His words tugged at her soul. Wasn’t that what she had wanted most when she had been a child—to be protected and loved by the man she had thought was her father? She had no doubts that Loukas would love his children, and although he did not love her he had said he would be committed to their marriage. She tried to ignore the wistful ache inside her that said things should be different, and reminded herself that she might design fairy-tale wedding dresses but she had never believed in fairy tales.
‘Yes.’ She let out a shaky breath, feeling utterly drained from the buffeting her emotions had been subjected to in the past few hours.
Loukas tightened his arms around her, enfolding her and holding her close so that she could hear the thud of his heart beneath her ear. She knew he only cared about the babies she was carrying, but it felt good to stand like this, with his hand gently stroking her hair. Just for a little while she could kid herself that he cared about her too.
Above her head, Loukas’s hard features softened a fraction, relief replacing the fierce tension that had gripped him from the moment he had discovered that Belle was pregnant. He had been denied his first child, but he would be a father to his twins. After Sadie, he had not expected that he would ever want to marry, but he was determined to marry Belle so that his children would be born legitimately.
He drew her closer, feeling the softness of her breasts pressed against his chest, the silkiness of her hair beneath his cheek, and felt the hot throb of desire in his groin. He would marry her to claim his babies, but having her as his wife would be no hardship, he admitted silently.
Belle stared at Loukas across the breakfast table, her frustration bubbling over. ‘I need to go back to London,’ she insisted. ‘I can’t run Wedding Belle from here. We’ve been on Aura for two weeks now, and although Jenny is doing her best I’m going to lose business if I don’t get back to work. You agreed that I would continue to run my company.’ She reminded him of the stipulation she had made when she had said she would marry him for the sake of the twins.
‘And you agreed that you would allow your office manager to take charge of Wedding Belle until after our wedding.’ Loukas frowned. ‘You know how exhausted you’ve been feeling. You need to take things easy for a few weeks while the babies are developing so quickly.’
‘I feel fine,’ Belle argued. ‘I can’t be away from London for weeks—especially now.’ Her brow creased with worry as she recalled the phone call she’d received from Jenny the previous day. ‘There is a possibility I’m going to lose the studio. I’ve had notification from the company who own the warehouse saying that they want to sell the building to a developer. If that happens I’ll have to look for new business premises, and the studio space I require will cost a fortune. I can only afford to rent the warehouse because it’s old and run-down.’
Loukas studied her speculatively. ‘Then perhaps you should consider other options?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It is not necessary for you to work. I’m a wealthy man, and I can provide you and our children with a luxurious lifestyle.’
‘Are you saying you want me to give up Wedding Belle?’
‘Not necessarily, but obviously you will have to cut back on your business commitments until after the twins are born.’
Loukas stood up from the table, looking suave and drop-dead gorgeous in his superbly cut charcoal-grey suit. The breeze ruffled his dark hair and Belle’s heart gave an annoying little flip.
‘I have to go. Stop fretting—it’s not good for the babies. You need to relax. Read a book or something.’
She was surprised he did not pat her on the head, as he would a well-behaved puppy, Belle though crossly, as she watched him stride into the house to collect his briefcase. She knew that he fussed over her and would not allow her to do anything remotely strenuous because he was concerned for the twins, but after two weeks of him taking control of every aspect of her life she felt suffocated. She missed London and her busy life running her company, and she felt lonely here on Aura while Loukas was away in Athens all day. She needed to prove to him that being pregnant did not make her an invalid—and, more importantly, she needed to take back control of her life.
Later that day Belle was beginning to wish she had not asked one of the villa staff to take her over to Kea. Determined to do something other than sit by the pool and flick through magazines all day, she had decided to explore Aura’s closest neighbour. After Stavros had guided his boat into the port at Korissia, she had caught a bus to the islands’ largest village of Ioulida.
It was a picturesque place, with narrow streets, whitewashed houses and pretty shops and tavernas. Cars were not allowed in the town, and the sight of donkeys laden with goods made Belle feel as if she had been transported back in time. But climbing the many steps up into the town in the midday heat had drained her energy, and after stopping for a rest and a cool drink at one of the bars she wearily made her way back to where she hoped she could catch the bus to Korissia.
‘Belle! Thank the stars!’
Startled to hear her name, she turned to see Chip jogging towards her along the dusty street. He was breathing hard and she was puzzled by his tense expression. ‘Chip—is everything all right?’
He exhaled heavily and reached into the pocket of his shorts for his phone. ‘It is now. I’ve got to call Loukas and tell him I’ve found you.’
Her confusion grew. ‘But I’m not lost. And Loukas doesn’t know I’m here.’
‘No, and he’s been off his head ever since we discovered that you had disappeared.’ Chip gave her a rather strained smile. ‘Don’t worry about it, Belle. Let’s just get you back to Aura.’
Why hadn’t it occurred to her to take a taxi back to Korissia? Belle wondered fifteen minutes later, when they arrived at the port and Chip helped her step aboard Loukas’s speed boat. Chip was unnaturally quiet. His usually cheerful face was unsmiling, and when they approached Aura he grimaced as a helicopter flew overhead.
‘There’s Loukas.’
Belle frowned. ‘Why is he back in the middle of the day?’
‘He was worried about you.’ Chip hesitated, as if he wanted to say more, but seemed to think better of it. ‘We’d better get up to the house,’ he muttered, leading the way up the cliff path.
Loukas emerged from the villa at the same moment as they walked through the gate into the garden. As he skirted the pool and strode towards her Belle saw that he was furious, his mouth compressed into a thin line and his eyes glinting like steel. Chip diplomatically disappeared into the house, and Belle found that her heart was thudding as she walked slowly forward.
‘Where the hell have you been?’ He did not wait for her to reply, his jaw rigid with tension. ‘Why did you take off like that—without telling anyone where you were going? I’ve been worried sick…’
Loukas’s face darkened as he recalled the phone call he’d received from Chip, saying that Belle hadn’t been seen for a few hours and did not appear to be anywhere on the island. The message he’d had soon after, informing him that Stavros had taken Belle to Kea, had not lessened his frantic concern. ‘You will not do that again.’ Stress deepened his accent. ‘I forbid you to leave Aura without my prior knowledge.’
He snatched a harsh breath and became aware of the stunned expression on Belle’s face. The silence between them simmered before she spoke in a tightly controlled voice.
‘Forbid?’ She shook her head fiercely. ‘You have no right to forbid me to do anything. You don’t own me, Loukas. We’re not even married yet and you’re trying to take over my life.’ Panic filled her—the sensation of prison bars closing in on her. ‘I won’t allow you to control me. If this is what my life as your wife is going to be like—not being allowed to breathe without your permission—then I’ve changed my mind and I won’t marry you.’
His eyes blazed as he caught hold of her arm to prevent her from walking past him. ‘You cannot change your mind. I won’t allow it.’ She had to marry him. He need
ed to keep her here on Aura so that he could protect her and his children. Loukas closed his eyes as the image of his father crumpling to the floor, blood pumping from the bullet hole in his stomach, filled his mind. The world was a dangerous place, but here on his private island he could keep Belle safe.
‘I’m not trying to control you,’ he said harshly. ‘But in some things you must do as I say.’
‘And if I don’t?’ Anger gave Belle the strength to wrench herself free of his hold. Fear churned inside her. She would not allow Loukas to dominate her as her stepfather had done. ‘What then?’ she demanded. ‘Will you use physical force to make me obey you? That’s what John used to do. I spent my whole childhood being scared of a bully.’ Her vision suddenly blurred and she dashed the tears away with the back of her hand. ‘I refuse to live my life being scared any more.’
She whirled away from him and raced towards the house. He caught up with her in seconds and turned her round to face him. ‘Let me go.’
‘Thee mou, Belle, calm down.’ Loukas stared down at her tear-stained face and felt a pain as if he had been kicked in his gut. She was trembling, her eyes wide with fear, and he wanted to haul her close. He exhaled deeply. ‘I would never harm you in any way. Surely you know that?’ It hurt him to think that she was afraid of him. His hand shook slightly as he lifted it to smooth her hair back from her face, and gradually he felt her tension lessen a little. ‘Let’s sit down,’ he said gruffly, indicating the two sun loungers by the edge of the pool. ‘We need to talk.’
Belle’s legs gave way. She sank down onto a cushioned lounger and darted Loukas a wary glance.
He raked a hand through his hair. ‘Who is John? Belle?’ he prompted softly when she did not reply. ‘We are going to be married. There should not be secrets between us.’
Secrets were not a good thing, she acknowledged, thinking of the secret her mother had kept from her. She let out a shaky breath. ‘He’s my stepfather, but I grew up believing he was my real father. It’s complicated,’ she said ruefully when Loukas frowned. ‘My mother was married to John, but she had an affair and fell pregnant with me. John threatened to claim custody of Dan, who is his real son, if Mum left him for her lover. And so she stayed with him, and I grew up believing that John was my dad.’
‘But he treated you badly?’ Cold rage settled in the pit of Loukas’s stomach as he remembered the look of fear on Belle’s face when she had thought he was about to strike her.
She nodded. ‘Yes. But he never hit me in front of Mum or Dan, and I never told them. Children don’t,’ she said painfully. ‘I believed I was bad in some way and deserved his anger. John was a hard man, an army sergeant-major, and at home he demanded absolute obedience. But even though I tried to be good I was never able to please him. I used to wonder why he didn’t love me.’
She bit her lip. ‘My mother grew up in an orphanage, and I think it was important for her to create a family unit for me and Dan. I guess that’s why she stayed with John even though it was a miserable marriage. When she died three years ago John told me the truth, and then his dislike of me made sense. I was another man’s daughter—a living reminder that Mum had been unfaithful to him. I haven’t had any contact with him since her funeral.’
‘What about your biological father—do you have a relationship with him?’
‘No, I don’t know who he is. Mum never told me anything.’ She hesitated, finding it hard to reveal her private thoughts and yet somehow compelled to confide in Loukas. ‘Since I found out that my real father is a faceless stranger I will never meet I’ve often felt that I’m not a complete person. There’s a whole side to me that I will never know. Maybe I have a family somewhere that I will never be part of.’
She looked away from Loukas and stared out over the crystal-clear pool and the sapphire-blue sea beyond. ‘That’s why I agreed to marry you,’ she whispered. ‘I want my babies to grow up with their father so that they feel whole, and assured of who they are—confident that they are loved.’
‘Don’t ever doubt it,’ Loukas said deeply. ‘I will love my children as my parents loved me.’ As he would have loved his first child, if only he had been given the chance, he thought darkly.
He studied Belle’s delicate features and felt a surge of impotent fury against her bully of a stepfather. He understood now why her independence was so important to her, and what a huge leap of faith it must have been for her to agree to marry him. Unlike Sadie, she was willing to put the needs of her babies before what she wanted. The revelation struck him at that moment that he did not want her to regard marriage to him as a sacrifice of her freedom. Her happiness was important to him, and he wanted her to be happy with him.
‘I don’t wish to control you,’ he said quietly. ‘All I want to do is keep you and our babies safe.’
His emotive words tugged on Belle’s heart. ‘I suppose I should have mentioned to one of the staff that I was leaving Aura for a couple of hours,’ she acknowledged. ‘I just needed to get away for a while. And, really, what harm could come to me on Kea?’
‘Details of our engagement have been reported worldwide. I am a very wealthy man, and as my fiancée you are a possible target for kidnappers,’ Loukas explained in a strained tone. ‘Naturally I would pay whatever ransom was demanded for you, but the trauma of being snatched and held perhaps in unpleasant circumstances could result in you suffering a miscarriage.’ He leaned forward and took both her hands in his. ‘From now on I want you to promise that you will never go anywhere without either me or Chip. He is a trained bodyguard, and if for some reason I’m not with you he will ensure your safety.’
The possibility of being kidnapped by criminals had never crossed Belle’s mind, and she instinctively placed her hand protectively over her stomach. It had happened before around the Mediterranean—she had read of several cases where a member of a wealthy family had been snatched, and a huge ransom demanded. ‘Is that why you are so protective of Larissa?’ she asked shakily.
He nodded. ‘Perhaps I am over-protective, but I spent my youth living in a part of New York where violent crime was an everyday occurrence. I witnessed things that I will never forget.’ Loukas’s voice roughened with emotion. He never spoke about his past, preferring to bury it deep in his subconscious, but he needed to try and explain to Belle why he liked to be in control of every situation.
‘My father was murdered before my eyes,’ he said harshly. ‘I couldn’t save him—couldn’t protect him from the gang, high on drugs and wielding a gun, who burst into our shop demanding money from the till. When my father tried to reason with them, they shot him at point-blank range.’
Belle’s heart stood still. ‘Oh, Loukas.’ She did not know what to say, and instinctively clasped his hand. No wonder he was so determined to protect the family he had left—and his children who were yet to be born. How could she blame him for wanting to keep his babies safe, and her safe too while she was carrying them?
He stared down at their entwined fingers and then lifted his eyes to her face. ‘I don’t want you to think of Aura as your prison, Belle. I want it to be our home, where we will bring up the twins in a safe environment.’
She nodded. ‘I understand now why that is so important to you. And I love Aura. I don’t have a problem with being here.’
‘Does that mean that I am the problem?’ He trapped her gaze, an emotion she could not define flaring in his eyes. ‘I am not a man like your stepfather,’ he said intently. ‘I swear I will never hurt you.’
He closed the gap between them and slanted his mouth over hers, his kiss slow and sweet and so achingly gentle that tears gathered in Belle’s eyes. She wound her arms around his neck when he lifted her, and her heart beat faster when he carried her into the house and up the stairs, heading purposefully in the direction of her bedroom.
Since Loukas had brought her to Aura they had occupied separate rooms. It had seemed right when their relationship was so fragile. She had been relieved that he had not expected her
to share his bed, knowing that she would not be able to hide her vulnerability from him if he made love to her. So much had happened since the heady days of their affair. They had parted, and were only together again because she was pregnant.
But now, as he laid her on the bed and kissed her with growing passion, she felt a shaft of piercing longing to lie with him and make love with him. He was the father of her babies and she felt a fundamental connection with him that she knew would remain with her for the rest of her life.
She sighed with pleasure when he deepened the kiss, and cupped his face between her hands, stroking the slight roughness of his jaw. This was where she wanted to be, in his arms, with his lips trailing a moist path down her throat and his hand gently caressing her breast. She remembered how his voice had cracked when he had spoken of his tragic past, and her heart ached for him. Loukas was a survivor, who had fought his way out of poverty to become hugely wealthy and successful, but beneath his tough exterior she had glimpsed the boy who had been emotionally scarred by his father’s murder. Instinctively she held him close as tenderness swept through her.
Loukas had lost count of the nights he had lain awake, his body aching with desire for Belle, or how often he had dreamed of the softness of her skin and the delicate fragrance of her perfume. Now she was here in his arms, and the pulse beating frantically at the base of her throat told him she shared his urgent need to rediscover the passion that had been at the heart of their relationship during their affair.
But the situation was different now. They were not carefree lovers. The only reason Belle was here on Aura was because she was pregnant with his babies. He lifted his head and felt his heart clench when she smiled at him. She was so beautiful, but unlike every other woman he had ever known her loveliness went right down to her heart. It would be easier if she was shallow and superficial, as so many of his past mistresses had been, he thought grimly, for then he could take her to bed and enjoy meaningless sex with her.
After the Greek Affair Page 13