Wedding Night with a Stranger (17 page)

Her stomach clenched and she said in a low voice, well, it was wonderful of you to take me on. I was so very grateful.’

‘I guess.’ The strong lines of his face tautened. ‘Though if I’d had any
idea…
It was clear you were worried about money, but if I’d known the full extent of just how desperate you
were
that day…’ His jaw clenched, and he said fiercely, ‘I’d have found some way to…’ He punched a fist into his palm, and the muscles bunched in his bronzed arms. ‘That old devil. I still feel as if I’ve let him off the hook too lightly. But only because of Eleni.’

‘Eleni?’ She looked quickly at him. ‘Do you mean
Thea
?’

He nodded. ‘Thea, yes. And, oh…’ He flicked his forehead in sudden remembrance. ‘Yeah, that’s right, that’s what I had to tell you. They’re here.’

She started away from him and her eyes sprang wide. She glanced involuntarily about her as if her uncle and aunt might suddenly pop out of the furniture. ‘
Here
? In
Noosa
?’

‘No, no, not
here,
thank God.’ He pulled himself up at once. ‘Oh, sorry. I know they’re your family.’ He looked apologetic, though his eyes glinted with sudden amusement. ‘They’re in Sydney. They stayed at our place for a few days until Agnes got sick of them, so they moved to a hotel. They must have flown out from Athens almost as soon as they heard we were married.’

‘
What
?’

Her legs suddenly turned to jelly and she was forced to plump down on the bed. ‘You mean, they’ve been here all this time?’

He sat down beside her, and slipped his arm around her. ‘Indeed they have. They’ve been worried sick. Peri’s hired every private detective on the eastern seaboard, and your aunt is nearly beside herself. She says she blames herself for your engagement to that rich guy in Greece.’

‘Really?’ She gave a sardonic shrug. ‘Well, there’s a turnaround. After the way they complained I was difficult. You’re too spoilt, they
said. On one occasion Thio actually accused me of being a
princess.
’

Even recalling the insult could still make her burn with indignation.

Something flickered in Sebastian’s eyes, then he frowned and shook his head. ‘He said
that
? Tsk.’ He patted her shoulder sympathetically. ‘I
think
they said there’s been some sort of scandal about the guy since the wedding.’ He narrowed his eyes in vague recollection. ‘Oh, yeah, that’s right. He came out.’

She gasped in incredulity. With the shocks coming so thick and fast, could she be hearing right? ‘Are you sure?’ she screeched. ‘
Demetri
? You mean he’s gay?’

‘Yep.’ He nodded, frowning. ‘I think that’s what it was. You’ve been totally vindicated for defending yourself, Peri says.’ He smiled. ‘In fact in Greece you’re practically a national hero.’

She stared at him in astonishment, then held her face in her hands and rocked backwards and forwards. ‘
Oh.
Oh, look, I just can’t
believe
this. Demetri
gay
? So why did he want to marry me? Oh, you’ve no idea how the press bashed me over that. I went through an absolute
purgatory
.’

‘Oh, well,’ he said soothingly. ‘That’s all over now. I guess the guy had his reasons. The press are saying now that you’ve been given a raw deal. And you know, your aunt really had no idea your uncle had played that trick on you with the finances until you rang her. She’s been giving him hell over it.’ He dropped his gaze, grimacing. ‘Especially since you married
me
and I wrecked your life.’

She gave him a quick look. ‘Is that what she said?’

‘Something like that.’ His lashes flicked down and he looked embarrassed. ‘Yeah, well…There’s been some fairly heated family discussions, as you might imagine. Your aunt can be quite a formidable woman. At one point I actually came close to feeling sorry for old Peri. I shudder to think what it must be like in their suite at the Hyatt.’

It occurred to her that some of their old camaraderie was back. She beamed at him, so overjoyed to be actually sitting there with him again in the flesh, hope frothing in her heart like the eternal Aegean.

‘I hope she
is
giving him a hard time. Still, I’m not sure I can face seeing them for a very long time.’ She lifted her shoulders. ‘You know, I thought they sent me out here to get rid of me. I don’t think I can ever forgive them.’

‘No one would blame you if you didn’t.’ He gazed down at her with tender concern. With a gentle movement, he stroked her cheek with lean fingers. ‘But I don’t honestly think that
was
ever their intention. They’ve been breaking their hearts over you.’ He hesitated, then said softly, ‘Almost as much as I have.’

‘Oh.’ Her heart caught with a tremulous hope and she drew a long shivery breath. ‘Have you?’

He blinked, and the lines of his face tensed. ‘I’ve been in hell.’

Theos
forgive her, she didn’t ever want to see Sebastian suffer, but it was good to hear that he’d cared when she’d suffered so much pain.

His lean, handsome face from cheekbone to jaw was set hard. ‘I’m hoping—you can forgive
me.
I know you’re enjoying your freedom. You’ve got the world on a string now. You can do whatever you like with your life.’ He met her gaze, his dark eyes serious with sincerity and warmth. ‘I’ll do my best to tell you now without making a mess of it.’ He hesitated, searching her face for reassurance, and she nodded encouragingly, hardly daring to breathe. ‘I realised the truth the day you left. I rushed home to tell you, but like a fool I was too late.’ He made a rueful grimace. ‘Whatever you choose, the truth is, I love you, Ariadne. I can’t pretend I don’t want you to come back home and be my wife.’

She was moved to her soul. Her entire being filled with such thrilled, joyful relief she reached out to stroke his beloved face with both hands. ‘Oh, Sebastian.’

‘Do you—think you could love me?’ His voice was as deep as a well, and though his eyes were uncertain his fingers strayed to her neck, and stroked the tender spot in her nape with a rocksolid surety she recognised. The sensation was so delicious it required an effort to talk. ‘Even after the way I hurt you?’

‘Yes, I do,’ she breathed, thrilling all down her spine. ‘I love you. I love you like mad.’

He closed his eyes. ‘Thank God.’ Then he kissed her long and deep.

She moulded herself to his familiar frame and surrendered herself to the rapturous mingling of love and mutual belonging. By the time she surfaced again she was giddy, from happiness as much as the lack of oxygen.

It didn’t look as if breakfast was about to happen any time soon. Once started on a certain divine course, in typical fashion, Sebastian wasn’t anxious to stop.

He sprawled on the bed and pulled her to him, murmuring, ‘Why don’t we start our honeymoon straight away?’ He kissed her throat. ‘We could go to Fraser Island if you like.’

‘Oh, I’d
love
to go there with you.’

He adjusted his big lean frame so that they were each lying on their sides, heads supported on their elbows, face to face, chest to chest, hands to seeking hands. ‘And afterwards, we could, if you liked, have a proper wedding in a church. But only if you want that, my darling. With the music and flowers, and all the families and everyone. Then if you want to we could visit Naxos. Make a grand triumphal tour.’ With a thoughtful gleam in his eye he added, ‘Lure your aunt and uncle back home.’

My darling,
he’d called her. She imagined it all, being loved and accepted by Sebastian’s family as a proper bride, not a bartered woman with no autonomy or equality. Mrs Nikosto. Mr and Mrs Nikosto. Her husband. Her proud, darling husband.

The words sang in her ears like music.

‘What do you think?’

‘I think yes, my darling Sebastian. Yes, and yes, and
yes.
’ Unable to help herself, she punctuated each yes with a fervent little kiss.

Somehow then she found herself lying on her back, being kissed in every little nook and cranny by the lips she most desired in the world.

Sebastian ran out of things to say very soon, but she had no doubts about his enthusiasm. He expressed his feelings in other ways, convincing her of his wholehearted sincerity with the most passionate and ardent means at his disposal, to her intense and delightfully long-lasting pleasure.

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.

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First published in Great Britain 2010

Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited,

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© Anna Cleary 2010

ISBN: 978-1-408-91798-5