by Lynne Graham
Possibly Xan didn’t appreciate how daunting his reputation was or how frightening the amount of power he wielded could be, Elvi reflected ruefully. But the clenched set of his hard, dark face disturbed her, making her appreciate that Xan’s emotions ran deep, much deeper than she had ever suspected. It was not that she had ever believed him to be shallow, but she had mistakenly assumed that his self-discipline kept his emotions fully in check. She could see, however, that he was still angry and upset, papering over the cracks to put her at ease, but still upset by her clear belief that he could not have been trusted to treat her little brother with understanding and compassion. And try as she might, that suspicion only made her want to hold him close and hug him, a response which would’ve been no more welcome to him, she conceded unhappily.
* * *
‘You are sure that you want to go through with this?’ Sally Cartwright prompted worriedly, her attention locked to her daughter’s pale profile as she sat staring out of the window of the limousine. ‘You can change your mind at the very last moment. I won’t be upset.’
‘I’m not having second thoughts. I’m just nervous.’ Elvi forced a smile and tugged at the sleeves of her dress with restive fingers. It was a dream creation. Intricate embroidered lace sheathed her arms and ornamented the bodice, the classic shape moulding her figure while the slim skirt lent her an elegant tailored look.
‘I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Falling pregnant isn’t a good enough reason to get married,’ her mother continued. ‘We would manage—’
‘Xan wants this baby too,’ Elvi reminded the older woman.
‘He’s a very reserved man, the exact opposite of the kind of man I always thought you would choose,’ Sally admitted bluntly.
‘Somehow we work,’ Elvi parried uncomfortably, wishing her mother noticed a little less, knowing her subdued mood had encouraged Sally’s last-ditch attempt to get her daughter to reconsider her plans.
In the two weeks since she had agreed to marry Xan, she had been very busy. Xan had come down to Oxford to meet her mother and her brother. He had been smoothly polite and pleasant but Elvi had recognised his discomfiture even if nobody else had. Everyone in her family had assumed the worst of him and he knew it.
He had hired a wedding planner to take charge of their big day. He had arranged for her to visit a designer salon, where she had fallen in love with her dress and where the staff had taken great care to ensure it was a perfect fit. He would’ve preferred her to move into the penthouse with him, but he had accepted her decision to stay with her family without argument. He had even accompanied her to the doctor to have her pregnancy confirmed and, since he had taken that time out of his day for her benefit, she had allowed him to join her for the consultation. In fact, in every way possible Xan had been supportive, reasonable and considerate of her needs. So why were her spirits low on her wedding day?
Possibly being forced to consider her future had also forced her to be more honest with herself. Once she had recognised Xan’s emotional depth and his sheer determination to do what he believed to be right, she had finally acknowledged that she had fallen in love with him. He worked very hard at hiding his true nature behind a cold, indifferent façade and she wondered why he was that way, why he had felt the need to suggest that he had enjoyed an idyllic childhood when clearly, from the number of marriages his father had had, it must have been anything but idyllic. But Xan had only allowed her the glimpse of that harsh truth when he discussed what he wanted for his own child and admitted that he had never felt secure when he was a boy.
And ironically the reason she loved Xan was also why she was unhappy. In marrying her because she was pregnant, he was doing what he believed he had to do for their child’s benefit. He didn’t love her, wouldn’t miss her if she was gone, wasn’t marrying her for the right reasons, so how could she celebrate her wedding day? Even worse, he had not laid a finger on her since she had left the island, had stolen not so much as a single kiss, which scarcely suggested that she was the most sexually desirable of brides.
They arrived at the London church and she walked down the aisle on her brother’s arm, wondering if her friend, Joel, was in the church. Joel had been acting oddly with her from the day he received the wedding invitation, phoning her up to demand to know when she had met Xan and why she hadn’t mentioned that she was seeing someone. His apparent annoyance had been unfair when he had been up in Scotland and out of contact for weeks while he worked on a portrait commission. Elvi supposed that Joel’s reaction was proof that some people really didn’t like surprises.
Meeting Xan’s mother, Ariadne’s beaming smile as she reached the end of the aisle, Elvi went pink. Xan’s family had greeted her with open arms and she was very grateful for that, even if she recognised that their hostility would not have made a dime of difference to Xan, who ruthlessly walked his own path. She finally let her attention focus on the tall Greek man awaiting her at the altar, the fine dark grey suit outlining his broad shoulders and lean, powerful physique, a ripple of compelling awareness shimmying through her before she even connected with his dazzling amber-gold eyes and the lush black lashes that so effectively framed them. Her tummy shifted and her heartbeat quickened as her mouth ran dry, liquid heat snaking wantonly up through her pelvis.
She wanted Xan, wanted him as she had never known she could want any man and it still unnerved her, that needy wanting, that treacherous hunger that transcended all barriers and had nothing to do with her brain. Her colour heightened, her legs weak, she swayed a little and he rested a steadying hand against the shallow indentation of her spine, the heat of his light hold leaving her insanely aware of his masculinity. Not cool, so not cool, she castigated her disobedient body as the ceremony began.
Xan threaded a slender platinum ring onto her finger, his touch sure, his responses firmer and clearer than her own, no hint of nervous tension in his demeanour. He was her husband now, she registered in awe, turning away from the altar with her hand resting on his arm. It was done now: they were married. Because she had conceived, not for any other reason, she reminded herself wretchedly, feeling like a ball and chain foisted on him, telling herself off for that fanciful thought. After all, they were both equally responsible for the contraceptive oversight that had led to conception.
All Xan’s family had made a special effort to attend their wedding, even Delphina and Takis, who had cut short their honeymoon to spend a few days in London. On the steps, Elvi smiled and smiled until her face hurt with the effort of putting on a good show. Joel had come to the wedding, she noted with relief, seeing her best friend in the crowd, his mobile face unusually stiff and expressionless. Disapproving? Like her own family, he probably assumed she was rushing into marriage too quickly but then she hadn’t told Joel that she was pregnant. Just then she wondered if Xan’s family were aware of her condition and she asked Xan once they were in the limo travelling to the hotel for the reception.
His lean, darkly handsome features tensed. ‘I saw no reason to mention it. The baby’s our business.’
Relieved, Elvi nodded agreement, wondering if his family would have been as welcoming had they known the truth or whether she would have been downgraded to the level of a calculating hussy, who had entrapped Xan. Whatever, it scarcely mattered, she conceded ruefully, because they would realise that she was pregnant soon enough.
After the meal was served they circulated. She saw her mother chatting to Dmitri and noted Xan staring.
‘What’s going on there?’ he asked drily.
‘Nothing as yet, but give them time,’ Elvi said lightly. ‘I shouldn’t imagine Dmitri went to the trouble of offering my mother his house and setting her up with a job for no good reason.’
‘You don’t mind?’ Xan queried.
‘Mum’s been on her own a long time. Does it bother you?’
Xan ignored the question, deep within his own thoughts. He blamed Dm
itri for not sharing his doubts with him concerning Sally Cartwright’s guilt. Had he known there were grounds for doubt, would he still have offered Elvi that iniquitous arrangement? He knew he was splitting hairs and was grimly amused by the fact. After all, no honourable man would have offered Elvi the option Xan had.
Joel signalled her from across the room and she left Xan’s side with a warm welcoming smile. ‘Thought you weren’t sure you could come,’ she greeted her old friend. ‘I’m so glad you could make it after all.’
Joel dealt her a comprehensive appraisal, taking in the diamonds glittering in her ears and outlining her slender throat. ‘You look amazing,’ he told her thinly, curving an arm to her spine to guide her out to the bar, which was quieter. ‘I’m glad sour grapes didn’t keep me away—’
‘Sour grapes?’ she queried, not getting his meaning as he drew her into a secluded corner.
Joel sighed. ‘You never did work it out, did you? You didn’t notice what was right in front of you. I wanted you to turn to me when you were ready for a relationship but obviously I missed the boat—’
Elvi turned pale in shock and frowned at him in dismay. ‘You don’t mean that—’
Joel studied her in frustration. ‘I always wanted you, even when we were at school...that’s how far back it goes for me,’ he admitted ruefully. ‘When you didn’t pick up on my signals, I told myself that it was because you were still immature and too wrapped up in your family but I’ve always loved you—’
Her tender heart was pierced by the vulnerable look in his eyes. ‘I’m so sorry, Joel. I didn’t realise—’
‘You don’t come to a wedding to tell the bride that,’ Xan intoned harshly from behind Elvi and she spun round in consternation, disconcerted by his arrival.
‘There’s no harm in telling her,’ Joel argued defiantly. ‘After all, when you mess up, I want her to know I’m here waiting for her—’
Elvi froze in disbelief as Xan pressed her back out of the way with one arm and punched Joel with the other. Stunned by Xan’s behaviour, she staggered back as Dmitri appeared out of nowhere to band his arms round Joel and restrain him when he tried to throw himself at Xan. There was a tough exchange of words between the men, but when Elvi went to Joel’s side to apologise for the bridegroom’s behaviour and check that her friend was all right, he told her angrily to leave him alone and he stalked out.
‘What on earth did you think you were doing?’ Elvi demanded of Xan.
Xan didn’t have an answer for Elvi. Thumping the pretty boy with the dimples and curls had been instinctive and if his security team hadn’t prevented further violence Xan would have enjoyed hitting him again. And again. How dared the little twerp? Who the hell was he anyway? Who had invited him? What sort of relationship did he have with Elvi? Xan wanted answers too.
‘Who is he?’ Xan bit out in a raw undertone.
‘Joel is my best friend...and you hit him!’ she condemned.
‘Your best friend is a man?’ Xan countered in disbelief. ‘Well, that ends now. I’m not putting up with that kind of nonsense. You’re my wife...you’re mine. You don’t let other men come onto you like that!’
Elvi was fit to be tied but she was conscious that people were watching them and she chose discretion, walking away and heading fast for the cloakroom.
Xan was tempted to yank her back because he was determined to hear the entire history of her involvement with Joel with no detail overlooked. Her best friend? How was he supposed to react to a crazy announcement like that? The sneaky little bastard had been telling Elvi that he loved her, trying to tempt her away when any decent man would have accepted the reality that she was newly married. Pregnant into the bargain, Xan recalled with sudden immense satisfaction.
CHAPTER TEN
ELVI BOARDED XAN’S private jet with a sense of liberation because the strain of the day and the pressure of being the centre of attention as bride and groom were now safely behind them. Being forced to act as though nothing was wrong between her and Xan after that incident with Joel had stressed her out. His aggressive reaction to Joel’s declaration had shaken her and she knew she had to confront him. Violence would never ever be acceptable to Elvi.
‘You still haven’t told me where we’re going,’ she reminded Xan gently once they were airborne.
‘The South of France. I have a house there that I rarely use. I did think of taking you back to the island, but my family wouldn’t have given us much peace on Thira,’ he told her wryly.
‘I like your family,’ Elvi protested.
‘We need alone time,’ Xan countered smoothly. ‘That’s your cue to start telling me about Joel...’
Elvi tensed and stirred her coffee. ‘There’s not much to say. We’ve been friends since primary school. He was so into art even then that he didn’t fit in with the boys but I got on great with him. He’s now making quite a name for himself as a portrait painter.’
‘If you’re that close, you should’ve told me about him,’ Xan informed her disapprovingly.
‘You should’ve told me about Angie,’ Elvi countered without hesitation. ‘She’s much more relevant to this conversation than any we could have about Joel. Joel and I have only ever been friends. He’s the big brother I never had.’
‘Only it’s obvious that he cherishes far from brotherly feelings for you,’ Xan derided, his lean, strong face revealing not an ounce of discomfiture at her reference to his former girlfriend.
‘He said he does but I still find that hard to believe,’ Elvi confided, shaking her head in amazement. ‘I have to admit that I didn’t notice anything different in the way he treated me—’
Xan’s wide sensual mouth quirked at that admission. ‘You’re not vain and you wouldn’t have been looking for it. I saw how shocked you were. If I hadn’t I would have been wondering if you had been involved in some relationship with him behind my back.’
Elvi’s temper stirred at that insinuation and she lifted her chin and gave him a defiant look, her cheeks reddening. ‘Surely you could hardly have wondered that when you became my first lover?’ she dared. ‘Please don’t try to use that as an excuse for the violence you employed.’
‘I’m not looking for an excuse. I’m not sorry I hit him,’ Xan asserted immediately, springing upright to tower over her, the fine fabric of his tailored suit pulling against his strong muscular thighs and wide taut shoulders, distracting her when she least wanted to be distracted.
‘There was absolutely no need or excuse for violence,’ Elvi declared.
His lean bronzed features were taut and hard as he helped himself to a drink at the integral bar. ‘He crossed a line,’ he spelt out coldly. ‘You’re my wife. It was our wedding day. No man would listen in silence when another man threw a challenge of that nature at him.’
‘Joel did not challenge you!’ Elvi proclaimed in heated disagreement.
An ebony brow skated up. ‘It wasn’t a challenge when Joel said he would be waiting to catch you when I messed up?’
Elvi stiffened and flushed. ‘That was just one of those silly things a man says when he’s trying to save face. You should’ve ignored it—’
‘Consider me punching Joel as one of those silly things a man does when he’s angry,’ Xan advised lethally. ‘Your compassion for him is misplaced—’
‘No, it’s not!’ Elvi protested. ‘I felt horribly guilty when he said he loved me because I felt that I should’ve noticed something. I wished I’d told him about you, for a start, but I didn’t tell him about you because of the way our relationship started...the arrangement...we agreed.’
A faint line of colour scored Xan’s killer cheekbones, the distaste with which she whispered those two explanatory words hitting him hard. ‘Even when I wish I could, I can’t change the past, Elvi,’ he breathed in a driven undertone.
‘No, but you can ensure you don’t plough in and pun
ch one of my friends again over something you overheard in a private conversation. Joel went too far but you went in fists flying and there was no need for it,’ she told him stiffly.
‘There was every need. Now he knows his boundaries but, since the violence upset you so much, I can assure you that it won’t happen again,’ Xan conceded grimly.
Only a little soothed, Elvi threw her head high. ‘And you said I was yours,’ she reminded him doggedly. ‘I’m not. Putting a ring on my finger doesn’t transform me into property.’
‘You are mine,’ Xan delivered in contradiction. ‘Mine in a way no other woman has ever been.’
‘Angie?’ Elvi queried helplessly.
Xan compressed his lips. ‘I didn’t marry Angie or conceive a child with her.’
‘But you didn’t intend to do either of those things with me,’ Elvi pointed out flatly.
Xan merely shrugged a dismissive big shoulder. ‘Angie was my first love. We met at university. I fell hard for her,’ he admitted harshly, his lean, strong face grim. ‘I knew she was a material girl but it still didn’t occur to me that if my prospects appeared to go downhill, she would choose money over me. There were rumours even before my father’s death that his company was in trouble. Angie left me the same day the accountant confirmed that the family fortune was gone. She already had another man in her sights and within months she had married him and moved abroad.’
‘You had a lucky escape,’ Elvi told him staunchly. ‘In the light of her behaviour why on earth did you make such a fuss of her at your sister’s wedding?’
His spectacular bone structure pulled taut, amber-gold eyes shielded by his black lashes. ‘I had to let you go. I was very much in the wrong dragging you into my bed in the first place and the only possible recompense I could make, after I discovered the extent of your innocence, was to let you return to your life,’ he framed grittily. ‘I should have let you go free that first day but I still wanted you too much. On Thira, wanting you, needing you to that extent freaked me out. Flirting with Angie gave me an escape route and forced me to set you free and I didn’t have to tell you any lies—’