She kneaded her hands. “You’re not thinking clearly. For one thing, I can’t give you children.”
“That goes for both of us. We’ll adopt.”
“That’s what Rob said.”
“Don’t you dare compare me to your ex-husband,” he ground out. “To prove it to you, we’ll get the adoption papers ready in my attorney’s office before the wedding ceremony. The second it’s over, he’ll get the process moving with the quickest speed possible.”
She shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“But I do because I’ve found the right woman for me.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I’m in love with you, Francesca Myers. I can’t honestly tell you when it happened, but the point is, it’s finally happened to me. I believe it’s happened to you, too, but you’re too frightened to admit it yet.”
Before she could take a breath, he lowered his head and closed his mouth over hers, giving her a kiss that was hot with desire. A husband’s kiss with the intent to possess. When he finally let her up for air, he pressed his head to her forehead while he tangled his fingers in her hair. “I can’t let you leave Greece. We belong together. You know it, and I know it.”
Tears ran down her cheeks. “You say this now, but you might not always feel this way.”
“I’m not Rob,” he bit out. “Your ex-husband did a lot of damage to you, but he’s not representative of most males I know, and certainly not of me.”
She wiped away the moisture with her fingers. “You’ve overwhelmed me, Nik.”
“Sorry, but it’s the way I’m made. Up on Mount Olympus, you told me I was wonderful and you’d never change your mind about me. Was that a lie?”
A ring of white circled his lips, revealing his vulnerability. It was a revelation to her. “You know it wasn’t.”
“Then prove it and tell me what I want to hear.”
She bit her lip. “I need to think about it, Nik.”
His jaw hardened. “You still don’t trust me?”
“It’s not that. I can hardly trust the situation. As I told you in the tent, this is all happening too fast.”
“How long did it take your father before he knew he wanted to marry your mother?”
She half laughed through her tears. “Mother rear-ended him in a parking lot at the college. When he got out of the car, pretty furious about it, she ran up to him full of apologies. He said one look in her eyes and he was a goner.”
Nik kissed her lips. “My parents had a similar experience when they first met. It happens to lots of couples. Why not us?”
“But our circumstances are different. I’ve been married, and you haven’t. You deserve to start out with a single woman who has no past. I’m a has-been.”
“So am I. Don’t forget my legion of women I’ve left in the dust.”
“How could I possibly forget them?” she croaked.
He hugged her to him. “I’m madly in love with you and everything that formed you into who you are. That includes warts, Rob and Kellie, who won’t want me for her best friend’s husband.”
“I’m afraid she won’t while her marriage is in trouble. Oh, Nik—” She flung her arms around his neck and sobbed.
“Am I getting my answer yet?” he whispered into her hair.
She eventually lifted her head and stared at him without flinching. While she had the courage, she needed to ask him something. Her whole life’s happiness depended on his answer.
“Nik— Try to be baldly honest with me because I’m going to ask you a hypothetical question.”
“Go on.”
“If we’d met under different circumstances and there’d been no Demi, do you think you would have asked me to marry you?”
An eerie silence crept into the room. He didn’t move a muscle, but she sensed his body go rigid. Instead of the look of desire she’d always seen in his eyes when he was around her, he scrutinized her as though she were an unknown species of insect under a microscope. The longer he didn’t say anything, the more fractured she felt.
“What kind of a hold does Kellie have on you that she could turn you into someone I don’t know?”
“This has nothing to do with Kellie.”
“The hell it doesn’t.” His wintry voice hit her like an arctic blast, prompting her to fold her arms to her waist. “Tell me what she said to you.”
“She’s been worried you’d do anything to get me to take care of Demi.”
His face morphed into an expressionless mask. “I guess we’ll never know if she spoke the truth or not, will we?”
Following his delivery to its ultimate conclusion, a gasp escaped her lips.
“Your advice to let my family come up with solutions has produced fruit. Ever since the funeral they’ve been in the process of looking for a nanny and expect to interview some candidates as early as tomorrow. For that, I thank you.
“However, you won’t be among the prospects because you’ll be on a plane flying out of Mykonos airport in the morning to join your best friend in the States where you came from. I hope you’ll both be very happy together. Since I don’t expect to see you again, I’ll say goodbye now.”
He was out the door so fast, she was incredulous.
What have I done?
Absolutely panicked, Fran wanted to run after him, but she didn’t know where to go to find him. Doing the only thing she could do under the circumstances, she picked up the house phone. Nik had told her the housekeeper would answer.
When she did, Fran asked her if she could find either Sandro or Cosimo and tell them to come to the phone. In a few minutes, Cosimo came on the line.
Without preamble she said, “I hate to disturb you, but I—I’m afraid Nik and I just had words,” she stammered. “I have to find him.”
“I just saw him leave the villa.”
Her heart plunged to her feet. “Do you know where he was going? I have to talk to him, Cosimo. It’s a matter of life and death to me.”
After a distinct pause he said, “He was headed for the marina. When he’s stressed, he spends the night on his sailboat away from everyone, but don’t tell him I told you that.”
“I swear I won’t. Bless you.”
CHAPTER NINE
NIK ran to the beach. After tossing his T-shirt on the sand, he plunged into the water and swam out to his boat moored on the other side of the dock. It was a good distance away, but it was the workout he needed.
He’d never been one to turn to alcohol, but he’d never been this gutted. When he reached the boat, he’d drink until he passed into forgetfulness. If the gods were kind, he wouldn’t wake up.
The same stars that had lighted the sky above their tent on Mount Olympus now mocked him as he torpedoed through the water to his destination. When he rounded the pier, he heaved himself over the side of his boat.
A moonlight sail in calm seas sounded perfect. When he was far away from shore, he’d drop anchor and stretch out on the banquette with a bottle of Scotch. With the canopy of the heavens to keep him company, he’d drink himself into oblivion. Always one for adventure, who knew if it wouldn’t be his last...
He went down the steps to the galley and rummaged in the cupboard till he found the bottle he was looking for. No glass was needed. Back up on top, he undid the ropes, then walked toward the outboard motor. It would take the boat beyond the buoy. If the wind didn’t pick up, it didn’t matter.
As he leaned over to turn it on, he thought
he heard a voice call out, but the sound coincided with the noise from the motor. It was probably a gull. He put the throttle at a wakeless speed. The boat inched away from the dock. When he was young, he used to pretend he was a thief on the boat, sneaking away into the night.
That’s what he felt like right now. Sneaking to a place where he could get away from the pain.
There went that cry again, stronger this time. That wasn’t a bird. It was human! He cut the motor.
“Nik—”
It sounded like Fran. Was he hallucinating when he hadn’t tasted a drop of Scotch yet? His head shot around behind him. He saw a form doing the breast stroke, trying to catch up.
“Wait for me!” she cried.
Galvanized into action, he slipped over the boat and swam to her. She practically collapsed in his arms while he trod water with her. “Put your head back and take deep breaths.”
Her arms tightened around his neck. “I’m all right.” Her lips grazed his cheek. “I was afraid you’d l-leave. I couldn’t let that happen before t-talking to you first.”
“Come on. Let’s get you onboard and into some dry clothes. Your teeth are chattering. Let me do the work.”
In no time he’d helped her up over the side. She’d plunged in the water wearing the same pants and blouse she’d had on earlier. With her hair streaming down, she looked like a shipwreck victim plucked out of the sea, albeit one more beautiful than he could begin to describe.
He gritted his teeth. “You could have broken your neck.”
“But I didn’t.”
Nik helped her down to the galley and pushed her into the shower. “Take off everything. I’ll leave a towel and robe hanging close by.”
“Th-thank you.”
After he’d found the desired articles for her, he went back up to weigh anchor, then he headed down to his bedroom. Luckily he kept a pair of sweats and a T-shirt onboard. He removed his swimsuit and got dressed.
While he waited for her, he made coffee for both of them. Having a sweet tooth, he added an extra amount of sugar to both mugs. She’d need it after her workout.
Right now he chose not to think about why she’d come. The fact that she’d put herself in jeopardy to catch up to him would do for starters. The rest could come after she was fully revived.
A few minutes later she appeared in the tiny kitchen in his blue toweling bathrobe. Her freshly shampooed hair had been formed into a braid. She smelled delicious. He handed her the coffee which she drank with obvious pleasure.
“Oh, that tastes good.”
He lounged against the counter sipping his. “How did you know I was out here?”
“I ran after you. Cosimo saw me and volunteered to stay by Demi. I raced as fast as I could, but you move like the wind. Kind of like the way you drive your car. That was a thrill of a lifetime for me.”
“I was in a hurry,” he muttered.
“I know. It was all my fault. Every bit of it. Forgive me. Kellie never used to be like this, but the problems in her marriage have made her so unhappy, she doesn’t see anything working out for herself, or me.”
“Their situation isn’t ours.”
“You think I don’t know that?” She put the mug down and grasped both his arms. “She jumped to all the wrong conclusions from an outsider’s perspective, but she lost sight of one thing. I love you, Nik. You have no idea how much.” She slid her arms around his neck. “Help me, darling. I can’t reach your mouth and I need it more than I need life.”
Not immune to her pleading, he picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. But after laying her down, he sat beside her. She tried to pull him down. “Nik— you have to forgive me,” she implored him.
His eyes smarted. “I’m the one who needs forgiveness. I fell in love with you the moment we met, then panicked because you were leaving on a trip with Kellie. I had to think of a way to keep you in Greece so we could get to know each other. I used Demi shamefully as my excuse.”
“I can’t believe it!” she cried for happiness.
“On our camping trip, I was building up the courage to tell you about my medical problem when you told me about yours. After that I couldn’t hold back. On our drive home, I would have asked you to marry me, but then we got that call about Demi.”
“But I almost ruined everything with that awful question.” She broke down in tears. “Please forgive me, Nik.”
“I think I like this ending better. To watch you swim toward my boat as if your life depended on it told me I hadn’t been wrong about you. I couldn’t swim out to you fast enough.”
Her face glistened with moisture. “Are we through talking now?”
He chuckled. “Not yet, but soon. Let’s get back to the house and relieve Cosimo. He deserves a break if Demi has fallen apart again. They all do.”
A half hour later, Nik grasped her hand and they tiptoed into the nursery. Cosimo had dealt with a miserable Demi until they got there. Now they were finally alone with the baby, who’d fallen asleep.
He pulled Fran close. “Since the hospital in Leminos, I’ve had this dream we’d get married and adopt her. I honestly believe Melina made sure she was dropped literally at your feet so you’d become her new mother. That’s why Demi reached out to you.”
Fran hugged him with all the strength in her. “It felt like heaven had delivered her expressly to me.”
“Then let’s adopt her as our own miracle daughter and give her all the love we can. Later on we’ll adopt another baby and another after that.”
“You’re making me too happy, Nik.” She sobbed against his shoulder.
“We need to get married soon so she’ll become bilingual in a hurry.”
“I’ve got to learn Greek fast! Oh—I’ll have to resign from my job at the hospital.”
“We’ll tell my parents in the morning.” He rocked her in his arms for a long time. “I’m going to enjoy seeing the look in their eyes. They’re not going to believe their youngest upstart son is finally going to settle down.”
“They’ve had to wait a long time.” She laughed through the tears. “Mine won’t believe it either. They’re going to adore you.”
“You’ve already got my family wrapped around your little finger.”
“It’s you I’m worried about. Let’s go in the bedroom so we won’t wake up Demi.”
He pulled her into the other room before cupping her face. “I want to spend the rest of the night with you, but I’m old-fashioned and would like your father’s permission to marry you before I work my wicked ways with you. My bachelor days have come to an end. You’re going to be my precious wife and I want to do everything right.”
“You do do everything right. So right, I don’t know how I was ever lucky enough to have found you. Just be with me for a little while. We’ll stay dressed on top of the covers,” she begged.
His lips twitched. “Once I start touching you, I’ll never stop. I want you to be able to tell Kellie that I didn’t coerce you into marrying me.”
Her eyes filled again. “I wish I’d never told you anything about our conversation.”
“Hush. I’m glad you did. Now we don’t have any secrets. That’s the way it should be. When you think Kellie’s ready, you can tell her about our mutual problem.”
“She’ll be mortified when she learns what happened to you on that climb.”
He smoothed the hair off her forehead. “But you’ll know how to comfort her. She needs a lot of that right now while
her marriage is suffering. That’s one of your special gifts. Now kiss me like you mean it, then let me go for tonight. Tomorrow, and all the tomorrows after that, will be a different story.”
“Nik—”
CHAPTER TEN
Three weeks later...
“TIME for your nap, sweetheart.” Demi had finished her lunch. Fran took her from the high chair and carried her through the penthouse to the bedroom they’d turned into a nursery filled with adorable baby furniture and curtains.
After changing her diaper, Fran put her down in the crib. She sang her one song. “Now be a good girl for Mommy and go to sleep. I’ve got a lot to do before your daddy gets home tonight.”
Her watch said one-thirty. There was still the table to set in the dining area and the kitchen to clean up, not to mention making the bed and getting herself ready later. She’d bought a new black dress with spaghetti straps in the hope of wowing her new husband.
Today marked their first-week anniversary as man and wife. She was making some of Nik’s favorite foods for a special dinner she wanted to be perfect. Fran had gotten the recipes from his mother and had already been on the phone with her twice to make sure she was doing the moussaka right.
The traditional recipe called for eggplant and meat filling. “But the trick,” his mother said, “is to layer in potatoes and zucchini to make it even richer before you top it with the bechamel sauce. Use heavy cream. My Nikki will love it.”
Fran loved her new mother-in-law and smiled as she hurried back through the rooms to the kitchen. She hardly recognized Nik’s elegant bachelor domicile anymore. The penthouse was still filled with light and open, but a family lived here now, complete with a baby. It contained the kind of clutter that turned a house into a home. She was so happy it was scary.
Today Nik had gone to the office for the first time. She’d missed him horribly.
Because of the baby, they hadn’t taken an official honeymoon yet. In another month they hoped Demi would be able to handle a few days away from them, but none of it mattered. Once they’d said their vows at the chapel in Mykonos with their families looking on, they’d become insatiable lovers.
Baby out of the Blue Page 16
