‘Is that why you didn’t want me there? Because I’m not going to maintain the reputation of you or your family or your precious business?’
‘Would you really want to go?’ He looked surprised. ‘You’re in no state to be out there yet—you’re exhausted. You don’t speak the language or—’
‘Look the part?’
‘Or have the knowledge to deal with these people. Yet.’ He put his hands on his hips and gazed at her. ‘Give us some time, Leah.’
The injustice of that comment made her flare. ‘You’re the one not giving us any time, Theo. You’re using work to avoid me. And your grandfather. I might not be able to negotiate billion-dollar deals but attending a party hardly requires a master’s in rocket science. It’s not hard to talk to people.’ She glared at him. ‘Yet it seems that, for you, talking is really hard. Why didn’t you ask me?’
‘Perhaps I should have.’
‘Perhaps? You just want to hide me away on your prison island.’
‘It’s not a prison.’ He actually laughed.
‘You don’t want me to be seen.’ She tossed her head, refusing to let his humour placate her. ‘But I’m used to people looking at me and judging. I can ignore them.’
A frown formed on his face. ‘What do you think they see?’
She didn’t want to think about this. ‘I can’t care about what they see or think. I won’t be hidden away like something to be ashamed of. Not by the man I’m going to marry.’
She couldn’t be treated as if she were inferior or an embarrassment. She’d had enough of that in her life already.
‘Is that what you thought I was doing?’ He took in a deep breath. ‘Leah, while we’re married, I’ll never humiliate you. I’ll never cheat on you. I will be loyal.’
But she wanted more than integrity. She wanted so much more that she dared not think about. ‘How many properties do you have?’ she asked desperately.
‘Does it matter?’
‘Where are they? Perhaps there’s a destination that might suit me better. Paris? New York? I’d quite like to live in Manhattan.’
‘You’ll be within a thirty-minute flight distance from me,’ he said grimly.
‘Thirty minutes?’
‘I just want to protect you,’ he said. ‘And the child,’ he added belatedly.
‘From what? What’s so awful about Athens that we have to be locked away on Prison Island?’
He folded his arms. ‘I just want you to have the privacy and space to be happy.’
‘You mean you want privacy and space away from us most of the time. You’ll just swoop in on the weekends and be the fun guy and then leave.’
‘The fun guy?’ He looked stunned for a second, then sobered again. ‘That’s not what it’s about. Dimitri needs to believe that we’re happy. For as long as he’s alive, you and I are happy.’
‘He’s not stupid. If we’re living apart most of the time, he’ll suspect we’re not happy.’
‘But if we’re together all the time he’ll be certain we’re unhappy. Always having to show a happy façade is impossible.’
A happy façade? Was it beyond the realms of possibility that they could actually be happy? Couldn’t this feeling become something else? Something more? Or was she really totally alone in thinking there was this feeling? There was something linking them together.
‘I’ll visit you on the weekends but we’d have space and privacy there and wouldn’t have to carry on an act in front of him. You can rest.’
‘Do I want to rest?’ She exploded. Had he been carrying on an act when he’d touched her so intimately last night? When he’d told her he missed her? ‘Maybe I want to live life.’
‘And you will.’ He paced away from her. ‘I’m not trying to hide you away.’
‘No? Then why have you brought me here and left me alone?’
‘I...’ He flexed his hands. ‘I’m trying to get my head around everything.’
‘And I’m not? Can’t we do this together, Theo?’ She tried to break through his barriers. ‘I don’t want someone making all the decisions as if I have nothing of value to contribute.’
‘That wasn’t my intention.’ He shifted and pivoted to face her again. ‘You want more from me.’
‘Some communication,’ she muttered. ‘Some discussion.’
‘
All right.’ He sighed and reached out as if he could no longer resist, gently rubbing his fingertip along her jaw. ‘Leah...’
She turned helplessly into his touch, hating herself as she did. ‘Don’t use my weakness to distract me.’
His eyebrows lifted. ‘Your weakness?’
She closed her eyes. ‘This wasn’t what I meant when I said I wanted more from you.’
He drew an audible breath. ‘Do you think it’s only you who wants...this?’ He sounded almost choked. ‘But I can’t be the kind of husband you should have.’
She opened her eyes and gazed straight into his. ‘Why would you think that?’
He froze, a rigid expression masked his thoughts. Again she realised he was battling something deep inside—something painful.
‘You’re kind, Theo. I know you’ll support me. You’ve said you’ll be faithful and I believe you. What else do you think a husband needs to do?’
He was so rigid she grew wary of his answer.
‘I can’t love you, Leah.’
She stilled, shocked by his quiet, so calm confession.
‘I can’t love anyone,’ he added huskily.
His eyes flashed with sorry sincerity and seemed to ask for her forgiveness. But why would he say that?
‘You love your grandfather,’ she whispered. She’d seen it. Almost everything he did, he did with that man in mind.
‘I owe my grandfather,’ he corrected softly and stepped back. ‘I’m sorry, Leah.’
CHAPTER NINE
RETURNING FROM A lonely breakfast the next day, Leah paused on the threshold of her room. The housekeeper was in there, carefully folding Leah’s cardigan.
‘Thank you,’ Leah said shyly, aware there wasn’t a lot of warmth in the woman’s face. ‘We haven’t properly met—my name is Leah.’
She hadn’t been introduced to anyone properly yet. Theo had been in too much of a rush to deal with his work crisis and it seemed none of his staff were overly friendly.