Page 56 of Marriage Masquerade

The weekend had gone well. Allessandros seemed pleased his cousin had married. Megan welcomed her warmly. And she'd loved Norrie and Sam. It was the thought of their deception that still lay heavily on her.

That and the abandonment of her husband.

Nikos had dropped her off on their return to New York that afternoon and headed for the office. Negotiations resumed in the morning and he wanted to review some critical files.

Or at least that was what he told her.

Not that she didn’t believe him, but he could have reviewed them early in the morning. If he needed to at all. His mind never seemed to forget a single fact. What did he need to examine now?

She noticed her reflection in the glass. Her hair waved around her face, softening her features. Her figure was still slim, showing only the slightest hint of the changes to come.

He had said last night he wanted to extend their marriage. She knew she hadn’t dreamed that.

Had she?

Turning, she wandered over to the sofa and sank down beside the book she’d brought to read. As if her mind could concentrate on anything.

Nikos had treated her almost like a mere acquaintance today.

She'd expected on waking this morning to find a new closeness between them. Something to show they'd be able to forge a strong bond that would bind them together through the years. A suggestion that he looked on her as more than only a personal assistant he didn’t wish to lose.

Careful not to give any sign of the love that threatened to overwhelm her, she was content to take tiny steps forward until Nikos might grow comfortable with their change of status.

Instead, he'd been cool, polite and distant.

Except for the blazing memories of his kisses, of the sensations she experienced when his hands caressed her as she rested against his muscular chest, she might have thought she imagined last night.

Was this his way of advancing their marriage? One step forward, two back?

What did he want from her?

“Probably a barrier between him and all the women who chase him,” she muttered, frowning. Jumping to her feet, she paced to the window again.

“I could have gone to the office with him,” she said to her reflection.

“Indeed you could have,” Nikos said from the doorway.

She spun around.

“In fact, I should have had you join me. I had the devil’s own time finding some of the cargo manifests I wanted to use as examples.”

“They're in a file in Elise’s area,” she said, finding it difficult to switch into efficient assistant mode when her recent thoughts had nothing to do with business.

“I located them. I wish to leave early in the morning. If you can’t be ready, I’ll have Hal return to pick you up.”

“I can be ready as early as you like.”

If nothing else, she prided herself on her professionalism and devotion to her job. She was good at it, as he well knew.

How could she make herself equally indispensable in his personal life?

He glanced at his watch.

Stubbornly refusing to take the bait, Gemma remained silent, watching. Feasting on him with her eyes. He looked tired. The lines around his eyes suggested strain.

She shouldn’t be surprised. The negotiations were a tremendous responsibility. If they could get their terms, or close to them, it would make a monumental difference to their rate structures. Which would lead to more business. Expansion was the name of the game, and he was looking to increase revenues with the recent acquisition of the Alteras Company.

She wished she could offer assurance that everything would turn out the way he wanted.

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