Читать книгу Modern Romance November 2019 Books 5-8 - Dani Collins - Страница 17

A PRE-PARTY FAMILY MIXER.

A harmless-sounding statement until you were confronted by the full might of the formidable Xenakis clan.

The gathering had been deceptive. Over the course of two hours they’d trickled in—some by car, others by boat. And Axios’s formidable-looking brother Neo, looking a little distracted and a lot harassed, had come by sleek helicopter, with the iconic Xenakis Aeronautics logo emblazoned on its side.

Inexorably the trickle became a stream, and then a torrent. By four p.m. the largest salon in the villa, the surrounding terrace and the perfectly manicured lawn were overflowing with aunts, uncles, cousins and distant offshoots—some from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.

Fascinatingly, despite the low buzz of tension surrounding their interactions, there were no overt signs of dissent.

Perhaps because I was their main focus.

I didn’t want to admit it, but the six-hour makeover session I’d endured earlier in the day boosted my confidence now, as impeccably dressed men and couture-clad women approached the place where I stood next to Axios, with a wide-eyed Andreos nestled in my arms.

My hair had been brought back to shoulder-length, layered and trimmed into loose stylish waves that gleamed with new vitality. And the rails upon rails of new clothes hanging in the closets of my vast dressing room, complete with matching accessories and priceless jewellery, were the pièce de résistance.

After months of wearing flats and tie-dye sundresses, and ponytailing my hair, the transformation took a little getting used to. While the teardrop diamond necklace glittering just as bright as the pristine white linen shift dress and tan platform shoes were making me feel intensely aware of the kind of circles I’d married into.

The most striking of the women within those intimidating circles was Electra Xenakis—Axios’s mother.

Her hair was a distinctive grey, which had been used to enhance her beauty rather than been dyed away, and it framed an angular face, highlighting superb cheekbones and the striking grey eyes she’d passed on to her sons. Tall and slender, with a ramrod-straight posture, she was formidable—until she gave a rare smile. Then warmth radiated from her every pore, and the icy grey palazzo pants and matching top she wore were suddenly not so severe.

On meeting Andreos she dissolved into hearty tears. And that unfettered display of love for her grandchild thawed the cold knot of apprehension inside me, easing my anguish at the thought of a permanent separation from my child.

The distance I’d needed to get my composure back after handing Andreos over to his grandmother lasted mere minutes before I sensed a presence beside me. It wasn’t as visceral and all-encompassing as Axios’s, but it demanded attention nevertheless.

I glanced up to find Neo Xenakis standing before me.

‘I never quite got the chance to welcome you into the family last year.’ His tone was measured, his eyes just as probing as his brother’s.

‘I guess the circumstances weren’t exactly…conducive,’ I replied.

‘Ochi, they weren’t. But your disappearing act didn’t help matters, I expect?’

I stiffened. ‘I had my reasons,’ I replied.

Without answering, he dropped his gaze to the contents of the crystal tumbler he clutched. ‘Whatever they were, I hope it was worth keeping a father from his child?’

Again his tone was more appraising than censorious, as if he was attempting to understand my motives. Again my guilt resurfaced. And this time brushing it away wasn’t easy.

Before I could formulate a response, a deeper and more visceral voice asked, ‘Is everything all right?’

For me not to have sensed his arrival spoke volumes of the kind of magnetism the Xenakis men possessed. And now Axios had arrived next to me the force of their presence had doubled. Their sole focus was on me, but one set of grey eyes was vastly more potent than the other, sending my composure into free fall.

I took a long, steadying breath to reply, ‘We’re fine.’

Axios’s gaze slid from mine to his brother, a clear question in his eyes.

Neo’s expression clouded for a moment, then he shrugged. ‘Like your wife said, we’re fine. No need to go Neanderthal on me.’

Before either of us could enquire what he meant, he excused himself and struck out for the large gazebo on the south side of the garden, currently decked out with fairy lights and free of guests.

‘Is he okay?’ I felt compelled to ask.

Axios’s gaze stayed on him long enough to see his brother lift a phone to his ear before he turned to me. ‘His issues aren’t mine to disclose, but Neo is touchy on the subject of babies. Like the rest of the family, news about his nephew’s existence surprised him. But, since Andreos is single-handedly winning everyone over, I suspect the circumstances of his arrival will be forgiven soon.’

Had he deliberately excluded himself from that statement? Unwilling for him to see the bite of anguish that distinction brought, I turned my gaze to where the majority of the Xenakis clan had now gathered, choosing to see the bright side.

Andreos was indeed holding centre stage, tucked into his favourite blanket and nestled lovingly within his grandmother’s arms. The absolute devotion on the older woman’s face eased my heartache, but in the next moment the sudden thought that my own mother hadn’t met my son hit me with tornado-strength force.

‘What is it?’ Axios asked, the eyes that hadn’t left my face since his brother’s disappearance narrowing.

The fleeting thought to shrug off his question came and went, and I couldn’t help the small shaft of pain that came with it. ‘My parents haven’t met him yet.’

His face tightened, the mention of Yiannis Petras drawing a reaction I would have preferred to leave out of the already fraught atmosphere. I held my breath, ready to fight my corner.

‘We can arrange a visit for your mother later…if you wish?’

Surprised by that response, I blinked. ‘I do. Thank you.’

After another minute of assessing scrutiny he nodded. ‘Whatever your reasons for fleeing Agistros, I accept that I could’ve handled our last meeting a little better,’ he said, his voice a deep rasp.

My lips were parted in shock when another wave of Xenakises wandered over. Axios’s droll look and almost-smile told me he’d seen my shock at his apology.

I managed to get my emotions under control beneath his family’s probing glances, watching their silent musing as to what had transpired with Axios’s stray wife. I was grateful for their circumspection because, as baptisms of fire went, it could have been worse.

It was with far more trepidation that I contemplated my extensive closet three hours after everyone had disappeared into their various guest rooms and private homes to get ready for the main event. The knock on the door barely snagged my attention. Absent-mindedly I responded, my fingers toying with the tie of my bathrobe as I contemplated the stunning array of clothes.

‘As much as you seem to enjoy simply staring at them, you do actually have to pick an outfit to wear for the party, you know?’ Ax drawled, his deep tone more amused than I’d ever heard him.

I jumped and turned around, barely able to hold back a gasp at the sight of him, standing a few feet away, wearing half of a bespoke tuxedo. His pristine snow-white shirt was half buttoned, but neatly tucked into his tailored trousers, and his bowtie was strung around his neck.

The intimate knowledge of what resided beneath his clothes dried my mouth as I stared, slack-jawed, several superlatives crowding my brain.

Debonair. Breathtaking. Insanely gorgeous.

Slowly the silence thickened and he raised one sleek eyebrow. ‘Can I help with anything?’

The hand I waved over my shoulder at the closet was irritatingly fluttery. ‘I can’t decide what to wear. Meeting your family was one thing… This is a different ballgame.’

His gaze travelled from the top of my hair, which still held its earlier style, thanks to the expertise of the stylist, then lingered at the belt holding my robe closed, before moving to my bare feet. Each spot his eyes touched triggered fiery awareness.

‘You handled my family admirably and won them over with Andreos. Even Neo—and he’s a handful at the best of times,’ he added dryly. ‘You’ll excel just as well tonight.’

The deeply spoken reassurance made my heart lurch. To hide its effect I scrambled for something else to concentrate on, and spotted his dangling sleeves and the cufflinks in his hand.

‘Do you need help with those?’ I asked, even though assisting him would involve stepping closer, breathing in the intoxicating scent that clung to him and never failed to send my senses haywire.

He held out his arms. ‘If you wouldn’t mind?’

Breath held, in the hope that it would mitigate the erotic chaos stirring to life inside me, I reached for the two halves of his shirtsleeve in one hand and held out the other for the cufflinks. The tips of his fingers brushed my palm as he handed them over, and every inch of my skin responded as if set alight.

Intensely aware that my nipples were hardening, and that a pulse had started throbbing between my thighs, I hurried to finish my task, my own fingers brushing the inside of his wrist in the process.

Axios inhaled sharply, an incoherent sound rumbling from his chest.

Could we not even exchange a common courtesy without feeling as if the world was about to burst into flames?

Evidently not.

Which was probably all the warning I needed to keep my distance. Never to repeat what had happened on his sofa.

‘Efkharisto,’ he murmured, his voice deep and thick.

His eyes were molten, as heated as that needy place between my legs. Unable to withstand his gaze, for fear I’d give myself away, I turned to face the rack of clothes. Of course my senses leaped high when he stepped next to me, then took another step closer to the open closet.

To my shaky memory this was perhaps the first time I’d been this close without having his laser eyes on me. The opportunity to give in to the urge to stare was too hard to resist.

The breadth and packed strength of his shoulders.

The vibrancy of his lustrous hair.

The sharp, mouthwatering angle of his freshly shaved jaw.

Too busy fighting the way every inch of Axios triggered this unwanted but unstoppable reaction, I didn’t notice he’d made a selection until he pivoted, the momentary gaping of his shirt delivering one final punch of his sheer magnetism before he drawled, ‘You’ll look beautiful in any one of these gowns. But this one will do, I think.’

Heat engulfed my face as I reached out and snatched the gown from his hand, hastily stepping back. ‘I…thanks.’

‘You need help with the zip?’ he asked, in a voice thicker than before.

Aware of the dangerous waters I was treading, I shook my head. ‘I think I’ll manage. Thanks.’

He hesitated for a stomach-churning moment, then nodded. ‘I’ll return in fifteen minutes. We will go downstairs together, if you wish.’

I nodded my thanks.

Contrary to his stealthy arrival, I was conscious of Ax’s departure for the simple reason that he seemed to take the very air out of the room with him, leaving me breathless as I shrugged off the robe and slipped the gown over my head.

Barely paying attention to the design, I zipped it up and stepped into the heels that had been helpfully paired with the dress, spritzed perfume on my neck and wrists, and was adding the finishing touches to my make-up when his knock came.

Very much aware of the silk clinging to my hips and breasts, I prayed my body wouldn’t give me away as I opened the door.

For the longest time he simply stared at me. ‘Beautiful,’ he finally stated, and the sizzling gleam in his eyes only lent him a more dangerous air, rendering all my efforts for composure useless as I accepted there was no level this man couldn’t reach in the drop-dead gorgeous stakes.

‘Thank you,’ I replied, my voice a husky mess.

He held out his arm. I took it, and was still in a semi-daze when we exited the limo at the entrance to the six-star luxury hotel in the middle of Athens where the party was being held.

The moment Ax and I stepped into the ballroom silence fell over the guests, every eye fixed on me.

‘I don’t know whether to smile or scowl. What’s de rigueur these days?’ I murmured.

‘Just ignore them. That’s what I do when I feel out of place.’

I laughed, mostly to hide his unabated effect on me. Besides, I couldn’t help it, because picturing Axios as a fish out of water was like attempting to imagine what the landscape inside a black hole looked like.

‘Something funny?’

‘You wouldn’t look out of place amongst a clutch of nuns in a prayer circle.’

He smiled, and just like that my body went into free fall, breaking one tension while ratcheting up another. And as I was crashing down, towards some unknown destination, it struck me that this was the first time I’d seen any semblance of a smile from the man I called my husband.

‘An unusual compliment, I think, but thank you all the same,’ he said.

‘You should’ve told me the whole of Athens would be here tonight,’ I said, a little desperate to maintain a disgruntled distance from him.

He lowered his head even closer to murmur in my ear, ‘Put your claws away, pethi mou. You look much too beautiful to pick a fight.’

‘I’m sure we can find something to fight about if we look hard enough.’

Was I really that desperate to start a fight? Simply to stop this unruly attraction in its tracks?

His amusement disappeared, to be replaced with the unwavering regard that never failed to trigger mini-earthquakes inside me. My breath snagged in my throat as he stepped closer, until there was nothing but a whisper of space between us. To anyone observing us we’d look as if we were sharing an intimate moment. But I knew what was coming even before he spoke.

‘Keep tossing those little challenges at me, Calypso, and I’ll delight in picking you up on one.’

The electric promise in those words sent a bolt through me. It lingered through all the introductions to influential individuals, A-list celebrities and even more of the Xenakis clan and it slowly began to re-energise, that spark of rebellion re-ignited.

For some reason I wanted to challenge him.

So when I found a moment’s reprieve I looked up from my untouched glass of champagne into his face. ‘Do you know what I think, Axios?’

A simple but effective hitch of his brow commanded me to continue.

‘I don’t think you will pick me up on any challenge. I don’t think you’ll do anything to risk this reputation you’re bent on protecting.’

‘Are you brave enough to test your theory, I wonder?’ he asked, and something untamed pulsed beneath his civil exterior. Something that made the glass in my hand tremble wildly.

His gaze dropped to it before returning to my face. With a wicked smile he raised one imperious hand and traced his knuckles down my heated cheek.

‘Pick your battles with care, Calypso. You look stunning in this dress—every eye in the room keeps returning to you time and again, and I’m the envy of every man here. You should be celebrating that, not picking a fight with your husband.’

With that, he leaned even closer, replaced his hand with his mouth for the briefest of moments…

And then he walked off.

Leaving me shaking with a cascade of emotions.

The only reason I felt out of sorts was because that little incident in my dressing room had thrown me—shown me a different side to Axios that had intensified the illicit yearning inside me. And while standing next to Axios wreaked havoc with my equilibrium, watching him, the most prominent man in the room, walking away left me with a yawing hollow in the pit of my stomach.

Did I really want him? Or was I just terrified by the knowledge that the only eyes I wanted on me were his, not the guests’ who kept coming up to me, some blatantly questioning why the great Axios Xenakis had tied himself down to me.

I shook my head, hoping to clear it of these confusing thoughts.

‘I hope you’re not shaking your head because you wish to deny me your company?’

I attempted to control my bewildering thoughts before turning towards another one of Ax’s cousins.

At my blank look he said, ‘I’m Stavros. We met earlier.’

I nodded, attempted to smile. ‘Hello.’

His smile was reserved, but genuine. I found myself wishing for another smile. One that was edged in sizzling grey. I was really losing it.

‘Having fun?’

I shrugged. ‘I’m in a room full of some of the most powerful people on earth, sipping champagne and enjoying the status of hostess with the mostest. What’s not to love?’

As with most of the Xenakis clan, his expression grew speculative. ‘You sound…distressed. Is everything all right?’

About to answer, I looked across the room to where Ax had been talking to the trade minister moments ago. He was staring directly at me, as if he could see to the heart of my jumbled emotions.

That he could do that from across the room panicked me and irked me. Nevertheless, I had to hold on to what was important. And that was Andreos. Regardless of my personal situation, I couldn’t afford for anything to jeopardise my time with my child.

With a deep breath, I forced a smile and turned to Stavros. ‘I’m absolutely fine, Stavros. Sorry if I sounded a little off. Chalk it up to missing my baby.’

‘Ah, a little separation anxiety, ne? As the father of young children, I remember that state well, too.’

‘Yes… Speaking of which, would you mind excusing me? I’d like to call and check on him.’

This time Stavros’s smile was a little tight. ‘Of course. But I hope you’ll honour me with a dance when you return?’

For some reason his request made me glance at Ax. He was once again engrossed in conversation with a clutch of men who were no doubt hanging on his every word.

That spark of rebellion returned and I answered Stavros’s smile. ‘Maybe. We’ll see…’

Excusing myself, I wove through the crowd, my pinned-on smile beginning to fray a little more at the edges every time I was stopped by a well-meaning guest wishing to very belatedly congratulate me on my marriage and Andreos’s birth, while subtly probing for cracks in my demeanour.

True to his word, Axios had taken care of all the speculation and chosen the most direct explanation for my absence.

‘My wife wished to have a peaceful pregnancy and took the time she needed to safely deliver our son.’

Only the most daring would choose to probe my absence after that.

All evening I’d watched him hold court, effortlessly exuding power and charm over hardcore businessmen and moguls I’d only read about in the newspapers.

And while the wedding last year and the family gathering earlier had already shown me his authority and charisma, watching him speak to and mingle with some of the most influential people in the world truly rammed home to me the almost frightening power he wielded.

He was a powerful man whom my father had managed to bend to his will. A man whose reputation I’d put in jeopardy with my disappearing act.

Had I been fooling myself by striking a deal with him?

Enough! Running rings around my decisions was futile.

I stepped out onto the thankfully empty terrace of the grand hotel ballroom and called Sophia. Reassured that all was well, my thoughts flew as they often did when I thought of Andreos to the battle that awaited me. To the fear that my time with him would be cut short.

My hand dropped to linger over my stomach, to the dull ache residing deep inside…

‘Are you all right?’ Axios demanded with a gravel-rough voice.

I jumped and whirled around, hastily dropping my hand when his gaze moved to it. ‘You’re spying on me now?’

He sauntered towards me. ‘I came to check on you because I didn’t want you to feel neglected. And I haven’t forgotten that you fled your marriage after one day and didn’t return for a year,’ he returned with sizzling fire.

‘Because you were happy to leave me alone on your island without a care for what I wanted. Have you forgotten that? Did it even occur to you that I might want a different life for myself other than what you chose for me?’

For the longest time he didn’t reply. Then, ‘That was an error in judgement. One I regret,’ he intoned solemnly.

The unequivocal apology had the same effect as the one earlier. My jaw dropped. ‘You…do?’

‘Ne,’ he drawled.

For another charged moment he stared at me. Then his gaze dropped to my phone.

Almost dazedly I stared at it. ‘You can stand down your spies. I was simply calling Sophia to check on my son.’

A deeply possessive look glinted in his eyes. ‘He’s our son, pethi mou. Yours and mine and no one else’s.’

The very idea of Andreos being anyone else’s child but Axios’s was so profoundly impossible I almost laughed out loud. And then that notion faded under the weight of the electrified atmosphere crackling between us. The feeling of being caught on the edge of a lightning storm that never quite went away.

It didn’t take a genius to see that Axios was in an equally edgy mood.

Attempting to dissipate it, I waved the phone at him. ‘He’s fine, by the way. According to Sophia, he went down without a fuss.’

Axios shrugged. ‘He’s almost four months old. I believe that as long as he’s warm and well fed he has very little to worry about.’

‘It’s a little more complicated than that. He needs love and laughter. He’s also at the stage where he’ll really start recognising his mother’s absence.’

Bleakness flashed across his face, momentarily slashing my insides. ‘What about his father’s? And whose fault is it that I’m not fully equipped with that information, Calypso?’ His voice throbbed with raw emotion.

‘Axios—’

His hand slashed through the air a split-second before he closed the gap between us and settled his hands on my shoulders. ‘I want to move on from this. But there are questions you still haven’t answered.’

My heart dipped. ‘Like what?’

‘What’s the big secret about your whereabouts? I hunted for you high and low. My investigators visited Nicrete—discreetly, of course, since I had to protect my family from untoward gossip. The general consensus there was that Calypso Petras was far too level-headed, far too considerate to have made such a selfish move. At least without assistance or coercion of some sort. Perhaps from a source no one had considered.’

‘What source?’

His tension heightened, his whole body seemingly caught in a live electric feed. ‘You tell me.’

‘Maybe a secret admirer? Perhaps even another man?’ I taunted.

A fierce little muscle ticked in his jaw. ‘Was it? Considering you were a virgin, I wasn’t inclined to think you would jump into another man’s bed that easily. Tell me I wasn’t wrong,’ he bit out.

He hadn’t thought the worst of me.

The idea of it left me nonplussed for several seconds, considering he still had no idea of my whereabouts for the past year. Considering he had to have overheard some of the blatant whispers at the party.

‘Why the interrogation? I thought you were all about keeping up appearances? Convincing the world that my absence was a well-orchestrated plan?’

‘That’s been taken care of. The results will be evident soon enough. Let’s discuss us,’ he said, then immediately frowned as if he hadn’t expected to say that.

Perhaps he hadn’t. After all, wasn’t he the man who’d never engaged in a relationship that lasted more than a few weeks?

‘Us? Are you sure? You seem as surprised by that word falling from your lips as I am to hear it.’

For the longest time he stared at me. Then he shrugged. ‘Only a fool stays on a course that’s doomed. Perhaps I’m embracing new changes. Attempting to be…different.’

My heart lurched, even as I tamped down fruitless hope. All this meant nothing. Not if my prognosis was as dire as my senses screamed that they were. Not if this marriage was ticking down to dissolution.

‘Can we not do this here? I’d like to go back in.’

‘Why? So Stavros can succeed at working his angle?’

I blinked in surprise. ‘What are you talking about?’

He edged me back a step, following me so we were wedged against the stone balustrade. ‘Just a heads-up. His marriage is on the rocks. He’s attempting to raise his stature by undermining my authority every chance he gets—chances which, unfortunately for him, haven’t been readily available. I’d rather not see you be his pawn,’ he breathed, his voice absolutely lethal while being so soft.

Too late, I accepted that the fire inside me was building out of control. His body surged closer, reminding me in vivid detail of the hard-packed, streamlined definition of muscle beneath his bespoke suit. And the fact that his body could render me speechless with very little effort.

‘You can stand down. I can take care of myself.’

‘Ne, I’m beginning to see that,’ he murmured, and again there was the barest hint of grudging acceptance in his eyes.

But I didn’t get the chance to explore the discovery because his head slowly lowered.

Hot, sensual and commanding, his lips slanted over mine. With a gasp that was way too husky and way too revealing I threw up my hands. Somewhere in the back of my head I was aware that I’d dropped my phone. But it didn’t seem to matter, because his tongue was delving between my lips, seeking entrance I was helpless to deny.

He tasted me with a brazenness that struck a match to the desire that had been straining to be freed after that episode on his sofa. With effortless ease he set it ablaze between one snatched breath and the next.

His tongue stroked mine with a possessiveness that took control of my whole body, so that when one hand slid from my shoulder and down my back to draw me into sizzling contact it felt as if I was made of warm, pliant dough, ready to mould myself to any shape of his bidding.

When his other hand angled my head to deepen the kiss it was all I could do to slide my own hands around his neck. To hold on tightly as the dizzying journey zipped like a rollercoaster ride I never wanted to end.

With a helpless moan, I parted my lips wider, strained onto my toes the better to absorb more of the experience.

Ax made a gruff sound that disintegrated beneath our frenzied kiss. His hold intensified until we were plastered together from chest to thigh. Until the unmistakable imprint of his thick, aroused manhood blazed hot and potent against my belly.

My fingers convulsed in his hair as the memory of him inside me, possessing me, surged into life. Feverish need pooled between my thighs, hunger prising another moan from my throat.

Before it could be anywhere near sated Ax was pulling away, his gaze searingly possessive as it moved from my damp and tingling mouth to my eyes.

‘Now that we’ve shown the world how hot we still are for each other, will you come inside with me and dance with your husband?’ he asked, his tone husky but firm.

Did he really want to dance with me or had he kissed me just for show?

The eyes burning into mine seemed to be attempting to read me just as hard as I was trying to reading him.

What was he looking for?

What was I looking for?

My scrambling senses flailed, and I was aghast at how easily and completely he’d overtaken my senses. How even now, with a few snatched breaths, I still couldn’t think beyond the need to experience that kiss all over again. Yearning for more than just a kiss.

Realising he was awaiting a response, I scrambled the appropriate words together. ‘Yes. If I must.’

He swooped down to pick up my discarded phone, then linked his fingers with mine before tugging me after him.

The crowd parted at our re-entrance, and some of the gazes I met were alight with the knowledge of what we’d been doing out on the balcony.

Being mired in my confused emotions saved me feeling embarrassment at those looks. It also made me pliant enough to survive half of the slow waltz with Axios before my senses began to return.

The reality of finding myself plastered to my husband once more, with the effects of that kiss still lingering in the form of my peaked nipples and erratic breathing, made me glance wildly around, avoiding his gaze as I tried to gather my shredded composure.

‘Look at me, Calypso,’ he instructed gruffly.

Almost helplessly I met his gaze.

His expression was studiously neutral but his eyes glinted with residual emotion. ‘What just happened is nothing to be ashamed of,’ he said gruffly. ‘In fact, some might think it…fortunate that we’re compatible in some ways.’

I wanted to laugh, because he was oh, so savvy about such things. While I continued to flounder.

‘Don’t you think it’s a touch…needy to feel you have to be the centre of everyone’s attention?’ I asked.

The arrogant smile he slanted down at me said he didn’t care one way or the other what people thought.

‘I don’t wish to be the centre of everyone’s attention. Just yours,’ he drawled.

For the sake of our audience, I sternly reminded myself, even as my insides lurched and jumped with misguided giddiness.

To mitigate that sensation I pressed my lips together and swayed in his arms, hoping the music would soothe my ragged nerves and spirit the rest of this infernal night away.

But, as fate had shown me time and again, hopes and dreams belonged in fairy tales. Axios danced me through three more tunes before conceding the fourth to the mayor.

Thereafter, quickly reclaimed by my so-called doting husband, we moved from group to group, his hand firm on my waist and his piercing grey eyes smiling down at me through each introduction.

His acting skills were exceptional. Our guests lapped up every soft caress, indulgently smiling at my every recounting of why I’d been away as if it was a true Greek love story.

We stopped within every circle long enough to project an image of cordiality before moving on. And I regurgitated the practised story of my absence until I feared I was blue in the face. Until I was ready to scream the truth to the whole world.

Perhaps his shark-like instincts sensed my frazzling composure. Because Ax turned to me as I impatiently waved away another offer of champagne and started to open my clutch.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

Remembering he had possession of my phone, I looked at him. ‘Can I have my phone back? I want to check on Andreos.’

His gaze rested on my face for several beats. Thinking he wasn’t going to answer, I was surprised when he turned to the business acquaintances he’d been talking to.

‘It’s time for us to take our leave. My beloved cannot bear to be away from our son for long, and I find that I’m not far behind her in that sentiment.’

Indulgent laughter followed, quick goodbyes were said, and before I knew it we were heading out to the waiting limo.

Settled into the back seat, I found my senses once again crowded with the sight and sound of Axios. My inability to dismiss him.

‘I could’ve gone home on my own. You didn’t need to leave with me.’

One sleek eyebrow spiked. ‘You wanted me to stay there and reverse the effect of everything we’ve achieved this evening?’ he replied.

‘You seem to be a master at convincing everyone that the moon is made of caviar. I’m sure they’ll believe whatever you tell them.’

He gave a low, deep laugh. Which drained away as his eyes latched to my face. ‘Perhaps I do have this unique gift you speak of, but I also meant what I said. I’ve missed months of my son’s life. I don’t intend to miss any more.’

‘For how long?’

His whole body froze. ‘Excuse me?’

‘How long do you think this phase of yours will last?’

‘You have lost me…’

A thought that had been niggling me despite his assertion rose to the fore. ‘You didn’t want this marriage and we never got around to discussing children. We’re only here because a condom failed at the crucial juncture.’

‘And you think those circumstances beyond my control preclude me from assuming my mantle of responsibility towards my son? Did it you?’

‘I… It’s different.’

‘How?’ he challenged.

‘I love him! I would do anything for him. While you…’

‘What? Speak your mind, glikia mou.’

‘You just want to show off your virility.’

After several tense seconds he settled back in his seat. ‘You’re right. I do want to show him off. He is my son, after all. As for showing off my virility—again, the evidence is there for all to see. But, while you’re wrong if you think you’re the only one invested in Andreos’s existence, I’m aware that only time will prove what I say to you. So I guess the ball’s in your court on that one.’

‘How so?’

‘You’re the one who’s in a hurry to leave. You say you were always going to come back? I’m choosing to believe you. If you want to ensure my devotion to my son is as strong as yours, then you need to rethink the urgency of your divorce demands, do you not, pethi mou?’

Despite his silky tone his eyes bored into mine in the dark interior of the car, and the notion that he was attempting to see right into my soul assailed me.

The thick lump wedged in my throat stalled my answer. Because time was the one commodity I might not have.