The Diakos Baby Scandal

‘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?’

For a long moment he didn’t respond, and something made Kerry think that Theo hadn’t even known about the sanctuary. He just wanted the island.

‘No wonder Drakon doesn’t want to sell to you,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t want a hotel on his nature preserve.’

‘It seemed to me that he was more concerned with my commitment to family values,’ Theo said curtly. ‘Therefore you will accompany me to his island tomorrow—travelling as my fiancée. At no point will you reveal that we have not been together since you met him.’

Kerry stared at him in shock.

‘Fiancée?’ she repeated.

For a moment she almost thought he was proposing to her. But that would be crazy. Almost as crazy as him expecting a woman he’d heartlessly cast aside for making one mistake to pose as his fiancée. Just so that he could buy an island from an old man who apparently did not approve of him.

‘Yes,’ Theo said. ‘For the duration of the few days we are to spend on the island you are to act the perfect, adoring fiancée in every way.’

‘I wasn’t your fiancée when I met Drakon,’ she said, saying the first thing that came into her mind. It seemed a ridiculous thing to say—but so was the charade Theo was suggesting.

‘Time has passed since then,’ Theo said. ‘It would seem natural that our relationship has progressed.’

‘Progressed!’ Kerry exclaimed, finally coming to her senses. ‘That’s an interesting take on it. I thought it had ended—badly—the night you kicked me out without giving me a chance to defend myself.’

‘There’s no defence for what you did,’ Theo said. ‘So why would I listen to whatever spin you wanted to put on your meddling? Whatever excuse you were going to give me?’

‘There’s no way I’m going to help you persuade a dear old man to sell you his island,’ she said.

‘Yes, you are,’ Theo said. ‘I will collect you from your flat tomorrow morning.’

‘You don’t know where I live!’ she exclaimed.

‘Of course I do,’ he replied scathingly. ‘Be packed and ready by six-thirty.’

Biting panic suddenly flared within her—freezing her insides stone-cold with dread. He’d found out where she worked, which probably meant he did know where she lived. And if he knew that, what else had his people found out about her—what else would they find if they dug deeper?

She had to keep Lucas hidden from him.

She remembered his words—a Diakos child belongs with the Diakos family.

He’d had no qualms about taking Hallie’s child from her, and she was married to his brother—a true member of the family. What chance did Kerry have against him if he wanted to take his son?

‘Don’t make me come for you at work tomorrow,’ Theo said. ‘I will find you if you try to hide from me. And if you give me the runaround I will not be pleased.’

* * *

Kerry stood on the pavement outside her block of flats at six o’clock the following morning. It was very early, but she could not risk Theo coming inside the building to look for her. The closer she let him come to her home, the more chance there was of him finding out about Lucas.

Half an hour later, when a smart black limousine pulled up beside her, she discovered that she’d be travelling alone. Theo had already returned to Athens the previous evening.

‘Your ticket, Miss Martin,’ his assistant said, handing her a white envelope. ‘You are booked on a flight out of Heathrow airport this morning. You will be met when you arrive in Athens, and taken to join Mr Diakos. You will then fly out to the island together.’

‘Thank you,’ Kerry said automatically. Still slightly stunned by Theo’s absence, she slipped into the limo and stared out through the tinted window.

Was Theo really so confident that she would meekly do as she was told? She’d never actually agreed to go with him. In fact she’d told him point-blank that she was not going. Had she always been so biddable that it just didn’t occur to him that she might refuse to co-operate?

He didn’t know the reason she’d had to go—the secret she could not risk him uncovering if she made him come looking for her. He must simply have expected her to do as she was told because that was what she had always done.

She closed her eyes and hugged herself, already missing Lucas although it was scarcely an hour since she’d left him with Bridget—the only person in the world she truly trusted. They’d been brought up together as sisters and, despite the fact that she had discovered later that Bridget was really her aunt, they still shared an incredibly close, sisterly bond.

Kerry knew Lucas would be safe with her. Bridget had her own little ones and was used to babies, but even so Kerry felt horrible leaving him. She knew she had no choice—to protect her son she had to leave him for a couple of nights—but somehow she felt she was letting him down.

Theo glanced across at Kerry as they climbed out of the helicopter on Drakon Notara’s island. Her hair was whipping about in the wind, and as she put up her hands to hold it back from her face he saw that she was pale and shaky after the flight.

She’d never complained, even though he’d asked her to join him on many of his trips, but Theo knew she wasn’t a good traveller. Chances were she hadn’t slept much the night before, and the limo had picked her up very early that morning. Tiredness always made her travel sickness worse, and he guessed she was feeling pretty rough. But he wanted her bright and appealing, to convince Drakon to sell him the island.

‘I know the way to the house,’ he said, as the old man’s quirky assistant came towards them. ‘My fiancée needs a moment to recover from the journey—some fresh air and solid ground under her feet for a while will do the trick.’

He reached out, looped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. He felt a tremor pass through her as she tensed and tried to pull away from him.

‘Lean on me till you get your strength back,’ Theo said, tightening his hold on her. Then he dropped his voice and spoke quietly, for her ears alone. ‘Don’t forget why you are here. You are my fiancée and you will act like it.’

With a deliberate effort Kerry relaxed her body and allowed herself to lean against Theo. She was surprised that apparently he’d picked up on how she was feeling—he’d never shown any sign of noticing her tendency to motion sickness before. But this time it was particularly awful—probably almost anyone would have noticed if she looked even half as bad as she felt.

All she could do was concentrate on drawing calming breaths into her lungs and putting one foot in front of the other. Theo’s arm was around her—a steady anchor and a welcome distraction from the nausea that rolled through her.

However, it didn’t take long before her awareness shifted entirely onto the sensation of his hard body next to her. The stressful journey and the way it had made her feel so rotten slipped away, and she was simply conscious of how closely Theo was holding her.

His body was strong and athletic, and she could feel his muscles moving as they made their way along the rocky path together. They were walking in unison, and she suddenly realised that meant he had matched his stride to hers. For some reason that realisation sent a shiver skittering down her spine. Whether it had been intentional or instinctive, on some level Theo had been attuned to her body and the rhythm of her movements.

‘Feeling better now?’ he asked. His deep, masculine voice passed like a physical vibration right through her, setting her nerve-endings alight and making her even more conscious of his powerful male form beside her.

She turned to look up at him, suddenly convinced that he had known the exact moment her attention had shifted onto the sensual experience of walking with him. Somehow the thought made her feel exposed and vulnerable.

She lifted her head and his eyes caught hers, holding them locked to his dark gaze. He was studying her intently, and all at once she got the feeling that he was probing—trying to read her mind. She didn’t remember him looking at her like that before—as if he thought she was guilty of something.

Then she suddenly realised that she’d never had anything to hide from him before. Was she imagining his scrutiny because she had an enormous secret?

‘The house is just over the brow of the hill,’ he said, lifting his hands to cradle her face gently. ‘Drakon may be old—but his mind is sharp. He’ll be watching us, so never let the pretence that you are my fiancée slip.’

‘I don’t want to lie,’ she said, pulling away from him slightly. She’d enjoyed meeting Drakon the previous year, and, despite his funny old ways, she had liked him. ‘It doesn’t feel right.’

‘Then we’d better make our act convincing, so Drakon won’t ask you any tricky questions,’ Theo said. ‘And, as they say, actions speak louder than words.’

Before she realised his intention, one strong arm had slipped around her back and pulled her hard against him. The other hand lifted to cup her chin and tip her face up to his.

She opened her lips to protest, and at that moment his mouth came down on hers.

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