

Everything going alright?

Theo smirked and tapped back: More than alright. We’re on our way to Athens.

It surprised him to hear from his friend. Nikos had been distracted ever since his so-called ‘blind’ date a week ago, a detail Theo fully intended to press him about later.

Before he could pocket the phone, another message came in. This one from his father.

Will you handle the meeting in Athens, or should I or Alexandros take care of it?

Theo’s jaw flexed. He’d been evasive with his family over the past month, deliberately so.

I’ll attend the meeting, he typed back. Then, after a moment’s hesitation: And I’ll be visiting Syros. I have someone I would like you and mother to meet.

He left it at that. He would explain who Rose was in person.

Rose had asked for the same caution—she didn’t want her grandparents knowing about their relationship yet.

Over the last three weeks, she’d spoken with them often via video calls.

At first, she’d been nervous, hesitant. But now…

now she seemed almost eager to meet them.

He looked up to find her studying him.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

She nodded and smiled. “Yes, everything’s good. It feels strange not being in the van.”

He chuckled. “It’s not much different,” he teased. “I wanted to let you know—we’ll be going to my family’s home on Syros. I would like to introduce you to them. I’ll need to fly to Athens during the day for meetings, but I’ll be home each evening.”

Her brow furrowed slightly. “Wouldn’t it be easier to stay in Athens until your meetings are over?”

“It would,” he admitted, a small smile tugging at his mouth. “But I thought you’d be more comfortable at the villa on the island.”

She considered that, then smiled faintly. “Maybe after you’re finished. But… I’d really like to see Athens first.”

He chuckled and inclined his head. “Athens it is.”

They hadn’t talked about it yet, but his plan was already set. Whether in Athens or Syros, it didn’t matter.

Soon, he promised himself.

Dinner was as flawless as it was intimate, a quiet cocoon of good food, low conversation, and glances that lingered longer than they should have. By the time they retired to rest, Theo’s mind was no longer on meetings, villas, or even the long miles behind them.

It was on the moment, in just a few days’ time, when he would ask her the only question that mattered.

Three days in Athens and she was already running on fumes.

Her days were spent roaming the city—temples, markets, museums—while Theo was locked in back-to-back meetings.

Then, as soon as evening hit, it was one social event after another.

Charity galas, gallery openings, and cocktail hours with people whose teeth were suspiciously perfect and whose smiles didn’t reach their eyes.

By the time they staggered back to his apartment each night, she was exhausted. She didn’t know how Theo kept up. Work all day, socialize half the night, fend off the paparazzi—who buzzed around them like over-caffeinated mosquitoes—and still wake up looking like he’d stepped out of a GQ spread.

She was ready to crawl back into her van; quiet mornings of oatmeal, questionable coffee, and long aimless drives sounded like paradise. She missed the way they’d fallen asleep to the sound of the wind and woken to sun spilling across the dashboard and birds singing at an ungodly hour.

She’d bailed on the scheduled event for the evening, pleading fatigue. As she returned to the apartment in the late afternoon, she was glad.

She keyed in the door code, stepped inside?—

—and froze.

Her frown deepened at the trail—scarf on the couch, blood-red stilettos abandoned mid-hallway. She stopped dead in the bedroom doorway.

The bed was a tangle of rumpled sheets. On the floor, pooled like discarded skin, lay a matching blood-red designer dress, a black thong, and a lacy bra that had never seen the inside of a discount store.

A splash of water from the bathroom pulled her forward.

Rose nudged the door open with the toe of her tennis shoe.

The woman in the tub tilted her blond head back and smiled like she’d been expecting champagne— and company. One perfectly tanned leg lifted out of the water, showing off crimson-painted toenails.

“Hi, Theo. Welcome home, darling,” the woman purred.

Rose leaned her shoulder against the doorframe, crossed her arms, and raised one eyebrow.

The woman twisted toward her, flashing a sweet, fake smile.

“Theo’s not here, I am. And you are…?” Rose asked.

“Gina,” the woman replied, with the kind of confidence that implied the name should mean something. “I’m a very good friend of Theo’s.”

Rose’s lips curved, but there was nothing warm in it. “You have exactly five minutes to get out of the apartment before I call security… Gina.”

Gina rose, unconcerned with her nakedness, water sliding over skin maintained with more money than Rose’s van had cost. “And who are you?”

Rose checked an imaginary watch. “Four minutes, thirty seconds.”

Rose knew her voice was cool, her smile sharp—but her hands still shook faintly as she texted Theo. Not from fear. From fury. From the knowledge that once again, someone was trying to wedge themselves between her and the one man she wasn’t ready to lose.

Do you know why there’s a naked woman named Gina taking a bath in our bathroom?

Her phone pinged almost immediately, this time with an incoming call.

Rose smiled sweetly and answered. “Hi, Theo.”

She turned on her heel, walking through the bedroom, down the hallway, and into the living room.

Theo’s voice came through tight with fury. “Gina is a friend of the family—but not, and I repeat not , that kind of friend.”

Rose’s gaze flicked to a damp, pouting Gina stomping into the room dressed only in lace. “Then someone should probably tell her that.”

“I will. Put her on the phone.”

Rose handed the phone over, keeping her expression neutral.

She heard Theo’s voice even from a few feet away—cold, controlled, and dangerous in a way that made Gina’s complexion go pale. The woman sniffed once, inelegantly, and returned the phone without a word.

“Security’s on their way up,” Theo said. “I don’t know who gave her a key, but I promise you—this will never happen again.”

A knock sounded at the door just as Gina pulled the sleeve of her unzipped dress over her shoulder.

“Hold on. I think they’re here,” she said, walking forward to answer the door. “Hey, guys. Thanks for coming so quickly to take the trash out.”

“Bitch,” Gina hissed under her breath as she stomped past, carrying her killer stiletto heels by the straps in one hand.

“That’s Ms . Bitch to you. And in case you didn’t get the message… I’m more than a friend of Theo’s,” Rose said, smiling sweetly and winking at the two security guards who were doing their best to keep a straight face.

Gina shot one last glare over her shoulder, lifted her chin, and stalked out past the two security officers.

Rose set the phone to her ear again.

Theo was still apologizing.

“You can finish apologizing when you get home,” she said. “Right now I need to bleach the bathroom and change the sheets, because I am not bathing or sleeping in either until they’ve been sanitized.”

“I’ll have housekeeping take care of it,” Theo said instantly. “Why don’t you come to my office? We’ll go out for dinner. Somewhere cozy, romantic, just the two of us.”

“Not dressy?” she asked hopefully.

He laughed. “Not dressy. I know the perfect place. A driver will pick you up in twenty minutes.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

She hung up and walked to the window.

Athens sprawled beneath her in a breathtaking patchwork of light and shadow, ancient and modern colliding at every turn.

For a moment, she let herself imagine the quiet life she’d left behind—the one without strangers in bathtubs or cameras flashing in her face.

But then she remembered how empty it had been before Theo.

There was no way she was ready to give that up.

Theo’s jaw tightened as he ended the call from security confirming Gina Rossi had been escorted out of his building.

He could still feel a low burn of anger in his chest.

Immature. Impulsive. Self-centered. Gina had always been all of those things. But this—breaking into his private residence and pulling a stunt like this—was something else entirely.

It wasn’t just the invasion of his space. She had tried to damage what he had with Rose. And that… that was unforgivable.

His phone lit up with Gina’s name.

For a moment, his thumb hovered over the Decline button. But no—he wanted her to know she’d crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.

“What do you want, Gina?” His voice was flat, controlled.

Her tone was breathless, almost childlike. “Please, Theo, don’t tell my father. I wasn’t thinking?—”

“That much is clear.”

“I just—” She faltered, then blurted, “I saw the photos of you and her in the tabloids. I was jealous. I thought…”

“You thought wrong.” His voice cut like glass. “And don’t bother reminding me of some imaginary marriage arrangement between you and my brother. That never happened, and even if it had, it’s irrelevant.”

She tried to protest, but he’d had enough.

“If you don’t stay away from me—and from Rose—your father knowing about your behavior will be the least of your worries. Am I clear?”

There was a small, sulky pause. “…Yes.”

The moment he ended the call, his phone lit up again.

He groaned. Allegra Rossi.

For a second, he contemplated ignoring her too. But if Allegra was calling, it was because Gina had already run crying to her sister. He might as well deal with it now.

“Allegra,” he said, keeping his tone polite but clipped. “What do you need?”

“Welcome home,” she began carefully. “I… I just spoke to Gina. She told me what happened.”

“Then I assume you also know I’m not in the mood for excuses.”

“She was wrong,” Allegra said quickly. “Both of us are mortified. Gina has always… had issues with rejection. I’m not asking you to forget it, Theo, but I am asking for understanding. She needs help, and?—"

“What she needs is to stay away from me and Rose,” he said sharply. “And if she does that, I won’t discuss this with your parents.”

There was a brief silence before Allegra’s voice softened. “Are things serious between you and… this Rose?”

“Yes,” he said simply. “Very serious.”

Another pause, then Allegra exhaled. “Then I wish you happiness. I’ll speak to Gina.”

“Thank you.” He ended the call before she could say more.

He sat back, muttering under his breath about manipulative, spoiled individuals, and silently prayed Vito wasn’t next on the list.

A knock at the door interrupted the thought.

His PA stepped in, holding the door open. “Ms. Smythe to see you, sir.”

Theo rose to his feet, his eyes glued to Rose.

All thoughts of Gina, Allegra, and the day’s aggravations dissolved like mist under the sun. He pushed away from his desk and crossed the room in three long strides, opening his arms.

Her smile—the real one, not the polite mask she wore at social events—struck him square in the chest.

He drew her in, breathed her in, the feel of her petite frame against him resetting his world. “Ready for dinner?”

“Depends,” she said with a little curve of her mouth. “Where are we going?”

His lips tugged into a slow smile. “Someplace private. Romantic.”

An hour later, she stood on the polished teak deck of the Kallistratos Challenge , the city lights of Athens glittering on the water behind her. The sea air teased her hair, and the yacht’s low thrum was the only sound besides the faint lap of waves.

Theo swore he’d never seen a more beautiful woman in the world as he gazed across at Rose.

The candlelight flickered, caressing her face and making her eyes shine as they lingered over a dinner under the open sky.

It didn’t matter how much time they spent together, there was always something to talk about.

He stood and held out his hand to her. Her smile softened, and she walked with him over to the railing where they stood looking out across the glittering metropolis of Athens. He pulled her close, loving how her body fit against his.

“You know, when I made those comments about you being a billionaire, I was only joking. I didn’t know it was true,” she said, relaxing into him with a sigh.

He chuckled. “I liked that you never cared about the ‘billionaire bullshit’.”

She laughed. “It has its perks.”

“It does, but so did living in your van,” he murmured, turning her around to face him. He framed her face in his hands. “This is where I want to be. With you. Always. I love you, Rose.”