by Lynne Graham
‘Stay…’ Maddie heard herself whisper, without even being aware that she was about to say it.
After an instant of hesitation Giannis lowered himself gracefully down beside her on the bed. Scarcely crediting his presence, she lay so still that she hardly dared to breathe. He snaked an arm round her and eased her back against him.
‘Go to sleep,’ he urged. ‘You look incredibly tired.’
Maddie could have done without that information, as she was already painfully aware that she was not looking her best, but the heat and solidarity of his lean, powerful body next to hers was amazingly soothing. The faint familiar tang of his cologne flared her nostrils and, weary though she was, stark hunger for a greater intimacy stirred delicious tension in her.
Giannis let his hands slide below her camisole top to rest on the place where her waist had once been. ‘May I?’ he whispered huskily.
‘Anything you like,’ she muttered, a slight quiver rippling through her as she voiced her gruff invitation.
But it was her pregnant shape that had provoked his interest. His lean hands were very gentle, his long, shapely fingers splaying in slow, uncharacteristically tentative exploration over the gentle swell of her stomach. ‘Amazing…’ he commented, his breath fanning her cheek.
Giannis felt a little flicker below his palm. When it became more pronounced, he murmured in a tone of awe, ‘Is that one of the babies kicking?’
‘Yes, they’re very active,’ Maddie said in a small voice, recognising that at that moment he was much more entranced with the miracle of conception than her far-from-perfect body.
Maddie listened to the buzz of a language other than her own at the far end of the stateroom and smiled.
In every way that mattered, her wedding promised to be Greek in nature. The day before she had flown out to board her bridegroom’s yacht, Libos I, which was cruising the Aegean Sea. Determined to protect their privacy as far as possible, Giannis had so far succeeded in ensuring that the wedding location was unknown to the media. Aware that Maddie had no family to perform the usual ceremonial roles, he had also, with her agreement, invited two of his cousins to act as her bridesmaids. Although Apollina and Desma were deeply in awe of Giannis, the vivacious brunettes had quickly lost their cautious manner around Maddie.
Maddie was amused that her attendants were so preoccupied with their private conversation that they had just about forgotten about her. ‘That must be some juicy piece of gossip the two of you are sharing!’
The sisters broke out of their huddle and sent her tense glances. ‘Gossip?’ Apollina queried worriedly.
‘I was only teasing you.’
‘Only teasing…’ Desma repeated with an air of relief.
‘Is there something wrong?’ Maddie prompted, for it seemed to her that both young women were rather on edge.
Apollina, the older sister, moved closer. ‘Of course there is nothing wrong. You look wonderful, Maddie.’
‘It’s a fantastic dress.’ Maddie turned and twisted in front of the tall mirror, endeavouring to see herself from every conceivable angle. The beaded lace bodice and narrow sleeves were fitted and stylish. Glorious textured silk fell from below the bust and did a remarkable job of skimming over her tummy. Shimmering pearls had been patiently strung through her hair, and she felt truly glamorous for the first time in her life. A magnificent heart-shaped diamond pendant glittered at her throat. A wedding gift from Giannis, it had been delivered to her over breakfast.
‘It’s not the dress—it is you who looks wonderful,’ Desma corrected. ‘When they see you, everyone will understand why Giannis fell in love with you.’
Maddie’s eyes shadowed. She wandered over to the window and realised that the huge vessel was finally heading towards land, after spending more than twenty-four hours in the open sea. Apollina and Desma were just trying to be kind, she thought ruefully. The sisters probably had no idea that she had barely seen Giannis over the past three weeks. He had slept beside her that one night at Harriston Hall, but he hadn’t touched her, and he had been gone by the time she wakened. In fact they had not made love since Morocco. Recently she had seen him only twice, and then in company. He had held her hand with the sort of awkwardness that suggested he didn’t really know what to do once he had it, and on three separate occasions he had kissed her brow and her cheek as if she was a little old lady or a child. Evidently her sex appeal had headed in much the same direction as her waist, and what was she supposed to do about that?
‘That’s Libos.’ Apollina had joined her by the window. ‘What could be more perfect for a secluded wedding than a private island?’
Having answered the phone, Desma passed the receiver to Maddie.
‘What do you think of your future home?’ Giannis asked.
A thickly wooded green headland ran all the way down to a white beach lapped by sparkling turquoise blue water. Hills studded by tall cypresses surrounded a picturesque village with white houses and a harbour. ‘It’s truly beautiful…It sounds trite, but it’s just like a postcard—the sort you want to walk right into,’ she confided shyly.
‘Go out on deck—you’ll get the best view from there.’
Impervious to her bridesmaids’ lamentations, Maddie went out onto the viewing terrace beyond her stateroom. Her copper curls blew back in the breeze, but she was smiling like mad while Giannis carefully directed her attention to various landmarks and explained that his villa was not visible from the sea.
‘Where are you?’ she prompted.
‘Down at the harbour, having a last drink as a single man. See you in ten minutes, pedhi mou.’
The familiar sound of his dark, deep drawl had banished her anxiety about the future. Libos I docked, and the crew lined up to wish her well before she walked down the gangway. She was enchanted by the beribboned open carriage and two white horses waiting to collect her. The church had a tall tiered bell-tower, and presided in some state over an elegant square that seemed surprisingly large for a small village.
Giannis strode down the steps to help her from the carriage. In a formal suit, with his black hair gleaming in the sunshine, lean bronzed features unusually expressive as he smiled, he was downright irresistible. In the instant before she stepped out she was madly aware of the close scrutiny of his dark golden appraisal.
‘You look incredible.’
‘What do you think of the dress?’
Ignoring the step, Giannis lifted her down, his gaze hot with very masculine appreciation. ‘Very, very sexy,’ he breathed in a roughened undertone.
‘But it doesn’t show anything!’ she whispered in dismay.
‘I’ve got a photographic memory,’ Giannis husked with lazy amusement as he slowly lowered her to the ground.
Only really conscious of Giannis, Maddie was obediently still while her bridesmaids fussed with the short train on her dress and twitched her mane of hair into place. Suddenly she was wondering what she had been worried about and why she had been so tense. Wasn’t she about to marry the guy she loved?
The church was packed with people. There was an audible gasp as they entered. Her bemused attention swept over the colourful frescoes, the masses of flowers and the sombre priest. The rich scent of incense discernible in the still air, the ceremony began. The solemn ritual engaged Maddie from the outset, and when the guests showered the newly married pair with flower petals her heart felt full to overflowing.
Afterwards, the carriage swept them through the village and up a winding wooded road that climbed into the hills. The Petrakos villa was much older than she had expected. Giannis explained that his family’s ties with Libos stretched back more than a century. His acquisition of the island had been much more recent, and designed to protect it from excessive development. Surrounded by superb grounds that ran right down to the beach, the magnificent villa enjoyed glorious views of the sea. Giannis carried his bride over the threshold in true English style, and Maddie was laughing when the first guests arrived.
Wi
‘Why are so many people staring at me?’ she finally asked Apollonia.
After several glasses of champagne, the youthful brunette was very giggly. ‘How many reasons do you want? Today you became a very influential woman, because you’re the wife of a very powerful and rich man. You also snatched Giannis from Krista at the eleventh hour. The family is hugely curious about you, and probably wondering how much of what they read in the newspaper about you is true!’
‘What newspaper?’ Maddie pressed in bewilderment.
Apollonia clapped a hand to her mouth, aghast. ‘Giannis said you weren’t to be told. Please don’t tell him it was me!’
And with that plea her bridesmaid fled.
Giannis took Maddie on to the dance floor. She tried to hold her curiosity in, and couldn’t. ‘What was in what newspaper about me?’ she asked finally. ‘Was it a British one?’
Giannis stiffened with distaste. ‘Yes. My lawyers are on it—’
‘But what did it say?’
‘Nothing of any consequence.’
‘I insist—’
‘Insisting won’t get you anywhere, pedhi mou,’ Giannis told her squarely. ‘You’re a Petrakos now. The press are beneath your notice.’
‘Don’t talk to me as if I’m a child,’ Maddie argued, only half beneath her breath.
His hard jawline clenched. ‘Then behave like an adult. This is our wedding, and you’re making it obvious that we’re having a disagreement.’
‘I dare say Krista would’ve behaved much better,’ Maddie snapped back.
‘Her behaviour in public is always impeccable,’ Giannis said drily.
Maddie, who had already been feeling bad for making a snide comment, was further punished by the swiftness with which he confirmed her worst expectations. She was a jealous cat, she thought painfully, and he was ashamed of her.
The remainder of the dance took place in silence, with Maddie wearing a small fixed smile, her wide eyes prickling as she studied the lapel of his jacket. She left the floor then, keen to find a private corner, and was within a few feet of leaving the vast ballroom when a walking stick fell in front of her.
Picking it up, Maddie passed it back to the tiny old lady seated in the alcove on her own. ‘Here you are…’
A thin, frail hand caught hers. ‘Come and sit by me. I’m your husband’s great-grandmother—Dorkas.’
After the briefest of hesitations, Maddie sat down
‘Giannis has always reminded me of my late husband Rodas,’ Dorkas confessed. ‘He’s obstinate, impatient, and too clever for his own good.’
Maddie gave her a disconcerted look, registering that those shrewd dark eyes must have spotted the tension between bride and groom. She went pink. ‘Yes.’
‘But while Rodas had the good luck to be born into a loving family, Giannis was less fortunate.’ Dorkas compressed her creased lips. ‘How much do you know about your husband’s background?’
‘He doesn’t like to talk about it.’
The old lady sighed. ‘His parents should never have had children. Every day was a party for them. Giannis was raised by servants. His mother became a drug addict, but it was covered up. Nobody wanted a scandal. Giannis never knew love or stability, or even kindness from them…’
Maddie was shaken by the bleak picture the old lady was painting. ‘I had no idea.’
‘When he was sixteen, the only person who had ever loved him in that household died, and he went a little crazy for a while. Happily, he found himself again. He is very strong,’ Dorkas Petrakos asserted with proud affection. ‘But he needs an equally strong wife who knows how to smooth away the rough edges and love him.’
Maddie was already recapturing her usual calm.
‘Rodas and I had many battles, but when anyone dared to say a word against me he was a lion in my defence,’ the old lady confided.
Maddie grinned. ‘You’ve heard about that newspaper story, haven’t you?’
The beady black eyes gleamed with ready humour. ‘I have a copy in my handbag.’
‘Could I see it?’
Dorkas passed a folded sheet of paper to her. It was a photocopy which she confided had been faxed from London by an old friend.
Maddie winced at the headline: Office temp steals Petrakos from heiress.
‘Giannis didn’t take such stealing, did he?’ Dorkas chuckled. ‘He wasn’t happy with Krista. As for the rest of it—hold your head up high. Love is not a sin, and children are a blessing to a warm heart. You’re a fine young woman—hardworking, and you were caring towards your elderly relatives. Few people here today could say as much.’
His astute dark eyes trained on Maddie and Dorkas, Giannis approached, amusement curving his expressive mouth. ‘What do you think of her?’ he asked his great-grandmother boldly.
A satisfied smile on her creased face, Dorkas patted Maddie’s knee. ‘This one is a treasure. Look after her.’
Giannis sat down to chat to the old lady for a while, and then the famous singer he’d had flown in for the reception put on a fabulous performance for them.
Night was falling when Giannis walked Maddie out on to a private terrace, screened from the more public areas by lush green vegetation. Gilded bronze eyes scanning her upturned face in possessive appraisal, he claimed a slow, sensual kiss that sent a shiver of reaction travelling down her slender spine.
‘There’s a staircase behind the door in the corner. Our suite is at the top of it. I’ll join you there in five minutes,’ he asserted.
‘But we can’t just vanish—’
‘Yes, we can,’ he told her, tasting her ripe pink mouth with even greater fervour. ‘This is our wedding night, agape mou.’
The huge, beautifully furnished bedroom was dimly lit and intimate. She was just breathing in the glorious scent of an arrangement of roses in a silver bowl when a knock sounded on the door. A maid passed her a phone with what sounded like an apology.
‘Hello…who am I speaking to?’ Maddie was frowning, feeling sure the call was not for her and that in two seconds flat someone would start chattering in Greek.
‘It’s Krista.’
Maddie’s skin turned clammy, her fingers tightening round the receiver in dismay. ‘Why are you calling me?’
‘It’s your wedding night, and I want you to appreciate that all we’ve done is swap roles,’ Krista murmured sweetly. ‘You were the mistress and now I am. Giannis has no intention of giving me up. Did you think he would? All that matters to him right now is keeping you happy because you’re expecting those precious twins. But I’m as much a part of his life as I’ve always been.’
On that poisonous note, the phone went dead. Maddie set it down with a clumsy hand. What a vindictive woman! Of course what Krista had said wasn’t true. It was just horrible nasty lies, designed to worry and wound. Krista wanted to upset her and cause trouble.
Maddie told herself that she was too sensible to pay heed to such claims. Her wedding day had been wonderful. She loved Giannis and she had to have faith in him. To doubt him on the word of an angry, spiteful woman would be to destroy what they did have.
CHAPTER TEN
GIANNIS strolled through the door and watched Maddie shimmy her curvaceous hips, sending her wedding gown down over them into a frothy wave of lace and silk round her ankles. She stood revealed in a low-cut bra, minuscule panties and lace hold-up stockings. A blue garter encircled one slender thigh as a finishing touch. He was enthralled.
‘Hold it there, pedhi mou,’ Giannis urged. ‘Let me take care of the rest.’
Maddie blushed, for she hadn’t heard him come in. It was so long since they had shared a bed that she felt wildly self-conscious. A charismatic smile on his lips, he shed his jacket and tie and unbuttoned his dress shirt. The entire time he watched her like a hawk. ‘Do you know?’ he murmured conversationally. ‘I’ve never gone so long without sex in my life.’
Taken aback by that admission, Maddie gave him a startled look, and then she started to giggle, all her tension dissolving.
Giannis scored long brown fingers through his luxuriant black hair. ‘I didn’t intend to say said that—’
‘Oh, I’m so glad that you did. I thought you didn’t want me any more,’ Maddie whispered, closing the space between them and stretching up on tiptoe to share that fear. She wondered how long it had been since he was with another woman. Just as quickly she squashed that thought. Because she was convinced that since the day he learned that she was pregnant, he had been true to her.
Giannis gave her an amused look and slowly shook his handsome dark head. ‘Where did you get that idea? Initially I thought restraint was a necessity. You looked so fragile.’ Lean hands anchoring to her narrow wrists, he drew her to him. Slowly, sexily, he backed her down onto the opulent bed behind her. ‘Then time became an issue. You deserved something more than a stolen hour. If I had been a different kind of guy, you might still have been a virgin tonight.’
‘You’re not that patient.’
‘Would you want me to be?’ He flicked loose the catch on her bra and peeled it away.
‘I should say yes…’ Her heart was already beating so fast with anticipation that she was breathless. ‘But I’d be lying.’
As the pale voluptuous mounds of her breasts spilled free, Giannis released his breath in a deeply appreciative hiss. He bent his handsome dark head to take immediate advantage of a quivering pink peak. Supersensitive there, she whimpered and let her head fall back over his arm, her hips squirming as he teased the tender buds until each was as ripe as a berry. He pulled her on to his lap and slid his tongue into the delicate interior of her mouth, probing with erotic mastery while he played with her swollen nipples.
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