by Andie Brock
‘No, I’ve not forgotten.’ Nikos’s brows met in a scowl. ‘How could I forget when you’ve just confirmed that the only reason you are here is to save your precious business. You are still doing something you would rather not do, aren’t you, Kate? You can dress it up however you like—present it as an homage to your father if it makes you feel better—but you are still using my money for your own gain. You are effectively still just paying the bills.’
Kate blinked hard against his bitter words. Nikos had no right to hurl such accusations at her when they were both in the same boat. They were both using each other for their own gain. But what was the point of arguing? What could she say, anyway, that wouldn’t either confirm that he was right or, far worse, betray what he really meant to her?
‘So are we done talking?’ With a note of triumph, Nikos took her silence as a victory.
‘Yes, Nikos.’ Kate looked down. ‘We are done talking.’
‘Kalos. Good. If it’s any consolation I will endeavour to make your ordeal as short as possible. Rest assured I will do everything within my power to secure Sofia’s guardianship as quickly as I can.’
‘Thank you.’ Kate swallowed hard. ‘I know you will.’
‘And just so you know...’ Nikos moved closer, so she had no alternative but to meet his glittering gaze. ‘As of now our honeymoon is officially terminated. For the time being, at least, you are free to return to New York and carry on your life with no interference from me. I will be in contact again when I hear from the courts.’
‘Thank you,’ Kate repeated quietly. But never had an expression of gratitude rung so hollow or felt so desperately painful to deliver.
CHAPTER TWELVE
CLICKING ON THE SPREADSHEET, Kate stared at the sales figures in amazement. They had shot up, reaching levels way beyond anything she would have conjured up in her wildest dreams only a few weeks ago. With the company’s creditors paid off and the order books full again, Kandy Kate had swung into full production once more—the only problem now being how they would meet the demand.
Kate’s meeting with Charles Lewis, the CEO of Rosebury’s, had been a success. Although, still reeling from her fight with Nikos, she wasn’t sure how she had even got through the meeting, let alone managed to secure a deal. But it seemed that American candy was in vogue in Europe at the moment, and in Britain in particular. Rosebury’s wanted to market the Kandy Kate brand as an offshoot of their own hugely successful confectionary company. Charles Lewis liked the retro feel, apparently. And he liked her.
He’d been prepared to shake on it there and then, and once news of the deal had hit the stock market, Kandy Kate had been back—big-time. Suddenly everyone was talking about it.
But Kate could take no pleasure from it, felt no pride in her sense of achievement. Instead there was just an empty longing for what could never be. For Nikos. Seeing him again, being with him, had confirmed her worst fears. He had stolen a part of her that could never be replaced. She would never be whole without him.
The phone beside her rang and Kate stretched out a hand to reach it. ‘Kate O’Connor.’
‘Hi, darling, it’s your mother.’
Fiona O’Connor hardly needed to explain who she was, her drawl was instantly recognisable.
‘Hi, Mom. How are you?’ With Kate’s mother, this was always a loaded question.
‘I’m very well, darling. I’ve just had another cognitive behavioural therapy session and, do you know, I really believe I am beginning to feel the benefit?’
‘That’s great, Mom, I’m so pleased.’
‘We’re working on letting go of the past and focussing on my current issues.’
‘Okay...’ That sounded like something Kate herself should be doing.
‘Tom—that’s my personal CB therapist—is the sweetest guy. Nothing is too much trouble for him.’
‘So you’ve settled in well at the clinic? You’re happy there?’
Fiona had recently started a twelve-week residential programme at a well-known healing centre in California.
‘Darling, it’s wonderful—like the most exclusive hotel. The facilities are first-class and the food is out of this world.’
‘I’m glad, Mom.’ Kate smiled, feeling a little of the weight of responsibility lift from her shoulders. Her mother did seem much happier.
‘Goodness knows what it must be costing, though.’
‘I’ve told you—you don’t need to worry about that.’
‘I know, darling. And I am so thrilled you’re making such a success of Kandy Kate now. Your daddy would have been very proud of you.’
Kate swallowed down the familiar lump in her throat that appeared whenever she thought of her father.
‘And how’s Nikos?’ Kate heard Fiona lean into the phone, her voice suddenly conspiratorial.
Kate hesitated. ‘He’s fine. As far as I know.’
‘I’m so pleased everything worked out between you two. I only wish I could have been there for your wedding.’
‘Yes, Mom, you already said.’ Fiona had done a complete turnaround regarding Nikos’s suitability for marrying her daughter, which had been directly and shamelessly directed by the changes in fortune of the two of them. ‘Like I told you before, it was just us and a couple of witnesses.’
‘I know... I know.’ Fiona sighed theatrically. ‘But promise me you’ll arrange a meeting for the three of us soon—when I’m back in New York. I want to congratulate Nikos in person...welcome him to the family.’
Kate made a non-committal noise. She and Nikos would most likely have gone their separate ways by then, and even if they hadn’t it was highly unlikely that Nikos would want to see her mother. Fiona had treated Nikos appallingly when they had first met. Something that still made Kate cringe with embarrassment whenever she thought about it.
‘Where is Nikos now?’
Clearly picking up on Kate’s hesitation, Fiona honed in on it.
‘He’s in Athens.’
‘Oh, darling, that’s no way to start a marriage.’ Her mother’s voice turned all wistful and concerned. ‘You two should be together, making the most of this precious time.’
‘It’s called work, Mom.’ Kate clenched her teeth. ‘Something we all have to do to pay the bills.’
‘Yes, of course, darling. I know. I can be terribly selfish. I hope I’m not too much of a burden to you?’
‘You’re not a burden, Mom.’ Kate drew in a breath. You’re my mother and I love you. Getting you well is all that matters.’
‘Thank you, darling.’ There was a rustle on the line. ‘Why, look at the time! I’m going to be late for my massage. Speak soon, darling. Bye!’
‘Bye, Mom.’
Kate turned back to her computer. The business was doing well. Her mother seemed much improved. These were two big positives, directly related to her temporary marriage to Nikos.
She had done the right thing even if it didn’t feel like it.
It was over a month since she had last seen Nikos. A month that had seen a wall of silence, with no communication from him at all. But still Kate’s every thought was full of him. Still she woke every morning with his name on her lips, her heart racing from wild dreams of passion and panic and loss.
Still it felt as if she had an ice pick embedded in her heart.
* * *
Nikos curled his toes over the edge of the rock and after taking in a breath performed a perfect swallow dive, hitting the surface with smooth precision. The water felt like silk against his tense muscles and he started a fast crawl out to sea, where the horizon was beginning to turn to liquid gold.
Further and further out he swam, concentrating on the power of his strokes, the next intake of breath, the sense of being at one with the sea. It felt good, blotting everything out like this, focussing solely on putting as much distance between himself and the sh
ore as he could, leaving his life behind him.
But the relief was only temporary. With his muscles starting to complain, his chest burning, Nikos finally slowed his pace and turned onto his back, surprised to see how far he had swum. Reluctantly he started to head back. Because there was no escape from his life.
These past few weeks he had tried—God knew he had tried—but nothing had worked. Nothing could rid him of the presence of Kate in his head—the torment, the temptation, the wild intensity of feelings that grabbed him by the throat and shook him till he rattled.
After leaving London he had flown to Athens, where his company headquarters were based. Seeking refuge in work again, he had driven himself harder, pushed himself further, intent on finding some sort of normality in the cut and thrust of a business deal or the quiet security of figures and spreadsheets.
But there was no normality to be had. No matter how much he tried to distract himself, everything came back to Kate.
His reaction to that photograph in the newspaper had been extreme. The shock of seeing her like that had overridden every rational thought. Caught up in his initial fury, he had assumed that Kate had to be guilty in some way, that she must have come on to this guy, or allowed him to come on to her, and things had got out of hand. His every instinct had been screaming at him that Kate couldn’t be trusted, that she was a liability, a ticking time bomb.
But as the days had passed reason had crept in. She would hardly have been initiating sex with a stranger in a pub’s beer garden with a crowd of people around her, including Sofia. Maybe he shouldn’t have reacted so violently. Maybe he should have listened to her explanation.
But the fact was it had happened, and it had been plastered all over the press. And if the Greek courts chose to believe it, it would pose a real threat to his becoming Sofia’s guardian. That in itself was enough to settle a red mist over him.
He had contacted the courts straight away—ostensibly to enquire as to how the case was proceeding, but really to put out feelers to see if he could sense any change of mood. He hadn’t detected anything untoward, but even so he’d followed it up with more communication, stressing the need to have the court hearing as soon as possible, trying to speed the process up.
He wasn’t sure how far he was getting with that, but at least he wasn’t sensing any new issues holding it up. Maybe they had got away with it.
That was one small comfort. But it wasn’t enough. It couldn’t douse the fire in his belly that still raged for Kate—for who she was, for what she had done to him, for everything she meant to him.
With his turmoil impacting on the way he worked, the treatment of his staff, it had finally fallen to his PA to tell him to stop behaving like such a jerk. Not that she had phrased it quite like that, but he had got the message.
Lovely Madeline...who had worked with him ever since he had opened his office...who brought in homemade pastries...who came in early, stayed late...for whom nothing was too much trouble. Madeline who had proudly presented him with a wedding gift on the first day of his return to the office—an elaborately wrapped affair that he still hadn’t had the heart to open, accompanied by a huge card signed by all his Athens staff.
Clearly she had drawn the short straw, as she had nervously approached him one day and suggested that he needed a break from work. That maybe he should return to Crete for a while. She had told him that she would take care of things at the office. Anyone else and he would have bitten their heads off, fired them on the spot for their impudence. But looking into Madeline’s soft, wise eyes he had found himself agreeing. Thinking maybe she was right.
She had put his private jet on standby before he’d even got back to his desk.
Back on the shore, Nikos roughly towelled himself down and pulled on his shorts.
Stepping away from Kate, putting some space between them, had been the right decision. There was nothing to be gained by tormenting each other still further. Certainly nothing to be gained by raking over the past. As far as he was concerned that fateful night was dead and buried—along with the man he had been then. The resentment he felt for Kate and her mother was still there, but picking over the bones would achieve nothing.
But Kate had insisted on dragging it all out, making him say things he hadn’t wanted to say, opening up about his background when he’d had no intention of doing any such thing. She’d even tried to make out that she had found his impoverished state attractive, when they both knew that was a damned lie. She had tried to get him to show her his hurt when all he’d wanted to do was show her his strength.
The longer he’d spent in Kate’s company, the more he’d known he was in danger of being sucked under. He had felt himself weakening, his hard-won resolve slipping through his fingers minute by minute, second by second. With his resistance being steadily chipped away, he had been in danger of becoming completely obsessed with Kate. Again. And look how that had turned out last time.
So he’d had to be strong. To assert his authority and assume command. It was essential that Kate knew who called the shots, who held all the power. Because that was him. He had engineered her back into his life. He had known exactly what he was doing when he had taken her to his bed. He was in control.
Which meant he had to stop his brain from craving more. From making the hideous mistake of thinking that he needed Kate in his life, not just his bed. Of thinking that he wanted to make her his—permanently.
Flinging his towel over his shoulder, he was about to head back to the villa when the fiery sunset blazing across the sky stopped him in his tracks. He stood with his hands on his hips to watch the spectacle. Crete was full of beautiful beaches, but somehow he had been inexorably drawn to this one. To the beach where he had proposed to Kate...to the exact spot where the deed had been done. It was as if he was deliberately torturing himself.
It seemed there was no escaping the memories of her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE AEROPLANE BANKED steeply before starting its descent, giving Kate a slanting picture of the island of Crete below, bathed in early-evening sunshine, the turquoise water fringing white sandy coves, the dense greenery and the craggy mountains further inland. Just beautiful.
She remembered her first sighting of this view. Just starting her European adventure, she had fallen in love with the place before the plane had even landed—had felt excitement bubbling inside her at the thought of being able to spend time somewhere so idyllic. Back then she’d had no idea of what ecstasy and misery the island had in store for her. No premonition that the next few weeks would change her life for ever.
‘If you would like to put on your seat belt, Kyria Nikoladis, we will be landing in ten minutes.’
Kate smiled her thanks at the flight attendant and fastened the buckle around her waist. Her every need had been catered for on this transatlantic flight. Even though Kate had made it clear she could easily take a scheduled flight, Nikos had insisted that she made use of his private jet. No doubt he wanted her back in Crete as fast as possible, with no excuse for any delay.
The phone call had come early yesterday morning.
Kate had imagined Nikos’s impatience, waiting for New York to wake up a full seven hours behind Crete. She’d heard it in his voice when she’d answered, still half asleep, and had felt shock and surprise shooting through her, followed by a wave of anxiety. And all before she had even said hello. It was the first time she had heard from him in weeks.
Nikos needed her back in Crete, apparently. Right away. This he had informed her in a coldly determined way, clearly designed to brook no argument. If he had been expecting her to refuse, to kick off and say she would do no such thing, he needn’t have worried. Kate would honour the agreement between them. Nikos had fulfilled his side of the bargain and she would do the same. That, at least, was clear-cut. Even if everything else between them was a murky pool of misery and regret.
Crossi
ng the concourse towards a waiting limousine, Kate shielded her eyes against the glare of the setting sun. The driver opened the door for her and, taking a deep breath, Kate slid inside.
Disappointment hit her like a sledgehammer. He wasn’t there. Just an empty space where she had hoped Nikos would be. She quickly pulled herself together. Why would he come to meet her? It was hardly as if he was dying to see her.
The journey to Villa Levanda, Nikos’s luxurious home, took no more than twenty minutes. Kate had never been there before. When she had met first Nikos he had been living in a little stone cottage belonging to his cousin. Kate had loved it. She had loved him. Now that humble residence had been swapped for a huge gleaming glass construction perched on the edge of a cliff.
So much had changed. Those reckless young lovers were gone—replaced by level-headed adults making sensible decisions to further their own ends. In theory, at least. Deep down Kate knew she still felt the same. She still loved Nikos with all her heart. And that realisation made each heavy beat more painful than the last.
There was no sign of Nikos when the driver let her in, depositing her small case on the floor beside her and leaving her in the care of the housekeeper, who introduced herself as Agní.
Showing her to her room, Agní fussed about, making sure everything was to her satisfaction, until Kate assured her that it was and that she was going to go straight to bed, because she was exhausted from the travelling. After a quick shower in the gleaming glass bathroom Kate pulled back the white covers on the enormous bed and slid underneath, hoping for the oblivion of sleep.
A tap on the door interrupted her. Suddenly the room was filled with the darkly powerful presence of Nikos, sucking the oxygen out of the air, making Kate’s heart pound.
She scrambled out of bed, instinctively starting to cross the room towards him, then stopped abruptly, asking herself what on earth she thought she was doing, rushing at him as if he would be pleased to see her—as if he was going to gather her in his arms, hold her close, whisper a greeting seductively in her ear. If only.
