The Diakos Baby Scandal

by Natalie Rivers

  ‘I don’t know,’ Theo said, with a simple shrug of his shoulders that said so much about his uncharacteristic uncertainty that Kerry felt her heart turn over in sympathy.

  ‘Of course she will,’ she said, reaching out instinctively and taking Theo’s hand.

  He looked down at their hands. For a moment Kerry thought that he would pull his away, that she had overstepped the mark. But then he rotated his palm against hers and threaded her fingers through his, so that they were interlocked in the way they’d always used to hold hands when they were together.

  ‘I know how my aunt feels about my father and his money—because I feel the same way,’ he said. ‘All my life he interfered with my choices, tried to control me in every way. By the time I was grown up I had to get out—be my own man. I built my business up myself from scratch. I never took a single cent of his money.’

  ‘That’s amazing,’ Kerry said simply. ‘Lucas will be so proud that you are his father.’

  Theo turned and looked down at her, feeling an unexpected ripple of emotion spread through him at her words. She had touched on a sensitive and deeply felt desire within him—that he would share the kind of relationship with his son that he had never experienced with his own father.

  He wanted Lucas to grow up to love him and be proud of him. And Kerry’s vote of confidence meant more to him that he would have guessed.

  Her face was tilted up towards his, and she was gazing into his eyes with an open expression that took him back to a time when things had been simple between them. When they’d always seemed to be in perfect accord.

  The last rays of the setting sun bathed her skin with golden light and her hair shone like satin.

  ‘You look beautiful,’ he murmured, lifting his hands to cup her face tenderly. Then he bent forward and touched his lips to hers in the lightest of kisses.

  He felt a sigh of delight escape her and deepened his kiss, easing his body closer to hers and letting his hands slide into her soft silken hair. He saw her eyelids glide down and he closed his own eyes, giving himself over to the pure sensual pleasure of kissing Kerry.

  Her lips were soft and yielding beneath his, and he felt her tongue lift tentatively to caress his. A rush of red-hot desire stormed through him, setting his heart thumping and the blood surging through his veins.

  He needed to make love to her—right now. And this time he knew that nothing was going to stop him.

  In one fluid movement he swept her up into his arms and carried her back into the house.

  CHAPTER NINE

  THEO strode across the hallway, carrying Kerry towards the staircase. She was as light as a feather in his arms, and felt as sexy as hell curled against his body, with one arm wrapped sensuously around his shoulder and her other hand stroking his chest.

  His heart was pounding powerfully beneath her fingers and his ardour was making him feel unstoppable. He wanted to bound up the stairs to the bedroom—but at the same time he wanted the moment to last.

  It felt so good to be taking Kerry to his bed, and somehow it reminded him of the first night they’d ever made love. It had been her very first time, but she’d given herself to him freely. The pure and gentle way she’d offered him her body had touched him deeply, and had made their lovemaking a thing of beauty. It felt the same way now—as if all the mistrust and anger they had been feeling towards each other was forgotten for the moment. Their desire was uncomplicated and entirely mutual.

  He paused at the foot of the stairs and looked into her wide blue eyes. Her long fringe had fallen back, away from her face, and he saw that her brow was clear and smooth. She was giving herself completely to the moment—she wanted this as much as he did.

  Another surge of desire crashed through him and he bent his head to kiss her again. She reacted instantly, parting her lips to welcome his tongue into her mouth, and pulling herself up to meet him with her arms linked behind his neck.

  He kissed her fiercely, revelling in the fervency of her response. She was clinging to him passionately, arching her back and thrusting her breasts against his chest. He heard her moan and felt her trembling—and he knew it was time to get to the privacy of the bedroom. Or he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from making love to her right there in the hall.

  He took the stairs two at a time and strode into the bedroom, kicking the door shut with his foot. For a moment his eyes settled on the king-sized bed across the room. Ever since Kerry had left the bedroom had seemed empty and cold. But now he had brought her back, to make this room into a place of vibrancy and life. A place of hot, hard passion.

  He felt her flex impatiently in his arms, asking with her body to be put down. Then she was standing face to face with him—only inches away, but far enough so that he could look down into her lovely face.

  He could see that her colour was high, her breathing was rapid and her blue eyes were almost black with the power of her desire for him. His own body was throbbing with his need, and he pulled her roughly towards him once more, plundering her mouth with his and letting his hands run wild over her supple body. What had started with a gentle kiss in the glow of the sunset had rapidly accelerated into a vortex of unbridled passion. He couldn’t stop now even if he wanted to.

  Kerry gasped for breath and pulled back from Theo’s kiss, staring up into his flushed face through a haze of feverish excitement. Her entire body was trembling, yearning for him to make love to her. She could tell how much he wanted her, and that knowledge had unleashed an answering torrent of desire within her.

  When he’d swept her up the stairs and into the bedroom she’d felt like a new bride being carried over the threshold. At the back of her mind she knew that things weren’t like that. But she pushed those thoughts aside and gave in to the sheer happiness of being back in Theo’s arms.

  It was so long since they’d made love that she almost felt like a virgin again. All her memories of how wonderful it had been seemed too good to be true, as if they were simply wild fantasies. But now she was going to experience Theo’s physical love once more.

  ‘You look so good,’ Theo said, letting his eyes roam over her as she stood in front of him, wearing a backless dress that skimmed over her curves.

  His words sent a wave of confidence running through her, and she reached up to unfasten the halterneck. The fine midnight-blue fabric slipped through her fingers, and a moment later the garment was pooled in a circle around her feet.

  ‘Now you look even better.’

  From the way his deep voice caught in his throat, Kerry knew that he liked what he saw. Feeling even bolder, she walked towards him in her high-heeled sandals, just wearing a lacy bra and matching French knickers.

  ‘You are wearing too many clothes,’ she said huskily, pulling his T-shirt up and over his head. As his bronzed torso came into view she sucked in a shuddering breath of pure appreciation. He was mouth-wateringly well formed, with perfect satiny skin that made her want to lean forward and run her tongue across his muscled chest, to put her face as close as possible to his beating heart.

  She stared at him, feeling her breathing growing faster again. Rampant desire was rushing through her, and suddenly she needed to feel his hands on her again.

  As if he had read her mind, he reached out to her and pulled her into his arms. Then his hands were skimming down her back, curving over her bottom, running back up between her shoulderblades to her bra clasp.

  With one expert flick he undid the flimsy garment, then cast it aside and pulled her to him. Skin on skin. Hot, hard muscle pressed to tingling, sensitive breasts. With every heaving breath she took her nipples moved against him. The delicious friction of his chest hair rubbing across their throbbing points was driving her to distraction.

  She curved sinuously against him, needing to feel more of him. His hands were moving downwards again, and this time he hooked his thumbs into her French knickers. He tugged them past her hips, and then her last remaining item of clothing fell to the floor.

  With
a deep breath of pent-up excitement she stepped out of her knickers and slipped off her sandals at the same time. She was completely naked.

  Theo’s dark eyes swept over her, leaving a trail of tingling anticipation prickling over her skin. But she wanted more—she needed more.

  ‘Touch me,’ she pleaded. ‘Put your hands on me.’

  He needed no further encouragement, and in an instant he was standing behind her, skimming his hands around the sensitive skin of her midriff. His chest was pressed against her back, warm and solid behind her, but all she could think about was the wonderful way he was touching her.

  As she felt his hands sliding upwards over her ribs, she instinctively looked down at herself. The sight of her own naked breasts, jiggling slightly with the trembling of her body and the rapid rate of her breathing, startled her. Her nipples were jutting forward, taut and throbbing with the need for his attention, and even looking at them herself seemed to make them ache even more.

  Suddenly his hands curved up and over her breasts, and a shuddering sigh escaped her. He massaged her tender flesh, sending waves of sensual pleasure rolling through her. Then he teased her nipples gently between his fingers and thumbs, and the pleasure intensified.

  Her head fell back against his shoulder and she closed her eyes. It felt so perfect standing there, feeling the skin of her back pressed against his solid chest while his hands created marvellous sensations, spiralling out from her breasts.

  Then he lifted one hand to sweep her hair to the side, baring her neck so that he could lean forward and kiss the sensitive skin below her ear. He nuzzled her and she wriggled against him, as a ticklish shower of sexually charged sensations feathered through her, sending her pulse-rate soaring.

  She was breathing rapidly, and every gasping breath renewed her awareness of his hand on her breast—of the glorious pleasure he was creating with his touch. But his other hand was moving again, sliding downwards, towards the most sensitive part of her body.

  She parted her legs slightly, instinctively rocking her pelvis forward as his hand slipped between her thighs, seeking the throbbing core of her arousal.

  ‘Oh, Theo!’ His name burst out of her as his fingers made contact, and as his fingertips caressed her pulsing centre the pleasure was almost too great. She bucked against him, aware only of the blood singing in her ears and the impossibly intense sensations shooting out from where he stroked her.

  Her legs turned to jelly and she started to sink downwards, but he swept her up into his arms just in time and carried her to the bed.

  Suddenly she couldn’t wait any longer to feel him lying over her, thrusting into her, taking her out of her body and into the heavens beyond. She reached feverishly for his belt, and with shaky, uncoordinated movements pulled the supple black leather through the loops on his jeans, then unfastened the buckle.

  She moaned—a low, almost feral sound—and struggled desperately with the button, then the zipper. She could feel his erection thrusting powerfully against the fabric of his jeans and she wanted, needed him to be totally naked—but her hands were trembling too much for her to manage.

  Theo pushed her hands aside with movements that betrayed a sense of urgency that matched Kerry’s. Then he rolled from the bed to kick his jeans off himself.

  For a moment he stood looking down at her. The sexual hunger that shone from his dark eyes made her quiver with anticipation. She couldn’t lie still—the overwhelming need she felt for him was too great.

  She pushed herself up on her elbows, aware of every part of her body, from her tingling nipples to her trembling legs, and looked up into his handsome face, knowing that her desire for him must be written all over her features.

  Then he came towards her, moving across her body with power and grace. She reached up and looped her arms around him, delighting in the broad, masculine strength of his back. Her thighs fell apart and her hips tilted upwards, ready to welcome his intimate possession of her willing body.

  ‘Oh!’ She cried out as he pressed forward and she felt his hard length sliding smoothly inside her. A wave of pleasure washed over her and she lifted her legs, wrapping them tightly round his hips, pulling him deeper still. He paused for a moment, driving her almost wild with unfulfilled need, and then he started to move.

  She clung to him, flying higher and higher. Every masterful thrust of his hips brought a surge of wonderful sensation powering through her that quickly blocked out everything but the present.

  All those long lonely nights when she’d wondered if Theo’s lovemaking could possibly be as amazing as she remembered were forgotten. The only thing that existed for her now was the all-consuming pleasure of being one with him.

  She could hear his breathing getting harder, and her own breath was coming in shallow, moaning gasps.

  The pleasure within her was tightening, growing more and more focussed. Suddenly her shoulders lifted off the bed, her back arched and her inner muscles clenched tight around his hardness. She had reached the pinnacle of delight and she gasped for breath, her world exploding into a rapturous kaleidoscope of colours.

  A second later, from deep within the glow of her climax, she heard Theo shout as he stormed towards his zenith. He reared up above her and gave a mighty shudder as he reached his moment of release.

  A shaft of silvery moonlight shone across the room as Kerry lay quietly on the bed, listening to the sound of Theo breathing. Even in sleep his presence seemed to fill the room. But now, for the first time since he’d come back into her life, Kerry was basking in it. She just wanted to lie there and soak up the warmth radiating off the magnificent man next to her.

  The embers of her orgasm were still glimmering inside her, diffusing an amazing sense of fulfilment throughout her body. And, even more wonderfully, she felt hopeful for her future with Theo.

  She knew that the conversation they’d had right before Theo had swept her upstairs had helped to change the atmosphere between them. He’d been so candid and it had touched her deeply. It was a change in him that she hoped would continue. Not that they’d been dishonest in their communication before—but they’d both held back too much.

  She knew that she’d been reserved and guarded—too worried by what Theo would think if she was completely open with him.

  But she’d been hurt so many times throughout her childhood, culminating in the most horrible shock when she was eighteen. So she’d taught herself not to expect too much from other people. Not to ask for anything because it would inevitably lead to disappointment.

  She had continued to live by that philosophy when she first met Theo—being grateful for their time together but never asking for more. And never burdening him with anything that was troubling her.

  But that was going to change. Now she was going to follow Theo’s lead and take down her protective barriers. He had done it, and it had made them closer. But she knew they could be closer still.

  Very early the following morning Kerry brought Lucas downstairs to give him a drink of milk. He’d always woken up at the crack of dawn, and nothing seemed to be changing about that since they’d arrived in Greece.

  As she walked outside onto the terrace she saw that Theo was swimming. She sat at the table with Lucas on her lap as Theo powered through the water beside them. She never tired of watching him—he was a natural swimmer, and he seemed to glide at super-speed through the water with the effortless strength of a dolphin.

  It was a beautiful morning—still so early that the sea was a shimmering silver-blue and the sky was tinged pale apricot from the recent sunrise. Kerry felt good—genuinely happy that Theo had brought her back here with him.

  He finished his lengths and lifted his head, noticing her for the first time. She lifted her hand to wave at him as he swam over to the steps—just as she had done so many times in the past.

  A strange feeling washed over her. Maybe it was still the afterglow of their lovemaking—or the positive effect of their conversation the evening before. But she felt as if
she was home. As if she belonged here.

  Theo reached the steps and surged out of the pool, water pouring off the hard planes of his muscled body. He looked like a Greek god emerging from the sea, and Kerry felt a renewed kick of desire deep inside.

  ‘Good morning.’ Her voice sounded huskier than normal, and she smiled up at him, suddenly feeling shy.

  ‘Hello,’ he said, towelling himself off roughly and coming to stand beside the table. ‘How are you this morning? And Lucas?’

  ‘We’re very well, thank you,’ she said.

  She drew in a shaky breath as she looked up at his magnificent masculine body, wondering what he was planning for the day—whether or not he had to fly to Athens again. She felt so different from yesterday, when she’d been glad that he’d had to leave the island.

  ‘I’m going to shower,’ he said. ‘And then I’d like to spend some time with you and Lucas—if that suits you.’

  ‘That would be lovely,’ Kerry said, feeling a warm glow of expectation spreading through her.

  Theo emerged from the shower feeling fully energised, thinking about making love with Kerry the night before. It had been good. Incredible, actually. If their marriage was going to work, that was the way they should always make love. Openly and honestly. Untainted by their troubles outside the bedroom.

  When they’d arrived on the island Kerry had been so withdrawn—moody, even, although she’d barely spoken—he’d started to have serious concerns for their future. But now she seemed to have snapped out of it, and their situation seemed to be more manageable.

  The sound of his phone ringing cut into his thoughts.

  ‘Diakos,’ he barked, annoyed with his PA for calling him so early. It had better be important…

  Two minutes later he stormed through the house in a black temper. He strode out of the terrace doors and nearly collided with Kerry coming the other way, not looking where she was going because she was chattering away to the baby.