The Diakos Baby Scandal

‘Get on with it,’ Theo said, with undisguised impatience.

‘I don’t feel like I know you any more,’ she said.

‘The feeling is mutual,’ he replied coldly. ‘Now, get out.’

CHAPTER TWO

14 months later

‘THANK you for inviting me to your home.’ Theo held out his hand to the old man, who was sitting at a small wooden table drinking coffee under the shade of an ancient gnarled olive tree. ‘Your island is charming—a very peaceful place to live.’

Drakon Notara ignored Theo’s hand and snorted rudely, not looking up from his treacly Greek coffee. He was a moody and eccentric old man, but Theo had met him several times in Athens and was not fazed by his bad manners.

‘Don’t tell me you care about peace,’ Drakon said. ‘I know why you want to buy my island. You want to build one of your flashy hotels here—or maybe several. Bars, thumping music, people drunk and rowdy.’ He paused, finally lifting his head and meeting Theo’s eye. ‘I can’t have that happening here.’

Theo gritted his teeth and stared straight back, refusing to rise to the old man’s provocation. No one spoke to Theo Diakos with such disrespect and got away with it—but he had a compelling reason to do business with Drakon Notara.

Theo needed to buy this island. It was his only chance to fulfil his mother’s dying wish. And if he had to tread carefully to seal the deal, then that was what he would do.

He had not been invited to sit, nor offered any refreshment. The paving stones under the trees had not been swept before his arrival and were deep with browning piles of olive blossom. It was clear the old man was going to be as bloody-minded as usual, and was not going to make any transaction easy.

‘That’s not what I intend for the island at all,’ Theo said smoothly. ‘Perhaps if we talk—’

‘No,’ Drakon barked. ‘Talk is cheap. And so are the scandal sheets. Don’t think because I spend most of my time out here that I don’t know what your family is like—rich and spoiled, caring only about money and excitement. Your brother…his drunken wife crashing her car with that child on board.’

‘You have been misinformed.’ Theo’s tone was clipped as he suppressed the surge of anger that ripped through him. Whenever he thought about the night of the accident, which was over a year ago now, he felt his temper flare. ‘My family is not as the media has portrayed it. The newspapers do not always report things exactly as they are.’

‘Are you telling me it didn’t happen?’ the old man scoffed.

‘I’m saying that my personal affairs are not relevant to our business,’ Theo said. ‘However, if you will allow me to set out my proposal, I believe we will be able to come to an arrangement we are both happy with.’

‘I don’t want to talk to you now—I don’t want to hear the smooth and readymade business spiel you have prepared.’ Drakon leant heavily on the table and levered himself up. ‘If you’re serious about buying my island, come and stay for a few days—so I can find out what kind of man you really are. Bring your pretty girlfriend—the one I met last year. I liked her—no airs and graces, which I found surprising in someone associated with you and your family.’

For a fraction of a second Theo did not reply. The wily old fellow had completely wrong-footed him. He searched his memory, trying to recall any occasions when Kerry and Drakon might have met—and realised there had been several charity events when they could have spoken.

Why did Drakon really want him to bring Kerry to the island? Did he know that she was no longer part of his life?

‘Or have you broken it off with her? Moved on to someone new?’ Drakon continued derisively. ‘From the way she…’ He paused, frowning as if he was irritated with himself. ‘What was her name?’

‘Kerry,’ Theo supplied in a tight voice, not missing the fact that Drakon had used the past tense—as if he definitely did know the relationship was over. ‘Her name is Kerry.’

Hearing himself say her name sounded strange and painfully familiar at the same time. He had not said it aloud since the night he threw her out—but that had not stopped her name, and the image of her face, pressing forward in his thoughts more often than he would have liked.

‘Ah, yes. Kerry,’ Drakon said. ‘Utterly delightful young thing—reminded me of my dear wife when she was young. From the way she never left your side, I expected to see a wedding announcement in the press. But I suppose you’re several women down the line by now.’ He turned and started shuffling towards the house.

‘As I said, my personal affairs are not relevant to our business,’ Theo said, but a cold, fatalistic feeling had settled in his chest.

He realised that as far as Drakon Notara was concerned the way he conducted his private life was as important as the way he did business. The fact that not one single woman had caught his attention since Kerry would not impress the old man. He would simply judge Theo harshly for not making the relationship work in the first place.

And, to make matters worse, he seemed to have developed a real soft spot for Kerry.

‘I’m a traditional old man,’ Drakon said over his shoulder. ‘I don’t hold with the fast and wasteful way people live their lives these days. Fast cars polluting the air, fast relationships…everything is disposable.’

‘If we talk, you’ll discover that we share many of the same traditional values,’ Theo said.

He wanted to follow Drakon and convince him that he did not plan to build hotels on the island. But his reasons for wanting the island were personal and he had no intention of sharing them with anyone—especially not a judgemental old man who thought it was his right to force his opinions on other people.

‘Then come back and visit properly,’ Drakon said, pausing on the threshold, as if to gather his strength before he disappeared inside. ‘And bring Kerry with you.’

Theo watched him go. He might be physically frail, but his mind and his will were still as strong as ever.

‘Allow me to escort you back to the helipad,’ Drakon’s assistant said, stepping out of the shadows at the edge of the paved area.

Theo nodded a curt acknowledgement, and turned to leave.

‘I know the way,’ he said, striding out of the shaded area into the bright Greek sunshine.

He frowned as he walked along the rutted ridge path, completely oblivious to the breathtaking view across the azure Aegean Sea.

He needed Kerry.

If he was to have any chance of buying this island as the first step in fulfilling his mother’s dying wish, then he was going to need Kerry.

‘Thank you so much for all your help,’ the customer said, pushing open the glass door of the travel agent’s and letting in a blast of cold, rainy air.

‘I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful holiday. I’ve only been to Crete once, but I’d love to go back there,’ Kerry said, as the customer stepped out onto the wet street.

For a brief moment she let herself imagine how good it would feel to sit on a beautiful sandy beach, with nothing to do but rest and play with her six-month-old baby boy, Lucas. But that was a fantasy that wasn’t likely to come true any time soon—not with all the bills she was struggling to pay on her own.

It was fourteen months since she’d returned from Athens—since the devastating night when Theo Diakos had brutally ripped out her heart and trampled it underfoot. Arriving back in London had been a nightmare. Trying to pick up the pieces of her broken heart—with no job, no money and nowhere to live—had been truly awful. And on top of everything else she’d been pregnant.

‘It’s nearly time for your break,’ Carol said now, pulling her out of her thoughts. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind taking early lunch again?’

‘When you’ve been up since five a. m., this doesn’t seem early.’ Kerry laughed. Lucas—as adorable as he was—had taken to waking with the rising sun.

At that moment the shop door opened again, and another blast of cold air whooshed in, making an icy shiver run through her.

‘Ooh! I can’t believe it’s June already,’ she said, as she pulled the collar of her uniform jacket more snugly across her throat and looked up to greet the customer who had just walked in. ‘Good morning. Can I help—?’

Her heart skipped a beat and she felt herself go cold all over as she stared up into the face of Theo Diakos.

He was looking straight at her, with an expression of dispassionate assessment on his darkly handsome face. His black brows were drawn low, casting his eyes into shadow, but his penetrating eyes bored right into her.

Kerry drew in a shaky breath and felt her heart jolt painfully back into action. She knew she was staring—but she could not drag her eyes from him. If was as if she couldn’t quite believe Theo Diakos was really standing there.

He was a tall and imposing figure. The size of his athletic body seemed to fill the entire doorway, and his magnetic presence seemed to fill the entire shop. He was wearing a dark suit, which was covered with a sheen of summer rain, and his black hair was damp and glistening with fine water droplets.

What was he doing here?

Had he found out about Lucas—his baby son?

‘Can I offer you some assistance?’ Carol asked, breaking the silence and walking around to the front of her desk. ‘Would you like to see a particular brochure, or are you just at the ideas-collecting stage?’

A flash of almost feverish humour cut through Kerry like a sharp slap to knock her out of her stunned state. The idea of Theo Diakos—billionaire property tycoon—walking into a high street travel agency in a London backwater to book his next package holiday was laughable. Ludicrous, even.

No—he was here for a reason.

‘I’m here to speak to Kerry,’ Theo said, never taking his eyes off her for a second.

‘Oh. You two know each other?’ Carol paused, obviously surprised, and looked at Kerry questioningly.

She was still staring at Theo. He was so familiar, but at the same time like a total stranger.

She had been so utterly in love with him—but it had turned out she’d meant nothing to him. Nothing at all. In one horrifying evening she had discovered that his soul was made of stone, and that there was not even one ounce of compassion inside his hard, unyielding body.

He’d conspired with his brother to take a little child away from his mother. And when Kerry had made the mistake of getting involved he had not given her an opportunity to explain herself. It had been the first time in nearly a year that they’d had any sort of disagreement—but he’d simply thrown her out. Without a moment’s hesitation.

‘Carol, this is Theo. He is from Athens.’ Kerry’s natural politeness forced her to make at least some sort of introduction—but all her instincts told her not to say too much. No one at work knew anything about what had happened in Athens, and it paid to be as careful as possible. She didn’t want any speculation about Lucas and who his father was.

‘Why don’t you go for your lunch break?’ Carol suggested. ‘You probably have lots to catch up on.’

Kerry’s pulse was still racing and the palms of her hands suddenly felt damp. The last thing she wanted was to go off alone with Theo—but neither did she want to cause a stir at work. Her boss, Margaret, would be back from her emergency dental appointment soon, and chances were she would not be in a good mood. Kerry really needed her job, and she really did not want to give anyone fuel for gossip.

‘All right. I’ll get my bag.’ She stood up and walked to the office at the back of the shop, desperately hoping that she didn’t look as wobbly as she suddenly felt.

With every thump of her heart she felt Theo’s gaze burning deeper and deeper into her—through the protective veneer of her uniform, piercing through all the emotional barricades she had tried to build up since that devastating night in Athens.

Why was he here?

The office door swung shut behind her, shielding her from his sight, and her legs buckled beneath her. She clung to the edge of the desk, gasping for air and shaking violently.

Had Theo come to try and take Lucas away from her?

She’d never let that happen—her gorgeous boy was everything to her. She loved him more than life itself, and she’d never, never let Theo take him.

She took a deep, steadying breath and looked back through the one-way mirror into the shop. Theo was still standing there, as inscrutable as an ancient Greek statue, and Carol was obviously trying to engage him in conversation.

The sudden, horrifying thought occurred to her that Carol might innocently mention Lucas. With another judder of her already painful heart she grabbed her bag and burst back through the door. She had to get Theo away from anyone who knew her as quickly as possible.

‘Take as long as you want,’ Carol said, trying to be helpful. ‘I’ll send you a sneaky text if Margaret gets back.’

‘I won’t be long,’ Kerry said.

‘Don’t worry,’ Carol said. ‘Have fun. Enjoy your blast from the past.’

‘Thanks.’ Kerry slipped past Theo and pushed the heavy glass door open. She flashed her colleague a tight smile and walked away down the rainy street, leaving Theo to follow her.

Fun was the last thing she was expecting to have. And as for Carol’s unsuspecting use of the phrase blast from the past—all Kerry could think about was the more violent, destructive meaning of the word blast.

She desperately hoped Theo hadn’t come to rip mercilessly through her life, laying everything to waste and destroying the tentative happiness she had finally found.

Suddenly she couldn’t bear the agony of not knowing.

She stopped abruptly and turned to face Theo.

‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded.

‘I’ve come to take you back to Greece,’ he said.

CHAPTER THREE

THEO stood still, watching Kerry’s reaction to his announcement. For a second he hardly recognised her. Somehow she didn’t seem like the woman he’d spent nearly a year of his life with.

There were the obvious differences—the unflattering navy blue uniform, and the new way she had done her blonde hair, twisting it up into a tight knot at the nape of her neck with a long fringe he didn’t remember falling into her eyes. But the real differences seemed to be deeper, more profound than that. She looked older in some way, and the expression on her face was wary and troubled.

He frowned, momentarily disconcerted as he looked down into her eyes. He could have sworn that her eyes had been a soft clear blue, but now they appeared to be pale grey, as if they were reflecting the pastel colour of the rain-streaked sky.

‘Why would you say that?’ Kerry gasped. ‘I’m not coming back to Greece with you.’

‘Actually, you are,’ Theo said.

‘Why?’ she demanded incredulously. ‘Why do you want me to? And what makes you think I’d ever go anywhere with you ever again?’

‘Because you owe me that,’ he replied.

‘I don’t owe you anything!’ Kerry exclaimed, anger suddenly flaring inside her. ‘I gave up my career to be with you, and I never took any of the money you tried to give me. I used up all my savings while I was living with you, which made it really hard for me when I came back to London.’

She paused, racking her brain for any other possible reason he might think that she owed him. The very idea that he could want anything of her was ridiculous—he was one of the richest men in Athens.

‘I left all the expensive jewellery you gave me behind,’ she added, remembering how much that had hurt.

It wasn’t because of the cost of the items—for Kerry their value had been entirely sentimental. She’d thought they were genuine tokens of Theo’s affection for her. When he’d thrown her out so coldly, she’d realised that all the things she’d taken as meaningful in their relationship had obviously meant nothing at all to him.

‘I’m not talking about trivial monetary matters,’ Theo said flatly.

‘Then what—?’ Kerry’s voice dried up in her throat. Did that mean he had found out about Lucas?

She bit her lip, desperately hoping that he hadn’t discovered her secret. Surely he would have brought up something so important immediately? But perhaps he meant to string it out to torment her.

‘You interfered with matters that did not concern you,’ Theo said. ‘The consequences could have been tragic.’

Kerry drew in a shaky breath, remembering the awful evening of the accident.

‘No one was injured,’ she said in a small voice.

She deeply regretted that her involvement had caused Hallie to drive off with Nicco when she’d been drinking. But that did not change the fact that Theo and Corban had been planning to take Nicco away from his mother.

‘It’s a miracle no one was killed,’ Theo said. ‘But that’s not exactly the reason I’m here.’

Kerry stared up at him anxiously. What could be worse than causing a potential tragedy—something bad enough to bring Theo all the way from Athens to seek restitution from her?

‘Your meddling stirred up a vicious media circus,’ Theo said, as if that was on the same level as a tragedy. ‘The paparazzi had a field-day. They hounded my family relentlessly—Hallie and Corban in particular. It made things very difficult.’

Relief that Theo had not come about Lucas poured through Kerry—making her bold. Was he really comparing the inconvenience of unwanted media interest with the possibility of someone dying in a car crash? How had she ever lived with this man—shared his home for six months—without realising what he was really like?

‘You mean with the media watching everything you did it made it difficult for you to take your sister-in-law’s child away from her?’ she asked.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she knew she should not have antagonised him. A change came over him that made goosebumps prickle across her skin. It was hard to pinpoint what was actually different about his expression or his body language, but something alerted her to danger.

‘It would be better—for you—if you never mention what you overheard that night again.’

Theo’s voice grated across her nerves, making her heart start to race once more. But then all of a sudden her hackles rose at the threat in his tone. How dared he tell her what to do? She wasn’t in a relationship with him any more.

‘Why not? Are you ashamed of yourself for contemplating something so horrible?’ she demanded recklessly. ‘Or are you simply lying low—intending to carry on with your plan once the heat is off?’

Theo glared down at her, his blood suddenly surging hot and angry through his veins. He’d had no idea that Kerry had it in her to behave like this. The woman who’d been his lover for nearly a year would never have been so hot-headed, never have challenged him so rashly.

‘Be very careful,’ he grated, stepping forward so that he towered over her, forcing her to crane her neck back to maintain eye contact.

‘Why?’ she demanded, planting her hands on her hips and refusing to back away. ‘What are you going to do to me?’

Theo could almost feel the energy crackling between them. Despite the cool air of the wet summer day, there was real heat in the space around their bodies. It was the heat of anger—and it was far more than just that.

It was the heat of passion—emotional and sexual.

Suddenly he knew exactly what he wanted to do to her, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to give in to his desires. The need to seize her in his arms and drag her hard against his body was almost overwhelming. He wanted to cover her angry mouth with his—to silence her in the most satisfying way he knew how.

He continued to stare down at her, letting the silence lengthen. His heart was pumping powerfully in his chest, and his body was thrumming with desire for her. Then he saw her eyes widen slightly, saw her lips part a little as her breathing deepened. And he knew she felt it too.

Pure physical attraction.

A few minutes earlier it had seemed as if he didn’t know her any more—but now he knew precisely how her body was reacting to him. After all, they had been lovers for nearly a year. He recognised the heat suddenly dancing in her cheeks, and the way her pupils had grown large in her pale-coloured eyes.

She wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Suddenly he gripped her arms and pulled her towards him, up onto her tiptoes so that her lips were just below his. All he had to do was bend his head a fraction more and his mouth would come down over hers. He would take back what had once been his—reclaim her body in hot, hard retribution for what she had done.

But this wasn’t what he had come to London for. He could not—would not—let his libido get in the way of fulfilling his mother’s dying wish. He needed Kerry to convince Drakon to sell him the island.

‘I didn’t come here for this,’ he said gruffly, letting go of her arms and stepping away from her.

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Kerry said, shaken by how husky her voice sounded.

How had she let herself fall under his sensual spell so easily? Why would she even respond to him at all, after the horrible way he had treated her?

‘You know as well as I do,’ he said. ‘Let’s not play any more games. I’ll tell you what I came for.’

‘Why don’t you?’ she said, pleased with how sassy she managed to sound, considering the way her body was still buzzing with unwanted desire for him. Even though her face was streaked with rain, she could feel her cheeks burning. ‘It’s taking you long enough to get round to it.’

The rain was coming down more heavily now, and she lifted her hand to brush her long wet fringe back from her face. She stared straight up into his eyes, determined not to let him see any weakness. She’d be ready next time, if he started looking at her like that again—as if he wanted to tear off her clothes and make love to her right there and then.

After everything that had happened she couldn’t believe he’d had the audacity to come on to her like that. And she couldn’t believe she’d let herself respond. She would not let it happen again.

‘Do you want to go inside?’ he asked, glancing around as if he was looking for a café. ‘Sit out of the rain while we talk?’

‘No. I’m already wet, and my break is nearly over,’ she said. ‘Just tell me what you want from me.’

She didn’t relish the idea of continuing their conversation standing in the rain on a busy urban pavement—but somehow she felt safer out in the open. The thought of being in a confined space with him, even a public café, sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine.

‘I want to buy an island from an old man,’ Theo said, getting straight to the point. ‘I need you to help me secure the deal.’

Kerry frowned up at him. She felt slightly startled by the fact that he was finally being direct about his reason for coming to her, but she was also puzzled as to why he thought he needed her help.

‘What have I got to do with it?’ she asked, intrigued despite herself.

‘It is because you meddled in my family’s affairs—creating a situation that caused the media frenzy—that the old man is reluctant to do business with me,’ Theo said. ‘He wants to sell his island to someone with traditional values—someone he approves of.’

‘I don’t understand how you think I can help you—even if I wanted to,’ Kerry said. ‘What can I do to change the way this man thinks about you?’

‘The old man in question is called Drakon Notara. He remembers meeting you. Apparently he liked you,’ Theo replied, somehow making it sound as if he thought it highly unlikely that anyone would actually like her.

‘I remember him.’ Kerry frowned, irritated by Theo’s tone. ‘He told me all about the wildlife sanctuary he has on his island. He hates all these intensive modern developments and wants to keep somewhere natural.’ She paused and looked at Theo quizzically. ‘Why do you want to buy a wildlife sanctuary?’