His pleasure faded, replaced by an unsteady churning in his belly.

If she had her way he’d be in another country, getting updates on the child’s progress from afar.

His mouth tightened. He wouldn’t let that happen. One way or another, he’d persuade Portia that their futures were so entwined separation wasn’t an option.

His son or daughter wasn’t going to be raised far away from him. His child would know the security of a motherandfather. It wouldn’t have a life marred by secrets or relationships broken by distance. These last years he’d experienced familial love and he wanted that for this baby. With his father as role model he’d learn to be a good dad.

Lex rarely let himself think of the years he and his father had missed out on, or the siblings he hadn’t known until his twenties, because to do so brought bitterness and regret. But that knowledge made him absolutely determined to convince Portia to his way of thinking.

Instinct urged him to move swiftly and secure what he wanted. But his knowledge of Portia told him to take his time. Ordering her about, as her father had, only provoked obstinacy. He needed to be persuasive. Yet patient.

After ten days on his island she looked better, with more colour in her cheeks and the shadows almost banished from beneath her eyes.

Whereas he wouldn’t relax till he had a ring on her finger and her promise to build the sort of family he’d never had. But it was more than that. Having her under his roof, forced to play the mild-mannered host, was torture. He’d spent his nights imagining her back in his bed.

It was a wonder she hadn’t noticed the tension riding him, the brittle shell cloaking his visceral hunger.

His gaze skated hungrily over her. She looked fantastic in a cinnamon-coloured dress with cream polka dots. Chic but casual. Incredibly alluring.

She shifted and he was so close that her scent teased him. The faintest fragrance, like bluebells, fresh and beguiling, stirred his senses in an altogether earthy way. Years ago he’d thought it was a perfume she wore. Now he wondered if it didn’t come from a bottle but was intrinsic to Portia.

Lex’s flesh tightened and that ever-present urgency notched higher.

You’ve never responded this way to any other woman. Just a drift of scent or the hint of a smile or the fleeting brush of satin-soft skin...

He wanted to take her to bed. Now.

He had a one track mind where Portia was concerned. Pregnancy hadn’t altered that. In fact, it made him want her more. He wanted to protect her and bed her and persuade her.

Lex shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, rocking back on his heels. He was locked in a continual battle between mind and body. The urgent need for intimacy and the knowledge that this relationship, fractured and full of pitfalls, was too important not to get right.

‘Are you ready for lunch?’

Finally she transferred her attention from the painting to him. Was that why he’d interrupted her reverie—because he wanted her attention back onhimself?

‘Iamhungry.’

She sounded surprised but he knew how little she ate for breakfast. She’d explained about morning nausea and there’d been a few days where even at lunchtime she’d barely nibbled at her food. It was a relief to see her looking forward to a meal.

‘No morning sickness?’

‘Not today. It hasn’t been quite as bad in the last couple of days.’

‘Then we need to make the most of it. Come on, I know just the place.’

He led her through the building but instead of exiting through the main door, ushered her up to roof level.

Her eyes widened as they stepped out onto the flagstone roof terrace. The building was an elegant old villa. But the space here was modern with its café, potted plants and wonderful view over the centre of Athens.

‘It’s not peak tourist season so it’s quiet. It’s not a proper restaurant but I thought you’d like somewhere casual.’

It was a good place to avoid the paparazzi too. Soon word would get out that he was in Athens and wasn’t alone. He wanted to shield Portia from that attention. He’d arranged discreet security for them and was grateful that for now the protection detail could give them space. He suspected she hadn’t even noticed their minders.

‘Casual is perfect.’ She drifted to the parapet, taking in the view of the botanical gardens and the parliament building, with the Acropolis rising above the city. ‘Thank you, Lex.’

That smile.

Something inside unknotted and pleasure sighed through his veins.