Proof 0f Their Forbidden Night (HQR Presents)

by Chantelle Shaw

  Before he’d fallen asleep, Andreas had acknowledged that his desire for Isla would not be satisfied by spending one night with her. He wanted her as his mistress. Obviously, she would break off her engagement to his father. Stelios must have believed that he was acting chivalrously when he’d met the daughter of his English mistress and wanted to take care of Isla by offering her a home with him.

  Andreas swung his legs over the side of the bed and pulled on his boxer shorts before crossing the room to open the shutters. His mind moved ahead and he considered taking Isla to California and setting her up in an apartment. But he wouldn’t want to live with her, or risk her thinking that their affair might lead to a meaningful relationship. He did not do commitment. It might be better to buy her a flat in London where he could visit her regularly so that he retained control of the situation, he mused.

  He opened the window and scanned the beach, feeling irritated when there was no sign of her. He knew without conceit that he was a good lover and women were not usually in a rush to leave his bed. Shading his eyes from the bright sun with his hand, he spotted a figure in the distance and recognised Dinos running along the beach towards the cottage.

  ‘Andreas, come quickly. Your father...’

  Andreas glanced at his watch and cursed as he remembered that he had agreed to meet Stelios in his study at nine a.m. It was ten past. Yesterday his father had said that he had something important to tell him, but hadn’t given any clues to what it might be.

  The butler reached the cottage and bent over, gasping for breath. Andreas guessed that Isla had gone back to the villa and he felt an inexplicable tug beneath his breastbone that she had gone without saying a word. Before his meeting with Stelios he needed a shower and a gallon of coffee, he decided.

  ‘Will you explain to my father that I overslept, and I’ll meet him in fifteen minutes?’ he told Dinos.

  The butler made a choked sound. ‘Kyrios Stelios is...dead. I discovered him when I delivered his coffee and newspaper to his room this morning. I knew immediately that something was wrong and I went to wake Miss Stanford.’

  Andreas could have sworn that his heart stopped beating for several seconds. He felt as if he had been winded and he snatched a breath to drag oxygen into his lungs. Dinos’s words did not make sense. Stelios wasn’t dead. It had to be a mistake.

  He stared at the butler, shocked to see tears in the older man’s eyes. Dinos had worked for the Karelis family for decades. But it couldn’t be true. His brain refused to believe it. ‘Was Isla in her room?’ In the midst of his confusion Andreas wondered when she had returned to the villa.

  Dinos gave him an odd look. ‘Yes, of course. Miss Stanford was asleep and I woke her and told her that Stelios was unconscious. She remembered that one of your sister’s friends who attended the party is a junior doctor. I hurried to find the medic, and he...’ Dinos’s voice cracked ‘...he came and pronounced your father dead. The junior doctor is of the opinion that he suffered a heart attack. Stelios’s own physician has been summoned from Athens.’ Dinos wrung his hands. ‘I am so sorry to have to break this terrible news to you, Andreas.’

  A heart attack. Andreas’s blood froze in his veins. ‘My father did not suffer from a heart condition.’ He stared at the butler. ‘Did he?’ The truth was that Dinos was more likely to have known about any health issues Stelios might have had than he was, he thought, feeling a stab of guilt. His father had never confided in him.

  ‘I do not think so.’ Dinos hesitated. ‘Miss Stanford mentioned to the junior doctor that your father was suffering from cancer. It would be better to talk to her.’

  Andreas was unable to process this latest shock. ‘I intend to,’ he said grimly. He strode back inside the cottage and pulled on the rest of his clothes, feeling numb. Dinos had started to walk back to the villa when Andreas sprinted past the older man. But it made no difference how fast he ran. He was too late to say to his father all the things that he wished he’d said.

  * * *

  It was early evening when Andreas strode out of his father’s study and noticed a suitcase in the entrance hall. All the guests who had attended Nefeli’s birthday party had left the island hours ago, and he had spent much of the day trying to comfort his distraught sister. A press statement had been released announcing Stelios Karelis’s unexpected death. But it had not been unexpected by his father, Andreas brooded. Stelios had chosen to keep the news that he had terminal cancer a secret from his family, and only his doctors and one other person had been in his confidence.

  He walked into the lounge and silently cursed the clench of his heart when he saw Isla standing by the window. The navy blue dress she was wearing was starkly plain and her hair fell in a long plait down her back, but a lack of adornments only accentuated her classical beauty. She appeared to be absorbed in the view of the garden but he sensed she was lost in her thoughts. That idea was strengthened when she visibly jumped as he halted beside her.

  ‘Andreas, I didn’t hear you.’ She was pale but composed, always, he thought darkly, shoving away memories of how she had looked in the throes of her orgasm, her face flushed and her eyes wide with surprise and pleasure. She reached out and touched his arm in a brief show of sympathy, he supposed, but the light brush of her hand across his skin felt as if she’d branded him. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me that my father was dying?’ he demanded. He’d felt a hollow sensation inside him as he’d stared at Stelios’s body and seen the signs of illness that he’d missed when the old man was alive because his attention had been distracted by Isla.

  ‘He asked me not to. He intended to tell you and Nefeli after her party.’ She sighed. ‘Your father learned a few months ago that his cancer was incurable and he chose to stop having treatment which could only delay the inevitable for a short time. But he was determined that nothing would spoil Nefeli’s twenty-first birthday.’

  Isla twisted her hands together and Andreas noted that she was no longer wearing her diamond engagement ring. ‘Stelios asked me to pretend to be his fiancée to divert attention away from him,’ she said. ‘He had lost weight and was often tired, but he thought no one would notice the signs of his illness if he announced his intention to marry a much younger woman.’

  She was silent for a moment and tears shimmered in her eyes. ‘I don’t know if he was aware that chemotherapy had weakened his heart. He never mentioned anything to me. But during the party he said he felt breathless.’ Her voice dropped to a whisper. ‘If I had done something then, persuaded him to call a doctor...’

  Emotions that Andreas had held back all day while he’d taken care of his sister and dealt with the numerous arrangements that needed to be made clogged his throat. ‘It’s doubtful that you or anyone else could have prevented what happened,’ he said gruffly. ‘I have received word from the hospital in Athens where my father’s body was taken. A post-mortem confirmed that he suffered a massive heart attack and death would have been instantaneous.’

  He glanced over at the drinks cabinet but resisted the urge to pour himself a stiff Scotch. Nothing could anaesthetise the dull ache in his chest which was made worse by the knowledge that his father had confided in Isla but not in him. It apparently counted for nothing that he was Stelios’s son and heir. At least he presumed he would succeed his father as head of Karelis Corp. The family’s lawyer, John Sabanis, was on his way to Louloudi to reveal the terms of Stelios’s will.

  ‘You should have told me,’ he said curtly. ‘Theos, you let me believe that you were my father’s fiancée.’

  ‘You accused me of being a gold-digger.’ The sting in her voice was unexpected and, even though he deserved her scorn, Andreas frowned.

  ‘What was I supposed to think? My father brought you here to Louloudi and introduced you as the woman he intended to marry, despite the fact that you are young enough to have been his daughter.’

 
‘And you were jealous because you wanted me,’ she said flatly, coming too close to a truth he did not want to admit to. Isla had insisted that her loyalty to Stelios had prevented her from explaining the truth about her relationship with him. But had her actions been entirely altruistic, as she claimed? Andreas wondered cynically.

  ‘Why did you agree to a fake engagement with my father? Did he offer to pay you?’

  ‘Of course not,’ she said angrily. ‘I’ve told you I was very fond of Stelios after he had been kind to me when I was a child. When he was diagnosed with cancer I took care of him.’

  From outside the window came the sound of the helicopter. ‘That will be my lift to the mainland,’ she muttered. ‘Dinos has arranged for me to be flown to Athens. I’ve booked a hotel room for tonight and a flight to London in the morning.’

  ‘You don’t have to leave right away.’ Andreas could not explain why the hollow feeling inside him expanded at the idea of Isla leaving. He was still in shock at Stelios’s death. His throat felt tight as he sought to suppress emotions that he’d denied he was capable of feeling for most of his life. He had cultivated an image of a carefree playboy so successfully that he’d almost believed it was who he was, all he was capable of being. Right now he felt raw and out of control when he thought about his failings as a son and his complicated relationship with his father.

  Isla was looking at him with concern in her grey eyes, as if she understood what he was going through, as if she cared. He told himself that he did not want her compassion. What he wanted was much more basic. The only human interaction he really understood was sex, and he wanted to be inside her, to trace his hands over her satiny skin and sink between her pale thighs, allow pleasure to blot out for a few moments the pain that had lodged like a bur in his chest.

  He watched her eyes darken, the pupils enlarging until the irises were thin rims of silver. Her tongue darted over her bottom lip and the emptiness inside Andreas became a huge, all-encompassing ache that he assured himself was nothing more than desire. He lifted his hand and ran his finger lightly down her cheek. Her skin had the texture of a velvety peach. He felt the tremor that ran through her and the idea that he affected her as much as she affected him made him feel slightly better. They were both prisoners of this crazy passion—crazy was the only word that came anywhere close to describing the thunder of his heart when Isla swayed towards him.

  ‘Stay,’ he said thickly. When she shook her head he clasped her shoulders and pulled her towards him. ‘We could start over, without any misunderstandings this time.’

  Her expression was unguarded and faintly wistful. ‘Do you want to?’

  He wanted her, which wasn’t quite the same thing. Andreas ignored his conscience and moved his hand down to cup her bottom, his heart kicking in his chest as she gave a low moan when he hauled her against him.

  ‘Does this give you an idea of what I want, omorfia mou?’ he murmured before he angled his mouth over hers.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘ANDREAS—KYRIOS SABANIS has arrived...’ Dinos halted in the doorway of the lounge and looked uncomfortable when Isla jerked out of Andreas’s arms. He swore silently as he stared at her expressive features and watched her barriers go up. The butler’s timing was terrible, but his own wasn’t great, he conceded. His father had been dead for less than twenty-four hours and he was the only person who knew that Stelios’s engagement to Isla had been fake.

  ‘I should go. You will be busy with arrangements and things...’ Isla avoided his gaze and walked quickly across the room. Dinos stepped aside as Andreas followed her into the hallway.

  ‘At least tell me the name of your hotel in Athens...’ He broke off abruptly and hid his frustration when his father’s lawyer heaved himself up from a chair.

  ‘Andreas, this is a dreadful day,’ John Sabanis said, extending his hand. ‘Isla, you have my deepest sympathy.’

  ‘Thank you, John.’ Catching Andreas’s puzzled look, she explained, ‘John and I met on several occasions when he visited your father’s house in London.’

  The portly lawyer nodded. ‘Stelios’s death will be a shock to many people. Despite his age, he was in the prime of his life, which was demonstrated when he announced his engagement to you, Isla. I could not help but overhear that you intend to leave Louloudi.’

  She did not look at Andreas. ‘Yes, Andreas and Nefeli need privacy.’

  ‘It would be better if you delay your departure until after I have explained the terms of Stelios’s will,’ the lawyer said.

  ‘Is that really necessary? You are aware that I witnessed the will you drew up for Stelios last year, which means that I cannot be a beneficiary.’

  ‘Stelios recently made a new will.’ John Sabanis looked at Andreas. ‘You asked me here because you want to know who your father chose to succeed him as Chairman of Karelis Corp. I suggest that we discuss your father’s last will and testament without further delay.’

  ‘We’ll go into the study.’ Andreas opened the door and ushered the lawyer into the room.

  Isla glanced towards the stairs and, following her gaze, Andreas saw his sister run across the hall.

  ‘I’m surprised you are still here, Isla,’ Nefeli said sharply. ‘I thought you would already be looking for your next wealthy old man to sink your talons into.’

  ‘There is no need for rudeness,’ Andreas murmured. His sister was headstrong but she had been much closer to their father and her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. As yet he hadn’t found the right moment to explain that Stelios’s engagement to Isla had been an elaborate pretence.

  ‘Why are you defending her? What’s going on?’ Nefeli demanded.

  ‘John Sabanis is here to read Papa’s will and he has asked Isla to be present.’

  Nefeli glowered at Isla before she marched into the study and threw herself down onto the sofa. With obvious reluctance Isla walked into the room and perched on a chair close to the door. Andreas’s phone pinged for what seemed like the millionth time and he frowned when he saw numerous messages from the COO of Karelis Corp, saying that they needed to talk urgently. Not now, he thought grimly as he switched his phone setting to silent.

  The lawyer sat down at the desk and took a sheaf of documents from his briefcase. ‘I will hand out copies of Stelios’s will which he signed three days ago, on the fourteenth of September, so that you can read it at your own leisure. But to summarise—it was Stelios’s wish that his son Andreas should succeed him in the joint roles of Chairman and CEO of Karelis Corporation, with the full backing of the board.’

  It was what Andreas had expected. The sole reason for his existence as far as his parents had been concerned was so that he could step into his father’s shoes and run the company with the same single-minded devotion to business that Stelios had shown. In due course he would make an advantageous marriage with the aim of producing the next Karelis heir. These things he would do, Andreas vowed to himself. He had not been the son Stelios had hoped for when he was alive, but he would honour his father in death by accepting his duty and doing his best to fulfil the old man’s expectations.

  The responsibility of his position was sinking in and it felt as if a heavy weight had settled on his shoulders. He had assumed that his father would live for many more years and the handover of power would have been a gradual process. He listened as the lawyer ran through various bequests Stelios had made to members of the extended Karelis family and some of the staff.

  Dinos and Toula were to receive the deeds of the staff cottage attached to the villa which had been their home for many years. The bulk of Stelios’s personal fortune, including the family home in Athens and the house in London, was split between Andreas and a trust fund for Nefeli which she could access on her twenty-fifth birthday.

  ‘Why can’t I have my money now?’ Nefeli said sulkily.

  ‘Your father was concerned that you would be the targ
et of fortune hunters,’ John Sabanis explained. ‘You are one of the richest women in Europe but for the next few years Andreas will be in charge of your trust fund for your own protection.’

  The lawyer cleared his throat. ‘Finally, we come to the matter of Louloudi. It was Stelios’s wish that ownership of the island, including the villa, will be shared equally between his son Andreas and Miss Isla Stanford.’

  Andreas’s jaw clenched. It was a trait he had perfected, allowing him to disguise his true feelings, which right now were a mix of incomprehension and fury. There were few things he cared deeply about but Louloudi had been his boyhood playground and it was the only place where he had spent any quality time with his father. Stelios’s decision to bequeath fifty per cent ownership of Louloudi to Isla felt like the ultimate betrayal.

  Nefeli leapt up. ‘Papa can’t have intended to give away Louloudi, which has been owned by the Karelis family for three generations, to his English tart. He must have been coerced into writing a new will.’ She threw Isla a poisonous look. ‘It was Papa who needed protection from a fortune hunter.’

  Andreas exhaled heavily. ‘The situation between Papa and Isla was not as it seemed. Stelios asked Isla to pretend to be his fiancée because he knew he was terminally ill and he wanted to keep the news from you until after your party.’

  ‘Did Papa tell you that?’

  ‘No, Isla explained everything.’

  ‘And you believe her frankly suspicious story? What does Isla have that makes sane men lose their minds?’ Nefeli said scathingly. ‘I saw how you pawed her when you danced with her at my party. Men are such idiots.’

  Guilt churned in the pit of Andreas’s stomach. He should have paid more attention to his father, who had looked tired and old. But he’d barely registered Stelios’s physical decline because he’d been obsessed with Isla. Something hard and cold congealed inside him when he remembered his mother’s obsessive feelings for Stelios and her bitter unhappiness when she’d realised that he did not love her.