Illicit Night with the Greek

Why couldn’t he give that, as well? She knew she was being greedy, but what was holding him back? What was it about her that he couldn’t make that leap?

Jodie knew she shouldn’t think that way. He was offering her a good deal but the disappointment pulled at her, trying to drag her down. Why was that? After all, when Stergios made a vow, it was unbreakable. How many women had a guarantee that their husband would put them first?

But was she willing to make a lifetime commitment to a man who could not love her? Give her love to her husband knowing that she would not get it in return? Could she enter a loveless marriage for the sake of her child?

“Yes, Stergios.” Her mouth trembled as the tears burned her eyes. She had to accept, once and for all, that she was unlovable and nothing would change that. Now was not the time to be greedy. Why hold out for something that she could never have? “Let’s get married.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

STERGIOS STOOD IN the entrance hall of the Antoniou estate. He felt the bite of frustration as he looked for Jodie. Their engagement party was coming to a close and he was eager to have her to himself.

He should have been able to spot her instantly or hear her bold laugh from across the room. Dressed in a purple chiffon gown and wearing the Antoniou amethysts, his fiancée was an intriguing mix of a mischievous pixie and a regal queen.

Fiancée. Finally. There were moments when her stubbornness outmatched his tenacity, but she had accepted his proposal. Triumph and pride flared inside him along with the unfamiliar sense of satisfaction and peace.

Stergios shook his head. Peace was not related to Jodie Little. The woman tested him, pushed him to the limits. He didn’t have to wear a mask around her and pretend. And yet, when he was with Jodie, he was the man he wanted to be.

His need for Jodie brought him little comfort. If anything, the knowledge had shaken him to the core. He knew better than to allow anyone that close to him but Jodie had slipped through his defenses. It was a constant struggle to maintain a wall between them when he ached to have her close. Was this what falling in love felt like? If so, he couldn’t let that happen. For his own survival, no one should have that kind of power over him.

“Well, thankfully that is over,” Mairi Antoniou said as she glided to his side. She wore a black evening gown that was the perfect backdrop to her diamond jewelry. “I hope the wedding happens soon.”

“It will,” he said as he took the last sip of his champagne. He was looking forward to starting his life with Jodie. Make everything official. He didn’t want any delays.

“I don’t think you should have given her that diamond ring for your engagement,” his mother said from the side of her mouth. “It’s an heirloom. It’s priceless!”

“The wife of the Antoniou heir wears it. It’s tradition.” And, more importantly, it meant that he recognized Jodie as family. As an Antoniou. A smile tugged on his mouth as he remembered giving it to Jodie. She had recognized the heirloom and understood the symbolism. She had been deeply honored. From the tears that had clung to her eyelashes when he’d placed it on her finger, the sense of tradition had meant something to her.

“But she’ll try to keep the diamond when you two break up,” Mairi insisted. “You need to get a written agreement that she gives it back in the divorce.”

Sharp coldness invaded Stergios’s chest. The more he had stayed on his island getaway, the more he had realized how his family had tried to chip away at his happiness with Jodie.

“I am not divorcing Jodie,” he bit out. “She is part of this family—part of me—forever. Get used to the idea, Mitera.”

She pursed her lips. “I know it’s in poor taste to predict the divorce during the engagement party, but you have to agree—”

“If you can’t support the idea of Jodie and your only son together, then you will see very little of me or your grandchild,” he warned before he walked away.

Stergios ignored his mother’s stuttering apology as he walked to the door leading to the garden. He wondered how Jodie had survived living in this house when everyone had expected the worst in her. It was no wonder she had become reluctant to marry into this family. And all this time they thought she was trying to become an Antoniou.

He would protect her from his family, Stergios decided as he walked onto the dark portico. He would demand that Jodie was treated with respect. She deserved no less.

As he stepped onto the portico, he immediately heard Dimos’s voice. “How long have you had your eye on Stergios?”

He spotted his cousin standing next to Jodie on the terrace. He was prepared to intervene but something stopped him. He didn’t like the confidential tone of Dimos’s voice as if they were sharing secrets. He should be the only one who knew Jodie that intimately.