The Greek Billionaire's Secret Baby (Contemporary Romance) (12 page)

Had somehow maternal magic made her even more powerful, even more of the siren he’d called her last night? He’d been in heaven and hell. That kiss held the power to remove all restraints away.

Yet she’d betrayed him in the worst possible way. The kiss had him questioning, as in why did he care? It had weakened his resolve to never forgive. Last night’s intimacy had proved one thing—that Lauren Andrews still had claim over his heart, which gave her the power to take it from him and dash it to the ground as she had twice already.

She was his Achilles’ heel. She was the one wave that could deteriorate the
vrahas
, the rock, and turn it into useless sand.

“Good morning.” Lauren appeared in her bedroom doorway, a sleeping bundle cradled in her arms. Alex’s fresh squeezed orange juice turned into powder in his mouth.

Her long blond hair hung loose around her shoulders, the strands splaying where his fingers had touched the night before. Her white robe covered her rounded breasts, hinting at her full, lush curves.

His gaze dropped to her feet, which were bare and devoid of polish. She looked like a nymph bringing herself as an offering.

He shuddered. He was but a man, and the vision of her standing in the doorway had him craving things he should not want or desire. He was no mere moth; he should not seek her flame. He forced his lips to work.

“Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Not well.” Her feet padded over the hard wood as she came forward. She placed Nick in the wicker bassinet.

“Our kiss.” She faltered. 

“I’m sorry about that. We need to wait until you are cleared by the doctor.”

“Oh. That’s not…”

He cut her off. “You are going to be my wife. My judge friend is out of town for the next two weeks, which is the only reason our marriage has not yet taken place. I expect us to have to kiss. And have sex. Lots of sex. While I apologize for my actions, don’t be mistaken. Last night proved one thing. I still want you. I will not be celibate. I will have you again.” 

He gave another short laugh, but he had to let her know she would never have his heart again. She couldn’t hurt him. He wouldn’t allow it.

“Your expression is priceless. Don’t you want me to speak the truth? Why shouldn’t I tell you that, despite your betrayal, I still want your flesh to cling to mine? I want to stroke your body. I want to feel you beneath me, feel the passion that flared hotter yesterday than ever before. I can’t wait to taste and touch you. Oh yes, Lauren. I want all of that. And, as my wife, you will not deny me. Not that you wanted to deny me last night. Your body craved mine as much as mine did yours.”

He moved to stand next to her, daring to reach his hands forward to cup her breasts. Even through the robe he could feel how full they were and he hardened. She pulled away, but not before he’d felt her nipples tighten.

“See? Your body needs mine as much as mine needs yours. Let’s at least be honest about that. We have needs of the flesh that only each other can fill. It’s already been far too long.”

She rallied. “What a month?”

His lips curled into a smile. She was a spitfire, and he ached to tame her again. “You think so little of me.  Try since you left.”

Her hand touched the base of her throat and she paled.  “You aren’t serious.”

“Why would I make that up?” What do I have to gain?” He ran a finger down her check and she trembled. His thumb rubbed her lower lip. Her mouth opened and her eyes widened.

“You don’t have a mistress?”

“Why do I need one of those? You are more than hot enough. You never failed to satisfy.”

He touched her again and she trembled, but from longing. “See, our bodies remember.  We were good together, Lauren. We will be again. I promise that, and I believe I have proven lately that I can keep my promises.”

Then, unable to deal with the emotions running through him, he turned on his heel and left her standing there, speechless.

#

It had been a long day, Lauren decided as she put Nick in his crib for a late afternoon nap. He’d been especially fussy during his awake times, as if realizing that his parents had a disagreement earlier in the morning and that his mother was still agitated by her overwhelming emotions.

Make love to Alex Pappas? Last night she’d wanted him from the top of her head to the tip of her curled toes, and if her body had been physically capable of making love, she wouldn’t have stopped him from taking her, had he only gestured to bed.

But making love with Alex was a dangerous proposition. Feelings already bubbled dangerously just beneath the surface, proven each time her breath caught in her throat when she saw him holding his son. Yet if they made love, could she somehow use that to bring him closer to her? That eventually he wouldn’t care anymore about the past, but only look to the present?

The sound of the front door opening caught her attention and she frowned. Housekeeping had been through earlier and she didn’t expect Alex until much later in the evening. Leaving her bedroom, she walked out into the living room.

“You’re back sooner than I…” Her voice trailed off. Theo, not Alex, stood in the foyer. She planted her hands on her hips. “What are you doing here?”

“Where is he?” Theo said. He stepped into the living area and began looking around.

“He’s at work.” Her body guarded the bedroom door. “At the office. As you also work there, I’m sure you know the way, so why don’t you leave and try finding him there?”

Theo shook his head and went to the double doors leading to Alex’s bedroom. He glanced around and came back.

“He’s not at the office. He’s getting erratic about his office attendance, and he’s not been there since one.”

She crossed her arms in front of her. “I don’t keep track of his schedule. I gave that up long ago. He’s not here. Call his cell phone.”

“His cell phone is turned off.” Theo towered over her, his stocky body movement made to intimidate. Lauren refused to budge and he paused, mid-step. “Is the illegitimate brat in there?”

Lauren was a lioness defending her cub. “He’s sleeping and is not to be disturbed.” The tone of her voice and the position of her body sent a clear warning to Theo to not even consider entering her private space. Like the rebel soldier, Theo stopped short.

His face darkened. “Don’t try to thwart me, Lauren. You’ve managed to keep a tenacious hold on this family long past your usefulness. I couldn’t believe that you had a fetish for brothers, and if I’d realized the long-term repercussions I would have found a permanent way to send you scampering long before you dug your claws into Christopher as well. I can’t believe you would stoop low enough to have Christopher’s child.”

“I wasn’t going to abort it.”

“Maybe you should have. Tell me, do you think it would have survived had you dropped it in jail?”

“You need to leave.”

Theo shook his head disgust evident.  “I’ll leave when I’m ready. You should have taken the check I offered you. Tell me, Lauren, how much, money will it take this time? How much to buy Christopher’s shares and your permanent disappearance? I can make you a very rich woman. Isn’t that what you want?”

“You need to go,” Lauren repeated. Only years of IBF training held her immobile, kept her body neutral despite the coiled tension permeating it. She would not give Theo Pappas the satisfaction of knowing that she was afraid. Never again. “I’ll tell Alex you stopped by.”

Theo gave a magnanimous shrug. He then leered. “Don’t bother. If he’s not here, I know where he is, especially if his cell phone is off. At least some things haven’t changed. Men have needs, and despite your clever little claws, I doubt you’ll be able to hold his interest long. Do yourself a favor and be like my wife. Turn a blind eye. It will make life easier for you.”

His eyes raked over her dismissively before Theo grinned with cruel satisfaction.

“Especially with you in your shape.  No wonder men find thin, beautiful mistresses after their wives have children. Even if you wanted me, I doubt I could stomach touching you, even in the dark. Tell you what, think about my offer and call me if you come up with a figure. All you have to do is name your price.”

With those nasty parting words, Theo turned on his heel. Lauren clenched her fists and waited until the foyer door clicked closed before she raced over to the ornate door and threw the small privacy crash bar across it.

It was still locked that way when Alex came home hours later, two bags of Chinese takeout containers in his hands.

“I brought sweet and sour chicken. Why the bar? Did something happen?” he asked as she let him in.

Her decision was instantaneous. Alex had never listened to her before when she’d brought up his cousin. She would handle Theo herself.

“I set the bar out of habit.” She hated her herself for lying, but she couldn’t help it. Her gaze searched his collar and scanned his attire for signs of something, anything, to give credence or absolution to her fears. She saw nothing and struggled to calm herself. Alex had promised her faithfulness. He’d told her this morning that he didn’t have anyone else, and that he’d been celibate.

“How was the office?” she asked.

“Hectic,” he replied. “Non-stop from the moment I got there until the moment I left. But I don’t want to talk about it. Tell me, did Nick do anything new? What did I miss?”

“He discovered his fists today,” Lauren said.

Alex rarely wanted to discuss business with her, and despite her doubts as to where he’d been, she warmed to her topic. “Nick kept putting his hands up in front of his face and his eyes would get real wide.”

“That’s great. I wish I’d been here. Maybe he’ll do it for me later.”

She smiled. “I wouldn’t doubt it. He can’t seem to stop.”

Silence descended and Alex set the white paper containers on the dining room table. The moment he’d unloaded the last of the food, his cell phone shrilled. He glanced at the number wearily and answered. 

“Pappas,” he snapped. He gestured at Lauren to come and eat. She walked to the table and sat. “You are kidding me. Sixty dollars a share?”

His voice sounded incredulous and Lauren hazarded a glance. Thunderclouds had darkened Alex’s face. He paced, as if forgetting Lauren was seated in the same room. “This is getting ridiculous.”

He raked a hand through his dark hair, growing more frustrated as he listened to the caller. “No,” Alex suddenly gritted out. “We will not involve her…”

The caller cut Alex off and at that moment, Alex glanced up sharply and noticed Lauren was watching him. She blinked and looked away.

“
Katarameno náne
.” With that Greek curse, Alex strode into his bedroom and shut the door with a decisive click.

Business. Always business.

Lauren waited a long, twenty-minutes before Alex returned. He gestured at the unopened cartons. “You should have eaten without me. You’re taking care of two. You need your strength.”

Lauren began to serve herself, but Alex remained standing. He lifted the top of a container and he looked inside before setting it back down. “I’m not hungry. Is Nick sleeping?”

“Yes.”

Alex undid a cuff link. “Do you mind if I go see him before I change and go pack?”

She froze. “Pack?”

His face broke into haggard lines and he appeared older than his thirty-five years. “That phone call meant that, unfortunately, I must fly to Greece tomorrow. No one can seem to handle this takeover crisis without me.”

“Greece?” Lauren set her fork down, the sweet and sour chicken pasty in her mouth.

Alex closed his eyes, clearly weary. “Instead of succumbing to a takeover, I’m coordinating an extremely important but unpopular merger with the Favazzas. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

He came over and stroked her check. “I doubt you’ll miss me.

“I…” She didn’t know what to say. She would miss him.

He lowered his lips and brushed her lips lightly.  Then he stepped away. Her lips tingled and she wanted more.

But Pappas Foods was what Alex did, just like missionary work had been what her father did. Work was their lifeblood, and they couldn’t live without it, no matter how hard they tried. As for Lauren, she and Alex were not yet married. She had no claim.

“You should go see Nick before you go. Don’t be afraid to wake him up and hold him. He’ll go back down.”

“Thanks.”

He disappeared into her bedroom and she forced herself to eat more of the sweet and sour chicken. She didn’t want to crowd him, to hover over him as if she didn’t trust him. The one area she unequivocally trusted Alex was with Nick.

She ate a little more, forcing herself to swallow the delicious food. She loved Alex; she always had. Maybe absence would make his heart grow fonder.

#

Alex was gone a month. In his absence, his mother Maria was a constant visitor, and Lauren had to admit she was more than welcome.

Maria played with her grandson and encouraged Lauren to stay sane. She’d become Lauren’s ally, and even more important, a friend.

“I’m house hunting for you,” she told Lauren once after watching Lauren consume the curried lamb she’d brought, “but I haven’t found anything suitable for a family yet. As soon as I do, we’ll go look. Won’t that be fun?”