‘But I’ve got opening night at the Castine on Saturday. I have to be there.’
She wondered how he would respond to her putting her job first, but his eyes were impossible to read.
There was a short silence, and then, leaning forward, he kissed her gently. ‘Then we’ll be there.’
For a moment she didn’t register his choice of words, and then suddenly she realised what he’d said.
Taking a breath, she said tentatively, ‘I didn’t know you were planning on coming.’
His gaze was steady and unblinking. ‘I wouldn’t miss it for anything.’
And, tugging her body towards him, he lowered his mouth and deepened the kiss.
* * *
The next two days fell into a pattern. They woke early, then made love until the morning light grew bright enough to wake their son. They had their meals on the terrace, swapping between the pool and the beach as the sun rose. Then, after George had gone to sleep, they retreated to Aristo’s bedroom where they stripped one another naked, making love until they fell asleep.
It was the hottest day today, and they had gone to the beach in search of a breeze.
Stretching out her legs, Teddie gazed up at the cloudless sky. ‘I forgot to tell you—Elliot texted me.’
Aristo frowned. ‘Is there a problem?’
He watched as she glanced across to where George was jumping over the tiny waves that were undulating across the pale sand. Her uncomplicated connection with their son was still a source of wonder and joy to him. As was the new easiness between them.
She shook her head. ‘No, it’s good news. Apparently Edward’s invited a whole bunch of his celebrity friends to come to the opening night. There’s a tennis player, some actors, and that singer who sang at the Super Bowl—I can’t remember her name.’
Picking up her hand, Aristo kissed it. ‘It doesn’t matter. They’re going to love you.’
Teddie smiled automatically. But not as much as I love you.
Her heart beat faster as he leaned forward and brushed a few grains of sand from her arm, apparently unmoved by her words.
Unsurprisingly, as they’d been inside her head.
She glanced up at him, and then quickly away. Why was she being so spineless about this? It was the perfect opportunity to tell him the truth, but the words stayed stubbornly in her throat as he laced his fingers with hers.
‘Of course they probably won’t all turn up.’ She smiled.
‘They will. And I’ll be there too,’ he whispered, nuzzling her neck, his warm breath making her pulse jump.
‘Thank you for doing this.’ She gave his hand a quick squeeze. ‘You’ll probably find it insanely dull as you already know all my tricks.’
His eyes gleamed. ‘Not all of them,’ he softly. ‘If last night was anything to go by.’
He had never felt so relaxed. No—not just relaxed, he thought reflectively. He felt liberated. Not only had he won Teddie back, he hadn’t thought about work for days. Of course he was checking his email, once in the morning and once again in the evening, but the project he’d been working towards for years no longer seemed quite as important as the woman sitting beside him and their son.
How could anything compete with getting to know George and sharing his bed with Teddie?
He glanced down at their hands, at the way her fingers were entwined with his. And it wasn’t just about sex. He wanted to hear her laugh, to make her laugh. He wanted to watch her fix her hair into that complicated bun thing that seemed to defy gravity. To hear her mischievous voice as she pretended to be the lonely giraffe in George’s favourite bedtime story.
Four years ago he’d always had a sense that she was holding herself back, and he’d mistakenly assumed it was because she wasn’t committed to him. Now, though, she had admitted the truth about her past. He had gained her trust. And that knowledge was an aphrodisiac more potent than any sexual act.
He looked up as, pulling her hand free, she nipped his arm with her fingers.
‘You’re about to be taken off the guest list,’ she said threateningly, but she was laughing.
He grinned. ‘Wouldn’t matter. It’s your big night. Whatever happens, I’m going to be there in the front row—that’s a promise.’
She leaned against him. ‘I can’t believe it’s happening.’
She couldn’t. Nor that Aristo was going to be there. It was a touching sign of his commitment both to her and her career. And yet another reason to reveal the depth of her feelings.
But right now she needed to concentrate on her upcoming show. She never got stage fright on the night, but in the days running up to a performance her nerves always got the better of her. And she hadn’t so much as picked up a deck of cards for nearly two weeks.
Thankfully she’d brought a couple of packs with her, and now, leaving George and Aristo building an elaborate fortress out of sand on the beach, she returned to the villa and worked her way through her repertoire of tricks, some of which had taken five years to perfect.
As usual, she lost track of time, and it was only when she heard the sound of Dinos’s motorboat, returning from its morning trip to the market, that she realised how long she’d been practising.
Packing away her cards, she ran quickly through the villa, down to the beach.
‘Sorry,’ she said breathlessly. ‘I didn’t realise how late it was.’
‘Look what we built, Mommy!’
Grabbing Teddie by the hand, George hauled her over to where Aristo stood grinning beside a huge sandcastle.
‘Wow! That’s amazing! I think that is the best sandcastle I’ve ever seen.’
Eyes dancing, she stood on tiptoe and kissed Aristo softly on the mouth.
‘And the biggest!’
Drawing her closer, he laughed.
‘Daddy, can you take a picture?’
‘Yes, of course he can, darling.’ Teddie glanced down at her son. ‘Do you want to be in it?’
Pulling out his phone, Aristo took a step backwards.
‘Okay—hold your spade up, George.’
Aristo held his arm above his eyes to shield them from the sun, and was just starting to crouch down when his phone vibrated.
‘Hang on a minute...’ Glancing down at the screen, he frowned. ‘I’m going to have to take this.’
Teddie watched in confusion as he held the phone up to his ear.
‘What?’ he said tersely. ‘Well, can you explain to me why that’s even happening?’
Without even looking back, he began walking away.
‘Mommy?’ George was standing beside her, staring uncertainly after his father. ‘Where’s Daddy going?’
‘He’s just got to talk to somebody. He’ll be back in a couple of minutes,’ she said quickly.
But five minutes later Aristo was still talking.
As Teddie tried to distract their son she could see Aristo out of the corner of her eye, pacing in circles, still talking, his shoulders braced.
It was obvious the call was work-related and, judging by the palpable frustration in his voice, there was some kind of problem—but was it really that urgent?
After another five minutes she took a reluctant George back up to the villa, having promised that Daddy would definitely not forget to take a photo of his sandcastle.
Standing in the living room, she gazed down at the beach, feeling her frustration starting to rise. But Aristo was the CEO of a huge global company, and she couldn’t really begrudge him one phone call, no matter how long-winded. She was just lucky to have Elliot at home, fielding any potential work problems for her.
She glanced down to where Aristo was still pacing across the sand. It was obviously not a happy conversation, but a cup of his favourite sketos coffee would help restore his mood.
She was just about to head off to the kitchen
when she saw him heading up the steps from the beach, moving fast, the phone still pressed his ears.
‘I agree. I can’t see a way round it. Okay. Thanks, Mike. We’ll speak on the flight.’
Striding past her into the room, he tossed his phone onto one of the sofas. His jaw was tense, the skin of his face stretched taut across his cheekbones and, her heart hammering against her ribs, she stood in silence, feeling invisible, extraneous, frozen out.
‘Is everything okay?’
He turned and stared at her blankly, almost as if he didn’t know who she was, and then, frowning, he shook his head. ‘No, it’s not.’ His eyes narrowed and he ran his hand over his jawline. ‘But it’s my own fault. This is what happens when I go off-grid.’
‘What’s happened?’
The air around him seemed to vibrate with tension.
‘There’s a problem in Dubai. For some incomprehensible reason they’ve been using single-use bottles out there and I need them replaced.’
Was that all? She felt a rush of relief. ‘It’s obviously just a mistake. Surely all you have to do is get someone to replace them?’
He stared at her impatiently.
‘This isn’t just about replacing bottles, Teddie. Leonidas hotels and resorts are supposed to be eco-friendly. If this gets out it’s going to look like I’m greenwashing my business, and I can’t have publicity like that—particularly when I’m about to float the company.’
Glancing down at his swim-shorts, he grimaced.
‘I need to change,’ he muttered and, turning, he began walking purposefully towards the stairs.
Change? She followed him, feeling slightly off balance.
‘Are we going somewhere?’
He stopped, one foot on the first step, and to her agitated mind, he looked ominously like a sprinter waiting for the starter gun to be fired.
‘Not we.’ Turning, he locked his eyes with hers.
‘I don’t—’
‘You don’t need to go anywhere.’
Finishing her sentence, he smiled politely and she had a rush of déjà-vu—a familiar unsettling sensation of being demoted to ‘any other business’.
‘Look, this shouldn’t take more than a couple of days,’ he said calmly. ‘Melina and Dinos will take care of you while I’m away.’
She felt a head-rush, his words pulling the blood away from her heart.
‘What? You’re going to Dubai?’ Her legs felt flimsy suddenly, and she reached out to grip the bannister. ‘Now? Can’t you send someone else?’
He stared past her, his features hard and closed. He could see the confusion in her eyes, and the disappointment in her clenched fists, and it hurt knowing that he was the cause, but he couldn’t risk handing this over to someone else.
‘Of course not. I need to be on the ground. I’ll need to talk to the staff, and if anything’s leaked out then I’ll need to talk to the media. Otherwise it’ll look as though I don’t care about the promises I make.’
‘Promises?’
Her grip against the bannister tightened. There was an ache inside her chest, cold and dark and heavy, spreading like an ink stain. ‘What about the promises you made to me?’ she heard herself saying.
His eyes didn’t so much as flicker. ‘Teddie, this is important. Otherwise—’
She cut him off. ‘You said I was important to you,’ she said flatly. ‘You promised me that this time it was going to be good between us. You promised that you’d be at the opening of the Castine. In the front row.’
He frowned. ‘And I will be—’
‘How?’ She interrupted him again. ‘The opening show is on Saturday. Did you forget? Or maybe you just don’t care.’
He said nothing and the chill seemed to spread to her limbs.
Aristo stared at her in silence. Her accusations stung—primarily because he couldn’t deny them. He hadn’t forgotten about her show, but he’d downgraded its importance—obviously, how could he not have done? There were always going to be other shows, but if he didn’t go to Dubai then he would be jeopardising everything.
‘Of course I care. That’s why I’m going to Dubai.’ His face felt so rigid with tension that it hurt to speak. ‘Look, I don’t want to leave you—’
‘So don’t!’ Her eyes were fierce, the green blazing like the Aurora Borealis. ‘Stay here with us—that’s what you said you wanted.’
He stared at her, their conversation washing over him like the waves outside, pulling him in and drawing him away all at the same time.
He didn’t want to leave her, but they couldn’t stay here for ever, and this happening now was a reminder of what was at stake back in the real world—what he risked losing. Teddie might have told him that she didn’t care about money and status, and he believed her, but now that she’d agreed to marry him he was determined that this time it would be perfect.
And if things got out of hand in Dubai then that wouldn’t happen.
Glancing over, he saw that her eyes were too bright, but he let his anger block the misery twisting in his throat. He hadn’t planned any of this, and he had no choice but to fix it in person. So why was she making it so hard? Just for once couldn’t she just give him her unconditional support?
Reaching out, he took both her hands and, gripping them tightly, pulled her closer. ‘Of course I care. Look, it’s just one show. And I wouldn’t be going to Dubai if there was any other option. But I can’t risk the damage it will do to my reputation.’
Nor the knock-on consequences that damage would have when he came to issue a share price—because that was his goal. Then he would be able to join the business elite and leave his rivals in the dust.
That was his priority, in his role as husband and father.
Teddie swallowed past the lump in her throat.
She didn’t recognise the man standing in front of her. Had he really just spent hours building a sandcastle with their son? Looking down at his hands, she felt her heart contract. She could feel his pulse beating frantically, urgently through his fingertips, and suddenly she understood.
This wasn’t about some mess in Dubai, or his business reputation, this was about a childhood spent trying to win the love of his mother. And now he was trying to do the same with her and George. To earn their love.
That was why work mattered so much to him and why he wanted his name to be indelible.
But what would happen if he found out he was already loved? Unconditionally. Now and for ever. Maybe she could quiet the urgency inside him.
‘I don’t want you to go,’ she said softly. Looking up into his eyes, she smiled unsteadily. ‘And you don’t need to go. If you don’t ever float your business, whatever that means, it won’t change how I feel about you, or how George feels about you.’
She cleared her throat.
‘I love you, Aristo.’
Silence.
His dark eyes rested on her face and then, lifting her hands to his mouth, he kissed first one and then the other gently.
‘I can’t do this now.’
His voice was quiet, careful, almost as though he was scared of breaking something.
She stared at him, her heartbeat slowing. She’d never told anyone she loved them before—not even Aristo. Other phrases of love, maybe, but not those three specific words. But she knew that the correct response wasn’t, ‘I can’t do this now.’
‘Is that all you’re going to say?’ she said shakily. ‘I just told you I love you...’
‘I can’t, Teddie.’ He let go of her hands.
Her chest was too tight, and then she felt her veins flood with shock and misery as she realised that what he’d been scared of breaking was her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She’d thought she knew what heartbreak felt like but she’d been wrong.
‘I’m sorry
,’ he said stiffly. ‘I really need to change. We can talk properly when—’
Her body felt numb, and it took an effort to shake her head. ‘There’s nothing to talk about.’
What was there to say? That she had stupidly fallen in love with a man who saw marriage as a means of tying up loose ends? She wasn’t even going to try and deny the sexual chemistry between them, but everyone knew that passion burnt itself out. And if she hadn’t been the mother of the heir to the Leonidas empire their relationship would no doubt have ended when they’d finally satisfied their hunger for one another.
He frowned. ‘We’ll talk when I get back. If you don’t want to stay here, then go to the apartment. I’ll make arrangements.’
‘There’s no need.’ She was striving for calm. This wasn’t going to turn into some slanging match. At least then this trip would be a happy memory for George. ‘We won’t be moving into the apartment. I’m not going to marry you, Aristo.’
His eyes narrowed. She could feel his disbelief, his frustration.
‘Because I’m flying to Dubai? Don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?’
Time seemed to wind back four years, and suddenly it was as though they were back in the bedroom of that tall tower in New York, when he’d told he was going on yet another business trip.
She shook her head. ‘No, I don’t. This isn’t about you flying to Dubai, it’s about us being honest—or did you forget that too?’
He didn’t respond, but his jaw tightened. ‘I have been honest. I didn’t plan this mess, and I can’t just delegate it to someone else.’
He looked so serious, and so very beautiful, and she loved him so much, but it wasn’t enough to make her turn a blind eye like her mother had done. She knew Aristo was telling the truth—only they were small, inconsequential truths. She needed security in her and George’s life, the emotional not the financial kind, and there was nothing to be gained by avoiding the bigger, uglier truths.
She took a deep breath. ‘Just tell me the truth. Would you honestly have asked me to marry you if I hadn’t had George?’
Demanding His Secret Son Page 16
