“There isn’t.” Even though it was a small island, there were still parts that weren’t developed. And this happened to be one of those areas.
“We aren’t that far from shore. How are your swimming skills?”
Her mouth opened but nothing came out. By now, the sun had sunk below the horizon, sending long shadows over the land. And she had a choice to make. Staying here with Xander for the evening with the moon and stars overhead. The idea so appealed to her.
Or she could fess up about the emergency radio.
“Lea, it’s okay if you can’t swim. We can make do here on the boat.”
“I... I can swim—”
In that moment, Xander yanked off his shirt, revealing his muscled chest. Any other words stuck in the back of her throat. My goodness, he was so sexy. Her mouth grew dry as she took in the spectacular view. She really was leaning toward forgetting about the emergency radio.
She kept staring at his defined chest and his sculpted abs. Her fingers tingled with the desire to reach out and trace the lines of his muscles. He was oh, so tempting.
“See something you like?” His teasing smile lit up his face.
Heat rushed up her neck and set her cheeks ablaze. The look in his eyes tempted her to start something—something that would most definitely spin out of control. But would she just get burned in the end?
The question had her hesitating. Why was she making such a big deal about this now? They’d already spent an amazing weekend together, wrapped in each other’s arms. How could another romantic evening make things worse?
But things had changed dramatically since that unforgettable weekend. With a baby on the way, they would be in each other’s lives forever and the thought of making that relationship even more complicated was the only thing holding Lea back from rushing into his arms.
“Or—” Xander’s voice drew her attention “—I can go alone. I’ll send help.”
Evening had settled over them. But it wasn’t that dark out, with the full moon reflecting off the water. She knew what she wanted, but did she have the courage to follow her heart?
As though Xander could sense her indecision, he stepped up to her. “Lea, it’s okay. I’m sorry this happened. I swear I didn’t plan it.”
“It’s not that.” Her insides shivered with nervous energy. For so long, she had been enforcing the rules, walking the straight line, and now she was considering living on the edge and following her desires. “Let’s go for it.”
The look of surprise lit up Xander’s eye. “Are you serious?”
She nodded. “I am.”
This time she was the one to pull off her shirt and toss it on the white leather seat next to Xander’s discarded shirt. When she glanced up, she caught him staring at her with his eyes rounded and his mouth gaping.
“What?” She refused to blush. They were both adults here. Consenting adults. “You surely didn’t think I was going to swim with all of my clothes on, did you?”
And besides, her bra covered more than her itty-bitty bikini. She didn’t tell him that. But she couldn’t resist glancing up at him as she shimmied out of her capris and stood there in her lacey boy-shorts undies. She heard a distinct hiss of breath from him. Playing the seductress was new for her and she was finding that she liked it.
“Last one to shore has to collect the firewood.” And with that she dove into the water. She didn’t look back as she planned to win this race.
The water, though warm as far as large bodies of water went, was still cold against her heated skin. She kept moving quickly through the water. The faster she moved, the warmer she got. And before she knew it, the water grew shallow and she stood up.
She glanced back to find Xander hot on her heels. She ran out of the water and didn’t stop until she was standing on dry sand.
She turned back to the water where Xander was getting to his feet. The moonlight caught upon a bag in Xander’s hand. What was that man up to now?
Guilt niggled at her conscience. She should have told him about the emergency radio. Just then a breeze whished past her body, leaving a trail of goose bumps over her skin. She shivered. She was beginning to think she was never going to get warm again.
Xander turned and retrieved the bag from the sand. “I don’t know if this is still dry.” He struggled with the knot in the bag. After a few seconds, he opened it.
He withdrew a large towel and draped it around her. “I thought you might want this.”
“Thank you. But what about you?”
“Don’t worry.” Xander wrapped his arms around her. “I know how to stay warm. I’ll just hold this very hot woman in my arms.”
“I don’t know about being hot. I feel more like a very cold fish.”
He tightened his hold on her, rubbing his hands over her back. “Definitely not fishy. I’m beginning to think you’re part mermaid.”
She lifted her chin so that their gazes met. “I take it you have a thing for mermaids.”
“I didn’t before, but with a little encouragement, I might change my mind.”
“Mm... And what sort of encouragement do you have in mind?” She snuggled closer to him, seeking the warmth of his body.
He lowered his head toward hers. “This kind.”
She tilted her chin upward. And then Xander pressed his mouth against hers. His lips were smooth and gentle. His touch sent an arrow of arousal through her core. Her insides immediately heated, warming her from the inside out.
And then all too soon, he pulled back. “I better get a fire started. It might be a little while until they get here.”
“Get here?”
“Yes, you surely didn’t think we were stranded out here, did you?”
“So you found the emergency radio?”
With the moonlight highlighting Xander’s handsome face, he arched a brow and smiled at her. “Were you holding out on me?”
“I, uh... Well, I uh...”
Xander laughed, a deep rich tone that wrapped around her and let her know everything was going to be all right.
He sobered up. “It’s all right. I wanted to spend more time with you, too. But I didn’t think you’d want to spend the whole night on the beach and so I used the radio to call the marina office. They’re sending out a couple of boats.”
“Well, aren’t you my hero?”
“I’m just trying to watch out for a gorgeous mermaid.”
A hint of a smile eased the lines on his face. In the dark, it was difficult to read the look in his eyes, but she’d guess that she’d stroked his ego enough to make him happy.
“Um, let’s get that fire started.”
“You might not find much to make a fire,” she said.
“You know where we are?”
She nodded. “This is called Deadman’s Bay.”
He glanced around. “It doesn’t look that bad.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “In the daylight, it’s actually quite lovely with white sand and the aqua blue water.”
“Then why such a dreadful name?”
“It’s said that in the old days pirates would trap merchant ships in the bay and there was no other way out than past the pirates.” She pointed in front of them. “The cliffs go straight up some three hundred meters or more. Climbing them without the proper equipment is a fool’s mission.”
“Well, then, before the pirates get us, I should search for some driftwood or anything that will burn.” He headed off.
In no time, he had started a fire with the aid of a lighter from the plastic sack. She wondered what else he had stashed in that bag. Some s’mores would be great about now. Her stomach rumbled its approval. She wondered if they made s’mores in Greece.
Xander dragged a large log over near the fire and they sat down. He wrapped a hand over her shoulders and pulled her close. “Are you warm
enough?”
“I’m getting there.” Suddenly she felt foolish for stripping down and diving in the water. “What are people going to say when they find us sitting here in our underwear?”
“I’m thinking the guys are going to be very jealous of me being here alone with you.”
“But...but nothing happened.”
He leaned in close and lowered his voice. “Would you like something to happen?”
The word yes hovered on her lips, but she bit it back. Perhaps she’d been daring enough for one evening. “I think this is, um, good. You never know when they’re going to find us.”
“Really? Because I’d be willing to risk it, if you are.”
She turned to look at him and realized that was a mistake. He was so close that their lips were just an inch apart. Her heart tap-tapped in her chest. She tried to tell herself that it was just the coldness but the truth was between the fire, the oversized towel and being snuggled against Xander, she wasn’t cold any longer.
Her gaze lowered to his lips and then she quickly turned away before she gave in to her desires. She was marooned on this deserted beach with literally the man of her dreams, and she was holding back. Popi would tell her she was being silly. That she should go with the moment and enjoy it—enjoy him. But Lea had a baby to think about. She couldn’t let herself get caught up in something that wasn’t real.
“Lea, I want you to know that I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself this much. If I were to be stuck on a deserted island, I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to be with.”
Her heart definitely skipped a beat. “I feel the same way.” Their gazes caught and held. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that. Trying to lighten the mood, she glanced away. “After all, you know how to start a fire and—”
“Lea, will you marry me?”
“What?” Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly.
“You heard me, will you marry me?”
Her mouth gaped. Where in the world had that come from? And then she wondered if he felt the need to do the right thing because she was pregnant. That had to be it, because there was no other reason for them to marry. It wasn’t like they were in love or anything.
She appreciated how he’d phrased the offer as a question instead of making it a demand. Her parents never stopped to ask her opinion before dictating how things should be. They’d continued to treat her as a child until the day she packed up and caught a plane to Greece—her adventure to find out about the family she never knew existed.
And Charles, had he deemed her fit to be his wife, would have told her they were getting married instead of asking her. Thank goodness that never happened.
Lea shook her head. “It won’t work.”
“It can if we want it to.”
“I won’t marry someone I don’t love.”
The pain reflected in his eyes had her regretting her blunt answer. She just didn’t want him holding out for something that wasn’t going to happen.
Lea got up and moved to the water’s edge. She knew she’d hurt him and that hadn’t been her intention. But in the long run, this would be less painful for both of them.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
LAST NIGHT HADN’T gone the way he’d planned it.
Not even close.
Xander had been frowning all day today—at least that was what Joseph had accused him of. Why did Lea’s rejection sting so much? It wasn’t like he was madly in love with her. He was just trying to make things easier for her—for both of them.
Because the baby needed them both. And for that reason, he wasn’t giving up on changing Lea’s mind about marrying him. He would give Lea and the child his name—it would get them a long way in life—plus a sizeable chunk of his fortune. And when the time came, the child would inherit his empire.
Xander, along with a work crew, finished putting a new roof on one of the bungalows. And since it was nearing lunchtime, he decided to ask Lea to share a meal with him. They had barely spoken since she’d turned down his marriage proposal. And now that the sting of her rejection had worn off, he had to take emotions out of the equation and focus on the end goal—creating a family for their baby.
As he walked from the bungalow to Lea’s office, he had to navigate through the throng of wedding guests. They were everywhere—there was even a line of people waiting to be seated at the Hideaway Café. That was a first. So much for his plan of a grabbing a decaf caramel latte for Lea as a peace offering.
Xander continued on to the main offices when he saw Lea step out into the sunshine, but she wasn’t alone. She was with a middle-aged couple. The man carried a briefcase and the woman wore a dark skirt and jacket. They definitely weren’t here for some romance in the sun and he highly doubted they were the bride and groom. So, who were they?
The smile slipped from his face. They were prospective buyers for the island. He was certain of it. Who knew so many people were interested in running a wedding island?
Suddenly it felt like all the progress he’d made with Lea was in jeopardy. The thought of at last having his own family—people he could trust—people that would always be there for him and him for them—was slipping through his fingers. And it was only then that he realized just how much he wanted this—wanted the family he hadn’t known he could have.
He headed for Lea. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say. He felt a little betrayed that as close as they were growing she still wouldn’t consider accepting his help, but she would consider selling to strangers—people she didn’t know she could trust with her beloved island.
“Please feel free to explore the island at your leisure,” Lea said to the couple with her back to Xander.
“I just wouldn’t take the boat tour, if I were you.”
Lea immediately spun around and leveled a dark, warning stare at him. The look immediately brought him to his senses.
“And why would that be?” the man asked with a concerned look on his face.
Lea turned to the man. “It’s nothing to worry about. Xander was just making a joke. It was something you had to be there to understand. But our boats are all well maintained and available should you like to see the island from the sea. Just let me know. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to have a quick word with Mr. Marinakos.”
It was impossible to miss the anger written all over her face as she faced Xander. This time he had no one to blame but himself for taking quite a few steps back in their relationship. She led them a safe distance away from the couple she’d been talking to.
With her back turned to her guests, she said, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I was just trying to make a joke. Like you said.”
Her gaze narrowed. “That was no joke. So what gives?”
She had called him out and maybe it was good to tell her the truth—all of it. After all, at this point, what could it hurt?
He swallowed. “I thought that you and I, we were growing closer.”
She hesitated. “As friends.”
They both knew their relationship had gone beyond friendship, but if it made her more comfortable to think of them as merely friends, he wasn’t going to correct her.
He stared into her eyes. “I thought you were beginning to trust me.”
“I... I am.” He read confusion in her eyes. “But what does that have to do with you trying to run off prospective buyers? You know how important this is to me.”
And he felt bad for letting himself act rashly. He raked his fingers through his hair. It wasn’t something he ever allowed himself to do when he was conducting a business deal. In fact, he was more inclined to take his time and let the other man sweat it out. But with Lea and the baby on the line, he was the one sweating out how this was all going to work out.
“I thought by now you’d realize you could trust me—that you would consider letting m
e give...” He paused. This wasn’t coming out right. If he didn’t handle this correctly, she would dig her heels in even deeper. He sighed and lowered his head. “Never mind. I’m sorry I interrupted your meeting.”
He turned to walk away when she reached out, touching his arm. “Xander, wait.”
He glanced back to her, not sure what he expected her to say. He remained quiet, letting her have her say.
Her gaze searched his. “What were you hoping would happen?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer as she barreled forward. “Were you hoping that if you sweet-talked me on a deserted beach I would suddenly decide to sell to you?”
“No.” His voice was sterner than he’d intended it to be. He made an effort to soften his voice. “I’d hoped you’d let me loan you the money to fix up the island.”
“With strings—”
“No. No strings attached.” It wasn’t how he normally did business, but he’d make an exception in this case. “It would be because we’re friends.”
She stepped closer to him, never breaking eye contact. “You’re being serious, aren’t you?”
He let out a breath he hadn’t even realized that he’d been holding. “Yes, I am.”
“After all of this time, you still don’t get it.”
His brows drew together. “Get what?”
“That what this baby needs from you isn’t money. It needs you to let down your guard and love it. He or she needs you to be an active part of its life.”
Xander took a step back. She was asking him to be a loving, devoted parent. And as much as he wanted that, too, he was afraid he’d follow the parenting examples from his past. “I’m not good with emotions.”
“Is that what your sister would say? I see the way your eyes light up when you talk about her. You’d do anything for her, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course, but that’s different—”
“You love her, right?”
“Yes. But—”
“But you’re willing to give your child less?”
His back teeth ground together. Why was she twisting his words around on him? He was doing what was best for the child—protecting it from him.
Carrying the Greek Tycoon's Baby Page 13