He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers in a kiss that was so heart-renderingly sweet and full of his love that tears once again flowed from her eyes.
‘I did it for Susie,’ she said against his lips.
‘I know.’ He drew his head away and smiled at her, his eyes filled with understanding. ‘I did it for my brother. I didn’t want him to make the same mistakes I’d made.’
She nodded.
‘I was concerned about Elena and her family as well,’ he continued. ‘Not because of any business dealings with them, but because they’re decent people. Family friends.’
‘I don’t know the person Susie’s become.’ Leah pulled away from him and turned to face her sister’s bedside. ‘I’ve idolised her since we were kids. Wanted to be her.’ She shrugged. ‘I always felt so inadequate next to her. So unattractive and dull.’
She felt his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her and spun her around. ‘You’re beautiful, Leah.’ He led her away from the bedside and spoke in low tones that were for her ears only. ‘I find you attractive beyond belief, but you’re also beautiful on the inside, where it counts most. You put yourself right in my line of fire to protect your sister.’
She laughed quietly. ‘I felt like I was facing Hephaestus at times!’
‘The Greek god of fire.’ He grinned. ‘I felt like him many times, kardia mou.’ He brushed his lips over hers. ‘I burn for you.’
Her heart felt like it would burst. Fresh tears, tears of happiness, pricked her eyes.
Then the steady beeps from Susie’s monitors intruded on her thoughts. The sounds seemed to shatter the precious, protective bubble that surrounded her and Alex. Guilt stabbed at her as she looked at her twin. ‘Susie told me that my stepmother was pressuring her and making her life miserable. I felt so guilty. I didn’t know.’
‘How did the accident happen?’ Alex asked gently.
‘The doctors said she was high on drugs. A witness saw her walk straight out in front of a truck.’ A sob escaped her tight throat. ‘I think she was suicidal.’
He held her tightly to him, and his lips pressed to her temple. ‘Why did the hospital think it was you?’
‘The hospital staff recognised her because the wig she had been wearing came off in the accident. She was admitted as Susie Hamlin. Then, a staff member went through her belongings for official identification, and because she was carrying my handbag — one identical to hers — the nurse found my passport and thought she was me. It was a case of mistaken identity.’
‘The news reports said she was on life support.’
Leah drew in a deep breath, and gave him a shaky smile. ‘They got it wrong. Her prognosis is actually very good. She’s suffered from internal bleeding but no head injuries. The doctors are confident she’ll make a full recovery, but her drug addiction is going to complicate things.’
‘Where are your parents?’
‘I’ve contacted them. They’re on their way back from Australia.’
‘They have a huge role to play in her rehabilitation,’ he told her, his tone serious.
‘I know.’
‘I’ll support you all in any way I can.’
She raised her hands to his face. ‘You really do love me?’
He placed his hands over hers and guided her palms to his lips, kissing each of them with a lingering sensuality. ‘Ise ei zoi mou. You are my life.’
Happiness fizzed up in her veins like champagne. ‘When did you know?’
He released her hands so he could hold her against him. ‘I was attracted to you the day you came to see me at my office. I couldn’t work it out, and I didn’t like it.’
‘I thought you were attracted to Susie. That was the real reason you were keeping Spiros and Susie apart.’
He grimaced. ‘You were way off base. But the more time we spent together, the more you got inside my head. At the tavern, it hit me. We were so in tune with each other all day. You’d stolen my heart.’
‘Mmm,’ she snuggled into him, remembering how special the day had been.
He stroked a hand through her hair. ‘When I saw you dancing in the arms of another man, I knew for sure. I was as jealous as hell, so I claimed you as mine in front of the whole crowd.’
She looked at him, her happiness climbing. ‘You loved me when you took me to bed.’
‘Yes, my darling. I made love to you that night, even though I tried to tell you afterwards that it’d just been sex.’
‘I knew that.’
‘I wasn’t planning to go that far, but I couldn’t stop.’
‘But you’d set out to have me in your bed so Spiros would find us together,’ she said, her tone accusing, her voice cracking from the hurt.
‘Initially. But I forgot my plan. I was too caught up in my feelings for you. Then I saw the evidence of your virginity —’
‘I tried to tell you. I wanted there to be truth between us before we —’
‘I know. But afterwards, I was in shock.’
‘And you learnt of my deception.’
‘I couldn’t believe that you loved me.’
‘You were thinking of Christina.’
He nodded. ‘I heard your heartache when you came to me at the pool, but I was still torn apart by your masquerade. I couldn’t expose myself to more hurt and lies.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
He smoothed her hair from her face. ‘We’ve both made mistakes, but that’s behind us now.’
Her lips parted in invitation. ‘Kiss me again, Alex.’
His mouth sought hers in a slow, burning kiss. She drowned in the sensation as his lips moved gently against hers. The pressure was building, fired up by her eager and willing response to his demand. It became a blazing statement of intent, of possession, a searing hunger growing between them.
She moaned as his hands drew her pliant body against his hard strength.
Then, he was carefully putting some distance between them. She heard his ragged breathing. Felt his arousal against the flatness of her abdomen. Saw his eyes smoke with sexual hunger, and knew he was keeping himself under control with flinty determination.
‘I want you desperately, Leah. I want to make love to you again, to share that special closeness that exists just between us.’ He cast a glance around the hospital room, and she saw his impatience.
She felt oddly powerful knowing that she could make him feel this way. He made her feel feminine, and beautiful.
She frowned. ‘Are you sure you love me, Alex? You loved Christina.’
‘I was much younger then and infatuated with Christina. What I felt for her is nothing compared to what I feel for you.’
‘You married her against your father’s wishes.’ She recalled exactly what Anna had told her.
‘If you remember, I told you I thought she was carrying my child.’
She sighed with regret. ‘The same lie that Susie told Spiros.’
He nodded.
She traced a finger down the row of buttons on his shirt, wishing she could undo each button and access the satiny naked flesh beneath. ‘So you brought me to your island, thinking you were keeping Susie away from Spiros?’
He caught her hands in his. ‘That wasn’t my intention. I only planned to have my man bring you — I mean, Susan — to my office, where I was going to make her admit she didn’t love Spiros and agree to admit herself to a drug rehabilitation facility.’
‘Then Comelli’s men attacked me.’
‘I still didn’t know whether you were — Susan was — pregnant. I justified keeping you at the island by telling myself you were safe there from your attackers. There you could complete your rehabilitation away from the paparazzi. But I think, even then, I was keeping you with me because I didn’t want to let you go.’
She poked a finger against his chest. ‘You left me for a couple of days.’
‘Because I couldn’t keep my hands off you.’
She trembled with need. ‘I want you so much, Alex.�
��
He tilted his head to one side, and studied her.
‘What is it?’ she asked.
‘Your eyes are so green.’
‘I can always wear the blue-coloured contact lenses again,’ she teased.
‘Never! I’ve seen your picture. I want the you with polished chestnut hair. I want the real you. You must grow your hair out again. I want to feel your long, wavy hair draping over my body.’
She touched her hair, suddenly self-conscious. ‘You don’t prefer Susie’s look?’
‘No.’
‘Susie’s agent said this look was much more attractive.’
‘Not to me,’ he said. ‘Why was your existence kept a secret?’
‘Mum and Dad talked about Susie becoming a singer. They knew she’d be exposed to a lot of publicity if she succeeded. Mum knew I wouldn’t want to be mistaken for her, or subjected to any media attention because we’re sisters.’
‘So Susan changed her appearance?’
‘Yes.’
‘You were lucky that no journalist ever dug up that information.’
‘Janice, Dad’s second wife, always acted as though Susie was her own child. She had the same colouring as Susie — my sister having changed her hair colour when she became a pop star — so there was no reason for anyone to suspect otherwise.’
‘And your mother was happy to sit on the sidelines?’
‘She went to every one of Susie’s local concerts but never publicly identified her as her own daughter. By then she had reverted to her maiden name. She was protecting me.’
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘The proof of your existence is all over the news now.’
‘I know.‘ She grimaced. ‘That was how I found out Susie was in hospital. As soon as I heard, I came straight here.’
Alex took her hands and led her over to a chair. He sat down and pulled her on to his lap. ‘When I heard the news of your accident. I…’ His voice cracked, and she kissed his cheek. ‘It was so hard to cope with the report that you were critical. All the way over from Greece I imagined you here, in hospital, on life support. I thought I’d left it too late to tell you how I felt.’
‘But I’m fine, especially now you’re here.’ She smoothed his hair back from his forehead. ‘I’m just worried about Susie.’
‘She will recover, Leah. She’s a very determined person.’
Leah let her hand trail down his cheek. ‘I know you don’t like her, Alex,’ she began in hushed tones, ‘but —’
‘No, I don’t,’ he agreed with absolute conviction, ‘because on top of her lies to Spiros, she’s treated you appallingly.’
‘That was the drugs.’
‘I love you, Leah. Susan’s your sister. I’ll make every attempt to find something in her that I can like, but I’m also going to make her understand she has to change. I will never allow her to use you or hurt you again.’
It was a heady experience to hear someone sticking up for her. Protecting her.
‘It’s not the way she usually treats me,’ Leah said, automatically jumping to Susie’s defence.
‘Substance abuse can make people act out of character,’ he agreed.
She thought of Christina. ‘Your wife had changed too?’
‘She was different from the person I’d first met. Whether she had changed or whether the alcohol made it impossible for her to keep up any pretence of being a decent person, I don’t know.’
Leah looped her arms around his neck. ‘What about Spiros? I’ve been so worried about Elena.’
‘Spiros came to the island to tell me he realised his relationship with Susan was ill-founded and that he’s always loved Elena. They’re now happily finalising plans for their wedding.’
She tipped her head back. ‘Elena forgave Spiros?’
‘Their love is deep. She and Spiros have loved each other all their lives. Anyone who’s ever seen them together recognises it immediately.’
‘Your business dealings with Elena’s father haven’t been affected?’
He let out a long breath. ‘I don’t have any dealings with her father.’
‘I thought —’
‘Elena’s father bought the Kristidis shipping company to bail out my father. I could’ve stepped in and injected some capital to keep it in family hands, but my father didn’t want that.’
‘Were Elena and Spiros engaged at the time?’
‘Yes. Her father and mine have always been as close as brothers. Con Moustakis bought the shipping line to help my father and to make sure Spiros would keep his inheritance. He planned to give it to Spiros as a wedding gift when he and Elena married.’
‘What about your share of the company?’ she asked.
‘I don’t need it.’
‘You’ve become wealthy in your own right?’
He nodded. ‘I decided early on I wanted to be independent. An opportunity arose for me to buy a hotel. My father helped finance that first deal, but I paid him back within eighteen months. Since then I’ve been financing my own deals. Making my own wealth.’
She bit down on her lower lip. ‘Alex…’
‘What’s on your mind, agape mou?’
‘You paid Susie’s debt to Comelli.’
‘Mmm.’ He kissed her temple.
‘I don’t know whether she can repay you that money.’
He shrugged. ‘Consider it a wedding present.’
‘A wedding present?’
‘My life’s empty without you. I want to marry you.’
She gave him a tremulous smile. ‘You do?’
‘Just as soon as it can be arranged. Leah, tell me you’ll be my wife.’
‘Yes, Alex, yes. I want nothing more in the world than to be yours.’ She hugged him tight.
‘You are my life, Leah.’
‘I love you.’ She was going to be his wife. Joy swelled in her heart, and she felt almost delirious and light-headed.
She claimed his lips — her lover, her future husband. Through that kiss she demonstrated the wealth of her feelings for him. He felt her love, her devotion, her desire.
He groaned. ‘I can’t wait to get you out of here.’
‘The doctors are expecting Susie to regain consciousness in the next few hours.’ She frowned and cast a worried look at her sister. ‘Maybe it’d be better if you weren’t here. She’s really obsessed with you. I don’t know what she’ll do if she knows —’
‘No,’ he said, interrupting her. ‘I’m not leaving your side. No more protecting Susan. She’s a grown woman who has to learn to deal with the truth.’
‘But —’
‘No! She’s going to learn she can’t use you anymore. She can’t put her needs ahead of yours. And she’s going to make some confessions and take some responsibility for her lies.’
‘But I —’
‘You’ve been very loyal to her, Leah. It’s time to put yourself first. Put our future together first and hand over your worries to your parents.’
‘They’ll be arriving tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll work together now to see Susie through this crisis.
‘Good.’ He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Then you can concentrate on me.’
Leah smiled dreamily up at him. ‘I don’t think I’ve been able to concentrate on much else since the first day I met you.’
‘Well, that makes us even!’
Chapter 11
Twelve months later...
‘Alex, wake up,’ Leah urged.
‘What is it? What’s wrong?’
Taking his hand, she placed it over her swollen abdomen and watched as a look of amazement spread over his face.
‘Our baby’s kicking!’ he exclaimed with delight.
She nodded, too choked up to speak.
He put his head down on her stomach. ‘Hello, little one.’ His lips trailed a pathway of worship over her skin. ‘Ah, my darling wife, there’s something even more beautifully alluring about you now that you’re carrying our child.’ With his head support
ed on one hand, he caressed her with the other. ‘You look happy.’
‘You know, I am. A year ago I wouldn’t have believed things would turn out this way. That we would be together.’
His hand moved up from her abdomen to the tender curve of her breasts. ‘It’s been the best year of my life.’
She smiled. ‘Two weddings in the family, and the third scheduled for tomorrow.’
‘Mmm.’ He brushed his thumb back and forward across one of her dusky nipples. ‘Ours was the best.’
Laughing, she caught his hand in hers. ‘I don’t think Spiros and Elena will ever forgive us for beating them to the altar.’
‘My brother and Elena will have to be content with providing my father with his first grandchild. Their baby seems to have brought Spiros and my father close together for the first time in their lives. And now, he gets to look forward to the arrival of our child.’
‘He’s not the only one, but I’m really glad we waited. It was good to finish out my academic year. It meant a lot to me to see my senior students through their studies.’
‘Always thinking of others.’ He sat up and leaned back against the pillows, shifting her against his chest. ‘I’ve enjoyed having you to myself, even if it has meant you’ve stayed up late marking assignments when you could’ve been in bed with me. Time to make up for it.’ He tickled her ribs.
She slapped his hands away playfully. ‘Alex Kristidis — that only happened once!’
‘Once was once too often.’
‘Hey, as I remember it, you were the reason I had to stay up late. You didn’t let me get out of bed all day.’
‘An experience we could repeat today,’ he suggested throatily.
‘Sorry.’ She caught one of his nipples between her teeth and flicked it with her tongue. As he groaned his frustration, she laughed. ‘You know I have a dress fitting later today. There’s just one final adjustment to my outfit for Mum and Dad’s wedding tomorrow.’
‘You are such a tease.’ He pulled her up and over his body, so she now sat straddling him. ‘Right now you have time for a fitting of a very different kind.’
‘Alex!’ She laughed at his boldness as he guided her onto his arousal. Her laughter was soon replaced by insistent need as she sank her pelvis lower, so she felt him stretch and fill her. Her hips rocked of their own volition, rejoicing in the feel of him and the pleasure he provided.
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