The Mistress: The Mistress\Wanted: Mistress and Mother (6 page)

“If you tell me to rest again, I may well scream.”

His gaze narrowed, and he was about to protest.

“Please, Chrysander. I feel well. I napped while you were gone.
Now, you promised me lunch when you returned from your meeting, and I find
myself starving. Can we go eat?”

He cursed again and clenched his fingers into fists. “Of
course. Apparently, I strive to be thoughtless in all things. Come and sit down
at our table. I’ll get us something to eat.”

Chapter 5

T
he next morning, Marley dressed in one of
the chic outfits that had been delivered straight to their penthouse by a local
boutique specializing in maternity wear. Chrysander had insisted she see an
obstetrician before they departed for his island, and so, accompanied by
Chrysander and flanked by several members of his security team, they entered the
medical building where the doctor’s offices were housed.

She felt conspicuous and faintly embarrassed, but she also
glowed under Chrysander’s constant attention and his apparent concern for her
well-being.

To her surprise, there was no waiting once Chrysander announced
their arrival to the receptionist. His security detail remained in the lobby,
and Marley smiled at the image of the big, burly men standing amidst a dozen
pregnant women.

She and Chrysander were ushered to an exam room by a young
nurse who assured them that the doctor would attend them shortly.

When the nurse retreated, Chrysander lifted Marley and settled
her on the exam table. Instead of sitting in the chair to the side, he stood in
front of her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms in a comforting
manner.

She leaned into his arms, unable to resist the pull between
them. She rested her cheek on his broad chest and closed her eyes as his hands
slipped around to caress her back.

The door opened, and Marley quickly pulled away. But Chrysander
seemed in no hurry to relinquish her. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and
pulled her against him as the doctor introduced himself.

After a few preliminaries and a discussion of her condition,
the doctor looked over his clipboard and said, “I’d like to perform an
ultrasound just to make sure everything is as it should be.”

Chrysander frowned. “Do you have cause for concern?”

The doctor shook his head. “It’s purely precautionary. Given
the fact that you’re traveling out of the country, and that Miss Jameson has
recently suffered a trauma, I’d just like to take a look at the baby and make
sure everything is well.”

Chrysander nodded and took Marley’s hand. As the doctor left
the room, he turned to her. “I will be with you,
pedhaki
mou.
There is nothing to fear.”

She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I’m not worried. I wasn’t
even injured in the accident, so there’s no reason anything should be wrong with
the baby.”

His expression became unreadable, but his hand remained tight
around hers.

A few moments later, the doctor returned and instructed Marley
to recline on the table. When he asked her to tug her pants below her waistline
and to raise her shirt, Chrysander frowned fiercely.

“Her belly must be exposed in order to perform the scan,” the
doctor said, amusement twinkling in his eyes.

Chrysander himself arranged her clothing, only baring the
minimal amount of flesh, and he hovered close, his hand resting above the swell
of her stomach.

When the probe slid over her belly and the screen lit up with a
blurry image that resembled a blob, Marley reached a shaking hand for
Chrysander’s. Chrysander bent over her, his face close to her ear as he strained
to see the monitor.

“Would you like to know what you’re having?” the doctor asked
with a broad smile.

Chrysander looked at Marley, and she held her breath for a
moment, excitement making her pulse race. “I do,” she whispered to Chrysander.
“Do you?”

He smiled and brought her hand to his lips. “If that is what
you wish,
pedhaki mou.
I, too, would like to know
whether we’re having a son or a daughter.”

Marley turned her head to look at the doctor. “Yes, please.
Tell us.”

She watched as the screen changed, blurring in and out as the
probe moved over her belly. A few seconds later, the image slowed and then
became clearer.

“Congratulations, you’re having a boy.”

Marley’s breath caught in her throat. “Is that him?” she
whispered as she viewed what appeared to be two legs and round buttocks.

“Indeed it is. Handsome devil, isn’t he?”

“He’s beautiful,” Chrysander said huskily. He bent and brushed
his lips across Marley’s cheek. “Thank you,
pedhaki
mou.
”

She twisted to look up at him. “Why are you thanking me?”

“For my son.” His gaze was riveted to the screen, and delight
shone deeply in his eyes. He was clearly enthralled with the tiny baby, and her
heart squeezed with emotion.

“We’re finished here,” the doctor said.

Chrysander gently arranged Marley’s clothing and then put an
arm behind her back to help her sit forward again.

“Was everything all right?” Chrysander asked the doctor.

“Quite so. Make sure she checks in with an obstetrician when
you arrive in Greece. I don’t anticipate any problems. She and the baby appear
perfectly healthy, but it’s a good idea if she has regular care during her
pregnancy.”

“I’ve arranged for a private physician as well as a nurse to
remain on the island as long as we do,” Chrysander said. “She will be well
looked after.”

The doctor nodded his approval and then smiled at Marley. “Take
care, young lady, and best wishes on your pregnancy.”

Marley returned his smile then took Chrysander’s hand as he
helped her from the table. He ushered her out moments later and helped her into
the waiting limousine.

“Are you feeling all right?” Chrysander asked as they pulled
away. “The plane is waiting at the airport, but if you’re tired from your
appointment we can take the flight after you’ve rested.”

“Are our bags already there?” she asked in surprise.

He nodded. “I had them brought over while you were at your
appointment.”

“We can leave now. I can rest on the plane.”

He leaned forward to tell the driver to take them to the
airport, and then he closed the privacy glass between them.

She gazed at him, suddenly a little shy. “Are you happy about
our son, Chrysander?”

He looked startled by her question. Then he pulled her closer
to him, until she was nearly in his lap. He cupped his hand to her belly and
rubbed tenderly over the swell.

“Have I given you reason to think I am not happy about our
child?”

She shook her head. “No, I just wondered. I mean, now that I
know what I’m having, it suddenly seems so
real.
”

“I couldn’t be happier about our son. I would have loved a
daughter just as well. As long as our child is healthy and safe, I am very
content.”

“Yes, me, too.” She sighed. “Now if only I could remember,
things would be so perfect. It’s been such a good day.”

He put a finger over her lips. “Don’t spoil it by lamenting
over things that are out of your control. It will come. Don’t rush it.”

She grimaced. “You’re right. I just wish...”

“What do you wish,
pedhaki
mou?
”

“I wish I could remember loving you,” she said quietly.

His eyes darkened, and for a moment, what she saw sent a shiver
down her spine. There was such conflicted emotion in the golden orbs.

“Maybe you can learn to love me again,” he finally said.

She smiled. “You’re making it easy.” She settled against him,
content. But then an uneasy thought assailed her. She’d spoken of loving him,
something she couldn’t remember, but felt that she had, but there had been
nothing said of his love for her. Not once had he voiced words of love, and
shouldn’t they have come? When she was in the hospital. Weren’t reaffirmations
of love common after a scare? Wouldn’t he seek to reassure her that he loved her
when she couldn’t remember their life together?

She raised her head to ask him, to seek confirmation of that
fact, but the question died on her lips when she saw his attention was already
focused on the small television screen in the corner of the large compartment of
the limousine.

She let the question die and contented herself with remaining
snuggled into his body. The next thing she knew, they were arriving at the
airport.

“We are here,” Chrysander said.

She nodded, and Chrysander stepped from the limousine. He
reached in and helped her out, and she blinked as the bright sunshine hit her
eyes. The wind blew, and she shivered against the slight chill.

Chrysander wrapped an arm around her and hurried her toward the
waiting plane. The inside was warm and looked extremely comfortable.

As he guided her toward a seat, he said, “There is a bed in the
back. Once we’ve taken off, you can go lie down.”

“That sounds lovely,” she said with a smile as he settled into
the seat next to her. She turned and looked out the window and then glanced
toward the front of the plane as she saw several of Chrysander’s security detail
file into the cabin.

“Chrysander, why do you have so many security people?”

He stiffened beside her. “I am a very wealthy man. There are
those who might seek to harm me...or those important to me.”

“Oh. Is the danger very high?” she asked as she turned her gaze
on him.

“It is the job of my men to ensure there is no danger. Do not
worry, Marley. I will see to the safety of you and our child.”

She frowned. “I didn’t mean to imply that you wouldn’t. I’m
merely trying to understand your world.”

“Our world.” He stared pointedly at her. “It’s our world,
Marley. One that you are very much a part of.”

A blush colored her cheeks. “I’m trying, Chrysander. I’m trying
very hard. It’s difficult when I’m in a place but can’t remember any part of it.
Please be patient with me.”

“If I spoke too harshly, then I apologize,” he said soothingly.
He reached across her lap to pull her seat belt over her waist. With a click, he
secured it then pulled it snug. “We’ll be taking off soon.”

A few minutes later, the plane began to move, and she settled
back in her seat, trying not to think too hard about the uncertainty that lay
ahead.

They landed at a small airstrip in Corinth several long hours
later, and Chrysander helped her down the few steps onto the concrete runway. He
urged her toward a waiting helicopter several feet away. When she looked
questioningly at him, he leaned in close and said, “The island is a
fifteen-minute ride by helicopter.”

She glanced appreciatively out the window of the helicopter as
it rose over Corinth and headed out to sea. In the distance, she saw ancient
ruins and turned to question Chrysander about them. When she had no luck making
him hear over the noise of the rotors, he slid a pair of earphones with an
attached microphone over her head and suddenly she could hear him clearly.

“The Temple of Apollo,” he explained. “If you like, we can fly
back and tour the ruins when you’ve recovered from your journey.”

“I’d like that.”

She turned her attention to the brilliant blue expanse of
sparkling water, but already in the distance she could make out a small dot of
land. “Is that it?” she asked, pointing.

He nodded.

“Does it have a name?”

“Anetakis,” he responded.

She laughed. “I should have known.” She shook her head. It
seemed unreal that he’d own an entire island. But his naming the island Anetakis
didn’t surprise her in the least. He wore arrogance like most people wore
clothing.

As the island loomed larger on the horizon, she curled her
fingers into tight balls. Her anxiety must have been evident to Chrysander,
because he reached over and took one of her hands in his. “There’s nothing to
worry over,
pedhaki mou.
You’ll like it on the
island, and it will be good for you to have time to relax and concentrate on
regaining your strength.”

She didn’t argue with him over her condition, knowing full well
it was a useless expenditure of energy. But she had no intention of spending her
time on the island “resting.”

They landed on a small concrete helipad situated at the rear of
a palatial house. Chrysander curled a protective arm around her as they ducked
and walked away from the helicopter.

He touched her shoulder and indicated that she wait while he
spoke to the pilot. She stood, staring up at the sprawling house, waiting for
some flicker of recognition. A cool breeze blew off the water, and a chill raced
up her arms. Still, she remained, staring, hoping, but she was convinced she’d
never been here.

“Come,” Chrysander said as he took her hand. “You’re getting
cold.”

As the helicopter droned away, she took a step to follow
Chrysander and then paused again. He turned and looked inquisitively at her.
“What is wrong?”

She swallowed as she continued to gaze over the grounds. There
was a sense of wonder, as though she’d stepped into some wild paradise, but no
feeling of home, that this was a place she had any knowledge of. It terrified
her.

Chrysander closed the distance between them and touched her
face in concern. He cursed when she trembled.

“I’ve never been here,” she said in a low voice. She looked to
him for confirmation.

He nodded. “This is so. This is your first visit to the
island.”

“I don’t understand,” she said faintly. “We’re engaged, and
I’ve never been to the place you call home?”

His lips pressed together. “We made our home in New York,
Marley. I told you this.”

The cloud of confusion grew around her. Would they not have
visited? Even once? She allowed him to take her hand, and they walked up the
long, winding path toward the house. As they neared the gate, Marley could see
the sparkling waters of a swimming pool.

A large patio extended from the back of the house, and the pool
was carved in the middle. To her surprise, the pool entered the house under an
elaborate archway.

“It’s heated,” Chrysander explained as he drew her inside the
house. “It’s too cool this time of year for outdoor swimming, but you can enjoy
a light swim indoors if the doctor gives his permission.”