by Maya Blake
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘Open it and see.’
She opened the velvet case and gaped at the platinum-linked, three-tiered diamond choker nestling between the two catches.
‘Are you trying to make some sort of macho statement?’
He shook his head in confusion. ‘Sorry, anjo, you’ve lost me.’
‘This is a choker. You want everyone to see that you own me?’
He frowned. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’
‘Why a choker? Why not a simple diamond pendant?’
‘I asked my jeweller to send a few pieces. I liked the look of that one. So I chose it. No big deal, no mind games. I thought you’d like it,’ he finished tersely.
She bit her lip and wondered if she was reading too much into it. Much like she was reading far too much into her feelings for Theo and what would happen when things ended.
‘It’s a beautiful piece of jewellery. But frankly it’s a bit ostentatious for my taste.’ She snapped the box shut and held it out to him. ‘Besides, since my role as paparazzi bait is over, I don’t see where I would wear something like that.’
His jaw tightened and he pushed the box back at her. ‘I was just coming to that. Ari is getting married next weekend. You’re coming with me as my plus one.’
She couldn’t stop her mouth from gaping open any more than she could stop breathing. ‘You want me to drop everything and fly to Greece with you?’
‘I’m sure you can work something out with the charity. I’m happy to make a donation to cover your absence if you like.’
‘I…’
‘And we’re not going to Greece. Ari and Perla are getting married at their resort in Bermuda.’
‘Different continent, same response.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Do I need to remind you that we’re only three weeks into our agreement?’
Her fingers trembled and she threw the box down on the sofa. ‘No, you don’t need to remind me. Call me foolish, but I thought we were getting beyond that.’
‘I’m trying to, Inez.’
‘Then ask me nicely. For all you know, I may be busy next weekend and would need to rearrange my plans for you.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Busy doing what?’
‘Splitting the atom. Shaving my legs. Rehearsing to join a circus troupe. What does it matter? You didn’t bother to ask. You only brought me trinkets and ordered me to be ready to fly off to Bermuda.’ Her mouth trembled and she firmed it.
‘You’re angry.’
‘You’re very observant.’
‘Tell me why.’
She laughed. Even to her ears it sounded as if it could’ve easily cut glass. His eyes narrowed as she shook her head. ‘What would be the point?’
‘The point would be that I would listen.’
She placed her feet on the carpet and tried to stand. He caught her hips and kept her seated in front of him.
This close she could see the hypnotic gold flecks in his eyes. She wanted to drown in them. Wanted to drown in him. She tried to calm her racing pulse.
His gaze dropped to her mouth, then down to her chest and a different sort of fever took hold of her.
‘That necklace—’
‘Is just a necklace. I thought I’d give it to you now so you could get an outfit to match for the wedding.’
‘And the trip?’
‘I need a plus one. I need you. And you can hate me if you want but I’m not prepared to leave you here so Benedicto can hound you.’
‘I can take care of myself.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘I don’t doubt that. But can you tell me that he won’t view your refusal to take his calls this last week as a betrayal?’
Her heart skittered. ‘And you think he’ll harm me in some way?’
He glanced meaningfully at her arm, then back to her face. ‘Sorry, anjo, I’m not prepared to take that chance.’
Darkness and light. Tenderness and ruthlessness. It was what kept her emotions on a knife-edge where this man was concerned.
‘Will you come to Bermuda with me? Please?’
She glanced at the velvet box. ‘I will. But I’m not wearing that necklace.’
‘Fine. We’ll find you something else.’
‘I don’t need anything—’ Her argument died on her lips when he picked up her sketchpad. She grabbed at it but he held it out of her reach. ‘Theo, hand it over.’ She breathed a secret sigh of relief when her panic didn’t bleed through her voice.
‘You’re supposed to be designing me a boat.’
‘I’m still working on it. I’ll show it to you when it’s done.’
His gaze brushed her face and settled on her mouth. The intensity of it made her insides contract. After a minute he handed the pad over and rose. ‘I look forward to it. We’re dining in tonight. I’m in the mood for an early night.’
He left the room just as silently as he’d entered. She realised her fingers were clamped white around her sketchpad and slowly relaxed them.
She flipped through the pages until she came to the one she’d been drawing. It was one of many featuring Theo asleep. She stared at it, seeing the vulnerability and gentleness in his face that he covered up so efficiently when he was awake. When he was asleep he was all light, no darkness. There was a boyishness about him that she only caught rare glimpses of during the day.
Darkness and light. Unfortunately, her heart refused to be picky about which it preferred because, awake or asleep, Theo had captured her emotions so efficiently she was beginning to fear she was falling in love with him.
* * *
The nightmare started the way it always did. A glow of light signalled the men’s arrival. Followed by the rope ladder and the heavy descent of thick boots, tree trunk thighs and towering thugs.
Each time he’d fought back. A few times he’d landed blows of his own. But each time they’d eventually overpowered him. The tallest, toughest one, the one who favoured those smelly cigars, always laughed. It was the laughter not the pain that triggered his screams. It was a never-ending grating sound that churned through his gut and tripped his heart rate into overdrive.
He felt the scream build in his throat and readied himself for the roar.
Gentle but firm hands shook him awake.
‘Theo…querido!’
He kept his eyes shut and reached for her, holding on tight as the images receded. The irony of it wasn’t lost on him, the thought of how much he now needed the daughter of the man who was responsible for reducing him to a helpless wreck night after night for the last twelve years.
As he held on to her the thought that had plagued him for several days now took hold. He no longer wanted to pursue this vendetta. Yesterday, he’d found himself requesting that the board vote a different way to what he’d originally planned. They’d been stunned. He’d been twice as stunned.
He’d mentally shrugged and told himself there was no reason to turn his back on a healthy profit but he’d known he’d changed his mind for a different reason.
Benedicto was all but finished.
But ending it now would mean Inez would be free to walk away from him. And the very thought of that made him break out in a cold sweat.
He’d managed to buy himself a little more time by persuading her to come with him to Ari’s wedding.
After that…
His insides churned as he lay in the darkness and felt her soft hands soothe him.
He pushed away thoughts he wasn’t brave enough yet to truly examine.
‘Querido, are you awake?’ she breathed softly.
His heart flipped and his arms tightened convulsively around her soft, warm body. ‘I’m awake, anjo.’
‘I’m not an angel, Theo.’
‘You are.’
‘If I were an angel, I’d have the power to banish your nightmares,’ she replied in a voice fraught with pain.
It took several seconds to realise she ached for him.
Pulling back, he st
ared into her face.
‘You didn’t do this to me, Inez.’
Her eyes clouded. ‘I know. But that doesn’t mean I don’t wish you healed.’
His smile felt skewed. ‘There’s no cure for me, sweetheart,’ he said, although he was beginning to doubt that. Just as he was beginning to think that the answer lay right there in his arms. If only there was a way…
‘Are you sure? There’s therapy—’
‘Tried it. Didn’t work,’ he replied. When he heard the curtness in his voice he soothed an apologetic hand down her back.
She relaxed against him and he buried his face in her hair and breathed her in.
‘What happened?’
‘What, with the therapy?’
She nodded.
He slowly opened his eyes and stared into the middle distance. ‘They spoke about triggers, breathing techniques and anxiety-detectors. There was mention of electro-shock therapy or good old-fashioned pills. I never went back for a second session.’
Her head snapped up. ‘You mean all that was at your first session?’
He smiled and kissed her gaping mouth. ‘I believed what was wrong with me couldn’t be fixed by therapy.’
‘Believed?’
He realised what he’d said and his breath caught. Was he grasping at straws where there were none?
‘I’m beginning to think things aren’t as hopeless for me, anjo.’
She paled a little but continued to hold his gaze. Slowly, she nodded. Her luxuriant hair spilled over her shoulder onto his chest as she stared into his eyes. ‘I really hope you find closure one day, Theo.’
Simple, frank words, said from the heart. But they froze his insides as surely and as swiftly as an arctic wind froze water.
Because he was seriously doubting that he would ever find peace without this woman in his arms.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THEY BOARDED THEO’S private jet late the next Friday. The moment they stepped on board, Inez sensed something was wrong.
Theo paced up and down, his agitation growing the closer they got to take-off.
When the pilot came through, Theo sent a piercing glance at him and the man hurried into the cockpit.
‘Theo, sit down. You’re making your pilot nervous.’
He barked out a short laugh and threw himself into the long sofa opposite her chair. His fingers drummed repeatedly on the armrest. ‘Don’t worry; he’s used to it.’
‘Used to what?’
‘My aversion to enclosed spaces,’ he answered tersely.
‘Your claustrophobia.’ Her heart squeezed as she watched his fingers grip the armrest and the skin around his mouth pale.
Unbuckling her seat belt, she crossed to the sofa and sat down next to him. A sheen of sweat coated his forehead and when his eyes sought hers she read the anxiety in them. Reaching around him, she secured his seat belt then took care of her own as the plane taxied onto the runway.
Taking the arm closest to hers, she pulled it over her shoulder and settled herself against him. He tugged her close immediately, his breathing harsh and uneven.
She hugged him harder, and when he tilted her face up to his she went willingly.
He kissed her with a desperation that tore through her soul. For long, anxiety-filled minutes, he took what she offered, until the need for air drove them apart.
‘You get that we cannot kiss all the way to Bermuda, don’t you?’ she said, laughing.
‘Is that a challenge? Because I bet I can,’ he threw back with a heart-stopping smile.
Inez noticed that his breathing was no longer agitated and breathed a sigh of relief.
‘No, it’s not a challenge.’ She rested her head on his shoulder and caressed his hard jaw. ‘How do you normally get through flying?’
His jaw tightened for a second before he relaxed. ‘Mild sleeping pills before take-off normally does the trick.’
‘Why not today?’
‘You’re here,’ he said simply. After a minute, he asked, ‘Why are you helping me?’
‘I cannot forget that my father did this to you. And no, I’m not offering myself as a sacrificial lamb. But I don’t want to see you suffer either. I want to help any way I can.’
The reminder that her father loomed large between them grated more than he wanted to admit. ‘For how long?’ Theo demanded more harshly than he’d intended.
She stiffened. ‘Sorry?’
‘Are you counting the days until I set you free?’ he pressed.
Her eyelids swooped down, concealing her expression. ‘I…we have an agreement—’
‘Damn the agreement. If you had a choice now, today, would you stay or would you leave?’
‘Theo—’
‘Answer the question, Inez.’
‘I’d choose to stay…’
The bubble of joy that started to grow inside him burst when he registered her flat tone. ‘But?’
‘But… this could never go anywhere.’
A sense of helplessness blanketed him. ‘Why not? Because I blackmailed you?’
She shook her head. ‘No. Because a relationship between us would be impossible.
Theo’s vision blurred at her words. He’d pushed her too far. Hung onto his vendetta for too long. His mouth soured with ashen hopelessness. ‘I guess we both know where we stand.’
When she moved away, he fought not to pull her back. She stayed close—out of pity? His mouth curled. He told himself he didn’t care but the voice in his head mocked him.
He cared, much more than he’d bargained for when he’d forced her to make that stupid choice. The idea of her walking away from him made his insides knot with a pain far greater than he’d ever known.
The plane hit a pocket of turbulence, throwing her against him. When she stayed close, he let her. Forcefully, he reminded himself of one thing.
He’d never meant to keep her for ever.
* * *
The Pantelides Bermuda resort was a breathtaking jewel set amid swaying palm trees and sugar-white sand. The sun beat down on them as Theo drove the open-top Jeep towards their villa.
Stunning buildings connected by dark wooden bridges under which the most spectacular water features had been constructed made for a visual masterpiece. All round them bold colour burst free in a heady mix of blues, greens and yellows that begged to be touched.
Their sprawling whitewashed villa featured high ceilings, cool tiled floors and a four-poster bed that dominated the master bedroom.
A tense Theo who hadn’t said more than a dozen words to her since they landed, instructed the porter to place their cases in the master bedroom and tipped the man before walking outside onto the large wooden deck.
‘There’s a barbecue later this afternoon. Perla thought we might want to rest before then. You can go ahead and rest if you want to. I’ll go and catch up with Sakis and Ari.’
He walked away from her and headed out of the door.
The clear indication that she wasn’t welcome stung, although why she was surprised was beyond her.
He’d held ajar the possibility of continuing this thing between them and she’d slammed the door shut.
A small part of her was proud she hadn’t grasped the suggestion with both hands, while the larger part, the part that had fallen head over heels in love with Theo in spite of all the chaos surrounding them, reeled with heart-wrenching pain at what the future held.
But, as she’d told herself over and over again on the plane as he’d shut his eyes and surprisingly dozed off, she was taking the right steps now to prevent even more heartache later.
Because there was no way Theo would ever reconcile himself to having her as a constant reminder. Certainly not enough to love her.
The reality was that they’d fallen into bed as a result of some crazy chemistry. Chemistry fizzled out. Eventually, the constant reminder that a part of her was responsible for his inner demons and outer scars would grate and rip at whatever remained after the chemistry was gone.
He was better off without her.
Her heart protested loudly at that decision. Ignoring it, she went into the bedroom and lifted her case onto the bed. The cream sheath she’d bought for the wedding needed to be hung out before it creased beyond repair.
Unzipping her case, she opened it and froze. A red velvet box, similar to the black one Theo had presented her with a few days ago lay on top of her clothes.
With shaky hands she picked it up and opened it. The stunning necklace sparkling in the sunlight made her gasp.
The platinum chain had a small loop at one end, with a large teardrop diamond at the other that slipped easily through the hoop. The design was simple and elegant. And so utterly gorgeous she couldn’t stop herself from caressing the flawless stone.
Swallowing a lump in her throat at the thoughtfulness behind the necklace, she jumped when a knock came at the door. Thinking it was Theo who’d forgotten to take a key, she opened the door with a smile.
Only to stop when confronted by two stunningly beautiful women, one of whom was heavily pregnant, while the other carried a small baby in her arms.
‘Sorry to descend on you like this, only Theo was a bit vague about whether you were actually resting or if you were up for a visit.’ The women exchanged glances. ‘I’ve never seen him so scatty, have you?’ the pregnant redhead asked the blue-eyed blonde.
‘Nope, normally he’s quick off the mark with those hopeless one-liners. Today, not so much. Anyway, we thought we’d come on the off-chance that you were not resting and say hello…oh, my God, that necklace is gorgeous!’ The redhead reached out and traced a manicured forefinger over the diamond.
Then she looked up, noticed Inez’s open-mouthed gaze and laughed. ‘Sorry, I’m Perla soon-to-be Pantelides. This is Brianna Pantelides, Sakis’s wife. And this little heartbreaker is Dimitri.’
‘I’m Inez da Costa. I’m a…’ she paused, for the first time holding up her relationship with Theo to the harsh light of day and coming up short on explanations ‘…business associate of Theo’s.’