by Maya Banks
There’s also a small kitchenette, so if you want anything, you’ve only to let the flight attendant know.”
Her eyes widened. “Flight attendant? You have one for the plane?”
“Of course. She travels with the pilot. They’re a husband and wife team. It’s an arrangement that suits them well. Now, would you like a window or an aisle seat?”
“Window,” she said.
He carefully settled her in place and then took the seat next to her. Before fastening his seat belt, he reached over and gingerly buckled hers into place, leaving it loose around her belly.
The flight attendant walked up with a smile and greeted Piers. Then she turned her smile on Jewel. “I’m very happy to meet you, Mrs. Anetakis. If there is anything I can get you during the flight, don’t hesitate to ask. We’ll be cleared for take off shortly. Would you like something to drink while you wait?”
Jewel shook her head. “No thank you. I’m fine for now.”
Minutes later, they taxied down the runway and took off. Jewel leaned her head on Piers’s shoulder and snuggled into his warmth. As curious as she was to see the rest of the plane, getting up and moving hurt too much. She was perfectly content to remain here for the duration of the flight.
“You’re still not going to tell me where we are?” Jewel asked several hours later as their car wound its way along a curving highway.
Piers smiled. “Patience, yineka mou. I think you’ll find it’s well worth the wait.”
She sighed and relaxed in her seat. Wherever they were, it was beautiful and unspoiled. She’d lay odds it was in the Caribbean or some similar tropical place. Were they going to one of his hotels?
They stopped at a security gate where Piers punched in a code. Huge iron gates swung slowly open, and they continued up the drive.
Lush greenery abounded. It was like driving into a private paradise. Flowers, plants, fountains and even a mini waterfall cascaded over rocks in the distance.
And then she saw the house. Her mouth fell open at the sight of the stunning cottage, well if you could call something so huge a cottage. But despite its size, it had the look of a cozy, stone cottage. It looked positively homey.
“Is this where we’re staying for the time being?” she asked when the car pulled to a stop beside another large fountain with flowers floating serenely in the pool surrounding it.
“This is your house, yineka mou. It now belongs to us.”
She was struck positively speechless.
“But the best is yet to come,” he said.
She watched him walk around the front of the car and wondered how on earth it could get any better?
He helped her from the car and motioned his security men who were standing several feet away. They quickly disappeared while Piers put a strong arm around her waist and urged her toward a walkway leading around the house.
And then she heard it. The distant sounds of waves crashing. She inhaled deeply, catching the salty air in her nostrils.
“Oh Piers,” she breathed.
They topped a small rise between a section of gardens and the wooden deck jutting from the house over a sharp cliff. She looked out and all she could see was a great expanse of ocean. Brilliant blue, so stunning it almost hurt her eyes to look at. It sparkled like a million sapphires.
The walkway continued, smooth in places and at other areas it became a series of steps leading down to the beach. The house was situated on the cliff in a secluded cove between two outcroppings. It afforded them a small stretch of sandy beach, completely private.
It was the most magnificent view she could have imagined. And it was theirs.
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered. “This is my dream, Piers. I can’t believe this is ours.”
“It’s yours, yineka mou. My wedding gift to you. I have it on good authority it comes equipped with a full staff, including a certain chef you’ve grown extraordinarily fond of.”
She threw her arms around him, ignoring the painful jolt to her incision. “Thank you. It’s so wonderful, Piers. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you.”
“By taking good care of yourself and my daughter,” he said seriously. “I don’t want you taking the pathway down to the beach unless I’m with you.”
“I promise,” she said joyfully. Right now she’d promise him the moon.
“Come inside. Dinner has been held for us. We’ll eat on the terrace and watch the sun go down.”
She went eagerly, anxious to see the inside of the house. He gave her a quick tour of the downstairs before they walked onto the deck in the back. Their places had been set, and she eased into her chair to wait for the food.
“It’s so gorgeous,” she said in awe. She was completely and utterly overwhelmed by the knowledge that she lived here now, that this place was hers. It was all simply too good to be true.
“I’m glad you like it. I was afraid I wouldn’t have everything in place before you were released from the hospital.”
“You didn’t already own it?”
“I had my representatives looking for just the perfect place the day you told me where you’d like to live more than anywhere else. When they found this place, I knew it was perfect. The sale isn’t quite final, but I convinced the owner to allow us to take possession of it until all the paperwork can be finished.”
She was unable to keep the wide smile from forming on her face. “That’s the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me.”
He put his hand over hers, his palm warm and soothing. “Tell me, yineka mou. Has anyone ever done a wonderful thing for you? I get the impression yours has not been an easy life.”
She stiffened and tried to withdraw her hand, but he wouldn’t allow it. His grip tightened around her fingers, but his touch stayed soothing the entire time.
“What is it you won’t tell me?” he asked quietly. “Surely there should be no secrets between a man and his wife.”
She turned away to stare at the ocean, the breeze blowing across her cheeks and drying the invisible tears she shed.
“It’s nothing so dramatic,” she said matter of factly. “My parents died when I was very young. I barely remember them, and even now I wonder if the people I remember aren’t just one of the many foster families I was shuttled through.”
“You had no relatives to take care of you?”
She shook her head. “None that would, anyway.”
A young woman came out then carrying a tray of food, and Jewel sighed in relief. She didn’t miss Piers’s frown, which told her the conversation wasn’t closed, just delayed.
Still, nothing good would come of her rehashing the past.
They ate in companionable silence. Jewel enjoyed the sounds and smells of the ocean and found herself more relaxed than she’d been in longer than she could remember.
As the sun dipped lower on the horizon, the sky faded to soft hues of pink and purple with threads of gold spreading from the disappearing sun. The ocean shimmered in the distance, reflecting the brilliance of the sunset.
She hadn’t realized she’d long since stopped eating, so entranced by the view was she. Only when the maid returned to collect the dinner plates, did Jewel break from her reverie.
“You look tired, yineka mou,” Piers said gently. “I think I should take you upstairs so you can get ready for bed.”
She yawned and then chuckled at how easily she’d given herself away. “Bed sounds really good right now. Does the bedroom have windows we can open? I’d love to be able to hear the ocean.”
“I think you’ll find the view from our bedroom magnificent, and we can certainly open the windows if that is your wish.”
He helped her to her feet and they returned inside. They took the stairs slowly, and she bit her lip when the upward movement put awkward pressure around the area of her incision. Her entire belly felt bruised and tender.
When they entered the master bedroom, she let out a sound of pure delight. The entire back wall that f
aced the ocean was glassed in from floor to ceiling. She left Piers’s side to peer over the water, her palms pressed to the cool glass.
Her throat suspiciously tight, she turned to face Piers. “This has been the most wonderful day. Thank you so much.”
“I’m glad you approve,” he said huskily.
She returned her attention to the view, watching as the last bits of the orange glow from the sun disappeared into the sea.
“What about your work? Your hotels?”
He came to stand beside her, studying the ocean with her.
“Most of my work can be handled from here. I have a phone, my computer and a fax machine. There will be times I need to travel. Up to now, I’ve always done the bulk of the traveling, but I find myself unwilling to continue on that track. Either my brothers will have to help shoulder the load or we’ll hire someone to do most of the traveling.”
“You won’t miss it?” she asked lightly.
“A few months ago I would have said yes, very much, but now I find myself more reluctant to be away from my wife and our child.”
Warmth spread through her chest. How like a family they sounded. She wasn’t entirely certain what had caused him to change his tune, but she had no desire to question it. She only hoped it lasted.
Fifteen
F or the next several days, Jewel rested and recovered under the watchful eye of Piers and the staff he’d hired. It seemed odd at first to have other people in the house, but they blended so seamlessly into the background that Jewel quickly became accustomed to their presence.
Piers even had a physician come to the house to check her incision and remove the staples so she wouldn’t have to make the trip into town.
In short, she was spoiled and pampered endlessly, and she was fast becoming bored out of her mind. She was positively dying to explore her surroundings. A trip down to the beach was foremost on her wish list, but she also wanted to go beyond the grounds of their estate and see the rest of the island.
According to Piers, the island was small and not yet discovered by the many tourists that flocked to the Caribbean. Fishing was the main source of industry for the locals. There were plans to build an elaborate resort, an exclusive playground for the wealthy where no expense would be spared and guests would be lavished with personal attention.
The goal was to keep the island as private and as unspoiled as possible while still providing an influx of capital for the locals.
Jewel broached the subject of a trip down to the beach over breakfast, the day after the doctor had removed her staples and pronounced her fit.
Piers frowned for a moment. “I’m not sure you should be descending the stairs this soon after your surgery, yineka mou.”
“But I’ll have you to hang on to,” she cajoled. “Please, Piers. I’m about to go stir-crazy. I’ve watched from a distance for so long, I’m beginning to feel like I’m viewing postcards.”
He smiled. “I find I can deny you nothing. All right. After breakfast we’ll go down to the beach. I’ll have the cook prepare a picnic lunch.”
She bounced on her seat like an excited child. “Thank you. I can’t wait to see it!”
“Be sure and wear some comfortable shoes. I don’t want you slipping on the steps.”
She smiled at his solicitousness. How perfect things were right now. Gone was the feeling that at any moment her world could come crashing down around her. If only…if only he’d open up to her.
For days she’d argued with herself, vacillated from having the courage to ask and having it disappear. The other problem was that if she managed to get him to talk to her about his past then she’d be forced to speak of her own.
Soon, she promised herself. But not this morning. Nothing was going to ruin their outing to the beach.
Picnic basket in one hand, his other firmly wrapped around hers, Piers made his way down the steps carved into the face of the cliff. With each downward movement, the sounds of the ocean got louder and Jewel became more excited.
When their feet finally hit the sand, Jewel stopped and looked up at the impressive rocky cliffs looming over and around them, isolating their stretch of beach from the rest of the world.
“It’s like we’re in our own little world,” she said in awe.
Piers smiled. “No one can see you except by boat, and I have it on good authority the locals don’t fish this end of the island.”
“Conjures up all sorts of naughty possibilities, doesn’t it?”
His eyes glittered in response. “You can be sure once you are well that I’ll be all too willing to indulge in some of those possibilities.”
She laughed and kicked off her shoes, digging her toes into the warm sand. Unable to resist the lure of the foaming waves, she hurried toward the water’s edge, anxious to feel the water swirling around her ankles.
The cascading water met her and rushed over her feet. She threw out her arms to embrace the breeze and smiled in absolute delight as her hair billowed behind her. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deep and wished she could stop time, right here in this perfect moment.
“You look like a sea nymph,” Piers said. “More beautiful than a woman should be allowed to look.”
She turned to see him standing beside her, his pants rolled up to his knees, his feet bare.
“Is it safe to swim here?”
He nodded.
“We’ll have to do it sometime.”
“You look happy, yineka mou. Have I made you so?”
The vulnerability that flashed in his dark eyes made her catch her breath. This strong, arrogant man was as human as the next person. Not questioning the wisdom of doing so, she flung herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck.
“You’re so good to me, Piers. You do make me so very happy.”
Tentatively, he returned her embrace and as she pulled her head away to look at him, their eyes met. Their lips were but an inch apart, and she licked hers nervously, in anticipation of what she knew was about to happen.
Instead of waiting on him, she pulled him close, fitting her mouth to his. He seemed willing to let her dictate the pace, and she explored his mouth thoroughly, learning every nuance, his taste, feeling the warmth of his tongue.
His fingers were a soft whisper against her neck. They delved farther into her hair, holding her closer as she deepened the kiss. The salt from the ocean danced on their tongues, mixing with the heady sweetness of their passion.
Finally she pulled away, gazing up at him through half-lidded eyes. “And do I make you happy?” she asked huskily.
He ran his thumb over her cheekbone, stroking to the corner of her mouth. “You make me very happy.”
She smiled brilliantly at him then grabbed his hand and tugged him farther down the beach. “Come on! Let’s explore.”
Indulgently, he allowed to her to pull him along. They covered every inch of the beach from cliff to cliff. By the time they returned to where the picnic basket lay, she was starving.
“Help me with the blanket,” she said as she unfurled the brightly colored quilt. Laughing, she fought with the billowing material as it refused to cooperate.
“Here, let me.”
Piers wrestled the blanket to the sand and piled their shoes at each corner to hold it down.
“Now hurry and sit before it flies away again,” he said.
She gingerly eased down and dragged the basket into the middle of the quilt. Piers sat beside her and they began divvying up the food.
The sun shone bright above them, and the sand glistened like tiny jewels, scattered to the water’s edge. She sighed and turned her face up into the warmth.
“You look very content, yineka mou. Like a cat sunning herself.”
“Haven’t you ever wished that a single moment could last forever?”
He became pensive as though he were giving her question serious consideration. “No, I can’t say I have, but if I were given to such flights of fancy, then today would be one such time.”
She smiled. “It is perfect, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It is.”
They finished eating, and Jewel lay back on the blanket, enjoying the sounds and smells of the ocean. The warmth of the sun’s rays lulled her to sleep, and before she knew it, she was being shaken awake.
“It’s time to return to the house, yineka mou. The sun will be setting soon.”
She yawned and blinked lazily as his face came into view. She smiled up at him and held up her hand so he could help her.
Together they collected the remnants of their lunch, and Piers packed them and the blanket into the basket. He reached for her hand when they arrived at the bottom of the steps, and she slipped her fingers into his.
Tonight. Tonight she’d broach the subject of his past, and for the first time, she wouldn’t avoid hers. She wanted to know his secrets, the source of the pain she saw lurking in the depths of those shuttered eyes.
Would he share those secrets or would he block her out? And should she press him on something that clearly he had no wish to discuss?
True to his word, after the night Piers had found Jewel on the floor of her bedroom writhing in pain, she’d slept each night in his bed. In deference to her incision, he spooned against her back, and she enjoyed the warmth and security his muscled body offered.
Most nights she wondered if they’d resume their lovemaking after the tenderness left her abdomen. Tonight, however, she lay there, cuddled against his chest, gathering her courage to broach the subject of his past.
“Piers?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Carefully she started to turn over to face him.
“Will you tell me who hurt you so badly?”
He went still, and she wished the lamp was on so she could gauge his reaction.
“Who made you so distrustful of women?” she continued on. “And why is it that you don’t want this to be your child.”
He put a finger on her lips. “That’s where you’re wrong, yineka mou. I want her to be mine very much.”
Jewel cocked her head to the side. “But you seem so convinced that she isn’t.”
He turned on his back to stare up at the ceiling. She tentatively cuddled into the crook of his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. When he didn’t resist, she relaxed, allowing her fingers to trail through the hairs on his chest.
“Ten years ago I met and fell in love with a woman. Joanna. I was young and stupid and convinced I had the world by the tail.”
“Don’t we all at that age,” she said with a slight smile.
He chuckled. “I suppose you’re right. Anyway, she became pregnant, and so we married right away.”
Jewel winced at the similarities but remained quiet as he continued.
“She gave birth to a boy. We named him Eric. I adored him. I was as happy as a man can be. I had a beautiful wife who seemed devoted to me. I had a son. What more could I ask for?”
Jewel’s mouth turned down unhappily. She could only imagine what he’d say next.
“And then one day I came home to find her packing. Eric was two years old. I remember him crying the entire time I tried to reason with Joanna. I couldn’t understand why she was leaving. There hadn’t seemed to be any problems. I had no warning.
“Finally, when I told her that she could leave but there was no way in hell I’d let my son go, she told me that he wasn’t my child.”
Jewel sucked in her breath. “And you believed her?”
A derisive sound escaped his lips. “No, I didn’t believe her. But to make a long story short, her lover who she was involved with when she and I met had devised the perfect plan to milk me for all they could. Several months and a paternity test later, it was proved that Eric wasn’t my son. Joanna took him and
