Perla nodded.
‘He wouldn’t have made the decision easily.’
‘He only wants to marry because of his child.’
Brianna frowned. ‘I don’t think so. I don’t want to scare you but the reality is that every one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage. If all he wanted was to give the baby respectability, he’d have waited until it was born to ask you to marry him.’
Perla shook her head, refusing to even begin to hope. ‘Besides the baby, there’s really nothing like that between us.’
‘But there is something. There’s incredible chemistry. Don’t knock the power of great sex.’
She gasped. ‘That’s what he said,’ she said then blushed as she realised what she’d let slip.
Brianna laughed. ‘I knew there was an alpha horn dog beneath all that suave Pantelides exterior. Now let’s go and cheer our boys home before I give in to the urge to ask for details I have no business knowing.’
She jumped up and headed towards the waterfront. Perla followed at a slower pace and got there in time to see the brothers embrace at the news of Brianna’s pregnancy.
Ari’s gaze drifted to her as Sakis pulled his wife close and kissed her. His gaze dropped to her stomach but he said nothing, only helped his brothers stow the scull and oars in the boathouse before they all piled into the buggies to head back to their villas.
Dinner that evening turned into a family celebration, one that hammered home to Perla just what she could be missing out on if she refused Ari’s proposal. All through the evening his eyes kept straying to her, the intent in their depths clear and determined.
By the time she excused herself and returned to her suite, her mind was in turmoil.
That turmoil continued for the next three days. Thankfully, she had no time to think.
From the moment the first luxury SUV rolled in with the guests her days turned manic. She barely saw Ari because he was equally busy entertaining guests in the plushly equipped casino while she dealt with organising the guests and directing the activities she’d planned for them.
She was busy sorting out the sky-diving group and pairing them with their instructors and guests on the last day when she heard a familiar voice.
She looked up to see Selena Hamilton heading towards her.
Perla’s mouth dropped open before she could stop herself.
‘So, what do you think?’ Selena trilled, patting her new russet-coloured curls.
Perla forced a smile. ‘You look great.’
Selena’s smile slipped a fraction. ‘I’m glad you think so. Roger thinks I look awful. What does he know, right?’ She forced a laugh that didn’t touch her curiously over-bright eyes.
Roger Hamilton strolled in at that moment. He completely ignored his wife and, grabbing Perla, kissed her on both cheeks.
‘Sign me up for whatever you’re organising, darling! I’m all yours.’
Behind him, Ari entered the room and froze to a halt. The thunderous look in his eyes made her stomach flip but she managed to keep the smile on her face as he walked to where she stood. Seeing the look he directed at Roger, she glared at him and shook her head once. His jaw clenched but he exchanged pleasantries until the instructor called for them to suit up.
Ari’s hand slid over her nape and tilted her head up to meet his descending kiss. It was hard and quick. ‘You take care of Hamilton, glikia mou. Or I will,’ he muttered. Then he was gone.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned around just as Selena returned to her side. Before she could utter a word, Selena grabbed her arm. ‘I think Roger is going to leave me,’ she whispered fiercely.
‘Are you sure?’
Her frenzied nodding made her curls bounce wildly. ‘I think he’s having an affair.’ Her scarlet-painted lips wobbled and her eyes widened.
‘You could be wrong...’
‘What if I’m not? I can’t live without him. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted but I can see him slipping away from me.’ Tears filled her green eyes.
‘Selena, I don’t think you should go sky-diving if you’re feeling like that.’
She swiped her tears with perfectly manicured fingers. ‘Nonsense. Roger wants to go sky-diving so I’m going with him.’
But a glance at Roger, who was busy flirting with a female instructor, suggested he had no interest in what his wife wanted. Perla glanced at Selena again and worry gnawed at her. Selena’s glazed eyes suggested she was under the influence of something other than unhappiness. But there was no diplomatic way to ask without causing offence.