by Sara Wood
She held her breath when his hand slipped into the inner pocket of his jacket. Without a word he handed over a slim leather case. Emma’s fingers shook as she slid the photos out and looked at her daughter for the first time in two long years.
‘Oh!’ she said breathily.
Still a sunny-faced child. Sturdy, laughing, obviously happy. In cute bathing costumes or sweet dresses, with her hair up in delightful bunches or dancing on her shoulders. On a boat, in a pool, surrounded by presents…
So many photos, she thought in wonder, blinking through her tears. Her heart somersaulted. Bleakly she realised that Leon must adore his niece. And…Lexi…would she adore him?
A pain scythed right through her. She fought back a moan. Perhaps she was making a mistake! Horrified, she raised her head to meet his devil-dark stare, her eyes huge with distress.
‘Yes, Emma. She’s happy. So why smash a child’s carefree life?’ he asked quietly.
She couldn’t answer. A lump sat hard and hurting in her throat. She blinked at him in acute misery as her carefully constructed plans began to tumble down on her head.
John had insisted that Leon always spoke of Lexi as a chattel. Never with love. She knew that Leon had talked about doing his duty in looking after Lexi, and honouring a promise he’d made to his father.
Based on the fact that he’d told her he’d never wanted to assume responsibility for his niece, Emma had assumed that his interest in Lexi was minimal. Naturally she’d believed that Leon’s own child must be the favourite and that little Lexi came a very poor second-best.
Whereas the opposite seemed to be true. Leon apparently kept the contents of a photo album on him, every picture depicting Lexi. Her mouth trembled and she touched her injured breast with a faltering hand. Briefly a flash of something indefinable flickered in Leon’s eyes. A glint of…triumph?
‘Go home,’ he murmured softly. ‘Save yourself grief. And Lexi. Think of her feelings if you suddenly appear on the scene. The upheaval, the shock…’
He sounded confident, utterly sure that she’d accept the wisdom of his words. She frowned, trying to iron out the discrepancy between John’s report and the lovingly collected photographs kept close to Leon’s heart.
John wouldn’t lie—he had her own best interests at heart. Whereas Leon would do anything to dissuade her. So what was the truth of the matter? How could she be sure that she wasn’t about to tear her daughter’s life apart?
Her heart cramped. If she ever thought she’d damage Lexi, she’d abandon all plans of abduction. Maybe, she thought in dismay, her journey had been all for nothing!
CHAPTER TWO
EMMA struggled to unravel the truth. Leon couldn’t be trusted. It would suit him very well if she gave up and went home, abandoning her child for ever.
She frowned. Something was nagging at the back of her mind. To do with the photos. What could it be? There were a lot. And… Her head lifted as it dawned on her what was wrong. Lexi had been alone in every shot.
‘Is she in any other photos you’ve got? Could you have a look?’ she asked, pretending to be dispirited in the hope she’d catch Leon off guard.
‘You’ve seen them all. These are the only ones I have on me.’ He purred, sure it seemed, of success.
‘Just the ones of Lexi.’
‘My beloved niece,’ he said with surprisingly believable sincerity, piling on the sentiment.
She could have hit him. That confirmed her theory! Every knotted up muscle in her body relaxed and she stared at him with cold blue eyes.
‘How extraordinary! It’s a strange father who carries a dozen or so snaps of his niece but none of his own child.’ She gave him a sugary smile, seeing that he looked totally disconcerted. Her eyes gleamed. ‘Might there be a reason for that?’ she murmured.
‘What reason could there be?’ He growled, an extraordinary tautness bringing his cheekbones into high relief.
‘Deception,’ she retorted, lashing him with a scathing glance. ‘I think that you knew I’d be here and so you deliberately collected the photos to show me—’
‘A kind gesture, surely?’ He frowned at her.
‘Not under the circumstances, no.’ she replied, lifting a challenging chin. ‘You’ve made it clear that you don’t want me to meet my daughter. Why, then, would you whet my appetite by showing photos of her? To tease me? I think not. You wouldn’t risk increasing my desire to see her.’
His eyes blackened. ‘How about pride?’ he said bitingly. ‘To show you how well she is cared for—’
‘You don’t fool me!’ she scoffed. ‘John’s told me about your indifference to Lexi—’
‘Has he, now?’ Leon muttered grimly. ‘Has he indeed?’
‘Yes. And it broke my heart to know she wasn’t important to you.’
‘She is—’
‘Oh, maybe as a Kyriakis, as your brother’s child, but not because you feel any love for her. I got the impression she was a nuisance. My daughter! That’s what’s hurt me so much. She’s with you because of your wretched pride and because you think you’re better than me—’
‘That last part is certainly true.’
‘We’ll see about that!’ she said flaring, beside herself with anger. ‘Lexi needs me. I’m here to bring some love into my daughter’s life.’ She choked.
‘You’ll bring confusion and uncertainty—’
‘No, I won’t,’ she insisted hotly. ‘I can’t believe you almost succeeded in deterring me. How could I have been so stupid as to doubt my own instincts? You cynically assembled those photos to imply that Lexi is the most important person in your life—’
‘She is!’ Leon declared furiously, his hands balling into tight fists.
‘Pull the other one!’ she scorned. Her head was up, her hair flying about her face as she shook with indescribable anger. ‘Common sense says that your wife and your own daughter must be dearer to you. You may well flinch. I’ve sussed you out, haven’t I? You’re despicable, Leon, attempting to prevent her from seeing the one person who can give her real love. I know you begrudge looking after her—and I’m going to prove it. I can’t believe you staged this farcical show of devotion!’
‘You’re wrong about my feelings for Lexi,’ he said, his voice vibrating with passion. His eyes glittered. ‘And I would warn you to be wary of what Sefton says. He has ulterior motives—’
‘Yes. He cares!’
‘But who for? Just consider carefully everything he says,’ Leon said shortly.
‘He told me you were sly,’ she shot. ‘I think that’s pretty accurate. Meeting me here wasn’t a coincidence, was it? I suppose the immigration officer tipped you off so I had to sit about cooling my heels while you ransacked your house for photos of my child.’
‘Staphos called me, yes,’ he conceded. ‘We’re fishing buddies. He had a hunch you must be Taki’s widow. But I always carry these photos.’ He contemplated her thoughtfully. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you for another couple of years.’ A sardonic curl deepened the etched arches of his mouth. ‘Are you on the run?’
She glared. ‘Of course not. I was released six months ago.’
‘Six months!’ he exclaimed with exaggerated surprise. ‘And you were so desperate to see your beloved daughter that you dawdled straight here!’
‘I’ve been ill.’ She flung the words at him, seething at the injustice of his remark. ‘That’s why my sentence was reduced.’
‘You’ve recovered remarkably well,’ he observed with heavy sarcasm.
‘Good nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and a clear conscience!’
‘I can believe two out of three,’ he mocked.
She couldn’t fence with him any more. She felt emotionally drained. Anger and anxiety weren’t good for her and she tried to avoid it. Unfortunately there was something about Leon that made her blood boil. Whatever had happened to her self-control? she wondered gloomily. One snarl from Leon and it ran away with its tail between its legs.
‘This
isn’t getting us anywhere,’ she said wearily. ‘We must come to some arrangement. And I’d rather we talked where I can sit down out of the sun. I’m not fully fit and this heat saps my strength.’ Longingly she thought of a long drink in a frosted glass with ice in it. ‘Perhaps we can find a taverna.’
Leon shrugged and picked up her case. ‘My car’s over there. If you insist on wasting your time…’
‘Being reunited with my child is hardly a waste of time,’ she rebuked icily.
She trudged behind Leon feeling as battered as if she’d gone twenty rounds in a boxing ring. Maybe she’d beaten him in the first battle of wits, but there would be more difficulties put in her way and she must rally her energies and be on full alert.
‘Staying long?’ He flung the words curtly over his shoulder.
She hurried to catch up, conscious that every taxi driver was watching their progress with interest. Tired of hedging, she decided to be frank.
‘As long as it takes.’
He glanced down at her defiant face, his mouth creaking up in a faintly mocking smile.
‘Then we’d better find you a home you can grow old and grey in.’
With a groan, Emma slapped her hand to her forehead in dismay. ‘I forgot. I’ve got one. A home, I mean.’
‘Where?’ he enquired quickly.
She frowned. ‘That’s the trouble—I don’t know. I should have got the address from John before he left. He’s found me some cheap rooms to rent in the town.’
‘He usually stays at the Hotel Zantos,’ Leon commented drily. ‘Five star. Two pools. Sauna—’
Emma hardly heard. She was concentrating on staying upright. She’d taken on too much, she realised gloomily. She wasn’t fit enough yet for all this hassle. She was dead on her feet and had nowhere to go for a good bath and an extended collapse.
‘I’ve got to call him,’ she said wearily. She closed her eyes and gave a heavy sigh. ‘Do you have a phone?’ she asked in a small voice. ‘Please, Leon,’ she whispered, on the edge of exhaustion.
He studied her uplifted face, tension stretching the skin over his taut jaw.
‘Let’s get across the road to the shade of the trees,’ he said quietly, as taxis, hire-cars and coaches roared into life, heralding the arrival of another planeload of tourists.
Too feeble, too close to tears to reply, she allowed his proprietorial hand to descend on the small of her back while he shepherded her through the mêlée. His palm burned its imprint into her flesh and when she stumbled in confusion his arm slipped more securely around her waist.
Its instant comfort baffled her even more. He was her adversary and she should cringe from his touch. But then, it had been a long time since a man had held her close, years since she’d felt safe and protected.
Her eyes grew huge. That last occasion had been when she and Leon had been together. He’d kissed her goodbye the night before his engagement to Marina. She remembered it well. Lingering. Loving.
She winced. The wonderful strength and pressure of Leon’s arm was a false security. He’d have thrown her to the lions if he could have found some lurking near the hire-cars.
‘All right?’ he asked quietly when they reached the other side.
His head was bent to hers in query. The soft hairs on her cheek tingled from the drift of his breath. Something warm and disturbing was coiling in her stomach and sharpening her senses even while weakening her body. And then he had dropped the case and was turning her to him with a surprising gentleness.
Without any effort on her part, her eyes closed in response. His breath came warm and quick on her sensitised mouth. She felt like putty in his hands, too tired to fight his hypnotic appeal. It was both wonderful and frightening. She had to get away. Fast.
She opened her eyes a fraction. ‘I…I don’t feel too good,’ she whispered miserably, her heart sinking as she realised that she was too fatigued to successfully plead her case for access.
‘In that case, let’s forget the taverna and cheap digs and get an upgrade,’ he murmured soothingly.
‘I just want John,’ she said in panic. And to sleep for a hundred years… Her eyes met his and were misted with longing.
‘Touching. But you can make do with me.’ Tight-lipped again, Leon pushed her resisting body into the car. ‘Relax. You’ll snap tendons, screwed up like that. What are you worried about? As sure as hell I’m not in a mood for abduction.’
‘Once was enough, was it?’ she flashed, obstinately remaining stiff as a board in the seat.
‘More than.’
Simmering darkly, he leaned across, intent on fastening the seat belt for her. Emma swallowed as first his beautifully smooth golden jaw and then the ever-kissable nape of his neck came to within a hair’s breadth of her breathless mouth. Incapable of stopping herself, she inhaled, her senses reeling from the clean, fresh maleness of him.
And she was too weak to protest, too shattered by the journey and, perhaps, the emotional excitement, to prevent him from invading her space and protesting that she was perfectly capable of fastening her own seat belt. Because she wasn’t.
Unaccountably panic-stricken, she stared out of the window. It was the upsurge of memories, she thought. Her brain was playing tricks with her body, reminding her of love and tenderness…
Her eyes widened as she saw that her case had been abandoned some distance away. ‘My case! It’ll be stolen!’ she cried in agitation.
He paused, turning to look at her. This close, his eyes seemed as black as newly hacked coal. Suddenly Emma couldn’t get her breath, and sat stunned by the impact of the electrical charge that leapt across the gap between them both and which wrenched fiercely at her pained heart.
The man was married. He ought to keep himself switched in neutral, she thought crossly.
‘Your case is safe. We’re honest on this island,’ he snapped.
She winced as his words seemed to slide like a cruel knife into her ribs. The seat belt finally slotted into place. Leon moved back with a tantalising waft of lemony soap and a blur of glossy dark hair and polished skin. His hair still curled defiantly at the nape, she saw, remembering his efforts to keep it strictly in check.
Her door slammed. She watched him retrieve the case and stride back, grim-faced. For a moment or two she could breathe again. It was a long time since she’d felt so limp and short of oxygen. Presumably anxiety and the heat had affected her.
Emma groaned. This was bad news. Over the next few days she must be able to cope with whatever Leon threw at her. The way things were going, she could well have a court case to cope with.
After that, if she eventually won access, she’d need to be at her physical peak if she was to respond to Lexi’s needs.
Emma let out a deep sigh. She’d intended to hire a car and take her daughter to the beach. There they could make sandcastles, play in the water and generally have a good time.
However long it took, she meant to forge a strong and loving relationship with Lexi. She knew she could do that. Her love for her child had survived despite the long separation. Her illness had intensified the knowledge that only one thing in the world mattered: being with her emotion-starved daughter and showing her what it was like to be truly loved.
She leaned back, worried. There was so much to do before Lexi was safe in England. There would be the hazardous journey with Lexi and John: boat-hopping up the chain of Ionian Islands, a secret landing on the Greek coast and then the long drive across Europe.
Throughout the trip she’d have to be focussed exclusively on Lexi, playing games to pass the time, keeping her amused and happy so that it all seemed great fun.
It had sounded perfectly feasible back in England. The route had been mapped, John had returned from his recce with an optimistic report on secluded coves and rarely used roads. But… She bit her lip. If she wasn’t strong enough—if she fell ill…
Horribly daunted by what lay ahead, she passed a shaking hand over her forehead as Leon slid into the driver�
��s seat. Doubts multiplied. If she lacked energy she’d never cope. Lexi would feel abandoned and bewildered.
Her breath caught in a choking anguish in her throat. The thought of failure made her feel sick.
‘You look shot to pieces. I think you need cheap digs like a hole in the head,’ he commented shrewdly, starting up the car.
‘A luxury hotel would be preferable, but beyond my funds,’ she retorted, wallowing crossly in the ambitious thought of a soft bed, room service and an en suite bathroom.
‘Wait and see what I can come up with,’ he said, sounding smug. ‘If you don’t like where I take you, we’ll ring your lawyer and get you to his rat-infested hovel instead.’
‘Promise,’ she mumbled, almost past caring about rats as long as there was a mattress to rest her weary body.
She let out a long and whispering sigh and felt his dark glance on her parted lips.
‘On my father’s head,’ he said softly. ‘Take a break for now,’ he added, as if soothing a fractious child. ‘Sleep. I’ll wake you when we arrive.’
Emma did her best to disobey but felt her heavy lids closing like shutters. Yet Leon’s image stayed to torment her remorselessly: the classic Greek profile, thick lashes concealing liquid black eyes, patrician nose and achingly sensual mouth. Before getting into the car he’d removed his jacket, his open-necked cream shirt moulding to his muscular back and torso.
Her breath quickened. He was dangerously attractive. Tension hung in the air so thickly she could feel it. Even from a short distance away his magnetism poured over her like a relentless tide till she felt she might drown beneath it.
But why was he being considerate? It would amuse him to see her living in the hovel he’d so mockingly described. She racked her brains to determine why he was going out of his way to find her decent accommodation. And could only come up with one answer. For some reason, as yet unknown to her, it suited him.
And therefore his offer should be rejected. Hovel it was, then, she thought glumly.
