Expectant Bride

'My reaction to that squalid newspaper article was unrea¬sonable,' Dio announced with real vigour.

Ellie glanced up. 'Was it?'

'There's scandal in my background too,' Dio assured her.

'Stop trying to make me feel better,' Ellie told him drily.

'My grandfather was temporarily disinherited for marrying my grandmother.'

Polly and Lefki's sister?' Ellie queried in surprise. 'For goodness' sake, why?'

'She was an island girl. Her father was a...' Dio hesitated. 'Well, he kept goats,' he completed, rather grittily.

'He kept goats?’ Ellie gasped incredulously.

'Don't say it...' Dio warned.

But for the next few seconds Ellie was quite incapable of saying anything. Recalling the way she had once compared Dio to a goat-herd, she started laughing so hard she flopped back on the sand. 'I'm sorry, Dio...I just love it!' she told him chokily.

'I knew I could rely on you to be tactful.' Leaning over her, Dio gazed down into her beautiful laughing face, black eyes flaring to smouldering gold.

Ellie trembled and raised her fingers to trace his hard jaw-line. 'How hungry are you?' she whispered unevenly.

And with a ragged groan of very male appreciation, Dio shifted over her. His mouth swooped down on hers in a hot, sensual invasion that spoke for itself.

Having carefully explored the sauna and gym complex in the basement of the enormous London townhouse, Ellie wan¬dered on to study the fabulous indoor swimming pool, her eyes just getting wider and wider.

'I think you like this place,' Dio murmured.

'Hmm...it looks even better than it looked on the video¬tape the agent sent out to us,' Ellie confided.

"Then all we have to do is move in.'

Ellie spun round, her eyes lighting up. 'You love it too?’

'It seems to have everything, so we'll buy it.'

'It'll make such a marvellous family home!' Ellie threw both arms round Dio and then she frowned. Tilting back her head, she gave him an anxious, searching scrutiny. 'You're not buying it just to please me, are you?'

'Would I do that?'

'Yes,' she sighed. 'But this is where we're going to live. It's very important that you like it as much as I do. So give me your impressions.'

Dio shrugged. 'It'll make a terrific investment—' Ellie groaned.

"The location is excellent—' 'Dio!' Ellie exclaimed in frustration.

He closed his arms round her, a slumbrous smile banishing his gravity. 'You rise to every bait there is, Mrs. Alexiakis. I love the house...OK?'

'I'm sorry I made you go and see all the other ones, but I was scared we might be missing something,' Ellie admitted 'Actually, the minute I saw this house on video I knew it was all my dreams come true, so I saved it to the last.'

Ellie climbed back into the limousine in a state of near bliss. They had been married for over a month now. They had spent three glorious weeks on Chindos, and Ellie had been so happy, she'd felt as if she was walking on air. She had been afraid that their return to London might take some of the magic away, yet, even though Dio was now frantically busy after taking so much time off, nothing had changed between them. They had shared so much more than a bed on the island: visits to Polly and Lefki's cosy little farmhouse, midnight swims, barbecues on the beach and so much laughter.

Now she was amazed that she had got herself in such a twist over Helena Teriakos. The brunette had taken her re¬venge with that newspaper article. Apart from the odd un¬avoidable social occasion, Ellie reckoned that the other woman was more or less out of their lives. Indeed, there was only one cloud in Ellie's world, and she knew it was a very selfish and unreasonable one.

She had a guy who would trail round a baby shop without complaint. She had a guy who acted as if the merest breathe of wind might blow her fragile little carcass away. She had a guy who listened when she talked, who was still sending her flowers after the wedding, and who phoned her in the mornings even if he was seeing her for lunch. A guy who was caring and supportive and absolutely incredible in bed. She was a really, really lucky woman. So wishing that Dio would fall madly in love with her as well was positively greedy.

Late that night, Dio strolled out of the bathroom in his penthouse apartment, towel loosely knotted about his lean hips, moisture still beading the curling dark tendrils of hair on his muscular chest. 'Ellie...there's something we need to talk about.'

Blissfully engaged in appreciating him, Ellie sat up in bed and smiled before she registered that his lean, dark features had a very serious cast. 'What's wrong?'

'There's nothing wrong,' Dio asserted wryly. 'I'm flying over to Paris to see Helena tomorrow.'

Ellie blinked in sheer shock.

'Naturally I'm hoping that this won't cause trouble be¬tween us,' Dio continued levelly. 'Since her father died I have been in charge of all Helena's business interests.'