Page 32 of The Greek Tycoon's Baby Bargain

Relax? That would be walking straight into the danger zone, surely? Relaxing meant letting her guard slip—and wouldn’t that lead on to her looking at Xandros and deciding that he was irresistible, dressed in that dark shirt and trousers—with his ebony hair and eyes gleaming like jet?

She went to pick up the pale cashmere wrap but he took it from her.

‘Here. Let me,’ he said, and draped it carefully around her bare shoulders.

Rebecca felt herself trembling and wondered if he had noticed. Xandros was a maestro when it came to women. Did he realise how disturbing such a simple gesture could be—especially when you had been starved of physical contact for so long that your body was aching for it? And now? Was he deliberately brushing his fingers against her collar-bone, making her shockingly aware of how close they were to her breasts and how easy it would be for him to begin to stroke her there? And didn’t she want that? Didn’t she want to tremble with passion and desire again?

But it’s over. It has to be over.

A rush of blood to her cheeks was only adding to her discomfort and she moved away from him, trying to subdue the aching in her body. ‘Let’s go,’ she said unsteadily.

‘Yes, let’s,’ he echoed, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth—like a man playing poker who realised he held the trump card.

The lighted window of the large house next door showed a party in full flow—with tiny women looking like exotic birds of paradise in their fine frocks and jewels, and men in dark suits standing in small clusters.

Caroline herself opened the door—almost, thought Rebecca, as if she’d been waiting for them. Had she? Or was that just her being paranoid? And even if she had been—it was none of Rebecca’s business. She couldn’t decide that she didn’t want Xandros for herself—but then object if somebody else obviously did. Even if Caroline was a married woman, it was not her place to act as someone else’s moral conscience.

Married or not, the way the blonde stuck to his side made it clear she had decided that Xandros was her number one favourite guest. And, in a way, Rebecca couldn’t blame her. Hadn’t she once been like that herself? Just one in a long line of docile women who were enraptured with the stunning Greek billionaire.

His exotic and rugged good looks made him stand out from the crowd of other men and he dominated the room as if he were lit by some dark, inner fire. He drew the eye like a magnet. Rebecca saw people edging closer, men and women, but especially women—trying to hear what he was saying, as if some force beyond their control were compelling them to do so.

> ‘He’s lovely,’ said a woman who was standing close by and had been watching him.

‘Yes,’ said Rebecca.

‘I believe you’re the mother of his children?’

‘That’s right.’

‘But you’re not married?’

Rebecca turned to look at the other woman properly. Her eyes were bright with curiosity, her over-dieted face momentarily hard. Did she care that her unsubtle line of questioning might be hurtful? Of course she didn’t. ‘You seem to know an awful lot about me,’ she commented wryly.

‘I’m Caroline’s sister. She’s spoken of you. Said there’s a new couple who’d moved in next door.’ The woman forced a smile which did not meet the bright eyes, as if trying to establish a fact once and for all. ‘But you’re not his wife, right?’

‘That’s right,’ said Rebecca—wondering whether it would have made any difference if she had been. Maybe these kind of women considered any man fair game, if the man happened to be alluring enough. She sipped her champagne, hoping it might dissolve some of the small knot of anguish inside her.

But in a way, Caroline’s sister helped reinforce her conviction that she was doing the best thing by keeping her physical and emotional distance from Xandros. Why, if they were still lovers she would probably be spitting at the sight of their neighbour who was smiling into his eyes as if she was already imagining him in her bed. And where the hell was her poor husband?

She drank a glass of champagne and nibbled on a couple of carrot sticks, forcing herself to chat with some of the other guests. Just because she was all mixed-up about Xandros, didn’t mean she couldn’t be a good person to have at a party. She met another mother who lived on the other side of the park who was actually very sweet, and they arranged to meet for coffee.

She was just chatting to a rather dashing pianist from Uruguay with the darkest eyebrows she had ever seen, when there was a tap on her shoulder and she turned to find Xandros standing there with an impatient look on his face.

‘Are you ready to go?’ he asked.

She had actually been enjoying a grown-up conversation about classical music, and felt like telling him that she wanted to stay and learn a bit more. But they had been away for two hours, and she was keen to get back to the twins.

‘I guess so.’ She smiled at the pianist. ‘I’ve so enjoyed talking to you,’ she said.

He gave a rueful smile. ‘Me, too,’ he murmured. ‘It’s a pity you have to leave—and so early, too.’

Outside, the air was cool and they had just walked through their front gate when Xandros caught hold of her elbow, startling her as much with the unexpected contact as the undisguised hostility which was glittering from his black eyes.

‘You know they say that he even flirts with the leg of his piano!’ he accused, his hard, rugged features illuminated by the security lights which had caught them in their spotlight.

‘Who does?’ she asked, genuinely confused.

‘Rodriguez. The man you couldn’t take your eyes off!’

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