by Maya Blake
No. Sex, as she’d discovered, was great. But it would never be enough in the long run.
Despite losing her appetite, she forced herself to eat a few more chunks of fruit and summoned a smile when the staff cleared away their plates.
She looked up to find Ari staring at her, the question clear in his eyes. ‘We agreed to a week, Ari.’
His lips compressed. ‘What will be different in a week’s time that we can’t resolve today?’
Her hands shook and she took a sip of water. ‘Maybe I can convince you to talk to me a little bit more.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘And will this therapy session be a two-way thing?’
She’d already told him the most humiliating secret, but the deeper secret, the yearning for a connection, to belong... It was that deep yearning that had swayed her into Morgan’s path in the first place. Could she share that with Ari?
She took a deep breath. ‘I’m willing to try if you are. But we both have to be committed to try.’
‘Perla...’ His voice held mild disgruntlement.
‘We agreed on a week. All I’m doing is adding a tiny addendum. You owe our child, at the very least.’
* * *
Ari felt his insides tighten and fought the need to demand an answer right there and then. With each minute that ticked past, he felt more and more on edge, as if some unforeseen wrecking ball hovered just beyond the horizon, ready to smash through the quiet joy bubbling beneath his skin.
Perla was right. He’d never intended to marry again, but waking up next to Perla on the plane to find her curled up so trustingly against him, he’d begun to dare to believe that he could have another chance to reclaim what he’d lost.
A part of him had died with Sofia and their unborn child. But he could forge a new family, be the father he’d always wanted to be, the one his own father had failed so comprehensively to be.
But in this he knew he had to be patient, no matter how much it killed him.
‘I’m not a patient man.’
His chest tightened as her mouth curved in a tiny relieved smile. ‘I’m learning that. Maybe I should also confess I’m a stubborn woman.’
His gaze flew to her hair and his groin tightened. He wryly admitted that his need to speed things up also stemmed from the fact that as a married man he wouldn’t have to hold back on the need that clawed relentlessly through him day and night.
‘Fine. I agree that we use this week to learn some more about each other.’
She smiled at Peter as he delivered their main course. Then her eyes returned to Ari. ‘Does that mean I can ask you whatever I want?’
He’d opened that particular door. Attempting to slam it shut now would only make things worse. He gave a single curt nod and saw the speculative smile that curved her full mouth.
‘Word of warning, though. I give as good as I get. And I don’t always play fair.’
Her smile disappeared and Ari couldn’t stop the laugh that rumbled out at her startled look.
He tore into his lunch and watched with satisfaction as she consumed hers. They were polishing off the last of the salad when she glanced furtively at him.
‘Do your brothers know that I’m...pregnant?’
‘No, I haven’t told them yet. Ideally, I’d like to announce the pregnancy and our intended marriage at the same time.’
Her gaze slid from his and he forced himself not to react. ‘Um...okay.’
Feeling the restlessness that had taken up residence in his body clamouring through him again, he got up. ‘Time for the full tour, then I’ll let you get to work.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE DAYS PASSED in a blur of activity and by the time Sakis and Brianna arrived on Thursday afternoon, Perla had everything in place in anticipation for when the VIP guests arrived on Sunday.
Unlike their first meeting, Sakis Pantelides’s smile was openly friendly if a lot speculative. She read the same keen interest in Brianna’s stunning blue eyes.
‘Ari tells me you’re putting on a spectacular list of events for the opening.’
‘He should know. He’s been slave-driving me up the wall with his endless demands for perfection. Perhaps now you’re here, you can get him out of my hair for an hour or two.’
Brianna laughed as she hugged her husband’s arm. ‘That seems to be a common trait amongst the Pantelides men. They never know when to leave well enough alone and trust us women to get on with it.’
Her husband sent her an indulgent smile so full of adoration Perla’s heart snagged in her chest then dropped to her stomach in envy.
‘Asking me to leave you alone is like asking the lark to stop singing first thing in the morning. It’s simply impossible, agapita.’
A blush raced up her face and the powerful passion that arced between them made Perla look away.
Sakis turned to her. ‘Where is my brother, anyway?’
‘He’s getting the scull ready for your rowing session this afternoon. I believe he wants to hit the water the moment Theo arrives,’ she said.
What she didn’t add was that Ari had been growing steadily more restless as the days had progressed this week. This morning they’d snapped at each other over breakfast, after which he’d disappeared with a curt instruction for her to take things easy. Or else...
God, why had she deluded herself into thinking they’d learn nice things about each other this week? So far she’d learned that even though he’d stated that he was happy for her to carry on working, he intended to keep a close eye on her at all times.
She only had to think of a need for it to materialise. Meals and snacks appeared minutes before cravings hit and there was always someone with a golf buggy, a wide-brimmed hat or a cool drink nearby.
That he also fully intended to extract a yes from her as soon as he could was also clear. As for the heated looks he’d sent her whenever she walked into his presence...
She shook her head and focused to find two pairs of eyes trained on her. ‘Um...the concierge’s assistant will escort you to your villa and I’ll let Ari know you’re here.’
With a smile she knew was a little strained, she walked away. After triple-checking everything on her list and clucking with impatience because she knew she was dawdling, she jumped into her allotted SUV and drove down to their villa.
Ari was in the middle of a phone call when she walked into the cool, brightly lit living room. He advanced until he stood in front of her but carried on his conversation, one hand idly playing with her loose hair.
She’d started their stay by wearing it up but Ari had found every opportunity to free it until she’d given up. There were some fights that just weren’t worth the effort.
She didn’t follow his conversation because it was conducted in rapid-fire Greek. But even if he’d spoken English, she wouldn’t have followed it because of the feverish emotions coursing through her at his touch.
Each day since they arrived at the resort he’d laid assault to her senses like this, touching her whenever she was within a few feet, grazing his fingers over her stomach in a possessive move that sent her emotions into free fall every time. That had been when he wasn’t snapping at her.
To say their time together so far had been a roller coaster would be an understatement.
She heard him end the call as his thumb traced over her mouth. Slowly he lowered the phone and his head began to descend.
‘Were you looking for me?’ he murmured.
‘Yes. Your brother and Brianna are here.’
‘I know. Sakis called me ten minutes ago.’ His head moved closer. ‘Theo is also on his way from the airport. He’ll be here in less than ten minutes. He wants to row straight away so I’ve had the equipment sent down to the water.’
His lips flitted over hers and she tried to p
ull back. ‘Ari...don’t.’
He stiffened slightly. ‘I’ve been a bear towards you all week. Let me apologise,’ he coaxed in that deep, hypnotic voice.
Her breath gushed out of her as he sealed her lips with his. Their mingled groan echoed around the room, then faded away to be replaced with harsh breathing. They strained towards each other until she could feel the solid imprint of his body and the even more rigid outline of his arousal against her belly.
The need that tore through her made her spear her hands through his hair. With a deep groan he picked her up and carried her to the sofa without breaking their kiss.
He was kissing his way down her neck when she finally came to her senses.
‘No. Stop!’
He raised his head slowly, his eyes sizzling pools of need and frustration. ‘Why the hell should I?’ he growled.
‘We can’t...you can’t use sex to apologise. Saying you’re sorry is enough.’
A mirthless smile tilted one corner of his mouth. ‘You really are naïve, aren’t you?’
She blushed fiercely. ‘Perhaps, but I also know that sex can confuse issues. You’ve been grumpy for days because you weren’t getting your way. Sex will not achieve what you want.’
His eyes gleamed as he reared back. ‘But it will make me feel a whole lot better. And you can deny it all you want but it will make you feel better too.’
She couldn’t deny it but neither was she going to admit it. She sat up and straightened her clothes. The black sundress wasn’t exactly appropriate for the tropics but it seemed black was all she’d packed. ‘Anyway, we can’t. We have guests who require our attention. But don’t think I haven’t noticed that every time I try to get you to talk to me like we agreed, you find something else for me to do!’
He stiffened and jerked to his feet. ‘You’re asking a man who has kept his innermost thoughts hidden most of his life to bare his soul, glikia mou. It’s not as simple as hitting play on a machine,’ he said, his voice charged with the echo of painful memory.
Her heart twisted for him, but she pressed on. Deep inside, she’d begun to hope that this would be the way to reach him, the way they could both move forward and begin the tentative steps to building a solid platform for their child. ‘I know that. Of course I know that. But, as difficult as it is, we have to give it a shot, Ari.’
Slowly, he inhaled. Then he nodded and held out his hand to her. ‘We will. Before we leave here. Now, you can come and watch me row my sexual frustration away. That will be your entertainment for the afternoon.’
She let herself be pulled up and felt some of her trepidation melt away. Immediately, thoughts that had hovered on the edge of her mind crowded in. Thoughts that involved whether she and Ari could make a marriage work despite all their baggage. That he seemed to believe it was possible had slowly eroded her own scepticism as the week had crept on.
The way Ari had taken care of her since her pregnancy came to light, she didn’t doubt now that he would provide a parent’s utter devotion and stability. And perhaps, over time, that devotion would spill onto her.
Her heart lurched painfully.
Morgan had shaken the foundation of her beliefs. But she’d discovered in the last few weeks that he hadn’t totally annihilated her self-confidence. It was that renewed self-confidence that made her want even better for herself and her child.
At least, with Ari, she knew the lay of the land going in. The events of his past might mean he never cared deeply for her. So the only thing that she needed to be sure of was whether she could live without the love she’d been so desperate for the first time round.
Before we leave here...
She pushed away the lingering trepidation and concentrated on getting in the electric buggy that would take them down to the water, although it was hard not to keep glancing at Ari’s bare thighs as he drove.
The youngest Pantelides was already on the waterfront with Sakis when they arrived.
Theo Pantelides was as tall as Ari but broader-shouldered with the same jet-black hair, although his bore no hint of the grey sprinkled at Ari’s temples.
Equally as gorgeous, his eyes were several shades lighter than Ari’s hazel and held the same speculation as Sakis’s when they rested on her.
‘So I finally meet the woman who’s caused quite the stir at Pantelides HQ.’
‘Theo...’ Ari growled a mild warning.
Theo’s smile was unrepentant as he held out a closed fist to her. A smile twitching at her lips, she touched her knuckles to his in a bemused fist bump.
‘About time someone shook him out of his doldrums,’ he added with a wink.
Sakis laughed and Brianna grinned but Ari’s narrow-eyed stare held no mirth.
‘Tell me you’re ready to get your ass whipped and I’ll happily oblige you,’ he said through clenched teeth.
‘Any time, old man.’
Ari’s jaw clenched harder but the hand he clamped on his brother’s shoulder to push him towards the boat was so affectionate it brought a lump to Perla’s throat. He disappeared into the specially built boathouse and emerged minutes later dressed in a dark gold rowing suit that moulded to his body.
Perla tried not to stare at the perfect specimen of man that was Arion Pantelides but when he grabbed the end of the scull and hefted it over his shoulders, she struggled to get air past her restricted throat into her lungs.
Purely for self-preservation, she looked away. Then immediately looked back.
‘God, don’t even try to resist that. Don’t get me wrong, I think Sakis is the best-looking of the bunch, but the three of them together like this, even I find it hard to breathe, never mind keep my eyes solely on my husband,’ Brianna muttered.
She grinned at Perla’s shocked laugh, fanned herself and moved closer to the edge of the viewing bench to watch the men set their scull on the water and climb in.
Sakis took the front seat, Theo the middle and Ari the last. They sank their oars into the water. Theo rolled his shoulders and laughed when Ari admonished him to be still.
Their chests rose and fell in rhythm, once, twice. Then they struck away from shore in flawless synchronicity.
‘Wow.’
‘I know, right? I’ve watched them row many times but I never get over how perfect they look together.’
Again Perla felt that tiny pang of jealousy. But she couldn’t help but wonder if this could be her baby’s life if she agreed to what Ari wanted. Her child, and by definition she, could be a part of this...togetherness. She didn’t have to be on the outside looking in like she had her whole life. She could give her baby a ready-made family who would cherish him or her.
She watched the men row, her eyes continually drawn to Ari, who now had a grin on his face despite the determination in his eyes.
‘Ari seems different.’
Perla jumped and turned to Brianna to find those incisive blue eyes on her. ‘Um...is he?’
Brianna nodded. ‘At the funeral he seemed ready to smash everyone’s head in. Today he looks as if the only person whose head is in danger is Theo, which, considering that’s par for the course, is worth mentioning.’
‘And you think I have something to do with that?’
‘Definitely. You and...that, I’m guessing.’
She followed Brianna’s gaze to where her hand rested on her stomach. With a gasp, Perla snatched her hand away but not before Brianna gave her a sympathetic smile.
‘I...no one knows,’ she said hurriedly.
‘Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.’ Her hand rose to rest over her own stomach. ‘I have a secret of my own. Although I have a feeling it won’t remain a secret for long. Sakis has been bursting to tell the whole world. But I’m guessing he’ll start with his brothers for now.’
‘Congratulations,’ Per
la offered. Then curiosity made her blurt, ‘How do you feel?’
‘Frankly? Scared out of my mind. I didn’t have the best of childhoods so I don’t have a role model to fall back on. Sakis tells me I’ll be a great mother but I think he’s hopelessly biased.’ Her smile was tinged with anxiety but full of love as her gaze swung back to the men. ‘What about you?’
‘Honestly, between Ari’s determination to get me to marry him and the job I have to do here, I haven’t had time to be scared, but—’
‘Ari asked you to marry him?’ Brianna’s eyes were wide with surprise. ‘That’s huge! I presume he’s told you what happened to his wife?’
Perla nodded.
‘He wouldn’t have made the decision easily.’
‘He only wants to marry because of his child.’
Brianna frowned. ‘I don’t think so. I don’t want to scare you but the reality is that every one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage. If all he wanted was to give the baby respectability, he’d have waited until it was born to ask you to marry him.’
Perla shook her head, refusing to even begin to hope. ‘Besides the baby, there’s really nothing like that between us.’
‘But there is something. There’s incredible chemistry. Don’t knock the power of great sex.’
She gasped. ‘That’s what he said,’ she said then blushed as she realised what she’d let slip.
Brianna laughed. ‘I knew there was an alpha horn dog beneath all that suave Pantelides exterior. Now let’s go and cheer our boys home before I give in to the urge to ask for details I have no business knowing.’
She jumped up and headed towards the waterfront. Perla followed at a slower pace and got there in time to see the brothers embrace at the news of Brianna’s pregnancy.
Ari’s gaze drifted to her as Sakis pulled his wife close and kissed her. His gaze dropped to her stomach but he said nothing, only helped his brothers stow the scull and oars in the boathouse before they all piled into the buggies to head back to their villas.
