The Greek's Baby Bargain (15 page)

Emma pulled back firmly, uncaring if she made a scene now. “No really, Dan. I’d like to head back to the dining room.” She carefully put her martini glass down on a coffee table, uncaring that it might leave a ring on the lovely wood surface. “I’m going to find Dmitri,” she said and started to walk away.

But Dan was having none of that. “Wait a minute, gorgeous,” he said and pulled her into his arms. “We’re just getting to know each other,” he said savagely a moment before his mouth covered hers in a hard, demanding kiss.

“Stop it,” she gasped when she was able to tear her mouth away. “Let me go!” Emma stepped on his foot but he only grunted slightly with the pain.

“Oh, you like it rough, eh? Well, I’m into that as well.” She’d gotten a foot away but he grabbed her waist and swung her against his chest. “Play hard to get, honey. I like it.’

“You’re disgusting!” Emma gasped and turned her face away, pressing her hands against his chest in an effort to get just a few inches of space between their bodies. “Let me go! I’m not playing hard to get!” She hurt her arm but she was finally able to wrench herself free. Without thinking, she took several steps, frantically trying to rush away but he grabbed her wrist and hauled her back. Uncaring about the consequences of making a scene, she swung out with her hand, slapping him as hard as she could then followed it up with a kick to his shin. If she’d been thinking more clearly, she would have kicked a softer, more vulnerable part of his anatomy but the double shock caught Dan off guard and she was able to stagger several steps away.

She didn’t bother to look back but hurried away, right into the arms of Dmitri. Looking up into his eyes, she saw the rage and thought it was directed at her. “It isn’t what you think, Dmitri,” she said quickly, still gasping for air and shivering with revulsion and fear.

“You weren’t just being mauled by that bastard?” he asked, his voice ominously low.

She blinked, finally realizing that he understood exactly what had happened. “Well, yes. But please just take me away,” she begged as the fear took over and her whole body started trembling uncontrollably. “I want to go home.’

Dmitri looked behind her. “Just a moment,” he replied and pushed her behind his back. With fluid grace, he walked up to Dan and, with one powerful punch, broke the man’s nose.

“That’s just the beginning,” he said as the man crumpled to the floor. “Don’t ever touch my wife again. Because of what you did, the deal’s off and you’re finished.” Dimitri didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t have to. The threat was there in the softly spoken words.

Dan finally realized what he’d done and even in the dim light, Emma saw the man’s face pale.

Dmitri turned around, his arm going protectively around her waist as he walked out of the restaurant. Emma had to practically run to keep up with him. Once they were in the limousine, he pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to watch over you. I never should have let him out of my sight.”

Emma couldn’t stop shivering as reaction set in. “Thank you for being there,” she whispered. “And thank you for not blaming me.”

 

“Don’t be a fool,” he grated out. “I saw what he was doing to you and I’m sorry I didn’t protect you well enough. I shouldn’t have danced with that woman.”

 

“How were you to know?” she asked, pressing her cheek against his neck, needing his warmth to offset the shock that was slowly sinking into her bones.

 

“I had heard rumors but didn’t think they could be true. The man’s a bastard. I’m sorry Emma,” he said again.

 

Emma put her fingers on his lips. “Shhhh. It’s over. And you saved me,” she said, the awe coming through in her tone. “You’re my hero,” she laughed slightly.

 

Dmitri grimaced. “Not much of one. A real hero wouldn’t have let you get into that position in the first place. I’ll do better in the future,” he said and kissed her gently.

 

That night, he carried her to their bed and made slow, sweet love to her, kissing every inch but avoiding the bruises that were already showing on her arms and wrists.

The scream startled him and he woke up, immediately looking around for the threat, his senses on high alert. When he didn’t find a problem, he sat up slightly, looking down at Emma. Sure enough, after a few minutes, she cried out again, her arms reaching across the expanse of bed.

He watched for several seconds as she actually moved herself closer to him. When she reached his body, her struggles stopped. He knew she was still asleep but wondered if she was aware of her actions on any level. Relaxing against the mattress again, he stared up at the ceiling, trying to calm his body down enough to go back to sleep.

When she cried out again, Dmitri sighed and wrapped his arms around her. The action seemed to ease her anxiety and his eyes started to close, his body slowly relaxing into sleep once again.

“I love you,” she said, the words slightly slurred since she was still sleeping but distinct enough so he knew what she was saying.

Dmitri pulled away as if he’d been slapped, sure that Emma was talking about the man back in London. But her arms pulled at him and her cries intensified. “Please, don’t leave me Dmitri. I’m sorry,” she cried out.

The realization that she wasn’t talking about her former lover stunned him. Emma wanted him? She wasn’t crying out for the other guy?

He looked down at her once again, noting that her face was relaxed in sleep once again. The jealousy was clawing at him and he wanted to pull out of bed, uncaring if she got a good night’s sleep, but each time he tried to pull away, her arms stopped him, pulling him closer once again.

Two more times, she sighed, “I love you,” in her sleep.

Dmitri turned on his side slightly and looked down at the blond beauty who was disturbing him night and day. With each passing day, he knew that he was failing in his attempts to bind her to him. It hadn’t started out that way, he knew. Initially, he’d only wanted to exorcise her from his mind and body by using her and finding her lacking in some way. He’d thought his memories of her were too off balance. And now she was tormenting him with another memory, someone or something that had permated her psyche more than he’d been able to do.

“Who?” he had to ask. He had to know the name. He knew it was in the file folder that was hidden in the deep recesses of his office, but this would be much easier and quicker.

“Who what?” she asked with sleepy tones that slurred her words together.

 

“Who do you love?” he demanded gently, not wanting to wake her up but needing to know the man’s name. “Tell me his name.”

 

“Dmitri,” she sighed and snuggled closer to him. “Always Dimitri.”

The words hit him like a ton of bricks and Dmitri could feel the anger drain away from him. Her blond hair was fanned out behind her on the pillow and he wanted desperately to confirm her words. “Say it again,” he demanded to the sleeping woman.

“I love you Dmitri,” she said, then her face buried in his neck, eliminating the ability to respond to his questions.

Dmitri stared up at the ceiling, wondering if why she would say something like that in her sleep. He remembered many nights when she’d talk in her sleep and never in the two years they’d been together had she ever lied in her sleep. Sometimes she said some bizarre things, but they were comments like the sky was turning purple or that crazy elephants were storming through the house. They’d often joked that even those comments were indicative of her state of mind. The elephants had represented a party that his mother had decreed was mandatory, the elephants being all the guests that were traipsing around their house. The night she’d spoken about the sky turning purple had been a stormy night when lightning had streaked across the inky blackness. She hadn’t needed to see the sky to know that it was changing. Her subconscious had registered the effects.

So what was he to make of her declaration tonight? The darkness offered no solutions and in the end, he contented himself with holding her close.

Emma woke the following mooring alone, but that was nothing new. She’d become used to that. She sat up in the bed, pulling the covers high to cover her nakedness. This was normal, she thought. Too many mornings, she’d woken to find Dmitri already at work, having left before dawn.

It was just hard to get back into that routine, especially after the dream she’d had last night. She ran a tapered fingernail down the embroidery of the bed clothes as her mind drifted back into the nirvana of her dream.

She’d been searching for Dmitri, looking in all the oddest places and finally found him behind a tree in the woods. When she found him, she’d run into his arms and he held her close for several minutes. But then he started to walk away and she couldn’t find him again, the trees hiding him from her view. Calling out to him, she’d declared her love for him and instantly, he came out from behind a tree, taking her into his arms and carrying her to safety.

Sighing, she swung her legs out to the edge of the bed and reached down for the negligee which had been left on the floor, forgotten after last night’s lovemaking. No sex, she reminded herself. This wasn’t about love. This was all about sex and procreation, the most basic human needs. She’d destroyed her chances at love four years ago. Now, all she could do was to hang on to every moment she was in Dmitri’s arms, so she’d have the memories later in life. There were so many cold, lonely nights ahead of her, she shivered at the thought.

She pulled the silk robe over her body, tying the sash tightly before reaching for her cell phone. Pressing the buttons, she waited impatiently for a response. “Brian?” she asked, bracing herself for bad news. “Good morning! How are you?” she asked.

“Emma? I’m fine,” Brian laughed over the phone. “Actually, better than fine. Emma! You’re not going to believe this, but I start physical therapy tomorrow. Isn’t that great?” he asked.

Emma bit her lip over the excitement she heard in his voice. “Really?” she asked, immediately apprehensive. “Isn’t it too early?” she asked, wanting to call the doctor but not wanting to disconnect with Brian’s excitement. It had been too long since she’d heard this kind of happiness in his voice.

“Early? It is way past due, if you ask me. I’ve been in this situation for all my life, sis. I’m not going to wait a moment longer than I have to.” He chuckled at her silence. “Okay, I know you don’t believe me but you’re in luck. The doctor just walked in for my daily checkup. You can ask her.”

There were muted voices and then a woman came on the line. “Mrs. Christophe?” she asked.

“Yes, Doctor Miller? Is everything Brian is telling me accurate? Can he really start physical therapy today? Are his legs recovered enough from the surgery? Are the muscles strong enough? He won’t hurt himself more by pushing too quickly, will he?”

The doctor laughed softly, apparently well versed in calming down frantic relatives. “Astonishingly, yes. As I mentioned in our previous call, the surgery was a resounding success and all the ligaments are now correctly attached. It’s best to start moving the legs correctly as soon as possible but the exercises will be very gentle and slow to start off with. Once the bones move in the correct direction, then Brian can start increasing the intensity and build up the muscles.”

Emma’s heart soared. “Oh, that’s wonderful news!” she said, wiping a tear from her eyes. “I can hardly believe it. When will you know for sure if everything is correcting itself?”

“We should know in about a week,” she said. “I have to go now but I’ll keep you informed,” she said. “And I’m afraid the therapist has arrived to take Brian so can he call you back later?”

“Of course. Oh, this is wonderful news,” she said, almost jumping up and down in her excitement. “Thank you so much doctor!” With a secret smile, she closed the cell phone, looking down at it as if it were still conveying the amazing news. Brian was going to do it! He would actually walk? It was almost impossible to believe, she thought.

“Don’t tell me that you’re already pregnant,” a deep, male voice said from the doorway.

Emma spun around, one hand coming to cover her chest as the fright of hearing his voice caused her heart beat to skip several beats while the other hid the cell phone behind her back, not wanting him to see that she’d been talking on the phone, which was silly of course. He’d obviously overheard at least a portion of her conversation.

“Excuse me?” she replied, forcing her features to become bland but politely inquisitive. “I thought you had left for work,” she said and moved forward, intending to go into the bathroom to shower.

Dmitri stopped her with a hand to her shoulder. “You didn’t answer my question, Emma. Are you already pregnant?”

 

“What?” she gasped. Her hand lifted slightly as she tried to remember what she’d said, what he might have overheard. “Oh, no,” she replied. “No. I’m not pregnant.”

 

“How do you know?” he demanded.

 

Emma stepped back, unable to take his simple touch. She couldn’t look him in the eye though, knowing her awful secret. “It’s too early to tell.”

 

“When will you know?”

She sighed and pulled the belt of her robe more tightly around her waist. “I don’t know exactly. As I mentioned, I’m not very regular.” She knew her face was bright red, never having spoken about her periods or anything so personal to anyone before, much less a man. “Excuse me, Dmitri. I need to shower.” She stepped around him and let out a breath when he let her pass.

Stepping into the warm spray of water, she turned her face into the stream, hoping the water would wash away all the dirt she was feeling. But the dirt was inside and she couldn’t clean that up until she admitted her body’s inability to create a child for Dmitri.

She should just talk to him, tell him what happened. Would he demand the money back? Four years ago, he might have given her the money. But since she’d walked out on him without an explanation, he was still angry with her. Sighing, she shook her head and grabbed the shampoo. No, it was too late now. She’d made her bed, she’d just have to learn to live with it.

Dmitri watched Emma walk into the shower, her shoulders heavy with some burden she wouldn’t talk to him about. He wished he could get her to open up to him but the past several weeks hadn’t given her much inducement to trust him.