Page 20 of Reunited By the Greek's Baby

Surely she shouldn’t still have the power to affect him?

He wanted to explain why he’d pushed her away but it wasn’t just about protecting her from the press or Stavroulis. He shrank from trying to put into words the terrible taint he felt from his prison experience and the way the world branded him guilty. Besides, the damage was done. He’d ensured she was safe, but at such a cost.

Once she’d left Greece his priority hadn’t been her but getting free to support his mother and ensure Toula, who’d fallen apart the night of Costa’s death, got the care she needed. And making sure the family company didn’t fail.

‘I need a simple answer to a simple question. Why don’t you ask for a paternity test?’

Had Isla always been this obstinate? Why did she have to pursue this?

Because you treated her badly and she’s no fool.

Theo exhaled. ‘You want the truth? It’s simple. I know you, Isla. You don’t lie.’

Her eyes rounded and her tightly folded arms dropped. As if he were one of her precious pottery sherds or an ancient coin that had jumped up and started talking to her.

Finally she spoke. Her voice was so husky it grated across every nerve ending. ‘You think you know me so well?’

Oh, he knew her all right. Almost from the start she’d felt unaccountably familiar to him, her attitudes, her reactions, even her humour. As if they were old friends. Even in the early days when all he’d really understood was that lightning bolt of attraction, the sense of connection had been as real is it was surprising.

‘You’re the woman who noticed the waiter at the taverna had accidentally undercharged the dig team for dinner and went back to pay the difference out of her own money. The woman who, with a colleague, first discovered the ancient helmet which turned out to be the most exciting find of the season’s dig. When everyone saw how significant it was and your colleague was too shy to claim some of the credit, you made sure she was acknowledged.’

Theo had been there that day and seen for himself. In fact, it looked to him as if Isla had first spotted the gleam of metal and moved away slightly so her companion could make the actual find. He’d discovered later that the other woman hadn’t been particularly useful on the project earlier but the find had boosted her confidence and enthusiasm.

Isla shrugged, her chin rising. ‘So? That’s a little different to claiming to be pregnant by a billionaire. What’s to say I’m not scheming to get my hands on your money? That’s what your lawyer will think, isn’t it?’

‘It doesn’t matter what Petro thinks.’

All that mattered was what Theoknew. Isla Jacobs was genuine and honest.

How many of his friends and acquaintances could he say that about? True, his closest friends had stuck by him but so many others had proven themselves less than friends and less than honest.

Was that why his belief in her felt unshakeable?

‘Of course it’s my baby. You didn’t have time to start a new relationship.’

Strange how the thought of Isla intimate with another man sent his stomach into free fall.

Though logic told him that hadn’t happened, he could picture it in his mind with devastating clarity. More easily than he could imagine Isla’s slim body changing to accommodate his baby.

Theo accepted the pregnancy as fact but getting used to the idea of an actual baby, of himself as a father, would take a while. Though, if he really focused, perhaps hecouldimagine Isla’s pregnancy. His lungs thickened on a short breath. His palms tickled, as he imagined holding her ripening body against his, her skin silky to the touch.

Isla picked up her fork and took another bite of her meal. Theo barely had time to register satisfaction that his plan to entice her with good food had worked, when she spoke.

‘It’s been months since we separated. I could have been with any number of men.’

It was sheer bravado, he knew, yet he didn’t like it. Maybe that explained the harsh edge to his voice. ‘You were a virgin before you met me. Weren’t you, Isla?’

‘You’re making assumptions—’

‘It was pretty obvious.’

Not in a bad way. Sex with Isla had been memorable every time. That first night, with her so sweet and ardent, so generous yet so surprised, would always live in his memory. Locked up in his cell, fighting not to lose hope, worried about what was happening to those he cared for, he’d revisited that precious memory again and again.

Theo met her eyes and watched a blush rise up her throat to her cheeks.

‘You think you’re such a fantastic lover you spoiled me for anyone else?’

Her tone was belligerent and her eyes flashed fire but he read hurt there too and instantly felt like a louse.

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