‘What have you been doing with yourself these past few months?’ he whispered. ‘Travelling the world? Seeing the sights? Tell me about all the wonderful exotic locations your clients have whisked you away to. Africa? Asia?’
She smiled back, her defences weakened by the wonderful charm and warmth of this man who was standing so very close and yet seemed beyond reach.
‘Actually, I’ve been working on my own projects right here.’ She waved her right hand in the air and looked up at the ornate plasterwork ceiling of her hallway. ‘I thought that I might stay in one place for a while.’ Her voice quivered a little and the silver bow on the gift-wrapping suddenly became the focus of her attention. ‘Try and get my bearings after …’
She swallowed, almost losing control at the thought of Paxos, and quickly changed the subject. ‘But I can see what you’ve been doing,’ she whispered, giving him a half smile. ‘You finished the book. Does you dad love it as much as you hoped?’
‘He does. He had to go back into hospital for another round of chemotherapy. It was tough. But when I brought the manuscript in to check on a few details … It was one of the few times in my life that my father has held my hand and cried. Going through the chapters together changed us. Made us talk about things I had put off for way too long. It was good. Actually, it was better than good. It was grand. What was the phrase you used? Oh, yes. Awesome sauce. The book is awesome sauce. And I have you to thank for making that happen.’
‘Not just me. He should be proud of you.’ Lexi stroked the wrapping and pressed her lips together, her mind reeling from the fact that Mark was so close. She longed to touch and hold him and tell him how much she had desperately missed him … But she knew that would only make things a lot worse.
‘I’ll read it later, if you don’t mind. I need to get back to my decorating.’ She waved her yellow glove back inside the hallway. ‘Lots to do.’ She half turned to step back inside, then glanced back at him over her shoulder. ‘But thank you for bringing me this in person. I hope it gets stunning reviews and puts some ghosts to bed. For all of us. Good luck, Mark. To you and your family.’
Time stood still for a few seconds as Lexi remained in the doorway, hating to say goodbye.
‘Lexi. Can I come in? Just for five minutes? I really do need to talk to you.’ Then he pulled back his arm and shook his head. ‘Forget that. That’s what the old Mark would have said.’
He stepped forward so quickly that Lexi was still taking in a sharp breath when he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her sharply towards him. Looking into her startled eyes, Mark smiled and pulled her even tighter, so that the only thing separating their bodies was the book he had just given her.
‘I would much rather have this conversation on your doorstep, so that the whole of London can hear me tell you that I’ve been totally miserable these past few months without my sparkly Lexi by my side. In fact I missed your irritating sparkliness so much that I stopped being grumpy and decided to be a better man, instead.’
Her heart turned a somersault. ‘Oh, you were grumpy. But I wasn’t always sparkly, so I think we’re about even.’
‘Sparkly enough for me. And please don’t make me lose my place in my speech. I was just getting to the apology—where I grovel at your feet and beg your forgiveness for being such an idiot that I let you go without fighting harder to persuade you to stay.’
‘In that case I shall try not to be sparkly. Because I quite like the sound of that part.’
‘I rather thought you might. Only I’m a bit out of practice when it comes to grovelling. In fact, this is a first, so you’ll have to forgive me if I get it wrong.’
Lexi tugged off her other glove and pressed her free hand onto Mark’s chest. He inhaled deeply with pleasure at her touch.
‘On the contrary.’ She smiled. ‘I think you grovel quite beautifully. But you can stop now. There’s something I’d like to show you.’
She grabbed his hand and half dragged him down the narrow hall and into the kitchen of her tiny terraced house.
‘Do you remember all the photographs I took of your kittens on the terrace at the villa? Well, here they are.’
She pointed to the row of printed pages which ran the full length of the kitchen wall. ‘On the left side of the page is a photo of the kittens, and then on the right side are a few lines of the story.’
‘Is that Snowy One peeping his head out from my stone wall?’ Mark asked, laughing at the cutest white kitten with pink ears, pinker tongue and a cheeky grin. ‘It is—and here’s Snowy Two, halfway up the trunk of the olive tree next to the table-tennis table. I think it was the moment when it dawned on him that going down might be slightly trickier than climbing up. “Once upon a time in the land of sunshine there lived a family of positively pampered cats,”’ Mark read slowly, then snorted and looked back at Lexi. ‘Well, that certainly is true. My housekeeper feeds them chicken when I’m away!’
Lexi took a step to his side and read out the rest of the page. ‘“There was a mummy cat, a daddy cat and two kittens. Their real names were Snowy and Smudge, but most days they ended up being called other names—like rascal, scamp, trouble and mischief.”’
‘Oh, that is perfect. These are wonderful, Lexi.’ He sighed warmly and walked, with her hand still held in his, from photograph to photograph. ‘I knew you were talented. But these are magical. Truly wonderful. Cassie’s boys would adore these stories.’
Lexi paused and looked up into his face. ‘But not my boys, Mark. I know there’s a small chance that medically I could have your son, but lurching from month to month with hope and then disappointment is no way to live. It wouldn’t be fair on either of us. And that hasn’t gone away.’
‘No, it hasn’t,’ he replied, lifting a strand of hair and pushing it back over her forehead as he slid away her bandanna. ‘But I know now that a life without love in it is no life at all. You are the only woman I want in my life. Plus I’m going to need some help with childcare. Ah … yes.’ He smiled at her stunned face. ‘That reminds me. I should probably mention that I plan to adopt. Two girls and two boys would work well, but I’m flexible. There are an awful lot of children out there who need a loving home where they can be spoiled rotten, and I suspect that we would be very good at that.’
‘Adopt? Four children? You would do that for me?’ Lexi asked, suddenly feeling faint, horrified, stunned, amazed and thrilled to the core.
‘In a heartbeat.’ Mark shrugged and drew her closer. ‘You are the girl for me. And that’s it. Those children will be blessed with the most wonderful mum. And I’m going to be right there every step of the way. In fact, I’m rather looking forward to being a dad.’
‘Wait a minute,’ Lexi replied and shook her head. ‘You seem to be forgetting something very important here. I was the one who couldn’t face the hard time ahead of us. Not you. I was the coward. You made me feel loved and treasured, and it was so intense and so beautiful I couldn’t deal with it, Mark. I just couldn’t believe it was possible that any man could love me so much. And I ran. And I shouldn’t have. I should have stayed and fought harder to make it work. I am sorry for that. I just couldn’t believe it was real. I couldn’t believe you wanted me.’
Her head lolled forward so that her dirty, dusty forehead was resting on his beautiful dark suit.
‘Believe it,’ he murmured, his chin pressed on top of her hair. ‘Because it’s true.’
He tipped her chin up so that she could look into his eyes, and the intensity and depth of what she saw there choked her so much that her breath came out in deep sobs.
‘I telephoned your mother yesterday and personally invited her to the book launch. She was a tad surprised to hear from me, but we got along splendidly after I mentioned that I am completely besotted with her daughter and my sole objective in life from this moment is her complete happiness.’
‘You said that to my mum?’ Lexi gasped. ‘Wow. That must have been an interesting conversation. You do know that sh
e’ll hold you to it? Wait a minute … I spoke to her last night and she never said a word.’
‘Um … We made a pact. She wouldn’t tell you that I was coming round so long as I promised to kidnap you from your world of plastering and whisk you off to a luxury hotel for an afternoon of pampering in the spa, a fine meal and hopefully some debauchery.’
She slumped against him. ‘Oh, that sounds so good.’
‘There’s more. Your delightful and charming parent happened to mention that your home-decorating project was sucking time away from your writing. This cannot be permitted to continue. Children everywhere need to see these stories as soon as possible.’
He grinned and winked. ‘The Belmont estate has a wonderful team of builders and decorators who will be happy to help my girlfriend in her hour of need. They are currently on standby, ready to burst into action at a moment’s notice and get busy on your charming London house while you spend the weekend with my family at the manor.’
‘That’s—that’s very generous, but I couldn’t possibly accept … And … girlfriend? What manor? And you winked at me. You winked. Things really have changed.’
‘I thought it was about time I started to be spontaneous. And I was hoping that if I played my cards right you might let me share this bijou gem of a home with you. It’s far better than any clinical, empty penthouse. And, best of all, you are in it.’
He cupped Lexi’s head between his hands, his long fingers so gentle and tender and loving that her heart melted even more.
‘I love you, Alexis Sloane. I love everything about you. I love that you are a survivor. I love that you have come through so much and still have so much love to give to the world. I am so proud of everything you have achieved, and I want to be there when you go on to even greater things. I believe in your talent and I want to share my life with you.’
‘You love me?’
He nodded. ‘Yep. I love you. All of you. Especially that part of you that doesn’t believe that she deserves to be loved. Because that’s the bit I fit into. Say yes, Lexi. Say yes. Take the risk and let me into your life. Because you are not a coward. Far from it. You are the bravest woman I have ever met.’
‘I would have to be brave to be your girlfriend,’ she sobbed, spreading tears and plaster dust all over his suit. ‘But give me ten minutes to get packed and I’ll show you how much I’ve missed you every second of every day we have been apart.’
‘You don’t need to pack. Where we’re going clothing is entirely optional.’
‘Oh, I do love you,’ she replied, flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him with every ounce of devotion and passion and repressed longing that she could collect into one kiss—a kiss that had them both panting when she released him.
‘Wow.’ He grinned, blinking, gasping for breath, his eyes locked on hers. ‘Really?’
‘Really, really. I love you so very, very much. Enough to stand up to anyone who even tries to break us apart. No matter who it is. Oh, Mark, I’ve missed you so much.’
His hands stroked her face and he grinned, his eyes sparkling with energy and life. ‘Excellent. Because I’ve already invited your mother and her fiancé to meet the Belmont clan at the manor tomorrow. I cannot wait a moment longer to show you off.’
She gasped. ‘My mother? And Baron Belmont? Now, that’s something I want to see. He won’t know what’s hit him.’
‘I have no doubt. But they’re all going to have to get used to the idea. This is the first day of the rest of our lives, Lexi. Tell me what you want to do and where you want to go and I’ll take you there.’
Lexi took in a long breath and looked into the face of the man she loved—the man who loved her in return and was offering her the world on a golden platter. ‘Then take me back to Paxos and that secret garden on a clifftop. And this time we are going to watch the sunset together. Forever.’
EPILOGUE
LEXI strolled into the luxurious reception room of one of London’s most exclusive gentlemen’s clubs and paused to take in the sumptuous interior which had already sent her mother into raptures over the ornate plasterwork, stunning Art Nouveau statuary and hand-painted Chinese wallpaper.
Deep brocade-covered sofas and crystal chandeliers added to the opulence—but they were lost on Lexi. Her high-heeled sandals sank into the fine Oriental carpet as she stood on tiptoe to find the one person she needed and wanted so badly to be with on his special day.
And there he was. Elegant in his favourite charcoal cashmere suit and the pale pink shirt she had ironed for him that afternoon, chatting away to Cassie and his mother’s showbiz friends in front of a huge white marble fireplace. His father had one arm around Mark’s shoulder and was laughing out loud, his head back, relaxed and happy, as one of London’s most famous theatre actors shared an anecdote about the old days when he worked with Crystal.
The love and the warmth of the scene added to the familiar heat that flashed through her body the moment she saw Mark’s eyes focus on her from across the room, inviting her to join him.
Clusters of elegant people were gathered around the tables, flicking through the pages of Mrs Belmont’s Lemon Cake, some smiling and some wiping away tears. All affected by the woman Mark had captured so brilliantly in the pages of a book that was surely going to soar up the best-seller lists.
Her reward for wending her way across the room was a warm hug from Cassie and a kiss on the cheek from Charles. But it was Mark who gathered her to him, his arm wrapped tightly around the waist of her simple pleated silk plum cocktail dress so that she was locked into his side.
‘You look even more amazing than normal, Miss Sloane. And that is saying something!’ he whispered into her hair.
‘Well, thank you, Mr Belmont, but I think the jewellery might have something to do with that.’ She grinned, pressing one hand to his mother’s stunning diamond-and-sapphire necklace which Mark had placed around her neck only minutes before they’d been due to leave her house for the party.
‘Oh, no. You are already sparkly enough for me. This is just a finishing touch for the rest of the world to see.’
The sides of his mouth lifted into an intimate smile that made her heart soar as he tapped the end of her nose.
‘Ah. Lexi. There you are.’ The smiling owner of Brightmore Press charged forward, waving the biography in his hand. ‘Splendid job. Just splendid. Huge success. I need to say a few words to our guests, but I’ll be right back.’ He looked at her over the top of his black spectacles. ‘And don’t you dare leave before we have a chat about that series of children’s books you’ve promised me. I’ve already booked a page in our Christmas catalogue. Catch you later!’
He sped off to grab Baron Belmont.
Mark squeezed Lexi’s waist as she smiled up into his face. ‘Well, I suppose I shall have to get used to having my own name on the cover for a change.’
‘This is only the start,’ Mark replied, then laughed out loud. ‘They already know that I couldn’t have written this book without you. Get ready for the time of your life, Miss Awesome Sauce. There’s no holding you back now—and I am going to be right there by your side, cheering you on. All the way.’
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II B.V./S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or other
wise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
First published in Great Britain 2012
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Nina Harrington 2012
ISBN: 978-1-408-99770-3
Table of Contents
Praise for Nina Harrington
About the Author
Title Page
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Copyright
My Greek Island Fling Page 16
