After the Greek Affair Read online

  But finding the courage to inform Loukas of her pregnancy was easier said than done. Several times she brought up his mobile number on her phone but could not bring herself to make the call. She knew he was still in South Africa and decided to delay telling him her news until after her ultrasound scan, which would determine when the baby was due.

  On the morning of her hospital appointment she struggled to do up the zip on a dress that had fitted perfectly only a couple of weeks ago. Now it was uncomfortably tight across the bust and hips, and when she turned sideways to the mirror she could see a small but distinct mound instead of her usually flat stomach. Surely it was too early for her pregnancy to be showing? Tears stung her eyes as panic overwhelmed her. She didn’t want her life to change irrevocably, and more than anything she did not want to sacrifice her dream of making Wedding Belle a successful business.

  The sound of footsteps on the deck above told her that Dan was home from his trip. Blinking away her tears, she fitted one of her earrings and cursed when she dropped the other and it rolled under the table.

  ‘I suppose an estate agent’s description of a houseboat would be “cosy and compact”.’

  On her hands and knees, at the sound of a familiar male voice that definitely did not belong to her brother Belle jerked her head up so that her skull met the underside of the table with a sickening thud.

  ‘Theos! Be careful. What are you doing down there anyway?’ Strong hands gripped her arms and gently drew her to her feet.

  Belle stared in dazed disbelief at Loukas’s darkly handsome face, and a wave of dizziness swept over so that she had to cling to the edge of the table for support.

  ‘Wh…what are you doing here?’ She could barely speak, her voice emerging as little more than a whisper as shock ricocheted through her. ‘Did Dan phone you?’

  Loukas frowned. ‘Why would your brother call me?’

  ‘I…I don’t know.’ Belle clutched her pounding head. ‘I’m not thinking straight. It’s just such a surprise to see you.’ She almost laughed at the understatement and drew a ragged breath. ‘Why are you here, Loukas?’

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  IT WAS A question he had asked himself many times, Loukas acknowledged derisively. Why had he pushed through the project in South Africa at record speed, even though it had meant working up to eighteen hours a day? And why had he flown straight to London rather than Athens?

  Until a few moments ago he had not had an answer, and even now he did not understand exactly what he wanted from his relationship with Belle. But one thing had become clear the second he had laid eyes on her. He wanted her. His desire for her had not faded during the weeks they had been apart, and he finally accepted that his foul mood while he had been in South Africa had been because he missed her.

  Somehow this petite, beautiful blonde had crept under his skin. She looked even better in the flesh than in his fantasies, and a little more curvaceous, he noted, his eyes lingering on the rounded fullness of her breasts beneath the lilac silk dress. But she was clearly startled by his visit, and the wariness in her eyes held him back from pulling her into his arms and claiming her mouth.

  ‘I had to come to London on business,’ he lied, ‘and decided to take a stroll by the river. Out of interest, why do you live on a houseboat?’

  ‘Dan and I both need to live in London for work, and the rent here is cheaper than on a flat,’ Belle explained distractedly. Her initial shock at his unexpected appearance was fading and the pounding sensation in her ears had nothing to do with hitting her head. She had believed she would never see him again. But Loukas was here, looking utterly gorgeous in a lightweight grey suit and a pale blue shirt which was open at the throat so that she could glimpse the dark hairs that she knew covered his muscular chest. Just one look was all it took for her to fall under his spell. He seduced her senses with one smile, and as her eyes focused on his mouth everything faded from her mind but her aching longing for him to kiss her.

  ‘Belle…?’ His voice roughened, and his eyes narrowed and gleamed with a feral hunger that made her tremble. Her breath hitched in her throat when he brushed her hair back from her face and cupped her cheek in his palm, stroking his thumb-pad lightly over her lips. Instinctively she parted them as his dark head descended.

  ‘Belle—are you down there? I’m back…’

  The violent intrusion of her brother’s voice jerked Belle to her senses and she stepped back from Loukas, breathing hard. Dan walked slowly down the steps from the upper deck, his eyes locked on the tall man at his sister’s side. ‘You must be Christakis,’ he said tersely. ‘I suppose it’s to your credit that you came as soon as Belle told you about the baby.’

  The ensuing silence screamed with tension. Loukas could hear his blood roaring in his eardrums. Every muscle in his body clenched and his lungs froze so that he could not breathe or speak. Slowly he turned his head from the scruffy, long-haired young man who was eyeing him aggressively to Belle, whose eyes were great, dark orbs in her white face. ‘Thee mou! What baby?’ he demanded hoarsely.

  ‘Oh, hell!’

  Whipping his head round, Loukas glared at the unknown intruder. ‘Who are you?’ Belle had told him she lived with her brother, but there was no physical resemblance between her and this man. Rage seared his insides at the idea that the man could be her lover.

  Belle spoke first. ‘This is my brother,’ she said shakily. She gave Dan a pleading look. ‘Could you give us a few minutes?’

  Dan hesitated, clearly doubtful. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes.’ She bit her lip. ‘Loukas and I need to talk.’

  As soon as Dan had gone Loukas’s hard-as-flint gaze flicked back to her, and she shivered at the icy expression that had replaced the warmth of only a few seconds ago when he had been about to kiss her.

  ‘I was going to tell you,’ she said quickly. ‘I…I was going to phone, but you were in South Africa…’ Her voice tailed away as she watched his face harden so that he looked as though he had been carved from granite.

  ‘You’re pregnant?’ Shock caused his voice to emerge as a harsh rasp. ‘How can that be when you told me you had not conceived after the one and only time we failed to use protection?’ He paused, his brain whirling. ‘Why did you lie? Was it because you did not want me to know that you had conceived my child?’

  He was reliving a nightmare, Loukas thought grimly. Three years ago Sadie had kept her pregnancy a secret from him, and the only reason he had found out was because she had been rushed into the hospital after collapsing on stage during a performance and the truth had come out.

  ‘I didn’t tell you because I don’t want the baby.’ Sadie’s words returned to haunt him. Had Belle kept her pregnancy a secret from him for the same reason?

  ‘I did not lie,’ Belle defended herself urgently. ‘I had what I assumed was a period. But it turns out that I was mistaken…’

  Once again her voice faltered at Loukas’s sardonic expression. She had been prepared for his anger, but she was still hurt by it. They had both been careless that night, but he clearly blamed her, she thought bitterly.

  ‘I have to go,’ she muttered, catching sight of the time. ‘I have a hospital appointment this morning. We can talk when I get back.’

  Loukas’s blood ran cold as memories of Sadie’s treachery tormented him. He remembered the look of horror on Belle’s face when she had realised she might have fallen pregnant the first time they had slept together. She had made it quite clear that she did not want a child while she was busy developing her dress design business. ‘Why are you going to the hospital?’ he demanded harshly.

  ‘I’m due to have an ultrasound scan.’ Belle bit her lip. ‘To tell you the truth, I’m nervous,’ she admitted. ‘I’m struggling with the idea of having a baby, and I don’t know how I’ll feel when I see the evidence that my life is going to change for ever.’

  Her honesty was one of the traits he most admired about her, Loukas thought, the fierce tension that had gripped h
im easing a little. Sadie had gone behind his back and had a termination without telling him. She hadn’t given him a chance to prove that he would be supportive during her pregnancy and she had denied him his child.

  Now Belle was expecting his baby. Myriad emotions stormed through him as the news sank in. He had been given another chance to be a father. Theos, his disbelief was turning to amazement and a fierce joy was expanding inside him, filling every pore. He knew without a shadow of doubt that he wanted this child—but what about Belle? She was clearly scared and uncertain of the future.

  He expelled a long breath and crossed the tiny living space of the houseboat to stand in front of her. ‘Both our lives will change,’ he told her quietly. ‘We are in this together, Belle. We might not have planned to have a child, but you are carrying my baby and I will be with you every step of the way.’

  She was glad Loukas was here, Belle thought, as she lay on a narrow bed wearing an unglamorous gown that was rolled up to expose her stomach. She had never been in a hospital before—at least, not as a patient.

  She tried to blank out the memories of waiting in the A&E unit her mother had been taken to after the car accident, of the doctor walking towards her and taking her hands in his as he had gently broken the news that Gudrun was dead. The smell of disinfectant was a painful reminder of that terrible day. She suddenly felt panicky and claustrophobic in the small, dark room where she was about to have the scan, but as if he sensed her tension Loukas enveloped her hand in his much bigger one and lightly squeezed her fingers.

  ‘Try to relax.’ His deep voice was reassuring, and for some stupid reason tears filled Belle’s eyes. She wished they were like the other couple they had met in the waiting room, who were obviously deeply in love and excited to be expecting their first child. Loukas had promised to support her during her pregnancy, but the stark truth was that their affair had ended weeks ago and this baby was unplanned.

  The sonographer had already smeared gel onto Belle’s stomach, and now she moved the sensor slowly over her abdomen. ‘Here we are,’ she said as a grainy image appeared on the screen. ‘This is your baby—can you see the heart beating?’

  To Belle’s eyes it looked like an indistinct blob. It was hard to believe that that tiny fragile pulse was the beating heart of a new life—her baby. ‘It’s real, then?’ she said faintly. She spoke the words unconsciously. A host of emotions was swirling inside her, chief of which, right now, was fear at the enormity of what was happening to her. She wasn’t ready to have a child. She didn’t know how she was going to manage.

  She darted a glance at Loukas, wishing that he was still holding her hand. But he was leaning forward, his eyes focused intently on the screen, and she had no clue from his tense profile what he was thinking. Was he angry that he was caught in a situation he had not asked for? she wondered, biting her lip. He was used to being in control, used to every aspect of his life running with smooth efficiency. Did he resent being unable to control fate?

  The sonographer smiled sympathetically. ‘You’re not alone. Lots of women find it a shock when they first see the evidence of their pregnancy. The scan makes it more real.’ She paused. ‘I have something else to tell you that might be even more of a shock.’

  ‘Is there something wrong with the baby?’ Loukas tore his eyes from the screen and stared at the sonographer, his jaw rigid as he fought to control the emotions that had surged through him when he had seen the beating heart of his child.

  As far as he knew Sadie had not had a scan. Perhaps if she had, if she had seen the fragile life growing inside her, she would have allowed her pregnancy to continue. But all she had cared about was her career, he thought bitterly. The child she had conceived by him had been an inconvenience which she had discarded, uncaring of his feelings. He would never forget the pain that had ripped through him when she had admitted what she had done, the guilt that somehow he should have done more to convince Sadie to go ahead with her pregnancy. But she had undergone a termination without his knowledge the day after he had discovered she was carrying his baby.

  ‘Everything looks as it should at this early stage,’ the sonographer explained. She hesitated. ‘But there are two embryos. You are expecting twins,’ she told Belle gently.

  This could not be happening. Belle stared blankly around the small, bare-walled cubicle where she had come to change back into her clothes and wondered if she was going mad. She did not remember much of what the sonographer had said after the word twins, although she vaguely recollected her explaining that the babies would be non-identical.

  ‘Fraternal twins develop from two separate eggs fertilised by two different sperm, and each baby has its own placenta. The babies may be the same sex, or a boy and a girl, but it’s not possible to tell from an ultrasound scan until approximately twenty weeks into the pregnancy.’

  What did it matter if they were boys or girls? she thought dismally. All she could think about was that in less than eight months’ time she would be trying to care for two babies. That meant double lots of feeding and nappy changing, and twice the expense. How was she going to afford to bring up two children? And how on earth was she going to find the time to run Wedding Belle? It was going to be impossible. Tears filled Belle’s eyes and slipped silently down her cheeks. The future was terrifying and she had never felt so alone.

  Out in the waiting room, Loukas was too restless to sit on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs and he wandered over to the window which overlooked the car park. Twins—he still couldn’t quite take it in. Belle had conceived not one baby, but two—his children. Masculine pride flared inside him, but also a sense of awe. After Sadie, he had believed he would never trust another woman enough that he would want her to bear his child. But fate had given him another chance to be a father.

  He thought of his parents, and he wished, as he had so often done over the years, that they were still alive. They would have been so excited to hear they were going to be grandparents of twins. His gentle, patient father would have been a wonderful pappous.

  His throat ached and he swallowed hard. He wanted to be as good a father as his father had been to him. Despite the vast fortune he had accrued he was at heart a Greek fisherman’s son and, like his father, family was more important to him than money. He wanted to create his own family—his own little dynasty on Aura, he thought, a faint smile curving his lips.

  But what did Belle want? A cold hand gripped his heart as he thought back to the moment when the sonographer had announced it was twins. Belle had looked shattered. She had told him before the scan that she was struggling with the idea of being a mother, so what could she be thinking now she knew she was carrying two babies? Would she decide that she could not go ahead with the pregnancy?

  Fear kicked in his stomach—a feeling of panic totally alien to him—and above all an overwhelming sense of protectiveness for his children. He needed to persuade Belle that her pregnancy was not the disaster she seemed to think, and assure her that she would have his support financially and every other way.

  What he needed most right now was time to convince Belle that he would take care of her and the babies, he decided as he took his phone from his pocket and began to make a series of calls. One of the greatest benefits of being a billionaire was that people were willing to jump to his bidding and provide whatever he required if he threw enough money at them.

  ‘I thought we were supposed to be having lunch,’ Belle said dully. That was what Loukas had told her they were going to do when he had driven her away from the hospital. They had made the journey across town in silence; she had been lost in her own thoughts, and had presumed from his forbidding expression that he was still stunned by the news that she was carrying two babies. He had parked by St Katherine’s Dock and led her along the walkway, but they had walked straight past two restaurants.

  ‘We are—on here.’ He stopped in front of a huge, sleek cruiser, and took her hand to guide her along the narrow gangway so that they could step on boa
rd. ‘A friend of mine owns Ocean Star, and I’ve arranged for us to have lunch here so that we can have some privacy. We have a lot to discuss,’ he added when Belle hesitated.

  ‘I guess we do.’ She had no idea what level of involvement Loukas intended to have with his children. He had told her he would support her, but that had been before they had learned she was expecting twins.

  Her heart felt like a lead weight in her chest as she followed him down the steps to a lower deck and glanced distractedly around at the polished walnut fitments and cream velvet carpet in the opulent lounge. Her sense of unreality was growing stronger by the minute. Loukas turning up out of the blue had been a big enough shock, and the news she’d been given at the hospital had utterly floored her.

  ‘I can’t have twins,’ she muttered, her brain still finding it impossible to accept.

  She missed the sharp glance Loukas gave her, and was unaware that he had stiffened when he’d overheard her words. Deep, plush sofas lined the walls and she sank down onto one, feeling drained. At least she knew now why she was so exhausted all the time. Two new lives were developing inside her, and the process was robbing her of every ounce of energy.

  ‘The crew will serve lunch in a few minutes. Until then, can I get you a cold drink? Or would you like a cup of tea?’

  Belle shook her head. ‘Tea is one of the things that make me feel sick. I haven’t been able to drink it for weeks.’ She bit her lip, silently cursing herself for her stupidity. ‘The signs that I was pregnant were there, but I didn’t see them,’ she said heavily.

  Loukas crossed to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a whisky and soda. ‘Did you really not know while you were on Aura?’

  ‘No, I honestly had no idea. As I said, I had what I thought was a period. When my doctor told me I was pregnant it was a complete shock—but not as much of a shock as learning that I’m carrying twins.’