“It doesn’t count when you say it while having sex,” she said waspishly. “Everyone knows that.”
“It counts when you say it.”
He knew her very well but that didn’t make her feel safe. She felt exposed and she had to get out of there. Jodie turned and trudged through the sand, wanting to get back to the house and get a few walls and doors between them. “Coming here was a mistake. We should return to Athens.”
“Why? You weren’t happy there,” he called out to her. “That’s my fault.”
She stopped and turned around. “No, it’s not. Why would you think that?”
“I thought that since I had included you in the family, everyone would accept you. I had underestimated how my relatives would react.”
“It’s not your fault,” she insisted. “I can’t seem to get along with your family. When I try, it just gets worse.”
He splayed out his hands. “Why do you keep trying?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “I always felt like the odd man out. I thought I would eventually win them over. It was a waste of time. It was always going to be me against them.”
Stergios strode over to her. “I will always be on your side, Jodie.”
Shock ripped through her. “Why?” It didn’t make sense. He was an Antoniou. The leader of the family. “What if I’m in the wrong?”
“I’m going to take your side.” He stood in front of her. “And you will take mine.”
“Oh, now I see the catch.” Jodie rolled her eyes and made a face. “But will you take my side when I don’t marry you?”
“We’re getting married.” Satisfaction permeated his voice. “The sooner the better.”
She drew her head back. “I haven’t agreed to that. I won’t.”
“You said you wouldn’t marry without love.” His lips tilted into a smile that made her heart skip a beat. “You love me.”
Jodie clenched her hands at her sides as she fought the urge to wipe that smile off his face. “For the last time—”
He raised his eyebrows. “Are you saying you don’t love me? Tell me the truth,” he warned softly.
She snapped her mouth closed. She had made that promise to herself that she would always tell him the truth. Even if it didn’t protect her.
Jodie felt jittery and cornered. She bent her head and walked to the water’s edge. Stergios was at her side, quiet but alert. They strolled side by side for a few minutes as she tried to put the words together. “When I said that I would only marry for love, I meant that my husband would reciprocate how I feel. It shouldn’t be one-sided.”
Stergios gave a long-suffering sigh. “Why are you making this so complicated?”
“You’re right. It is complicated,” she declared, tossing her hands in the air. “Because if you say you love me, I won’t believe you. I’ll think it’s because you need to get married and this was the quicker way to get results.”
They fell into a tense silence as they walked on the sand. He eventually slowed to a stop and she stood beside him. When Stergios turned to her, she lifted her head to meet his inscrutable gaze.
“Jodie, you will get married out of love. I will get married out of duty to my family.”
He clenched his jaw and a muscle bunched in his cheek. “You are in love with me but I don’t love you. I can’t.”
Deep down she had always known this but it hurt to hear the words. She exhaled slowly as the pain bloomed inside her.
“I don’t allow anyone that close to me. I never could, not since the kidnapping and finding out my father was behind it. However, I can pledge my commitment to you.” His voice was low and earnest. “I will put you and our children first. Above all else. Above my relatives and my work.”
He was making a vow to always respect and care for her. He promised to make her a priority. She wanted to believe him but she’d had too many promises broken to accept this vow at face value.
He reached for her hand. She found his fingers warm and steady. “I will protect and provide for you and our family. I will be faithful and I won’t betray the love and trust you place on me.”
She frowned at his solemn tone. Did he see her love as an obligation or a burden?
“And when you marry me, you will give me the same courtesy.” His voice took a hard edge. “You will be faithful, you will protect our family, and you will put me and our children first. Do you think you can do that? Can you live that kind of life?”
Heaviness settled in her chest. This man knew her better than anyone else. He could offer commitment, family, protection and attention. Everything but love.