Kate Walker - Ruthless Revenge - Sinful Seduction - Demetriou Demands His Child / Olivero's Outrageous Proposal / Rafael's Contract Bride

Alekos drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. He could see Iolanthe and Niko making their way around the infinity pool towards the villa. He’d be with her soon enough. He’d have her soon enough, and perhaps then this restlessness would finally leave him.

An hour later the shadows were lengthening on the terrace, cast by flickering citronella candles, when Iolanthe stepped through the French windows to join Alekos.

He turned, taking in the sight of her slowly, savouring the way she moved, her dress whispering about her legs. She’d changed into a slightly more formal dress made of ecru cotton and lace, the material sheer enough for him to see the camisole she wore underneath. She’d left her hair loose, dark and wavy about her shoulders, and Alekos didn’t think he’d ever seen her look so beautiful.

More beautiful even than she’d been at twenty, young and girlish and innocent. Now she was a woman, her face a little more lined, experience reflected in her eyes, and he realised he was more attracted to her now than he’d been back then.

‘How is Niko?’ he asked as he handed her a glass of agiorgitiko.

‘I just tucked him in. He’s tired from all the activity.’ She took a sip of her drink, her eyes widening as she tasted it. ‘What is this?’

‘Agiorgitiko. A mix of fruit juice, rum, and red wine. An island speciality.’

‘It’s delicious.’ She took another sip, her eyes smiling at him from over the rim of her glass, making him want to snatch her up and kiss the wine from her lips. ‘Thank you. This is all really amazing.’ Her nod encompassed the entire island: villa, pool, gardens, and rocky beaches beyond. ‘I think it will be good for Niko to be here. We may have got in a bit of a rut back in Athens.’

‘How so?’ Alekos asked. He placed a hand low on her back and guided her towards the railing that overlooked the infinity pool. The placid water shimmered with the first starlight.

Iolanthe was silent for a moment, marshalling her thoughts. Alekos kept his hand on her back, enjoying the warm feel of her, the slight tremor of awareness he could feel twanging through her at his touch.

‘Everything seemed so difficult,’ she said after a moment. ‘Struggles with Niko...and with Lukas.’ She bit her lip as if she regretted saying so much, and Alekos felt a surge of both jealousy and protectiveness. He hated the thought of Iolanthe with Lukas, but he realised he hated the thought of her unhappy with him even more. ‘It was easier simply not to go out,’ she explained. ‘Niko was tutored at home, and Lukas was always at work. I didn’t have many friends or social engagements.’ She gave a little shrug, her mouth turning down at the corners. ‘I think perhaps it would have been better for Niko and me to get out more. Take him out of his shell. Both of us, really.’

‘But you said school was difficult for him.’

‘Yes, but he likes other things. Swimming, for one. I used to take him swimming at the community pool, if it wasn’t too crowded. He’s looking forward to jumping in there tomorrow.’ She nodded towards the infinity pool. ‘And museums. He loves studying things, memorising facts about them. We visited the Natural History Museum in Kifisia when he was little. I’m not sure when we stopped going.’ She sighed, remorse creasing her eyes and making her frown. ‘Somehow it just all became too much.’

‘I’m glad, then, that this is providing something new for Niko.’ He paused, wanting to lighten her expression. ‘And for you.’ Another pause as he considered how to frame his thoughts. ‘It doesn’t seem as if the last ten years have been very happy for you.’

Her gaze flew to his and then away again. She took a sip of her drink, an inner struggle evident on her face. ‘I’ve learned to be content,’ she said at last.

‘That doesn’t sound very encouraging.’

Iolanthe gave a little shrug. ‘Like you said, it is what it is. I knew going into my marriage that it wouldn’t be a love match.’

‘Why did Callos marry you?’ Alekos asked, trying to keep the question level when inside he felt a tormented tangle of too many feelings. ‘Was it really just to cement his position at your father’s company?’

‘Yes. He had no affection for me, I can assure you.’

‘And why did you marry him?’

Disbelief and an unsettling contempt curled her mouth. ‘Can you really ask that, Alekos? I was pregnant.’

‘I would have married you,’ he confessed in a low voice. ‘If you’d just told me the truth...’

‘So it’s back to blaming me?’ she finished. ‘You never said as much, you know. You simply told me you would take care of your responsibilities. How did I know what that meant? Maybe you intended to pay for my abortion.’

He drew back, shocked and deeply insulted. ‘I would have never suggested such a thing.’

‘The point is,’ Iolanthe returned, ‘I didn’t know. And the one time I sought you out, you terrified me. You looked like you hated me, Alekos. And my father was insisting on the marriage. I felt like I had no choice...’ Her voice caught and she blinked rapidly, looking away. ‘You have no idea what it was like.’

‘Iolanthe...’ Regret lashed him and he put his hand on her arm. Iolanthe shrugged him away.

‘I should have never put you in that position,’ Alekos said in a low voice. He’d been so angry when he’d seen her back then, but it had been anger at her father’s unjust treatment. He shouldn’t have taken it out on her.

‘I’m not sure why we’re talking about this,’ Iolanthe said. ‘I thought we said our apologies earlier.’

‘We did, but a simple apology doesn’t erase a decade of pain and sadness. It’s hard to let go of these old hurts.’

‘Hard for you,’ Iolanthe clarified. ‘You can’t forgive me, can you? For not telling you about Niko.’ She stared at him with the same fragile, open honesty she’d had in her eyes when he’d met her ten years ago. Alekos looked away.

How could he answer her? Forgiveness was not part of his nature. He’d held on to his grievances against Talos Petrakis because they defined him. Revenge had always been his goal, his lodestone. He wasn’t sure he knew how to change.

‘Your silence says it all,’ Iolanthe answered with a resigned sigh.

‘I’m still coming to terms with all of this,’ Alekos answered. He took a deep breath, needing to ask the next question even if the answer hurt him. ‘Was Lukas...was he a good father to Niko?’

Iolanthe was silent for so long that Alekos tensed to hear her answer, dread pooling in his stomach. ‘I think he tried at first,’ she finally said. ‘He tried to try, anyway. But...’

Alekos tensed further, knowing he both didn’t want and needed to hear this. ‘But what?’ he asked, his voice coming out in a near-growl.

‘He never bonded with him,’ Iolanthe admitted quietly. ‘He might have tried a little at the very beginning, but, as I said before, Niko was a difficult baby. He had colic, and Lukas couldn’t handle the constant crying. He withdrew from both of us, sleeping in the corporate flat most nights.’

Alekos waited a moment, not trusting himself to sound calm. ‘And later? When Niko wasn’t a baby?’

‘He couldn’t get over that Niko wasn’t his son,’ Iolanthe admitted in a whisper. ‘He started blanking him out, ignoring him as often as he could, just as he did me. Niko tried to reach him at first. They both loved computers and technology, and it should have been something they bonded over. But Lukas wouldn’t even try. I think his rejection hurt Niko terribly.’ A tear slipped down her cheek, splashing onto her thumb. She wiped it away with a shaky laugh. ‘I don’t know why I’m coming apart now—’