by Maya Banks
And that was her dream, wasn’t it? The whole ‘big family’ thing.
That was what she’d always wanted.
Despite her efforts to keep her mind in check, Kelly’s thoughts drifted off on a tangent as she imagined what Christmas would be like with lots of small versions of Alekos dragging out prettily wrapped parcels from under the enormous tree. It would be noisy, chaotic, a bit like a day in her classroom, which was one of the reasons she loved teaching. She loved the noisy, busy atmosphere that was created when lots of children were together.
Maybe Alekos felt the same way.
Kelly gave a tiny frown. It was true that Alekos had talked to her class as if he’d been in a board meeting, but he probably just needed practice, didn’t he? He needed to understand that he couldn’t apply the principles of corporate management to child rearing. He was basically Greek, so that whole ‘family’ thing should be welded into his DNA.
Maybe, just maybe, they could make this work.
At the very least, they had to try.
How could she ever look her child in the eye and say that she hadn’t even tried?
The limousine pulled up in a large courtyard dominated by a fountain, and Kelly gulped. The first time she’d seen Alekos’s Corfu home, she’d been shocked into awed silence by the sheer size and elegance of the villa. As someone who had grown up in a small house, she’d found the space and luxury of his Mediterranean hideaway incredibly intimidating.
She still did.
Reminding herself not to scatter her possessions around his immaculate villa, Kelly stepped hesitantly out of the car.
‘Mr Zagorakis has instructed me to tell you that he is finishing a conference call and will meet you on the terrace in five minutes.’ Jannis urged her inside the villa and Kelly gazed around at the familiar interior, no less daunted now than she’d been four years earlier.
The floors of the villa were polished marble and Kelly picked her way nervously, relieved she hadn’t worn the Christian Louboutin shoes. Death by stilettos, she thought uneasily, wishing Alekos had installed a handrail. Maybe the Greek aristocracy were given lessons in skating in heels when they were children.
Cautiously eyeing the priceless antiques, she kept her hands pressed to her sides, terrified that she was going to bang into something and send it smashing into a zillion pieces on the mirror floors. Nothing was out of place. Everything looked as though it was where it was supposed to be: no magazines, no half-read books, no unopened letters or junk mail covered in pictures of pizza, no half-drunk mugs of tea.
Feeling as though she was in a museum, Kelly looked round nervously, relieved when Jannis led her through a curved archway that led onto the terrace. No matter how many times she saw the view, it still made her gasp.
The beautiful gardens fell away beneath her, hot-pink oleander and bougainvillea tumbling down the gentle slope to the curve of perfect beach that nestled below the villa.
Kelly blinked in the sudden brightness of the midday sun, watching as a yacht drifted silently across the sparkling sea. She felt slightly disconnected, unable to believe that yesterday she’d woken up in her bed in Little Molting and now she was back on the island of Corfu with the sun shining in her eyes.
A lump settled in her throat.
She’d left her dreams here, on a sandy beach, with the sound of the sea in the air.
‘Was your journey comfortable?’ His voice was deep, dark and husky, and Kelly froze, desperately conscious that this was the first time she’d seen him since that day in her kitchen. A sizzle of sexual awareness shot through her body and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as she turned.
The air was electric. If either one of them had touched the other, that would have been it. The dangerous glitter of his eyes said it all, and Kelly felt her body grow heavy with longing.
Suddenly she wished there were other people in the villa. She needed someone else to dilute the concentration of sexual tension that threatened to drown both of them.
She didn’t want to drown. She wanted to think with her head, not react with her body.
Trying to apply caution, Kelly reminded herself that this was nothing like the last time. She’d grown up, hadn’t she?
Her own particular fairy tale had most definitely not had a happy ending.
‘The journey was fine. I’ve never been on a private jet before. It was, well, private.’ She winced as she listened to herself. Oh for goodness’ sake, Kelly, say something more intelligent than that. But her tongue had apparently wrapped itself into an elaborate knot and her heart was racing at a very unnerving pace. ‘It felt a bit weird, if I’m honest.’
Bold dark brows rose in question. ‘Weird?’
Kelly shrugged awkwardly. ‘It was a bit lonely. And your hostess woman wasn’t very chatty.’
A smile touched the corner of his mouth, that same shockingly sensual mouth that knew how to drive a woman from wild to crazy. ‘She is not paid to chat. She’s paid to make sure you have whatever you need.’
‘I needed a chat.’
Alekos breathed deeply. ‘I will make sure someone speaks to her about being more, er, chatty.’
‘No, don’t do that; I don’t want to get her into trouble or anything, I’m just saying it wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be. There’s not a lot of point travelling in a private jet if there isn’t anyone to laugh about it with, is there?’
A look of incredulity crossed his handsome features and it was clear he’d never given the matter consideration before. ‘The point,’ he drawled, ‘is that you have the space and privacy to do whatever you want to do.’
‘But no one to do it with.’ Realising that she probably sounded really ungrateful, Kelly tried to retrieve the situation. ‘But it was great not having to queue through customs, and brilliant to be able to lie flat on the sofa.’
‘You lay flat?’
‘So I didn’t crease my dress.’ Kelly smoothed the fabric, wondering why something so simple as a dress could make you feel good. ‘It’s linen, and I didn’t want to arrive looking as though I’d jumped out the laundry basket. The clothes are great, by the way; thanks. How did you know I had nothing to wear?’
‘I didn’t. It was a guess.’
Kelly gave an awkward laugh. ‘Good guess. My wardrobe is full of stuff that doesn’t fit me any more, but I refuse to throw it away because one day I’m going to be a size zero.’
His gaze slid down her body and lingered on her breasts. ‘I sincerely hope not.’
That look was all it took. Her breasts tingled and her nipples pressed against the fabric of her dress, defying all her attempts to control her reaction. Not wanting to look down at herself and risk drawing attention to what was happening, Kelly fumbled with the clasp of her purse and pulled out the ring. ‘Here. This is yours. This must be the most expensive delivery-service ever, but here you go.’ She held out the enormous diamond, frowning when he made no move to take it. ‘Well? Go on—it’s yours.’
‘I gave it to you.’
‘Not exactly. I mean, you did, but it was supposed to come with a wedding. And, anyway, you bought it back from me,’ Kelly reminded him. ‘For four-million dollars. And, if you’re waiting for me to say I’d rather have the ring than the money, forget it. I’ve already given away a big chunk of it to pay for the new playground. I can’t give you the money back, so you have to take the ring. A better person than me probably wouldn’t have taken the ring or the money, but I’ve discovered I’m not a better person. Exposure to wealth has obviously warped me.’
Alekos studied her, a curious look in his intense dark eyes, a smile flickering around his sensual mouth. ‘You suddenly find yourself with four-million dollars and you spend the money on a new playground? I think you might need some lessons on the true motivation of the gold-digger, agape mou.’
Even though she hated to admit it, the endearment made her heart flutter. Or maybe it was his voice—deep, sexy and chocolate-smooth. This whole thing would be easier, Kelly thought desperately, if she wasn’t so drawn to him. It was difficult to push something away when you wanted it more than anything.
The tips of her fingers tingled with the desire to touch, and she linked her hands behind her back to be on the safe side. ‘I didn’t spend all the money, obviously. What use is a gold-plated playground? But I found this brilliant climbing-frame—massive—and it comes with this bit that’s like a tree house...’ Nervous and unsettled, she faltered. Don’t bore him, Kelly. ‘Never mind. Take it from me, it’s a good one. And we’re having this special surface put down over the summer holidays so that if the kids fall they shouldn’t break anything...’ Her voice tailed off and she shrugged self-consciously. ‘Don’t say anything to them. I pretended I was an anonymous benefactor.’
‘They don’t know the money came from you?’
‘No.’ A grin spread across her face as she remembered the staff meeting. ‘They were all guessing. It feels good giving money away to good causes, doesn’t it? It makes you go all warm and fuzzy inside. I guess you get that feeling all the time when you give stuff away.’
‘I don’t give anything away personally. Charitable donations are managed by the Zagorakis Foundation.’
Kelly digested that information with astonishment. ‘You mean you have a whole company that gives away your money?’
‘That’s right. It was set up for that purpose. We donate a proportion of income, and they analyse all the applications and make a decision—with my input.’
‘But you don’t actually get to meet the people you help?’
‘Sometimes. Not usually.’
‘But don’t you feel warm and fuzzy when you know you’ve helped someone?’
Alekos studied her through heavy-lidded dark eyes. ‘I can’t honestly say that “warm and fuzzy” features large in my emotional repertoire.’
‘Oh. Well, it should, because you’ve obviously helped loads of people so you should feel good about that.’ It was confusing, thinking about that side of him. Or maybe it was just the man himself who was confusing. Experience was telling her to be wary, but instinct was telling her to throw herself into his arms. It was probably because he was standing so close. He smelt fantastic, Kelly thought weakly, thrusting the ring towards him again.
‘Are you going to take this? It sort of freaks me out, holding it, knowing how much it is worth. It’s a good job I didn’t know it was that valuable when I owned it. I never would have left the house.’
‘Put it on your finger.’
Kelly’s eyes flew to his and for a moment everything around her ceased to exist. Had he said...? Did he mean...? Even before her brain had answered the question, her heart performed a happy dance all on its own. He couldn’t possibly mean that, could he? He couldn’t be proposing...
‘W-what did you say?’
‘I want you to wear it.’ His hands sure and decisive, Alekos took the ring from her and slid it onto the third finger of her right hand.
Her right hand.
Kelly felt the hard slug of disappointment deep in her gut and suddenly she was cross with herself. What was the matter with her? Even if he had proposed, she would have said no, wouldn’t she? After what happened last time, she wasn’t just going to walk back into his arms, no questions asked. No way.
‘It looks good there,’ Alekos said huskily, and Kelly bit back the impulse to tell him that it had looked even better on her left hand.
The diamond winked and flashed in the bright sunlight, dazzling her as much now as it had four years before. Reminding herself that a diamond didn’t make a marriage, she yanked it off her finger before her brain could start getting the same silly ideas as her body. ‘I’ve told you, I’ve already spent the money. I don’t want the ring. I don’t understand what’s going on. I don’t know why I’m here.’ Which probably said more about her than him, she thought gloomily: he’d summoned her and she’d come running.
‘I wanted to talk to you. There are things that need to be said.’
Kelly thought about the child growing inside her and decided that had to be the understatement of the century. ‘Yes.’ She squeezed her hand around the ring, feeling the stone cutting into her palm. ‘I have a couple of things to say to you, too. Well, one thing in particular—nothing that...’ Suddenly she felt horribly nervous about his reaction. What was the best way to tell him—straight out? Lead up to it with a conversation about families and kids? ‘It’s something pretty important, but it can wait. You go first.’ She needed more time to build up her courage. She needed someone like Vivien bolstering her up from the sidelines.
She needed to stop thinking about her own childhood.
‘Put the ring back on your finger, at least for now. I’ll pour you a drink—you look hot.’ Alekos strolled over to a small table which had been laid by the beautiful pool. ‘Lemonade?’
Still rehearsing various ways to spill her own piece of news, Kelly was distracted. ‘Oh, yes please. That would be lovely.’ Wondering what on earth he wanted to say to her, Kelly slid the ring back on the finger of her right hand as a temporary measure. They could argue about it later. ‘So, I read in the papers that you broke up with your girlfriend. I’m sorry about that.’
‘No, you’re not.’ A smile touched his mouth as he poured lemonade into two chilled glasses, ice clinking against the sides.
‘All right, I’m trying to feel sorry, because I don’t want to be a bad person. And I do feel sorry for her, in a way. I feel sorry for any woman who has been dumped by you. I know how it feels. Sort of like missing your step at the top of the stairs and finding yourself crashing to the bottom.’
He winced as he handed her a glass. ‘That bad?’
‘It feels as though you’ve broken something vital. Will your cook person be offended if I pick the bits out of this?’
‘The bits?’
‘The bits of lemon.’ Kelly stuck a straw into the glass and chased the tiny pieces of lemon zest around. ‘I’m not good with bitty things.’
Alekos inhaled deeply. ‘I’ll convey your preferences to my team.’
‘Team? Gosh, how many people does it take to peel a couple of lemons?’ She sipped her drink and sighed. ‘Actually, it’s delicious. Even with the bits. All right, this is all very nice—the whole private jet, pretty clothes and lemon-from-the-tree scene—but don’t think I’ve forgiven you, Alekos. I still think you’re a complete b—’ her tongue tangled over the word ‘—bleep.’
‘You think I’m a “bleep”? What is a “bleep”?’
‘It’s a substitute for a bad word that I absolutely don’t want to say out loud.’ Kelly snagged a few more bits of lemon with her straw. ‘On television they stick a bleep sound in instead of the swear word. I’m doing the same thing.’
‘Which swear word?’
‘You have more intelligence than that, Alekos. Work it out for yourself.’
‘You don’t know one?’
‘Of course I do.’ Kelly sipped her drink slowly. ‘But I’m always very careful with my language. I don’t want to slip up in front of the children. I try never to swear, even when severely provoked.’
‘I seem to recall that you called me a bastard.’
‘Actually, you said that about yourself. I just agreed. It felt good, actually.’ Kelly pressed the glass to her arms to cool her overheated skin. ‘So why did you make me deliver the ring in person? Why not use a courier or send one of your staff? They can’t all be peeling lemons.’
‘I didn’t want the ring. I wanted you.’
Kelly’s heart tumbled and she put her glass down because her hands were suddenly shaking so much that they’d lost their ability to grip. ‘You didn’t want
me four years ago.’
‘Yes, I did.’
She looked up at him, reminding herself not to fall for anything he said. ‘You have a funny way of showing it.’
‘You are the first woman I have ever proposed to.’
‘But not the last.’
‘I did not propose to Marianna.’
‘But you were going to.’
‘I don’t want to hear her name mentioned again. She has no relevance to our relationship. Tell me why you have black circles under your eyes.’
That’s right, change the subject, Kelly thought moodily. He obviously didn’t want to talk about Marianna. And maybe she didn’t, either. ‘I have black circles under my eyes because of you. Fighting you is exhausting.’
‘Then don’t fight me.’
Kelly wondered how her heart could still miss a beat even when her brain was issuing warning signals. Yes, he was gorgeous; there was no denying that he was gorgeous. Everything about him was designed to attract the opposite sex, from the leashed power in his broad shoulders to the haze of black hair revealed by his open-necked shirt. Desire pumped through her veins, her physical response contradicting her emotions.
Natural selection, she thought to herself, scrambling around for an excuse for the way she felt. It helped a little to pretend that she was genetically programmed to be attracted to the strongest, the fittest and the most powerful male of the species. And Alekos Zagorakis was all those things.
But just because she could feel herself sinking didn’t mean she was prepared to go down without a fight.
Make a fool of herself as she had first time around? Throw herself at a man who didn’t want her? No. Absolutely no. Not even knowing that she was carrying his child.
‘If you expect me to just surrender to you then you’ll be disappointed. I’ll never be submissive.’
‘I don’t need submissive. I do want honest.’
‘That’s rich, coming from you. When did you ever tell me what you were truly feeling?’
