‘I was eighteen, Theo, and you were right. It was only because I thought you were an unfaithful swine, a playboy who had women all over the place as well as a poor, long-suffering fiancée that I said what I did.’
‘That is some impression I made on you,’ he mocked, his eyes searching her expressive face, and he knew she was telling the truth. ‘Not that it matters now.’ He shrugged. ‘But when you left, my ego took a serious knock. In fact you damn near unmanned me,’ he said wryly. ‘And let me assure you there was nothing long-suffering about Dianne—she was all over me like a rash. My ego duly restored, I married her.’
‘That is terrible.’ Willow stretched out an unsteady hand and placed it on his arm, her blue eyes full of sympathy gazing up into his. ‘I had no idea.’
‘Forget it,’ Theo said bluntly. ‘Your sympathy is misplaced. Dianne was a partner in the legal firm in New York that takes care of our business there, and the marriage was simply an extension of that partnership. It could have worked except, as I said, I returned home early from a trip abroad and caught her in bed with another man. We had been married for four years at the time, and with no sign of any children the divorce was no big deal,’ he concluded dismissively.
At his reference to children Willow tensed, realising that she had discovered more about Theo in the last few minutes than he had ever told her before, but also that he had simply reaffirmed the real reason for their marriage: Stephen. She would be wise not to hope for too much, she reminded herself, but, looking up into his austerely handsome face, she felt the familiar twist of heat in her stomach that made her breath catch in her throat, and she could not tear her gaze away. She wanted his firm, sensuous mouth on her own again so badly, her mouth went dry, and her tongue flicked out to moisten her full bottom lip.
Theo studied her with brooding eyes. He saw the flick of her tongue, and the shimmer in her incredible blue eyes, and his darkening gaze dropped to the proud thrust of her exquisitely shaped breasts and the straining deep rose nipples. He wondered what the hell he was doing lying naked with his bride on his wedding night discussing a past disaster, when all he wanted to do was…
One hand looped around her neck, tangling in the tumbled mass of her hair, and he brought her head up, his mouth claiming hers with a driving hunger that made her moan in helpless pleasure. ‘No more talking,’ Theo rasped. ‘I want you again now.’
Willow was more than happy to oblige, and helped him as he worked his erotic magic on every inch of her body. She eagerly returned the favour by teasing him, tasting him, shuddering on top of him, until a shattering climax caught her and all she could do was cry out and cling to him, lost in the realms of ecstasy she had never thought her body capable of.
In a hot, damp tangle of arms and legs she vaguely heard Theo mumble something in Greek, and then she was asleep.
‘I’ve got to disguise this mark,’ Willow said. ‘A scarf, maybe.’
Theo was drinking a glass of champagne as she walked into the sitting room of their suite. He turned to face her, a look of amusement in his dark eyes, and studied her, his gaze narrowing on the hand she held to her neck.
‘If you really want to go down to the dining room for lunch,’ he commented, ‘a scarf is not going to make much difference. All the staff are perfectly well aware we have not left the suite in three days. It does not take an Einstein to work out what we have been doing.’
Willow blushed scarlet and cursed her pale complexion. ‘I know that, but we are leaving this afternoon and I haven’t even seen the place yet. What will I say if Stephen or your mother asks me about the hotel?’
Theo laughed. ‘My sweet, sexy wife, you worry too much.’ Placing his glass down on the table, he reached for her and drew her into the circle of his arm. ‘I own the place and I will fill you in on all the details on the way home tonight.’ He took in the perfection of her pale features, the slight frown between her beautiful eyes. ‘Now, where were we?’ he murmured.
Willow gave him a luminous smile. ‘You’re insatiable.’ She chuckled.
‘And you love it,’ Theo rasped, and dipped his head to capture the soft, sensual lips with his own.
Willow didn’t see the rest of the hotel or the grounds, but as the manager escorted them to the heli-pad later that afternoon she glanced back at the long white building and knew she would remember it for the rest of her life.
It had been three days of sheer magic. She had seen a completely different side of Theo: the incredible lover, the amusing, attentive companion who had fed her every whim. They had taken their meals on the balcony and shared the huge spa bath. They had laughed, and talked about books, music and Stephen. And of course they had loved…
She glanced up at him, a faint reminiscent smile on her mouth as he said goodbye to the manager, her blue eyes wide and brilliant. Maybe their marriage was not the perfect storybook love match, but to her mind the past few days had come pretty close…
Sensing her gaze, Theo looked down at her, his smile quizzical. ‘You look very pleased with yourself,’ he said softly, and her beatific smile rocked him back on his heels. Yes. He had definitely made the right decision in marrying her. He had never had such incredible sex in his life. She was everything a woman should be.
It secretly thrilled him to watch her so coolly polite as she said her goodbye to the manager. She was a perfect lady, and only he knew she was an avid sensualist in bed, the perfect mate, in fact. As if that weren’t enough for any man, the icing on the cake was Stephanos.
Slipping an arm around her slender shoulders, he led her to the waiting helicopter. Willow had given him a wonderful son, and he hoped for one or two more. The future looked rosy, except for one unpleasant duty he had yet to perform…
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘DO YOU really have to go to work so early?’ Willow asked, watching Theo as he donned the garb of a successful tycoon.
‘Yes, I do.’ Theo slipped on the jacket of the slate-grey suit and glanced across at Willow lying on the bed. The sheet that was draped across her slender hips did not reach her navel. He let his eyes roam over the smooth sweep of her elegant body, enjoying the sexy picture she presented. ‘Tempting as you are, lover, the unexpected break in my schedule has left me with a lot of work to catch up on, but later in the year I promise we will have a proper honeymoon.’
‘There was nothing improper about our honeymoon.’ She smiled slowly, remembering. ‘It was great.’
One dark brow arched with sardonic amusement ‘If that was you behaving properly, I can hardly wait to discover what the improper Willow is capable of.’ And he chuckled at her sudden blush. ‘But wait I must because unfortunately I have a business dinner to attend this evening, so I am afraid you will have to dine without me.’
Abruptly Willow sat up. ‘What time will you be back?’
‘I don’t know, but not too late,’ Theo said, avoiding her gaze. ‘But tomorrow we are moving to my home and this will be the last day you and Stephanos will have with my mother for a while. She is going to America to visit old friends for a month or two, so enjoy it while you can. The few things you have here can be packed in the morning and all the rest of your things from England I had transported over with Tess last week, and it is already at my home.’
‘We are not living here?’ Willow said, shocked by the turn of events.
Theo slanted her a look of mocking amusement. ‘Come on, Willow, you must have realised we are not staying here. I have not lived with my mother in almost twenty years.’
Disconcerted, Willow murmured, ‘I never thought…’ She wasn’t sure she liked the idea that he had had her home in England stripped of her possessions.
‘I’ve told you before, don’t think and we will get along fine,’ he declared arrogantly, and with a brief kiss on the top of her head he left.
With Judy’s reassurance that she would love her new home and that it was only a few short miles from hers, Willow had forgotten all about Theo’s rather abrupt departure that morning.
They took their seat for the start of the Son et Lumière over the Acropolis. It had been Judy’s suggestion to see the show, and then eat out, and Willow had jumped at the chance.
Later, as they were sitting around the dining table in an exclusive restaurant, overlooking the Parthenon, Willow laughed as Stephen wrinkled his nose at the octopus Judy was urging him to taste. Later still, having devoured a delicious dessert of sweet pastry, ice cream and exotic fruit, Willow sighed her contentment as she sipped her coffee. ‘That was a marvellous meal. I could not eat another thing.’
Judy grinned. ‘You’re lucky you’re not the type to put on weight, but me…’ She pulled a face and laughed.
‘Look.’ Stephen leapt to his feet. ‘It’s Daddy!’ He ran across the restaurant towards the entrance.
Willow was sitting with her back to the room, and just before she rose to her feet to catch Stephen she saw Judy’s head jerk up. She thought she saw a flicker of either fear or fury in the older woman’s eyes but she wasn’t sure which. She must have been mistaken because a second later Judy was again smiling at her.
‘Why, yes, it is, what a nice surprise.’
Willow turned around, and walking towards her was Theo. On one side of him was Stephen and on the other side, with her hand on his arm, was a very striking woman. She was small with short blonde spiky hair and was dressed in a skimpy pink metal-studded designer suit. Some business meeting, Willow thought scathingly, and out of nowhere jealousy as sharp as a knife almost sliced her in two. Oh, no… She almost groaned out loud. She couldn’t, she mustn’t be falling in love with her arrogant husband. But why else would she be racked by jealousy at the sight of him with another woman? She looked up at Theo through the thick veil of her lashes attempting to hide the hurt in her eyes, but she could tell nothing from his expression.
‘This is a pleasant surprise, darling,’ Theo offered, lowering his head to press a swift kiss to her smooth cheek before he turned to smile at Judy. ‘Mother…I had no idea you were planning a night on the town. You know Christine, don’t you?’ Judy smiled at the other woman and addressed her in Greek.
Willow stood feeling like an Amazon next to the small blonde. Dressed as she was, in a denim skirt and simple white scoop-necked top, she also felt at a distinct disadvantage. Theo’s cutting comment about her dress sense rose up to haunt her. When she finally looked around the circle of faces she was aware of a subtle tension in the air and then Theo affected an introduction.
‘Willow this is Christine Markham. She runs a very successful interior design business, “Chrismark International Interiors”. You might have heard of them.’
Willow held out her hand and made the polite response. ‘Nice to meet you.’
‘My pleasure.’ Christine’s hand barely touched hers as she gushed, ‘Theo has told me so much about you. I’ve been dying to meet you.’ She took in Willow’s simple clothes and unruly hair with a look of sheer derision in her dark eyes.
At that information Willow stiffened, and slanted a glance up at her indomitable husband. How dared he discuss her with another woman? She saw a faint flush on his cheekbones before his features hardened into an inscrutable mask. Underneath the calm exterior of her face her mind was working feverishly. Was Theo ashamed of her or was he cheating on her or both? And she nearly brought back the meal she had just eaten, the acrid taste of jealousy making her feel sick.
God! If this was what love did to someone, Willow realised she did not want to know…it was far too painful. So she did what she always did and resorted to icy politeness.
‘Has he? How nice,’ she said in her cool, well-mannered voice. ‘Unfortunately he has never mentioned you to me, so I cannot return the favour.’ It was catty, she knew, but she did not care.
‘Christine has just returned from New York where her firm has completed the revamping of one of our hotels, Willow, darling,’ Theo said smoothly, his eyes narrowing on her pale face. ‘Successfully, I hope. This is a business dinner to fill me in on the final details.’
It wasn’t exactly a lie, but neither was it the whole truth, and Theo cursed the bad luck that had allowed them to bump into each other like this. But how did one admit to one’s wife—I am sorry, my mistress was away when we were married and I had to meet her, tell her it is all over and pay her off.
‘Yes, so you told me this morning,’ she said coolly, slightly mollified but not totally convinced. She glanced back at Judy, looking for reassurance, and was relieved to see even his mother was smiling, completely unconcerned, so it must be okay.
It was her totally unexpected stupid jealousy that was making her read things into the situation that were not there, she told herself. And none of her troubled thoughts showed in her face as she looked up at Theo again.
‘In that case, don’t let us stop you,’ she said firmly. ‘We have finished our meal and I only have to pay the bill. Anyway it is time I got Stephen home to bed.’
Theo was torn between anger and embarrassment, and his mother’s reproachful eyes didn’t help, nor did the innocent acceptance in his wife’s and son’s. But not by a flicker of an eyelash did he show his discomfort.
Instead, his dark eyes softening on Willow’s beautiful face, he smiled down into her trusting sapphire eyes and said, ‘I’ll take care of the bill, and you take care of Stephanos and Mother. Watch her driving—she can be lethal when the mood strikes her.’ Reaching to tuck a tendril of hair behind her ear in a tender gesture, he added huskily, ‘I’ll see you later; wait for me.’
Willow did…and he made love to her with a gentle passion like nothing that had gone before, and all her doubts were laid to rest.
Six weeks later Willow sat in front of the dressing-table mirror and applied the final coat of lip gloss to her full lips. Theo had called her from his office in Athens to tell her he would be home soon. Tonight they were going to a reception at the British Embassy for some visiting international businessmen. Charles had also called her earlier and reminded her to bring him another one of her books for his mother. They had become quite friendly over the weeks, and Theo didn’t mind because he knew Charles was gay.
Slipping the lipstick into the small drawer under the mirror, her fingers lingered on the tape of her birth-control pills. Withdrawing them, she hesitated, a musing smile on her face as she turned the strip over in her hand. Maybe now was the time to throw them away. Theo need never know she had ever taken them.
Her marriage was going much better than she could have ever hoped. The past few weeks had been almost perfect. Stephen had settled into Greek life incredibly well. It must have something to do with his genes but he was picking up the Greek language with an amazing ease. He adored his father, as did Willow, she freely admitted, her blue eyes dreamy.
Theo was a wonderful lover and an attentive husband. He had made no complaint when she had asked if they could make a quick trip back to England to see her publisher, but had turned it into a four-day holiday for all three of them. He showered her in presents, from the diamond hair-clips for her wedding present to a diamond pendant that matched her engagement ring to mark the one-week anniversary of their marriage, a fully fitted study to enable her to continue with her writing to the single rose bought from a street seller when they dined out—he spoilt her rotten.
She had tried to remonstrate with him when he had opened a bank account in her name with an enormous amount of money, and insisted on giving her a monthly allowance. It was the nearest they had come to an argument, and of course he had won by the simple expedient of making love to her. And in that department, incredibly, it just kept getting better and better, the intimacy and the caring between them growing by the day.
Mia, his housekeeper, was a brilliant cook and, with the help of her husband and two daily maids, the house ran like clockwork. Tonight Stephen was staying with his grandmother and Mia and her husband were having the night off so the house seemed eerily quiet.
As she glanced around the room Willow’s smile faded somewhat. The only f
ly in the ointment was this house. She had recognised it as soon as she’d walked in the door. It was the house Theo had built for Dianne, and however much she tried to tell herself that it did not matter, it did. The house itself was magnificent and the grounds extensive. The security was second only to Fort Knox, but deep down inside it bothered her. She didn’t like the feeling of being caged in a house that had been built for another woman.
She hadn’t mentioned it to Theo, even though with every passing day she was becoming more and more confident in their marriage. She thought the closeness growing between them was too new for her to risk spoiling it.
She grimaced. Perhaps next month… She took a pill and headed for the bathroom and a glass of water.
‘I hope the water running means what I think it means.’ Theo’s deep, melodious voice had her spinning round and she almost dropped the glass she was holding. A tide of red washed over her pale features. He had shed his business suit, shirt and tie and, with his thumbs in the waistband of his black boxers, he looked incredibly attractive, his dark eyes roaming over her tall, elegant body with obvious sensual intent.
‘I didn’t hear you arrive. I was just getting a glass of water—I was thirsty,’ she said hurriedly.
He gave her a quizzical glance, taking in her lightly made-up face, the mass of black hair pinned on top of her head, the diamond pendant he had bought her nestling in the slight shadow of her breasts. She was wearing a shimmering silver evening dress that slashed across under her arms, and revealed every curve of her delectable body, ending a couple of inches above her knees and exposing the long length of her legs. It crossed his mind that if he had had any sense at all he would have kept her in her long, all-encompassing cotton dresses. She was far too delectable to be exposed to other men’s eyes.
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