by Maya Banks
Marley sat down and spread her hands over the cool stone. She stared ahead and felt a glimmer of sadness. It made no sense, but she knew she had sat here before, and she knew that she had felt fear. Uncertainty.
She raised her hands to cup her face and leaned over, huddled on the bench. It was there, just out of reach, so close she could feel the heavy weight of sadness, of indecision.
A hand touched her shoulder, and Stavros’s concerned voice reached her. “Are you all right? Do I need to call Mr. Anetakis? Perhaps I should take you to the hospital.”
She shook her head and looked up. “No. I’m fine. It’s just that I’ve been here before. I can feel it.”
Stavros nodded, though the concern didn’t leave his eyes. “You often said this was your thinking spot.”
“It would appear I had a lot to think about,” she murmured.
He checked his watch. “Let me call Mr. Anetakis and tell him to meet us at the restaurant. By the time we return to the apartment, you could already be eating.”
She didn’t object when he gently helped her up, and instead of walking just behind her, he held her elbow as they walked back to the car.
“Stavros, please don’t concern Chrysander,” she said as he put her into the car. “He’ll have me back at the apartment in bed.”
“Which is perhaps where you should be,” Stavros said.
She made a face. “You’re seriously no fun. I’m supposed to go shopping. For a wedding dress no less. I can’t very well do that if I’m in bed.”
Stavros looked to be fighting a smile as he closed the door. A moment later, the privacy glass slid down and Stavros turned to look at her. “If Mr. Anetakis asks, I’ll simply say we had a quiet day on the town.”
“I knew there was a reason I liked you,” she said cheekily, her good spirits restored.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Chrysander met them at the car and promptly dismissed Stavros, saying he would have his driver take him and Marley home when they were through shopping.
Over lunch, Chrysander asked how her morning had gone, and she explained about all the places Stavros had taken her. But when she asked him about his morning, he grew silent and vague.
Not wanting to cast a pall over the day, she swiftly changed the topic to their shopping.
“Exactly how fancy is this reception we’re attending?” she asked as she savored another bite of the rich pasta.
He quirked one eyebrow. “That depends on your definition of fancy.”
“Oh, then I can wear my blue jeans and maternity top,” she said sweetly.
He laughed. “While I certainly would not object to you wearing your blue jeans, I do not want others seeing you in something that cups your bottom so lovingly.”
“Am I supposed to dress up then?” she asked with a sigh.
“Don’t concern yourself with it, pedhaki mou. I will choose the perfect dress for you.”
“I won’t wear high heels,” she said resolutely. “There is no way I’m waddling around on toothpicks.”
“Of course not,” he said in a tone that suggested she was crazy for even mentioning it. “I’m certain it’s not advisable for a pregnant woman to put herself through such torture. What if you fell?”
“Maybe I could go barefooted,” she said mischievously.
He laughed. “And maybe I should stick to a plan of keeping you at home solidly under lock and key.”
She swallowed the last bite of her pasta and reluctantly pushed the plate away. “That was so wonderful, and I ate far too much.”
“You need to gain some weight. You are too slight as it is. It is good that you ate well.”
“And if I eat any more, I won’t fit into whatever dress you plan on buying me.” She glanced down at her rounded belly. “Do they make ultra-chic wear for pregnant women?”
Chrysander gave her a patient look. “Trust me, Marley. We will find you something suitable.”
“Just how do you know so darn much about buying dresses anyway?” she grumbled as he took her out to his waiting car.
“Surely you don’t expect me to answer that?” he said with barely suppressed amusement.
She shot him a withering look and settled into the car.
As it turned out, he did indeed have a skill for choosing the perfect dress. He nailed it with the second one she tried on. White silk in a very simple design. It had spaghetti straps with a conservative bodice, and the material hugged her belly, drawing attention to the soft mound.
“It makes me look…well, very pregnant,” she said as she turned to allow Chrysander to look.
“You look absolutely exquisite,” he murmured. “I think every pregnant woman should like to look as you do right now.”
The appreciation in his eyes sold her on the dress. She had no desire to look any further. It was carefully wrapped and set aside along with the low-heeled shoes that she had chosen.
“Tell me, agape mou, do you want a traditional wedding dress?”
She pursed her lips then shook her head. “No, I’d prefer something simpler, I think.”
The saleslady set several really gorgeous selections in front of them, and Marley watched Chrysander closely for his reaction.
She fell in love with a peach-colored gown that scraped the floor and fell in soft waves from her waist. It accentuated her pregnancy in such a way that she truly felt beautiful and feminine. It was clear by the look on his face that Chrysander agreed.
To her surprise, instead of returning to the car, he walked her next door to a jeweler and proceeded to choose a stunning set of diamond earrings and a matching necklace to go with her wedding dress. Already speechless, she was reduced to a mere croak when he next selected a sapphire necklace and earrings that he suggested she wear with the white silk dress to the reception.
“They will look beautiful with your eyes, agape mou,” he murmured next to her ear. “And later, I’d love nothing more than to see you in these jewels and nothing else.”
Her face exploded in heat, and she looked around to make sure no one could see her furious blushing.
“You spoil me, Chrysander,” she said as they left the jewelry store.
“It is my right to spoil my woman,” he said with a shrug.
“I find I quite like it,” she said with a smile.
“That is good, because it would be a shame for you not to enjoy something I intend to be doing a lot of.”
Impulsively, she scooted against him in the seat and kissed him full on the lips. A staggered breath escaped him as his hands went out to grip her arms. Her cheek slid down his until she nuzzled against his neck and she hugged him tightly.
“Thank you for today. I had so much fun.”
His hand went to her hair and stroked softly as he hugged her back with his other arm. “You are quite welcome.”
She raised her head and started to move away, but Chrysander held her fast against him.
“Am I a good cook?” she asked, cocking her head at him.
His face registered surprise. “I’m sorry?”
“Cook. Stavros informed me that I liked to cook for you and frequently went to the market for ingredients. I wondered if I was any good at it.”
A peculiar expression lit his face. “That’s right. You did. I hadn’t thought about it in a while, but yes, you did often cook a meal for me on my first night home.”
“Were you gone very often?” she asked.
He paused for a moment then slowly nodded. “I’m afraid I was. I was often out of the country on business. Sometimes we went weeks without seeing each other.”
“I can’t imagine it,” she said softly. “I missed you in just the few hours we were apart this morning.”
He kissed her again. “And I missed you, pedhaki mou.”
She settled against his side as they continued the ride home. She was a bit tired, but there was no way she’d tell him that. The day had been nearly perfect, and they still had the evening together.
Thirteen
M arley fidgeted and tugged at her dress as she surveyed her appearance in the mirror. Sapphires glinted from both ears, and the matching necklace lay against the skin of her neck.
“You look beautiful, agape mou.”
She turned to see Chrysander behind her. She sucked in her breath as she took in his appearance. The excellently tailored black suit fit him to perfection, drawing attention to his muscular build. The white shirt contrasted with his bronze skin, dark hair and golden eyes, and quite frankly, she felt like drooling.
“So do you,” she finally managed.
He chuckled and walked toward her. “Beautiful? Surely you can do better than that.”
“Gorgeous? Devastatingly handsome? So good-looking that I’m tempted to fall on you and tear your clothes off?”
“I like the way you think.”
“I wasn’t joking,” she muttered.
“Are you ready? The car is waiting for us below.”
She took a deep breath and twisted her engagement ring around her finger with the pad of her thumb. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He reached for her hand and tugged her into his arms. “It won’t be so bad. I will be with you the whole night.”
She reached up on tiptoe to kiss him. “I’m a coward. I fully admit it.”
He took his time exploring her lips, moving with a sensual thoroughness that left her weak and breathless. When they drew apart, she could see he was as affected as she was.
“I think we should leave now,” he said hoarsely. “Otherwise we won’t be going anywhere for a very long time.”
They rode to the hotel, and Marley could see several limousines lining the circular drive outside the main entrance as they pulled up. She swallowed nervously as she saw the glitz and glamour of the people stepping from the cars and entering the hotel. She suddenly felt underdressed and unprepared.
When they reached the front entrance, the doors were opened and Chrysander stepped out, extending his hand to help her from the car. He tucked her arm securely underneath his, and they walked inside the hotel.
Butterflies performed a rendition of the River Dance in her stomach as they entered the large ballroom. A jazz band played softly from a small stage at the back of the room. Waiters circled with trays of wine and champagne while others offered a selection of hors d’oeuvres.
Chrysander murmured to one of the waiters as he took a glass of wine from the tray, and a few moments later, he returned with a glass of mineral water for Marley.
As she scanned the room, glass in hand, she mentally groaned as she saw Theron and Piers and then Roslyn. While she knew they’d be in attendance, she’d truly hoped to avoid them as much as possible. That wasn’t going to happen, she mused as she saw Theron start across the room toward Chrysander.
Her first reaction was to excuse herself to the ladies’ room, but Chrysander’s grip tightened on her fingers as though he knew of her impending flight.
“Chrysander,” Theron said by way of greeting. His gaze skimmed quickly over Marley, and he offered the briefest of nods. At least it wasn’t a full-blown snub, nor did he scowl at her.
She listened as the two exchanged pleasantries, and then Theron gestured toward Piers and a distinguished older gentleman who was standing beside him. She hung back as Chrysander started toward his brother, but he tugged her along with him, and her dread increased.
Piers frowned when she and Chrysander approached. The older gentleman smiled broadly and uttered a polite greeting to Chrysander. A woman Marley assumed was his wife also offered an enthusiastic hello from his side.
Chrysander urged her forward. “Senhor and Senhora Vasquez, I’d like you both to meet Marley Jameson. Marley, this is Senhor Vasquez and his wife. They’re here from Brazil on business.”
Marley smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the older couple then relaxed against Chrysander. Piers was being polite, and Theron had joined the group minus the complete indifference he’d shown in her presence a moment earlier. Maybe she could endure the evening after all.
Chrysander reached down and squeezed her hand, and then he faced the others, odd tension on his face. “Marley has agreed to be my wife. We plan to marry while we’re here in New York. We’d be honored if you all could attend.”
A gasp sounded behind Chrysander, and Marley whirled around to see Roslyn standing a few feet away, shock reflected on her face. She recovered quickly, but not quick enough for Marley to wonder what she could possibly have found so shocking about the announcement. As she turned and looked at the others, only the Vasquezes looked congratulatory over the news.
Piers’s and Theron’s expressions both mirrored Roslyn’s shock. Then their surprise turned to outright distaste. Chrysander shot them warning looks, but Marley was at a complete loss. She trembled against Chrysander, and his grip tightened on her hand as if he understood her desire to flee.
How could their engagement possibly be news? They were engaged before her accident, and yet everyone acted as though it was a recent development. An unpleasant one at that.
After the obligatory well wishes from the Vasquezes and more from a few people nearby who’d overheard, the conversation switched to more mundane topics. Marley remained silent, numb to the talk around her. Chrysander loosened his hold on her hand, but he slid his arm around her waist and anchored her firmly against him. There was no escaping, no matter how much she might wish it.
The conversation turned to the possible building of a hotel in Rio de Janeiro, and while Marley remained silent, only observing the others, Chrysander’s arm never strayed from around her waist.
As the evening wore on, more people offered their congratulations on the upcoming wedding, and soon the room buzzed with the news. The constant smile Marley wore was starting to wear on her. As if sensing her strain, Chrysander whirled her onto the dance floor as a slow jazz song floated melodiously in the air.
She sighed as she melted into his arms. “Thanks. I needed that.”
He smiled and leaned down to nibble at the corner of her mouth. “You are the most beautiful woman in the room. The men all look at you with lust in their eyes, and it’s enough to make me want to pound them into the ground.”
“Mmm, as much as I like the macho act, I’d much prefer if you took me home and worked off some of that male arrogance in another way.”
“You tempt me.”
She smiled up at him. “I was very serious.”
He sighed. “As much as I would like to do just that, I’m afraid I am stuck here for the evening. If it becomes too much for you, I can have Stavros take you back to the apartment.”
As if she’d leave him here with Roslyn, Miss Super Assistant.
Despite the fact that Chrysander’s brothers and Roslyn seemed determined to treat her as a pariah, there were many others who went out of their way to be gracious to Marley and include her in conversation. She actually found herself enjoying the festive atmosphere despite the evening’s inauspicious start.
It was growing late when Chrysander leaned in close to her ear and murmured, “I need to speak with my brothers. Will you be all right for a few moments?”
“Of course, silly,” she said with a smile. “I’m going to visit the ladies’ room. You go on.”
He kissed her then strode toward his brothers. Marley took her time in the bathroom. It was a nice reprieve from the endless chatter and the dark glances thrown her way by the Anetakis contingent.
“You can’t hide in here forever,” she said to herself. Squaring her shoulders, she exited the bathroom and walked back toward the ballroom. As she passed one of the smaller meeting rooms, she heard Chrysander’s voice through the open door. She faltered and came to a stop, debating whether to continue or stay and wait for him.
The next words she heard made her decision for her.
“Damn it, Chrysander, there is no need to marry her. Put her up in an apartment somewhere until the child comes. Don’t tie yourself to her and give her access to everything you own.”
Her mouth rounded in shock at Piers’s angry words.
“She is pregnant with my child,” Chrysander said icily. “That I choose to marry her is none of your concern.”
She moved closer to the door, not caring whether they saw her. What right did Piers have to talk to Chrysander so?
“You can’t mean to marry her!” Roslyn’s shrill voice rose. “Do you forget how she stole from you? That she tried to ruin your company? If you need any reminders, just look at the new hotels going up in Paris and Rome. Your hotels, Chrysander. Only they’re going up under your competitor’s name.”
A haze blew through Marley’s mind. Red hot. Like a swarm of angry bees, tidbits of information began buzzing in her head. And suddenly it was as if a dam broke. The locked door in her mind that she’d tried so hard to budge simply opened, and the past came roaring through with vicious velocity.
She swayed and gripped the door frame tighter. Nausea boiled in her stomach as each and every moment flashed like a movie in fast-forward.
Chrysander’s angry accusation of thievery. His ordering her from their apartment, his life. Her abduction and the months she’d spent in hopeless fear, waiting for Chrysander to answer the ransom demands. Demands he’d ignored.
Oh God, she was going to be sick.
He’d left her. Discarded her like a piece of rubbish. The half million dollars, a paltry sum to a man of Chrysander’s means, was an amount he’d been unwilling to part with to ensure her return.
Everything had been a lie. He’d lied to her nonstop since she’d awoken in the hospital. He didn’t love her or want her. He despised her.
She hadn’t been worth half a million dollars to him.
Pain splintered through her chest as she shattered. As everything she’d known as true suddenly turned black. Her heart withered and cracked, falling in pieces around her.
He hadn’t tried to save her.
The tortured cry that ripped from her mouth echoed through the room. She clamped a hand over her lips, but it was too late. Everyone looked her way. Theron flinched, and an odd discomfort settled over Piers’s face. She met Chrysander’s gaze, and she could see the truth in his eyes as he realized that she remembered.
As he started across the room toward her, she backed away, stumbling as she did. Oh God, she couldn’t face this. Tears blurred her vision. The image of his pale face only spurred her on.
Marley fled down the hallway toward the lobby. Chrysander called her name, but she didn’t stop. Sobs bubbled from her chest and exploded outward. She stumbled but regained her footing and pushed herself forward. Behind her, Chrysander cursed and called out to her again.
She was running for the exit, no clear destination in mind. She was nearly there when she met with a mountain. Stavros stepped in front of her and held her, and she exploded in fury, kicking and shoving. Her only thought was to get away, as far away from this place as she could.
She broke free but stumbled backward and fell to the floor. Stavros was down beside her, asking her if she was all right, and she knew she was trapped.
Pain cycled through her body, an unending stream of agony. She closed her eyes as Chrysander’s strong hands slid over her body. In an urgent voice, he demanded to know if she was hurt, but she was incapable of answering him. She curled into a ball, uncaring that she was in the middle of the hotel lobby.
Chrysander picked her up, and she could hear him saying her name. Curses fell from his lips, and then he barked orders for someone to summon a doctor. He strode away from the noise of the lobby, and a few moments later, he entered an empty hotel room.
As soon as he lowered her to the bed, she curled herself into a tight ball again and turned away from him. She flinched when he put his hand on her, his touch light and concerned.
“You must stop crying, agape mou. You’re going to make yourself ill.”
She was already sick, she thought dully. Utterly sick at heart. She closed -->