Why did it sound so weighted when he said it like that? They were home alone every night because the staff didn’t live with them. They lay side by side, not touching. Not even whispering.
But her body had been craving more with each passing night. Her fingers desperate to become bold and reach for him in the dark.
“I was thinking…” She sucked in a breath and tried to act like she wasn’t poring over his every word, trying to dissect its meaning. “We should probably start thinking about names for the baby.”
“Traditionally, Greek children are named after their grandparents.” He motioned for her to exit the house ahead of him. “Though I understand that we might want to come to a compromise on that.”
Compromise. It wasn’t a word she’d expected to find in his vocabulary.
“What are your grandparents’ names?” she asked.
His look darkened. “I don’t know.”
She wanted to smack herself. He was an orphan for crying out loud, of course he didn’t know his grandparents’ names. That’s what he’d meant by compromise. He was being facetious.
“I am so sorry, I wasn’t thinking…” Ugh. What a callous question to ask. “That was really insensitive.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she huffed angrily. Dammit! Her hormones were starting to bounce around like ping pong balls. This wasn’t something to cry over, especially given she had avoided crying over so many other more important things. But that look of hurt on his face had been a knife to her gut.
A fat tear dropped onto her cheek, and she brushed it away, anger and mortification mixing into her bloodstream.
“It’s fine. Don’t cry.” Nico’s hands came to her face, his thumb brushing the tear from her cheek. The touch echoed the way he’d called her name before—familiar and sweet. “I was being a smart-ass.”
“It’s these damn hormones.” She shook her head. But the frustration had melted the second he’d touched her, turned to nothingness by the flame sparking deep inside her. Now she was uncomfortable for a whole new reason. “But I am sorry.”
“You’re forgiven.” A smile curved on his full lips, and Marianna wondered for a second if she was staring at the mouth of the devil. It was so wicked, so sinfully beautiful it wasn’t possible for him to be human.
They stood in the golden evening light, the scent of flowers heavy on the warm breeze, swirling around them like they were the very center of the universe.
He was going to kiss her. Realization shot through her like a bullet, tearing her insides apart. What should she do? How should she react? Did she even want this?
Yes.
The word evaporated like steam when his lips came down to hers, his hands still holding her face, gentle and yet firm. There was no hesitation, no teasing or anticipation. He wanted to kiss her and so he commanded that her lips submit. A soft groan echoed in the back of her throat as his tongue slid into her mouth and she curled her hands into his shirt.
Until then, their bodies had been close but not touching. He changed that by snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. Warmth flooded her body, melting her from the inside. She’d never been held like this before—so tender and yet…wild.
Nico backed them up against the side of the house and wedged a leg between hers. Holy. Freaking. Hell. Sparks flared behind her shuttered lids at the contact, and she was assaulted by memories of them together in his pool. Of the way he made her come with only that insistent rubbing touch. Marianna burned as though she’d gripped the gates to hell with her bare hands.
“God, I’ve wanted this…” His mouth was at her jaw. Her neck. Teeth pulling on her earlobe. Scraping her skin. “So bad. So fucking bad. Every goddamn night.”
He wanted her? Or just this…the physical. Her mind spun. “What?”
He pressed his lips over hers, kissing her like a man starved and sliding his hands down her back, curving around her bottom. God. His erection dug into her belly.
“This,” he growled. “You. Every night I crawl into bed and pray to God that you won’t be able to tell how turned on I am. That you won’t be able to tell how much I want to roll you beneath me.”
She tried to respond, but her mouth could only make sounds rather than words. He was kneading her backside, rocking his hips against her.
“I want it too,” she whispered.
“Tonight.” There it was again—a promise? Or a threat? “We go to bed. Together.”
“Just tonight?” she whispered.
“Ask me in the morning.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Because right now I want to tell you to get your ass back inside this house so I can treat you like a real wife.”
The words sent a ripple through her. “I don’t even know what that means, but I want it.”
He chuckled. “It means I want to make you feel good, Marianna. I want to treat you the way I should have been treating you. Not like you were a signature on a document, but like a real-life woman. My woman.”
“And that means I can treat you like my man.”
“Yes.” He dragged in a ragged breath. “But not now. We shouldn’t keep the doctor waiting.”
…
Nico couldn’t remember the last time he’d been truly awestruck.
The screen sitting beside Marianna showed a black-and-white image that shifted and flexed as the doctor moved the ultrasound wand. He hadn’t been sure what to expect. She was a little over twelve weeks pregnant. But the image clearly showed a child, with a head and tiny bump for a nose.
“At this stage there’s a big increase in your circulating blood volume,” Dr. Anastakis said. He had an English accent and spoke with clipped efficiency. “Your heart is working overtime to supply adequate oxygen to both you and the baby. Your red blood cell count will be much higher now, which means you need to eat lots of iron-rich foods, okay? That’s high-quality red meat, green leafy vegetables, beans, and legumes. We also recommend taking supplements for magnesium and folate.”
Marianna nodded. “Okay.”
“But otherwise, everything looks to be on track.” He smiled. “I know you’ve probably had a lot of excitement moving countries and getting married, so I would suggest taking it as easy as you can. Are you working currently?”
She shook her head. “No, but I wanted to start a volunteer job teaching English. I’ve found a place that wants to give me a trial.”
Nico raised a brow. “When?”
“Today.” She looked up at him with those luminous brown eyes, and his heart melted. “I was going to tell you after the appointment.”
“It should be fine, but don’t overdo things,” the doctor advised. “Remember that you’ve had a lot of upheaval. You can stay active, but make sure you get plenty of sleep and keep eating well.”
“When will we be able to find out the sex of the baby?” Nico asked.
Marianna turned to him with a serene smile. “We’re having a girl. I’m positive.”
The doctor chuckled. “We usually check at sixteen weeks. It depends on the way the baby is positioned, though. Sometimes it can take one or two attempts to see the genitalia.”
“Thank you.” Nico nodded.
As the doctor left, Nico stared at the screen, which had gone dark. His baby. A girl, like Marianna predicted? Or a little boy? His throat was tight. So tight he could only nod when she asked him if he wanted to come along next time when they got to find out the sex for certain, even though she was convinced she knew already.
A child who shared his DNA. A child who, he knew right then, would be the center of his world. A child who would have every advantage he hadn’t, who would have the love and security he hadn’t. Marianna’s desire for them to live like a real family had scared the crap out of him at first—he hadn’t wanted to get emotionally entangled with her because he didn’t want to repeat the past. Didn’t want to make the same mistakes he’d made last time. But Marianna wasn’t Alethea. She wasn’t Kosta. She wasn’t all the families who’d looke
d him over and decided he wasn’t good enough. She wanted him to be part of her life, part of their baby’s life.
Nico found himself overcome for a moment, but he packed the feeling down by clearing his throat.
“You okay?” Marianna asked. “You seem a little spacey.”
“It was a long day, and this is…”
“It’s a lot, isn’t it?” She reached for his hand. “I feel so unprepared.”
“I’m sure everyone does.”
“Yeah, but not everyone is having a baby with someone they don’t know.” She bit down on her lip. “I know we’re married, but we’re still strangers. I mean…forget it.”
“What?”
She looked up, her face wide and open and so vulnerable it took his breath away. “I’d like to know you better.”
He had no idea how to respond. Hadn’t Dion predicted this—that she would want more? What he hadn’t predicted, however, was that Nico was no longer repulsed by the prospect of “more.”
…
By the time Nico and Marianna made it back home, Nico’s head was swirling with information. Supplements and tests and percentiles and risk factors. Marianna, however, didn’t appear fazed…unless she was better at hiding it than he was.
“I thought of a name,” she said as he pulled the car into the driveway. It was dark now, and the lights outside sent weird shadows flickering through the car, making it tough to read her expression.
He killed the engine. “Tell me.”
“I like the name Katherine.” She unclicked the seat belt and turned to him. “It was my mother’s name. Although everyone called her Kathy, but I always thought Katherine sounded very regal and beautiful.”
“Katherine.” He rolled the name around. It was old-fashioned, but in a good way. It was a proud, traditional name, unlike a lot of the weird shit people called their kids these days. “Well, it’s as close as we’re going to get with tradition since I don’t have any family names to offer.”
“Is that a yes?” Her face lit up.
He nodded. “And if it’s a boy?”
She smirked. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it…which I’m pretty sure we won’t.”
“You’re stubborn,” he said, shaking his head as he pushed the car door open.
“And you’re a soft touch.” She followed him up the path that lead to the front door, her sandals knocking against the flat stone tiles. “Most unexpected.”
“I’m not a soft touch.” He frowned.
“Sure you are. You saved me from getting my wallet stolen, and you’ve given me a home without asking for anything.”
“So I’m a halfway-decent human being?” He rolled his eyes and stuck his key into the front door. “That does not make me soft.”
“You came with me to my appointment,” she added.
“Again, just trying to be decent.” The door swung open, and Nico flipped on the lights.
“You took me snorkeling on our fake honeymoon.”
He lifted one shoulder into a shrug. “I like snorkeling.”
“Why can’t you take a compliment?” She made an adorable huffing noise.
“Being a soft touch isn’t a compliment.” It wasn’t how he was raised. But more than that, the fact Marianna could see past his gruff exterior and call this vulnerable, less harsh part of him out into the open was a red flag. There was only one other person who’d been able to do that…
“Sure it is.” She sauntered over to him, kicking her heels off and discarding her shawl and bag as she went. “No woman wants a man whose heart is made of stone. No woman wants a guy who doesn’t know how to feel.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in. The insistent press of her curvy body had him hard as stone in an instant. He’d wrangled the feeling under control during the drive to the doctor’s office, but now it was back. Desire burned, slower than before. Slower than he’d ever been used to. But that was exactly what it was like with Marianna. She was a little flame that one might dismiss as inconsequential, but while he’d turned a blind eye she’d consumed him, spreading and building until smoke clogged his lungs and flames licked at his skin. Until he was already burned beyond repair.
“Feeling things has never been an issue,” he growled, letting his hands feast on her ass again.
“That’s not what I was talking about.” She lowered her eyes, a faint flush coloring her cheeks and neck.
“This isn’t the time to be embarrassed.” His lips were at her hairline, at her temple. And he was working so damn hard not to shove her down to the floor and take her right then and there. He couldn’t be too rough, although the doctor had told them it was perfectly okay to have sex while Marianna was pregnant. Not that either one of them had asked. “We crossed that line some time ago.”
“We did, didn’t we?” A smile curved on her lips, her eyes fluttering shut as he sucked on her neck. “I have a feeling we’re doing this all backward.”
“We could start again,” he said. “Figure out what steps we skipped along the way.”
“So long as you don’t have a three-date rule.” She writhed against him. “Because if you make me wait now I think I’m going to explode.”
“Three-date rule?”
“Yeah, where you don’t have sex until date number three.” She bit down on her lip. “I saw it in a movie once.”
“We’ll make up our own rules.” He backed her through the house, tangling his fingers in her hair and pulling out the elastic band that held it in place. The dark, silken strands tumbled down her back, and he fisted the lengths in his hands. “Because if we don’t deal with this now…”
He picked Marianna up and carried her over the threshold the way he should have done on their wedding day. His room was dark, and when she pressed her lips to his, her kiss was hungry and demanding.
“I want you,” she whispered. “It’s stupid, but I wanted you the day I set foot in this house, even with everything going on.”
He sank to his knees on the bed, placing her down carefully. “You haunted me. Every night I slept in here trying to convince myself not to touch you.”
Buttons lined the length of her dress, from her bust to the edge of her skirt. He took his time opening them, kissing her skin as he removed the fabric from her. She squirmed beneath him, sensitive and needy. Her nipples pressed against her bra, demanding his attention, and when he sucked one into his mouth she almost launched off the bed.
His hands worked faster, sloppily pushing the buttons open until he had her mostly bare. A pair of simple cotton panties covered her sex, and when he pressed the heel of his palm between her legs, rubbing her in slow circles, they were already soaked.
“I…” Her breath stuttered. “Not like that.”
“How do you want to come, Marianna?” He covered her body with his, nudging her legs apart. “Not with my hand?”
“No.” She shook her head. “There’s so much I haven’t tried and…I want to try it all. With you.”
The words slayed him. Knowing he would get to show her all the beauty sex had to offer—doing everything for the first time, helping her learn what she liked and what she didn’t—was enough to make him want to blow right there.
“How?” he growled, and she sucked in a breath, her chest rising and falling. Her skin tantalized him; it glowed in the light of the heavy moon outside his bedroom window. She was a goddess come to life. A vision. “How?”
“With your mouth.” She shrank away from him as she made her request. Her eyes shuttered, and her hands curled up against her chest, like she’d done something bad.
“Never be ashamed for wanting to try things.” He pressed a kiss to each hand as he drew them gently away from her body. “Look at me.”
Her eyes opened.
“I will never judge you for taking charge of your pleasure. Whether you ask me to do something, or you want to try it yourself, I am here to say yes to you. Feeling good is not a sinful thing.”
Her lips lif
ted. “Okay.”
“My job is to give you everything I can.” He moved down her body, trailing kisses over her ribcage and hip bone until he got to the edge of her underwear. “Do you want this?”
She nodded. “You have no idea how much.”
“Tell me.” He traced his finger along the edge of her underwear, following the gentle scalloped elastic from one hip to the other. “I want to hear it.”
“I want this more than anything.” Her breath came quicker, her eyes bright and wide and hungry. “More than air and water. More than light and sound. Nico…please. Make me feel good.”
This was what he’d missed the first time. In their frantic moment in the pool, he’d only felt. But now he could see, taste, hear. He drew the panties down her legs and dropped them on the floor. Then he shoved her dress off the edge of the bed, and her bra followed.
For a moment he admired her, spread out like a feast on a table. He drew a long breath, squeezing his cock through his pants and stifling a moan of pleasure. Sex had never been like this before, not so filled with wonder and attachment.
But Marianna…
She was something else. A dissatisfied little grumble escaped her lips, and she shifted, looking up as if to tell him to get on with it. Her eyes were blackened and wide, drinking him in. Urging him on.
Her sex was even more glorious than he’d imagined. Pressure pooled at the base of his cock, excitement tight like a coil, ready for release.
Chapter Thirteen
Marianna couldn’t wrench her eyes away as Nico released his hold on himself and sank to his knees in front of her. His reverence made her flush. She’d never felt so desired. Not even last time, when lust had fueled them both, because now…now, this was more than sex.
“My beautiful wife,” he murmured.
The breath vanished from her lungs as his hands came to her thighs, spreading them wider apart. The slow pace made her crazy. She wanted to cross this threshold, to know what it was like to have a man put his mouth on her.
Beauty and the Greek Billionaire Page 13