Читать книгу Greek Affairs - Кейт Хьюит - Страница 29

ALEXI stood by the ship’s rail, looking out to sea. The sun was setting in a golden haze, sending light spinning out across the horizon, turning the water to gold.

If someone had told him this morning that by the time the sun went down he would have made a proposal of marriage, he would have laughed scornfully. Yet here he was, awaiting Katie’s answer, and not just with cool indifference—this felt more like he was imploding with impatient need.

He had always trusted his instincts. It was his gut instinct that had helped him turn the family shipping business into a global phenomenon, it was his instinct that had guided him every step of the way until he controlled a worldwide business-empire.

His one mistake had been his marriage.

But he’d told himself that everyone was allowed to make one mistake, and he had promised himself that it would never happen again. He would never take those vows again; he would never love a woman again.

And he had meant it.

But life had a way of laughing mockingly at your promises, and of opening up alternative paths—paths that forced you into making difficult choices.

OK, this wasn’t a love match. He would never feel the way he’d felt about Andrea again; that kind of love only led to pain.

But Katie was having his baby!

And he desired her … fiercely desired her. The need to take her back to bed had been eating away at him for weeks. Even when she had told him this morning that she wanted a relationship that was more solid, more serious, he hadn’t been able to let go of the feelings he had for her. The sexual chemistry had simply been too strong.

When he had discovered she was pregnant a minefield of fierce emotions had opened up inside him. Part of him had been transported back to the past, back to Andrea. He’d hardly been able to look at Katie without seeing Andrea … without remembering that day when he had discovered the truth.

But that was the past, he told himself. Katie and their baby was the future.

And when Katie had looked up at him and had told him she wanted their child he had known beyond a doubt that marriage was the right way forward.

At thirty-five he was not getting any younger. And his business empire did need an heir. His father had been hammering on about that for long enough!

The warmth of the evening air reminded him of Greece, and his thoughts drifted towards home. He owned a sprawling mansion on ten acres of ocean front. The views out across the sea were spectacular. There was an orchard and a swimming pool.

He’d inherited it from his grandparents, who had hoped that one day he would live there with his wife and children. But it hadn’t been to Andrea’s tastes, she’d preferred to live in the city, so it had lain closed up for all these years. Alexi rarely went there. It wasn’t a practical proposition to live there as a bachelor, it was too big, and his apartments in Athens, London and New York were more convenient.

But now everything had changed. Suddenly the place seemed very practical. He found himself wondering what the garden would look like now as spring turned to summer; he imagined the blossom of the fruit trees, the rich fragrance of the heavily ripened figs so evocative of the Greek summers. There was nowhere quite as beautiful as Greece, he thought nostalgically. His childhood had been idyllic and it was what he wanted for his own son or daughter.

Suddenly he longed to be back there.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would leave with Katie for Athens. But before that they would be married in the chapel here on board the Octavia.

Now that he had made up his mind he didn’t see the point in waiting around. He’d already spoken to lawyers and put the wheels in motion. Legally they needed twenty-four hours—he’d spoken to a judge, he’d spoken to the captain here on board … everything was arranged. All he needed was Katie’s compliance, and he would get that.

He turned away from the view. The band was tuning up, ready for the evening ahead. Trestle tables loaded with food were set alongside tables and chairs for about a hundred people, and a dance area had been set up around the pool.

He was throwing this party as a thank-you to his staff for working so hard to get the refit of the Octavia finished on schedule. A few people had already arrived, the men in dark tuxedos, the women in evening dresses. He glanced at his watch and wondered where Katie was. He hadn’t managed to get down to the suite again. Business had swallowed the rest of the afternoon, to the extent where it had been quicker to shower and change back at his apartment whilst he’d been in town.

‘Alexi, how nice to see you.’ He turned as a business associate came over to shake his hand and introduce him to his wife, an elegant woman in her thirties.

He tried to concentrate on what they were saying, but at the back of his mind all he could think about was Katie. He wanted her answer. Where the hell was she? he wondered impatiently. It was almost seven now!

He was about to excuse himself and go looking for her, when a door further along the deck opened and Katie stepped out.

Captivated, Alexi watched as she walked gracefully across to the ship’s rail to look out at the view. She looked sensational; the strapless black cocktail-dress was sculpted to her curves, and showed off her flawless figure and long legs to perfection. Her dark hair was loose and tumbled in spiral curls the colour of rich mahogany around her creamy bare shoulders.

As if sensing his gaze, she looked around, and as their eyes connected Alexi felt a fierce thrust of desire.

‘Alexi, do you agree?’ He was vaguely aware that the woman beside him was waiting for an answer to some question.

He frowned impatiently and dragged his eyes away from Katie for a second. ‘Clare, my apologies,’ he murmured smoothly. ‘I’ve just seen someone I need to talk to.’

‘Yes, but do you agree?’ The woman had her hand on Alexi’s sleeve, as if loathe to let him escape.

He didn’t have a damn clue what she was talking about. ‘Claire …’ He turned the full force of his smile on the woman.

‘We’ll have to take up this conversation a little later.’ With a nod towards the woman’s husband, he extricated himself and strode purposefully away towards his quarry.

Katie looked back across the water towards Manhattan and tried to feign nonchalance, but she was acutely aware that Alexi was walking towards her. The way he had just looked at her had sent scalding-hot waves of panic and desire shooting through every nerve ending in her body.

He was going to want an answer to his proposal, and she didn’t know what that answer was. She had spent the last few hours trying to recover her equilibrium, trying to tell herself that she didn’t need to rush this decision, that he would just have to wait. But he didn’t look like a man who was prepared to wait.

There was something so determined about his every step, his every look, that she could feel those calm, rational thoughts starting to dissolve.

‘Good evening, Katie; you’re late!’ Alexi’s tone was cool. Yet his eyes seemed to burn into hers as she looked up at him.

‘Am I?’ She shrugged. ‘I was reading a few notes from the meeting this morning, I must have lost track of time.’ It was a blatant lie; she had stared at her notes and tried to read them, but all she had been able to think about was Alexi’s proposal.

‘Were you, indeed?’ Alexi felt a flicker of impatience. He had always liked the fact that she was as obsessed about work as he was—it had suited him. But it didn’t suit him now.

He noticed she wore little make-up, just a sprinkling of gold along the dark line of her lashes, and a hint of red gloss on her lips. She looked young and freshly innocent.

‘Well, I guess you were worth waiting for,’ he added huskily. ‘You look lovely.’

‘Thank you.’ She couldn’t quite control her blush, and he smiled.

He found the contrasts of her character fascinating—one moment she was the strong, confident businesswoman, and the next she was his innocent mistress again, the woman who had pleased him so well in the bedroom, who had responded to him with such sweet hesitancy, as if almost afraid by the turbulence of their passion.

How had he allowed her to slip away from him these last few weeks? He was angry with himself for letting that happen. One thing was sure—it wouldn’t happen again! ‘So, have you thought about my offer, Katie?’

The abruptness of the question was intensely disquieting. ‘Are we talking about work now or your marriage proposal?’ she grated sarcastically.

‘You know very well what I’m talking about.’

‘Yes, unfortunately I do. But what I can’t understand is how can you treat the subject of marriage as if it were a mere business proposition.’ She asked the question with raw emphasis.

‘Actually, like it or not, marriage is a business proposition,’ he told her bluntly. ‘It is a legal partnership.’

‘You sound like a lawyer,’ she murmured. ‘But then, you did train and qualify as a lawyer, didn’t you?’ she reflected suddenly. ‘I remember you telling me that now.’

‘What has that got to do with anything?’ he demanded with irritation.

‘A great deal, believe me.’ She flicked her chin up proudly. ‘Because I don’t want to be trapped in a cold, businesslike marriage, Alexi!’

He laughed at that. ‘Katie, honey, who are you kidding? The heat between us is like a furnace.’

As his eyes drifted down over her, the truth of that remark was all too obvious; she felt herself tremble inside as she recalled just how deeply he could satisfy her.

How did you fight your feelings for someone who could look at you and turn you into a quivering mass of longing? she wondered hazily.

Well, she was damned if she was going to be a pushover, she told herself firmly. She had her pride, and marriage to a man who didn’t love her would take some swallowing. She wasn’t sure she could go through with it … even for the sake of her child.

But what were the alternatives? Facing Alexi in a courtroom for a custody battle? The very thought made her nerves twist anxiously. Not only could he buy and sell her for breakfast, he knew the law inside out—he would annihilate her!

‘Alexi, did you mean it when you said you would fight me for custody?’ She flicked him an uncertain look.

‘I never say anything I don’t mean,’ he answered her steadily. ‘But I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to hurt you.’

‘Then don’t!’ Her voice broke slightly.

‘Then don’t make me!’ he countered her plea, his eyes unyielding. ‘This is about more than just you, Katie,’ he reminded her. ‘This is about a child—the heir to the Demetri fortune, no less!’

‘That’s all that matters to you, isn’t it? That you have “control” of your precious son and heir.’

‘Is that such a bad thing?’ He shrugged. ‘Anyway, the word “control” sounds harsh. What I want is to be a good father.’

‘And just have control of me?’

He smiled at that. ‘Katie, I want control of you in a completely different way.’

His eyes slipped down over her curves and the air seemed to sizzle between them.

She knew exactly what he meant by that, and she remembered all too well how good it had felt to have him plundering her mouth, controlling her body …

‘We are good together, Katie,’ he told her softly. ‘And do you really want our child to grow up meeting the different partners who just pass through our lives and yet ultimately affect his?’

Instinctively she put a protective hand down over her stomach as the words echoed through her consciousness. That was the very last thing she wanted. That was the situation that haunted her worst nightmares. For a moment she remembered some of her mother’s men friends who had visited for a few weeks and then left. She remembered one in particular who had taken a dislike to her.

‘Katie?’ Alexi frowned as he saw how she paled suddenly.

‘You’re right. I don’t want that situation.’ She whispered the words unevenly.

‘So let me take care of you both, hmm?’ He reached out and tipped her chin up so that she was forced to meet his gaze.

The gentleness of that request simmered through her. She noticed how the suit he wore accentuated his powerful physique, how the white shirt brought out his Mediterranean skin tones, how dark his hair looked against the evening sky. He was so familiar to her. She knew him. She knew he meant it when he said he would care for her and for their child …

‘I can give you everything you could ever wish for, Katie,’ he said softly.

Except love, and she wanted that from him so desperately. The knowledge filtered through her uncomfortably.

Why? Why did that matter so much to her? Surely the most important thing was that their child would have a happy and secure upbringing?

Because she loved him. For a moment the truth was illuminated inside her as if a spotlight had been switched on inside her soul. That was why she had been so frightened of getting too close to him. That was why she was still running scared!

Every man she had ever known in her life had hurt her. And Alexi was capable of doing the most damage of all. Not physically—but emotionally. And the scars he could inflict would go much deeper than anything else.

Unrequited love was a difficult emotion to solve—Katie had tried to end the pain by severing the connections, but that hadn’t worked. And now she was in even deeper. How could she sever the connections with the father of her child?

Even if she said no to his marriage proposal he would always be in the background of her life.

‘I need your answer now, Katie—what is it to be?’

She pulled away from the touch of his hand.

He sounded so supremely confident. She hated that about him … yet loved that about him.

If she said no, would she regret it for the rest of her life? She had a sudden vision of the future—of watching Alexi’s life from afar, seeing him at their child’s school open-days, birthdays …

Her emotions twisted. Wasn’t being with him better than not? And ultimately her child’s welfare had to come first.

‘OK!’ The word was just a cautious whisper, but Alexi felt a fierce thrust of euphoria that was better than any multi-million-pound deal he’d accomplished after months of wrangling. She would be his.

‘You’ve got a deal,’ she continued before she could allow doubt to dissuade her. ‘But only on my terms,’ she added quickly. She couldn’t allow him to take her over; she needed to remain strong. ‘We’ll have a long engagement, and—’

‘No, we will not!’ He cut across her firmly. He wasn’t going to allow her to wriggle away from him again. ‘It’s my terms or nothing—my way or nothing.’

‘Alexi!’ Her heart was thundering against her chest now; she didn’t like the steel in his voice, in his eyes.

‘I’ve arranged for Captain Roberto to marry us here on board the Octavia before we leave for Greece tomorrow.’

‘Hold on a moment—’

‘No, Katie! You will play the dutiful wife, you will do everything that I ask of you, and in return I will treat you with respect and generosity: those are the terms.’

The terms hurt, they stung through her system like strong alcohol over a deep cut. ‘I’m not a possession, Alexi!’

‘Yet.’ He reached and took hold of her wrists and gently moved her closer towards him. ‘But I want to possess you, Katie … over and over and over again.’

She looked up and saw the fierce light of passion in his eyes, yet instead of pulling away she wanted to move closer.

OK, he didn’t love her, but he did want her … he did crave her. And right now as he leaned closer and captured her lips with a fierce, possessive hunger she knew that would have to be enough—because she was incapable of saying no to him.

And maybe she loved him enough for the two of them.

She returned his kisses with equal passion, winding her arms up and around his neck. She didn’t want to need him like this—but she did. So all that was left to her now was surrender.

She was breathless and shaking when he released her. The silence between them was filled by the sound of the party, the babble of conversation and music, and the rapid, thundering beat of her heart.

‘I want you, Katie.’ His voice was hard with desire. He stroked a finger over her skin, and it sent a million butterflies fluttering inside her. ‘But we’ll do this right. Tonight you will sleep alone here, on board ship. And then tomorrow we will consummate our marriage.’

A member of staff walked over towards them, interrupting them, and Katie took the opportunity to break away.

‘Sir, we are about ready for the firework display. Do you want to say a few words before we proceed?’

Alexi glanced over and nodded. ‘I’ll be along in a moment,’ he said dismissively.

They were left alone again, and for a few moments neither spoke.

A cool breeze whispered across her skin. She was scared, truly scared, by the speed with which things were progressing and by the emotions racing inside her. ‘Alexi, we have over six months before the baby is born.’

‘And we are going to use that time to get to know each other.’ His eyes drifted down over her body. ‘To enjoy each other again …’

She tried not to be turned on by the heat in his eyes and in his voice—tried to tell herself that she wasn’t going to allow him to treat her like a sex object. But her body was sending conflicting signals to her brain. Her body was telling her that she wanted him and that it was a matter of great urgency.

He smiled as he saw the answering flame in her eyes. ‘Tomorrow you will belong to me again, Katie.’ He said the words with soft emphasis. ‘The chapel is booked for three-thirty tomorrow. And after the service we will fly to Greece for a few days’ honeymoon and a lot of catching up.’

Before she could get her breath to reply to that, he was walking away from her.

Katie turned and leaned against the ship’s rail as she tried to gather herself together. She stared down at the water, at the glittering reflected lights from the ship and from the island of Manhattan as they danced and blurred on its silky darkness.

Had she done the right thing, accepting Alexi’s proposal? She wanted him so much. Too much …

A breeze whispered against the heat of her skin, and she shivered violently and turned her back on the sea.

The party was heating up. There were about a hundred guests milling about on the deck, and the band was playing a rhythmic number.

She saw Alexi making his way purposefully through the assembled crowds. He looked very confident and in control as he stopped by the stage area and spoke to the string quartet who had set up ready to take over from the band later.

Then he took a mike someone handed him and, as the band finished their session and a round of applause broke out, the compère for the evening brought him up on stage.

He was greeted with wild applause and a lot of cheering, which made Katie smile.

Everyone liked Alexi, she thought wryly. He was a ruthlessly tough businessman, yet he had a way with people. She supposed it was because he was always fair, always straight. You knew where you stood with him.

She wished she didn’t. She almost wished that he had lied to her and told her he was falling in love with her. But then that wouldn’t be Alexi! She bit down on her lip. And she didn’t want to be treated like a fool, she told herself hastily.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’d just like to welcome you all here tonight and thank you for coming. Also a big thank-you to everyone who has worked so hard to make sure Octavia was finished on time and to such high specifications.’

A big cheer went up from the crowd at that.

‘Also, I would like to announce my engagement to Katie. A few of you might know Katie; she worked as Project Manager at Demetri Shipping for a few months, and now is with me at Madison Brown. She has consented to become my wife, and we will be married here on board Octavia tomorrow.’

The crowd broke into wild applause, and a spotlight circled, searching for her, and then caught her in its bright beam as everyone turned and clapped.

Katie was mortified. Why had he announced their wedding like this?

The spotlight faded away as Alexi continued swiftly. ‘It just leaves me to say that I hope you enjoy the evening. The fireworks are about to commence, so take your places and raise your glasses to Octavia. The next piece of music to be played is for my wife-to-be … for Katie.’

As he finished speaking, a string quartet started to play a classical number. The heartrendingly beautiful music swelled and resonated through the night air, holding everyone spellbound.

It was one of Katie’s favourite pieces of music. A piece that always made her feel emotional.

She remembered telling Alexi that once when it had been playing on a CD in her apartment.

She was surprised that he remembered.

Damn man! She blinked away the sudden tears that sprang to her eyes and moved away from the crowds that were milling around her.

Suddenly she needed to be on her own.

It wasn’t hard to find space and dark solitude towards the front of the ship. She watched as golden fireworks exploded out over the water and showers of glitter rained down over the darkness.

‘So, what do you think?’ Alexi’s voice close to her ear startled her, and she looked round and found herself too close to him.

‘I was a bit taken aback by the announcement!’

‘May as well tell people before the gossips get hold of it.’

‘I suppose so.’ She shrugged.

‘We forgot something earlier,’ he said suddenly.

‘Did we?’ She looked at him with a frown.

He reached into his pocket and took out a small square box. ‘I went shopping this afternoon and bought this, just in case.’

He opened the lid, and the large, square diamond inside sparkled as it caught the reflection from the fireworks.

‘It’s beautiful, Alexi!’ She looked up at him, her words tremulous. ‘You obviously didn’t have many doubts that I would say yes, did you?’

He shrugged. ‘I thought common sense would prevail.’

It was strange—the setting was so romantic, the ring was perfect, and he was the man of her dreams … yet she still felt like her heart was breaking.