by Maya Banks
“What are you doing here?” Chrysander said icily.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Mr. Anetakis,” Roslyn said, though her expression said she was anything but. Her gaze skimmed Marley in triumph, but the look was gone when she turned her attention back to Chrysander. “There were several things that needed your attention, and I thought it best to see to them personally rather than rely on the phone or e-mail.”
“They certainly haven’t failed in the past,” Chrysander said stiffly. “If you’ll excuse us, I think perhaps it would be better for you to wait in my office.”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Anetakis. Again, my apologies for the disturbance.”
Marley shivered, this time the chill setting in deep. The woman had impeccable timing.
“I’m sorry,” Chrysander said as he helped her from the lounger. He wrapped the towel around her shivering body and tucked her against his side. “I’ll take you upstairs so you can change into something warmer. This shouldn’t take but a moment, and then I’ll return.”
Marley nodded, but for her, the moment was ruined. Gone was Chrysander’s fun-loving mood. The passion that had sizzled between them just minutes ago was now a cold blanket thrown by his trusty assistant.
He took her upstairs and ushered her into the shower. When she stepped out, he’d already dressed and gone back downstairs. With an unhappy sigh, she gathered the towel around her and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Chrysander entered his office, irritation replacing his earlier good mood. He stared hard at Roslyn, who stood to the side. “I do not appreciate this intrusion,” he said crisply. “There was no call, no warning, no permission asked to come out to the island.”
Roslyn paled and her eyes widened.
“This is my private living area, and as such, you do not have free rein as you do in my business settings. Are we understood?”
“Yes, sir,” she said stiffly.
“Now, what was so important that it didn’t warrant a phone call?” he demanded.
“I’ve discovered that another design was stolen,” she said softly.
“What?” Curses spilled from his lips, and it took a moment for him to realize he was speaking in Greek, and Roslyn didn’t understand a word of it. He shook his head and put both hands down on his desk. “What design? Tell me everything.”
Roslyn’s expression hardened. “It’s an older one, a design you discarded. It was the original plan for the Rio de Janeiro hotel. But still, she must have sold it to Marcelli with the others, because his hotel going up in Rome bears a remarkable likeness. I saw the proofs myself just two days ago.”
Rage burned like acid in Chrysander’s veins. “Do my brothers know of this yet?”
Roslyn shook her head. “I thought you would want to tell them.”
He nodded and closed his eyes as he turned to look out the window to the beach. Every time he thought he had come to terms with Marley’s betrayal, the past came back to haunt him. As much as he wanted to forget, to move on, to put the past behind them, it always came back, insidious and unrelenting.
He struggled to remember how Marley could have gotten access to the hotel plans. He certainly hadn’t guarded himself at home. As careful as he was in the office and in all other aspects of his life, he’d been relaxed and free with her, never thinking to protect his interests from her.
How could he build a life with her when he could never trust her? Was he a fool for building a temporary relationship when it would all come tumbling down the minute she remembered? When she’d have to face the sins she’d committed and reap the consequences of her betrayal?
Through it all, he could only remember one thing. The way she’d looked the night he’d confronted her in their apartment. The absolute shock and horror on her face. Could anyone fake such a reaction that well?
For the first time, he took a long, hard look at the woman she’d been during their time together before her abduction and the woman she’d been since. There was no marked difference. The only inconsistency was her betrayal.
“Chrysander.” Roslyn spoke up in a soft voice.
His eyes narrowed at her use of his name. It was not something he ever tolerated from his employees, though he wasn’t sure why it bothered him coming from someone he had worked closely with for some time.
“You won’t allow her to do it again, will you?”
He turned around to face her. “No, it won’t happen again,” he said tightly, anger creeping up his spine. His anger wasn’t totally at Marley. For some reason, it rankled that Roslyn would think to warn him away from Marley.
Roslyn looked uncomfortable. “I just hope she doesn’t ruin things for you with this hotel deal. Not again. It’s too important.”
“I don’t think that’s any of your concern. I will handle Marley.”
She flinched at his tone. “I apologize. This company, this job, is very important to me. I’ve worked hard for you, sir. I worked hard on the Paris deal.”
Chrysander let go of some of his anger and blew out a sigh. She had worked hard, and he could see why she would harbor some anger toward Marley even if he wouldn’t tolerate it. Even if he didn’t feel she was justified in that anger. That thought struck him hard, because it meant on some level he didn’t believe Marley capable of her crime.
“I appreciate your concern, Roslyn. However, it is not your business. If that is all you wanted, then I’ll call for the helicopter to return you to the mainland.”
She looked as though she would protest, but then she nodded.
Thirty minutes later, Chrysander escorted her out to the helipad, and as soon as the helicopter lifted off, he turned and strode back into the house.
His anger and uncertainty evaporated when he entered the bedroom and found Marley sitting on the bed, wrapped only in a towel, her expression sad and distant.
He knelt in front of her and touched her cheek. “What is it, agape mou? Are you all right?”
She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes that had sparkled just a short time ago with laughter. He wanted them to sparkle again. He wanted that stolen moment at the pool back. Before Roslyn had arrived and given him news that could very well change everything between him and Marley. Again.
“I’m in an impossible situation,” she confessed.
His brow wrinkled in confusion. He didn’t like the sadness in her tone. The resignation.
“What do you mean?” he asked softly as he trailed a finger down the silken curve of her cheek.
She looked into his eyes. “I don’t like the way she has free rein in our lives. This is our home. We should be able to make love, have fun together, without fear of being caught in a compromising situation by a stranger. But if I voice this, if I say I don’t like her and I don’t want her here, it makes me a catty bitch. There is no way for me to come out the winner and every way for me to be the loser in this.”
She looked down for a moment then stared back up at him, emotion shimmering in her eyes. “I don’t like the way you back away from me every time she appears. She sweeps in on some pretext of business, then she leaves and you become distant. The last weeks have been so utterly wonderful, and now she barges in and I can already feel you pulling away from me. I don’t know that I can bear it.”
Tears pooled in her eyes, and he was struck speechless, for what she said, all of it, was completely true. He hadn’t realized how it would look to her, had thought he’d hidden the conflicting emotions he experienced when reminded of the fact she’d stolen from him, lied to him, betrayed him.
He raised one of her hands to his mouth and pressed it firmly to his lips. “I’m sorry, agape mou. I’m sorry her presence has bothered you and that I’ve ignored it. It won’t happen again. I’ve already informed her that under no condition is she to just arrive here without at least phoning.”
“I could stand her presence. I won’t lie and say I like the woman, but I could tolerate her. What I cannot bear is the way you pull away from me eve
ry time she appears. Without any memories to bolster my confidence, I have nothing to point to and say, Marley, you’re being ridiculous. Of course there’s nothing going on between him and his assistant.”
His mouth fell open in surprise. “You think I’m having an affair with her?” He couldn’t control the shudder of distaste that rolled down his spine.
She shook her head emphatically. “Oh, I’ve made a mess of this. I’m only trying to say that for me, this is all new. Our relationship is new. I can’t remember our time together before, so in essence, we’re building new, starting all over. I can’t help the insecurity I feel when I look at her and know she’s trying to undermine our relationship.”
He gathered her in his arms, having no idea what to say to her. He couldn’t very well deny that Roslyn probably did want to keep him from Marley. She knew Marley had stolen from the company, a company that Roslyn was devoted to and had put in a lot of long hours for in preparing the deal that had disappeared along with the plans for the Paris hotel. And now he’d learned that yet another of the Anetakis designs would be going up under the Marcelli name. No matter it was one he’d discarded. Marley couldn’t have known that at the time.
What an impossible situation. Surprising to him was the anger that Roslyn’s words had caused. His first reaction had been to defend Marley and to chastise Roslyn for speaking out against Marley. But how could he when Roslyn was right?
All he knew was that he didn’t want Marley to hurt. As stupid as that sounded given the hurt she’d caused him, he wanted to wipe away the sadness in her eyes. While he couldn’t do anything to erase the past, what he could do was make sure that Roslyn wasn’t a source of contention between them. He would honor Marley’s wishes in this, for they mirrored his own. He didn’t want anything to come between them here on the island. Roslyn wouldn’t return.
Chapter Eleven
Chrysander hung up the phone with a grimace and leaned back in his leather chair. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.
He had to return to New York. Piers had called him with the news just moments ago, and Chrysander greeted the fact with a discomfort that was alien to him. Worse, he’d had to inform Piers and Theron that another of their designs had been stolen. They were understandably furious. With Marley. How would they react when they learned he had every intention of marrying her as soon as possible?
He was torn between wanting Marley to go with him and wanting to keep her sheltered here on the island. Away from any chance she might remember. Away from the judgment and animosity of his brothers.
The beginnings of a headache plagued him as he considered the selfishness of that particular thought. He knew, though, that when she remembered, and the doctors had assured him she would, things would irrevocably change between them.
He should still be furious with her, and he should be working to maintain distance between them, but she’d chipped away his resistance during their time on the island. As much as it shamed him, it no longer mattered to him that she’d lied, that she’d stolen from him and his brothers. He wanted things to remain as they were, and if she remembered, then they would be forced to face the events of the past.
And he’d likely lose her.
It bothered him more than it should. She was pregnant with his child, he told himself, and that should be reason enough not to want things to sour between them.
His time here with Marley had brought him back to the times they’d spent together before the night he’d discovered her betrayal. He hadn’t really appreciated her before. He’d taken her and her presence in his life for granted, but now he knew how much he’d liked having her there when he returned from business.
She was fun and carefree. Gentle and loving. All the things he’d wish for in the mother of his child.
But she’d betrayed him. It always came back to that even as he wanted to forget it.
“Chrysander?”
He looked up on hearing his softly spoken name to see Marley standing in the doorway, her hand resting on the frame as she peered in. He shook himself from his grim thoughts and hoped his expression wasn’t as brooding as he felt. Things had been strained and tense between them since Roslyn had come to the island. A fact he regretted but was unable to fully remedy when he still carried his own doubts and uncertainties where Marley was concerned.
“What is it, pedhaki mou?”
“Are you all right?” She let her hand fall and started forward, her steps hesitant.
He guessed he did look brooding.
“Come here,” he said, holding out his hand to her as she neared. He pulled her down onto his lap, suddenly wanting her close. “I have to return to New York.”
A shadow crossed over her face. “When?”
“In the morning. My brother called, and a dignitary we are courting for a hotel project is going to be at a reception at our New York hotel. Piers and Theron thought to handle it, but the man wished to meet with all three of us. It’s something I cannot miss, I’m afraid.”
She looked disappointed, and even as the uneasiness over her going back to New York lingered in his mind, he found himself saying, “You could go with me.”
Her eyes lightened. “I wouldn’t be in the way?”
He frowned. “You are never in the way, agape mou. This would be good, I think. We could announce our wedding plans. My brothers will want to meet you,” he said, warming to the subject. “We could even be married in New York with my family around us and then return here.”
In his mind, the sooner they married, the better.
“I’ll arrange for Dr. Karounis to return to Athens. I don’t think we need him any longer.”
Her smile broadened. “And Patrice? Not that I don’t love her, but she and Dr. Karounis seem to have gotten along extremely well. Maybe she’d like to take a trip to Athens.”
“I’ll extend the offer,” he said with a smile.
“Then yes, I’d love to go.” She threw her arms around him and kissed him exuberantly on the lips. Before he could deepen the kiss, she scrambled off his lap. “I have to go pack!”
He chuckled and caught her hand. “You have plenty of time.”
But still she hurried away, and he stared after her, long after she’d disappeared through the doorway. He should feel relieved that soon they’d be married, and she’d be bound to him, but he couldn’t dispel the uneasy feeling that gripped him.
Chrysander’s jet touched down in New York in the late afternoon, and a limousine was waiting for them when they stepped off the plane. A tall, formidable-looking man stood by the car, and as they drew closer, Marley could see a strong resemblance between him and Chrysander.
“Theron,” Chrysander called out. “I did not expect you to meet us. This is a surprise.”
Theron gave a half smile. “Can I not greet my brother?”
Chrysander put an arm around Marley’s waist and drew her forward. “Theron, this is Marley. Marley, this is my younger brother Theron.”
She smiled. “I’m very glad to meet you.”
His gaze flickered impassively over her, and he didn’t return her smile. Slowly hers faded as she read the unwelcoming look on his face. Instinctively, she shrank into Chrysander.
Then Theron’s gaze dropped to the hand on which she wore the engagement ring, and he outright frowned. He stared back up at Chrysander, his jaw tight.
“You will be courteous,” Chrysander said in a very low tone. Even so, she could hear the bite in his voice.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Theron said stiffly, though his body language said just the opposite. He turned on his heel and walked toward another car parked a short distance away.
Marley looked up at Chrysander in bewilderment. “What was that all about?”
“It is nothing, pedhaki mou. I am sorry he was rude. It won’t happen again.”
“But why was he rude?” His behavior baffled Marley. And then another thought occurred to her. “Have we met before? Of course we would ha
ve. He’s your brother. Did I do something to offend him in the past? Has he always disliked me?”
Chrysander ushered her into the car and slid in beside her. “No, you haven’t met before. You needn’t worry that you’ve done anything. It’s just Theron’s way.” He sounded a bit strangled, and her gaze narrowed at what she thought must be a lie.
When his cell phone rang, he lunged for it in his haste to answer. She put her lips together and seethed in silence. Something didn’t add up. Why would his brother dislike her so intensely on sight? And for that matter, why had she never met him before? It couldn’t be normal for her not to have met the family of the man she was going to marry, the father of her child.
She leaned back against the seat and blew out her breath in frustration. While in New York, she fully intended to seek answers and maybe try to dislodge the block that seemed permanently embedded in her mind. There had to be some way to break her memories free. And if there was, she was going to find it. Preferably before she got married.
Yet more was in store when they reached the penthouse. She very nearly growled her frustration when the lift opened and she caught sight of Roslyn. Was she doomed to find this woman in her home at every turn?
Roslyn smiled warmly in greeting, and Marley did not miss that it extended only to Chrysander. She stood beside him while his assistant outlined the schedule of meetings, phone calls he needed to return and contracts that needed his attention. She wouldn’t retreat this time and allow Roslyn any victory, implied or otherwise.
Roslyn spoke in low, sultry tones and touched Chrysander’s arm frequently. She laughed huskily at something he said, all the while overtly ignoring Marley’s presence. The woman had brass. Marley had to admit that. If she weren’t pregnant, she’d give serious consideration to throwing the woman out of the penthouse on her ear.
It was good as fantasies went, but Chrysander would be horrified. She sighed even as the image of the beautifully coiffed woman banned from the apartment cheered her considerably.
Finally, Roslyn made to leave, and Marley’s shoulders sagged in relief. But as the elevator opened to admit her, another man, also bearing a strong resemblance to Chrysander strode off.