by Jennie Lucas
She fell forward onto him, weak and spent. He lifted her in his arms and lowered her to the white bearskin rug in front of the fire. Murmuring her name tenderly, kissing her face, he held her close.
It took Anna several minutes to open her eyes, but when she did Nikos was looking down at her. His dark eyes were fierce, guarded.
“Anna—” he said, then stopped.
She licked her lips uncertainly. Was he already thinking that he’d made a mistake telling her he loved her? Or maybe she’d imagined the whole thing? Suddenly she felt afraid. For a long moment she heard only the low roar of the fire.
He reached down to caress her cheek. “I don’t want to be like Sinistyn. Answer me this one last time, and I promise you I will never ask again.” He took a deep breath. “Will you marry me?”
A rush of relief and joy went through her.
“Yes,” she said.
He visibly exhaled. “Tonight? Right now?”
She snickered, playfully tugging on his ear. “We’ll have to get a license, won’t we? The courthouse closed hours ago.”
“I’ll call the judge at home—”
“No. Let’s do this right. Please.”
“Tomorrow, then?” he growled. “First thing in the morning?”
“All right,” she said, kissing his cheek and smiling.
“You’re really going to marry me?”
“Yes!”
“Say it again,” he ordered, holding her close.
She laughed out of pure happiness. “Nikos, I’ll marry you.”
* * *
As Nikos held Anna in his arms through the long, interminable night, he stared up at the moonlight creeping slowly across the ceiling above the wide bed. He held her close, listening to her sighs of sleep against his bare shoulder. She was so sweet. So trusting.
And he’d deceived her.
I did what I had to do, he told himself fiercely. Anna would be his forever. Michael would have a permanent family. He’d saved his family. He’d matched his wits against hers, laying siege against her heart until it fell, like a golden city overrun by a savage army.
But he’d never thought winning would feel like this.
He’d lied to her. Now, even holding her in his arms, so warm and soft against him, he felt cold. He stared down at her lovely face in the shadows and moonlight. She was smiling in her sleep, pressing her body against his. She was radiating warmth and contentment. She believed that he finally loved her. She believed in happy endings—even for a man like him.
His whole body was racked with tension. But even as he tried to justify what he’d done the thought that she would learn soon enough about his lie pounded through him. She wouldn’t be satisfied with an unlimited bank account in lieu of his love. She would demand things of him—emotion, energy, vulnerability—that he simply couldn’t give. Not even if he tried. He just wasn’t made that way.
And as soon as she found out how she’d been deceived, her joy would be snuffed out like a candle. It would cause the bright new light in her to go out, perhaps forever.
Shortly before dawn he heard snuffling moans from the next room, where Mrs. Burbridge had brought their baby to spend the night. At their son’s cries, Anna stirred in his arms.
She gently pushed out of his embrace and crept into the baby’s room to nurse, before returning back into his bed.
“Nikos?” Anna whispered.
He kept his breathing even, feigning sleep.
“Thank you,” she said, so quietly it was barely audible. “I have the home I dreamed of, the family I dreamed of. I don’t know what I did to deserve this. Thank you for loving me.”
God, this was intolerable. He turned on his side, pulling away from her, every nerve taut. As soon as he was sure she was really asleep, he sat up in bed. Feeling bone-weary, he raked his hands through his hair and rose slowly from the bed.
Glancing at Anna, slumbering peacefully beneath the white goose-down comforter, he came to a decision. He looked at the clock. It was almost six. He’d intended to have her sign the prenuptial agreement as soon as she woke, then drive straight to the courthouse for a license. He’d planned for them to be married at a drive-thru chapel before breakfast.
But, no matter how pure his motives, now that he held her fate in the palm of his hands he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t take her honesty and trust and love and use them as weapons against her. He couldn’t break her heart and destroy her life, no matter how good his motives might be.
Anna Rostoff deserved a man who could love her with his whole heart.
If he wasn’t that man, he had to let her go.
A fine time to grow a conscience, Nikos thought bleakly. Apparently he did have one last bit of honor left.
He gave Anna one final, lingering glance. Her dark hair was sprawled across his pillow, her creamy skin like ivory against the white thousand-count sheets. Her cheeks still glowed pink, a remnant of their lovemaking, and her lips curved into a soft smile as she sighed in her sleep.
It was an image he knew he’d never see again.
* * *
Anna woke in a flood of early morning light with one bright thought: today was her wedding day!
She stretched her limbs against the luxurious sheets with a contented yawn. Her body felt sore. A good kind of sore. She smiled to herself, almost blushing as she remembered everything Nikos had done to her last night. She’d woken up twice for the baby, but, as worn out as she’d been from their lovemaking, with Nikos’s hard body curled protectively around hers she’d still had an amazing night’s sleep.
She glanced over to the wall of windows, revealing the wide blue Nevada sky from the twentieth-floor penthouse. She’d never felt happy like this before. Safe. Optimistic. Secure. For the first time in her whole life she not only had a home, she had someone who would actually watch over and protect her, instead of just looking out for their own interests. And she had someone she could protect and love in return not because she had to, but because she wanted to.
She and Nikos would be partners, in work as in life. Together they’d be as unbreakable as tempered steel.
It was an exquisitely heady feeling. She wanted to do cartwheels across the penthouse.
She wanted to kiss Nikos right now.
Where was he? In the kitchen, making her breakfast? Humming to herself, she rose from the bed and threw on a satin robe, barely stopping long enough to loosely tie the belt to cover her naked body. She paused briefly outside the door of the second bedroom, where Misha was sleeping. She heard only blessed silence.
She smiled to herself. With any luck she and Nikos would have time for more than a kiss before their child woke up demanding breakfast.
She went down the hall and found the kitchen, but it was empty. The immaculate white counters looked as if they’d never even been touched. Nikos was probably already working in his office. Wouldn’t he be surprised and happy if she made him coffee, eggs and toast?
Looking in the bare cupboards and refrigerator, she made a face. Even she couldn’t manage to manufacture breakfast out of sugar cubes, Greek olives and ice. She turned away when she heard voices down the hall. She followed the sound, stopping outside the door at the other end of the hall.
Muffled through the door, she heard a man’s voice say, “Sir, in my opinion you’re making an enormous mistake. As your attorney, I must advise—”
“Since I’m paying you five hundred dollars an hour, I won’t waste more time discussing it. I’ve heard your complaints. Thank you for your assistance. There’s the door.”
Anna’s ear was pressed against the wood; she jumped as the door was flung open and an older man in a dark gray suit came through it.
He gave her a sharp glance, then a scowl. “Congratulations, miss.” He put on his hat and stomped out of the apartment with his briefcase.
“Anna. You’re awake,” Nikos said. “Come in.”
His face was dark, half hidden in the shadows of morning where he sat behind a black l
acquer desk. The furniture here was as sleek and soulless as everything else in this penthouse. Anna suddenly felt uneasy.
“I thought you were going to wake me up,” she said. “Early morning wedding and all that.” She glanced behind her. “Why was your lawyer here? Oh. He brought the prenup?”
His eyes flicked at her in surprise. “You knew I wanted you to sign a prenuptial agreement?”
“I assumed you would. I mean, of course you’d want me to sign one. You’re a wealthy man,” she said lamely, even as disappointment surged through her. He didn’t trust her. He honestly thought she cared about his money, that she’d try to take it. He thought they were at risk of getting a divorce. It cast a pall over her happiness.
Then she realized what he’d said. “Wait a minute. You wanted for me to sign a prenup? But not anymore?”
“No,” he said quietly. “Not anymore.”
She blinked as the joy came back through her. He’d realized he could trust her!
“Nikos,” she breathed. She crossed the room in five steps and, pulling back his chair, climbed in his lap and threw her arms around him. “You won’t regret it,” she murmured against the warm skin of his neck. “I’ll never let you down. I’ll be true to you until the day I die. We’re going to be so happy…”
She kissed him then, a long, lingering kiss that held her whole heart in every breath.
“Stop, Anna. Just stop.” Pushing her off his lap, he stood up, rubbing his temples. His whole body was tense. He didn’t seem like a man who was about to get married. He seemed miserable. And furious. Like a wounded lion with a thorn in his paw. He seemed both hurt and dangerous.
“What is it?” she asked warily. “What’s wrong?”
He picked up a file from his desk and held it out to her without a word, careful not to let their hands touch. Pulling the papers out of the file, she looked down at the first page and her knees felt weak.
She looked up at him slowly, her mouth dry. “I don’t…I don’t understand.”
“There’s nothing to understand. I’m giving you joint custody. You can live wherever you like, and I’ll provide you with a generous allowance. Enough to clear your family’s debt. Enough to support your mother and sister. My brownstone in the Upper East Side will be transferred to your name. My son will have every support, the best schools, vacations abroad—whatever you think best. All I ask is that I have visitation at will, as well as some arrangement to be made for holidays.”
Her head was spinning. “But I don’t need custody papers. Once we’re married we—”
He was shaking his head grimly. “That was a fairy tale, Anna, nothing more. I wanted you in my bed, that’s all.”
“No.” She frowned at him, feeling like she’d fallen into some strange nightmare. “You could have had me in your bed long ago. You were the one who insisted we wait. You’ve done everything under the sun to convince me to marry you. Why would you change your mind now? It doesn’t make sense.”
He gave her a careless smile. “I guess I’m just not marriage material.”
“But you are!” she gasped. “I know you are. You’ve changed over the last weeks. You’ve become the husband I’ve always wanted, the father I dreamed of for Misha. Kind, brave, strong.” She closed her eyes, a thousand images going through her of all the time they’d spent together over the last weeks. Working together. Laughing. Nikos playing with their child. “All the time we’ve spent together—”
“It was a trick, Anna. God, don’t you get it? It was all an act. I wanted you. I would have pretended anything to win you. It was pride, I suppose. I couldn’t stand the thought of you leaving me. But now—” he shrugged. “The charade’s already growing old. I don’t want the burden of a wife or the full-time care of a child. I want my freedom.”
“It’s not true! You’re lying!”
He grabbed her wrist, searing her with his hot, dark gaze. “You know me,” he said cruelly. “You know how I am. So many beautiful women, so little time. Did you really think I could ever settle down with one woman? With you?”
She felt like she’d just gotten punched. She looked up into his face as tears filled her eyes. “Why are you saying this?”
For an instant something like regret and pain washed over his handsome face. “It’s better for you to be free,” he said finally. “Forget about me, Anna. You deserve a man who will truly love you.”
“But you love me. You said so,” she whispered.
He shook his head, and now his eyes were only cold. “I lied. I don’t love anyone. I don’t know how.”
At those words, all the hope she’d been holding in her chest disappeared.
Nikos didn’t love her. He’d chased her out of pride, out of his determination to possess her, to beat his rival. But now that she’d given him her heart he was already bored with her.
For the first time she believed him, and she felt sick. She turned away.
“Fine.” She was relieved that her voice didn’t tremble. She tried to remember the plan she’d once had—the plan that had sounded so wonderful before she’d fallen back in love with Nikos. “I guess I’ll…I’ll go back to New York and get a job.”
“No.” His voice was dark, inexorable. “I told you. You’ll never need to work again.”
She looked up at him, pressing her fingernails into her palms to fight back tears. She had her pride too—too much pride to ever cry in front of him again.
“I won’t take a penny from a man who doesn’t love me. I’m going to find a job. Whether you give me a recommendation or not.”
He blinked at her, then turned away, clenching his jaw. “I didn’t want it to end like this.”
“How did you expect it to end?”
He didn’t answer the question. His dark eyes looked haunted as he gazed down at her. “You’re right. If you truly want to work, I can’t stop you. I have no right to stop you,” he said in a low voice. “All I can do is ask that you make the decision carefully. And I know you will. I see now that you’ll always look out for Misha. I just have one favor to ask. When you marry again, choose well. Choose carefully for our son.”
“I thought I had,” she said softly. Her feelings were rushing through her, almost uncontrollable. He’d finally agreed that she could work, but even that didn’t matter anymore. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, to weep, to beg him not to leave her.
But she was the great-granddaughter of a princess. She was Misha’s mother and she had to be strong. Anna clung to her dignity and pride. They were all she had left.
Reaching into her purse, she quietly handed him two pieces of paper. “Here.”
“What are these?” he said, sounding shaken.
“The two best résumés for an executive secretary. I lied when I said they weren’t any good because I hoped you’d hire me instead. But now that I’m leaving I don’t want the company to suffer. I care too much about the company. I care too much about you. I love you.”
“Anna—”
She stepped away from him, looking into his eyes. “Goodbye, Nikos. Good luck.”
She turned to go, still praying he’d stop her.
He didn’t.
Going into the next room, she found the overnight bag Mrs. Burbridge had packed for her the previous night and put on a T-shirt and jeans. She carefully placed the custody agreement into her old diaper bag. She fed and changed Misha and cuddled him close.
Taking a deep breath, she glanced down the hall, hoping against hope that Nikos would appear, put his strong arms around her, and tell her this had all been a horrible mistake.
But Nikos’s office door remained closed.
He didn’t even care enough to say goodbye. He was probably already phoning the employment agency about the résumés. Or maybe he was calling some sexy showgirl to ask for a date.
Apparently she was easy to replace. In every way.
Straightening, she held on to the frayed edges of her dignity and walked out of the penthouse where, just an hour ago
, she’d thought she found love and security at last. She wouldn’t let herself cry. Not in his casino, where his men and his security cameras were everywhere.
She managed to hold back her sobs until she reached the sidewalk on Las Vegas Boulevard. Where to now? There was a taxi stand at the hotel across the street. She could barely see through her tears as she stepped off the curb. Just in time she saw the van barreling toward her in the sparse early morning traffic. She jumped back on the sidewalk in a cold sweat, frightened at how close she’d come to walking into traffic with her son.
“Just who I was looking for,” a cold voice said. She looked up with a gasp to see Victor sitting inside the van’s open door with several of his men. “What? No snappy comeback? Not so brave when you’re alone, are you? Grab the kid,” he ordered.
Anna started to fight and scream, trying to run away, but it was hopeless. When Misha was ripped from her arms she immediately surrendered. Ten seconds later she was tied up in the back of the van, on her way to hell. Victor faced her with cold eyes and an oily smile.
“You have a choice to make, loobemaya. What happens next is up to you.”
* * *
Nikos had a sick feeling in his gut.
Pacing around his L’Hermitage penthouse, he poured himself a bourbon, then put it down untasted. He went to his home office, started to check his email, then closed the laptop without reading a single message. He finally went to the window overlooking Las Vegas. Twenty floors above the city, he had a clear view. He could see the wide desert beyond the city to the far mountains. It seemed to stretch forever. The emptiness was everywhere.
