Pollyanna and the Greek Billionaire

Part II: Chapter 3

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Kyrillos Gazis muttered a week later.

Pollyanna privately thought the same, but since admitting it out loud could backfire, she answered with rare diplomacy, saying placidly, "It could be my kindness rubbing off on you."

The Greek billionaire shot her a dirty look, and Pollyanna hastily smothered the smile trying to form on her lips. It was barely seven on a beautiful Saturday morning, and everyone in the island would probably be shocked to speechlessness to find out that Teleios' high and mighty owner had spent the last sixty minutes in her company, cutting stems and thorns from the latest crop of roses she was tasked to gather.

As Kyr bent down and resumed working, Pollyanna was given another chance to stare at him, and stare she did, with a combination of wistful longing and misery. She had never thought it was possible to feel deliriously happy and devastatingly sad at the same time, but one week's worth of being in the company of the island's owner had proved it to be true.

For some reason, the Greek billionaire seemed to enjoy her company, and it was in fact why he had deigned – his exact choice of word – to help her with this morning's chores.

With Ezio down with a migraine, Pollyanna had told Kyr regretfully that she would have to cancel on today's activity. Aside from gathering flowers, she also had to prepare them for deliveries and perform the other tasks that Ezio wouldn't be able to take care of.

Kyr had simply hung up after her forlorn speech, and she had still been struggling to sniff back her tears when he showed up at the fields, dressed for field duties.

It had been an incredibly touching sight, and if she hadn't been convinced that she was in love with him, well, that had totally underscored the nature of her feelings.

Kyr suddenly turned towards her, catching Pollyanna staring at him. His lips curved in a knowing smirk, and she felt her cheeks heating in response.

"Like what you're looking at?" His tone was all sexy arrogance.

Her flush deepened, and she asked in a mixture of exasperation and genuine amazement, "How can you be so immodest?"

But this only made the billionaire throw his head back in laughter, the sound as irresistible as the rest of him.

When they were done, it was almost nine in the morning and she invited unthinkingly, "Would you like to come back to the house and have a drink first?"

The billionaire's gaze became hooded. "Thank you for the offer, psaraki, but I'm good at waiting here."

Oh. She had forgotten again. Forcing a smile, she said, "Then I'll just be as quick as I can." Taking the two huge baskets of roses with her, she hurried away, fighting back tears all the while.

Kyr looked after her broodingly, knowing that he had hurt her again. But there was nothing he could do. He would never set foot back in the Floros' household, not even for someone as genuinely, naively nice as Pollyanna.

While waiting for Polly's return, Kyr absently cast his mind back on the past seven days. Ever since their accidental meeting by the beach, he had found himself spending all of his free time with the eighteen-year-old girl...platonically.

After her shocking the hell out of him by choosing to be with his "non-playboy" side, Kyr had shocked himself even more by still wanting to get to know her. That first day, he had taken her to the best spot for snorkeling and, afterwards, had invited her to dinner.