A Ring for the Greek's Baby

Relief collided with anger that she’d put him through such a hellish few minutes. ‘Where the hell were you?’ Loukas asked. ‘I’ve been out of my head with worry. I thought I told you to stay put until I got back?’

She slipped her bag off her shoulder and placed it on the table near the door, her movements slow and measured, as if she was frightened of setting off a loaded bomb. ‘I went to work to arrange for some leave.’

‘You could have phoned to do that.’

Her brown eyes contained a hint of defiance. ‘I preferred to do it face to face. Allegra’s my best friend. I wanted to explain what was going on between us in person.’

‘What did she say?’

‘She has some misgivings about us rushing into marriage.’

‘That’s rich, coming from her.’

‘Yes, I said much the same thing,’ she said. ‘But at least she knew the man she was marrying.’

Loukas let out a long breath to bring down his crazy heartbeat. ‘We’ll get to know each other in time, Emily. This is an unusual situation and it calls for an unusual solution. Did the press follow you?’

‘Nope, I went out a side entrance and caught a cab to work,’ she said with an element of smugness in her voice. ‘I came back in the same way.’

‘You scared the hell out of me, disappearing like that,’ he said. ‘Why didn’t you leave a note or send me a text?’

She shifted her weight from foot to foot, like a child caught out in some misdemeanour. ‘I thought I’d be back before you.’

‘I would appreciate it if you would obey my instructions in future,’ Loukas said. ‘I didn’t insist you stay here to punish you. I was genuinely concerned about you. The paparazzi can be ruthless in hunting down a target. You can get injured trying to escape.’

‘As you can see, I’m perfectly fine and, just for the record, I’m not in the habit of taking orders from the men in my life,’ she said with an uppity tilt of her chin.

‘I’m the only man in your life from this moment. Understood?’

Twin pools of colour collected on her cheeks, either from embarrassment or anger, he couldn’t quite tell. ‘Am I the only woman in yours?’ she asked.

‘Yes.’ Loukas was surprised at how good it felt to say it. Shocked, even. He normally found relationships claustrophobic but somehow being connected to Emily didn’t feel like that. It felt like a discovery. An adventure. Every day he learned something new about her. ‘I expect nothing less than absolute fidelity while we are together. Are you okay with that?’

‘Yes, of course,’ she said. ‘I wouldn’t agree to marry you if you didn’t promise me that.’

‘Fine.’ He studied her for a moment. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘I was a bit queasy when I was with Allegra but I’m okay now.’

Loukas slipped his hand into his pocket. ‘I bought this on the way back to the hotel after the meeting. I hope it fits.’

She took the designer ring-box from him and nudged it open. ‘Oh, my goodness, it’s gorgeous!’

He hadn’t had much time to choose after the meeting, but he figured she wasn’t the flashy big ring type. He’d gone for a more subtle design with a high-quality diamond and a classic setting that would enhance her small hand rather than swamp it. He took the ring from the velvet lining and slid it along her ring finger, privately pleased he’d got the size spot-on. ‘Do you like it?’

Her toffee-brown eyes were shining so much they were dazzling. ‘It’s beautiful. But you shouldn’t have spent so much money. What if I lose it? I’m hopeless with jewellery. I’ve lost three pearl earrings and a diamond stud in the last year.’

Loukas suppressed a smile. ‘Don’t worry. It’s insured.’

She held the ring up to the light, turning it this way and that. ‘I’ll be super-duper careful, I promise.’ She lowered her hand and gave him a smile. ‘Thank you, Loukas. It was awfully generous of you.’

Loukas thought her smile gave the diamond a run for its money in terms of brilliance. He had never seen a smile so engaging as hers. When the edges of her mouth tipped up, two dimples appeared in her cheeks. ‘You’re welcome.’

There was a little silence.

Emily brushed back a loose strand of hair from her face. ‘What time are we leaving?’

He wished he hadn’t booked the lunchtime flight. Right then, he could think of nothing he’d rather do than spend the next couple of hours in that bed with her to show her his self-control wasn’t in as good a shape as she thought. But he wanted to get out of London, away from all the attention of the press. ‘Our flight is at one p.m., which doesn’t leave us much time. Do you need a hand packing?’