“Just be yourself,” he said as he brushed his mouth against her ear. “Stay close to me if you’re feeling uncertain.”
She gave a choked laugh. “Okay, that’s not the advice I usually get.” It was usually keep her mouth shut and make herself scarce.
“Why did you want me to attend?” she asked. She felt like she was a curiosity and her presence would detract from the display.
He nodded at someone in the crowd. Everyone seemed to know him but they were too intimidated to draw near. “It’s an event that honors my family’s history.”
“I’m not family. We are not engaged and I’m not marrying you.” She was compelled to remind him. During the past few weeks she got the feeling that Stergios was playing a waiting game and believed it was only a matter of time before she acquiesced.
“But you are carrying my child.” He lifted her hand and pressed his mouth against her knuckles before he tucked her hand against his elbow. “I want everyone to know that you are under my protection. When your pregnancy is announced, they will know that I claim my child.”
“Wouldn’t it be better protection if you kept quiet about us?” she asked as she looked around the room and found everyone was openly staring at them. “No one has to know.”
He drew his head back and he studied her through hooded eyes. “Are you ashamed that I got you pregnant?”
“No!” She was stunned that he would think that. She wanted Stergios’s baby and couldn’t imagine sharing this bond with any other man.
His heated gaze drifted down her plunging neckline and leisurely traveled back up until it rested on her necklace. “Is it strange that I want to show you off?”
“Yes!” She looked away when he laughed and she fiddled with her earring.
Jodie immediately put her hand down. She didn’t want to damage the jewelry. When Stergios had presented the amethyst earrings and necklace in an old wooden box she knew they were heirlooms. At first she had declined wearing something of such sentimental value but Stergios had insisted.
Brushing her hand along the necklace as if she wanted to make sure it was still there, Jodie couldn’t help but stand a little taller while she wore the jewels. Stergios’s gesture had honored her. She didn’t want to look too deeply into what it meant or whether he’d have allowed her to wear them if she wasn’t carrying his child.
“My security team recommended I keep quiet about you,” he admitted.
“And you disregarded their suggestion?” Stergios had been very protective of her since she had returned from the hospital. His gestures often left her flustered or inordinately touched. “This event must mean a lot to you.”
“In fact, they wish you were inside the Antoniou estate right now so no harm will come to you,” he said as a waiter approached them with a tray of drinks.
“And your family wished I was home so I wouldn’t cause any trouble.” She gave a squeeze to his arm. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t do anything to embarrass you.”
“I know you won’t. Your past antics were designed to be noticed,” he said as he reached for a flute of orange juice and handed it to her. “You didn’t want to be forgotten or ignored. You don’t have to do that anymore. You have my full attention.”
She felt the heat flood her chest and crawl up her neck. She looked away before it flooded her cheeks. Jodie’s hectic gaze collided with a familiar pair of brown eyes. She felt the bands of tension release from her rib cage when she saw the friendly face. “There are many people here who will remember my past,” she said with a wide smile.
“Recognize anyone?”
“Yes, one of the benefits of attending so many schools around the world is that I probably know someone at any high-society events.” She nodded to the brunette who waved excitedly at her. “There is Sofia Xenakis. I haven’t seen her since I got kicked out of our boarding school. We never had a chance to meet whenever I was in Athens.”
“Is her father Theodoros Xenakis? The media mogul?”
She heard the rare hitch of curiosity in his voice. “Yes, do you know him?”
“Of him,” he corrected with a grimace. “I’ve wanted a meeting with him for years but he’s a recluse. He doesn’t meet with anyone outside his inner circle.”
“Is that so?” She hid her smile against the fluted glass. She may not be part of Athens high society but that didn’t make her an impediment for Stergios and his business activities.
His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Yes, why?”
Her smile grew so wide that her cheeks hurt. “I’ve been to his house in the Bahamas several times during school vacations. He’s a sweetie. Come with me and I’ll introduce you to his daughter.”