Billion dollar baby bargain.txt

by Неизвестный

  to speak of her own.

  Soon, she promised herself. But not this morning. Nothing was going to ruin their outing to the beach.

  Picnic basket in one hand, his other firmly wrapped around hers, Piers made his way down the steps

  carved into the face of the cliff. With each downward movement, the sounds of the ocean got louder and

  Jewel became more excited.

  When their feet finally hit the sand, Jewel stopped and looked up at the impressive rocky cliffs looming

  over and around them, isolating their stretch of beach from the rest of the world.

  “It’s like we’re in our own little world,” she said in awe.

  Piers smiled. “No one can see you except by boat, and I have it on good authority the locals don’t fish

  this end of the island.”

  “Conjures up all sorts of naughty possibilities, doesn’t it?”

  His eyes glittered in response. “You can be sure once you are well that I’ll be all too willing to indulge

  in some of those possibilities.”

  She laughed and kicked off her shoes, digging her toes into the warm sand. Unable to resist the lure of

  the foaming waves, she hurried toward the water’s edge, anxious to feel the water swirling around her

  ankles.

  The cascading water met her and rushed over her feet. She threw out her arms to embrace the breeze and

  smiled in absolute delight as her hair billowed behind her. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deep and

  wished she could stop time, right here in this perfect moment.

  “You look like a sea nymph,” Piers said. “More beautiful than a woman should be allowed to look.”

  She turned to see him standing beside her, his pants rolled up to his knees, his feet bare.

  “Is it safe to swim here?”

  He nodded.

  “We’ll have to do it sometime.”

  “You look happy, yineka mou. Have I made you so?”

  The vulnerability that flashed in his dark eyes made her catch her breath. This strong, arrogant man was

  as human as the next person. Not questioning the wisdom of doing so, she flung herself into his arms,

  wrapping hers around his neck.

  “You’re so good to me, Piers. You do make me so very happy.”

  Tentatively, he returned her embrace and as she pulled her head away to look at him, their eyes met.

  Their lips were but an inch apart, and she licked hers nervously, in anticipation of what she knew was

  about to happen.

  Instead of waiting on him, she pulled him close, fitting her mouth to his. He seemed willing to let her

  dictate the pace, and she explored his mouth thoroughly, learning every nuance, his taste, feeling the

  warmth of his tongue.

  His fingers were a soft whisper against her neck. They delved farther into her hair, holding her closer as

  she deepened the kiss. The salt from the ocean danced on their tongues, mixing with the heady

  sweetness of their passion.

  Finally she pulled away, gazing up at him through half-lidded eyes. “And do I make you happy?” she

  asked huskily.

  He ran his thumb over her cheekbone, stroking to the corner of her mouth. “You make me very happy.”

  She smiled brilliantly at him then grabbed his hand and tugged him farther down the beach. “Come on!

  Let’s explore.”

  Indulgently, he allowed to her to pull him along. They covered every inch of the beach from cliff to cliff.

  By the time they returned to where the picnic basket lay, she was starving.

  “Help me with the blanket,” she said as she unfurled the brightly colored quilt. Laughing, she fought

  with the billowing material as it refused to cooperate.

  “Here, let me.”

  Piers wrestled the blanket to the sand and piled their shoes at each corner to hold it down.

  “Now hurry and sit before it flies away again,” he said.

  She gingerly eased down and dragged the basket into the middle of the quilt. Piers sat beside her and

  they began divvying up the food.

  The sun shone bright above them, and the sand glistened like tiny jewels, scattered to the water’s edge.

  She sighed and turned her face up into the warmth.

  “You look very content, yineka mou. Like a cat sunning herself.”

  “Haven’t you ever wished that a single moment could last forever?”

  He became pensive as though he were giving her question serious consideration. “No, I can’t say I have,

  but if I were given to such flights of fancy, then today would be one such time.”

  She smiled. “It is perfect, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. It is.”

  They finished eating, and Jewel lay back on the blanket, enjoying the sounds and smells of the ocean.

  The warmth of the sun’s rays lulled her to sleep, and before she knew it, she was being shaken awake.

  “It’s time to return to the house, yineka mou. The sun will be setting soon.”

  She yawned and blinked lazily as his face came into view. She smiled up at him and held up her hand so

  he could help her.

  Together they collected the remnants of their lunch, and Piers packed them and the blanket into the

  basket. He reached for her hand when they arrived at the bottom of the steps, and she slipped her fingers

  into his.

  Tonight. Tonight she’d broach the subject of his past, and for the first time, she wouldn’t avoid hers. She

  wanted to know his secrets, the source of the pain she saw lurking in the depths of those shuttered eyes.

  Would he share those secrets or would he block her out? And should she press him on something that

  clearly he had no wish to discuss?

  True to his word, after the night Piers had found Jewel on the floor of her bedroom writhing in pain,

  she’d slept each night in his bed. In deference to her incision, he spooned against her back, and she

  enjoyed the warmth and security his muscled body offered.

  Most nights she wondered if they’d resume their lovemaking after the tenderness left her abdomen.

  Tonight, however, she lay there, cuddled against his chest, gathering her courage to broach the subject of

  his past.

  “Piers?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  Carefully she started to turn over to face him.

  “Will you tell me who hurt you so badly?”

  He went still, and she wished the lamp was on so she could gauge his reaction.

  “Who made you so distrustful of women?” she continued on. “And why is it that you don’t want this to

  be your child.”

  He put a finger on her lips. “That’s where you’re wrong, yineka mou. I want her to be mine very much.”

  Jewel cocked her head to the side. “But you seem so convinced that she isn’t.”

  He turned on his back to stare up at the ceiling. She tentatively cuddled into the crook of his arm and

  laid her head on his shoulder. When he didn’t resist, she relaxed, allowing her fingers to trail through the

  hairs on his chest.

  “Ten years ago I met and fell in love with a woman. Joanna. I was young and stupid and convinced I had

  the world by the tail.”

  “Don’t we all at that age,” she said with a slight smile.

  He chuckled. “I suppose you’re right. Anyway, she became pregnant, and so we married right away.”

  Jewel winced at the similarities but remained quiet as he continued.

  “She gave birth to a boy. We named him Eric. I adored him. I was as happy as a man can be. I had a

  beautiful wife who seemed devoted to me. I had a son. What more could I ask for?”

  Jewel’s mouth turned down unhappily. She could only
imagine what he’d say next.

  “And then one day I came home to find her packing. Eric was two years old. I remember him crying the

  entire time I tried to reason with Joanna. I couldn’t understand why she was leaving. There hadn’t

  seemed to be any problems. I had no warning.

  “Finally, when I told her that she could leave but there was no way in hell I’d let my son go, she told me

  that he wasn’t my child.”

  Jewel sucked in her breath. “And you believed her?”

  A derisive sound escaped his lips. “No, I didn’t believe her. But to make a long story short, her lover

  who she was involved with when she and I met had devised the perfect plan to milk me for all they

  could. Several months and a paternity test later, it was proved that Eric wasn’t my son. Joanna took him

  and a great deal of my money, and I haven’t seen either since.”

  “Oh Piers, I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “How horrible of her to allow you to fall in love with a child

  you thought was yours and then to yank him so cruelly away. How could she do that to either of you?”

  Piers trailed his fingers up and down her bare arm.

  “I have nightmares sometimes. I hear Eric calling to me, asking why I won’t help him, why I left him.

  All I can remember is the day they left, and how Eric screamed and cried, how he stretched his arms out

  trying to get to me, and all I could do was watch her walk away with my son. It’s a sight I’ll never get

  out of my mind.”

  “You miss him.”

  “He was my entire world for those two years,” he said simply. “I realize now that I didn’t love Joanna. I

  was infatuated with her, but I did love Eric.”

  Jewel rose up and cupped his cheek in her palm as she lowered her mouth to his. Then she drew his hand

  down to her swollen belly where their daughter bumped and turned between them.

  “She’s yours, Piers. Yours and mine.”

  “I know, yineka mou. I know.”

  Sixteen

  “P iers looks more at ease than I’ve ever seen him,” Marley said to Jewel as the two stood on the

  patio overlooking the ocean.

  Jewel turned to the other woman and smiled. “Really? I hope I can take credit for it.”

  Bella laughed as she took another sip of her wine. “Of course the credit is yours. I’d swear the man is in

  love.”

  Jewel bit her lip and turned away. She wanted Piers to love her, but he’d never said the words. She

  wasn’t sure he was capable of offering his love to another woman after what had happened with Joanna.

  “Your house is beautiful, Jewel,” Marley said. “I just wish it wasn’t so far away from Greece.”

  “Or New York,” Bella said dryly. “You think Piers planned it this way?”

  Jewel grinned. “But we have jets at our disposal, don’t we?”

  “Hmm, you’re right,” Marley said thoughtfully. “The world shrinks quite a bit when airplanes are

  involved. No reason we couldn’t all meet in New York for some shopping. Theron is a soft touch, and

  he’d no doubt accommodate us.”

  Bella glared over at Marley. “Just because he isn’t an ape swinging from tree to tree and beating his

  chest while muttering stuff like ‘you my woman’ doesn’t mean he’s a softy.”

  “She’s very protective and possessive when it comes to Theron,” Marley said with a roll of her eyes.

  “All I meant was that of the three brothers, Theron would be the most accommodating when it comes to

  us wanting to get together. Chrysander and Piers would spend a month planning the security team.”

  Bella nodded. “You’re right about that.”

  Jewel looked at the two women in question. “Piers mentioned what had happened to Marley when I

  asked him why the need for all the security people. Has nothing been resolved yet?”

  Marley sighed unhappily. “As a matter of fact, we think the men who kidnapped me have been arrested.

  Chrysander got the call yesterday but we didn’t want to ruin our time here. When we leave, we’re flying

  back to New York with Bella and Theron so that I can identify the suspects.”

  Bella threaded her arm around Marley’s waist and squeezed. “I’m so sorry, Marley. What rotten timing

  for you when you’ve been so ill with the new baby.”

  Marley smoothed a hand over her still flat stomach. “Chrysander is worried it will be too much, and he’s

  still feeling so guilty. He hates that I have to do this.”

  Jewel touched her hand in a comforting gesture. “Still, what a relief to know that they’ve been

  apprehended. I can only imagine the fear you’ve been living in.”

  “And the inconvenience it’s caused you and Bella,” Marley added. “I know that Theron and Piers have

  taken extra precautions because of the potential threat to anyone close to them. Maybe we can all relax a

  little now.”

  Bella held up her glass in a toast. “To freedom and relaxation.”

  Jewel held up her glass of water as did Marley and the women clinked the crystal.

  “I’m so glad you’re all here,” Jewel said.

  Bella looped her arm through Jewel’s. “We’re grateful you’ve made Piers so happy. He’s been so…

  hard.”

  Marley nodded. “It took him a long time to accept me. Of course now he’d do just about anything if I

  needed him, but it wasn’t like that in the beginning.”

  Jewel sobered. “Marley, do you think you could pull Chrysander to the side for me? There is something

  I’d like to discuss with him, something I’d prefer Piers not to know right now.”

  Marley lifted a brow. “Okay, I can do that, but you should know that Bella and I are insatiably nosy, and

  you’ll have to fill us in first.”

  Jewel laughed and squeezed Marley’s hand with her free one. “I’ll tell you after Chrysander. That way

  you two don’t try to talk me out of it.”

  “Uh-oh,” Bella said with a groan. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “I’m too curious to try and dissuade her,” Marley said. “If you’ll stay out here Jewel, Bella and I will

  make sure Piers is occupied while you talk to Chrysander.”

  “Thank you.”

  The two women disappeared indoors leaving Jewel to gaze out over the sea. She was so absorbed by the

  view, that she didn’t hear Chrysander when he came out.

  “Marley tells me you’d like to speak with me.”

  Startled, she made a quick turn, and swallowed as she stared back at Piers’s older brother. He raised a

  brow in surprise.

  “Do I frighten you, Jewel?”

  “Oh no, of course not…okay, yes, you do,” she admitted.

  “It is certainly not my intention,” he said formally. “Now tell me, what can I do for you?”

  She twisted her fingers nervously in front of her. This was probably a stupid idea, and Chrysander would

  probably tell her she was out of her mind. He might even be angry that she intended to pry into Piers’s

  past.

  “Piers told me about Joanna…and Eric.”

  Chrysander’s eyes grew cold.

  “I know how hurt he was by what happened.”

  Chrysander sighed and moved closer to Jewel. “He was devastated, Jewel. Hurt is a very tame word for

  what he went through. He loved Eric, considered him a son for two years. Can you imagine thinking a

  child is yours for that long? And then having him snatched away?”

  She swallowed and lowered her gaze. “No, I can’t imagine. It would devastate me too.”

  “Perhaps you can under
stand now that he’s told you about them.”

  She looked up again, braving Chrysander’s stare. “That’s just it. I want your help.”

  Chrysander’s brows came together in confusion. “My help? With what?”

  “Finding Eric.”

  “No. Absolutely not. I won’t allow Piers to go through that all over again.”

  Jewel put her hand over Chrysander’s when he turned to go back inside.

  “Please. Hear me out. Part of the problem was that Piers never got to say good-bye. He never got any

  closure. His wound is still raw and bleeding. He’s still grieving for that two-year-old he lost. His only

  memory of Eric is of the day she left with him, how Eric screamed and cried for him. Maybe if he could

  see him now it would help to ease some of that pain. I can only imagine that he’s wondered over the

  years if Eric is happy, if he’s well, if he’s needed anything. If he saw that Eric wasn’t hurting, maybe it

  would go a long way to healing the awful pain Piers feels.”

  “You would do this?” Chrysander asked. “You would willingly bring a child back into his life that he

  loved? Risk contact with a woman he once loved just to make him happy again?”

  “Yes,” she said huskily. “I would do anything to ease his hurt.”

  Chrysander studied her for a long moment. “You love my brother very much.”

  She closed her eyes and turned away. “Yes,” she whispered. “I do.”

  “All right, Jewel. I will help you.”

  She grabbed his hand. “Thank you.”

  “I just hope when this is all over that my brother is still speaking to me,” he said wryly.

  She shook her head vigorously. “I’ll tell him you had nothing to do with it. I’ll take sole responsibility.”

  “My brother is a lucky man, I think.”

  “I just hope he thinks so,” she said wistfully.

  “Give him time. I have no doubt he’ll figure it out.”

  Chrysander leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I’ll do some digging and let you know what I

  come up with.”

  Bella slipped out through the glass doors. “I’m afraid we’ve held him off for as long as possible. I hope

  you’re done, because Theron and Piers are convinced we’re plotting some evil.”