Page 31 of The Greek Tycoon's Baby Bargain

Was she deliberately capitalising on her untouchable Madonna image? he wondered. And did she know that she was driving him crazy? That he lay awake at night, racked with painful desire at the thought that on the floor below she was downstairs in a bed much too big for her? Maybe it was giving her some kind of pleasure to imagine his frustration. And maybe it was about time he did something about it…

‘You go,’ Rebecca repeated, breaking into his uncomfortably erotic thoughts.

He went over to stand beside her. Her hair was tied up in a high pony-tail, leaving her neck bare, and he found himself wanting to run his lips along it. ‘She wants both of us to go,’ he said huskily.

‘Somehow, I doubt that. And even if it were the case—I don’t suppose she’ll be heartbroken if you turned up on your own.’

‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’

She wished he wouldn’t stand so close. From here the hard, denim-clad leg was directly in her line of vision. She glanced up at him and that was even worse. Now she could see the full, hard, impressive length of his body. The jut of his hips, which was so arrogantly and fundamentally masculine. ‘Oh, come on, Xandros—you know perfectly well what it means!’ She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘You can’t be blind to the fact that the woman finds you attractive.’

He realised that her matter-of-fact manner was having a dangerous effect on his blood pressure. Maybe if she’d behaved in a way which was jealous, or clingy—then he might have enjoyed escaping into the house next door. But somehow the very prospect of going there without her seemed lacklustre.

‘Well, I think you should come as well,’ he said silkily. ‘In fact, I insist on it. It’ll do you good. You haven’t had a night out in—how long is it?’

Not since the early days of her pregnancy, but Rebecca was too proud to tell him that—especially in the light of that rather patronizing, ‘It’ll do you good.’ ‘Oh, not for ages,’ she said vaguely. ‘But that’s quite common for new mothers.’

‘Suddenly, you are the world expert on new mothers, are you?’ he put in sardonically. ‘Well, I want you to come. Look on it as a public relations exercise for the sake of our children—so that we can meet other parents in the street.’

‘How very provincial that sounds,’ she murmured.

He laughed softly. ‘Are you accusing me of being provincial, agape mou? That is outrageous.’

This felt dangerously like flirting and Rebecca rose to her feet and nervously took a step back, like someone who had strayed just a little too close to the cliff-edge for comfort. ‘Anyway, we don’t have a baby-sitter.’

‘Betty says she’s happy to do it.’

Rebecca liked and trusted their housekeeper—and she’d been a mother herself and adored the twins. And it had been a long time since she’d gone out—especially to a party.

‘Oh, okay,’ she said. ‘I’ll come.’

Something she had been indifferent to suddenly became something she began to get excited about—as Rebecca found herself looking forward to the party. Forgotten excitement began to bubble away inside her as she began to get ready. Maybe that was because she felt good about herself, she told herself. Because her self-esteem was in place and she hadn’t allowed herself to be bowled over like an emotional or physical ninepin.

But she still needed to be vigilant around Xandros. She had thought that, by maintaining her distance, her desire for him would lessen—but nothing could be further from the truth. She wanted him very badly and knew that he wanted her—yet something had changed.

She had his children now—they had forged two brand-new lives together and the emotional significance of that was deeply profound. They needed to maintain a civilised relationship for the future—no matter what that future was. And Xandros had all the weaponry in his armoury to hurt her in ways she couldn’t even bear to imagine—and she couldn’t allow that to happen. Not now. She couldn’t afford to go to pieces with two beautiful little babies who relied on her. So remember that next time he tempts you.

On the night of the party, Betty took over. As a housekeeper she was superb—as a stand-in for the night, she was unmatchable. A kind but no-nonsense woman in her fifties, with her own grown-up children, she told Rebecca to go off and enjoy herself, and not to worry.

‘For heaven’s sake,’ she said firmly. ‘You’re only next door if I need you!’

Spring was in the air and Rebecca chose a favourite pre-pregnancy outfit—one of those dresses which always made her feel wonderful and which she was delighted still fitted her. In filmy shades of blue, it fell softly to her ankles—thankfully concealing her winter-pale legs—and she teamed it with a beautiful pair of blue-jewelled sandals she’d bought in Rome, which added just the right, casual touch. Her hair she left loose and newly washed and she sprayed on a scent which smelt of roses.

Xandros was waiting for her in the drawing room, standing silhouetted against the vast window, and he turned round at the sound of her footsteps, his black eyes narrowing as he saw her. Her silken hair cascaded down around her shoulders, with two little clips keeping the mass of it from her face, and her blue-violet eyes were dark and wide. He felt the sudden hard beat of desire.

‘You look beautiful,’ he said softly.

‘Don’t sound so surprised.’

‘Maybe I am. It’s a long time since I’ve seen you dressed like that.’

‘It’s a long time since I’ve been out to a party.’

But her casual words masked what she was really feeling. That this felt uncomfortably like a date. It felt like something a couple would do. And they weren’t a couple. They weren’t. The last time she had dressed up like this had been that fateful night at her flat—when he had been so critical about where she lived and the effort she had made. Remember that if you get carried away with the way his black eyes are caressing you now, she told herself—as if he would like to drag you off somewhere and ravish you.

‘I’d better check on the twins,’ she said unsteadily.

‘Rebecca, I’ve just checked—and they are fine. So is Betty. Now relax.’

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