The Mistress: The Mistress\Wanted: Mistress and Mother (16 page)

“Forgive me,
agape mou,
” he
whispered.

* * *

Marley was dimly aware that she was being carried yet
again. It wasn’t Chrysander. She was intimately familiar with his touch. For a
moment she panicked, and then she heard comforting words being spoken in Greek
and then in English.

“Rest easy, little sister. You are safe.”

“Where are we going?” she asked weakly.

“Someplace safe,” he soothed. “Chrysander won’t allow anything
to happen to you.”

She wanted to protest that Chrysander wouldn’t do anything for
her, but she couldn’t muster the energy. At some point, she heard Chrysander,
and she cursed the fact that she immediately felt safer and that some of the
panic abated.

She felt the brush of lips against her forehead and then firm
hands tucking her into bed. Fingers stroked through her hair, and warmth
enveloped her.

“You are safe,
agape mou.
I’ll
never allow anyone to hurt you again.”

“Don’t call me that,” she cried. “Never again.” But she held to
Chrysander’s promise even as her heart screamed in protest. He’d lied to her.
She couldn’t believe anything he said. And yet she relaxed and settled into a
dreamless sleep.

* * *

When Marley next awoke, there was a crispness to her
mind that had been absent since the day she’d regained her memory. No longer did
fog shroud her memories. She both welcomed and cursed the new awareness. Gone
was any confusion, but with that new clarity came inevitable heartbreak.

She felt alert, as though she’d slept a week. And maybe she
had. She had no idea how much time had passed, and while her past was no longer
a mystery, the events of the last few days were hazy and fractured.

With a reluctant sigh, she pushed back the covers and eased her
legs over the side of the bed. As she glanced around, she realized she had no
idea where she was. The room was spacious and cheerful, with several windows to
allow natural lighting.

She pushed herself up and walked into the adjoining bathroom,
her eyes widening at the size and luxury. She eyed the Jacuzzi tub with longing.
While she might not know how many days had passed—they’d all been a blur—she did
know that she hadn’t had a bath in a while, and she couldn’t wait to feel clean
and refreshed again.

Bracing her foot on the step to the tub, she leaned over and
turned the handle to start the water. When she looked up, she saw Chrysander
standing in the doorway. A startled gasp escaped her.

He started forward immediately and grasped her arm to steady
her. “I’m sorry for frightening you,
pedhaki mou.
It
was not my intention. I worried when I came in to check on you and you were not
in bed.”

“I just wanted a bath,” she said in a low voice.

“I do not want you to be in here alone,” he said. “I’ll summon
Mrs. Cahill so that if you have need of anything, you can just call out.”

She closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a steadying
breath. Then she met his gaze. “Please, Chrysander, let’s not have any further
lies between us. There’s no need for you to pretend that I’m important to
you...that I matter.”

Bleakness entered his eyes, and his face grayed underneath the
olive tone of his skin. “You matter very much to me,
agape
mou.
”

Before she could respond, he retreated from the bathroom, and a
moment later, Patrice bustled in. In a matter of minutes, Marley found herself
stripped and settled into a warm bath. Not too hot, Patrice assured, since
overly hot baths were not good for a pregnant woman.

As Marley settled into the fragrant bubbles, she leaned her
head back against the rim of the tub and glanced over at Patrice. “Where are we?
And how did you get here? I thought you were in Athens with Dr. Karounis.”

“Mr. Anetakis asked me to fly back so I could be with you,” she
said soothingly. “He was quite desperate. The idea of returning to the apartment
upset you so badly that he brought you here.”

“And where is here?” Marley asked.

“His house,” she explained patiently. “We’re about an hour from
the city. It’s quieter here, more peaceful. He thought you’d prefer it.”

Tears blurred Marley’s vision. And she thought she hadn’t any
more tears to shed. She hadn’t known he owned a house outside of the city, and
like the island, it was one more place she’d never visited in all the time she’d
been with Chrysander. Further proof that she’d never occupied an important place
in his life.

“He’s been very worried about you,” Patrice said, her face
softening in sympathy. “We all have been.”

Marley shook her head in denial. Chrysander hated her. He’d
never loved her, and she’d been too stupid to realize it.

“What am I going to do?” she whispered to no one in particular.
She’d been an idiot to give up her apartment, her job, every means she had of
taking care of herself when she moved in with Chrysander. She’d been too blinded
by her love and convinced that she had a future with him.

“Come out of the tub,” Patrice said gently. “You need to get
dried off so you can go down to eat.”

Marley allowed Patrice to mother her. She was dried off and
pampered then clothed in comfortable slacks and a maternity shirt. She rubbed a
hand over her belly and whispered an apology to her unborn son.

She couldn’t afford to fall apart. Her child was depending on
her.

Chrysander was waiting for her when she exited the bedroom. He
said nothing, but he cupped her elbow and helped her down the stairs, and she
let him, too numb to protest. Marley also remained silent, her emotions too much
in turmoil to try and have a reasonable conversation.

They sat at a small table that overlooked a beautifully
manicured garden. Bright morning sun shone through the glass doors, and she felt
warmed by the sun’s rays.

Chrysander set a plate piled high with food in front of her
then settled into a seat across from her. She piddled with her fork and toyed
with the food, pushing it around the plate as she avoided his gaze.

He sighed, and she looked up to see him staring at her. His
expression was somber, as though he was enduring the worst sort of hell. She
nearly laughed at the absurdity. To her horror, she felt the prick of tears, and
his face swam in her vision.

“We must talk, Marley. There is much I need to say to you.” His
voice sounded oddly strangled. “But first you must eat so you can regain your
strength. Your health and that of our child must come first.”

She bowed her head again, refusing to meet his stare any
longer. She concentrated on eating, and once she started realized she was
actually quite hungry.

As she was finishing the last of her juice, she heard a door
slam in the distance, and then she heard the determined stride of someone
walking across the floor. She turned to see Theron enter the room, a grim look
on his face.

Before he could speak, Chrysander locked his gaze onto his
brother and said in a steely voice, “Whatever it is, I’m sure it can wait until
Marley has finished eating.”

Theron cast a concerned glance her way and nodded his
understanding to Chrysander. Anger tightened her throat and made swallowing
difficult. Whatever it was they wished to speak about, it was obvious they
didn’t want to do so in front of her. But then why would they? She was someone
they believed had stolen from them.

She stood abruptly and tossed down her napkin. Without a word
to either man, she stalked away.

“Marley, don’t go,” Chrysander protested.

She turned and pinned him with the force of her glare. “By all
means, have your conversation. I’d hate to intrude. After all, someone who has
stolen from you and betrayed your trust isn’t someone you want around when
you’re talking.”

“
Theos,
that is not the issue here.
Marley? Wait, damn it!”

But she ignored him and continued walking.

Chrysander watched her leave and cursed. He felt strangled by
helplessness. How could he ever hope to make things right between them? She
hated him, and she had every right to.

He turned to Theron, who had also watched Marley go, a frown
etched on his face. “What brought you here in such a hurry?” Chrysander
demanded.

Theron reached into the jacket of his suit and pulled out a
folded newspaper. He tossed it onto the table in front of Chrysander. “This
did.”

Chrysander opened it and immediately cursed in four languages.
On the front page was a picture of Marley being carried by Theron on the day
she’d run from the apartment. Underneath were pictures of himself and of Roslyn
with a story outlining the soap-opera saga that highlighted every single facet
of his relationship with Marley.

He threw the paper across the room with vicious force. “It had
to be Roslyn. None of my men would have spoken to the press.”

Theron nodded his agreement. “Since you had her arrested for
her theft and her duplicity in keeping the ransom demands from you, she likely
thought she had nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving the public her
spin on your supposed relationship with her.”

Chrysander sank into the chair and rested his elbows on the
table. “I curse the day I ever hired that woman. Marley could have died because
of my stupidity.”

“You love her.”

It wasn’t a question, and Chrysander didn’t treat is as such.
It was simply a statement of fact. He did love her. But he’d managed to kill her
love for him not once, but twice.

He nodded and buried his face in his hands. “I wouldn’t blame
her if she never forgave me. How can she when I cannot forgive myself?”

“Go to her, Chrysander. Make this right between you.”

Chrysander stood. Yes, it was time to try and make things right
with Marley. If he could.

Chapter 16

M
arley stood in the bedroom, staring out
the window with unseeing eyes. Nothing Chrysander did at this point should hurt
her, but he still had that power over her, much to her dismay.

“Marley.”

She swung around to see Chrysander standing in the doorway. He
looked tired, his features drawn and his eyes worried. There was something else
in his expression. Sadness and...fear?

He started forward, a little hesitantly. “We need to talk.”

She tensed then braced herself for what she knew would come.
His repudiation of her. She turned her face away but nodded. Yes, they needed to
talk and get it done with.

His fingers curled around her chin, and he gently turned her to
face him. “Don’t look like that,
agape mou.
I do not
like to see you so sad.”

“Please,” she begged. “Just say what it is you want to say.
Don’t draw it out.”

He lowered his hand to capture her wrist. His thumb brushed
across her pulse, which jumped and sped up at his touch.

“Come, sit down.”

She let him lead her over to the bed. He eased down beside her
and sat stiffly, his posture screaming discomfort. Suddenly she couldn’t wait
for what he would say. Her anger bubbled like an inferno within her.

“You lied to me,” she seethed. “Every single thing you’ve said
to me since that day in the hospital has been one lie after another. You don’t
care about me. All those things you said, everything was a
lie.
When you took me to bed, you despised me, and yet you made love
to me and made me believe you cared. Who does that sort of thing?”

She shuddered in revulsion and put her hands to her face.

“You are wrong,” he said softly. He pulled her hands away from
her face and lifted one to his lips to kiss her upturned palm. “I care a great
deal about you. I didn’t despise you when I made love to you. Yes, I lied to you
about details. I was told not to do or say anything to upset you and to let your
memory come back on its own. I lied, Marley, but about the little things. Not
the important things. Like how much I care about you.
S’agapo, pedhaki mou.
”

She bowed her head. Her nose stung, and tears burned her
eyelids. How she wanted to believe him. But he’d done nothing to earn her
trust.

“I have wronged you greatly, Marley.”

She raised her head to stare at him in shock. Chrysander
admitting that he was wrong?

Shame dragged at his eyes, and deep sorrow had pasted shadows
under them.

“There are things you must know. I never received any ransom
demands. I would have moved heaven and earth to free you. No price would have
been too high. I did not know that you had been abducted.”

Her mouth fell open. “How could you not know?”

His eyes grew stormy. “Roslyn destroyed the ransom notes. You
were right to dislike her, and because I ignored your feelings about her, I
placed you in terrible danger.”

Marley’s mind reeled with all he had told her. She raised a
shaking hand to her mouth. He hadn’t gotten the ransom demands? “I thought—” She
broke off and shook her head, emotion overwhelming her.

“What did you think,
agape mou?
” he
asked softly.

“That you hated me,” she whispered. “That you wouldn’t pay to
free me because you thought I had stolen from you. That I wasn’t even worth half
a million dollars to you.”

He groaned and pulled her into his arms. His hands trembled
against her back as he stroked up and down. “I am a fool. I was wrong to accuse
you as I did. I have no defense.”

She pulled away and gazed up at him. “You don’t believe I stole
from you?”

He shook his head sharply. “No. It was Roslyn. She planted the
papers in your bag to make me think it was you.” He paused and swiped a hand
through his hair. “Even though I thought you had stolen from me, it no longer
seemed to matter after your abduction. All that mattered to me was that you were
back where you belonged. With me.” His mouth twisted. “That night when you asked
me about our relationship...I was frightened.”

She raised one eyebrow. The idea of anything frightening
Chrysander was laughable.

“I thought you were unhappy, that you wanted more than I was
giving you,” he admitted. “And then I was angry because it scared me. I was
determined that you not be the one to decide our relationship, so I pushed you
away by telling you that we had no relationship, that you were my mistress.”

Her heart sped up as she viewed the vulnerability on his face.
Her chest tightened, and it became harder to breathe as her pulse raced. “What
are you saying?” she whispered.

“That I love you,
pedhaki mou.
S’agapo.
”

Her eyes widened as she realized what the words he’d said a few
minutes ago meant. She couldn’t even formulate a response, so she stared at him
in shock.

Self-derision crawled across his face. “I have a terrible way
of showing it. I was proud, too proud to just tell you how I felt. I didn’t even
know it then. I just knew I didn’t want you to leave and was angry that I
thought you were unhappy in our current relationship. And then when I saw those
papers in your bag, I was shocked and furious. I couldn’t believe that you would
steal from me.”

“But you did,” she said painfully.

He looked away, sorrow creasing his features. “I was angry.
I’ve never been so angry. I thought you had used me so you could help our
competitor. So I sent you away.”

He ran a hand around to clasp the back of his neck. “And God
help me, I sent you straight into the kidnappers’ hands.”

She closed her eyes, not wanting to remember the fear and
despair she’d experienced during her captivity. Even though her memory had
returned, that part was still very much a blur. Maybe she’d forever block it
out.

“You
love
me?” She was still back
on those words. The rest of the conversation seemed a muddle, and she was
fixated on those three words.

He gathered her in his arms again and held her as delicately as
a piece of hand-blown glass. “I’ve not done a good job of showing you, but I do
love you. I want the chance to prove it to you. I want you to marry me.
Please.”

She shook her head in confusion at his humble plea. “You still
want me to marry you?”

He tugged her closer to him until his lips pressed against the
top of her head. “I don’t expect you to answer now. I know I have said much to
shock you. But give me a chance, Marley. You won’t regret it, I swear. I’ll make
you love me again. I’ll never abuse your precious gift as I have done.”

She’d gone mad. She’d finally lost her mind. Chrysander was
holding her in his arms, declaring his love for her and wanting her to marry
him. For real this time. No pretense. No lies or half-truths between them.

Gently, he pulled her away and pressed a light kiss to her
lips. “Think about it,
agape mou.
I’ll wait as long
as it takes for your answer.”

He stood as if sensing her desire to be alone. He walked to the
door but turned to look at her one last time before disappearing from view.

Marley sat there for a long time simply staring at the
now-empty doorway. Her hands shook and her stomach rolled. He loved her? Roslyn
had planted the papers in her bag and then destroyed the ransom demands?

She shivered. Had Roslyn hated her so much? Or had she just
wanted Chrysander that badly? Maybe both. Or maybe Roslyn had just been working
for Chrysander’s competition all along.

The events of the last few days still weighed heavily on her.
She couldn’t just forget everything because he apologized and offered her love
and marriage, could she? She couldn’t even return that declaration because he’d
never believe it if it came now.

She sighed and lay on her side, curling her knees to her
swollen belly. She was so tired. So very worn out, both physically and
emotionally. She rubbed her stomach, smiling when her son rolled and kicked
beneath her fingers.

“What should I do?” she whispered. She was so afraid to trust
Chrysander with her love again. She was also afraid to be without him. As much
damage as he’d done to her heart, she ached at the thought of leaving him.

She closed her eyes for just a moment. Exhaustion permeated
every pore. She couldn’t make such a monumental decision in a few minutes’ time.
Too much was at stake. She had a child to consider. She had herself to
consider.

* * *

Over the next few days, Chrysander saw to her every
need. He coddled her, pampered her and fussed endlessly over her. He told her
often that he loved her, though he was careful to keep a respectable distance
between them.

It would seem he went to great pains not to pressure her in any
way. He wouldn’t use the passion that sparked between them as a means to sway
her, and for that she was grateful.

Two days after Chrysander had asked her to marry him again, his
brothers came to visit. Marley tried to excuse herself, thinking that they’d
want to discuss business with Chrysander, and to be honest, she still felt
awkward and shamed in their presence even though she’d done nothing to deserve
their censure.

But it was her they asked to speak to, and she stared at them
in bewilderment as they looked gravely at her.

“We have acted unforgivably toward you, little sister,” Theron
said.

Piers nodded in agreement. “It is understandable if you never
forgive us. We were harsh. There is no defense for our treating you, especially
since you are pregnant with our nephew, as we have.”

Guilt was etched heavily into their faces, and they looked so
uncomfortable, but she had no idea what to do or say to ease the situation.

Theron moved forward and put his hands gently on her shoulders.
He kissed her on both cheeks then stepped back as Piers did the same.

She glanced toward Chrysander, who watched her with solemn
eyes. His face was drawn and seemed thinner as though he’d lost weight. He
looked...unhappy. It wasn’t guilt, though there was a lot of that floating
around the room. He genuinely looked as though he’d lost the one thing that
mattered most to him.

Her?

The thought nearly paralyzed her. She smiled shakily at Theron
and Piers and then excused herself, nearly running from the room in her haste to
get away.

She threw open the door to the patio and welcomed the chilly
air. She stepped outside taking deep breaths and trying to settle her rioting
emotions.

Her mind skated back over everything she’d felt for the last
several days. Betrayal. She’d been lied to. She stopped there, because now she
wondered if Chrysander really had lied to her about his feelings.

He looked like she felt. Lost. They were both obviously
hurting. If he hated her, truly hated her, then why would he enact such an
elaborate charade when she lost her memory? Why would he feel obligated to
someone who had stolen from him?

“You’re pregnant with his child,” she murmured. And yes, she
could see how a fair amount of care would be due the mother of his child, but
why wouldn’t he have done as Theron suggested and merely set her up in an
apartment somewhere? Why would he woo her, make love to her, act as though she
mattered to him?

Did he love her? The declaration couldn’t have been easy for
him to make. Chrysander wasn’t a man prone to sharing his emotions. In all the
time they were together before her kidnapping, he’d never spoken to her of his
feelings. But he’d shown her in a dozen ways that she had mattered to him.

Could she trust him again? The thought frightened her, and at
the same time it offered her a measure of peace. The choice was hers. Her future
would be of her own making.

Even as her options rolled over and over in her mind, she knew
what she would do. She knew what she wanted, even knowing it might not be the
best choice for her. The heart didn’t always choose wisely, she thought with a
grimace.

Still, she found herself returning inside and going in search
of Chrysander. Worry knotted her belly, but she knew she was making the right
decision, even if it didn’t feel quite right at this very moment.

She found him in the room she’d left him in, staring out the
window, a drink in his hand. His brothers were gone and heavy silence lay over
the room. She paused for a moment, gathering her courage. He looked as though he
hadn’t slept in days. His slacks were wrinkled and his shirt sleeves were
unbuttoned and rolled partway up his arms. A shadow of a beard covered his jaw,
and his hair was rumpled.

And still, he looked so desirable to her. She wanted to cross
the room and melt into his arms. She wanted him to hold her and coax away her
fears and doubts. The knot in her throat grew bigger, and she knew she had to
speak now or risk being unable to.

“Chrysander,” she called softly.

He whirled around. He set his drink down and hurried toward
her. “Are you all right,
agape mou?
Is there
anything I can get you? I’m sorry if my brothers upset you.”

She tried to laugh, but it ended in a small sob. She drew in a
deep breath and worked to compose herself.

“I’ll marry you,” she said.

A dark fire sparked in his eyes, making the amber glow more
golden. He grasped her shoulders in his hands and stared down at her. “Yes?” he
asked in a hoarse voice.

She nodded.

He closed his eyes and then crushed her to him. For a long
moment, he just held her, and then he stepped back to stare intently at her.

“You mean it? You’ll marry me?”

She licked her lips nervously. “I want a small ceremony. No
fuss. As quiet as we can make it.”

He nodded and cupped her chin in his hand. “Whatever you’d
like.”

“And I want...” She looked away and drew her bottom lip between
her teeth.

“What do you want,
agape mou?
Tell
me. There’s nothing I won’t do for you. You have only to ask.”