Page 51 of Modern Romance Collection May 2024 Books 1-4

Erin quickly washed and changed into denim shorts and a loose shirt. Barefoot, she went downstairs and followed the sounds of Ashling’s babbles, a deeper voice, and Damia’s laughter.

Not sure what to expect, she walked out onto the terrace to see Ajax with a napkin over his face, playing peekaboo with Ashling, who was in the highchair. The detritus of breakfast, bits of food and a spoon, were all over the ground in the vicinity.

Ashling was squealing with delight every time Ajax’s face was revealed. Erin could empathise, she thought, but there was something about the tableau that unsettled her.

Like a coward, she shied away from investigating why this evidence of Ajax playing with his daughter wasn’t causing her to feel any sense of happiness. She almost felt...scared. She told herself it was because she feared Ashling would get hurt. Every moment with Ajax like this now had the potential to cause damage when he inevitably got bored or changed his mind.

He’s not your mother, whispered a voice.

Ashling spotted her and immediately held out her arms, saying, ‘Mama-mama-mama.’

Erin scooped her up, feeling almost guilty to be breaking up her moment with Ajax. Ashling snuggled into her.

Ajax stood up. He was wearing a suit—dark grey—a white shirt and a tie. Erin spotted a blob of something and pointed. ‘I think you have some baby food on your jacket.’

Erin waited to see how he’d react, but he was sanguine. He got a napkin and dampened it with water and dabbed at the mark. Another tick in his favour. But consistency would be key.

He looked at Erin and she fought not to blush as she sat down and poured herself a coffee, holding Ashling in one arm.

He said, ‘I’m going to the office for a couple of hours. I’ll meet you and Damia and Ashling at the airfield. My assistant will come and help you pack, and the driver will bring you to meet me.’

Erin glanced up. ‘Okay, we’ll be ready.’

When Ajax had walked away, with Ashling looking after him over Erin’s shoulder, Erin said to Damia, ‘Thanks for getting her up this morning. I didn’t hear a thing.’

Damia said brightly, ‘Neither did I! It was Mr Nikolau. He changed her and dressed her and brought her down for breakfast.’ Damia stood up. ‘I’ll clear up and then go and get ready. Just shout if you need me for anything.’

The girl walked away, towards the kitchen, and Erin sat there, stupefied. Ajax had got Ashling up and changed her nappy. Not an especially remarkable thing at all—especially for a father. But for a man who just a little more than twenty-four hours ago had been intending on staying out of his daughter’s life it was not just stepping over a boundary—it was smashing it aside and setting it on fire.

Erin forced herself to calm down. This was a good thing. He was obviously familiar with babies after Theo. Changing a nappy wasn’t a big deal for him, evidently. He’d confided in her that he’d intended on getting full custody of Theo. He’d obviously been very hands-on.

She assured herself again that this was a good thing. A positive development. So why did she feel so uneasy?

Agatha welcomed them back to the villa with open arms. Damia was clearly delighted to see her great-aunt, and conversed with her in rapid Greek for a few minutes, with Agatha making dramatic exclamations in response.

Erin was surprised and a little disconcerted at how much it felt like coming home.

Agatha and Damia swept into the house, taking Ashling with them before she could even protest. Ajax took Erin’s hand and led her straight upstairs to his bedroom, closing the door.

‘Ajax, we can’t... We just got here... I need to change Ashling and give her something to eat.’

‘Agatha and Damia are fighting over her right now.’

Erin’s back was to the door. Ajax put his hands by her head, caging her in. She could easily duck down and slip away but, fatally, she didn’t want to. She couldn’t help revelling in Ajax’s hungry gaze. He’d shown her a sensual side of herself she might never have explored with anyone else.

Never would again.

Her heart hitched.

She tipped up her chin. ‘Well, then, what do you propose we do?’

‘One thing I’ve wanted to do with you but haven’t yet...because each time I wake up you’re gone.’

He’d noticed she was gone. And he didn’t look all that happy about it. Something flip-flopped inside her.

‘What’s that?’ she asked.

‘Take a shower together.’

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