A Ring for the Greek's Baby
Emily turned away, holding her arms across her middle. ‘Now you’re being ridiculous again.’
He came up behind her and turned her to face him, his hold gentle but firm—a bracelet of warm male fingers overlapping on her wrist, reminding her of his superior strength and essential maleness. His eyes held hers prisoner. ‘I’m trying to protect you, Emily.’
The thought of someone offering to protect her was tempting. Way more tempting than it should be for an emancipated woman of nearly thirty. But for so long Emily had craved security and stability. Would Loukas be that go-to person she’d thought she had in Daniel? The person who would stand up for her as well as by her? She allowed her mind to drift with the possibility of marrying him. She wouldn’t have to be a single mum. She wouldn’t have to worry about bringing up a baby alone. Loukas would be there as back-up, involved with the baby and always on hand if she needed extra support. She would be part of a family unit: mum, dad and baby. A unit of stability and belonging that she had longed for since she was a little girl.
You’re thinking of marrying him? You took longer to choose that dress you’re wearing.
But I like the thought of being protected.
You definitely need protecting—from your traitorous hormones, that’s what.
If Emily went anywhere with Loukas who knew what might happen? One kiss a month ago and she’d ended up pregnant. A week or two at his private villa was just asking for trouble. She tried to ease out of his hold but his fingers countered the move by gently tightening. ‘I can protect myself.’ S
omehow her voice didn’t come out as stridently as she’d hoped.
One of his dark brows rose in a sceptical arc and he glanced pointedly at her bandaged finger. ‘How’s that working out for you so far?’
Clearly not well.
Emily compressed her lips again, shooting him a glare cold enough to freeze vodka. ‘I can’t just walk out on my job without notice.’
‘Allegra’s your boss, right? She’ll understand. In fact, she’ll encourage you to get away somewhere safe.’
Emily frowned. ‘But what am I going to say to her?’
‘Does she know about the pregnancy?’
‘Not officially—I only told her I was late. You’re the first person I’ve told.’
Something moved through his gaze, softening it. Darkening it. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘You’d better call Allegra before she reads about us over breakfast,’ Loukas said.
‘Are you going to call Draco?’
He released her hand and stepped back from her. ‘It’s not something I’ve been looking forward to.’
‘I can imagine it must be galling for you to admit to having knocked up the bridesmaid.’ Emily’s voice was so tart it was as if she were speaking through a mouthful of lemons. ‘Especially since she’s not your type.’
He shifted his lips from side to side as if monitoring his response. ‘Someone’s done an excellent job on your self-esteem.’
She sent him her best nose-in-the-air, haughty look. ‘I’d like you to leave.’
‘I’m not leaving without you,’ he said with an intractable set to his features. ‘Now, go and pack a bag, otherwise I’ll pack it for you.’
Emily planted her feet, pushed her chin up higher and folded her arms. ‘You’re not the boss of me.’
You’re not the boss of me? What are you? Six?
He’s not telling me what to do.
Yes, he is, and by the look on his face you’d better do it.
Loukas held her gaze in a silent tug-of-war that did strange, fizzy things to the backs of her knees, like someone was trickling sand down her legs. Emily would have stuck it out to show she wasn’t a pushover but a wave of nausea rose in her throat and she threw a hand over her mouth and made a mad dash to the bathroom.
She heard him come in behind her but she was beyond caring about having an audience to her wretchedness. Right then and there, an entire football stadium of fans could have crammed in and she wouldn’t have cared. She flushed the toilet and dragged herself upright but Loukas already had a face cloth rinsed and ready for her. ‘Here you go.’