Page 1 of Modern Romance October 2025 5-8
Greek Vows Revisited
Natalie Anderson
For Binti, thank you so much for stepping in and saving me from serious manuscript stress. I will be forever grateful!
Chapter One
Bethan Eagle Pitchedher smile in that perilously precise point between friendly and firm, inwardly berating herself for the four hundredth time. Shenevershould have said yes. She’d regretted it the moment she had and ever since, most especially all through dinner. She’d hoped to extricate herself quickly, but the guy beside her was old-fashioned enough to insist he accompany her home safely—albeit in a fully courteous, not creepy, way. Honestly that made it worse—it wasn’t his fault she was an awkward failure. He deserved far better.
Her smile wavered as the car pulled to the kerb. ‘You don’t need to walk me to the door—’
But he was already out and stepping around to open her door.
‘Thanks for seeing me home, you really didn’t need to.’ Bethan held her bag in front of her and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, battling the urge to flee. ‘My flatmate’s inside, waiting up. She’s been working late with her new job and keeping tabs on me at the same time because I...’
Never date.
Duh, Captain Obvious calling—she’d been beyond tense the whole time even though it was short—she’d declined dessert and after-dinner drinks and had been a definite ‘no’ to dancing.
‘I’ve been busy,’ she added needlessly. ‘Lots of work on as well and...’
And she couldn’t stop her mouth from moving—anxiously over-sharing and prolonging this interaction when all she really wanted was to be alone again. She was an idiot. And not ready.So not ready.Tonight’s test cemented that fact. Her friends Elodie and Phoebe might be ready to date again, but Bethan was officially going to be the life-long loner in their trio.
‘Never mind.’ She smiled weakly as she finally got a grip on her motor-mouth. ‘But I’d better get inside.’
Her patient gentleman of a date shot her an easy smile. ‘I enjoyed meeting you tonight, Bethan, I hope we can do this again sometime.’
Really?Why?She’d hardly been great company. She’d skittishly jumped from one topic to the next and barely touched her food—literally unable to settle. She swallowed, suddenly realising the man was probably just being polite. ‘Um...’
His smile deepened and he stepped back towards the car. ‘Call me when you’re ready.’
She breathed out, thankful he’d made no attempt to touch her. Yeah, it wasn’t a ‘kiss goodnight’ kind of date, definitely not a ‘come in for coffee’ one. But she appreciated that he understood that without her having to spell it out.
Of course he did. He was just being polite, remember?
He got back in the car and the ride-share driver restarted the engine and Bethan turned to walk up the short path to the door. Yeah, now she knew. That guy had been nice—exactly the sort of man sheshoulddate. Perfectly charming. Extremely polite.Notsome force of nature entirely used to getting his own way. Not a human-form tornado who would sweep her up in his path and spin her around until she dizzily said yes to anything and everything he asked only to then spit her out the second he was done with her. Tonight’s date hadn’t beenthatkind of man at all. He’d been sweet and attentive and safe. The trouble was she’d hadzeroreaction to him. The only thing she’d felt all night was this relief now he’d left. Beyond that she was dead inside—destroyed by the singular force of nature she’d had the misfortune to meet almost two and a half years ago. Not just meet.Marry.Yeah, fool that she was she’d let him ruin her entire romantic future.No, she mentally corrected. She wasn’t ruined. Just not recovered.Yet.Tonight had been too soon. That was all.
She reached the door of the ground-floor flat her friend Phoebe owned. Bethan would be eternally grateful that Phoebe had invited her to share and charged her very little rent for the privilege. She’d met her through her boss, Elodie, and the three had quickly grown close, in part because they had a strong common bond—heartbreak—each having disastrous marriages behind them. While Elodie and Phoebe were both further along their recoveries, they respected Bethan’s need not to discuss her past yet. They were supportive and smart and had made her life so different from her lonely, mean-girl-filled school years. They’d become family—not the idealistic perfect family of her foolish, youthful dreams, but actuallyreal.
Now she heard the car depart but despite the resulting quiet her tension didn’t ease. All night she’d had the oddest feeling someone was watching her and been unable to shake the certainty off. It was probably hyped-up self-consciousness—thinking everyone was watching because this was the first date she’d been on in years. Truthfully it was her first dateever, given that with her ex there’d never actually been a date, only intensity. She’d been all in from the moment they’d met. But that prickle sharpened and she glanced back, expecting the street to be empty.
A large black SUV was parked diagonally across from her flat. She’d not noticed it before but as she frowned at it, the rear passenger door opened. Long legs emerged and a tall male frame unfolded with predatory grace.
Bethan’s heart contracted. Her lungs crumpled. But it was the complete collapse of her overthinking brain that was the clincher. Words vanished. Her wits paralysed for all eternity. She could barely stand and only stare as Ares Vasiliadis stalked out of the shadows towards her. The downward glow of the streetlight confirmed his identity but she’d known the instant she’d glimpsed his silhouette. Still a force of nature. Still as spellbinding—correction,stupefying—as ever. Still lean and lithe and she knew that black suit and brilliant white shirt had been hand-tailored to fit his height and breadth with immaculate perfection.
Despite the faint screams from her neutralised brain, she kept staring. Light stubble emphasised the bold slashes of his chiselled cheekbones. Grey-blue eyes glittered beneath stark brows. Long nose. Wide mouth. His bone structure couldn’t be more on point than if he’d been sculpted by Michelangelo himself. It would be a cliché to say he was the walking embodiment of a Greek god, but the reality was the man was the next best thing to anactualGreek god. Ares was a billionaire shipping magnate—controller of a massive company that covered all aspects of the seas with a huge merchant fleet as well as ferries for public transport and mega-yachts for the playboys like him. Strong jawed. Strong armed. Strong everything. Her muscles quivered as a veryparticularmemory involving his strength shook her. He was powerful. Revered by all. Wanted by all.Especiallyher.
The day they’d met he’d been in a faded grey tee and ripped shorts and she’d been too gauche to know that his watch was one of only ten hand-crafted in the entire world and literally priceless. But tonight, from his gleaming shoes to that perfect suit to that very watch, his attire epitomised the quiet luxury of the ludicrously wealthy. He was and always had been utterly beyond her league—even when in old tee and shorts. She should have known it back then but her weak, wanton, wish-driven body had ruled her. She’d succumbed not just to his charm but to her own wildly romantic fantasies. In other words she’d been a complete fool.
She’d been trying to sharpen up ever since. She’d tried for years to push him from her mind but the fact was he’d been there all night tonight. For the first time since she’d left him, she’d gone out with another man. An experiment to see if she even could meet someone else. If she wouldeverwant to touch someone else. For over two years she’d kept herself isolated. Certainly not mentioned to her date tonight that she’d been married. Was actually still married.Separated.She’d had absolutely no contact with Ares in all that time. Even though they’d not known much detail about him, and what had happened, Elodie and Phoebe had encouraged her to go on a harmless date just to try to help herself get over him because she’d become sostuck. She’d done nothing wrong in trying to move forward with her life—indeed she really, deeply, desperately wanted to get over him. But oh, so clearly, she still hadn’t. Not that he wasevergoing to know that.
With such long limbs he was able to cover considerable distance with each pace. It was only moments before he was right in front of her. Bethan locked her shaking legs. How could he be more gorgeous than ever? How could his facial structure be even sharper? Her anger ballooned. The man didn’t just have pretty privilege, he also had the benefit of a brilliant brain, the advantage of arrogance and, to cap it all off, the supreme rights of the rich. He was unstoppable—everythingcame to him on a platter.Especiallyher.
‘Had a nice night, Bethan?’ He sounded clipped—coolly controlled—but his glittering gaze homed in on her intensely.
She kept calm through sheer force of will, not letting him see how ferociously he affected her. Still.Always.That primal, raw attraction burned to her bones. She couldn’t believe the stupidity of her body—didn’t sheknowthis man?
Oh, yes!
