The Diakos Baby Scandal
The Diakos Baby Scandal
Natalie Rivers
‘Lucas is not my nephew.’ Her voice was quiet, but her heart was beating so loudly it almost deafened her. ‘He is my son.’
‘What?’
Theo stared at her in shock—not sure he had heard her correctly.
‘Lucas is my son,’ Kerry repeated.
She looked pale and sick, but she was meeting his gaze straight on—and he knew she was utterly serious. Then, almost as if his mind was working in slow motion, his thoughts pulled together to reach another obvious conclusion.
Kerry had said that Lucas was six months old. That meant…six months…plus nine months…
‘He is my son.’
The words sliced through the air like a knife— like a giant blade slicing through the reality of Theo’s tightly disciplined and controlled world.
He had a son.
‘You will regret this.’
‘Having your son?’ Her voice was thin and tremulous, as if she could sense the anger that was starting to build within him after the initial shock had sunk in.
‘The fact that you kept him from me,’ he said.
Natalie Rivers grew up in the Sussex countryside. As a child she always loved to lose herself in a good book, or in games that gave free rein to her imagination. She went to Sheffield University, where she met her husband in the first week of term. It was love at first sight and they have been together ever since, moving to London after graduating, getting married and having two wonderful children.
After university Natalie worked in a lab at a medical research charity, and later retrained to be a primary school teacher. Now she is lucky enough to be able to combine her two favourite occupations—being a full-time mum and writing passionate romances.
THE DIAKOS BABY SCANDAL
BY
NATALIE RIVERS
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
THE DIAKOS BABY SCANDAL
CHAPTER ONE
KERRY was shaking as she looked down at the little white stick clutched in her hand—a plus sign was clearly visible in the window. The test was positive. A flutter of excitement rose up inside her—she was pregnant.
It wasn’t planned, and she hadn’t truly expected the test to come up positive—but she knew the discovery that she was pregnant would change her life for ever.
She pressed her teeth gently into her lower lip and stared at the test result for a moment longer. Her heart had instantly filled with joy at the prospect of having a baby—but her body had already started to tremble with nerves.
How would Theo react to the news that he was going to be a father? The thought of telling him sent a wave of apprehension rolling through her.
It was only six months since she’d become the live-in lover of Theo Diakos—one of Athens’ richest, most powerful property tycoons. She’d shared his high-paced cosmopolitan lifestyle and spent night after glorious night in his bed. He’d treated her like a princess, and his close family members—his brother, Corban, and his wife, Hallie—had made her more than welcome.
But, although Kerry had fallen deeply in love with Theo, they had never discussed their feelings for each other. And they’d never talked about their future together.
She lifted her head, pushed her long blonde hair back from her face and walked out onto the roof garden. When she and Theo were staying in the city, this magical green and scented oasis was her favourite place. The warm fragrance of climbing roses wrapped around her and the gentle sound of trickling water filled the evening air. There was such an aura of tranquillity that it was hard to imagine the garden was right on top of one of the glitziest hotels in the city—the flagship property in Theo’s empire.
Beneath her the city lights were starting to shine, and up high on the Acropolis Rock the floodlit columns of the Parthenon were glowing majestically against the darkening sky. It was an awe-inspiring sight, and one that would be forever linked in her mind with Theo. Being with him was wonderful. For the first time in twenty-three years she felt as if she was wanted—cherished, even.
At first she’d hardly been able to believe that he was interested in an ordinary girl like her, but the intensity of their whirlwind affair had swept her doubts away and she’d never been so happy.
The troubles that haunted her past had faded until they seemed almost to belong to another lifetime. It was wonderful, knowing that he valued her and wanted to be with her. It was something she’d never experienced before—but it was something that she was determined her baby would feel right from the start of its life.
She pressed her hand against her stomach. The knowledge that she was carrying Theo’s child was still sinking in—but she knew one thing for sure. This baby would always feel wanted. Always feel loved.
Suddenly a rush of excitement bubbled through her body. Theo would be happy. She was certain of it. After all, he was a wonderful uncle—he clearly thought the world of his nephew, Nicco—and she knew he would be an amazing father.
All at once she was desperate to tell him the news immediately. She hurried back inside and dashed straight to Theo’s study in their private apartments at the hotel, almost running in her enthusiasm. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she shared her wonderful secret.
She slid to a halt outside his study door as she realised he wasn’t alone. He was with his brother, Corban, and from the sound of their voices they were discussing something important—something urgent. She paused to catch her breath, disappointed that her special news would have to wait.
Then, just as she turned to leave, the subject of their conversation suddenly became clear to her. She truly had not meant to eavesdrop, and her Greek was still far from perfect. But she knew enough to understand what Theo and Corban were discussing.
They were talking about taking little Nicco away from his mother.
A knot tightened in her stomach and her heart lurched horribly in her chest. She couldn’t really have understood correctly. Could she? She stood frozen outside the study door—unable to tear herself away—listening to them talk.
‘You must think about Nicco—it’s your duty to protect him,’ Theo said. ‘He is your son, and his wellbeing must come first.’
‘But Hallie is my wife—she trusts me,’ Corban said. ‘I don’t think I can do this to her.’
‘You must.’ Theo’s voice was emphatic. ‘A Diakos child belongs with the Diakos family. And Hallie is not fit to take care of your son.’
‘But it seems so drastic,’ Corban said. ‘Can’t we at least let her see Nicco before we take him?’
‘No. Absolutely not,’ Theo said. ‘This is the only way. If we do this right now—tonight—Nicco can be away by helicopter to the island before Hallie even notices he’s gone. Then we can deal with her privately—get her out of the country without any fuss. No one outside the family ever needs to know.’
Kerry clamped her hand over her mouth in horror. Theo and his brother were plotting to take Hallie’s child away from her.
She started shaking violently, suddenly revisiting all the pain and misery of her own childhood. She felt sick, remembering the heartbreak and despair—the utterwretchedness—of her own true mother, who had been unable to bear having her baby daughter taken from her.
Kerry could not stand by and let that happen to Hallie. She had to try and save her friend the anguish that her mother had suffered. Maybe if her mother had been allowed to keep her baby she would still be alive today.
Suddenly Kerry found herself backing unsteadily away from the study doorway. Her throat was tight, her stomach was knotted painfully and her mind was spinning with horrible memories that made it impossible to think straight. All she knew was that she couldn’t let them take Hallie’s child away from her.
She turned and ran to find her friend. She had to warn her.
She charged into the luxury apartment Hallie shared with Corban, stumbled through the huge open living space to the bedroom and found Hallie sitting in front of the mirror brushing her long brown hair.
‘Kerry!’ Hallie exclaimed, her cheeks flushed and her dark eyes wide with surprise. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘I’m sorry…’ Kerry gasped for breath after her mad dash. ‘It’s Nicco. I heard Corban and Theo talking—they are going to take Nicco away tonight.’
‘Why? What’s wrong? Is he all right?’ Hallie demanded, standing up so quickly that the stool she’d been sitting on crashed over.
‘Yes, he’s fine,’ Kerry said. ‘But listen—you don’t understand. They said you’re not fit to look after him. They’re going to take Nicco away by helicopter without telling you.’
‘No. They can’t do that.’ For a moment Hallie stood glued to the spot, her face blank with shock. Then her expression changed and she lurched into action, snatching her handbag from the dressing table so quickly that she sent a glass of wine flying. ‘They won’t take him. I won’t let them,’ she said, grabbing her car keys from a side table and hurrying unsteadily across the room in high heels. ‘I’ll take him away with me—somewhere they won’t find us.’
‘Wait,’ Kerry said, automatically reaching for a handful of tissues to stem the spread of the red wine across Hallie’s dressing table. ‘I’ll come with…’
Suddenly Kerry hesitated, looking down at the wine-soaked tissues. Hallie had been drinking. Remembering her flushed cheeks, and the way she’d swayed unevenly across the room, she’d obviously had quite a lot—way too much to be driving. But she’d just taken her car keys.
Kerry burst out of the room after her. But it was too late—the nursery door was open and Nicco’s cot was empty. A glance at the lights above the family’s private elevator told her that someone had already reached the underground car park.
Oh, God! What had she done? Hallie was drunk and she was about to drive out into the busy city traffic with her little boy in the car.
Kerry’s heart was in her mouth as she hurtled back to Theo’s study. She careered through the open door, making Theo and Corban look up in surprise.
‘It’s Hallie!’ she cried, struggling to catch her breath to speak.
Theo was beside her in an instant. His strong hands closed reassuringly on her upper arms to keep her steady and his dark brown eyes held her secure in his powerful gaze.
‘Take a deep breath.’ His calm, assured voice cut through the panic that gripped her. ‘That’s it. Now, tell me what has happened.’
Kerry stared up at his handsome face, momentarily torn between the distress she’d felt when she heard him planning to take Nicco away from his mother and the comfort she instinctively felt simply from being close to him, from the feel of his strong hands on her arms.
‘Hallie has taken Nicco in her car,’ she blurted. ‘She’s been drinking.’
Corban cursed in Greek, then ran out the door, shouting urgently to Theo as he left. At the same time Theo spun away from Kerry to pick up the phone. She realised he was calling his security team to give orders that Hallie should not be allowed to leave.
Kerry folded her arms across her chest and hugged herself tightly. What had she done? Theo and Corban had no right to take Nicco away from his mother—but her impulsive reaction had put both mother and child in danger. She should never have acted without thinking things through.
‘I’m going to help my brother,’ Theo said, turning to leave. ‘Hallie was away from the hotel before I warned Security, but Corban is right behind her.’
Kerry bit her quivering lip anxiously and felt her eyes burning with unshed tears. She wished she’d realised sooner that Hallie had been drinking—but it had never occurred to her that her friend would be in that state.
‘It will be all right.’ Suddenly Theo was back by her side, pulling her gently against his strong chest. He lifted his hands and slipped them under her hair, cradling the back of her head tenderly as he tipped her face up to his. ‘You did the right thing—we’ll take care of it now.’
Then, before she could reply, he was gone. But the warm, exotic fragrance of his cologne lingered in the air and the nape of her neck still tingled where his fingertips had brushed.
Theo was everything to her. Since the day she’d met him everything else in her life had faded into insignificance.
When her temporary job in Athens had finished she’d been overwhelmed with joy when he had asked her to stay with him. With his encouragement she had delayed looking for a new position, so that she would be free to travel with him wherever he went. He’d said that he wanted her with him always, so that they would be able to spend time together whenever his demanding schedule allowed.
Kerry closed her eyes, imagining the warm strength of Theo’s arms around her. Being in his arms always felt so right. Just now, even when he was worried about his nephew and his sister-in-law, he had taken a moment to give her comfort and reassurance.
He had told her that she’d done the right thing—except he didn’t know what had really happened. What she had really done.
She walked shakily across to the window and looked out at the city, which was now properly dark. Somewhere out there Corban was pursuing his wife and child. And Theo was helping him. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a tear escape to run down her cheek, and prayed that everyone would be all right.
Theo Diakos strode through the hotel with a face like thunder. Hallie and the child had been safely retrieved by his brother, but not before she had crashed her car on Syntagma Square.
Mercifully no one had been injured—but driving a sports car off the road on one of the busiest squares in Athens, right outside the parliament building, had attracted a deluge of unwanted attention, and a horde of paparazzi had appeared out of nowhere before Corban had been able to get his family away from prying eyes.
Theo swore under his breath. If only he had persuaded his brother to act sooner—to get Hallie out of the country and away from the family—then none of this would have happened. It had been becoming increasingly difficult to keep Hallie’s drinking problem under wraps, and this fiasco would certainly blow it wide open.
Up until that evening almost no one had known about her difficulty with alcohol. Even Kerry—as far as he knew—had remained unaware. Corban had worked hard to keep it a secret—but now everyone would know.
Theo glanced at his watch. Only a few minutes had passed since he’d called Kerry to tell her that the situation was contained, but she had sounded so distressed by the whole event that he wanted to get back to her without delay. He was sorry that she’d been dragged into such an unpleasant family situation. Witnessing Hallie drunk and out of control, then putting Nicco at risk and creating an unsavoury public embarrassment, had obviously been upsetting for her.
Kerry would never behave like that. There wasn’t a disagreeable bone in her body. She was gentle and graceful, and she hated drawing attention to herself. Theo valued every minute he spent in her enchanting company.
He’d first spotted her nearly a year earlier, talking to a group of tourists in the foyer of one of his hotels. Her long blonde hair, wide blue eyes and honeyed complexion had initially caught his attention, but once he’d spent an evening with her it had been her gentle charm that had utterly captivated him. After the cut and thrust of his high-paced business life, time with Kerry was the perfect refreshing antidote.
Now he was hurrying back to her, waiting for him on the roof garden. He knew how much she loved it there, and he hoped the pleasant surroundings would ease her distress. But if she was still upset when he reached her, he would pull her into his arms and make love to her until she forgot her worries.
He found her standing with her back to him, looking out over the city towards the Acropolis. The second he took another step towards her she seemed to sense his presence and spun round to face him, her hair bouncing about her shoulders as she moved.
‘Is everyone all right?’ she asked urgently. ‘Hallie and Nicco? People on the street where she crashed?’
‘Everyone is fine,’ Theo said. He pulled her towards him, but her body was filled with tension and she didn’t sway into his arms as he had expected. He leant closer, swept her silky hair away from her neck and pressed his lips to the sensitive skin below her ear. ‘Forget about it now—it’s all under control. Let me take your mind off your worries.’
‘Where are they now?’ Kerry asked, standing even straighter and stiffer than before. ‘Are they all together?’
Theo stepped back and looked down at her. In the time they’d been together Kerry had never once refused his lovemaking. She was so deliciously responsive to him that it made sex even more exciting and satisfying for him. Even thinking about the way she dissolved into a pool of desire at his slightest touch made him hot and ready for her.
Usually a simple look from him was enough to have her melting willingly into his arms. For her to be so immune to him she must be really concerned.
‘Yes. Corban has everything under control. At any moment they will be flying out to the island—away from the press,’ Theo said, skimming his hands up the bare skin of her arms with the lightest of touches. ‘You can stop worrying about them now—and let me make you feel better.’
Kerry stood tall and drew in a deep breath. She had to talk to Theo—to tell him what she had done. And she had to ask about the conversation she’d overheard him having with Corban.
Then, after that, she still had to tell him she was pregnant. It was almost impossible to believe that only a couple of hours ago she had been running to tell Theo the amazing news that they were going to have a baby—and then everything suddenly seemed to become horribly confusing and wrong.
‘Let me see if I can think of something new…something interesting,’ Theo said, his voice deep and sexy, as he reached out to pluck a couple of beautiful pink roses from the trellis beside them.
Kerry drew in a wobbly breath and looked at the gorgeous blooms in Theo’s large, sensual hands. Only last night he had carried her out to the roof garden from their bedroom, peeled off her lacy nightclothes and laid her naked under the stars. Then he’d scattered her body with rose petals before making long, slow, exquisite love to her.
Now the heady fragrance of roses was already filling her senses again, and her body was burning with the need to surrender to his lovemaking. She knew that she would soon forget everything in the bliss that he would give her.
But she couldn’t surrender to her desires. It wasn’t right when there were still so many concerns in her mind. She had to talk to him.
‘Stop. I need to…’ She hesitated, then pushed his hands away and took a step backwards. ‘Earlier this evening I heard you talking to Corban. You said he was to take Nicco away from Hallie.’
‘Yes. It’s a shame I didn’t give my brother that advice yesterday,’ Theo replied. ‘Then tonight’s fiasco would have been avoided.’
‘How can you be so cold?’ Kerry gasped. ‘Someone could have been seriously hurt tonight—or even killed!’
‘Exactly,’ Theo said. ‘That could have been averted.’
‘Not by depriving a mother of her child,’ Kerry said.
For a moment she couldn’t help thinking about her own mother—how she’d been utterly devastated to have had her baby taken away from her. Feeling like a worthless failure at only sixteen years old had made it impossible for her to get herself back on track. Her life had spiralled into depression and self-abuse. She’d turned to drink, then drugs—and eventually died alone of an overdose in squalid conditions.
For Kerry it was made worse by the fact that she hadn’t even known who her mother was until it was too late to help her. Instead she’d been grudgingly looked after by her grandmother—the very person who had taken her away from her real mother. And for Kerry’s entire childhood she’d made her feel unwanted and unloved.
‘I know you are concerned about Hallie and Nicco.’ Theo’s clipped tones showed signs of tension. ‘My brother and I are in your debt for raising the alarm—if you hadn’t come to us so quickly things could have been much worse. But my conversation with Corban was private. How we choose to take care of our family is none of your concern.’
Kerry stared up at him. A muscle pulsed on his shadowed jawline. His eyes were dark and troubled. She had to tell him what she had done—but she was apprehensive about how he would react.
‘Hallie is my friend,’ she said. ‘Of course I care about her. And Nicco.’
‘You must trust me to do what is right for my family,’ Theo said, studying her intently. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and the set of his expression hardened.
‘You told her. Didn’t you?’ he demanded.
Kerry’s heart jolted and her eyes widened with alarm.
‘Yes.’ Her voice was hardly more than a whisper—but she held her head up and met his gaze steadily.
‘You had no business doing that.’ Theo’s expression was dark. ‘It did not concern you.’
‘Of course it concerned me!’ Kerry responded, suddenly filled with anger on her friend’s behalf—and on her own mother’s behalf.
‘No wonder you were so desperately worried—your actions put many people in danger tonight,’ he said. ‘Someone could have died. My nephew could have died!’
‘I didn’t realise she’d been drinking,’ Kerry said. ‘Not until—’
‘Don’t try to explain what you did.’ Theo’s voice cut through hers coldly. ‘I’m not interested.’
‘But—’
‘I’m not interested in your excuses,’ he said flatly. ‘You put my nephew in danger.’
‘I never meant to,’ she said. ‘That was the last thing I wanted.’
‘You listened to a private conversation that did not concern you,’ he said. ‘Then you went behind my back and took the situation into your own hands.’
‘Hallie is my friend,’ she said.
‘And what am I to you?’ he demanded. ‘You should have come to me first.’
‘You… I…’ She stumbled hesitantly, suddenly unsure of herself.
It was true that if she’d spoken to Theo about what she’d overheard then Hallie wouldn’t have taken Nicco in the car. But that didn’t change what she had heard. And Theo had made it clear that he saw nothing wrong with what he and his brother had been planning. They probably still intended to take Nicco away from his mother.
‘I no longer want you here.’ Theo spoke suddenly, his voice hard and controlled, his expression set in stone. ‘Pack your bags and get out.’
‘What? I don’t understand…’ Kerry’s voice trailed away and she stared at him in shock. But she did understand. Theo no longer wanted her.
He’d already turned his back on her and was walking away, as if from that moment she was dead to him. She was already out of his life.
‘Wait,’ she called. ‘There is something I have to tell you. It’s the reason I came to talk to you in your study in the first place.’
Theo spun on his heel and looked at her dispassionately. He was giving her a moment more of his time, and she knew she had to use it wisely.
‘This evening I found out—’
Kerry stopped speaking abruptly and covered her mouth with her hand. Suddenly she was afraid to tell him that she was pregnant.
After the events of the evening, it was almost as if Theo was a different man. She would never have thought him capable of taking a child from his mother—but he had defended his intentions even when Kerry had challenged him.
And if they planned to do that to Hallie—who’d been married to Corban for several years—what would happen to her if they found out she was carrying a Diakos baby? Theo had made it plain he didn’t want her. But would he want to take the baby?
‘Get on with it,’ Theo said, with undisguised impatience.
‘I don’t feel like I know you any more,’ she said.
‘The feeling is mutual,’ he replied coldly. ‘Now, get out.’
CHAPTER TWO
14 months later
‘THANK you for inviting me to your home.’ Theo held out his hand to the old man, who was sitting at a small wooden table drinking coffee under the shade of an ancient gnarled olive tree. ‘Your island is charming—a very peaceful place to live.’
Drakon Notara ignored Theo’s hand and snorted rudely, not looking up from his treacly Greek coffee. He was a moody and eccentric old man, but Theo had met him several times in Athens and was not fazed by his bad manners.
‘Don’t tell me you care about peace,’ Drakon said. ‘I know why you want to buy my island. You want to build one of your flashy hotels here—or maybe several. Bars, thumping music, people drunk and rowdy.’ He paused, finally lifting his head and meeting Theo’s eye. ‘I can’t have that happening here.’
Theo gritted his teeth and stared straight back, refusing to rise to the old man’s provocation. No one spoke to Theo Diakos with such disrespect and got away with it—but he had a compelling reason to do business with Drakon Notara.
Theo needed to buy this island. It was his only chance to fulfil his mother’s dying wish. And if he had to tread carefully to seal the deal, then that was what he would do.
He had not been invited to sit, nor offered any refreshment. The paving stones under the trees had not been swept before his arrival and were deep with browning piles of olive blossom. It was clear the old man was going to be as bloody-minded as usual, and was not going to make any transaction easy.
‘That’s not what I intend for the island at all,’ Theo said smoothly. ‘Perhaps if we talk—’
‘No,’ Drakon barked. ‘Talk is cheap. And so are the scandal sheets. Don’t think because I spend most of my time out here that I don’t know what your family is like—rich and spoiled, caring only about money and excitement. Your brother…his drunken wife crashing her car with that child on board.’
‘You have been misinformed.’ Theo’s tone was clipped as he suppressed the surge of anger that ripped through him. Whenever he thought about the night of the accident, which was over a year ago now, he felt his temper flare. ‘My family is not as the media has portrayed it. The newspapers do not always report things exactly as they are.’
‘Are you telling me it didn’t happen?’ the old man scoffed.
‘I’m saying that my personal affairs are not relevant to our business,’ Theo said. ‘However, if you will allow me to set out my proposal, I believe we will be able to come to an arrangement we are both happy with.’
‘I don’t want to talk to you now—I don’t want to hear the smooth and readymade business spiel you have prepared.’ Drakon leant heavily on the table and levered himself up. ‘If you’re serious about buying my island, come and stay for a few days—so I can find out what kind of man you really are. Bring your pretty girlfriend—the one I met last year. I liked her—no airs and graces, which I found surprising in someone associated with you and your family.’
For a fraction of a second Theo did not reply. The wily old fellow had completely wrong-footed him. He searched his memory, trying to recall any occasions when Kerry and Drakon might have met—and realised there had been several charity events when they could have spoken.
Why did Drakon really want him to bring Kerry to the island? Did he know that she was no longer part of his life?
‘Or have you broken it off with her? Moved on to someone new?’ Drakon continued derisively. ‘From the way she…’ He paused, frowning as if he was irritated with himself. ‘What was her name?’
‘Kerry,’ Theo supplied in a tight voice, not missing the fact that Drakon had used the past tense—as if he definitely did know the relationship was over. ‘Her name is Kerry.’
Hearing himself say her name sounded strange and painfully familiar at the same time. He had not said it aloud since the night he threw her out—but that had not stopped her name, and the image of her face, pressing forward in his thoughts more often than he would have liked.
‘Ah, yes. Kerry,’ Drakon said. ‘Utterly delightful young thing—reminded me of my dear wife when she was young. From the way she never left your side, I expected to see a wedding announcement in the press. But I suppose you’re several women down the line by now.’ He turned and started shuffling towards the house.
‘As I said, my personal affairs are not relevant to our business,’ Theo said, but a cold, fatalistic feeling had settled in his chest.
He realised that as far as Drakon Notara was concerned the way he conducted his private life was as important as the way he did business. The fact that not one single woman had caught his attention since Kerry would not impress the old man. He would simply judge Theo harshly for not making the relationship work in the first place.
And, to make matters worse, he seemed to have developed a real soft spot for Kerry.
‘I’m a traditional old man,’ Drakon said over his shoulder. ‘I don’t hold with the fast and wasteful way people live their lives these days. Fast cars polluting the air, fast relationships…everything is disposable.’
‘If we talk, you’ll discover that we share many of the same traditional values,’ Theo said.
He wanted to follow Drakon and convince him that he did not plan to build hotels on the island. But his reasons for wanting the island were personal and he had no intention of sharing them with anyone—especially not a judgemental old man who thought it was his right to force his opinions on other people.
‘Then come back and visit properly,’ Drakon said, pausing on the threshold, as if to gather his strength before he disappeared inside. ‘And bring Kerry with you.’
Theo watched him go. He might be physically frail, but his mind and his will were still as strong as ever.
‘Allow me to escort you back to the helipad,’ Drakon’s assistant said, stepping out of the shadows at the edge of the paved area.
Theo nodded a curt acknowledgement, and turned to leave.
‘I know the way,’ he said, striding out of the shaded area into the bright Greek sunshine.
He frowned as he walked along the rutted ridge path, completely oblivious to the breathtaking view across the azure Aegean Sea.
He needed Kerry.
If he was to have any chance of buying this island as the first step in fulfilling his mother’s dying wish, then he was going to need Kerry.
‘Thank you so much for all your help,’ the customer said, pushing open the glass door of the travel agent’s and letting in a blast of cold, rainy air.
‘I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful holiday. I’ve only been to Crete once, but I’d love to go back there,’ Kerry said, as the customer stepped out onto the wet street.
For a brief moment she let herself imagine how good it would feel to sit on a beautiful sandy beach, with nothing to do but rest and play with her six-month-old baby boy, Lucas. But that was a fantasy that wasn’t likely to come true any time soon—not with all the bills she was struggling to pay on her own.
It was fourteen months since she’d returned from Athens—since the devastating night when Theo Diakos had brutally ripped out her heart and trampled it underfoot. Arriving back in London had been a nightmare. Trying to pick up the pieces of her broken heart—with no job, no money and nowhere to live—had been truly awful. And on top of everything else she’d been pregnant.
‘It’s nearly time for your break,’ Carol said now, pulling her out of her thoughts. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind taking early lunch again?’
‘When you’ve been up since five a. m., this doesn’t seem early.’ Kerry laughed. Lucas—as adorable as he was—had taken to waking with the rising sun.
At that moment the shop door opened again, and another blast of cold air whooshed in, making an icy shiver run through her.
‘Ooh! I can’t believe it’s June already,’ she said, as she pulled the collar of her uniform jacket more snugly across her throat and looked up to greet the customer who had just walked in. ‘Good morning. Can I help—?’
Her heart skipped a beat and she felt herself go cold all over as she stared up into the face of Theo Diakos.
He was looking straight at her, with an expression of dispassionate assessment on his darkly handsome face. His black brows were drawn low, casting his eyes into shadow, but his penetrating eyes bored right into her.
Kerry drew in a shaky breath and felt her heart jolt painfully back into action. She knew she was staring—but she could not drag her eyes from him. If was as if she couldn’t quite believe Theo Diakos was really standing there.
He was a tall and imposing figure. The size of his athletic body seemed to fill the entire doorway, and his magnetic presence seemed to fill the entire shop. He was wearing a dark suit, which was covered with a sheen of summer rain, and his black hair was damp and glistening with fine water droplets.
What was he doing here?
Had he found out about Lucas—his baby son?
‘Can I offer you some assistance?’ Carol asked, breaking the silence and walking around to the front of her desk. ‘Would you like to see a particular brochure, or are you just at the ideas-collecting stage?’
A flash of almost feverish humour cut through Kerry like a sharp slap to knock her out of her stunned state. The idea of Theo Diakos—billionaire property tycoon—walking into a high street travel agency in a London backwater to book his next package holiday was laughable. Ludicrous, even.
No—he was here for a reason.
‘I’m here to speak to Kerry,’ Theo said, never taking his eyes off her for a second.
‘Oh. You two know each other?’ Carol paused, obviously surprised, and looked at Kerry questioningly.
She was still staring at Theo. He was so familiar, but at the same time like a total stranger.
She had been so utterly in love with him—but it had turned out she’d meant nothing to him. Nothing at all. In one horrifying evening she had discovered that his soul was made of stone, and that there was not even one ounce of compassion inside his hard, unyielding body.
He’d conspired with his brother to take a little child away from his mother. And when Kerry had made the mistake of getting involved he had not given her an opportunity to explain herself. It had been the first time in nearly a year that they’d had any sort of disagreement—but he’d simply thrown her out. Without a moment’s hesitation.
‘Carol, this is Theo. He is from Athens.’ Kerry’s natural politeness forced her to make at least some sort of introduction—but all her instincts told her not to say too much. No one at work knew anything about what had happened in Athens, and it paid to be as careful as possible. She didn’t want any speculation about Lucas and who his father was.
‘Why don’t you go for your lunch break?’ Carol suggested. ‘You probably have lots to catch up on.’
Kerry’s pulse was still racing and the palms of her hands suddenly felt damp. The last thing she wanted was to go off alone with Theo—but neither did she want to cause a stir at work. Her boss, Margaret, would be back from her emergency dental appointment soon, and chances were she would not be in a good mood. Kerry really needed her job, and she really did not want to give anyone fuel for gossip.
‘All right. I’ll get my bag.’ She stood up and walked to the office at the back of the shop, desperately hoping that she didn’t look as wobbly as she suddenly felt.
With every thump of her heart she felt Theo’s gaze burning deeper and deeper into her—through the protective veneer of her uniform, piercing through all the emotional barricades she had tried to build up since that devastating night in Athens.
Why was he here?
The office door swung shut behind her, shielding her from his sight, and her legs buckled beneath her. She clung to the edge of the desk, gasping for air and shaking violently.
Had Theo come to try and take Lucas away from her?
She’d never let that happen—her gorgeous boy was everything to her. She loved him more than life itself, and she’d never, never let Theo take him.
She took a deep, steadying breath and looked back through the one-way mirror into the shop. Theo was still standing there, as inscrutable as an ancient Greek statue, and Carol was obviously trying to engage him in conversation.
The sudden, horrifying thought occurred to her that Carol might innocently mention Lucas. With another judder of her already painful heart she grabbed her bag and burst back through the door. She had to get Theo away from anyone who knew her as quickly as possible.
‘Take as long as you want,’ Carol said, trying to be helpful. ‘I’ll send you a sneaky text if Margaret gets back.’
‘I won’t be long,’ Kerry said.
‘Don’t worry,’ Carol said. ‘Have fun. Enjoy your blast from the past.’
‘Thanks.’ Kerry slipped past Theo and pushed the heavy glass door open. She flashed her colleague a tight smile and walked away down the rainy street, leaving Theo to follow her.
Fun was the last thing she was expecting to have. And as for Carol’s unsuspecting use of the phrase blast fromthe past—all Kerry could think about was the more violent, destructive meaning of the word blast.
She desperately hoped Theo hadn’t come to rip mercilessly through her life, laying everything to waste and destroying the tentative happiness she had finally found.
Suddenly she couldn’t bear the agony of not knowing.
She stopped abruptly and turned to face Theo.
‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded.
‘I’ve come to take you back to Greece,’ he said.
CHAPTER THREE
THEO stood still, watching Kerry’s reaction to his announcement. For a second he hardly recognised her. Somehow she didn’t seem like the woman he’d spent nearly a year of his life with.
There were the obvious differences—the unflattering navy blue uniform, and the new way she had done her blonde hair, twisting it up into a tight knot at the nape of her neck with a long fringe he didn’t remember falling into her eyes. But the real differences seemed to be deeper, more profound than that. She looked older in some way, and the expression on her face was wary and troubled.
He frowned, momentarily disconcerted as he looked down into her eyes. He could have sworn that her eyes had been a soft clear blue, but now they appeared to be pale grey, as if they were reflecting the pastel colour of the rain-streaked sky.
‘Why would you say that?’ Kerry gasped. ‘I’m not coming back to Greece with you.’
‘Actually, you are,’ Theo said.
‘Why?’ she demanded incredulously. ‘Why do you want me to? And what makes you think I’d ever go anywhere with you ever again?’
‘Because you owe me that,’ he replied.
‘I don’t owe you anything!’ Kerry exclaimed, anger suddenly flaring inside her. ‘I gave up my career to be with you, and I never took any of the money you tried to give me. I used up all my savings while I was living with you, which made it really hard for me when I came back to London.’
She paused, racking her brain for any other possible reason he might think that she owed him. The very idea that he could want anything of her was ridiculous—he was one of the richest men in Athens.
‘I left all the expensive jewellery you gave me behind,’ she added, remembering how much that had hurt.
It wasn’t because of the cost of the items—for Kerry their value had been entirely sentimental. She’d thought they were genuine tokens of Theo’s affection for her. When he’d thrown her out so coldly, she’d realised that all the things she’d taken as meaningful in their relationship had obviously meant nothing at all to him.
‘I’m not talking about trivial monetary matters,’ Theo said flatly.
‘Then what—?’ Kerry’s voice dried up in her throat. Did that mean he had found out about Lucas?
She bit her lip, desperately hoping that he hadn’t discovered her secret. Surely he would have brought up something so important immediately? But perhaps he meant to string it out to torment her.
‘You interfered with matters that did not concern you,’ Theo said. ‘The consequences could have been tragic.’
Kerry drew in a shaky breath, remembering the awful evening of the accident.
‘No one was injured,’ she said in a small voice.
She deeply regretted that her involvement had caused Hallie to drive off with Nicco when she’d been drinking. But that did not change the fact that Theo and Corban had been planning to take Nicco away from his mother.
‘It’s a miracle no one was killed,’ Theo said. ‘But that’s not exactly the reason I’m here.’
Kerry stared up at him anxiously. What could be worse than causing a potential tragedy—something bad enough to bring Theo all the way from Athens to seek restitution from her?
‘Your meddling stirred up a vicious media circus,’ Theo said, as if that was on the same level as a tragedy. ‘The paparazzi had a field-day. They hounded my family relentlessly—Hallie and Corban in particular. It made things very difficult.’
Relief that Theo had not come about Lucas poured through Kerry—making her bold. Was he really comparing the inconvenience of unwanted media interest with the possibility of someone dying in a car crash? How had she ever lived with this man—shared his home for six months—without realising what he was really like?
‘You mean with the media watching everything you did it made it difficult for you to take your sister-in-law’s child away from her?’ she asked.
As soon as the words were out of her mouth she knew she should not have antagonised him. A change came over him that made goosebumps prickle across her skin. It was hard to pinpoint what was actually different about his expression or his body language, but something alerted her to danger.
‘It would be better—for you—if you never mention what you overheard that night again.’
Theo’s voice grated across her nerves, making her heart start to race once more. But then all of a sudden her hackles rose at the threat in his tone. How dared he tell her what to do? She wasn’t in a relationship with him any more.
‘Why not? Are you ashamed of yourself for contemplating something so horrible?’ she demanded recklessly. ‘Or are you simply lying low—intending to carry on with your plan once the heat is off?’
Theo glared down at her, his blood suddenly surging hot and angry through his veins. He’d had no idea that Kerry had it in her to behave like this. The woman who’d been his lover for nearly a year would never have been so hot-headed, never have challenged him so rashly.
‘Be very careful,’ he grated, stepping forward so that he towered over her, forcing her to crane her neck back to maintain eye contact.
‘Why?’ she demanded, planting her hands on her hips and refusing to back away. ‘What are you going to do to me?’
Theo could almost feel the energy crackling between them. Despite the cool air of the wet summer day, there was real heat in the space around their bodies. It was the heat of anger—and it was far more than just that.
It was the heat of passion—emotional and sexual.
Suddenly he knew exactly what he wanted to do to her, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to give in to his desires. The need to seize her in his arms and drag her hard against his body was almost overwhelming. He wanted to cover her angry mouth with his—to silence her in the most satisfying way he knew how.
He continued to stare down at her, letting the silence lengthen. His heart was pumping powerfully in his chest, and his body was thrumming with desire for her. Then he saw her eyes widen slightly, saw her lips part a little as her breathing deepened. And he knew she felt it too.
Pure physical attraction.
A few minutes earlier it had seemed as if he didn’t know her any more—but now he knew precisely how her body was reacting to him. After all, they had been lovers for nearly a year. He recognised the heat suddenly dancing in her cheeks, and the way her pupils had grown large in her pale-coloured eyes.
She wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Suddenly he gripped her arms and pulled her towards him, up onto her tiptoes so that her lips were just below his. All he had to do was bend his head a fraction more and his mouth would come down over hers. He would take back what had once been his—reclaim her body in hot, hard retribution for what she had done.
But this wasn’t what he had come to London for. He could not—would not—let his libido get in the way of fulfilling his mother’s dying wish. He needed Kerry to convince Drakon to sell him the island.
‘I didn’t come here for this,’ he said gruffly, letting go of her arms and stepping away from her.
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Kerry said, shaken by how husky her voice sounded.
How had she let herself fall under his sensual spell so easily? Why would she even respond to him at all, after the horrible way he had treated her?
‘You know as well as I do,’ he said. ‘Let’s not play any more games. I’ll tell you what I came for.’
‘Why don’t you?’ she said, pleased with how sassy she managed to sound, considering the way her body was still buzzing with unwanted desire for him. Even though her face was streaked with rain, she could feel her cheeks burning. ‘It’s taking you long enough to get round to it.’
The rain was coming down more heavily now, and she lifted her hand to brush her long wet fringe back from her face. She stared straight up into his eyes, determined not to let him see any weakness. She’d be ready next time, if he started looking at her like that again—as if he wanted to tear off her clothes and make love to her right there and then.
After everything that had happened she couldn’t believe he’d had the audacity to come on to her like that. And she couldn’t believe she’d let herself respond. She would not let it happen again.
‘Do you want to go inside?’ he asked, glancing around as if he was looking for a café. ‘Sit out of the rain while we talk?’
‘No. I’m already wet, and my break is nearly over,’ she said. ‘Just tell me what you want from me.’
She didn’t relish the idea of continuing their conversation standing in the rain on a busy urban pavement—but somehow she felt safer out in the open. The thought of being in a confined space with him, even a public café, sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine.
‘I want to buy an island from an old man,’ Theo said, getting straight to the point. ‘I need you to help me secure the deal.’
Kerry frowned up at him. She felt slightly startled by the fact that he was finally being direct about his reason for coming to her, but she was also puzzled as to why he thought he needed her help.
‘What have I got to do with it?’ she asked, intrigued despite herself.
‘It is because you meddled in my family’s affairs—creating a situation that caused the media frenzy—that the old man is reluctant to do business with me,’ Theo said. ‘He wants to sell his island to someone with traditional values—someone he approves of.’
‘I don’t understand how you think I can help you—even if I wanted to,’ Kerry said. ‘What can I do to change the way this man thinks about you?’
‘The old man in question is called Drakon Notara. He remembers meeting you. Apparently he liked you,’ Theo replied, somehow making it sound as if he thought it highly unlikely that anyone would actually like her.
‘I remember him.’ Kerry frowned, irritated by Theo’s tone. ‘He told me all about the wildlife sanctuary he has on his island. He hates all these intensive modern developments and wants to keep somewhere natural.’ She paused and looked at Theo quizzically. ‘Why do you want to buy a wildlife sanctuary?’
For a long moment he didn’t respond, and something made Kerry think that Theo hadn’t even known about the sanctuary. He just wanted the island.
‘No wonder Drakon doesn’t want to sell to you,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t want a hotel on his nature preserve.’
‘It seemed to me that he was more concerned with my commitment to family values,’ Theo said curtly. ‘Therefore you will accompany me to his island tomorrow—travelling as my fiancée. At no point will you reveal that we have not been together since you met him.’
Kerry stared at him in shock.
‘Fiancée?’ she repeated.
For a moment she almost thought he was proposing to her. But that would be crazy. Almost as crazy as him expecting a woman he’d heartlessly cast aside for making one mistake to pose as his fiancée. Just so that he could buy an island from an old man who apparently did not approve of him.
‘Yes,’ Theo said. ‘For the duration of the few days we are to spend on the island you are to act the perfect, adoring fiancée in every way.’
‘I wasn’t your fiancée when I met Drakon,’ she said, saying the first thing that came into her mind. It seemed a ridiculous thing to say—but so was the charade Theo was suggesting.
‘Time has passed since then,’ Theo said. ‘It would seem natural that our relationship has progressed.’
‘Progressed!’ Kerry exclaimed, finally coming to her senses. ‘That’s an interesting take on it. I thought it had ended—badly—the night you kicked me out without giving me a chance to defend myself.’
‘There’s no defence for what you did,’ Theo said. ‘So why would I listen to whatever spin you wanted to put on your meddling? Whatever excuse you were going to give me?’
‘There’s no way I’m going to help you persuade a dear old man to sell you his island,’ she said.
‘Yes, you are,’ Theo said. ‘I will collect you from your flat tomorrow morning.’
‘You don’t know where I live!’ she exclaimed.
‘Of course I do,’ he replied scathingly. ‘Be packed and ready by six-thirty.’
Biting panic suddenly flared within her—freezing her insides stone-cold with dread. He’d found out where she worked, which probably meant he did know where she lived. And if he knew that, what else had his people found out about her—what else would they find if they dug deeper?
She had to keep Lucas hidden from him.
She remembered his words—a Diakos child belongswith the Diakos family.
He’d had no qualms about taking Hallie’s child from her, and she was married to his brother—a true member of the family. What chance did Kerry have against him if he wanted to take his son?
‘Don’t make me come for you at work tomorrow,’ Theo said. ‘I will find you if you try to hide from me. And if you give me the runaround I will not be pleased.’
* * *
Kerry stood on the pavement outside her block of flats at six o’clock the following morning. It was very early, but she could not risk Theo coming inside the building to look for her. The closer she let him come to her home, the more chance there was of him finding out about Lucas.
Half an hour later, when a smart black limousine pulled up beside her, she discovered that she’d be travelling alone. Theo had already returned to Athens the previous evening.
‘Your ticket, Miss Martin,’ his assistant said, handing her a white envelope. ‘You are booked on a flight out of Heathrow airport this morning. You will be met when you arrive in Athens, and taken to join Mr Diakos. You will then fly out to the island together.’
‘Thank you,’ Kerry said automatically. Still slightly stunned by Theo’s absence, she slipped into the limo and stared out through the tinted window.
Was Theo really so confident that she would meekly do as she was told? She’d never actually agreed to go with him. In fact she’d told him point-blank that she was not going. Had she always been so biddable that it just didn’t occur to him that she might refuse to co-operate?
He didn’t know the reason she’d had to go—the secret she could not risk him uncovering if she made him come looking for her. He must simply have expected her to do as she was told because that was what she had always done.
She closed her eyes and hugged herself, already missing Lucas although it was scarcely an hour since she’d left him with Bridget—the only person in the world she truly trusted. They’d been brought up together as sisters and, despite the fact that she had discovered later that Bridget was really her aunt, they still shared an incredibly close, sisterly bond.
Kerry knew Lucas would be safe with her. Bridget had her own little ones and was used to babies, but even so Kerry felt horrible leaving him. She knew she had no choice—to protect her son she had to leave him for a couple of nights—but somehow she felt she was letting him down.
Theo glanced across at Kerry as they climbed out of the helicopter on Drakon Notara’s island. Her hair was whipping about in the wind, and as she put up her hands to hold it back from her face he saw that she was pale and shaky after the flight.
She’d never complained, even though he’d asked her to join him on many of his trips, but Theo knew she wasn’t a good traveller. Chances were she hadn’t slept much the night before, and the limo had picked her up very early that morning. Tiredness always made her travel sickness worse, and he guessed she was feeling pretty rough. But he wanted her bright and appealing, to convince Drakon to sell him the island.
‘I know the way to the house,’ he said, as the old man’s quirky assistant came towards them. ‘My fiancée needs a moment to recover from the journey—some fresh air and solid ground under her feet for a while will do the trick.’
He reached out, looped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. He felt a tremor pass through her as she tensed and tried to pull away from him.
‘Lean on me till you get your strength back,’ Theo said, tightening his hold on her. Then he dropped his voice and spoke quietly, for her ears alone. ‘Don’t forget why you are here. You are my fiancée and you will act like it.’
With a deliberate effort Kerry relaxed her body and allowed herself to lean against Theo. She was surprised that apparently he’d picked up on how she was feeling—he’d never shown any sign of noticing her tendency to motion sickness before. But this time it was particularly awful—probably almost anyone would have noticed if she looked even half as bad as she felt.
All she could do was concentrate on drawing calming breaths into her lungs and putting one foot in front of the other. Theo’s arm was around her—a steady anchor and a welcome distraction from the nausea that rolled through her.
However, it didn’t take long before her awareness shifted entirely onto the sensation of his hard body next to her. The stressful journey and the way it had made her feel so rotten slipped away, and she was simply conscious of how closely Theo was holding her.
His body was strong and athletic, and she could feel his muscles moving as they made their way along the rocky path together. They were walking in unison, and she suddenly realised that meant he had matched his stride to hers. For some reason that realisation sent a shiver skittering down her spine. Whether it had been intentional or instinctive, on some level Theo had been attuned to her body and the rhythm of her movements.
‘Feeling better now?’ he asked. His deep, masculine voice passed like a physical vibration right through her, setting her nerve-endings alight and making her even more conscious of his powerful male form beside her.
She turned to look up at him, suddenly convinced that he had known the exact moment her attention had shifted onto the sensual experience of walking with him. Somehow the thought made her feel exposed and vulnerable.
She lifted her head and his eyes caught hers, holding them locked to his dark gaze. He was studying her intently, and all at once she got the feeling that he was probing—trying to read her mind. She didn’t remember him looking at her like that before—as if he thought she was guilty of something.
Then she suddenly realised that she’d never had anything to hide from him before. Was she imagining his scrutiny because she had an enormous secret?
‘The house is just over the brow of the hill,’ he said, lifting his hands to cradle her face gently. ‘Drakon may be old—but his mind is sharp. He’ll be watching us, so never let the pretence that you are my fiancée slip.’
‘I don’t want to lie,’ she said, pulling away from him slightly. She’d enjoyed meeting Drakon the previous year, and, despite his funny old ways, she had liked him. ‘It doesn’t feel right.’
‘Then we’d better make our act convincing, so Drakon won’t ask you any tricky questions,’ Theo said. ‘And, as they say, actions speak louder than words.’
Before she realised his intention, one strong arm had slipped around her back and pulled her hard against him. The other hand lifted to cup her chin and tip her face up to his.
She opened her lips to protest, and at that moment his mouth came down on hers.
CHAPTER FOUR
THEO’S kiss took Kerry completely by surprise, but her body responded instinctively. It seemed the most natural thing in the world for her to lean into him, pressing sensuously against his hard, athletic body, and part her lips in invitation.
His tongue swept into her mouth, hot and demanding, and she felt herself become molten with longing. There was nothing tender about his kiss—it was a fierce and passionate reminder of all the times they had made love. Of all the times he’d taken her to the point of ecstasy.
She lifted her own tongue to meet his, surrendering to the intense desire that suddenly stormed through her body, and kissed him back wildly. Her hands ran up to his shoulders, revelling in the hot, hard feel of his muscles, and she clung to him tightly—as if she never wanted to let go.
Then, without warning, Theo broke away from the kiss.
Kerry gasped in surprise, swaying unsteadily as he abruptly released his hold on her.
‘Quite convincing,’ he said, as he stepped away and stared down at her through narrowed eyes.
She held her breath as she looked up into his face, and for a moment the world stood still. She’d dreamed of Theo kissing her again for more than a year—but in her fantasy he had been kissing her because he had realised his mistake, realised that he loved her.
Her dream had never been like this—her kissing him desperately, with embarrassing eagerness. And with him appearing to be completely unmoved by the whole thing.
She felt the hot colour of humiliation staining her cheeks, and she looked down at the ground, mortified that she had given herself away so completely. Then a wave of anger rose through her, and her eyes snapped back up to meet his.
‘It was my intention to be convincing,’ she said. ‘But there’ll be no more free demonstrations. I’m here to help you with Drakon—not to be nice to you in private.’
Theo raised his straight black brows in surprise, but his lips quirked in amusement, and she had the feeling he’d seen right through her.
‘Let’s go and meet our host,’ he said, sliding his arm around her waist and turning to continue along the path.
‘I understand you weren’t feeling too well when you arrived,’ Drakon said, looking across the table at Kerry with sharp eyes. ‘I trust you’re feeling better now?’
‘Yes, I’m fine,’ she said. ‘Thank you for asking.’ She took a sip of her drink and smiled across at him. It was lovely sitting outside under the shade of the twisted old olive trees, enjoying the stunning view over the bay to the Adriatic. And making small talk with Drakon stopped her thinking about what had happened with Theo on the path from the helipad.
‘Kerry suffers from travel sickness,’ Theo said, taking her by surprise. She’d assumed he’d only guessed how she’d felt earlier because she had looked particularly rough. She’d never realised that he’d always known that she often felt ill on long journeys. ‘After a short rest she’s usually back to normal,’ he added.
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Natalie Rivers
‘Lucas is not my nephew.’ Her voice was quiet, but her heart was beating so loudly it almost deafened her. ‘He is my son.’
‘What?’
Theo stared at her in shock—not sure he had heard her correctly.
‘Lucas is my son,’ Kerry repeated.
She looked pale and sick, but she was meeting his gaze straight on—and he knew she was utterly serious. Then, almost as if his mind was working in slow motion, his thoughts pulled together to reach another obvious conclusion.
Kerry had said that Lucas was six months old. That meant…six months…plus nine months…
‘He is my son.’
The words sliced through the air like a knife— like a giant blade slicing through the reality of Theo’s tightly disciplined and controlled world.
He had a son.
‘You will regret this.’
‘Having your son?’ Her voice was thin and tremulous, as if she could sense the anger that was starting to build within him after the initial shock had sunk in.
‘The fact that you kept him from me,’ he said.
Natalie Rivers grew up in the Sussex countryside. As a child she always loved to lose herself in a good book, or in games that gave free rein to her imagination. She went to Sheffield University, where she met her husband in the first week of term. It was love at first sight and they have been together ever since, moving to London after graduating, getting married and having two wonderful children.
After university Natalie worked in a lab at a medical research charity, and later retrained to be a primary school teacher. Now she is lucky enough to be able to combine her two favourite occupations—being a full-time mum and writing passionate romances.
THE DIAKOS BABY SCANDAL
BY
NATALIE RIVERS
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
THE DIAKOS BABY SCANDAL
CHAPTER ONE
KERRY was shaking as she looked down at the little white stick clutched in her hand—a plus sign was clearly visible in the window. The test was positive. A flutter of excitement rose up inside her—she was pregnant.
It wasn’t planned, and she hadn’t truly expected the test to come up positive—but she knew the discovery that she was pregnant would change her life for ever.
She pressed her teeth gently into her lower lip and stared at the test result for a moment longer. Her heart had instantly filled with joy at the prospect of having a baby—but her body had already started to tremble with nerves.
How would Theo react to the news that he was going to be a father? The thought of telling him sent a wave of apprehension rolling through her.
It was only six months since she’d become the live-in lover of Theo Diakos—one of Athens’ richest, most powerful property tycoons. She’d shared his high-paced cosmopolitan lifestyle and spent night after glorious night in his bed. He’d treated her like a princess, and his close family members—his brother, Corban, and his wife, Hallie—had made her more than welcome.
But, although Kerry had fallen deeply in love with Theo, they had never discussed their feelings for each other. And they’d never talked about their future together.
She lifted her head, pushed her long blonde hair back from her face and walked out onto the roof garden. When she and Theo were staying in the city, this magical green and scented oasis was her favourite place. The warm fragrance of climbing roses wrapped around her and the gentle sound of trickling water filled the evening air. There was such an aura of tranquillity that it was hard to imagine the garden was right on top of one of the glitziest hotels in the city—the flagship property in Theo’s empire.
Beneath her the city lights were starting to shine, and up high on the Acropolis Rock the floodlit columns of the Parthenon were glowing majestically against the darkening sky. It was an awe-inspiring sight, and one that would be forever linked in her mind with Theo. Being with him was wonderful. For the first time in twenty-three years she felt as if she was wanted—cherished, even.
At first she’d hardly been able to believe that he was interested in an ordinary girl like her, but the intensity of their whirlwind affair had swept her doubts away and she’d never been so happy.
The troubles that haunted her past had faded until they seemed almost to belong to another lifetime. It was wonderful, knowing that he valued her and wanted to be with her. It was something she’d never experienced before—but it was something that she was determined her baby would feel right from the start of its life.
She pressed her hand against her stomach. The knowledge that she was carrying Theo’s child was still sinking in—but she knew one thing for sure. This baby would always feel wanted. Always feel loved.
Suddenly a rush of excitement bubbled through her body. Theo would be happy. She was certain of it. After all, he was a wonderful uncle—he clearly thought the world of his nephew, Nicco—and she knew he would be an amazing father.
All at once she was desperate to tell him the news immediately. She hurried back inside and dashed straight to Theo’s study in their private apartments at the hotel, almost running in her enthusiasm. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she shared her wonderful secret.
She slid to a halt outside his study door as she realised he wasn’t alone. He was with his brother, Corban, and from the sound of their voices they were discussing something important—something urgent. She paused to catch her breath, disappointed that her special news would have to wait.
Then, just as she turned to leave, the subject of their conversation suddenly became clear to her. She truly had not meant to eavesdrop, and her Greek was still far from perfect. But she knew enough to understand what Theo and Corban were discussing.
They were talking about taking little Nicco away from his mother.
A knot tightened in her stomach and her heart lurched horribly in her chest. She couldn’t really have understood correctly. Could she? She stood frozen outside the study door—unable to tear herself away—listening to them talk.
‘You must think about Nicco—it’s your duty to protect him,’ Theo said. ‘He is your son, and his wellbeing must come first.’
‘But Hallie is my wife—she trusts me,’ Corban said. ‘I don’t think I can do this to her.’
‘You must.’ Theo’s voice was emphatic. ‘A Diakos child belongs with the Diakos family. And Hallie is not fit to take care of your son.’
‘But it seems so drastic,’ Corban said. ‘Can’t we at least let her see Nicco before we take him?’
‘No. Absolutely not,’ Theo said. ‘This is the only way. If we do this right now—tonight—Nicco can be away by helicopter to the island before Hallie even notices he’s gone. Then we can deal with her privately—get her out of the country without any fuss. No one outside the family ever needs to know.’
Kerry clamped her hand over her mouth in horror. Theo and his brother were plotting to take Hallie’s child away from her.
She started shaking violently, suddenly revisiting all the pain and misery of her own childhood. She felt sick, remembering the heartbreak and despair—the utterwretchedness—of her own true mother, who had been unable to bear having her baby daughter taken from her.
Kerry could not stand by and let that happen to Hallie. She had to try and save her friend the anguish that her mother had suffered. Maybe if her mother had been allowed to keep her baby she would still be alive today.
Suddenly Kerry found herself backing unsteadily away from the study doorway. Her throat was tight, her stomach was knotted painfully and her mind was spinning with horrible memories that made it impossible to think straight. All she knew was that she couldn’t let them take Hallie’s child away from her.
She turned and ran to find her friend. She had to warn her.
She charged into the luxury apartment Hallie shared with Corban, stumbled through the huge open living space to the bedroom and found Hallie sitting in front of the mirror brushing her long brown hair.
‘Kerry!’ Hallie exclaimed, her cheeks flushed and her dark eyes wide with surprise. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘I’m sorry…’ Kerry gasped for breath after her mad dash. ‘It’s Nicco. I heard Corban and Theo talking—they are going to take Nicco away tonight.’
‘Why? What’s wrong? Is he all right?’ Hallie demanded, standing up so quickly that the stool she’d been sitting on crashed over.
‘Yes, he’s fine,’ Kerry said. ‘But listen—you don’t understand. They said you’re not fit to look after him. They’re going to take Nicco away by helicopter without telling you.’
‘No. They can’t do that.’ For a moment Hallie stood glued to the spot, her face blank with shock. Then her expression changed and she lurched into action, snatching her handbag from the dressing table so quickly that she sent a glass of wine flying. ‘They won’t take him. I won’t let them,’ she said, grabbing her car keys from a side table and hurrying unsteadily across the room in high heels. ‘I’ll take him away with me—somewhere they won’t find us.’
‘Wait,’ Kerry said, automatically reaching for a handful of tissues to stem the spread of the red wine across Hallie’s dressing table. ‘I’ll come with…’
Suddenly Kerry hesitated, looking down at the wine-soaked tissues. Hallie had been drinking. Remembering her flushed cheeks, and the way she’d swayed unevenly across the room, she’d obviously had quite a lot—way too much to be driving. But she’d just taken her car keys.
Kerry burst out of the room after her. But it was too late—the nursery door was open and Nicco’s cot was empty. A glance at the lights above the family’s private elevator told her that someone had already reached the underground car park.
Oh, God! What had she done? Hallie was drunk and she was about to drive out into the busy city traffic with her little boy in the car.
Kerry’s heart was in her mouth as she hurtled back to Theo’s study. She careered through the open door, making Theo and Corban look up in surprise.
‘It’s Hallie!’ she cried, struggling to catch her breath to speak.
Theo was beside her in an instant. His strong hands closed reassuringly on her upper arms to keep her steady and his dark brown eyes held her secure in his powerful gaze.
‘Take a deep breath.’ His calm, assured voice cut through the panic that gripped her. ‘That’s it. Now, tell me what has happened.’
Kerry stared up at his handsome face, momentarily torn between the distress she’d felt when she heard him planning to take Nicco away from his mother and the comfort she instinctively felt simply from being close to him, from the feel of his strong hands on her arms.
‘Hallie has taken Nicco in her car,’ she blurted. ‘She’s been drinking.’
Corban cursed in Greek, then ran out the door, shouting urgently to Theo as he left. At the same time Theo spun away from Kerry to pick up the phone. She realised he was calling his security team to give orders that Hallie should not be allowed to leave.
Kerry folded her arms across her chest and hugged herself tightly. What had she done? Theo and Corban had no right to take Nicco away from his mother—but her impulsive reaction had put both mother and child in danger. She should never have acted without thinking things through.
‘I’m going to help my brother,’ Theo said, turning to leave. ‘Hallie was away from the hotel before I warned Security, but Corban is right behind her.’
Kerry bit her quivering lip anxiously and felt her eyes burning with unshed tears. She wished she’d realised sooner that Hallie had been drinking—but it had never occurred to her that her friend would be in that state.
‘It will be all right.’ Suddenly Theo was back by her side, pulling her gently against his strong chest. He lifted his hands and slipped them under her hair, cradling the back of her head tenderly as he tipped her face up to his. ‘You did the right thing—we’ll take care of it now.’
Then, before she could reply, he was gone. But the warm, exotic fragrance of his cologne lingered in the air and the nape of her neck still tingled where his fingertips had brushed.
Theo was everything to her. Since the day she’d met him everything else in her life had faded into insignificance.
When her temporary job in Athens had finished she’d been overwhelmed with joy when he had asked her to stay with him. With his encouragement she had delayed looking for a new position, so that she would be free to travel with him wherever he went. He’d said that he wanted her with him always, so that they would be able to spend time together whenever his demanding schedule allowed.
Kerry closed her eyes, imagining the warm strength of Theo’s arms around her. Being in his arms always felt so right. Just now, even when he was worried about his nephew and his sister-in-law, he had taken a moment to give her comfort and reassurance.
He had told her that she’d done the right thing—except he didn’t know what had really happened. What she had really done.
She walked shakily across to the window and looked out at the city, which was now properly dark. Somewhere out there Corban was pursuing his wife and child. And Theo was helping him. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a tear escape to run down her cheek, and prayed that everyone would be all right.
Theo Diakos strode through the hotel with a face like thunder. Hallie and the child had been safely retrieved by his brother, but not before she had crashed her car on Syntagma Square.
Mercifully no one had been injured—but driving a sports car off the road on one of the busiest squares in Athens, right outside the parliament building, had attracted a deluge of unwanted attention, and a horde of paparazzi had appeared out of nowhere before Corban had been able to get his family away from prying eyes.
Theo swore under his breath. If only he had persuaded his brother to act sooner—to get Hallie out of the country and away from the family—then none of this would have happened. It had been becoming increasingly difficult to keep Hallie’s drinking problem under wraps, and this fiasco would certainly blow it wide open.
Up until that evening almost no one had known about her difficulty with alcohol. Even Kerry—as far as he knew—had remained unaware. Corban had worked hard to keep it a secret—but now everyone would know.
Theo glanced at his watch. Only a few minutes had passed since he’d called Kerry to tell her that the situation was contained, but she had sounded so distressed by the whole event that he wanted to get back to her without delay. He was sorry that she’d been dragged into such an unpleasant family situation. Witnessing Hallie drunk and out of control, then putting Nicco at risk and creating an unsavoury public embarrassment, had obviously been upsetting for her.
Kerry would never behave like that. There wasn’t a disagreeable bone in her body. She was gentle and graceful, and she hated drawing attention to herself. Theo valued every minute he spent in her enchanting company.
He’d first spotted her nearly a year earlier, talking to a group of tourists in the foyer of one of his hotels. Her long blonde hair, wide blue eyes and honeyed complexion had initially caught his attention, but once he’d spent an evening with her it had been her gentle charm that had utterly captivated him. After the cut and thrust of his high-paced business life, time with Kerry was the perfect refreshing antidote.
Now he was hurrying back to her, waiting for him on the roof garden. He knew how much she loved it there, and he hoped the pleasant surroundings would ease her distress. But if she was still upset when he reached her, he would pull her into his arms and make love to her until she forgot her worries.
He found her standing with her back to him, looking out over the city towards the Acropolis. The second he took another step towards her she seemed to sense his presence and spun round to face him, her hair bouncing about her shoulders as she moved.
‘Is everyone all right?’ she asked urgently. ‘Hallie and Nicco? People on the street where she crashed?’
‘Everyone is fine,’ Theo said. He pulled her towards him, but her body was filled with tension and she didn’t sway into his arms as he had expected. He leant closer, swept her silky hair away from her neck and pressed his lips to the sensitive skin below her ear. ‘Forget about it now—it’s all under control. Let me take your mind off your worries.’
‘Where are they now?’ Kerry asked, standing even straighter and stiffer than before. ‘Are they all together?’
Theo stepped back and looked down at her. In the time they’d been together Kerry had never once refused his lovemaking. She was so deliciously responsive to him that it made sex even more exciting and satisfying for him. Even thinking about the way she dissolved into a pool of desire at his slightest touch made him hot and ready for her.
Usually a simple look from him was enough to have her melting willingly into his arms. For her to be so immune to him she must be really concerned.
‘Yes. Corban has everything under control. At any moment they will be flying out to the island—away from the press,’ Theo said, skimming his hands up the bare skin of her arms with the lightest of touches. ‘You can stop worrying about them now—and let me make you feel better.’
Kerry stood tall and drew in a deep breath. She had to talk to Theo—to tell him what she had done. And she had to ask about the conversation she’d overheard him having with Corban.
Then, after that, she still had to tell him she was pregnant. It was almost impossible to believe that only a couple of hours ago she had been running to tell Theo the amazing news that they were going to have a baby—and then everything suddenly seemed to become horribly confusing and wrong.
‘Let me see if I can think of something new…something interesting,’ Theo said, his voice deep and sexy, as he reached out to pluck a couple of beautiful pink roses from the trellis beside them.
Kerry drew in a wobbly breath and looked at the gorgeous blooms in Theo’s large, sensual hands. Only last night he had carried her out to the roof garden from their bedroom, peeled off her lacy nightclothes and laid her naked under the stars. Then he’d scattered her body with rose petals before making long, slow, exquisite love to her.
Now the heady fragrance of roses was already filling her senses again, and her body was burning with the need to surrender to his lovemaking. She knew that she would soon forget everything in the bliss that he would give her.
But she couldn’t surrender to her desires. It wasn’t right when there were still so many concerns in her mind. She had to talk to him.
‘Stop. I need to…’ She hesitated, then pushed his hands away and took a step backwards. ‘Earlier this evening I heard you talking to Corban. You said he was to take Nicco away from Hallie.’
‘Yes. It’s a shame I didn’t give my brother that advice yesterday,’ Theo replied. ‘Then tonight’s fiasco would have been avoided.’
‘How can you be so cold?’ Kerry gasped. ‘Someone could have been seriously hurt tonight—or even killed!’
‘Exactly,’ Theo said. ‘That could have been averted.’
‘Not by depriving a mother of her child,’ Kerry said.
For a moment she couldn’t help thinking about her own mother—how she’d been utterly devastated to have had her baby taken away from her. Feeling like a worthless failure at only sixteen years old had made it impossible for her to get herself back on track. Her life had spiralled into depression and self-abuse. She’d turned to drink, then drugs—and eventually died alone of an overdose in squalid conditions.
For Kerry it was made worse by the fact that she hadn’t even known who her mother was until it was too late to help her. Instead she’d been grudgingly looked after by her grandmother—the very person who had taken her away from her real mother. And for Kerry’s entire childhood she’d made her feel unwanted and unloved.
‘I know you are concerned about Hallie and Nicco.’ Theo’s clipped tones showed signs of tension. ‘My brother and I are in your debt for raising the alarm—if you hadn’t come to us so quickly things could have been much worse. But my conversation with Corban was private. How we choose to take care of our family is none of your concern.’
Kerry stared up at him. A muscle pulsed on his shadowed jawline. His eyes were dark and troubled. She had to tell him what she had done—but she was apprehensive about how he would react.
‘Hallie is my friend,’ she said. ‘Of course I care about her. And Nicco.’
‘You must trust me to do what is right for my family,’ Theo said, studying her intently. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and the set of his expression hardened.
‘You told her. Didn’t you?’ he demanded.
Kerry’s heart jolted and her eyes widened with alarm.
‘Yes.’ Her voice was hardly more than a whisper—but she held her head up and met his gaze steadily.
‘You had no business doing that.’ Theo’s expression was dark. ‘It did not concern you.’
‘Of course it concerned me!’ Kerry responded, suddenly filled with anger on her friend’s behalf—and on her own mother’s behalf.
‘No wonder you were so desperately worried—your actions put many people in danger tonight,’ he said. ‘Someone could have died. My nephew could have died!’
‘I didn’t realise she’d been drinking,’ Kerry said. ‘Not until—’
‘Don’t try to explain what you did.’ Theo’s voice cut through hers coldly. ‘I’m not interested.’
‘But—’
‘I’m not interested in your excuses,’ he said flatly. ‘You put my nephew in danger.’
‘I never meant to,’ she said. ‘That was the last thing I wanted.’
‘You listened to a private conversation that did not concern you,’ he said. ‘Then you went behind my back and took the situation into your own hands.’
‘Hallie is my friend,’ she said.
‘And what am I to you?’ he demanded. ‘You should have come to me first.’
‘You… I…’ She stumbled hesitantly, suddenly unsure of herself.
It was true that if she’d spoken to Theo about what she’d overheard then Hallie wouldn’t have taken Nicco in the car. But that didn’t change what she had heard. And Theo had made it clear that he saw nothing wrong with what he and his brother had been planning. They probably still intended to take Nicco away from his mother.
‘I no longer want you here.’ Theo spoke suddenly, his voice hard and controlled, his expression set in stone. ‘Pack your bags and get out.’
‘What? I don’t understand…’ Kerry’s voice trailed away and she stared at him in shock. But she did understand. Theo no longer wanted her.
He’d already turned his back on her and was walking away, as if from that moment she was dead to him. She was already out of his life.
‘Wait,’ she called. ‘There is something I have to tell you. It’s the reason I came to talk to you in your study in the first place.’
Theo spun on his heel and looked at her dispassionately. He was giving her a moment more of his time, and she knew she had to use it wisely.
‘This evening I found out—’
Kerry stopped speaking abruptly and covered her mouth with her hand. Suddenly she was afraid to tell him that she was pregnant.
After the events of the evening, it was almost as if Theo was a different man. She would never have thought him capable of taking a child from his mother—but he had defended his intentions even when Kerry had challenged him.
And if they planned to do that to Hallie—who’d been married to Corban for several years—what would happen to her if they found out she was carrying a Diakos baby? Theo had made it plain he didn’t want her. But would he want to take the baby?
‘Get on with it,’ Theo said, with undisguised impatience.
‘I don’t feel like I know you any more,’ she said.
‘The feeling is mutual,’ he replied coldly. ‘Now, get out.’
CHAPTER TWO
14 months later
‘THANK you for inviting me to your home.’ Theo held out his hand to the old man, who was sitting at a small wooden table drinking coffee under the shade of an ancient gnarled olive tree. ‘Your island is charming—a very peaceful place to live.’
Drakon Notara ignored Theo’s hand and snorted rudely, not looking up from his treacly Greek coffee. He was a moody and eccentric old man, but Theo had met him several times in Athens and was not fazed by his bad manners.
‘Don’t tell me you care about peace,’ Drakon said. ‘I know why you want to buy my island. You want to build one of your flashy hotels here—or maybe several. Bars, thumping music, people drunk and rowdy.’ He paused, finally lifting his head and meeting Theo’s eye. ‘I can’t have that happening here.’
Theo gritted his teeth and stared straight back, refusing to rise to the old man’s provocation. No one spoke to Theo Diakos with such disrespect and got away with it—but he had a compelling reason to do business with Drakon Notara.
Theo needed to buy this island. It was his only chance to fulfil his mother’s dying wish. And if he had to tread carefully to seal the deal, then that was what he would do.
He had not been invited to sit, nor offered any refreshment. The paving stones under the trees had not been swept before his arrival and were deep with browning piles of olive blossom. It was clear the old man was going to be as bloody-minded as usual, and was not going to make any transaction easy.
‘That’s not what I intend for the island at all,’ Theo said smoothly. ‘Perhaps if we talk—’
‘No,’ Drakon barked. ‘Talk is cheap. And so are the scandal sheets. Don’t think because I spend most of my time out here that I don’t know what your family is like—rich and spoiled, caring only about money and excitement. Your brother…his drunken wife crashing her car with that child on board.’
‘You have been misinformed.’ Theo’s tone was clipped as he suppressed the surge of anger that ripped through him. Whenever he thought about the night of the accident, which was over a year ago now, he felt his temper flare. ‘My family is not as the media has portrayed it. The newspapers do not always report things exactly as they are.’
‘Are you telling me it didn’t happen?’ the old man scoffed.
‘I’m saying that my personal affairs are not relevant to our business,’ Theo said. ‘However, if you will allow me to set out my proposal, I believe we will be able to come to an arrangement we are both happy with.’
‘I don’t want to talk to you now—I don’t want to hear the smooth and readymade business spiel you have prepared.’ Drakon leant heavily on the table and levered himself up. ‘If you’re serious about buying my island, come and stay for a few days—so I can find out what kind of man you really are. Bring your pretty girlfriend—the one I met last year. I liked her—no airs and graces, which I found surprising in someone associated with you and your family.’
For a fraction of a second Theo did not reply. The wily old fellow had completely wrong-footed him. He searched his memory, trying to recall any occasions when Kerry and Drakon might have met—and realised there had been several charity events when they could have spoken.
Why did Drakon really want him to bring Kerry to the island? Did he know that she was no longer part of his life?
‘Or have you broken it off with her? Moved on to someone new?’ Drakon continued derisively. ‘From the way she…’ He paused, frowning as if he was irritated with himself. ‘What was her name?’
‘Kerry,’ Theo supplied in a tight voice, not missing the fact that Drakon had used the past tense—as if he definitely did know the relationship was over. ‘Her name is Kerry.’
Hearing himself say her name sounded strange and painfully familiar at the same time. He had not said it aloud since the night he threw her out—but that had not stopped her name, and the image of her face, pressing forward in his thoughts more often than he would have liked.
‘Ah, yes. Kerry,’ Drakon said. ‘Utterly delightful young thing—reminded me of my dear wife when she was young. From the way she never left your side, I expected to see a wedding announcement in the press. But I suppose you’re several women down the line by now.’ He turned and started shuffling towards the house.
‘As I said, my personal affairs are not relevant to our business,’ Theo said, but a cold, fatalistic feeling had settled in his chest.
He realised that as far as Drakon Notara was concerned the way he conducted his private life was as important as the way he did business. The fact that not one single woman had caught his attention since Kerry would not impress the old man. He would simply judge Theo harshly for not making the relationship work in the first place.
And, to make matters worse, he seemed to have developed a real soft spot for Kerry.
‘I’m a traditional old man,’ Drakon said over his shoulder. ‘I don’t hold with the fast and wasteful way people live their lives these days. Fast cars polluting the air, fast relationships…everything is disposable.’
‘If we talk, you’ll discover that we share many of the same traditional values,’ Theo said.
He wanted to follow Drakon and convince him that he did not plan to build hotels on the island. But his reasons for wanting the island were personal and he had no intention of sharing them with anyone—especially not a judgemental old man who thought it was his right to force his opinions on other people.
‘Then come back and visit properly,’ Drakon said, pausing on the threshold, as if to gather his strength before he disappeared inside. ‘And bring Kerry with you.’
Theo watched him go. He might be physically frail, but his mind and his will were still as strong as ever.
‘Allow me to escort you back to the helipad,’ Drakon’s assistant said, stepping out of the shadows at the edge of the paved area.
Theo nodded a curt acknowledgement, and turned to leave.
‘I know the way,’ he said, striding out of the shaded area into the bright Greek sunshine.
He frowned as he walked along the rutted ridge path, completely oblivious to the breathtaking view across the azure Aegean Sea.
He needed Kerry.
If he was to have any chance of buying this island as the first step in fulfilling his mother’s dying wish, then he was going to need Kerry.
‘Thank you so much for all your help,’ the customer said, pushing open the glass door of the travel agent’s and letting in a blast of cold, rainy air.
‘I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful holiday. I’ve only been to Crete once, but I’d love to go back there,’ Kerry said, as the customer stepped out onto the wet street.
For a brief moment she let herself imagine how good it would feel to sit on a beautiful sandy beach, with nothing to do but rest and play with her six-month-old baby boy, Lucas. But that was a fantasy that wasn’t likely to come true any time soon—not with all the bills she was struggling to pay on her own.
It was fourteen months since she’d returned from Athens—since the devastating night when Theo Diakos had brutally ripped out her heart and trampled it underfoot. Arriving back in London had been a nightmare. Trying to pick up the pieces of her broken heart—with no job, no money and nowhere to live—had been truly awful. And on top of everything else she’d been pregnant.
‘It’s nearly time for your break,’ Carol said now, pulling her out of her thoughts. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind taking early lunch again?’
‘When you’ve been up since five a. m., this doesn’t seem early.’ Kerry laughed. Lucas—as adorable as he was—had taken to waking with the rising sun.
At that moment the shop door opened again, and another blast of cold air whooshed in, making an icy shiver run through her.
‘Ooh! I can’t believe it’s June already,’ she said, as she pulled the collar of her uniform jacket more snugly across her throat and looked up to greet the customer who had just walked in. ‘Good morning. Can I help—?’
Her heart skipped a beat and she felt herself go cold all over as she stared up into the face of Theo Diakos.
He was looking straight at her, with an expression of dispassionate assessment on his darkly handsome face. His black brows were drawn low, casting his eyes into shadow, but his penetrating eyes bored right into her.
Kerry drew in a shaky breath and felt her heart jolt painfully back into action. She knew she was staring—but she could not drag her eyes from him. If was as if she couldn’t quite believe Theo Diakos was really standing there.
He was a tall and imposing figure. The size of his athletic body seemed to fill the entire doorway, and his magnetic presence seemed to fill the entire shop. He was wearing a dark suit, which was covered with a sheen of summer rain, and his black hair was damp and glistening with fine water droplets.
What was he doing here?
Had he found out about Lucas—his baby son?
‘Can I offer you some assistance?’ Carol asked, breaking the silence and walking around to the front of her desk. ‘Would you like to see a particular brochure, or are you just at the ideas-collecting stage?’
A flash of almost feverish humour cut through Kerry like a sharp slap to knock her out of her stunned state. The idea of Theo Diakos—billionaire property tycoon—walking into a high street travel agency in a London backwater to book his next package holiday was laughable. Ludicrous, even.
No—he was here for a reason.
‘I’m here to speak to Kerry,’ Theo said, never taking his eyes off her for a second.
‘Oh. You two know each other?’ Carol paused, obviously surprised, and looked at Kerry questioningly.
She was still staring at Theo. He was so familiar, but at the same time like a total stranger.
She had been so utterly in love with him—but it had turned out she’d meant nothing to him. Nothing at all. In one horrifying evening she had discovered that his soul was made of stone, and that there was not even one ounce of compassion inside his hard, unyielding body.
He’d conspired with his brother to take a little child away from his mother. And when Kerry had made the mistake of getting involved he had not given her an opportunity to explain herself. It had been the first time in nearly a year that they’d had any sort of disagreement—but he’d simply thrown her out. Without a moment’s hesitation.
‘Carol, this is Theo. He is from Athens.’ Kerry’s natural politeness forced her to make at least some sort of introduction—but all her instincts told her not to say too much. No one at work knew anything about what had happened in Athens, and it paid to be as careful as possible. She didn’t want any speculation about Lucas and who his father was.
‘Why don’t you go for your lunch break?’ Carol suggested. ‘You probably have lots to catch up on.’
Kerry’s pulse was still racing and the palms of her hands suddenly felt damp. The last thing she wanted was to go off alone with Theo—but neither did she want to cause a stir at work. Her boss, Margaret, would be back from her emergency dental appointment soon, and chances were she would not be in a good mood. Kerry really needed her job, and she really did not want to give anyone fuel for gossip.
‘All right. I’ll get my bag.’ She stood up and walked to the office at the back of the shop, desperately hoping that she didn’t look as wobbly as she suddenly felt.
With every thump of her heart she felt Theo’s gaze burning deeper and deeper into her—through the protective veneer of her uniform, piercing through all the emotional barricades she had tried to build up since that devastating night in Athens.
Why was he here?
The office door swung shut behind her, shielding her from his sight, and her legs buckled beneath her. She clung to the edge of the desk, gasping for air and shaking violently.
Had Theo come to try and take Lucas away from her?
She’d never let that happen—her gorgeous boy was everything to her. She loved him more than life itself, and she’d never, never let Theo take him.
She took a deep, steadying breath and looked back through the one-way mirror into the shop. Theo was still standing there, as inscrutable as an ancient Greek statue, and Carol was obviously trying to engage him in conversation.
The sudden, horrifying thought occurred to her that Carol might innocently mention Lucas. With another judder of her already painful heart she grabbed her bag and burst back through the door. She had to get Theo away from anyone who knew her as quickly as possible.
‘Take as long as you want,’ Carol said, trying to be helpful. ‘I’ll send you a sneaky text if Margaret gets back.’
‘I won’t be long,’ Kerry said.
‘Don’t worry,’ Carol said. ‘Have fun. Enjoy your blast from the past.’
‘Thanks.’ Kerry slipped past Theo and pushed the heavy glass door open. She flashed her colleague a tight smile and walked away down the rainy street, leaving Theo to follow her.
Fun was the last thing she was expecting to have. And as for Carol’s unsuspecting use of the phrase blast fromthe past—all Kerry could think about was the more violent, destructive meaning of the word blast.
She desperately hoped Theo hadn’t come to rip mercilessly through her life, laying everything to waste and destroying the tentative happiness she had finally found.
Suddenly she couldn’t bear the agony of not knowing.
She stopped abruptly and turned to face Theo.
‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded.
‘I’ve come to take you back to Greece,’ he said.
CHAPTER THREE
THEO stood still, watching Kerry’s reaction to his announcement. For a second he hardly recognised her. Somehow she didn’t seem like the woman he’d spent nearly a year of his life with.
There were the obvious differences—the unflattering navy blue uniform, and the new way she had done her blonde hair, twisting it up into a tight knot at the nape of her neck with a long fringe he didn’t remember falling into her eyes. But the real differences seemed to be deeper, more profound than that. She looked older in some way, and the expression on her face was wary and troubled.
He frowned, momentarily disconcerted as he looked down into her eyes. He could have sworn that her eyes had been a soft clear blue, but now they appeared to be pale grey, as if they were reflecting the pastel colour of the rain-streaked sky.
‘Why would you say that?’ Kerry gasped. ‘I’m not coming back to Greece with you.’
‘Actually, you are,’ Theo said.
‘Why?’ she demanded incredulously. ‘Why do you want me to? And what makes you think I’d ever go anywhere with you ever again?’
‘Because you owe me that,’ he replied.
‘I don’t owe you anything!’ Kerry exclaimed, anger suddenly flaring inside her. ‘I gave up my career to be with you, and I never took any of the money you tried to give me. I used up all my savings while I was living with you, which made it really hard for me when I came back to London.’
She paused, racking her brain for any other possible reason he might think that she owed him. The very idea that he could want anything of her was ridiculous—he was one of the richest men in Athens.
‘I left all the expensive jewellery you gave me behind,’ she added, remembering how much that had hurt.
It wasn’t because of the cost of the items—for Kerry their value had been entirely sentimental. She’d thought they were genuine tokens of Theo’s affection for her. When he’d thrown her out so coldly, she’d realised that all the things she’d taken as meaningful in their relationship had obviously meant nothing at all to him.
‘I’m not talking about trivial monetary matters,’ Theo said flatly.
‘Then what—?’ Kerry’s voice dried up in her throat. Did that mean he had found out about Lucas?
She bit her lip, desperately hoping that he hadn’t discovered her secret. Surely he would have brought up something so important immediately? But perhaps he meant to string it out to torment her.
‘You interfered with matters that did not concern you,’ Theo said. ‘The consequences could have been tragic.’
Kerry drew in a shaky breath, remembering the awful evening of the accident.
‘No one was injured,’ she said in a small voice.
She deeply regretted that her involvement had caused Hallie to drive off with Nicco when she’d been drinking. But that did not change the fact that Theo and Corban had been planning to take Nicco away from his mother.
‘It’s a miracle no one was killed,’ Theo said. ‘But that’s not exactly the reason I’m here.’
Kerry stared up at him anxiously. What could be worse than causing a potential tragedy—something bad enough to bring Theo all the way from Athens to seek restitution from her?
‘Your meddling stirred up a vicious media circus,’ Theo said, as if that was on the same level as a tragedy. ‘The paparazzi had a field-day. They hounded my family relentlessly—Hallie and Corban in particular. It made things very difficult.’
Relief that Theo had not come about Lucas poured through Kerry—making her bold. Was he really comparing the inconvenience of unwanted media interest with the possibility of someone dying in a car crash? How had she ever lived with this man—shared his home for six months—without realising what he was really like?
‘You mean with the media watching everything you did it made it difficult for you to take your sister-in-law’s child away from her?’ she asked.
As soon as the words were out of her mouth she knew she should not have antagonised him. A change came over him that made goosebumps prickle across her skin. It was hard to pinpoint what was actually different about his expression or his body language, but something alerted her to danger.
‘It would be better—for you—if you never mention what you overheard that night again.’
Theo’s voice grated across her nerves, making her heart start to race once more. But then all of a sudden her hackles rose at the threat in his tone. How dared he tell her what to do? She wasn’t in a relationship with him any more.
‘Why not? Are you ashamed of yourself for contemplating something so horrible?’ she demanded recklessly. ‘Or are you simply lying low—intending to carry on with your plan once the heat is off?’
Theo glared down at her, his blood suddenly surging hot and angry through his veins. He’d had no idea that Kerry had it in her to behave like this. The woman who’d been his lover for nearly a year would never have been so hot-headed, never have challenged him so rashly.
‘Be very careful,’ he grated, stepping forward so that he towered over her, forcing her to crane her neck back to maintain eye contact.
‘Why?’ she demanded, planting her hands on her hips and refusing to back away. ‘What are you going to do to me?’
Theo could almost feel the energy crackling between them. Despite the cool air of the wet summer day, there was real heat in the space around their bodies. It was the heat of anger—and it was far more than just that.
It was the heat of passion—emotional and sexual.
Suddenly he knew exactly what he wanted to do to her, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to give in to his desires. The need to seize her in his arms and drag her hard against his body was almost overwhelming. He wanted to cover her angry mouth with his—to silence her in the most satisfying way he knew how.
He continued to stare down at her, letting the silence lengthen. His heart was pumping powerfully in his chest, and his body was thrumming with desire for her. Then he saw her eyes widen slightly, saw her lips part a little as her breathing deepened. And he knew she felt it too.
Pure physical attraction.
A few minutes earlier it had seemed as if he didn’t know her any more—but now he knew precisely how her body was reacting to him. After all, they had been lovers for nearly a year. He recognised the heat suddenly dancing in her cheeks, and the way her pupils had grown large in her pale-coloured eyes.
She wanted him as much as he wanted her.
Suddenly he gripped her arms and pulled her towards him, up onto her tiptoes so that her lips were just below his. All he had to do was bend his head a fraction more and his mouth would come down over hers. He would take back what had once been his—reclaim her body in hot, hard retribution for what she had done.
But this wasn’t what he had come to London for. He could not—would not—let his libido get in the way of fulfilling his mother’s dying wish. He needed Kerry to convince Drakon to sell him the island.
‘I didn’t come here for this,’ he said gruffly, letting go of her arms and stepping away from her.
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Kerry said, shaken by how husky her voice sounded.
How had she let herself fall under his sensual spell so easily? Why would she even respond to him at all, after the horrible way he had treated her?
‘You know as well as I do,’ he said. ‘Let’s not play any more games. I’ll tell you what I came for.’
‘Why don’t you?’ she said, pleased with how sassy she managed to sound, considering the way her body was still buzzing with unwanted desire for him. Even though her face was streaked with rain, she could feel her cheeks burning. ‘It’s taking you long enough to get round to it.’
The rain was coming down more heavily now, and she lifted her hand to brush her long wet fringe back from her face. She stared straight up into his eyes, determined not to let him see any weakness. She’d be ready next time, if he started looking at her like that again—as if he wanted to tear off her clothes and make love to her right there and then.
After everything that had happened she couldn’t believe he’d had the audacity to come on to her like that. And she couldn’t believe she’d let herself respond. She would not let it happen again.
‘Do you want to go inside?’ he asked, glancing around as if he was looking for a café. ‘Sit out of the rain while we talk?’
‘No. I’m already wet, and my break is nearly over,’ she said. ‘Just tell me what you want from me.’
She didn’t relish the idea of continuing their conversation standing in the rain on a busy urban pavement—but somehow she felt safer out in the open. The thought of being in a confined space with him, even a public café, sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine.
‘I want to buy an island from an old man,’ Theo said, getting straight to the point. ‘I need you to help me secure the deal.’
Kerry frowned up at him. She felt slightly startled by the fact that he was finally being direct about his reason for coming to her, but she was also puzzled as to why he thought he needed her help.
‘What have I got to do with it?’ she asked, intrigued despite herself.
‘It is because you meddled in my family’s affairs—creating a situation that caused the media frenzy—that the old man is reluctant to do business with me,’ Theo said. ‘He wants to sell his island to someone with traditional values—someone he approves of.’
‘I don’t understand how you think I can help you—even if I wanted to,’ Kerry said. ‘What can I do to change the way this man thinks about you?’
‘The old man in question is called Drakon Notara. He remembers meeting you. Apparently he liked you,’ Theo replied, somehow making it sound as if he thought it highly unlikely that anyone would actually like her.
‘I remember him.’ Kerry frowned, irritated by Theo’s tone. ‘He told me all about the wildlife sanctuary he has on his island. He hates all these intensive modern developments and wants to keep somewhere natural.’ She paused and looked at Theo quizzically. ‘Why do you want to buy a wildlife sanctuary?’
For a long moment he didn’t respond, and something made Kerry think that Theo hadn’t even known about the sanctuary. He just wanted the island.
‘No wonder Drakon doesn’t want to sell to you,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t want a hotel on his nature preserve.’
‘It seemed to me that he was more concerned with my commitment to family values,’ Theo said curtly. ‘Therefore you will accompany me to his island tomorrow—travelling as my fiancée. At no point will you reveal that we have not been together since you met him.’
Kerry stared at him in shock.
‘Fiancée?’ she repeated.
For a moment she almost thought he was proposing to her. But that would be crazy. Almost as crazy as him expecting a woman he’d heartlessly cast aside for making one mistake to pose as his fiancée. Just so that he could buy an island from an old man who apparently did not approve of him.
‘Yes,’ Theo said. ‘For the duration of the few days we are to spend on the island you are to act the perfect, adoring fiancée in every way.’
‘I wasn’t your fiancée when I met Drakon,’ she said, saying the first thing that came into her mind. It seemed a ridiculous thing to say—but so was the charade Theo was suggesting.
‘Time has passed since then,’ Theo said. ‘It would seem natural that our relationship has progressed.’
‘Progressed!’ Kerry exclaimed, finally coming to her senses. ‘That’s an interesting take on it. I thought it had ended—badly—the night you kicked me out without giving me a chance to defend myself.’
‘There’s no defence for what you did,’ Theo said. ‘So why would I listen to whatever spin you wanted to put on your meddling? Whatever excuse you were going to give me?’
‘There’s no way I’m going to help you persuade a dear old man to sell you his island,’ she said.
‘Yes, you are,’ Theo said. ‘I will collect you from your flat tomorrow morning.’
‘You don’t know where I live!’ she exclaimed.
‘Of course I do,’ he replied scathingly. ‘Be packed and ready by six-thirty.’
Biting panic suddenly flared within her—freezing her insides stone-cold with dread. He’d found out where she worked, which probably meant he did know where she lived. And if he knew that, what else had his people found out about her—what else would they find if they dug deeper?
She had to keep Lucas hidden from him.
She remembered his words—a Diakos child belongswith the Diakos family.
He’d had no qualms about taking Hallie’s child from her, and she was married to his brother—a true member of the family. What chance did Kerry have against him if he wanted to take his son?
‘Don’t make me come for you at work tomorrow,’ Theo said. ‘I will find you if you try to hide from me. And if you give me the runaround I will not be pleased.’
* * *
Kerry stood on the pavement outside her block of flats at six o’clock the following morning. It was very early, but she could not risk Theo coming inside the building to look for her. The closer she let him come to her home, the more chance there was of him finding out about Lucas.
Half an hour later, when a smart black limousine pulled up beside her, she discovered that she’d be travelling alone. Theo had already returned to Athens the previous evening.
‘Your ticket, Miss Martin,’ his assistant said, handing her a white envelope. ‘You are booked on a flight out of Heathrow airport this morning. You will be met when you arrive in Athens, and taken to join Mr Diakos. You will then fly out to the island together.’
‘Thank you,’ Kerry said automatically. Still slightly stunned by Theo’s absence, she slipped into the limo and stared out through the tinted window.
Was Theo really so confident that she would meekly do as she was told? She’d never actually agreed to go with him. In fact she’d told him point-blank that she was not going. Had she always been so biddable that it just didn’t occur to him that she might refuse to co-operate?
He didn’t know the reason she’d had to go—the secret she could not risk him uncovering if she made him come looking for her. He must simply have expected her to do as she was told because that was what she had always done.
She closed her eyes and hugged herself, already missing Lucas although it was scarcely an hour since she’d left him with Bridget—the only person in the world she truly trusted. They’d been brought up together as sisters and, despite the fact that she had discovered later that Bridget was really her aunt, they still shared an incredibly close, sisterly bond.
Kerry knew Lucas would be safe with her. Bridget had her own little ones and was used to babies, but even so Kerry felt horrible leaving him. She knew she had no choice—to protect her son she had to leave him for a couple of nights—but somehow she felt she was letting him down.
Theo glanced across at Kerry as they climbed out of the helicopter on Drakon Notara’s island. Her hair was whipping about in the wind, and as she put up her hands to hold it back from her face he saw that she was pale and shaky after the flight.
She’d never complained, even though he’d asked her to join him on many of his trips, but Theo knew she wasn’t a good traveller. Chances were she hadn’t slept much the night before, and the limo had picked her up very early that morning. Tiredness always made her travel sickness worse, and he guessed she was feeling pretty rough. But he wanted her bright and appealing, to convince Drakon to sell him the island.
‘I know the way to the house,’ he said, as the old man’s quirky assistant came towards them. ‘My fiancée needs a moment to recover from the journey—some fresh air and solid ground under her feet for a while will do the trick.’
He reached out, looped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. He felt a tremor pass through her as she tensed and tried to pull away from him.
‘Lean on me till you get your strength back,’ Theo said, tightening his hold on her. Then he dropped his voice and spoke quietly, for her ears alone. ‘Don’t forget why you are here. You are my fiancée and you will act like it.’
With a deliberate effort Kerry relaxed her body and allowed herself to lean against Theo. She was surprised that apparently he’d picked up on how she was feeling—he’d never shown any sign of noticing her tendency to motion sickness before. But this time it was particularly awful—probably almost anyone would have noticed if she looked even half as bad as she felt.
All she could do was concentrate on drawing calming breaths into her lungs and putting one foot in front of the other. Theo’s arm was around her—a steady anchor and a welcome distraction from the nausea that rolled through her.
However, it didn’t take long before her awareness shifted entirely onto the sensation of his hard body next to her. The stressful journey and the way it had made her feel so rotten slipped away, and she was simply conscious of how closely Theo was holding her.
His body was strong and athletic, and she could feel his muscles moving as they made their way along the rocky path together. They were walking in unison, and she suddenly realised that meant he had matched his stride to hers. For some reason that realisation sent a shiver skittering down her spine. Whether it had been intentional or instinctive, on some level Theo had been attuned to her body and the rhythm of her movements.
‘Feeling better now?’ he asked. His deep, masculine voice passed like a physical vibration right through her, setting her nerve-endings alight and making her even more conscious of his powerful male form beside her.
She turned to look up at him, suddenly convinced that he had known the exact moment her attention had shifted onto the sensual experience of walking with him. Somehow the thought made her feel exposed and vulnerable.
She lifted her head and his eyes caught hers, holding them locked to his dark gaze. He was studying her intently, and all at once she got the feeling that he was probing—trying to read her mind. She didn’t remember him looking at her like that before—as if he thought she was guilty of something.
Then she suddenly realised that she’d never had anything to hide from him before. Was she imagining his scrutiny because she had an enormous secret?
‘The house is just over the brow of the hill,’ he said, lifting his hands to cradle her face gently. ‘Drakon may be old—but his mind is sharp. He’ll be watching us, so never let the pretence that you are my fiancée slip.’
‘I don’t want to lie,’ she said, pulling away from him slightly. She’d enjoyed meeting Drakon the previous year, and, despite his funny old ways, she had liked him. ‘It doesn’t feel right.’
‘Then we’d better make our act convincing, so Drakon won’t ask you any tricky questions,’ Theo said. ‘And, as they say, actions speak louder than words.’
Before she realised his intention, one strong arm had slipped around her back and pulled her hard against him. The other hand lifted to cup her chin and tip her face up to his.
She opened her lips to protest, and at that moment his mouth came down on hers.
CHAPTER FOUR
THEO’S kiss took Kerry completely by surprise, but her body responded instinctively. It seemed the most natural thing in the world for her to lean into him, pressing sensuously against his hard, athletic body, and part her lips in invitation.
His tongue swept into her mouth, hot and demanding, and she felt herself become molten with longing. There was nothing tender about his kiss—it was a fierce and passionate reminder of all the times they had made love. Of all the times he’d taken her to the point of ecstasy.
She lifted her own tongue to meet his, surrendering to the intense desire that suddenly stormed through her body, and kissed him back wildly. Her hands ran up to his shoulders, revelling in the hot, hard feel of his muscles, and she clung to him tightly—as if she never wanted to let go.
Then, without warning, Theo broke away from the kiss.
Kerry gasped in surprise, swaying unsteadily as he abruptly released his hold on her.
‘Quite convincing,’ he said, as he stepped away and stared down at her through narrowed eyes.
She held her breath as she looked up into his face, and for a moment the world stood still. She’d dreamed of Theo kissing her again for more than a year—but in her fantasy he had been kissing her because he had realised his mistake, realised that he loved her.
Her dream had never been like this—her kissing him desperately, with embarrassing eagerness. And with him appearing to be completely unmoved by the whole thing.
She felt the hot colour of humiliation staining her cheeks, and she looked down at the ground, mortified that she had given herself away so completely. Then a wave of anger rose through her, and her eyes snapped back up to meet his.
‘It was my intention to be convincing,’ she said. ‘But there’ll be no more free demonstrations. I’m here to help you with Drakon—not to be nice to you in private.’
Theo raised his straight black brows in surprise, but his lips quirked in amusement, and she had the feeling he’d seen right through her.
‘Let’s go and meet our host,’ he said, sliding his arm around her waist and turning to continue along the path.
‘I understand you weren’t feeling too well when you arrived,’ Drakon said, looking across the table at Kerry with sharp eyes. ‘I trust you’re feeling better now?’
‘Yes, I’m fine,’ she said. ‘Thank you for asking.’ She took a sip of her drink and smiled across at him. It was lovely sitting outside under the shade of the twisted old olive trees, enjoying the stunning view over the bay to the Adriatic. And making small talk with Drakon stopped her thinking about what had happened with Theo on the path from the helipad.
‘Kerry suffers from travel sickness,’ Theo said, taking her by surprise. She’d assumed he’d only guessed how she’d felt earlier because she had looked particularly rough. She’d never realised that he’d always known that she often felt ill on long journeys. ‘After a short rest she’s usually back to normal,’ he added.
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Natalie Rivers
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: The Diakos Baby Scandal, электронная книга автора Natalie Rivers на английском языке, в жанре современные любовные романы