The Greek Tycoon's Secret Heir (2 page)

He’d wanted her to take a DNA test to prove paternity, but she’d refused, wanting him to trust her. She knew that she’d lied to him about other things, and had acknowledged those lies, but on this matter, she had needed him to believe her. Because, before the situation with his brother had blown up, he’d told her they’d moved past her falsehoods. And she’d needed that to be true for the relationship to survive.

She’d seen the proof that he’d moved on with his life in the pages of the tabloids and society magazines. But here in this quiet garden as he hugged Theo, she wondered if she’d made a mistake.

She edged away from them. Tried to remind herself of all the reasons she was no longer in love with Christos. Why she’d never really been in love with him in the first place. But, watching him, those reasons seemed flimsy. And her heart, which had been dormant during the five years they’d been apart, started beating again.

She was
so
not going there. Christos was the man who’d changed the entire course of her life, and she finally had it back on track. She wasn’t getting involved with him again. Except—she’d have to, if he was going to act as Theo’s father. She couldn’t keep Theo from him now that he was reaching out to his son. The Theakis family was a close one, something her own wasn’t, and she wanted that for Theo.

Karin stopped by to return Theo to class, leaving Ava alone with Christos. He stared after his son. Her throat tightened as she watched the cocktail of emotions rushing across his face. She’d always suspected there was more to Christos than the playboy image he presented to the world. She’d caught glimpses of the real man during the intense time they’d spent together. Enough to make her fall hard.

But this was only the second time she’d seen any overt evidence. The other time…well, that didn’t bear thinking about right now.

“You’ve done a good job with him.”

“Thanks. I…I’m not always sure what I’m doing. But he’s a good kid.”

“Yes, he is.” Pushing his hands into his pockets, he walked closer to her.

“Why did you tell him I was his father?” Christos asked.

“You still don’t believe me about that?”

He shook his head. “I gave you a chance to prove yourself to me, Ava. To prove that Theo is really my son, and you denied me.”

“Because I wanted your trust.”

“Once a liar.”

“That’s not fair, I apologized for those lies. I was young and thought you wouldn’t want a girl from my background.”

“Your very poor background,” he said. “What better way to make sure you never had to go back to that trailer park than to bear the son of a Theakis.”

She shook her head, trembling all the way to her soul from his words. “It wasn’t like that.”

“You can explain it to me another time. Right now you have two choices, Ava.”

She still liked the way her name sounded on his tongue. Which really ticked her off, because she wanted to slug him for being a jerk about the past. She’d made mistakes, yes, but what was it about this stubborn Greek that wouldn’t let him look beyond them? “What are they?”

“You can relinquish your rights to Theo and give him over to me to be raised as a Theakis.”

“Why would I do that?” He had to be crazy if he thought she was going to give up her son.

“It is his right to be raised in our family. And you have had him to yourself for the last four years.”

“You gave those years away,” she said, and the past flashed through her mind. She knew the exact moment when she’d become pregnant. Remembered with clarity the way Christos’s face had tightened with a mixture of lust and anger when she’d declined to stay in Greece and become his mistress.

He’d kissed her hard and soon anger had melted to lust and they’d made love in his study. The encounter hadn’t been a sweet seduction; they’d both been so hungry for each other, knowing it was the last time they’d be in each other’s arms.

She’d clung to his shoulders and he’d held her so tightly. He’d cradled her on his lap, and she’d realized that they’d forgotten to use protection. That he’d pulled out at the last moment.

He hadn’t said anything and neither had she. Then a few days later everything had fallen apart with Nikki’s accusations about her and Stavros. And Christos had sided with his sister-in-law.

“Maybe. But not anymore. I want Theo. I’ve taken over Theakis Shipping,” he said, turning away from her and looking out over the lushly landscaped gardens of the school. “I’m becoming the heir I never had to be and I must look to future generations.”

“Now you need an heir,” she said. She was saddened to think that that was the only reason he was here. Not because he’d finally wanted to acknowledge he had a son and had been desperate to see him.

Oh, God, she couldn’t let Christos hurt Theo. Wouldn’t let Theo come to love a man who had ice in his veins. A man who could make love to a woman and hold her so close, as if he’d never let her go, then calmly accuse her of infidelity.

“The Theakis family needs Theo,” he said.

This isn’t about you, she reminded herself. But it was.

“You mentioned two choices.”

“Yes, I did. If you are interested in remaining in your son’s life, then I’m willing to marry you.”

“How’d it go today?” Tristan Sabina asked.

Tristan was one of Christos’s two best friends. The other was Guillermo de la Cruz. They’d formed an odd little triad of mischief makers and playboys for more than half their lives. They’d met at an exclusive boarding school in Switzerland and had bonded through their troublemaking antics.

The three of them had been tabloid fodder for longer than he could remember, moving through life as if the world was their oyster. They’d started a business together in their twenties, a string of nightclubs located in posh hotspots all over the globe. The exclusive clubs, called Seconds, were the place to see and be seen the world over, and every night the bouncers turned away more celebrities, wannabes and hangers-on than they let in.

And Tristan, Gui and Christos were the kings of the kingdom they’d built.

Christos settled the phone between his ear and his shoulder and knocked back a shot of tequila. “Who knows? I thought she was going to hit me when I told her I was willing to marry her.”

“You Greeks have no way with women,” Tristan said. “You should have pulled her into your arms and kissed her senseless, then told her you were marrying her.”

“It’s not about her,” Christos said, struggling not to get angry at his friend.

“It sounds as if it is,” Gui said calmly, always the voice of reason, as he joined the three-way conference call. “You’ve never talked about what happened.”

“Nor do I intend to.”

“How was the boy?” Tristan asked.

“The boy was…he seemed…”

“What, Christos?” Gui asked. The three-way call was a little cumbersome, but it was the best way to keep in touch now that they all had other legitimate business concerns.

“He has Stavros’s nose.”

“You have the same one. It’s the Theakis features. They bred true,” Tristan said.

“Did you ask her again if Stavros was the father?” Guillermo asked.

“No. She lied before. Why wouldn’t she again?”

Tristan cursed under his breath. “Do you want company in Florida?”

“No. I’m going to wrap up the legal arrangements for the boy and then fly back to Greece next week.”

“What about the woman?” Guillermo asked.

“She’s thinking it over.”

“What exactly is she thinking over?”

“If she’s going to marry me.” Christos didn’t want to think too much about Ava or his marriage offer. He could still remember the last time they’d discussed the subject, and hadn’t that been a kick in the pants.

“Marriage? Is that the only solution?” Tristan asked.

“It is for me. I…”

“You still want her and you think that will keep it under control?” Gui asked.

“I’m not exactly thinking.”

“True,” Tristan said. “I’m scheduled back in Paris in three weeks, on the thirtieth. I can be at your place on Mykonos on the twenty-third.”

An electronic beeping noise came through the line. “Me, too.”

“You don’t have to—”

“We know,” Gui said. “I want to meet her for myself.”

“Gui, she’s not like—”

“I’m not saying she is. I just want a chance to see what kind of woman is the mother of the Theakis heir.”

“So do I,” Tristan said. “You and Stavros are so different.”

“
Were
so different…hell, I guess we still are,” Christos said.

Emptiness buzzed on the line. “Are you sure you don’t need us?”

“Yes,” he said, and tossed back another shot of tequila.

There was a rap on the library door. “I must go.” He hung up the phone. “Enter.”

“Sir, there is a Ms. Ava Monroe to see you.” Antonio Montoyo was his butler and traveled with Christos wherever he went. Though Antonio was only fifteen years older than Christos, their relationship was closer to father and son than the one he shared with Ari Theakis.

“Is she alone, Antonio?”

“Ah, no. She brought along the boy, Theo.”

And there was the rub. No matter what the truth was, the world was going to believe that Theo was his son. Nikki, his sister-in-law, had done too good a job of hiding all of Stavros’s affairs.

“Send them back.”

“Ah, sir?”

“Yes, Antonio?”

“You aren’t dressed for receiving.”

He arched one eyebrow. He’d just come in from swimming in the sea and was dressed in trunks and no shirt. Granted, it was winter in Florida, but the daytime temperature still wasn’t cold. And he’d be damned if he’d change for Ava. He couldn’t explain his feelings for her, hell, wouldn’t even try, but she held a lot of cards with that small boy of hers and he wasn’t going to give an inch otherwise.

“I’m fine. Better that she see me as I really am now.”

“And that is, sir?”

“A playboy masquerading as the head of a Greek shipping line, a man of the sea like my father and brother.”

“I’ve known you a long time, Christos, and you are nothing like either of those men.”

“Enough,” he said.

Antonio left the room with a small nod of his head. The butler’s disapproval was something he’d deal with later. He respected Antonio. Despite Antonio’s insistence on keeping up appearances, Christos knew he wouldn’t fail to drop him some advice.

The doors opened a few seconds later and Ava stepped into the room. She’d changed. Dammit. She now wore a pair of faded old jeans that clung to the slim length of her legs and a cashmere sweater that matched the blue of her eyes. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders.

Theo stood next to her dressed in a pair of baggy navy sweat pants and a matching fleece top. They both thanked Antonio as the older man left.

“Have a seat,” Christos said.

“Thank you for seeing us,” Ava said.

“I was expecting you,” he said. True, not this soon, but he’d figured she’d come to him with her answer.

“I know,” she said, quietly.

She glanced at her son and then back up at him and he saw a hint of protectiveness in her gaze along with that other emotion he could never identify.

She cleared her throat. “I was discussing your proposal with Theo and he has a few questions.”

He was surprised. But in a good way. Theo would one day run a multibillion dollar corporation. Learning to weigh options and make decisions was an important step to learn.

“What are your questions, Theo?”

“I want to know about Greece,
Baba.”

Baba
. He hated hearing that from the little boy. He was Theo’s uncle, not his father. He needed to talk to Ava and deal with this. But not in front of Theo. “Perfectly understandable. Come over here and I’ll show you some pictures of our home.”

The boy hesitated and Ava bent over to pick him up. “Ava, put him down.”

She set him on his feet.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked Theo.

The boy shrugged, his eyes the dark obsidian that Christos saw every morning in the mirror. He didn’t want the boy to fear him. But, to be honest, he had no idea what to do.

He glanced at Ava and she straightened. “Come on, Theo. I’m curious about how the Theakis household has changed since I was last there.”

They crossed the room together. And though he knew he held all the cards in this situation, he felt like an outsider.

“Does this mean that you’ve decided to accept my offer?” Christos asked.

“We’ve been talking it over. I want to make sure that Theo will be happy.” Ava tried to keep her voice cordial. She’d spent the entire afternoon on the treadmill in her bedroom, running off the anger that had sprouted deep inside when he’d said he was
willing
to marry her.

She’d wanted to tell him to take a flying leap into the ocean and swim back to Greece, but Theo was enthralled by Christos. He’d spent all afternoon asking her questions about him. And then finally asked if he was going to have a father. And Ava’s heart had broken. She did the best she could for her son, but she couldn’t be a father.

Christos nodded at her in a way that revealed nothing of what he felt. Ava didn’t know what she wanted from this meeting with Christos, but him sitting, aloof, behind that large walnut desk wasn’t it.

He thought he held all the cards, she knew that. She could tell from the way he was staying seated in his position of power. She’d come to him. The problem was she was drawn to that arrogance. To the utter confidence that he exuded.

His chest was bare and she struggled to keep her gaze from it. From that gold medallion nestled in his chest hair. He’d always been in good shape and he certainly hadn’t let himself go in the five years since she’d seen him.

Too bad, because it would be so much easier to resist him if he’d developed a beer gut like many of her other male friends. Some sign of emotion from Christos would also make things easier on her but he was still the iceman when it came to feelings. The only time he’d ever revealed any fire had been when they’d made love. And, of course, when she’d seen the hard side of his temper.

Theo’s hand trembled a little in hers. He wasn’t afraid of Christos exactly, but his exposure to men had been limited. At the school most of the staff were women. Her best friend Laurette was engaged, but her fiancé, Paul, traveled a lot, so even he wasn’t around much. Though he did make a fuss over Theo when he came to her house.

“The Theakis family compound is on an island in the Aegean,” Ava said. They didn’t just live on the island, they practically owned it. They had properties all over Europe and the world, but Mykonos was their base of operations.

Christos reached out and lifted Theo onto his lap. Her son looked so small against the thick muscles of Christos’s chest and arms. He reached around Theo to hit a button on his computer and images started flashing up on the screen.

He leaned in low and for a moment brushed his nose over her son’s head, inhaling deeply. Then Christos looked up at her and she saw a yearning in his eyes. But what did it mean? Did he want Theo, or wish that Theo was his son?

She regretted not taking the paternity test years ago, but a part of her still stood by her conviction. The man she’d made love to should have known she’d never lie about something as important as intimacy. The other lies she’d told…they were little ones.

She blinked back a few tears. She was looking for some sign that he wanted Theo for more than continuing his line.

Images from a past that she’d locked away flashed on the computer screen. Mykonos had changed little in five years. Why should it? The island dated back to the very beginning of recorded time and the few short years since she’d been there…

She realized she wasn’t ready to take a trip down memory lane, not even to ease her son about his upcoming move to the Greek island. And she knew that Christos hadn’t been kidding about taking Theo.

“Will you excuse me for a minute?” she said.

Both males looked up. “Where are you going?”

“I need to use the bathroom.”

Christos nodded. “It’s down the hall to the left.”

She left the room as quickly as possible and stopped in the hallway. She heard the deep rumble of Christos’s voice as he spoke to Theo, telling him about his heritage.

She realized that this situation was out of her control and she had absolutely no idea how to get it back. She’d dreamed of a time when Christos would return and claim Theo. Claim
her.
Yeah, that was the rub, wasn’t it?

That she’d been waiting five years for him to realize he’d been wrong when he’d accused her of infidelity. And now he was here, offering her something she’d always wanted. The one thing she’d dreamed of when they’d first begun their affair. Yet she knew that saying yes to Christos’s proposal wasn’t going to make everything into that mythical happy ever after.

“Are you okay?”

She glanced up at Antonio. She wondered if he remembered her, or if the stream of women through Christos’s life had made him forget.

“I’m fine, Antonio. I just needed a minute to myself.”

“Of course. Why don’t you go out to the gardens? I’ll let Mr. Theakis know where you are.”

“Thank you,” she said, and followed Antonio’s directions. She stepped out into the cool February evening. The smell of the ocean and the lush shrubbery surrounded her.

She followed a path to the center of the garden and found a bench that overlooked a small fountain of a triton—half man, half fish with a large, dragon-like tail. It was lit from the base and she watched the water spill out.

“Ava?”

“Over here,” she called.

Christos came around the corner. He’d put on a fleece pullover and a pair of deck shoes. His hair was thick and black, rumpled as if he’d run his fingers through it.

“Where’s Theo?”

“I sent him to the kitchen for something sweet.”