Reunited by the Greek's Vows

by Andie Brock

  Nikos caught her hand and kissed it, his open mouth damp against her knuckles. ‘You are very welcome, agape mou.’ He emptied the last of the champagne into their glasses, holding up the bottle to look at it. ‘Shall I get us another?’

  ‘No.’ Kate shook her head, laughing. ‘Not unless you want to knock me out completely.’

  ‘Trust me...’ His eyes smouldered with intent. ‘That’s the last thing I want.’

  The bottle was tossed to the floor as his arms went around her again, making the crockery and the silverware on the bed topple and crash together nosily.

  ‘Wait!’

  Kate extricated herself from his arms and set about clearing the bed, filling the tray and placing it back on the trolley. She could feel Nikos’s eyes watching her every move, and when she turned to look at him, he patted the bed beside him.

  ‘Get back into bed, woman.’ It was an order, both playful and sexy.

  Kate pressed her lips together. There was nothing she wanted to do more, but the worm of worry had reared its head again, and was refusing to be ignored.

  Cautiously, she slid back in beside him. ‘Thank you for bringing me here to Venice.’ She arranged the sheet around her. ‘It has been wonderful. An experience I will never forget.’

  ‘I was hoping it would be.’ A wicked smile twinkled his eyes. ‘And it’s not over yet.’

  He rolled on his side, sliding his warm leg in between hers, his intentions clear.

  Kate pulled away slightly. ‘Nikos, don’t you think we should talk?’

  ‘Not really.’ He nuzzled into her neck, nipping at the lobe of her ear. ‘I can think of much better things to do.’

  With a soft laugh Kate felt her eyelids start to close against his sensual assault—before reality crept in again. Pushing herself back against the pillows, she turned to look at him, gazing at the hard perfection of his body, the strikingly handsome planes of his shadowed face. And when he smiled at her, her heart whispered with longing.

  ‘I mean it, Nikos.’ She started to pleat the linen sheet beneath her fingers. ‘This past week or so has been such a whirlwind—the whole marriage thing, all the travelling, and now this...’ She flashed him a nervous glance.

  ‘You regret making love with me?’ His question was typically direct, his eyes dark, challenging.

  ‘No.’ Kate knew for certain that was true. How could she regret doing something that had felt so wonderful? So right. ‘I don’t regret it, Nikos. What about you?’ A shot of fear tinged her voice.

  ‘No.’ He sat up, roughly arranging the pillows behind him. ‘Me neither. Far from it.’ His hand slid under the covers to rest on Kate’s thigh, gently stroking away her fears. ‘So, if it’s not to admonish me for being a wicked seducer, what do you want to talk about?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Kate chewed down on her lip. ‘Maybe you could tell me about Sofia. If I’m to meet her I’d like to learn more about her.’

  ‘Sofia is funny and sassy and very bright. She’s a great kid.’

  Kate was surprised to see his eyes shining with something like pride. ‘You two have got quite close then?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Nikos gave a small nod. ‘I’d like to think so.’

  Kate hesitated. ‘Philippos’s death must have come as a terrible shock to her.’

  ‘Fysika. Of course.’ Nikos removed his hand from her thigh and raked it through his ruffled hair, his jaw tightening.

  ‘And for you too?’

  ‘Yes, Kate, for me too.’

  He gave a weary sigh, and for a moment Kate feared that the shutters were going to come down.

  But then in a low voice he continued, ‘It was hard to take in. It still is.’

  ‘I’m sure.’ Cautiously Kate felt for his hand, which had come to rest outside the covers, and softly laid her own over it. ‘Did you have any idea that Philippos...that he was suffering from mental health problems?’

  ‘Not really. I hadn’t been back to Crete for some time. After we sold the software patent our business relationship was dissolved. We went our separate ways.’

  ‘And what about Sofia? Did she know?’

  ‘She was away at some fancy boarding school. Philippos obviously decided he had to do something with all that money he’d made.’ Nikos’s throat moved on a swallow. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing, Kate. I thought that making Philippos rich and successful would make him happy. Instead I ruined his life.’

  ‘Why would you say that?’ Kate edged closer to him, squeezing his hand under hers.

  ‘Because it’s true.’

  ‘No.’ Suddenly she felt an overwhelming need to comfort him, to take away the hurt in his eyes. ‘You can’t blame yourself for Philippos’s death.’

  ‘Can’t I?’ Shrugging off her hand, Nikos roughly pulled back the sheet and got out of bed. ‘You just watch me. If I hadn’t gone back to Agia Loukia that summer, seen what Philippos was working on and persuaded him to let me market it commercially, his genius idea would have stayed on the drawing board. He would never have had to try and cope with the pressures of such unexpected wealth. He would still be alive. And Sofia would still have a brother.’

  ‘You don’t know that, Nikos.’ Scooting across the bed, Kate jumped out too, the urge to rush and put her arms around him propelling her forward to where his proud figure was silhouetted against the window. ‘Mental health problems are far more complicated to deal with than that.’

  Nikos stilled, then turned to look at her, spearing her with his gaze. ‘You sound like you speak from experience.’

  She certainly did. Kate hesitated. In this moment of quiet she would have liked to tell him about her mother, but that would mean breaking her promise. So instead she sidestepped his remark. ‘I know it’s something a lot of people suffer from.’

  ‘And there are all kinds of very effective treatments. If I had made time to see Philippos more often, found him some professional help, been the friend to him that I should have been, I know I could have saved him. But instead of that I was too busy making money, turning my own millions into billions. Scarcely giving a thought to how he was coping.’

  ‘Punishing yourself now is not going to bring Philippos back, Nikos.’ Kate pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the heartbeat beneath.

  ‘I know that.’ Nikos turned his head. ‘Trust me, if it could I would willingly accept the harshest punishment going.’

  Kate gazed at his noble profile, at his jaw held tight with grief. Very gently she turned him to face her again. ‘It’s far better to channel that negative energy into something positive.’ She gave him a tender smile. ‘Taking care of Sofia, for example.’

  ‘You are right.’

  Nikos let out a pent-up breath. Gathering Kate’s hand in his, he moved it down to her side, then ran his fingers the length of her arms. Kate’s senses skittered with pleasure.

  ‘Which is why I am determined to be there for Sofia in a way I never was for Philippos. I know I can never replace her brother, but I’m going to try my hardest to be the next best thing. I will do everything within my power to make sure she has the best life possible.’

  ‘Even get married to a woman you despise?’ The words escaped Kate’s lips before she could stop them.

  Nikos gave a soft huff. ‘I have never despised you, Kate. Don’t ever think that.’ He laced his fingers through hers, drawing her against his naked chest and holding her close. ‘I’ll admit that my feelings for you over the years have been harsh. Our bitter break-up saw to that. But despise you? No—never. How could I when we can share something so special?’

  Sex. He was talking about sex, that was all. But nuzzled against his muscled chest, breathing in his warm scent, Kate allowed herself to dream, just for this moment.

  And when Nikos released one hand, leading her back towards the bed with the other, softly asking if she would stay wi
th him tonight, she knew there was only one answer. She knew she was lost.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ‘HI.’

  Kate looked up into the heavily kohled eyes of a pretty teenager.

  ‘Hello, Sofia.’ Getting to her feet, she stretched out her hand in greeting, but Sofia immediately pulled her into a hug. She smelled of some sort of exotic incense. ‘I am so pleased to meet you.’

  ‘You too,’ said Sofia, looking around her, scanning the other diners in the smart restaurant.

  ‘And Happy Birthday!’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘How does it feel to be sixteen?’

  ‘Pretty much the same as fifteen.’ Sofia sat down in the chair Nikos had pulled out for her and picked up the menu.

  Kate laughed. To be fair it had been a pretty dumb question. She studied the teenager over the top of her menu. The first thing she’d noticed was her hair, shaved over one ear, it was dyed in shades of pink, green and blue, and artfully mussed so that it framed her pretty face like a spiky rainbow. She was wearing skinny jeans with rips all the way down and a skimpy black camisole top. Kate immediately liked her.

  ‘What are you two going to have?’ Nikos put down his menu. ‘I understand the chateaubriand is very good.’

  Kate gazed across at him, trying her hardest to control the silly smile that threatened to creep over her face whenever she looked at him. The last few days had been so lovely she felt like she was floating on a cloud. But clouds, as she had to keep reminding herself, could quickly disappear...

  Continuing their grand tour, they had spent three days in Barcelona, visiting all the tourist spots and soaking up the culture.

  And even though the paparazzi had been in attendance, snapping pictures of them gazing up in awe at the Sagrada Familia or wandering arm in arm down Las Ramblas, the bustling, tree-lined street in the centre of the city, this time it had been different. When they’d asked her to pose for the camera she hadn’t felt like a fraud, as if it was all a gruesome pretence. This time her smile had been genuine. Her happiness real.

  Like a switch being flicked, their relationship had completely altered since that night in Venice. Gone was the cold, harsh Nikos, who’d looked at her with such antipathy, treated her with such callous disregard. He had been replaced by a charming, attentive, funny and deeply sexy lover. The man she had fallen so madly in love with in Crete, in fact.

  Except that wasn’t quite true. Nikos had altered—they both had. He was a stronger, more powerful version of himself, and all the more compelling for that. Success had honed him, made him sharper, more astute. And the way he wore his wealth only heightened his allure.

  He was unostentatiously generous—particularly with taxi drivers or hotel staff or waiters...people to whom it meant the most. Maybe he remembered what it was like to be a humble waiter himself. Either way, this new Nikos was a whole new heartbreaking force to be reckoned with.

  This trip to London—the last on their honeymoon itinerary—had been timed so they could take Sofia out for her birthday. Kate had been nervous about meeting her, especially since finding out that Nikos had told Sofia she had married him for money. Kate could have done without that, even if it was the truth.

  But if Sofia had any concerns about Kate and her motives they weren’t showing. Instead she was screwing up her nose as she read the menu. ‘D’you think I could have a burger?’ She put the menu down. ‘That’s what I’d really like.’

  ‘In that case, that’s what you shall have,’ Nikos said. ‘It is your birthday after all. Kate? Have you decided?’

  ‘Yes. I’ll have a burger too, please.’ She smiled at him.

  ‘Three burgers it is, then.’ Nikos signalled to the waiter.

  ‘And don’t forget the fries,’ Sofia reminded him. ‘Lots of them—I’m starving. And I’ll have a double rum and Coke.’

  ‘Den tha! You will not!’

  ‘Okay. I guess I’ll just have to make do with a glass of champagne, then.’ She gave him a cheeky grin. ‘So that we can all toast my birthday.’

  With their orders taken, Nikos sat back in his chair, studying Sofia with his fingers steepled under his chin. Kate was fascinated to see the relationship between these two. It was obviously warm, and surprisingly close. Nikos hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said they’d got to know each other well. There was a genuine affection between them—a teasing banter such as true siblings might have.

  Not that Kate had ever had the chance to experience such a thing. But this was a side of Nikos that Kate had never seen before. And she found herself strangely moved.

  ‘And what, young lady, is that?’ Nikos was pointing to the rather sore-looking piercing for a stud in Sofia’s delicate nostril.

  ‘Oh, that...’ Sofia nonchalantly touched her nose. ‘My birthday present to myself. I’ve wanted one for ages, but if you’re under sixteen you have to have written confirmation from a parent or guardian, and as I’m only a ward of court at the moment I had to wait. What do you think?’

  ‘I think...’ Nikos put on a mock-stern voice ‘...that even if I had been your guardian I wouldn’t have been signing forms allowing you to mutilate your body.’

  Sofia rolled her eyes. ‘Honestly, Nikos, when did you turn into such an old grouch?’

  Kate bit back a smile at the teenager’s taunting.

  ‘I bet you have piercings, don’t you, Kate?’ She picked up a piece of bread and tore off a chunk.

  ‘No—well, only my ears.’

  Suddenly Kate wished that she was riddled with piercings, so she could show her cool credentials to Sofia. But the fact was she would never have been allowed to have her nose pierced, or her head shaved, or even wear ripped jeans, like the lively teenager before her. Kate’s mother had ruled supreme when it had come to her appearance, and had still been picking out her dresses for her when Kate had been in her late teens.

  All in the name of Kandy Kate, of course, to preserve its squeaky clean image. Even when she had escaped to university she had been warned by Fiona that she must dress ‘appropriately’ at all times, and never forget who she was.

  ‘Shame. You would suit something dramatic with your hairstyle. A stud above your lip, maybe, or at least a helix piercing. That’s here...’ she leant across to touch Kate’s ear ‘...in the cartilage at the top.’

  ‘I’ll bear that in mind.’ Kate smiled. ‘Maybe I’ll do just that. What do you think, Nikos?’

  ‘I think I like your ears just as they are.’ Nikos gave her a solemn stare before looking down, as if he had somehow given himself away. But Kate felt herself glow with pleasure.

  ‘Your hair is cool, by the way.’ Sofia chattered on.

  ‘Thank you.’ All these compliments could turn a girl’s head. ‘I like yours too.’

  ‘Oh, look—here comes the champagne.’

  The meal carried on happily, with Sofia keeping them entertained and making their table by far the most lively in this rather stuffy establishment. Kate wouldn’t have chosen this place, she thought. She would have picked a more modern place—somewhere more edgy. Although she had to admit that the burgers were good.

  ‘So, where have you two visited so far?’ Sofia wiped her mouth with her napkin and picked up another handful of fries.

  ‘We started in Paris, then Rome, Venice and Barcelona.’ Nikos ran through their itinerary. ‘London is our last stop.’

  ‘Cool. And which place did you like best?’

  ‘I would say Venice—or maybe Barcelona.’ Nikos caught Kate in his dark gaze again. ‘How about you, Kate?

  Stupidly, Kate felt herself blush. ‘Yes, both those places were a lot of fun.’

  ‘Indeed.’

  Nikos’s low voice caught Sofia’s attention and her eyes travelled from one of them to the other, taking everything in as she slowly licked her fingers.

  ‘Are you n
ot going to Greece, Nikos? Surely you want to show Kate Athens?’

  ‘Kate has already visited the Acropolis.’

  That was true. It had been her first stop on her solo trip to Europe, which felt like a lifetime ago now.

  ‘I don’t mean the Acropolis—I mean the real Athens, where the fun stuff is. I tell you what, Kate...’ Sofia warmed to her theme ‘...you and I should go together. I have loads of friends there. We would have a blast.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Kate touched Sofia’s hand, looking down at the chunky silver rings on her slender fingers. ‘That would be lovely.’

  If extremely unlikely. Much as she liked this engaging young woman, she knew she would never be part of her life. As soon as Nikos became her legal guardian he and Kate would divorce and she would never see her again. Which was a shame.

  ‘How’s the legal stuff going, anyway?’ Sofia lifted the bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket and, seeing it was empty, waved it at Nikos. ‘Shall we get another one?’

  ‘I think one bottle is enough.’ Nikos frowned at her. ‘And, in answer to your question, it’s going slowly. There are few things I want to discuss with you.’

  ‘Please speak Greek if you want to.’ Kate interjected. ‘Don’t feel you have to use English because of me.’

  ‘Of course we will speak English,’ Sofia replied. ‘It would be rude not to. And besides, I want Nikos to see all the money spent on my education hasn’t been wasted.’

  Kate laughed. ‘Your English is great!’

  As the two of them started talking Kate excused herself to go to the bathroom. She felt as if she was eavesdropping on something that was really none of her business. It also highlighted her part in this charade—the fact that she had only married Nikos for money. And that made her feel horribly awkward.

  She took her time, and when she returned Nikos was asking for the bill.

  ‘Ah, Kate, I was just going to give Sofia her present.’

  ‘Ooh, thanks!’ Sofia’s face lit up with child-like expectation, and suddenly Kate realised how young she really was.