‘Jed was devastated when he got to the hospital and heard the news, poor man—and for a long time afterwards. It didn’t help that the same weekend his father had his first massive heat attack—the day after his birthday. He was in this same hospital, in Intensive Care as he is now, with Jed at his side for forty-eight hours. Jed thought he had lost you when he finally got back to London, but fate moves in mysterious ways. He has found you again and married you at last. It was always meant to be. Fate cannot be denied for long,’ he declared expansively, ‘and I know you will both be incredibly happy.’
One shock followed another: from hearing Jed had been going to marry her to realising Jed had not deliberately deserted her. Before she could formulate a response for the smiling Marcus, Jed appeared and put an arm around her waist.
‘What are you saying to my wife, Marcus?’ he demanded of his friend.
‘Congratulating her, of course.’
‘Are you all right?’ Jed murmured as Marcus was hailed by someone and wandered away. ‘I saw you go very pale. Did Marcus say something to offend you?’
His mouth was very close to her ear, and she was aware of several things at once. The warmth of his arm around her waist holding her close, his strong body turned protectively towards her, his gleaming golden brown eyes tinged with concern smiling down into hers.
‘No, he did not offend me.’ But he had made her question if she had made the biggest mistake of her life five years ago. She searched Jed’s face, her blue eyes wide and wondering. According to Marcus this stunningly handsome man she had thought she loved had wanted to marry her long ago. The man she still loved…
‘Phoebe, you’re very quiet.’
She lifted her hand and placed it on his chest. She caught the gleam of the gold wedding band on her finger. He covered her hand with his and she could feel the steady thud of his heart. She smiled a broad, brilliant smile. She felt the beat of his heart increase, and almost laughed out loud at her foolish plan to deny him sex as her pulse began to race.
‘I was just thinking how—’ She stopped. She had nearly told him she loved him. ‘How pleased your father must be,’ she amended swiftly, pulling her hand from beneath his as reality hit.
The shock and, yes, the euphoria brought on by Marcus’s statement had blinded her for a moment to the truth. Jed had been going to marry her five years ago—but only because she’d been pregnant, not because he’d loved her, and he had married her now because of Ben. Not much had changed except that she knew Jed had definitely never suggested a termination—and she had acknowledged that anyway. She also knew he had not abandoned her either…He had been stuck here in this hospital with his father, then as now…
She recalled when Jed had discovered Ben was his and said they should marry. She had responded that he would never be anything but a part-time father. He had asked her to give him a chance, saying that he might surprise her. Well, they were married now. Perhaps it was time to give Jed, the man she had loved to hate for so long, that chance—and herself as well, because she still loved him and always would…
Jed felt the sudden tension in her, saw her brilliant smile dim, and knew that whatever she had been going to say had nothing to do with his father. How Phoebe’s mind worked was a mystery to him. She was the most exasperating woman on the planet, and the most exquisite, and she was his wife…
He tightened his arm around her waist. ‘It is time we left,’ he said firmly.
Phoebe glanced around, her decision made. She was going to try and make a go of this marriage. Maybe there would be another baby, and maybe in time Jed would change and grow to love her…She looked up at him. ‘If you say so,’ she agreed, ‘But what about all these people?’
‘They can take care of themselves. In the circumstances no one is expecting a party,’ he said dryly.
He said their goodbyes and told Cora they would be gone for the night, and to call if he was needed. With his arm still firmly fixed around her, he led her out of the room.
‘Wait a minute—what do you mean, we will be away for the night?’
Ben and Cora’s children were at the Sabbides house, with Maria and Cora’s nanny taking care of them—but not for the whole night.
‘I have to get back for Ben.’
‘No, you don’t. He will be perfectly well taken care of,’ he said, striding along the corridor and out on to the street.
‘But I’ve never left Ben overnight!’ she exclaimed.
‘Then it is time you did,’ Jed drawled, and opened the door of a low-slung sports car. He saw her fastened in before sliding into the driving seat. ‘We have just been married, remember?’ he mocked ‘Much as I love Ben, I have no intention of spending my wedding night with him.’
‘Ben will miss me. I can’t leave him—and anyway I have no clothes,’ she declared.
‘He won’t…You can…And you don’t need any clothes.’ He grinned. ‘By the way, I love the dress—it displays your legs to spectacular advantage.’ He laughed as hastily she grabbed the hem and tried to pull it down to her knees.
Phoebe gave up and closed her eyes. The day had started with Jed telling Ben they were getting married. Her son had been delighted…Then Cora and her children had descended and chaos had reigned. A selection of dresses had appeared in her bedroom—all white. She’d chosen the plainest one, strapless, with a boned bodice and a short skirt that ended a good four inches above her knees. The saving grace was that there was a matching edge-to-edge crystal-trimmed coat, so she didn’t feel half naked.
She drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes, and saw the car had stopped. She glanced at Jed. He was unfastening the safety harness and she was acutely aware of his long, lean body, of the faint scent of his cologne mingling with the male scent of him.
‘That wasn’t far.’
Phoebe had made the decision to accept Jed as her husband willingly, but that did not stop her from feeling nervous. He made no response, simply slid out of the car and walked around the front to open her door and help her out.
‘Where are we?’ She glanced around. A few blocks away she could see the striking outline of the Acropolis. She turned to Jed. ‘We are in the middle of Athens.’ She answered her own question. ‘That’s the Acropolis.’ She pointed excitedly.
‘Got it in one, Phoebe.’ Jed grinned. Her pleasure in seeing the monument made him realise how little Phoebe had seen of the world. ‘We are staying in my apartment tonight,’ he told her as he slipped an arm around her waist and led her through some glass doors, introduced her to the doorman as his wife, and whisked her into an elevator. ‘Once my father is out of danger I will take you sightseeing,’ he drawled huskily.
‘I’d like that.’ She smiled up at him, and he had never known a ride so slow. When the doors slid open he hurried her along the hall and slid his key in the lock. He opened the door and, swinging her up in his arms, carried her inside.
‘What the—?’ Phoebe wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘Are you crazy? Put me down!’ she cried as her high-heel shoes fell off her feet.
‘Crazy for you, Phoebe,’ Jed drawled, closing the door with his back and walking through the hall, the vast expanse of the living area and straight into his bedroom. He was so strung out it took all his considerable self-control not to throw her on the bed and leap on her.
‘Oh, my—rose petals!’ Phoebe murmured, and Jed almost lost it when her lips touched his ear. He glanced around in a daze, wondering what she was talking about, and saw his very masculine bed made up with white linen and covered in rose petals. Cora’s doing, no doubt, but he was not a man to miss an opportunity…
‘Especially for you,’ he husked, and lowered her down.
The brush of her body against his as he set her on her feet was a sweet agony.
Chapter Twelve
PHOEBE looked up at Jed, her blue eyes sparkling with humor. ‘I never had you pegged as the romantic rose petal type.’
She shook her head, and he was stunned by the brilliance of
the smile she gave him. He made a mental note to give Cora something fabulous and tell her to keep quiet.
Jed laughed softly. ‘I am not—but for you…’ He trailed off throatily and slipped his hands beneath the light coat, easing it from her shoulders to drop it to the floor.
A warm tide of colour washed over Phoebe’s face. The fact that he had thought of the roses beguiled her, and her nervousness vanished along with her clothes as Jed’s hand reached round her back and unzipped her dress, peeled it down her body until it fell at her feet and did the same with the frill of white that passed as her briefs. He dropped to his knees to lift each foot and remove the scrap of lace.
She heard his sharp indrawn breath as he straightened up, and felt his eyes on her. His glittering gaze roved over her face and lower, to her high firm breasts, the small waist, the pale curls shielding her femininity, slowly down her long legs and finally back to her face. He reached for her, cupping her face in his hand. ‘Phoebe—my beautiful bride.’
He brushed his lips lightly against hers, threading his hands through her hair. He removed the clip she wore and smoothed the silken mass down over her shoulders and kissed her again, his hands stroking down her slender arms, and settling on her waist while his mouth worked its magic on her senses
A soft sigh of pleasure escaped her and she swayed weakly towards him, reaching for his broad shoulders. Suddenly she was swept of her feet again and placed gently in the middle of the wide bed scattered with petals.
He straightened up. ‘Never have I seen anything so perfect as you.’ His deep husky voice was almost reverent, and as she watched he stripped off his clothes in seconds.
‘Ohhh!’ She drew in a deep breath as she stared at his tall bronzed body, all taut muscle and sinew and mightily aroused. And then he lowered his long body on the bed, supporting his weight on one elbow, curving his hand round her throat, his dark gaze roaming over her.
‘You are exquisite, Phoebe,’ he husked, looking into her sparkling blue eyes. ‘And at last you are mine—my wife,’ he declared possessively, and she didn’t argue.
His thumb and finger trailed down her throat and lower, until his palm cupped her breast and his fingers rubbed gently at the nipples. ‘Ahhh…’ she breathed as his teasing fingers excited her. Her eyes, wide and luminous, scanned his darkly handsome face and, reaching up, she ran her fingers though the silken black hair of his head.
Jed groaned and his mouth found hers in a soft caress, his tongue seeking, tasting, his hands gliding, stroking over her trembling body as he kissed her with an ever deepening passion that sparked an answering passion in her.
She felt the blood flow thicker though her veins as he lifted his head and trailed kisses down her neck, her breasts, capturing a pouting nipple between his teeth to lick and suck until she cried out at the fierce pleasure he created.
With a husky growl he retuned to her mouth and kissed her with a savage need that melted her bones. She felt the power of his muscular body against her, the caress of his strong hands sliding over her heated skin. Time ceased to exist…she was drowning in a sea of sensations so intense nothing else mattered.
She writhed beneath him as his hand traced down her stomach to settle between her thighs, his long fingers finding the small point of pleasure while his mouth and tongue and teeth explored every pulse-point with an erotic expertise that drove her wild.
Her arms wound round him as he moved between her thighs, nudging her legs apart. She heard him murmuring husky foreign sounds, and then he was there where she needed him to be, thrusting slowly, deeply, into her hot slick centre. Lost in the throes of passion, Phoebe arched up to him, her hands clasping his shoulders, his neck, any part of him she could cling to. His hands grasped her buttocks, lifting her higher, driving her higher with long deep strokes, filling her, stretching her, then slowing, twisting, teasing with short sharp strokes, and plunging deep again, then stilling.
Quivering on the brink, she looked into his molten black eyes, blazing with desire, his face taut with the effort to control his passion. The heady scent of sex and roses filled the air, and Phoebe’s inner muscles flexed and clenched around him. With a low groan he thrust again, fast and firm. Phoebe cried out as her body began to convulse in climax, and she felt his body tighten, muscles locked for one long moment, and then Jed finally let go of his superhuman control and joined her, filled her with a power that went on and on in orgasmic ecstasy. She clung to him, his great body shuddering, his chest heaving, until finally he collapsed across her, his head buried in the tangled mass of her hair spread on the pillow.
Her body still quivering, she lay with her arm around his back, holding him, loving him. She felt him roll off her to lie flat on his back and her eyes fluttered closed, her breathing heavy, her body finally spent.
Later—how much later she had no idea—his strong hand stroked over her stomach and around her side to pull her close against his hard body.
‘Now you really are my wife,’ Jed murmured. ‘But just to make sure…’ And she felt his lips brush her neck and nuzzle her ear, and the magic started all over again…and again…as they rediscovered the wild, wanton passion of their past with a fervour that exhausted them both.
Phoebe opened her eyes, yawned and looked around. Jed was sprawled flat on his back beside her, one long arm stretched across the pillow above her head, the other lying at a right angle to his body, palm up. He was totally relaxed. Tentatively she moved to lean on an elbow and look down at him. His black hair curled across his brow, his long sooty eyelashes rested on the blades of his cheeks, his chiselled lips were slightly parted and he was deeply asleep.
Somehow he looked younger, the lines of strain around his mouth and eyes smoother—more like the man she’d first met and fallen in love with. Her husband, she thought with a thrill. Her gaze dropped lower to his muscular chest, and a smile twitched her lips at the rose petal stuck to his flat stomach. A sheet across his lean hips was concealing the rest of his body. She was about to reach and remove the petal, but stopped.
Jed had been awake for the past forty-eight hours—longer, in fact. It was amazing he’d had the stamina to make love at all, she thought wonderingly, never mind as many times as they had. She decided to let him sleep—he needed the rest…Sliding her legs off the bed, she silently collected her discarded clothes from the floor and entered the bathroom. She washed and cleaned her teeth—she did not want to turn on the shower in case she disturbed Jed. She filled a glass with water and drank it, then finding a comb tidied her hair. Not wanting to wear the same briefs, she popped them in the wash basket and pulled on her dress.
Carrying her coat, she tiptoed through the bedroom and into the hall to explore. She looked into the kitchen—all black and stainless steel. It looked immaculate and unused…She wandered into the living area that in the light of day looked big and surprisingly comfortable, with a big cream hide seating unit centred around a long low table, She was drawn towards the glass patio doors the length of the room, which looked out over the balcony and the city, with a superb view of the Acropolis.
She lingered awhile, simply looking, then continued her exploration and found another bedroom. She walked into the last room—what she supposed was a study, but looked more like the flight deck of a spaceship.
Two walls were lined with flashing screens—it looked like Jed’s own personal stock exchange. Another had a well-used squashy cushioned slate-grey sofa pushed against it, and centre stage was a massive desk, with two computers on top and a large chair behind it.
Then she spied something else, and stood transfixed. In the middle of the desk was an open box containing the gold seal she had given Jed for his thirtieth birthday, Jed had kept her present and she felt her heart lift. His wonderful lovemaking apart, it was the first positive sign she had that he actually cared. He might never love her, but with Ben and perhaps other children their marriage could be a success. Maybe she would not be deliriously happy, but she would settle for contentment.
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Her heart and mind at last in perfect accord, she spun on her heel—and stopped as Jed appeared in the doorway.
His head was down, his shoulders hunched. Wearing a navy towelling robe, he looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
‘Are you all right?’ she asked.
Jed jerked his head back, stunned by the sound of Phoebe’s voice.
He had woken up feeling wonderful, after the greatest night of his life, and had turned to the source of his happiness—Phoebe. His body had been stirring in anticipation, but he had found the other side of the bed empty and cold. He’d sat up and looked around, seen his clothes still scattered on the floor but swiftly registered there was no sign of Phoebe’s. For only the second time in his adult life he had panicked. He had leapt out of bed and looked in the bathroom, but there had been no sign of her ever being there. He’d pulled on a robe and returned to the bedroom, called her name. He’d stood still as a statue and listened, but the apartment had been eerily silent. She had gone…
Like a lightning bolt from the gods it had hit him. He loved Phoebe…he always had. It had never been just sex with Phoebe. No woman had ever made him feel the way she did or ever would, and he could not face losing her again.
‘Phoebe. You are still here…I was frightened you had left,’ Jed said hoarsely.
Wide-eyed, Phoebe stared at him. ‘Whatever gave you that idea? Of course I am still here. We got married yesterday, remember?’ she prompted, suddenly beginning to really worry as he staggered over to the sofa and sat down, burying his head in his hands. ‘You have never been frightened in your life.’ She tried to lighten the atmosphere, crossing to where he sat.
Jed was a typical Alpha male—fearless in everything he did. It was what made him so powerful and so desirable. She stopped in front of him, and he looked up, and she noticed his ashen face. The glittering eyes were not feral, but full of what looked suspiciously like deep pain, and suddenly she was afraid.
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