From One Night to Wife

‘It’s all in Greek. I have no idea what this is.’

She handed it back to him, still unsure what this was all about, but certain it had nothing to do with visiting or custody rights.

She watched as he walked to the table and smoothed the paper out, his large hands pressing it flat. The signet ring she’d only seen him wear as Nikos the businessman caught the light. She pushed away just how those hands had felt caressing her body and how much pleasure and passion they had evoked. It was too late to think back to those times now.

He straightened and looked at her. ‘I told you my mother was half-English and you have come back here and dragged her out into the open and well and truly back into my life.’

‘What?’

Of all the things she’d expected or hoped he might say this was not it. She looked at the image of a woman who could only be Nikos’s mother, judging by the blue eyes she’d passed on to her son. She remembered that moment outside his grandmother’s house, when he’d told her his mother was half-English. The dismissive way he’d spoken of her suggested that there wasn’t an ounce of love between them.

‘You calmly walked away from me because you had found something better—my story to sell to the highest bidder.’ He stood resolutely with his back to the window, his arms folded and the crumpled newspaper spread out between them on the table. ‘You came to Greece looking for whatever you could so that you could return to England and raise my child.’

‘That’s not true!’ She gasped the words at him, shaking her head in denial.

‘You said you wanted to tell me face-to-face, that you didn’t want anything else from me—but you did.’ His accent had deepened and his voice had become gruff with pent-up anger.

She rubbed the pads of her fingers across her eyes, forgetting the make-up she’d applied that morning, for the first time since she’d returned from Greece. She let her hand fall to her stomach. The movement snagged his attention and his expression changed to a glower.

‘I’m sorry, Nikos, but you are going to have to explain this. I have no idea what you are referring to.’

She needed to sit. Her legs felt weak and the temptation to pull out a chair was great. But with his dominating presence filling her flat she had to remain standing.

‘You were looking for an alternative to marrying me ever since you arrived back on the island. You made up a story about your sister, goading me into making a deal, then accepted my offer of marriage not because you wanted to bring up the child with me but because you didn’t have a better option. But as soon as a hint of scandal presented itself as something that would give you a big payout, you left.’

‘That’s not how it happened at all. How can you think such a thing?’ She stood and blinked against the anger of his outburst, even knowing that some of it was true.

He pointed to the paper. ‘These are your words, Serena. “Nikos and I met several months ago, in Santorini.”’

Involuntarily she moved towards him, sensing the pain behind his anger. He moved to pace across the room like a caged animal and she dragged out a chair, not able to stand any longer.

‘I shouldn’t have said anything about my sister, but that wasn’t the reason I said yes to you.’

‘Why did you say yes, Serena?’ He folded his arms across his chest, looking more territorial by the minute.

What should she say? Should she tell him it was because she’d loved him? No, she couldn’t do that—not after his reaction to those words two weeks ago.

‘I hoped we could make it work—for the baby’s sake. I didn’t want to be a single parent, Nikos. And I felt guilty for having what Sally most wanted. All I knew was that I couldn’t let my child grow up with the same guilt I had known as a girl.’ She heard the passion in her voice, saw his questioning expression, but continued. ‘I am obviously not your first choice for mother of your baby, because I’m English, but whatever has happened between you and your mother I have not breathed a word of it to anyone. Why would I?’

‘Why would you?’ He repeated her question and moved towards the table, pulling out the other chair and sitting down.

His knee touched hers and fire leapt within her. ‘What could I gain—even if I knew what the story was?’

‘A big payment, to start with.’

She gasped in surprise. How could he think that of her? ‘You think I’ve used my contacts to dig this up?’ She pushed the paper away from her, hurt at his accusation.