The Pregnancy Shock (The Drakos Baby 1)

Her heart was beating frantically fast as her fingers released the towel and he smiled, a slow burning smile that turned her heart inside out. Later she had no recollection of moving forward to join him in that glass cubicle. He soaked her hair and ran the soap over her voluptuous figure with lascivious thoroughness. As he teased her she became less self-conscious and was still giggling when she watched him pull on trousers over his boxers.

Alexei extended a lazy hand. ‘Want to come with me? We could spend the rest of the night in my room.’

Thinking of all the women he had entertained there and the household staff who would soon register her presence in their employer’s bedroom, Billie shook her head, her amusement killed stone dead in its tracks. It would be like announcing their intimacy and the news would go round the island faster than the speed of light. Lauren would smirk at her as if she had known all along that her daughter was a fool. ‘I’ll wait here for you.’

‘Lazybones,’ Alexei mocked, tugging on his shirt and thrusting his feet into his shoes.

Bare-chested, his hair spiky from the shower and with a heavy growth of black stubble on his handsome face, Alexei resembled a very sexy pirate. Her heart pounded as hard as if she were running a marathon. The instant he stepped out of the bedroom into the adjoining reception room that formed part of the guest suite she was gripped by a strong sense of loss. Soon it would be dawn, soon the night would be over—would what they had just shared die along with the night hours? Filled with dismay by that enervating suspicion, Billie scrambled out of bed, pulled on her wrap and went after him.

As she left the bedroom she heard Alexei vent a startled curse in Greek and then there was a noise she didn’t recognise, followed by silence. She hurried to the door that opened out onto the pool area and stared in horror at the sight of Alexei lying flat on the concrete, apparently having fallen down several steps. Her handbag lay on its side just outside the door. Oh, dear heaven, he had tripped over it!

‘Alexei! Alexei?’ she cried, kneeling down beside him and registering that he was unconscious.

Rising swiftly, she went to phone for help when a groan emanated from Alexei. Quick as a flash, she rushed back to his side. He was sitting up, clutching his head.

‘Alexei? Are you all right?’

‘Billie?’ He focused on her with clear difficulty, a dazed aspect to his eyes. ‘What happened?’

‘You tripped and fell.’

Alexei levered himself upright, brushing down his clothes, and even though he was swaying he began walking back in a wavering line towards the main house.

‘You should lie down for a minute.’ She hurried ahead of him to open the door he was heading for and rested her hand on his arm before he could pass her. ‘Let me call the doctor.’

‘The doctor? What are you talking about?’ Alexei c

ountered flatly, frowning down at her restraining hand. ‘I don’t need a doctor.’

‘You knocked yourself unconscious for a couple of minutes and it’s always advisable to consult a doctor in those circumstances,’ Billie pointed out anxiously, withdrawing her hand after the look he had given her. Only minutes ago he might have been sharing a bed with her, but her gesture had clearly struck him as too familiar by far. ‘A head-scan might be a good idea as well.’

‘Stop fussing, Billie. I’m not in the mood.’ Alexei raked the black hair back off his face in a gesture of exasperation. ‘My hair’s damp and I’m not wearing any socks. I must have gone for a swim. That’ll teach me to drink—I don’t remember and I might have drowned myself.’

Billie frowned and looked down at her bare feet. He thought he had gone swimming? He didn’t remember. ‘What’s the last thing you recall?’

‘Talking to Marina after the funeral,’ he breathed tautly. ‘I don’t want to think about all that right now.’

‘I know, but the fact that you can’t remember everything means there’s something wrong. You’re confused,’ Billie stated tightly.

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Alexei derided. ‘I’m not a child and I’m not confused either. I had a few drinks too many and now I’m paying the price for it. No offence intended, Billie, but right now I’d prefer my own company.’

A painful flush washed her heart-shaped face as if he had slapped her. That colour slowly waned to leave her pale as she looked steadily back at him. There was nothing there in his lean, hard-boned visage: no tenderness, intimacy, or even awareness that anything might be lacking. He had forgotten her as easily as one forgot a bad dream or something trivial. And, on a Drakos male’s terms, a fleeting sexual episode was of the utmost triviality.

‘Goodnight,’ she said shakily. ‘But I still think you ought to see a doctor.’

Already halfway across the salon, Alexei was no longer listening. For several minutes, Billie simply stood there, barefoot and naked but for a thin wrap. For the space of that time she couldn’t believe that he had forgotten her and walked away with no intention of coming back. She imagined following him into his bedroom, telling him that he had made love to her, but what use would that be if he could not even recall the incident? Wouldn’t she look pathetic? As if she was chasing after him?

But wasn’t it downright dangerous that he was refusing to seek medical attention? He had hit his head hard enough to lose consciousness, however briefly. Obviously he had sustained an injury. It had been early evening when she saw him talking to his great-aunt, Lady Marina. He was suffering from a loss of memory but evidently convinced that, rather than amnesia caused by a head injury, an alcoholic blackout was at fault. Was it all right to leave him alone to go to bed? Anxiety fingered down her taut spine.

Billie knocked on Alexei’s bedroom door. She was about to repeat the action when it flew open.

‘What?’ Alexei demanded curtly.

‘Are you sure you’re okay? No headache? Nausea? Dizziness?’ she prompted.

‘Go back to bed and stop fussing round me like a mother hen!’ he urged with unhidden impatience.

Tears stinging her eyes at that label, which was about as far removed from sexy or desirable as could be, Billie did as she was told. Tomorrow morning though she would ring the village doctor and tell him about Alexei’s fall.