Jennifer Faye - The Greek's Nine-Month Surprise

“Did you ever consider I might find it relaxing?”

“And the suits?”

“To quote my grandfather, a man must dress properly to do business. But if you hadn’t noticed, I did dispense with my jacket and tie.”

She shook her head in disbelief. Inside, her stomach shivered with nervous tension. Critiquing his attire wasn’t why he’d invited her here, but she welcomed the diversion. “How about some jean shorts and a T-shirt? Or in your case, perhaps dress shorts and a polo shirt?”

He glanced away. “I’m more comfortable like this.”

“Do you even own any casual clothes?”

“Of course.” He responded much too quickly, making her wonder whether he really did own anything she would classify as casual. “But I just returned from a meeting.”

Was it really his clothes that bothered her? Or was it the thought that if she dressed him down, then his attitude might not be so serious? She wasn’t quite sure. “Did you pack any of these casual clothes?”

“As a matter of fact, I did.”

“Good. I’ll wait here while you go change.”

“Change? Why would I do that?”

“So we can go for a walk on the beach.”

His hesitant gaze moved to the deserted beach and then back at her. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable talking here? We could order dinner and eat on the terrace.”

He wanted to talk and eat? Her stomach lurched. There was no way. Walking and talking was much more appealing. “I’m not hungry.” She didn’t even want to smell food at this point. “I’d really like to walk.”

He looked at her closely. “Are you feeling all right?”

She nodded.

“You’re sure? You look a little pale.”

She frowned. “Well, thank you. That’s always what a woman wants to hear.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant... Oh, never mind. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

She nodded, but still he hesitated. “I’ll wait. I promise.”

His eyes said that he didn’t trust her. At all. “Good. We have important issues to discuss.”

She couldn’t tell by the tone of his voice if she was going to like what he had to say or not. At this point, she wasn’t even sure what she wanted him to say. The push and pull of her conflicting emotions made her temples start to throb.

It will all work out. It will all work out.

She turned back to the view of the cove. All the while, she kept repeating those five words like some sort of mantra. It helped calm her nerves. Or so she wanted to believe.

She took in the colorful sky and the gentle lapping of the water. This was the kind of setting for a romantic movie where the hero and heroine walk off into the sunset. She inwardly groaned. That would never be her and Niko.

About to admit her mistake, she spun around to tell Niko that she’d changed her mind, but he was already gone. Whatever she did this evening, she had to keep her wits about her. Nothing good would come of repeating that toe-curling kiss. Nothing at all.

Still, her mind dwelled on that moment at his bungalow when he’d held her in his arms. Her heart picked up its pace. She’d never been kissed with such passion. No one had ever made her feel as if she was the only woman in the world for him—

No! No! No! she scolded herself. It didn’t help when she recalled how delicious it was having his lips pressed to hers. She had to resist the temptation. She had to.

Somehow...

CHAPTER FIVE

SINCE WHEN DID he take orders?

He was the boss. He handed out the orders.

Niko glanced at Sofia. What was it about her that had him continually making exceptions to the rules?

The shorts and polo shirt he now wore were the only casual clothes he’d brought with him. To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure what had possessed him to toss them into his suitcase. It must have been the fact that he liked to be prepared for any occasion. Although there was nothing in his suitcase to prepare him for a discussion about his baby—his baby—the words echoed in his mind.

“Niko?” Sofia’s voice drew him from his thoughts.

Had she been speaking? He hadn’t heard a word she’d said. That wasn’t like him. He was good at multitasking, especially at business meetings. He could respond to emails on his phone while listening to a presentation and never lose a beat. But when he was around Sofia, he had problems staying on task.

“What did you say?”

“I asked if your business meeting went well.”

He nodded. “It would have gone better if I’d been able to close the deal then and there.”

“Why couldn’t you?”

He didn’t want to get into any of that now. They had other things to discuss. “That’s not important.” He stopped walking and turned to her. “We need to talk about your situation.”

“You mean my pregnancy.”

“Yes. That.” She said it so easily, as if she’d already come to terms with it all. Was it possible she was happy about it? Could that be? “What are you planning to do? Because if you need—”

“I don’t need anything. I already told you—I’m keeping it.”

He frowned. “I don’t know what you thought I was about to say. And I don’t want to know. However, if you had let me finish, I was going to ask if I could help with your medical expenses.”

He wanted only the best for her and their baby. Her vehement devotion to keeping their baby struck him. How had she become so attached and protective in such a short amount of time? It must be different for mothers, because he was still struggling to wrap his mind around the whole baby issue. A baby. His baby. It still didn’t feel real.

Curious about her acceptance of the situation, he asked, “How long have you known that you are pregnant?”

“I told you—I found out this week.” She turned and started walking again, farther from the resort.

That’s right. He vaguely remembered her mentioning it earlier that day, but he’d been too shocked for it to stick. “If it’s all new to you, how can you be so certain you want this baby? It’s going to change your entire world. Nothing will be the same.”

“The timing might not be the best, but I always hoped that someday I’d be a mother.” Her hand moved to her abdomen. Then, as though she realized what she was doing, she lowered her hand to her side. “But I understand that just because I feel this way doesn’t mean you feel the same way. And...and I’m okay with that. We can say our goodbyes and—”

“Hold on. I didn’t say anything about saying goodbye.” She was the mother of his baby—the Stravos heir. Like it or not, their lives were intricately entwined.

She turned to him, her eyes flashing with surprise. “So this means that you, um...want to be involved with the baby?”

That’s what surprised her? “It is my baby—”

“Our baby.”

He was going to have to work on that. He wasn’t used to sharing anything with anyone. As an only child, he hadn’t had the luxury of a sibling. As an adult, he’d never ventured into a committed relationship. So sharing was a new concept to him, but he would excel at it just like he did with everything he tackled in the boardroom. And by the stubborn look on Sofia’s face, he didn’t have any choice in the matter.

“How can you be so sure that being a mother at this stage in your life is the right thing to do?”

She glanced at him. “You really want to know?”

There was so much about her he wanted to know, but this was a good starting point. “Is it wrong for me to be curious?”

“No. But I’ll warn you, it isn’t what you’re thinking. I don’t want the baby because of who its father is. I want this baby for itself.”

The conviction in her voice had him wanting to believe her. But could he trust her? “You still didn’t answer the question.”