From One Night to Wife

by Rachael Thomas

  She looked dismayed, and he pushed aside his unease to allay hers. ‘It will be fine. If anyone is to blame it is me. I should have told her.’

  * * *

  Serena took Nikos’s hand as they climbed the twists and turns of the steps to the little white house almost at the top of the hill. She was totally charmed by all the houses, which appeared to be clinging to the hillside. Most were white, reflecting the heat of the sun and making sunglasses necessary, but others were pale pink or cream, and some had the blue-painted domed roofs typical of the region.

  ‘How do people live here?’ She laughed as she paused to rest on a flat area that seemed suspended above the houses below, their roofs like steps back down to the sea.

  ‘You get used to it.’ He looked at her with genuine concern, despite his light-hearted response. ‘Are you feeling okay?’

  ‘I’m fine.’ She laughed again. ‘I just wanted to stop and take in the view.’

  She turned and looked out to the sparkling sea and felt Nikos stand close behind her. A fizz of desire shimmered through her and she turned to him, the view suddenly losing its appeal.

  ‘You won’t see much that way.’

  His roguish smile melted her heart and she leaned towards him, wrapping her arms around him, almost sighing with pleasure as he lowered his head and kissed her gently. Her love for him was growing, and moments like these gave her hope that the man she’d fallen in love with would find his way back to her and one day love her too.

  ‘If you keep kissing me like that I won’t want to see anything,’ she said impishly as he pulled her tighter to him. ‘Where are we staying? The hotel?’

  ‘I’ve made other arrangements,’ he said, and a wicked glint entered his eyes, making her pulse leap with anticipation.

  All week he’d treated her like a princess, showered her with gifts and made love to her in a way that had made her heart melt. But he hadn’t said how he felt, or even hinted at it, and she’d kept her love for him tightly locked away, sensing he wouldn’t want to hear those words even in the height of passion.

  ‘And what would they be?’ she teased, and stood on tiptoe to brush her lips over his.

  ‘Patience,’ he said, his accent suddenly pronounced, and she knew she was tormenting him as much as he was to her.

  He smiled. A lazy, desire-laden smile. And her heart flipped as she smiled back at him, relishing the moment as he kissed her tenderly once more. It was a gentle kiss, but loaded with the promise of so much.

  ‘Nikos!’

  His name, called from above, and a flurry of Greek drew her attention. He let her go as she sprang back from him and he laughed—a deep, sexy sound that heated the very core of her, making her wish they were going to wherever he’d made his ‘arrangements’. Anywhere they could be alone.

  ‘My grandmother,’ Nikos explained, and he called up to the elderly woman standing by a bright blue-painted door that was surrounded by a flush of gorgeous red flowers. He took her hand and climbed the remaining steps towards his grandmother.

  Serena held back as he embraced the tiny woman dressed almost completely in black, her grey hair covered by a black scarf tied under her chin. Rapid Greek rushed between them and then the old lady turned to look at Serena.

  ‘Welcome,’ she said, in very stilted English, and her lined face was full of kindness and warmth.

  Serena stepped forward, about to put out her hand to take the old lady’s, but she was pulled into a hug and had no choice but to reciprocate.

  As Nikos’s grandmother finally let her go the old lady turned to Nikos and spoke in Greek.

  ‘She says you are very beautiful and she wishes she could say more than the few English words she knows.’

  Serena blushed and looked from the smiling face of his grandmother to Nikos. His handsome face was relaxed and he was looking much more like the man she’d first met. He looked as if he’d left the worries of the world in Athens—as if here he could be the real Nikos. Hope grew in her heart.

  ‘I hadn’t expected her to be able to say anything to me. Tell her I love her home.’

  Nikos relayed the message. The old lady nodded her head knowingly and walked through the tall blue door into a courtyard. He turned to Serena as she looked about her, taking in the array of pots filled with flowers in full bloom.

  ‘My grandmother learnt a little English when my mother was here, but hasn’t had any use for it since she left.’

  Serena knew her eyes must have widened, but couldn’t keep the shock from showing or sounding in her voice. ‘Your mother was English?’

  His mouth suddenly set into a hard line, his features becoming chiselled, his eyes glacial blue. ‘Half-English. The only thing I have to thank my mother for is her blue eyes.’

  Each word he spoke was brittle, but she kept her gaze focused on him. He hardly talked of his mother and had never mentioned that she was half-English. Questions rushed forward, but as she glanced at the wary expression of his grandmother she knew now was not the time.

  It had been Nikos’s blue eyes, so sexy and passionate, that had snared her heart from the first glance, making her fall in love so fast. She’d wondered whom he’d got them from, but hadn’t for one moment thought his mother might be from an English family.

  ‘I didn’t know,’ she said softly, and turned her attention to the flowers, reaching out to touch the delicate petals of those which climbed up the white courtyard walls—anything other than look at him.

  His grandmother spoke and she turned to look at her, wishing she could understand at least something. The old lady smiled and gestured them inside.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said as she moved from the bright sunlight to the cool shade of her house.

  Nikos followed her in and she felt every step he took, the spark of sexual attraction mixing with sympathy for the little boy he’d once been. He placed his hand against her back as they stood in the small but very comfortable little house. Having him next to her, overpowering her so that she could think of nothing else but him, was almost too much, and she glanced about the house in an attempt to distract herself from the heat of his touch.

  One end of the house was used as a living room, with an old fireplace that filled one corner. It looked as though it would be bliss to enjoy on cooler evenings. At the other end was a kitchen, basic and very dated, but obviously much loved. The tiny windows in the thick walls let in only a small amount of light, but Serena was thankful to be out of the sun.

  ‘Relax,’ Nikos said, his voice deep and sexy as he showed her to the only comfortable-looking chair in the room. ‘Lunch is a bit of a tradition when I visit my grandmother.’

  He looked down at her as she sat, and again she saw much more of the man she’d fallen in love with. Leaving Athens and his business behind must allow him to relax, to be who he really was. But whoever he was the spark of attraction hadn’t diminished.

  She sat back, then realised she must be in his grandmother’s chair. She was about to get up to offer it to her when the old lady smiled, a twinkle making her eyes sparkle just as Nikos’s sometimes did.

  ‘Please—have your chair,’ Serena said, frustrated by the language barrier.

  ‘No.’ The old lady shook her head and sat on one of the four chairs around the small table, speaking to Nikos, who was now busy in the kitchen.

  Serena looked at his broad shoulders as he set about preparing their lunch, his back to both her and his grandmother. Seeing him in this environment, almost without a trace of the ruthless streak he used as his barrier against the world and especially against her, made her heart soften and love flow.

  ‘She says you are the guest and also that you must rest.’ Nikos glanced over his shoulder at her, his eyes sparkling with hidden meaning. ‘She knows.’

  Serena blushed, and the old lady laughed as Nikos returned hi
s attention to preparing their meal. Then she looked earnestly at Serena and spoke, the tone of her voice quite different from the happy way she’d greeted them.

  ‘I’m sorry...’ Serena was flustered, not sure how to interpret what was being said.

  ‘She says you hold the key,’ Nikos said over his shoulder, without looking round.

  Serena frowned. The key to what?

  In answer to her thought his grandmother leant towards her in her seat, as if to be sure she had Serena’s full attention. She pointed at Nikos, then to her heart, and finally she pointed at Serena.

  Serena frowned, unable to decide if what she was being told was good or bad. The old lady spoke the same words again and made the same actions. You hold the key. That had been the translation. Serena looked at Nikos. Without thinking she touched her hand to her heart and then slid it down to the small swell of her baby.

  Realisation dawned. His grandmother thought the baby was the key to Nikos’s heart—but he didn’t have one.

  She looked at his grandmother, her hand still on her stomach, and the woman smiled a wise and knowing smile, nodding her approval. Serena was relieved that Nikos had been occupied during this exchange. The poor old lady must be longing for a great-grandchild.

  ‘Lunch,’ said Nikos as he placed a large bowl of salad with olives and feta cheese in the middle of the table, breaking the moment between Serena and his grandmother, but seemingly oblivious to their silent exchange. ‘I hope you are hungry, Serena?’

  His grandmother looked at Nikos as he sat at the table and he spoke to her again, then looked at Serena as she got up from her chair and joined them. The tone he used when he spoke to his grandmother was a complete contrast to the voice of man she’d spent the past week with. Their nights might have been passionate, but by day they sparred with one another as she struggled to hide her true feelings.

  ‘My grandmother is happy for us and she knows you understand.’

  He looked at her, his brows raised in question, leaving Serena feeling bemused by the whole exchange.

  At least his grandmother was happy about the baby.

  The baby she’d been told was the key to Nikos’s heart...

  * * *

  The afternoon’s visit had been a success, and Nikos had reassured himself that his grandmother was well and happy. He employed local people to look after her, but it still helped to see her himself. She was the only person in his life who’d showed him unconditional love, the only person never to have let him down, and the only person it would ever feel safe for him to love in return.

  ‘We will go now,’ he said, aware that Serena was looking tired, and he said the same to his grandmother, sensing Serena watching as they spoke in Greek to say their goodbyes.

  ‘So where are we going?’ Serena asked as they made their way back down the steps while the sun began to slide towards the horizon.

  ‘Somewhere we can be alone.’

  He put his arm around her, pulling her close. All afternoon he’d watched her, his body aware of every move she made, desire burning inside him. Now he fully intended to take her to his villa and spend a weekend relaxing and losing himself in the pleasure of her body.

  ‘It’s just a short drive along the coast.’

  His car was waiting, as requested, and soon he was driving away from the village he’d grown up in and towards the open countryside. Its ruggedness always appealed to him and made him feel at home, which was why he’d decided that this was where his child would grow up and he and Serena would live—if she stayed long enough. Once she had the money for her sister there was nothing stopping her from leaving...walking away just as his mother had done.

  The villa had always been his private retreat, a place to hide from the world, and it felt as if he was opening himself up to Serena by taking her there, let alone announcing it as her new home. He nudged the nervous vulnerability of that thought to one side and focused instead on the pleasure of a night in his bed with the woman who ignited such an intense passion inside him, unlocking feelings he didn’t recognise.

  ‘This is it,’ he said, and drove off the road, tyres scrunching on the gravel driveway.

  A stifled gasp slipped from her lips as she looked at the villa and he was glad she was seeing it for the first time at dusk. The light illuminated the clean modern lines of the villa, which had been built in keeping with the traditional buildings he’d grown up in. The housekeeper would be long gone and he could finally be alone with her.

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ she said as she slipped down from the vehicle.

  He took her hand and led her towards the door. ‘This is where our child will grow up.’

  The reality of those words hit him as if he’d been punched in the stomach. The villa he’d built would finally become a home.

  A home for his family.

  His child.

  He would never have thought it possible. He had always been careful to ensure it wouldn’t be—except for that one passionate night on the beach with Serena, when common sense and thoughts of contraception had eluded him.

  ‘Not in Athens?’ she questioned as she walked into the villa, the sound of her heels echoing from the walls.

  ‘No,’ he said firmly.

  There was no way his child would grow up anywhere else than on the island of Santorini—he was more certain of that with each passing second. He wanted his child to know all the good things he’d known and so much more—because his child would be wanted, his child would have a father who took the time to be there, to be interested.

  ‘But your business...?’ The question lingered in the air as she walked into the spacious living room.

  ‘That is not for you to worry about.’ He opened the sliding patio doors to reveal the pool, lit with soft amber lights. ‘I have an office here, linked to my Athens office with every technical device possible.’

  He intended to spend more time on the island. His grandmother was getting older, and most importantly he wanted to be there for his child. He also wanted to be with Serena—something which had shocked him when he’d first realised it.

  Whilst he didn’t want to tango with love for a woman, he knew he wanted to try and give his son all he’d never had. He hadn’t known the love of a mother but by marrying Serena, offering her that deal, he could ensure history didn’t repeat itself. He also hoped that by being there for his baby from the day it was born he could love it as his father should have loved him.

  ‘You and my child will have everything I can give you.’

  He saw Serena’s expression become doubtful and unease slipped over him. Did she doubt his ability to love his child as much as he did?

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE REALITY OF her situation began to slide over Serena. Nikos intended her to stay here and bring up their child while he returned to Athens and continued with his life as normal. Was this her payment for the IVF funds? Disappointment crashed over her, destroying the small glimmer of hope she’d glimpsed this afternoon.

  The villa was amazing—a gorgeous home—but she didn’t want it. Not if the man she loved wouldn’t be part of it. She didn’t want the ruthless Nikos who’d met her on her return to Santorini. She wanted the man she’d fallen in love with three months ago—the man she’d seen again briefly this afternoon.

  He’d shown a gentle side as he’d ensured his grandmother was well, but in such a subtle way that only someone who looked beyond the calculating businessman would see it. As he’d looked at his grandmother Serena had seen real affection. So how could he now be someone different, trying to push her to one side?

  ‘It is something for me to worry about,’ she said as she sat at the table beside the pool, her strength having ebbed faster than an outgoing tide.

  All along she’d fought against the worry of their being forced together, as her parents
had been, but after the week she’d spent in Athens she’d hoped her fears were unfounded. Despite his hard deal, all she wanted was for them to be happy together and maybe one day for him to come to love her. Now it appeared he had every intention of sending her to live here while he stayed in Athens. That wasn’t going to happen. She might as well be in England, bringing up the baby alone, just as she’d originally planned. At least she’d be close to her sister.

  ‘This is the perfect place to bring up a family.’

  His voice startled her and she turned to see him looking out beyond the gardens into the darkness of the night.

  ‘A family?’ The question slid from her before she could stop it. He hadn’t said a child, but a family.

  ‘Yes—a family.’

  His expression was set. He’d obviously made up his mind. But that didn’t mean she could stay. Not now. His callous insistence that she become his wife in return for funds for Sally rushed back to her. How could she have pushed such emotional blackmail aside? Because you’ve fallen deeper in love with him.

  The thought unnerved her and she stood up, restless and on edge.

  She glanced at him and for a brief moment their eyes locked. His gaze was fierce with determination, but she knew hers would be soft and gentle, full of concern for her future and love for the man whose child she carried. She wanted to tell him she couldn’t stay here alone, a banished wife, while he returned to Athens and continued with his life as if they didn’t belong together. But as he walked towards her, his blue eyes darkening with hungry desire, each word dissolved from conscious thought, never making it into spoken words.

  ‘You and the baby are my family now, and you will live here, with every luxury possible yours for the asking.’

  He moved towards her, his long legs needing only two or three strides to cover the distance, but the passionate intent in his eyes left her in no doubt that talking of such matters right now was not on his agenda.

  ‘But what about your grandmother?’ She sidestepped the issue as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, but what he’d just said had caused an uneasy feeling to settle over her. How could he expect her to live here, in such a beautiful place, when his grandmother had only her small and dated house?