‘You said I was supposed to stand by your side, no matter what,’ she reminded him. ‘I assume “no matter what” means “no matter who I go to bed with”. I can’t turn a blind eye. It’s asking too much.’
‘“No matter what” means you and I standing together, facing whatever life throws at us.’ His tone rang with incredulity. ‘I said nothing about affairs. I have no intention of having affairs. I wa
nt you in my bed. No one else.’
Her assumptions having exploded into the atmosphere, Millie stood uncertainly, knowing that he’d change his mind once she was undressed. ‘What if you discover the chemistry isn’t there any more?’
Leandro moved so quickly she didn’t see it coming. One moment he was facing her, legs apart in a confrontational stance; the next he was right in front of her, his hand on the back of her neck and his mouth on hers. And he knew exactly how to kiss to ensure maximum response. With the erotic exploration of his mouth and tongue, Leandro turned a kiss into something indescribably good and as Millie felt her grip on reality sliding away, her last coherent thought was that if she died now, she’d die happy.
Only after several minutes during which she lost track of time and place did he finally lift his head. ‘I don’t foresee a problem.’ He stepped back with all the easy confidence of a man who has proved his point and Millie ran shaking hands over her jeans, not sure whether to slap him or slide her arms round his neck and beg him to kiss her again.
‘You shouldn’t have done that.’
‘People have been saying that to me all my life. If I’d listened to them, I’d still be playing in the dust on a remote Greek island.’ Maddeningly relaxed, he glanced at his watch. ‘Make up your mind, Millie. I’m only going to ask this once. Are you staying or going?’
Knowing that he’d dump her soon enough when he found out what had happened to her, Millie nodded. ‘Staying.’ At least then she could spend time with Costas.
‘Good. I’ll instruct my people to put out a statement saying that we are adopting the baby. Hopefully that will kill the story.’ ‘If I come back to you, I’ll be surrounded by media.’
‘As my wife you’ll have more protection than if you go it alone. This morning has proved that.’
‘But Costas and I can’t leave the house without a bodyguard and a driver! What sort of life is that?’
‘A privileged one,’ Leandro drawled, ignoring the buzz of his phone. ‘But while they’re hovering like hyenas, we’ll stay elsewhere.’
‘We’re leaving London?’
‘This media circus presents a risk to the baby. I don’t want to have to go through the courts to keep his picture out of the papers.’
Millie bit her lip. ‘Where are we going?’ It was touching that he was so protective, but at the same time it was upsetting because she could only see one reason why he would care so much for the baby’s welfare.
‘We’re flying to Spiraxos later this morning. I just have some important calls to make.’
‘We’re going to Greece?’ Her heart dropped. He’d taken her to his island on their honeymoon and they’d had three weeks of sun, sea and sex. Three indulgent weeks during which she’d been so happy. At that point in their relationship none of their problems had surfaced. She’d been ecstatically happy and so wildly in love that she’d woken up every morning with a smile on her face. The thought of returning there now made her feel sick. It would be like a cruel taunt, reminding her of that magical time before her life had fallen apart. ‘Why Greece?’
‘Because the island will give us privacy. And because our relationship was perfect when we were in Greece.’ His gaze was bold and direct. ‘We had an incredible time there. And if we’re going to put the pieces of our marriage together, I’d rather the details of our reconciliation weren’t documented in the pages of sleazy celebrity magazines. We will be able to relax, away from the eyes of the world.’
Relax? How could she possibly relax, trapped with him on Spiraxos, where she’d once spent the happiest time of her life? How could she relax, knowing what was coming? ‘I—I’m not ready to fly to Greece. I need some time.’
‘My staff will make any necessary preparations. All you have to do is walk onto my plane. And if you’re worried about clothes, I can tell you now that you’re not going to need any. Last night you slept alone, but tonight, agape mou…’ Leandro flashed her a dangerous smile ‘…well, let’s just say you won’t be dressing for dinner.’
Tonight?
It was tonight.
No more excuses.
Millie’s stomach churned horribly.
He was going to fly her all that way, only to discover that he didn’t want to be with her any more.
It was going to be the shortest reconciliation on record.
Millie checked Costas again, grateful for any excuse to delay joining Leandro on the sun-baked terrace that overlooked the sparkling blue Aegean sea.
The journey to Greece had been smooth. Costas had slept most of the way and Leandro had spent his time reading and deleting endless emails, which meant she’d had far too much time to brood on the evening ahead of her.
Now that it had arrived, she couldn’t bring herself to walk down to the terrace.