But as long as Xander was distracted she could immerse herself in the details of the wedding. Still there was a part of her that wanted to drop everything and rush home to see what he was planning. Surely he didn’t think they could be roommates forever, did he?
* * *
It wasn’t until hours later that Lea was able to head home. She was dragging her feet, by then. The ferry from the mainland that normally only made one trip daily had made three trips that day to accommodate the supplies needed for the royal wedding. Lea couldn’t even imagine what the arrangements would entail if this wedding had the king and queen’s blessing.
As it was, only a thousand guests—the prince and his intended’s closest friends and family—would be attending the nuptials. The number was too large to accommodate on the island, and special arrangements were made to ferry the guests back to the mainland after the reception.
The plans kept circling around in Lea’s mind as she took the golf cart back to her bungalow. Tomorrow the prince and his bride would arrive. Popi had opted to see to the royal couple’s needs, which was fine with Lea. The couple wanted to be here in advance of the big day to “make sure” nothing went wrong. Somehow Lea couldn’t help but think that they would be more of a hindrance to the preparations than a help, but who was she to argue when the prince was the one picking up the large tab for this elaborate affair, including a bonus for pulling it together on a moment’s notice.
When Lea finally let herself through the door of the bungalow, it was dark inside. She frowned as she flipped on the light. Where was Xander?
And then she heard a muffled voice. She headed for his room. The door was closed but light shone at the bottom. He muttered something in a grouchy tone but she wasn’t able to make out the words.
She raised her hand to knock but then hesitated, not sure she should disturb him. But then again, this was her home and he was her guest. She tightened her fist and rapped her knuckles on the door.
“Xander, is it all right if I come in?”
“Um...hang on.”
Something crashed to the floor.
That was it. She was going to find out what was going on. She grasped the doorknob but found it locked. Really?
She knocked again. “Xander, is everything all right?”
There was a slight pause. “Yeah. It’s fine.”
It? What was the it he was referring to?
“Are you sure?”
“I’ll be out in a minute. Just get comfortable. I have dinner warming in the oven.”
Dinner? Her stomach rumbled its approval. It had been a very long time since lunch. As her stomach growled again, she realized that now, being pregnant, she couldn’t let work be her main focus and neglect regular meals.
And that wasn’t the only change this baby would bring to her life. She wondered just how big a role Xander would play in their lives. Would he want to have their child every other weekend? Or would he take a more distant role? The thought didn’t please her. Their child deserved to have both an active mother and father. But would Xander agree?
* * *
Xander sighed.
Putting together baby furniture was more frustrating than he’d ever imagined. And the instructions might as well be written in a foreign language because he’d done what they’d said five times and he still didn’t have the changing table fully assembled. If the furniture was this difficult, he didn’t even want to imagine how daunting it must be to be a good parent.
It made him think of his parents. With distance and a better perspective, he was beginning to think that he’d been too hard on them. Sure, his father hadn’t indulged him, but he knew his paternal grandfather hadn’t been easy on his father. So his father had done what he knew.
So what did Xander know about being a father? Would he repeat his father’s mistakes? Could he do it different? Should he even try?
The questions came one after the other, but the answers didn’t come as easily. However, he couldn’t stand around in his room searching for those elusive answers. He glanced around at the ripped-open boxes and the furniture partially assembled. Maybe he should have waited to start this project when he was fully awake.
He turned his back on the mess. He’d deal with it later. His hand grasped the doorknob, releasing the lock. He opened it cautiously just in case Lea was lingering in the hallway, but she’d decided to move on.
In the kitchen, he found her staring in the fridge. “Are you hungry?”
She jumped and then pressed a hand to her chest. She closed the fridge and turned to him. “You have no idea.”
He arched a brow. “You are eating enough, aren’t you?”
She nodded but then hesitated. “I just missed dinner.”
“I don’t know much about pregnancy but I do know you have to eat regularly for you and the baby.”
“I know. I just got wrapped up in things.” The guilty look on her face stole his heart. “It won’t happen again.”
That was all he needed to hear. He moved past her and opened the oven. With pot holders, he pulled out a casserole dish. “I hope it’s good.”
“It smells delightful. What is it?”
“It’s something my mother used to make. At least, it’s supposed to be similar. I didn’t have the recipe so I called my sister and she gave it to me. I don’t know if it’s good—”
“Xander, relax.” She smiled at him for rambling on. “What do you call it?”
“I don’t know the actual name but it’s lemony rice pilaf with chicken. My mother used to make it when I didn’t feel good.”
Lea continued to smile but she didn’t say anything.
At last his curiosity got the best of him. “Why are you smiling?”
“I’m just happy that you found a good memory.”
She was right. For so long, he’d focused on all the things that had gone wrong instead of the things in his past that had been good. Perhaps he needed a different perspective on the past.
Xander dished up the food and then joined Lea on the couch. It was far too late in the evening to worry about proper etiquette. If he were alone in his condo in Athens, he’d be eating his food in front of the television, catching the end of a European football game.
“What were you doing when I got home?” Lea asked after demolishing half the food on her plate.
“I was just working on some stuff.” He wasn’t about to tell her about the nursery until it looked more like a baby’s room than a junk room.
“Would that stuff be what you had shipped in?”
His fork hovered in the air. “You saw that?”
“I didn’t, but Popi noticed you had a large shipment and she thought you were moving in here permanently.” Lea eyed him up. “Are you shipping all of your stuff here?”
He laughed. This bungalow wasn’t even half the size of his condo. His things wouldn’t fit. If he were to relocate to Infinity Island, he’d have to build them a whole new home. Not that he was planning to move here.
“What’s so amusing?” Lea asked.
It was only then that he realized his thoughts had translated into a smile. “I just found it amusing that Popi was jumping to conclusions. You don’t have to worry. All my possessions are still back in Athens.”
“Then what was in the big box?”
She wasn’t going to let this drop until he gave her a reasonable answer. “It was some work stuff that I need to sort out.”
Lea hesitated and then she turned back to her food. “Sounds like they shipped you the whole office.”
“Not even close. But don’t worry. I promise to keep it all contained in my room.” He knew she liked to keep her bungalow spotless. Even the dishes were promptly rinsed and loaded in the dishwasher.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
And then worried she might decide to start snooping, he a
dded, “Just so you know, all of the stuff is confidential.”
“Top secret, huh?” She sent him a teasing smile.
“Something like that.”
“Don’t worry. As long as you keep it out of sight, I won’t bother anything. Not that I’ll have any time, with the upcoming wedding.”
And so he was safe for now. As Lea started to tell him about the latest developments with the royal wedding, he found himself interested in what she had to say. It wasn’t the subject so much as the way she described things. She was an entertaining storyteller. He could listen to her for hours.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THINGS WERE GOING WELL.
Better than he’d ever imagined.
Xander surprised himself with how much he enjoyed spending time with Lea. He looked forward to their conversations. He even took pleasure in the companionable silence.
And for the first time, he realized his interest in Lea went deeper than co-parenting. There was something special about this woman that attracted him. Dare he admit that he could envision sharing his life with her—with their child?
It wouldn’t be a marriage created out of greeting-card platitudes and Valentine’s Day chocolates. It would be better. It would be based on mutual respect, friendship and attraction.
She wasn’t as immune to him as she wanted both of them to believe. He noticed how she stared at him when she didn’t think he was paying attention. And he saw how she trembled with desire when he held her in his arms.
But it was more than the undeniable passion they shared. It was something much deeper. It was her compassion when he told her about his parents. She hadn’t looked at him with disbelief that after all this time he still cared about what his parents had thought of him. And she didn’t look at him with sympathy that made him want to turn away.
She’d looked at him with warmth and understanding. And her touch had given him the comfort and strength to put words to the feelings that he’d been stifling inside him all this time.
The following evening, once the dinner dishes had been cleared, Xander turned to Lea. “Do you have any plans for the evening?”
“Just some computer work and answering some emails. Why?”
He stepped up to her and held out his hand. “Come with me.”
She glanced at his outstretched hand and hesitated. Then her confused gaze rose to meet his gaze. “Where are we going?”
“I have a surprise planned.”
“A surprise?”
He nodded. It was then that she placed her hand in his and they headed for the door. During his stay on the island, he’d made many friends. And one of those friends just happened to run the marina and had offered to lend him a boat.
Xander led her to the pier.
“What are we doing here?” Lea sent him a puzzled look.
“You’ll see.”
“Xander?”
“Trust me.”
He climbed aboard the speedboat and then turned to her and held out his hand. She smiled. “How did you manage this?”
“I have friends.”
“Friends, huh?” Without needing his assistance, she climbed aboard. “I think I’m going to have a staff meeting about not letting people sweet-talk them into doing things that are against the rules.”
“You wouldn’t get Caesar in trouble, would you? After all, he lent me the boat for the evening because he knew it was for you.”
Her eyes widened. “So what you’re saying is that you took advantage of our relationship to coerce my employee to break the rules and lend you this boat?”
Xander saw the twinkle of mischief in her eyes. She was having fun with this. And who was he to ruin her enjoyment? “That sounds about right.”
“Xander Marinakos, has anyone ever told you how bad you are?”
He grinned at her. “And you don’t even know the half of it. But I’d be willing to show you.”
Just then he took her in his arms. His intent was to kiss her until she couldn’t think straight—until the word “no” was the very last thing on her mind. But he also saw the surprise in her widened eyes as her hands landed on his chest. He realized he was overstepping their newfound friendship. And as much as he wanted to kiss her, he couldn’t risk losing the easiness that had grown between them.
With great reluctance, he released her. If they were to kiss again, she would have to make the first move. He just hoped she didn’t wait too long.
He turned his attention to the controls of the boat. “I thought we’d take an evening ride around the island.”
“It’s been a while since I was out on a boat. I’m afraid I’ve become a workaholic and spend most of my time in my office or else putting out fires around the island.”
“Sit down, then.” He gestured to the white seat next to his. “And we’ll have a relaxing evening ride. I’m really anxious to see all of the island.”
She sat down beside him. “Well, since you went to the trouble to get this boat, let’s make this happen.”
“Your wish is my command.”
As he maneuvered the boat out of the marina, he was surprised by how true those words were. He was anxious to make Lea happy. Because when she was happy, he found himself happy too. And that most definitely would be good for their baby.
* * *
The evening sun sank low in the sky, sending rays of sunshine dancing upon the gentle swells of water. And as beautiful as the setting was, Lea found the boat captain to be even more captivating. Xander looked at ease behind the controls of this expensive boat, normally reserved for the newlyweds. She was both surprised and impressed with the evening that Xander had planned. But a niggling thought kept intruding on her enjoyment—what was his end game?
“Something wrong?” Xander slowed the boat so they didn’t have to yell over the roar of the engine.
“Um, no.” She flashed him a bright smile as proof.
He gave her a hesitant look but then let the subject drop. “This island is amazing. It has so many different types of landscapes, from the smooth, white sandy beaches over by the marina to the high and jagged cliffs on this side of the island. This looks like a great area to hike.”
“You’re an outdoors man?” Somehow she didn’t imagine him as one.
“I was when I was younger, but as the years have gone by and my business has grown, I’ve had less time for recreation.”
“That’s too bad. You know what they say—all work and no play makes Xander a dull boy.”
He arched a brow as he glanced over at her. “So that’s what you think of me? You think I’m dull and boring?”
Oops! Heat rushed to her face. “That’s not what I meant. I... I just meant that you work too hard.”
“And I’m boring.”
“No, you’re not.” Her mind was racing to come up with something—anything—that would get her out of this awkward conversation. After this, she just might gag herself to keep from sticking her medium-sized flip-flop in her mouth. “Really. I mean it.”
He flashed her a smile. “Relax. I was just teasing you.”
She took her first easy breath. “That wasn’t funny.”
Xander stopped the boat. “Listen, I’m sorry. It’s just that everything between us is so complicated. And I wanted to lighten the mood. I’m sorry it didn’t come across that way.”
She shook her head. If he was going to be open and honest with her, she owed it to him to do the same thing. “It’s not you. I think I’m just a little touchy. I... I want...”
Xander moved closer to her. When he spoke, his voice came out deeper and softer than normal. “What do you want?”
She found herself staring deep into his eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest as the truth struggled to free itself. She wanted him. And that scared her more than when she’d left the only home she’d ever known to move halfway a
round the world to Greece. And it scared her more than the prospect of being a single parent.
“Lea?” His gaze searched hers.
Not trusting her voice or the words that might escape, she lifted up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. She hadn’t given it much thought. But he had asked what she wanted. And this was it...
Her lips moved over his. At first, he hesitated. It was as though he was surprised by her actions. This surely couldn’t be that much of a jump for him. After all, he’d almost kissed her back at the dock.
And then his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him. Her hands landed on his firm chest and then slid up over his broad shoulders. As he responded to her, a moan swelled in the back of her throat.
It didn’t get any better than this. The setting sun in the background, the lapping of the water on the side of the boat and no one else around. Suddenly the reasons she’d been holding herself back from him didn’t seem so important. Maybe she’d been trying too hard to keep him at arm’s length. Because being in his arms was so much better.
Sputter. Sputter.
Silence.
Xander pulled back. “The engine died. I better check it.”
With great reluctance, Lea loosened her hold on him. “What do you think it is?”
“It probably just stalled.” He turned the key.
Sputter. Silence.
He tried again.
Silence.
“What is it? What’s the matter?” Suddenly their perfect romantic spot seemed rather dark and desolate.
“Give me a second.” He removed his phone from his pocket and turned on the flashlight function. He moved it around the control panel. “I checked the fuel before we left. It says there’s still enough in there to get us back to the marina.”
“I’ll call for help.” Lea dialed the marina office, hoping someone was still there. But the phone didn’t ring. “There’s no signal out here.”
Xander glanced around. “It looks like I took too long circling the island. I don’t think there’s any civilization on this side.”
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