Page 9 of Reunited By the Greek's Baby

He couldn’t bear it if she, of all people, believed him capable of such a thing. ‘I’m not out on bail,’ he continued. ‘I’m free, all charges dropped. The authorities know I didn’t do it.’

Even if the press hinted he got out of prison on a technicality thanks to clever lawyers. There were stories circulating that he was guilty and that it would yet be proven. Spiro Stavroulis had lost his grandson and wouldn’t rest until the culprit responsible faced the full force of the law. Meanwhile Theo was his scapegoat.

He wondered if the old man had even taken in the news that there was proof Theo was elsewhere on the estate when his grandson died, or whether grief blinded him to reason. Maybe Spiro thought that by pressuring Theo he’d move heaven and earth to uncover the identity of the one responsible.

Ice trickled down Theo’s spine at the idea of someone else facing Stavroulis’s hatred and all the prejudice he brought to bear, not just in the press but in the legal system.

Anyone weaker than Theo would crack under the pressure. Anyone whose resilience wasn’t as strong as his... He had his suspicions about who might be responsible but hadn’t been able to confirm them. He just hoped he was wrong.

‘That may be so but I don’t want to spend time with you, Theo.’

Isla’s voice turned husky on his name, evoking memories of her crying his name as she climaxed in his arms. Of them sharing a joke, her voice breathless with laughter.

Of that last morning. He’d woken her at dawn and she’d surveyed him with sleepy eyes that reflected the light on the waves lapping outside the door. Her voice had been husky then too, with a tenderness he’d felt deep inside.

Regret sawed through him, like the swipe of a rusty blade against vulnerable flesh. Regret for how their golden idyll had ended. Regret for what could no longer be. And the pain he’d caused her.

But no matter how much she wished it, he couldn’t walk away. He folded his arms, ignoring the weather, and waited.

Finally she nodded, her expression stern as if she already regretted her decision. ‘Okay.’

‘Excellent.’ He gestured to the limo. ‘We’ll go to my hotel and talk.’

Isla retreated a step. ‘Not there.’

Theo frowned. ‘We can be private there. That’s better than a café.’

Her shoulders rose and fell on a sigh. She glanced towards the shop where her colleague was closing up.

‘All right. You can come to mine.’

Relief rushed through Theo. Shedidtrust him. Isla wouldn’t invite him into her home if she thought him a murderer. The idea of her believing him guilty had been an ache in his belly all day.

Yet his relief was short-lived, outweighed by concern. She looked fragile and unwell. He needed to find out what was wrong and what treatment she needed.

‘We’ll drive. It will be quicker and drier than walking four blocks in this weather.’

Abruptly Isla retreated under the shop awning. He followed.

‘You know where I live?’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘Of course you do, like you knew how to find me at work. Did you have me followed?’

‘Not followed. I paid an investigator to find you.’

‘When?’

‘This week. Why?’

Isla’s expression hardened. ‘All week I felt I was being watched. Do you have any idea how frightening that is for a woman? I didn’t know if I was imagining things or whether there really was someone keeping tabs on me.’ Her chin jutted. ‘A woman alone, going home in the dark...’

His belly cramped and Theo swore. He should have assigned one of his own staff to the job rather than hire a local. Someone would pay for this.

‘I apologise. That wasn’t my intention, far from it. But I take full responsibility. I wouldn’t have scared you for the world.’

Silence beat between them, louder than the drumming rain on the awning above.

Finally she nodded but her expression didn’t lighten.

It struck him that the change in Isla wasn’t just physical. She’d been passionate about archaeology and with him, enthusiastic and giving. Their passion had made him forget his initial sense that she was a little more reserved than her colleagues. Not unfriendly, far from it, but cautious. And sexy, incredibly sexy. Now there was a gravity about her that he’d only seen tiny glimpses of before.

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