CHAPTER SIX
NIKOS WAS STUNNED into silence as Serena came out of the guest room, ready for the party. He knew he was staring at her like an unpractised youth. But what man wouldn’t? He’d never seen her dressed like this, and wondered how she’d ever thought she couldn’t compete with other women. She’d outshine them completely—and not just in his eyes.
She was utterly gorgeous and he wished he hadn’t accepted the party invitation. Right now all he wanted was to be alone with her, to taste the desire they’d shared and experience the passion once more.
The uncertainty in the green depths of her eyes tugged at his heart. A heart he had thought to be frozen since the moment his mother had walked out of his life, showing him the cruel side of love. But his heart would have to remain icy-cold, devoid of emotion. It would be better that way—for both of them.
His attention was caught by her heels daintily tapping out a beat as she walked towards him—a beat that matched the throb of desire within him, which was increasing with each second.
‘I had no idea what was needed for this evening, but the shop assistants assured me, as best they could in Greek, that this was it. I trust it meets with your approval?’
He let his gaze blatantly slide down her, marvelling at her resolute composure. ‘It is more than everything I anticipated,’ he said forcefully. The words You look so beautiful were suppressed, along with the weak-willed wish that things were different.
‘I don’t want to stand out too much,’ she said, and she lowered her gaze to fiddle with her clutch bag.
A surge of unfamiliar protectiveness flared within him. ‘You will stand out—but it will be for the right reasons.’
‘It will be bad enough not understanding what’s being said all night, without wearing the wrong thing.’
‘Bad enough?’
Most women he knew would be desperate for the chance to be bought a pretty dress and taken out for the evening—but Serena wasn’t most women. He was fast realising she was different. Too different.
‘The headlines,’ she said quickly, then looked at him, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. ‘Have you forgotten that all of Greece now believes we are engaged?’
‘No, I have not—and I will be with you at your side all night.’
His swift reply banished any further discussion.
He did have business connections to make, and originally his intention had been simply to halt any rumours that might be growing about her arrival. But as he looked down at Serena he knew having her at his side would make a nice change from the frivolous models he usually chose as company for such occasions. Not one of the women he’d dated had ever affected him the way Serena had—and still did.
If he was honest with himself it went back to their time in Santorini—to a time when his guard had been lowered...a time when he’d tasted what might have been if only his life had been different.
‘We will leave now, if you are ready?’
She nodded, briefly looking nervous before smiling. ‘I’m ready.’
* * *
The party had been underway for some time when they arrived, and he felt Serena tense as they entered the large room. The hum of chatter continued, but he was aware of speculative glances being cast their way, and whispers that were far from discreet.
With his arm around her, and his hand resting at her waist, he guided her through the throng of the elite of Athens society. It seemed the fundraiser had pulled people in from far and wide.
‘Nikos!’
He paused at the mention of his name and saw Christos Korosidis, the head of a rival shipping company. In the boardroom they would be enemies, but in the buzz of a party—especially a fundraising event—they would assume the air of friendship.
‘So the rumour is true?’ Christos said, his admiring gaze sweeping over Serena, sending a zip of totally alien jealousy hurtling through Nikos. ‘I would never have thought you were the marrying kind, Nikos.’
He could hear the conjecture in the other man’s voice and knew Serena’s sudden appearance in his life was causing as much controversy as his bid to take over Adonia Cruise Liners. A company Christos also had his sights on.
Nikos wondered if Christos would use the current news of his engagement to slip in under the radar and make another bid. He should have been angry at the idea, but he wasn’t. If the deal failed—it failed.
This was a completely new way for him to look at things. He didn’t care if Christos put a new offer in and won. Right now all that mattered was his child, his heir, and in order to be a part of its life he had to keep Serena at his side. As far as he was concerned his marriage was the most important deal right now. It would legitimise his son and heir. Not that he’d ever hint at that to Christos.
‘Appearances can be deceptive,’ he said with a smile as he took a glass of champagne and handed it to Serena.
She frowned, making it clear she wasn’t drinking alcohol, but took it from him, holding it with elegantly manicured hands. In that second he cursed his stupidity. She might not have chosen to disclose the reason for her return to Christos, but he was an astute man. Her reaction to the champagne hadn’t gone unnoticed.
‘Nikos and I met several months ago in Santorini.’
Serena’s soft voice broke through his turmoil and his body heated as she moved closer against him, her smile distracting Christos instantly.
‘Serena has thankfully just returned to Greece,’ Nikos said, and looked down at her when she glanced up at him. He brushed his lips over her forehead lightly, then turned his attention back to his sparring partner in business, trying to ignore the warmth that flooded through him. ‘And not a moment too soon.’
Beside him he felt Serena stiffen and try to pull away, but he kept her close. Her light floral scent was invading his senses, stirring them evocatively and unbalancing him further. But it was as she remained stiffly at his side that the implications of his words sank in. All he’d meant was that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her—which in itself had been truthful—but what he’d just said could be taken another way. Or was that his guilty conscience at work...?
‘Nice to have met you.’ Christos bestowed another charming smile on Serena and moved on in his mission to circulate.
Nikos inhaled slowly. He had to regain control of his emotions. He was more distracted than he’d ever been by Serena, and wondered how long he’d be able to keep up the pretence of being a caring fiancé when all he wanted was to claim her as his in every sense.
‘That went well.’
Serena’s feisty remark cut off all thought and he turned his attention back to her, taking the glass of untouched champagne from her and placing it on a nearby table.
‘Was that your way of covering up the truth?’
‘If I wanted to cover up the truth, as you put it, I would adopt a very different tactic—one that would leave nobody in any doubt about the irresistible passion that has brought you back to Greece.’
‘And that would be what?’
‘I’d kiss you deeply and passionately, right here, for all to see.’
His blood heated as she glared up at him, her lips parted, almost daring him to carry out his threat. It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms and kiss her—deeply and passionately.
Her brows rose and a teasing smile lit up her eyes. ‘You wouldn’t dare...’
‘You’re playing a dangerous game, Serena.’ The thud of desire quickened, and without thinking of where they were he stepped closer to her. ‘Is that what you want me to do? Kiss you?’
‘No, I don’t.’
Her firm words pulled him back, then he laughed softly.
Did she think playing such games in public would force him to show there was more to their marriage than an accidental pregnancy?
‘I know you don’t really want me. You just want your child—but without any scandal. I can see that now. And for the record,’ she said flippantly, her eyes flashing with provocation, ‘you wouldn’t dare kiss me here. At least not in the way you’re threatening.’
‘Don’t challenge me, Serena,’ he whispered, and he lowered his head closer to hers.
He heard her sharp intake of breath. Satisfaction rushed through him. It didn’t matter what she led him to believe—she was far from indifferent to him. For whatever reason she’d put up a barrier, and was intent on keeping him on the outside, but he wasn’t going to allow that.
She placed her hand on his arm, the heat of her touch scorching him through his jacket and shirt. And as she pushed him gently back away from her she lifted her chin, bringing her lips tantalisingly close to his...
A sudden burst of applause crashed into his stirred-up senses so spectacularly he stepped back, momentarily unsure of what was happening.
* * *
Serena took in a deep breath when he drew back, as if she was surfacing from the sea. Her pulse raced wildly and the lingering scent of his spicy aftershave was doing untold things to her already unbalanced body. She’d never been so bold or so daring before. Ever.
She glanced up at Nikos, who seemed completely unruffled and totally composed as he turned his attention to the announcements being made. They were all in Greek, and she amused herself by observing the world Nikos inhabited. It was so far from the world she’d thought he lived in it was surreal.
Women so glamorous they might have stepped off the front of any celebrity magazine glittered with jewels. Serena found herself wondering, who, if any of these women, had been at such an event before on Nikos’s arm. The array of images she’d seen on the internet that morning proved he was anything but the ordinary fisherman she’d thought he was. He was powerful, wealthy and if the array of beautiful women he’d dated was anything to go by very much a playboy.
As the speeches and applause went on Serena’s mind slipped back to the first time she’d seen him. Nothing about that tanned, handsome fisherman had suggested he was anything else. But he’d been a cunning liar.
He’d smiled at her as she’d sat on the beach, enjoying the early evening sunshine, then a short time later she’d walked past the local fishing boats and had seen him again. He’d talked to her, telling her things about fishing and the local restaurants he supplied that would be useful for her article.
The attraction between them had sparked and from then on they had spent every moment they could together. Soon hot, passionate nights had followed. He’d been the man she’d been waiting for—the man she’d wanted to lose her virginity to and the man she’d thought she would be able to go on loving. She’d believed they had a future—until that last night on the beach, when his harsh words had shattered that illusion.
‘Daydreaming?’
Nikos’s gentle accented voice broke through her thoughts, rushing her back to the fundraising event and the glamorous reality of his life.
When she looked into his handsome face she could almost see the Nikos she’d first met and it tugged at her heartstrings. Which was the real Nikos?
‘I was just wondering how you came from a small island fishing village to this.’ She gestured around her at the no-expense-spared glamour of the party, at the guests moving to the sides of the room as the lights dimmed and music began.
‘It’s a long story,’ he said, his face sombre, his eyes strangely hollow and lacking emotion.
Deep inside her she recognised pain, but before she could say anything he took her in his arms, moving them onto the dance floor as other couples began dancing around them.
She wanted to ask him more—to find out about the man she was now engaged to—but the sensation of being held close against his body as music filled the room was too much. Every move he made sent shockwaves through her and she lowered her face, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on his shoulder, not wanting him to see the flush of desire that must be evident on her cheeks.
She closed her eyes against the urge to reach up and kiss him, to indulge her fantasy of being loved by him. She couldn’t let him know that was all she needed, all she wanted—not when he’d lied to her, believing she was looking only to further her career and her position in life.
The music changed, the tempo becoming faster, and she pulled back from him, thankful of the excuse to do so. The darkness of his eyes as they met hers was so consuming she drew in a sharp and ragged breath.
He took her hand in his and led her away from the bustle of dancing. Doors opened out onto a balcony, lit with an array of coloured lights that reminded her of Christmas. She glanced around to see they were alone. The music floated out on the warm evening air, and laughter could be heard, but it was just the two of them here and her heartbeat joined in with the sway of the music.
‘Nikos...’ she whispered, aware he was holding back from her. ‘Your story—it’s one I need to hear if we are going to make any kind of future together.’
A smile of satisfaction spread across his lips, drawing her gaze briefly away from the blue of his eyes. ‘So you are considering a future with me?’
His brittle words reminded her that they were not in love—that this was a deal, one brokered in the interest of their child. The mood changed, killing any romantic notions the dance had allowed to slip into her head.
‘We are having a child, Nikos, and as much as I can’t bear the idea of a marriage for that reason, or the hideous terms you’ve attached to it like a business deal, I don’t want my child not to know his or her parents.’
She pushed thoughts of her sister aside as her mind flew back to the arguments her parents had always had. The hateful accusations they’d hurled at each other. She knew she didn’t want to live like that. Worse were memories of the realisation that she’d forced them to stay together just by being born. She didn’t ever want her child to feel that guilt. The secret love she had for the Nikos she’d first met would have to be enough—for both of them.
‘Why is that a bad reason? Surely marrying for the sake of a child is best?’
‘Not always, Nikos.’ She smiled up at him, aware of his diverting tactics and employing some of her own. ‘How did you end up here?’
What would he think if she told him about her childhood? Would he think that what they were doing was a mistake if she told him about how guilty she felt? She couldn’t risk him turning his back on her—not when the chance to give Sally all she wanted was so tantalisingly close.
The warm wind ruffled his hair as he leant on the balcony, looking out across Athens as if it would give him answers. She moved closer to him, and the sweet fragrance of flowers around them did not quite mask the scent of his aftershave.
Without looking at her, he spoke. ‘I was brought up by my grandparents and I inherited a small fleet of fishing boats when my grandfather died. I owe them a lot. They took me in when my mother left and after my father fell apart, when the truth about my mother was exposed. They gave me a start in life—which was more than either of my parents did.’
Serena remembered his insistence that he’d never wanted to be a father and her heart softened a little. The hardness of his own heart must have been caused by what he’d experienced as a child. They had both suffered due to their parents. For different reasons neither of them had seen the joy and love marriage could bring, and while she believed it might one day be possible he did not.
‘But that doesn’t explain how you came to be in Athens,’ she said softly as she turned her back on the view and looked up at him. The soft lights highlighted his features, making his cheekbones prominent, as if they’d been chiselled from stone, hardening his expression.
‘I couldn’t stay on the island. It was suffocating me. So I followed an example I’d seen as a boy and left. I came here with virtually
nothing but my name and began working for Dimitris, the owner of Xanthippe Shipping. He became the father I should have had.’
She frowned as she took in what he’d told her, knowing there was more buried deep inside him and knowing it was hard for him to have told her this much.
‘He taught me all he knew and, without his own heir, left me his legacy. One I have built up to the global business it is today.’ He turned to look down at her, his blue eyes holding her attention. ‘When I first met you it was a refreshing change not to be known for my success and wealth first.’
A tang of bitterness filled her mouth. ‘Did you think I was with you for that? Or did you believe I was looking for a big break—a story that would launch me from travel writer to being the journalist I’d trained to be?’
‘Both.’ Suspicion and anger were woven inextricably in that one word.
His honesty stung more than lies would have done, and she pushed herself away from the balcony and moved towards the door and the sounds of the party. Behind her she heard his footsteps, felt his presence.
She didn’t want to turn and see the contempt in his face—the truth of what he really thought of her. His questions about whether the baby was his now made so much more sense. As did his sudden change of mood after they’d made love that last night on the beach. Did he think she’d tricked him all along? Seduced him so brazenly she’d ensured he hadn’t given contraception a thought?
She couldn’t stay here any longer. She felt stifled by his pain and her love. She had to get out of here right now.
‘Serena!’
Her name chased after her as she made her way into the throng of partygoers, completely oblivious to the curious stares coming her way. With her chin held high and her eyes firmly fixed on the door they’d entered earlier she walked quickly. The air was hot, the noise was too much and she needed to get out—now.
From One Night to Wife Page 8