Greek's Marriage Bargain (9 page)

Nikos entered, holding a test in his hand. She took the foil package from him and ripped it open, despite her shaking hands. With a deep breath, Leah dipped the test stick into the cup. Even before she could put the cap back on and lay it flat, a faint test line started to appear. As she watched, the line became clearer and darker than the control line.

Nikos’s breath stirred her hair as he exhaled from behind her. “You are pregnant.”

You don’t have to sound so pleased about it
, she thought sourly. “It could be a false positive. The instructions said it would take up to ten minutes to be accurate. The line appeared immediately, so it must be a faulty test.”

“That is unlikely, but test again.” He withdrew another test. “This is a digital test.” This time, her hands shook too much to allow her to open the package, so he did it himself and performed the test. The small screen displayed “Pregnant” in less than a minute. Nikos extended it to her. “This is also positive. You must admit the odds of two tests being defective are low.”

She shrugged. “It could be a bad batch.”

“Very well.” He nodded decisively as he swept the tests into the trashcan. “We’ll leave for New York within the hour. I shall arrange for you to see the best obstetrician in the city, and he can confirm your pregnancy.”

“Don’t say that,” she hissed. “It isn’t my anything. I’m not pregnant.”

“We shall see,” he said with apparent neutrality, though his eyes gleamed.

Two days later, Leah sat in the car beside Nikos as the limousine took them back to the apartment. She clutched a folder full of prenatal care tips in her hand but hadn’t opened it. It was surreal, but there was no denying her pregnancy. The urine test at the doctor’s office had yielded the same results, which the ob-gyn had confirmed with an ultrasound.

“There he—or she—is,” Dr. Anderson had said, pointing with an elegantly manicured nail to a little blob on the screen. “That’s the fetal pole, which is a good sign. It’s too early to see the heartbeat, since you’re only about five weeks pregnant.” She must have seen Leah’s look of confusion, because she added, “Don’t forget we’re counting from the first day of your last cycle, not the date of conception.”

Leah’s glance dropped to the ultrasound picture Nikos held in his hand. He had taken the printout reverently, while she had wanted to run from the room and pretend like this wasn’t happening. The little blob looked like nothing discernable and certainly not the beginnings of their baby.

Their baby. She shook her head at the notion. Nikos was the father of her child. Anger still simmered within her at his deception. She should hate the idea of having his child. Instead, her heart swelled, and a lump of moisture settled in her throat. Hesitantly, she placed a hand low on her abdomen, amazed that a new life grew there.

She jumped when Nikos put his hand over hers. “Don’t touch me.”

He sighed heavily. “Leah, you must move past this unreasonable anger. We have to make our marriage work, for the baby’s sake.”

Leah sniffed. “How barbaric, to stay married for a baby. I can raise him just fine on my own, thank you.”

His lips thinned. “Perhaps you could, but you won’t. He will have two parents.”

“Of course. I didn’t mean you wouldn’t be part of his life. I simply meant having a baby is no reason to stay together.”

Nikos quirked his brow. “You have changed your opinion in such a short amount of time,
agape mou
.”

Leah frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“At the Kakos party, you said the needs of a child, particularly a young one, had to come before the wants of the parents, to paraphrase. Our baby needs both of us, no matter how much you want to leave me.”

Leah flinched, remembering the conversation. She squirmed, unable to refute her original statement. She truly felt that way, but the idea of remaining trapped in a marriage to a man who had manipulated and used her brought tears to her eyes. She blinked them away, setting her mouth into a firm line. “You’re right. He needs us, but I want no semblance of a marriage with you, Nikos. We’ll return to our previous arrangement, one of roommates instead of lovers.”

He cursed softly. “Why must you be so childish about this, Leah? You will deny us both the pleasure we can give each other because of your need for revenge?”

Her mouth dropped, and she whipped her head to the side to glare at him. “It isn’t a childish need for revenge. I can’t share my body with someone I don’t trust.”

Nikos scowled. “Very well, Leah. If we are to return to our previous arrangement, do not expect me to wait at home for a scrap of affection.”

“I’m sure you can find what you need elsewhere,” she said coldly, though her heart tore into pieces at the thought of him with another woman. Yet she couldn’t have it both ways. It was devastating to imagine him with a mistress, but she was too hurt to be his wife.

The next few years stretched before her, a wasteland of emptiness. She couldn’t regret conceiving a child, but she fervently wished it had been with a man who loved her as much as she loved Nikos. In her heart, she wanted no other man except him, but without trust, what future could they have?

Leah spent the next few weeks in a haze, going through the motions of everyday activities without feeling anything. No, that wasn’t true. She was terrified of the future. She was also terrified of her continued physical reaction to Nikos. Whenever he was near, she had to keep reminding herself that she wasn’t going to touch him.

Was she refusing to make love with him to punish him, and ending up also punishing herself? Leah didn’t think she was that petty. It was difficult to look at Nikos without remembering the sharp agony of discovering the true reason for their marriage. That agony had faded to a duller, constant ache, but being near him was still torturous. That she could still desire him at the same time baffled her.

At least Nikos seemed to have dropped the idea of Arianna marrying Loukas. Tension remained between them, but they seemed to have declared a tentative truce. Arianna was due to depart for college next week, having decided to go earlier than planned, since they had ended the vacation so abruptly. Leah suspected the girl might be escaping before Nikos could change his mind.

If only she could escape so easily. The atmosphere was stifling, making her want to run screaming from the house, though that would solve nothing. Until the baby was older, she was trapped in a loveless marriage with Nikos.

It depressed her to visualize another few years of the empty relationship. At least before they had made love, she had convinced herself she didn’t love him any longer. She’d also had Arianna as a focus of her attention. What would she do with herself from the time Arianna left until the baby came? Leah was looking forward to having the baby, but it was difficult to summon much enthusiasm when she was feeling so low.

She continued to drift through the days, lost in her own thoughts. Once Arianna departed the household a week later, she was even more lost and lonely, but couldn’t reach out to Nikos. He would likely offer comfort, and perhaps suggest they try to build a real marriage again, but she couldn’t risk exposing herself to more pain.

A few days after Arianna had left, Leah was in the study, attempting to focus her attention on a natural health pregnancy book. It was one of a stack she’d discovered on the table near Nikos’s desk. Nikos was the only one who could have purchased the books, since it was unlikely one of the housemaids or the cook would have bought them. It touched her heart that he was so involved with the pregnancy, and it added to her confusion. How could he be so thoughtful, yet so deceptive?

The door opened, but she didn’t look up, expecting it to be one of the maids. Nikos had left for the office hours ago, and he’d taken to coming home later and later each evening. She couldn’t help wondering if he had found a mistress. It shouldn’t hurt if he had, but she could barely breathe when contemplating the idea.

As the door closed, she looked up, alerted to his presence through some subtle sixth sense she had developed in regards to him. “Hello.” She couldn’t believe how difficult it was to get out the simple greeting and keep her voice neutral.

“Hello.” He cast a glance at the books on the table, along with the one on her lap, looking sheepish. “It’s probably too early to buy those…”

She managed a small smile. “I guess you can’t start preparing for this kind of thing too early.”

He nodded. “Do you have a moment?”

Leah hesitated. “Why?”

“I want to show you something.”

She bit her lower lip, considering refusing. Without a good reason, her refusal would be churlish. She didn’t want to punish him by behaving childishly. It was in both their interests to achieve, and maintain, a mature friendship since they would be raising a child together. “Sure.” Taking time to fold the corner of the page that she had reread several times without absorbing any information, she set the book on the cushion beside her. He looked poised to assist her when she got to her feet, but she stepped away before he could touch her with the hand he seemed to have raised instinctively.

He sighed audibly, but said nothing about it. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” she said, slightly aloof, as she walked beside him. When they took the stairs, she tensed. Was he planning to steer her into the master suite? Would he try to persuade her to make love? Would she let him?

She breathed a slight sigh of relief, and tried to ignore a twinge of disappointment, when they bypassed the bedroom. Leah wondered if he was going to surprise her with a renovated room, turned into a nursery. Her lips twitched. If so, he was certainly being proactive, since she wasn’t quite eight weeks along yet.

Instead, he led her farther down the hallway, to the door that provided roof access. Intrigued, Leah climbed up the flight of stairs, wondering what he wanted to show her on the roof.

They emerged into the sweltering heat, and she shielded her eyes from the sun. “Are we going for a swim?” she asked lightly, as they walked toward the pool.

“No.” He walked past the pool and lounge chairs around it. When Nikos moved slightly, Leah caught sight of a white building that hadn’t been there before. Her heart skipped a beat. She stopped beside him when he came to a halt.

“Is that a greenhouse?”

Nikos nodded. “The workers set up everything this morning.” He gestured to the area beside it, where someone had built raised gardening beds and filled them with rich soil.

Leah blinked, speechless for a long moment. “Why?” she finally asked.

He turned to face her. “I want you to be happy, Leah. You told me you’d missed gardening during the time we’d been married. I want you to have it back again.”

Her eyes blurred, and she blinked back tears. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

He pushed the hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Say you’ll be happy here, with me.” Nikos paused before adding, “Or say you’ll at least try to be happy. Seeing you mope around pains me,
agape mou
.”

Leah met his gaze, and the air around them crackled with anticipation. “Why does it hurt you? My sadness won’t hurt the baby.”

Nikos ran a rough hand through his hair, betraying his frustration. “Not everything is about the baby. You are my wife, and I hate seeing you act like a prisoner, serving a life sentence.”

Leah closed her eyes, struggling to form a reply. “I’m doing the best I can.” His gaze was still locked on hers when she lifted her eyelids. “I can’t promise you anything, except I will stay until the baby is older. I don’t know if I can be happy with you.”

He jerked away, starting to pace. “You were happy on Trini Island. We were happy. Can’t we go back there?” Nikos stopped in front of her, his expression a mixture of frustration and earnestness.

Leah shook her head. “I can’t. I don’t know what was real and what wasn’t.”

“This is real.” He pulled her into his arms, holding her still when she tried to pull free. Anger had darkened his eyes, but they softened as he held her. She didn’t try to get away when he lowered his head to kiss her. It took every ounce of inner strength to hold herself rigid when his lips touched hers.

Nikos kissed her gently, coaxing her mouth open to slip his tongue inside. Ire had prompted the kiss, but his soft strokes were persuasive, not punishing.

With a moan, Leah threaded her fingers through Nikos’s hair, holding his mouth against hers. A little voice inside her brain screamed at her to stop. If she gave in and made love with him now, she would never sort out the truth from the lies. Her own emotions would overwhelm her, and she would be lost.

The voice faded to a distant whisper when Nikos cupped her breast, gently thumbing a nipple. The pregnancy made it more sensitive, and she inhaled audibly. He immediately stopped. “Did I hurt you?”

“Yes, a little, but in a good way.” A blush made her face hot as she made the admission.

Nikos laughed lightly. “I want to make love to you, Leah.”

She touched the tip of her tongue to her dry lips, watching his eyes follow the movement. “Are there strings attached to your gift?”

His eyes widened, and he shook his head. “The garden is yours to do with as you wish. I wanted to make you happy, not try to force you into something you clearly find distasteful.”

As Nikos stepped away, Leah stepped forward, pressing her hand to his chest. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” She rested her forehead against his shoulder, unable to look into his eyes. “I don’t trust you, Nikos, and I’m not sure what you want, or why you wanted to stay married, but I know you wouldn’t force me into your bed.”

Leah gasped when he wrapped his arms around her once more, pulling her so tightly against him that it was almost uncomfortable. The proof of his need pressed into her belly, and she moved her hand slowly down his body to caress him.

Nikos made a sound similar to a growl, shaking his head. “No.”

“I thought you wanted this?”

“I do,
agape mou
, but not on the roof. I want you in my bed, where I’ve dreamed of having you since we got home.”

Pushing aside her confusion, Leah took the hand he extended and walked with him back into the house. She cast a glance over her shoulder as they entered, feeling a stir of excitement about the garden.

The garden couldn’t match the excitement and anticipation of their forthcoming union. The bedroom door closed with a resounding thud when he kicked it shut, his hands too busy tugging at her clothes to perform the task.

Leah occupied herself with stripping him just as determinedly. When they were nude, he lifted her onto the bed, coming down on top of her. His touch ignited a firestorm that she had banked the past few weeks. The heat seemed like it would consume her as they spent the next few hours kissing and touching, stroking and exploring.

Afterward, she lay beside him, spent. Nikos kissed her lightly and laid his palm across her stomach. “You are so sexy to me, with my child growing inside you.”

Leah’s lips curved slightly. “I’ll bet you won’t say that in a few months. I’ll be huge.”

“You could be the size of a house and still be beautiful.” He lowered his head to kiss the skin above his hand. “And sexy.”

She couldn’t suppress a giggle when his lips tickled her. “I doubt that, but I’ll pretend like it’s true.”

“No more pretending.” His expression had turned serious. “We have to talk, about everything.” Nikos seemed to be contemplating something. “I need to tell you…”

Leah put her finger against his lips. “Hold that thought. I hate to be indelicate, but I have to… you know.” She waved in the direction of the en suite bathroom.

Nikos shook his head, but appeared amused. “I am trying to pour my heart out to you, woman.”

Her stomach clenched at his words. Was he implying what she thought he was? The moment stretched, the silence lengthening. Leah wanted to hear what he would say next, but the need became urgent, and she sat up. Separating from him was almost physically painful, and she wondered how she had made it almost three weeks without making love with him, despite her emotional turmoil.

She hurried to the bathroom, finishing as quickly as possible. Her thighs were slick, and she frowned. Looking down, she saw blood. Her heart forgot how to beat for a moment as she stared at the blood on her legs and hand, frozen as her mind processed the implications.

Eventually, she broke the paralysis and rushed from the bathroom, pausing only long enough to grab a robe. “I’m bleeding.”

Nikos moved so quickly she almost didn’t see him get to his feet. He rushed to her, taking her into his arms. Tears welled, and she sobbed quietly.

Nikos rubbed her back. “Do not cry. We were vigorous with our lovemaking, Leah. There might not even be a problem.”

She swallowed hard, managing a shaky nod. “Maybe.”

“Let me get dressed, and I shall take you to the hospital, just to make sure.”

She nodded again, knowing it was the sensible decision, but reluctant to go. If there was a problem, the hospital would discover it. If she was losing the baby, she wouldn’t be able to deny it if confronted with proof. Acting instinctively, she cupped her stomach, desperate to protect her unborn child.

The ride to the hospital was a blur. Nikos had driven her in the BMW instead of waiting for the limousine or an ambulance. She closed her eyes for most of the trip as he sped through traffic, negotiating his way through confidently, but at a speed that left her nauseated.

He left the car idling in front of the emergency department entrance, clearly uncaring about receiving a ticket or if the vehicle was towed. Leah leaned against him when he put his arm around her, drawing strength from his support.

The waiting room had only a few people waiting, much to her relief. Nikos checked her in while she curled into a chair, hugging herself and trying not to cry. With a start, she realized she hadn’t changed out of the robe. It was mildly embarrassing, but she couldn’t summon enough energy to really care.

He returned to her, sitting in the next chair, and they waited. Her stomach fluttered a few times, and she had some cramps. By the time a nurse took them back to a room, she wasn’t feeling optimistic about the baby’s chances.

Dr. Anderson entered the room a few minutes later. “I called her,” said Nikos, apparently noticing her surprise.