“You mean for breakfast?”
“No. She used fish to make the food we sold at the taverna.”
“But what if you didn’t catch any?”
“That happened a lot.”
“Then what did you do?”
“We had to go to the meat shops and wait for them to sell us the meat parts for a cheap price nobody wanted.”
“You mean like brains and liver and stuff?”
“That’s right.”
“Did we eat brains at the taverna the other day?”
Theo roared with laughter. “No. For you she prepared the very best food.”
“It was yummy.”
Stella’s heart swelled with emotion as she gathered Ari’s damp towels and sandals and listened to them talk. For one six-year-old boy, he left a lot of items around, but she didn’t care. Theo was telling her son things she hadn’t known, not during all the time she’d spent with him.
“Papa? I’d like to live on this sailboat.”
She chuckled along with Theo. Ari loved everything they did because he was with his father.
“Shall we do it? Shall we just sail off to wherever we want?”
“Could we?”
“Yes, but I think you’d start to miss your friends and school.”
“Did you like school?”
“For the most part.”
“I like recess the best.”
“So did I. You must be my son.”
“I am!” At that remark, Theo threw back his head and laughed that deep, rich laugh Stella loved to hear. “I wish Mom and I could live with you.”
“I’d love it,” Theo answered without hesitation. His narrowed gaze captured hers. “How about you, Stella?”
Her heart thudded in her chest. He didn’t play fair asking her a loaded question like that in front of their son. “Are you being serious?” She’d decided it was his turn to be put on the spot.
There was a strange tension between them. He finally said, “So serious that I’d like to discuss it further after we turn in.”
Staggered by his response, Stella left the deck and hurried below. She needed to gather her wits and headed straight to the galley to finish cleaning up. The two of them followed a few minutes later.
There were two bedrooms, one with a double bed and another with two bunk beds. She would have slept with Ari, but Theo insisted she have the big bed because the men were on an adventure.
After kissing Ari good-night, Stella brushed her teeth and changed into a pair of navy-blue tailored pajamas. Turning on the reading lamp, she sat up in bed and pulled out the book she’d tried to read at the pool. It was a spy novel written by an author she liked.
To her dismay she couldn’t get into it tonight, either. When Theo entered the room dressed in a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, her heart thumped so hard, it hurt. In the semidarkness his striking masculine features stood out. Disturbed at the appealing sight of him, she pretended to keep reading.
In the next instant he came to sit down beside her and plucked it out of her hands. Then he got on the bed and stretched out next to her with one elbow propped. She felt his eyes study her with toe-curling intimacy. “You could have no comprehension of how gorgeous you look tonight.”
She could hardly swallow. “Thank you.”
“After I went to New York, there were nights when I thought I’d die if I couldn’t have you. I couldn’t fathom that you’d stopped loving me.”
Stella averted her eyes. “Then you have some comprehension of how I felt. It took raising Ari to help me deal with the pain.”
He took a shuddering breath. “I threw myself into work. I had three jobs, one with a well-to-do Greek café owner who was a boyhood friend of my grandfather’s. He told me that if I wanted to make real money, I should study the real estate listings. There were properties I could buy without a down payment. The trick was to fix one up and then sell it for as much as I could.
“I thought he was crazy, but I took his advice. You wouldn’t believe how fast I started making money. He told me where to put it. Some of it went to high-risk investments that paid off. I sent money home and started planning my return. One of my goals was to find you and make you tell me face-to-face what happened.”
She stirred restlessly on the bed before flicking him a glance. “I was the opposite. It was such a nightmare, I hoped I’d never see you again.”
Theo grimaced. “My letter must have come as a shock.”
“I fainted, but Iola caught me so I didn’t crack my head open on the floor.” The compassion in his eyes was too much. She looked away again.
“I’m sorry, Stella. After driving past the villa and seeing you, I didn’t know how else to make contact.”
She moistened her lips. “No matter how it was done, it was like finding out you’d come back from the dead.”
“I was told you’d gotten rid of our child.”
“Theo—”
“To see Ari skipping along with you almost sent me into cardiac arrest. To think the whole time in New York, I believed—”
“That I’d ended my pregnancy?” she cut in on him. “How you must have despised me.”
His body stiffened with remembered pain. “I was riddled with rage until I saw Ari. Then I was plunged into another kind of fury because you’d kept him from me.”
After taking a deep breath she said, “Who did this to us?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” He leaned over her. “In the beginning I tried to despise you, but I couldn’t. I fell in love with you a long time ago, Stella. That’s never going to change. Marry me, sweetheart. I can’t go on without you.”
She let out a little moan as he began kissing her, sweeping her away. “I never stopped loving you, either. You’re my whole life!”
“Did you just say yes?”
“You know I did,” she cried. “I love you, I love you, Theo. I want to be your wife as soon as possible.”
“Stella—” came his exultant cry. “Let me love you tonight. Really love you.”
The feel of his mouth brought her such rapture, she’d become a trembling mass of need. Over and over she cried out his name. His powerful legs entwined with hers, reminding her of those other times when they’d given in to their desire.
“Papa?”
They both groaned.
“When are you coming back to bed?”
“Don’t tell him yet,” she whispered. “Let’s wait until we know all our plans.”
“Agreed.” Theo kissed her throat before rolling away from her. “I thought you were asleep, sport.”
“I had a nightmare.”
“Oh, honey,” Stella said. “Come on up here.” Ari scrambled on the bed between them. “What was it about?”
“A shark. It was trying to catch me.”
“Well, you stay right here with us. We’ll keep you safe.”
She felt Theo’s fingers creep into her hair, tantalizing her. He’d expected her to urge Ari back to bed so they could take up where they’d left off, but it wouldn’t be a good idea for several reasons. The main one was snuggled up against them happy as a new puppy, his nightmare forgotten.
“Good night, everyone.”
“Good night, Mom. Good night, Papa.”
Theo squeezed her shoulder. “Good night, Mom. Good night, son.”
“Mommy’s not your mom.”
More deep laughter reverberated in the room. It was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep.
By the time their vacation was over, Stella felt like they were a family. She could have stayed there forever playing with and loving the two men she adored. The thought of going back to work made her groan. That was how transported she’d been.
“What was that sigh all about?” Theo was so tuned in to her feelings, they could read each other’s minds.
“How much I don’t want this to be over.” The three of them were carrying their bags to the helicopter.
He caught her around the waist. “It
’s not going to be. You and I need more time together. Hire a temp to help Keiko for another week. Someone in the office will want the opportunity.”
Another week with Theo? She almost stumbled in her excitement. “I’ll see what I can arrange.”
Before long they flew back to civilization. When the helicopter landed on top of his office building, Stella rebelled. For a moment she had the premonition that now he’d asked her to marry him, this fragile new world they’d been building was going to explode by an unseen force and they’d never be able to pick up the pieces.
As Theo helped her out of the helicopter she whispered, “Do you still have that letter? I’m ready to read it.”
His black eyes ignited like hot coals. He pressed a hungry kiss to her mouth. “It’s in my office.”
“Will you get it for me before you drive me and Ari home?”
“I’ll do it right now and join you at the limo.” He ruffled Ari’s hair. “See you in a minute.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
THEO made a detour to his suite. There was a message waiting for him. Nestor had talked to the judge, but there was no budging him. The show-cause hearing was going ahead as planned for the day after tomorrow.
He closed his eyes tightly, imagining Stella’s reaction. After asking her to marry him, he’d do anything to protect her from being hurt, but it was all going to come out, and he was terrified what it would do to her.
The letter was in his drawer. He put it in his pocket and left his office, catching up to them out in front of the building. The second he climbed in the back next to Stella, Ari said, “I wish we didn’t have to go home. I love fishing.”
“So do I, son. After our astronomy class has ended, we’ll do it again. I know a place in the mountains where we can camp out and fish the stream. Leandros and his papa love to fish, too. Maybe the four of us could go. Would you like that?”
“I’d love it.”
That was one of the things he loved most about Ari. His constant enthusiasm. Stella had been right. Their son was the brightest, sweetest boy in the world. They were both his life!
Too soon the limo drove up in front of the villa, bringing their trip to an end.
“See you tomorrow, Papa.” Ari gave him a big kiss and climbed out first. Taking advantage of the moment, Theo drew the letter from his pocket and put it in her purse lying next to her on the seat.
He reached for her hand and kissed the palm. “Call Keiko and make those arrangements. I have more plans for us.”
She nodded. “I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
“Stella—” He cupped her face to kiss her one more time. It wasn’t long enough or deep enough.
“Come on, Mom.”
Theo reluctantly let her go.
“Good night.” She got out of the car, leaving him with an ache that was never going to go away.
He watched her rush up the steps to join Ari. Once they were safely inside, he told the chauffeur to take him back to the office. Theo knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, so he might as well get some work done.
A time bomb was ticking. Before long it was going to go off. There had to be a way to help Stella when the time came, but his greatest fear was that she would go into shock. When he thought about one of his own brothers having the capacity to betray him to that degree, he couldn’t imagine it.
One thing and one thing only was helping him to hold on to his sanity tonight. To his everlasting gratitude, he had Ari, his greatest ally and link to Stella. Ari always pulled through for him.
What a wonderful son. His joy. That’s because he had a mother like Stella. On this trip Theo found out he needed them like he needed air to breathe. If the crisis that was coming was too much for her, he might never be able to reach her again in the same way.
This trip had drawn them so close together, the thought of anything destroying what they had now was killing him. He buried his face in his hands.
Iola took one look at Ari and threw up her hands. “You’ve turned into a lobster!”
“Lobster…” Ari roared with laughter. “Guess what? I caught two sea bass!”
“How big were they?”
“This long.” He demonstrated.
“Good for you! Did you eat them?”
“Yes. Papa’s the best cook just like my grandma. The fish was yummy, wasn’t it, Mommy.”
“Delicious.” On their trip she’d discovered Theo had many hidden skills.
“Are you hungry now?”
“No. We’re ready for bed,” Stella declared. “If he’s going to play with Dax in the morning, he needs his sleep. Run on up, honey, and get your bath. I’ll be there in a minute to tuck you in.”
“Okay.”
As he darted up the stairs, she turned to Iola. “How are you?”
“I’m fine now that you’ve come home so happy. You’re in love again.”
Stella nodded. “Theo’s even more wonderful than he was before.”
“He’s a man.”
“Yes. He’s my life and Ari’s.” She kissed Iola’s cheek. “See you in the morning.”
Once in her room, she couldn’t wait to read the letter. Her hands trembled as she got it out of her purse. When he’d given it to her on Andros, she’d thrown it back at him. At the time, her state of mind wouldn’t allow him inside her head. Now he filled her whole heart and soul.
She sank down on the side of her bed, dying to find out what he’d written. Taking as much care as possible, she opened the sealed envelope and pulled out the short, one-page letter.
Agape Mou,
Something terrible has happened to me. That’s why I couldn’t come inside the church to get you. I’m in Salamis Hospital, room 434W. Spiro is writing this letter for me because I can’t use my hands yet.
Find a way to leave the villa and come to me as fast as you can, sweetheart. My family’s going to let you stay with us until I’m better, then we’ll get married and find a place of our own.
I love you, Stella. I love our baby.
Come soon. I need you.
Theo.
Stella moaned.
“Kyrie Pantheras?”
“Yes?”
“Stella Athas is here to see you.”
Excitement charged his body. “Tell her to come in.” He threw down his pen and hurried around the desk to greet her. This morning she was wearing a stunning cocoa-colored silk blouse with pleated pants in a café-au-lait tone.
She looked good enough to eat. Her velvety brown eyes sought his with a new eagerness. She must have read his letter or she wouldn’t have that expectant look on her face.
“Am I disturbing you?”
“Yes,” he whispered in a husky tone and reached for her, sliding his hands up and down her arms. “In all the ways only you can do.” He could tell she was out of breath. “Did you work things out with Keiko?”
She nodded.
“Anything else you want to tell me?”
“Yes. It’s about us. Weeks ago you asked me to accept you on faith. Last night on the boat you asked me to marry you. It’s what I want, what Ari wants. That’s what I’ve come here to say and I want us to tell Ari today.”
“Stella,” he cried. “I prayed that was why you’d come. Now that you’re here, I don’t intend to waste another second.”
He lowered his mouth to the lush moistness of hers, leaving her no escape. They began devouring each other with a fervency that transported both of them back in time to halcyon days when nothing mattered but to be together communicating like this.
His body trembled with desire while they clung in such a tight embrace, there was no space between them. He couldn’t believe it. She was giving him everything. It was as if a light had been turned on. Theo couldn’t get enough of her as their kisses grew more breathless and sensual.
“I’m in love with you, Stella,” he cried into her hair.
Her gasp of ecstasy thrilled him. She burrowed her face in his neck. “I’ll love you forever, Theo. I couldn’t ge
t through life without you now.”
To hear those words caused the blood to sing in his ears. “Do you think I could?” His euphoria made him forget everything except the wonder of holding and kissing her until he was delirious with longings that needed assuagement soon. They were already in deep trouble.
“Kyrie Pantheras? You asked me to buzz you when it was ten to twelve.”
Stella’s moan of protest was as loud as his.
“Thank you.”
He drank from her mouth one more time before putting her away from. Her eyes were glazed from desire. She swayed in place.
“Only Ari could force me to let you go at a time like this.”
She kissed his hands. “Let’s go pick him up together. I can’t wait to tell him our news. He’ll be so happy.” Her gaze played over him with so much love he felt like he was drowning.
Theo pressed his lips to her palms. “Neither of you could want it as much as I do. After we get him, I’m taking you both to my house on Salamis. While we have lunch there, we’ll tell him it will be our home. I want to marry you right away. Will you mind living on the island?”
Her brows formed a delicate frown line. “How can you ask me that?”
“Because you’ve lived in the heart of Athens all your life.”
“As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where I live. We used to talk about the house we would have right on the beach one day. It was my dream. Have you forgotten?”
He caught her face between his hands. “There isn’t one second of our lives I haven’t lived over and over until it has driven me mad. I’m hardly going to forget the plans we made.” After kissing her with refined savagery, he wheeled away from her to gather his suit jacket and the phone.
Together they rode the private elevator to the car park where his limo was waiting. En route to Dax’s house he held her on his lap and kissed her senseless. For a little while he felt like a teenager again, crazy in love with Stella Athas, the most gorgeous girl in the world.
“We’ve got to stop doing this before we get there, Theo. Ari’s going to know what we’ve been up to.”
He chuckled. “Our son knows exactly what’s been going on with us from day one.” She slid off his lap and sat across from him to brush her hair. “I love the taste of your lipstick by the way. You can lay it on me anytime.”
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