Greek's Marriage Bargain (4 page)

Biting back the impulse to giggle, unsure if the giddiness came from amusement or lingering shock, Leah reached for a crystal goblet of ice water, hiding her own expression of disgust by taking a sip. Nikos surrendered the pleasure of seating Maia to the other man and returned to his seat. As he settled, his hand dropped onto her shoulder, and she quickly shrugged it off.

To her relief, Calista made an effort to engage her in conversation, negating the need to address the questions in Nikos’s eyes. It physically hurt when he turned to Maia, falling into a quiet conversation that she did her best to block out.

Calista seemed to be aware of her reaction and set out to keep her distracted with lighthearted topics. To her surprise, Leah found Calista a charming conversationalist and managed to ignore the fact her husband acted like she didn’t exist. They were discussing the Kakos’ recent yacht purchase and their plans to sail around the Greek islands when Maia’s cold laugh cut through their conversation. Caesar and the other man fell silent as well, all eyes turning to Maia.

“What amuses you, Maia?” asked Calista.

“That.” Maia gestured toward a heavily pregnant woman making her way across the dining room, probably in search of a bathroom.

“Why do you find Helene funny?” Calista regarded her with barely concealed dislike.

“There are so many reasons. She looks ridiculous in that gold tent.” Maia shrugged. “What can you expect from someone who is not one of us? The woman was devious enough to trap her boss into marriage by getting pregnant, but she will never be clever enough to fit into our world.”

“I think she is lovely,” said the man who remained unnamed to Leah.

Maia snorted, contorting her face into an expression that greatly detracted from her classical beauty. “I think she is disgusting. I refuse to have anything to do with her.”

“There is no reason to be unkind to a pregnant woman,” said Nikos, sounding annoyed.

Either Maia didn’t catch his tone or didn’t care. “You cannot expect me to treat her as an equal. It is clear she doesn’t belong.” Her dark eyes settled meaningfully on Leah for a moment before her tirade continued. “She might be able to lie and trick her way into Salus’s bed, but she cannot trick her way into acceptance by his peers.”

“I doubt she tricked Salus into anything,” said Caesar. “He is an astute man.”

“You can’t think he deliberately impregnated her?” Maia laughed again, though it was more of the screech of metal against metal than a sound of amusement. “I am certain he only married her because of the baby.”

“If that is so, I find it refreshing,” said Calista in a tone laden with ice. “So many men we know keep mistresses. If one falls pregnant, the woman usually receives money and disappears from his life. Regardless of the circumstances of conception, I find it admirable that Salus has lived up to his responsibility.”

“I agree,” said Leah, surprising herself by contributing to the discussion. “I know it isn’t healthy for a child to grow up with parents who argue all the time, or who are miserable, but children need both parents—particularly when they are young. In that situation, I think you have to set aside what you want and think of your child, at least during the formative years.”

She looked at Nikos, who was frowning at her. “You disagree?”

He shook his head, his voice husky when he said, “No. No, I do not.”

She found his intense gaze disturbing and quickly looked away, once more immersing herself in conversation with Calista. It pleased her to see Nikos wasn’t so eager to speak with Maia now, though she didn’t know if that was because of the other woman’s behavior or because he kept staring at her, a thoughtful look on his face. Leah wondered what ideas spun in his head, and if they should worry her.

They arrived back at the villa late. Too much champagne and a little too much wine with dinner had left Leah feeling mellow. Some of her anger at the discovery of Nikos’s previous engagement had faded, and she didn’t pull away when he put a hand on her back as they walked up the marble stairs.

“That is better,” he said as they traversed the steps to the second floor.

Leah cocked her head to look at him. “What’s better?”

“You’re no longer acting like my touch scalds you.”

She blushed. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Liar,” he said with a soft chuckle. “A block of ice would have been warmer to me than you were this evening.”

“That’s silly.” Leah waved a hand as if to dismiss the whole idea, though her stomach knotted.

They stepped onto the landing, and he surprised her by taking her hand. Nikos stopped, pulling her around to face him in a stance that could turn intimate in a second. “I don’t know what I did to offend you, but I am pleased you are no longer in a snit.”

She gasped. “A snit? It wasn’t a snit, and you know what you did.”

He frowned. “I haven’t a clue, Leah
mou
.”

Leah pulled away, continuing determinedly toward the master suite. “You can’t be that dense, Nikos. And I’m not your Leah.”

He didn’t reply until they had entered the bedroom. His hands on her shoulders made her freeze, but it was the softness of his voice that kept her from moving away. “Please tell me why you are upset, Leah.”

She turned slowly to face him. “I was humiliated. You cozying up with your ex-fiancée had all the gossips’ tongues wagging, and I bore the brunt of the comments.”

Nikos scowled. “Women have nothing better to do than talk about others?”

Leah rolled her eyes. “Men can be just as bad, and you know it.”

After a moment, he nodded. “I apologize if you were humiliated.”

She shrugged. “Thank you.” He seemed so open tonight, with a gentleness displayed toward her that she had never seen. It gave her the courage to ask, “Were you really going to marry Maia?”

His expression became guarded, but he said, “Yes. I was much younger than.”

Pushing her luck, she asked, “What happened?”

Nikos frowned. “I realized our relationship lacked the necessary depth to last a lifetime. She must have reached the same conclusion, because she married someone else within weeks of ending our short engagement.”

She mulled over his words. “Wait, who ended it? You or her?”

With a sigh of impatience, he tugged at his tie. “What does it matter now, Leah? That was years ago.”

Eyes narrowed at his evasion, she murmured words of agreement and turned toward the nursery. “Good night.” Nikos reached for her, and she didn’t resist when he turned her back to face him. “Was there something else?”

He cursed under his breath in his native language. She didn’t understand the words, but she heard the frustration loud and clear. “Yes,
agape mou
. This.”

Even before his head descended, Leah knew Nikos was going to kiss her. Deep in her heart, she had known all night that every glance and touch was leading to this moment. She held her breath, knowing she should turn away but unable to do so. When his lips touched hers, she sighed, melting against him.

Her lips molded to his, and Leah savored the feel. He opened her lips with his to thrust his tongue inside her mouth, exploring the depths. Eagerly, Leah stroked his tongue with hers. He tasted like the ouzo he’d had after the meal, along with something intangible.

Nikos pulled her closer, until their bodies fit together as though made for each other. Leah deepened the kiss, burying her hands in his hair to drag his head lower. She was desperate for the taste of him, her need sublimating all self-control.

She moaned when he put one hand on her back while the other ventured lower, to cup her bottom. A jolt shot through her when he lifted her slightly, aligning their lower bodies. His proximity was intoxicating, and the sensations he evoked threatened to overwhelm her.

Nikos pulled his mouth from hers, brushing tender kisses across her cheek. “
Se thelo
, Leah,” he said in a thick voice.

She shook her head. “I don’t know what that means, Nikos.”

He lifted his head so that their gazes locked. “I want you, Leah. I want to touch every inch of you, to learn all your secret places, to watch you come apart in my arms.
Se thelo
.”

Nikos’s words were like ice water tossed in her face, completely dousing her arousal. “Why?” she asked in a distant tone, pulling away.

He frowned, looking confused. “You are a beautiful woman. My woman. I want to make love to you.”

Leah took another step back. “You once told me you would never want me, Nikos. Do you remember? On our wedding night, you made it crystal clear that you didn’t desire me and never wanted me in your bed. What changed your mind?” He stared at her, mouth
agape
. She dug her fingernails into her palms to keep from turning into a screeching banshee. Three years of hurt and anger threatened to explode, but she refused to let him see how deeply his rejection had affected her.

“Nothing’s changed, has it, Nikos? I’m just a warm body, conveniently available.” Her shoulders sagged when he didn’t reply. “Good night, Nikos.” This time, he let her go without trying to call her back, to her mingled relief and disappointment. Her heart ached, and all she wanted was to forget about this night and to expunge the memory of his kiss from her mind and body.

In the nursery, Leah stripped off the expensive evening gown and tossed it away before slipping into her nightgown and crawling into bed. Shivers racked her body, though the night was warm. It was reaction, her body’s way of processing what had just happened, along with what had happened three years ago.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory of their wedding night, but unable to do so. As she had done so many times in the early days of their marriage, once again, she relived the night’s events in her mind.

As planned, theirs had been a simple civil ceremony in front of a justice of the peace, with Arianna as their only guest. Nikos’s way of announcing the marriage was hosting a reception following the ceremony, and the house had been crowded with guests. By the time the evening wound to a close, she was exhausted.

Leah made her way upstairs to the suite the housekeeper had shown her before the ceremony, while asking how she wanted her clothes arranged. The austere room suited Nikos, with its massive antique furnishings, dark brown carpet, and beige walls. The room wasn’t conducive to passion, but she assumed she wouldn’t even notice the décor once Nikos started making love to her.

She bathed meticulously and slipped into a nearly transparent white negligee. The color was appropriate for a virgin bride, but the style was anything except innocent. Lost in the sea of garments at the boutique where she’d selected it, along with many pieces of her new wardrobe, she had deferred to the saleswoman’s suggestion. Examining herself in the mirror, she nodded her approval, deciding the lingerie lent her an air of sophistication she sorely lacked.

Would Nikos be pleased or disappointed to find out she was a virgin? At the age of twenty, she was only one of a few young women in her circle who hadn’t yet gone to bed with a man. Leah wasn’t prudish, but she also didn’t want to jump in to bed with just any man, and none of the boys she’d dated had come close to tempting her to go that far. None had measured up to Nikos.

A faint smile curved her lips. She could admit that she loved Nikos and had for years. He was the standard to which she held all other men, and none had been equal. The circumstances of their marriage were tragic, but she was determined to make the best of the opportunity. By the end of the marriage contract, she hoped Nikos would love her as much as she loved him, and that their arrangement would become permanent.

A colony of butterflies danced in her stomach as she opened the bathroom door to enter the bedroom. Nikos stood a few feet away, in the process of unknotting his tie. At first, he didn’t look at her, and she stood before him, feeling exposed in more ways than one. A chill in the air made her shiver, but she resisted the urge to wrap her arms around her body to warm herself, and also to hide her skin.

When he did look at her, his eyes had widened with surprise. For a moment, his gaze had flicked lower, but quickly returned to hers. “Did the housekeeper show you your room?”

She frowned. “No. She put my things in here.”

Nikos nodded. “We’ll be sharing a dressing room.”

“Oh.” Confusion swirled through her. “Do you prefer to sleep alone?”

His abrupt answer should have told her all she needed. “Yes.”

Her own naiveté had prompted her to push forward. Thinking he didn’t want to scare her, Leah thought maybe he was waiting for her to make the first move. A deep breath helped marshal her courage, and she stepped close to him, putting a hand on his chest.

Her husband stiffened, his expression darkening. “What are you doing, Leah?”

She licked dry lips. “I…I don’t know. I thought you wanted me to…”

His motion was gentle, but the action was brutal as he took her hand from his chest and stepped away from her. “No, I don’t want you to do anything. I shouldn’t have assumed we were in agreement on this…aspect of marriage. I expect nothing from you.”

Leah’s lips parted in a small gasp. “I didn’t realize.”

He nodded. “I know. It’s an understandable mistake.” Nikos waved a hand downward to indicate her body. “I appreciate the effort, but sex will complicate things needlessly.”

She nodded, trying not to betray her hurt and shock. “Yes,” she said tremulously.

“Your room is through that door.” He gestured to it, and she turned toward it, desperate to escape his presence. She was a few steps from the door when he called her name. Leah paused, turning back to look at him. “Just so we’re clear, Leah, I won’t be changing my mind in the future. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about anything.”

Figuratively gathering the tatters of her pride, she lifted her head high. “I understand now. It’s a relief, to be honest,” she tossed out, hoping she didn’t sound shrill or whiny. She wanted to be calm. “Now that we understand all the terms, it should be a relatively easy three years, everything considered.” Without waiting for a reply, she had entered the other bedroom of the master suite, finding its Queen Anne furniture and light purple accents much more to her tastes than his room. The king-size bed was so comfortable as to be almost sinful, she discovered seconds later, after throwing herself on the plush surface and burying her face into her pillow to sob out her humiliation and hurt.

His words from the night had imprinted on her brain and still haunted her from time to time. It was true he’d never said he didn’t want her, but she had been able to infer what he was trying to say in his politely remote way. It had taken months, but Leah had eventually recovered from her “love” for Nikos, finally dismissing it as a lingering adolescent crush. The indifference which she displayed toward him after that night had started out forced, but she had mastered her reactions and eventually managed to feel true detachment from Nikos.

With one moment of weakness, she had undone all her hard work. Her body still ached for him, though her mind recoiled at the thought of sleeping with him now. He hadn’t wanted her three years ago, and she refused to be used because she was now convenient. Leah had no doubt sex with her husband would be amazing, but it wasn’t worth the cost to her pride or her emotional stability. She couldn’t risk falling in love with him again.

Nikos took refuge in his study, where men in his family had found solace from the time his father first built the villa. A finger of whiskey remained untouched in the crystal glass, though he swirled it absentmindedly from time to time.

He had certainly mucked up everything. Nikos set aside the glass to wipe a hand across his face. Three years ago, he’d been determined that Leah understand he wanted nothing physical with her. She had been beautiful, standing before him in a white negligee that made his fingers itch to pull off the scrap of fabric and explore the skin beneath. His wife had been desirable, though seeming less experienced than he was accustomed to in a lover. Nikos had exerted every ounce of will power not to accept her shy invitation.

At the time, he had been thankful that his wits quickly conquered his baser urges, and he was able to resist. Nikos had tried to be gentle with his rejection, but still get his point across. After that night, she had acted like nothing more than a roommate that he saw in passing a couple of times per day. Leah hadn’t shown any sign of distress that he’d rejected her consummation attempt, so he had assumed all was well, and she had reached the same conclusion he had—that lovemaking was strictly off-limits if they both wanted to avoid developing deeper emotions.

With a wry tilt of his lips, he acknowledged his assumptions had certainly made him an ass. It wasn’t clear if she had been deeply hurt, but Leah had obviously taken his message to heart. He cursed himself, shaking his head at his own blindness. How could he have been near Leah for the past three years and not taken her to his bed? The idea of losing her now was unacceptable. At thirty-one, he didn’t want to give up the comfort of having a wife, nor undertake the task of finding another when he had a perfect one already. Leah was an ideal partner and he was used to her habits. It was silly to end their marriage. He just had to convince her of that.

His lower body tightened painfully as he relived holding her earlier, her mouth devouring his while their bodies strained to get closer. Leah had been willing and responsive. He could likely seduce her with just a little perseverance, but would that be enough to make her stay?

A conversation from the party replayed in his head, and the seed of an idea germinated. Leah had said it herself. “Children need both parents, particularly when they are young. In that situation, I think you have to set aside what you want and think of your child, at least during the formative years.” If she became pregnant from his seduction, she would have to stay. It wasn’t the ideal way to convince her of the logic of maintaining their relationship, but at least it gave him an option if she proved stubborn.

His mouth curled in a smile as he imagined his child held in Leah’s arms, suckling at her breast. A wave of warmth suffused him. He already knew she was maternal and kind. Nikos couldn’t think of a better woman to be the mother of his children.

To her relief, Nikos was gone from the room when she emerged from the nursery late the next morning. Another restless night had left her tossing and turning, and the little sleep she’d finally managed hadn’t reenergized her. She grimaced at the bruising around her eyes when she stood in front of the mirror, after a hot shower, several minutes later. His sharp eyes wouldn’t miss the proof of her distress, which she had no desire to show. Setting her lips in a grim line, Leah reached for her little-used cosmetics bag to conceal the signs of last night’s ravages.

Her hands were quick and skillful in masking the discoloration, but she’d had lots of experience with the technique three years ago. It didn’t sit well to be back in the same spot years later.

Once she had fixed her face, Leah padded from the bathroom, wrapped from head to toe in her bathrobe. He was nowhere in sight, so she risked dressing in the dressing room, pulling on shorts and a shirt in record time.

If Irina had brought breakfast this morning, Leah must have slept right through her knocking. Her stomach growled as she descended the stairs, sending her in the direction of the kitchen.

Irina clicked her tongue when Leah entered and went straight to the fridge. “I will cook for you,
Kyria
Leah. Tell me what you would like.”

With a smile, Leah held up a bottle of water after closing the refrigerator door. “I’m fine.” She scooped up a juicy orange, likely grown in the Andrakis’ orchard, from a bowl on the counter. Ignoring Irina’s admonishments about needing a substantial breakfast, she left the villa through the servants’ entrance.

Leah headed for the gardens and orchard, eager to reacquaint herself with the foliage of the island. Soon enough, she found a stone bench in the center of a small arrangement of various plants. It was one of the six garden areas set up on the Andrakis land. Six years ago, she had known them all well by the end of her stay.

As she peeled the orange, Leah scuffed her foot along the bricks underfoot. She smiled at discovering the small heart she’d found long ago was still there, with the initials K.A. + J.A.—the initials of Nikos’s parents. She remembered Kostas vaguely as a remote, serious man, so it was nice to see proof that he’d had a softer side. At some point on one of their vacations, he had taken time to make this little monument to the love he felt for Jacinth. She could imagine Nikos doing the same someday, though her heart stuttered when her imagination provided M.P. to pair with the N.A.—Maia Papadas. It had almost been a reality once, and it could be again, once he was free from their marriage.

The orange was perfectly ripe and delicious, but her thoughts killed her appetite. With a sigh, she tossed the remaining fruit and peel into the discreet rubbish bin located under the bench. The bottle of water provided a way for her to rinse her hands and avoid returning to the villa just yet. That was the last place she wanted to be, since she didn’t know when Nikos might turn up. If he persisted with his seduction attempts, Leah wasn’t sure she could continue to resist.

She resumed her explorations, enchanted all over again by the bushes, flowers, and trees that grew together in such beautiful harmony under the hot Grecian sun. By mid-afternoon, she’d been through four of the six gardens. She followed the hedge border around the fifth patch, ambling into the garden.

Leah drew up short, eyes wide. A young man tended to a tree. He had stripped off his shirt, and the sun-bronzed skin displayed was beautiful. He could have been a god in another time. A young god, she amended, when he caught sight of her and grinned. Too young for her even if she weren’t still married. He was probably closer to Arianna’s age than her own.

Not able to turn and walk away without being rude, Leah walked deeper into the garden, toward the man. He greeted her in Greek, and she shook her head. “I don’t really speak your language. Do you speak English?”

“A little,
Kyria
Andrakis.”

“What are you working on?”

He waved to a row of lotus trees. “I am to prune so they will blooming in the fall. The fruit is delicious.”

She cocked her head, examining the slender green leaves. “I think I know this as a date plum tree.”

He nodded and continued with his work. Leah watched him for a couple of minutes, feeling awkward. “What is your name?” she asked finally, more to break the silence than anything else.

“Angelo,
Kyria
Andrakis.”

She wandered around his work area, examining the plants bloom. Tenacious violets and narcissus flowers still bloomed in the wilting heat. “What else do you do here, Angelo?”

“I am the gardener. Irina is a distant cousin.”

Leah took a sip of her water before saying, “You’re young for such a job. Did you design all this?” There were new additions and changes to the gardens from the last time she’d explored the grounds six years ago.