Or was she?
He looked at Holly, now sitting in an opposite chair inside the jet, as far away from him as possible, holding their baby in her lap.
The flight attendant appeared. “Would you like a drink, Mr. Minos? Your usual Scotch?”
Stavros’s gaze remained on Holly, tracing the curve of her neck, her red hair curling down her shoulders, the fullness of her breasts beneath her loose sweater. Was she nursing, or had her breasts always been that big?
Holly looked up. “I’d like some sparkling water, please.”
“Of course, madam. Sir?”
As Stavros looked at Holly, their eyes locked. The air between them sizzled. Images went through him of last Christmas, when she’d been naked in his bed. The heat of her body sliding against his own, her soft cry joining his hoarse shout as their mutual desire exploded. He was hard as a rock.
“Champagne,” he said. “It’s a celebration. A new start for us both.”
Holly’s eyes widened, her cheeks turning pink. Quickly, she turned her head away.
But it was too late. Because now he knew. In spite of her anger, in spite of her hatred, she was as sexually aware of him as he was of her.
And he suddenly realized there were additional benefits to taking her as his wife. Reasons that had nothing to do with taking care of their child.
He’d seduced her before. He would seduce her again. And this time, it would be forever.
CHAPTER SEVEN
SITTING IN A red convertible, as Stavros drove it down the coastal road clinging to the edge of the Aegean Sea, Holly looked out at the bright turquoise water. She felt the warm wind on her face. Felt Stavros’s every move beside her. It was like torture. Holly’s heart lifted to her throat.
Why had she ever agreed to this?
Guilt, she thought. Back in Switzerland, she’d convinced herself that however Stavros had betrayed her with his playboy ways and lying lips, her baby’s grandfather was blameless. Now, she cursed the good intentions that had led her to come to this small Greek island.
Yes, she wanted Freddie to have a grandfather. Of course she did. She felt bad for the elderly man, who sounded like an honest, decent sort of person, to be stuck with such an obviously neglectful son as Stavros. He deserved to know he had a grandson.
Her motives hadn’t been purely noble, it was true. Some part of her had hoped desperately, after Stavros spent a little time with their baby, he’d grow bored with the care of parenting a child, and decide to give up custody, and leave them alone.
But being this close to Stavros was difficult. Holly threw him a troubled glance. Every time he’d tried to speak with her on the trip from Switzerland, she’d coldly cut him off. But her own feelings frightened her. The truth was, part of her still desired him. Part of her, a very foolish part, still held on to the dream of being a family.
She’d never be that stupid again, she told herself fiercely. And they’d only be on this Greek island a single night before she returned to Switzerland. What damage could a single night do?
Hearing her baby chortling happily in the convertible’s back seat, she looked back and shivered. One night could change everything.
“Almost there,” Stavros murmured beside her, glancing at her sideways. She felt a flash of heat.
“Is Greece always this warm in November?” she said in a strangled voice.
“It is warmer than usual.” His sensual lips curved up on the edges, as if he knew exactly how his nearness was affecting her. He lazily turned the wheel with one hand, driving the luxury convertible down the twisting road with no effort at all. Her gaze lingered on his powerful forearms, laced with dark hair below his rolled-up sleeves.
It was just the sun making her hot, she told herself. As it lowered toward the western horizon, she felt too warm in the sweater and leggings she’d worn from Switzerland. Her feet were roasting in their leather boots. “I didn’t pack any summer clothes.”
“Don’t worry.” Stavros glanced at her, his eyes traveling over her. “It’s been arranged.”
“You always arrange everything,” she sighed.
“My assistant contacted my father’s housekeeper and let her know we were on the way. She will provide anything you or Freddie might need.”
Her cheeks flamed. “Uh... Thanks. I guess.” She tried to smile. “What did your father say when he heard about the baby?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t tell him.”