HELEN BIANCHIN - Marriage Of Convenience - The Andreou Marriage Arrangement / The Replacement Wife

He might be many things, and he’d been called on several…but he stood by his word.

So he did as she requested and closed the door behind him, then he shed his clothes, took a cool shower, and slid between the sheets to lie with his arms crossed behind his head.

He watched idly as she emerged into the bedroom attired in cotton sleep trousers and a singlet top, looking impossibly young.

A slight smile widened his generous mouth as she avoided meeting his gaze, and he waited until she slipped beneath the covers before closing the lamps.

‘Goodnight.’ His voice was an indolent drawl in the darkness, and he only just heard her muffled response.

ALESHA woke to light filtering through partly closed shutters along the wall of glass facing east.

For a brief moment she felt slightly disorientated by her unfamiliar surroundings, then memory surfaced as she cautiously examined the spacious room.

Specifically the large bed next to the one she’d occupied through the night…and she experienced a sense of relief to find it empty.

She brushed a hand through her hair and checked the time, saw it was almost eight, and hurriedly slid from the bed before gathering up fresh clothes and disappearing into the en suite to complete her morning routine and dress.

Jeans and a stylish tee sufficed, and she caught her hair in a ponytail, added gloss to her lips, then she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

Coffee would be good, breakfast even better, and she entered the spacious, beautifully appointed kitchen to discover Eloise stacking the dishwasher, with no sign of Loukas in sight.

‘Good morning.’ Alesha kept it light and offered a warm smile, which the housekeeper returned in kind.

‘It’s a lovely day,’ Eloise added. ‘What can I get you for breakfast?’

‘If it’s okay with you, I’ll make coffee, and just grab some cereal and fruit, and take it out onto the terrace.’

‘I can easily prepare a cooked breakfast if you’d prefer.’

‘Thanks, but cereal is fine.’

There was something infinitely relaxing in looking out over the harbour. Small and large craft sprinkled the sparkling Port Jackson waters; tugboats guided a massive tanker towards the wharves, while ferries cruised the distance between the city and Manly.

The cityscape bore tall modern high-rise buildings in varying architectural designs, their plate-glass windows glinting as the sun rose in the sky.

No matter where she’d travelled, Sydney was home . The place of her birth and education. It held familiarity for her. Memories, all of them good…until Seth. And just as she emerged whole and healed, she was flung into the unknown again by her father’s hand.

‘Finish your coffee, then we’ll collect the rest of your belongings from the apartment.’

Loukas had the silent tread of a cat, and she replaced her cup down onto its saucer with care before she turned to meet his gaze.

Attired in jeans and a chambray shirt, he bore a deceptively casual air that was the antithesis of the man he’d proven himself to be.

It was the eyes, Alesha perceived. Dark silken depths that were too perceptive for anyone’s peace of mind…especially hers.

Oh, why not admit it? He unsettled her, increasing her vulnerability to a point where she felt constantly on edge in his presence.

‘I can manage to do that on my own.’

‘You don’t need to.’

‘What if I prefer to?’

‘Give it up, Alesha.’

She tilted her head and held his gaze with equanimity. ‘I was unaware taking your name meant alienating my freedom of choice.’

He rested a hip against the edge of the table and leant towards her, not exactly crowding her in, but close…too close.

‘You prefer the difficult route to a simple one?’ He waited a beat as her eyes darkened at his proximity. ‘Or do you merely enjoy debating me?’

She resembled a startled foal whenever he encroached on her personal space, and his gaze narrowed fractionally as the pulse at the base of her throat began to visibly thud.

‘You lucked out if you want a subservient wife who will agree with your every word.’

‘It should make for an interesting life.’

Her smile was deliberate. ‘You think?’

Loukas stood to his feet. ‘Collect your keys, then we’ll leave. Presumably you’ve forgotten one of Dimitri’s charitable causes is hosting an event this evening and our presence is expected?’

He glimpsed the conflicting emotions pass fleetingly across her expressive features before she managed to control them. ‘I doubt you packed a suitable gown.’

She hadn’t. Neither gown nor shoes, nor evening clutch.

Surely she had the event entered in her diary? Yet she’d neglected to check…understandable given her father’s sudden death, the funeral, Dimitri’s will. Dammit, her marriage .

But tonight ? She could have put in a token appearance even with Loukas as her partner as a matter of respect. But wearing Loukas’ wedding ring, how long would it take for the inevitable question to arise? The speculation?

Dear heaven, the need to maintain some form of pretence as Alesha Andreou ?

She didn’t want to go there…at least, not so soon . Yet she’d been raised with a strong sense of duty, a respect for bona fide charitable causes, and this evening’s fundraiser was indeed a special one, fostering a terminally ill child with the opportunity to fulfil a much revered wish.

Alesha gathered her crockery and flatware together and deposited both in the kitchen before she ascended the stairs to collect her keys.

She caught sight of Loukas waiting in the foyer as she re-entered the upstairs gallery, and she ran lightly downstairs.

‘I’ll be a while.’

It was a parting shot, a last-ditch attempt for independence that failed miserably as he swung open one of the two solid-panelled doors and indicated the four-wheel drive parked in the driveway.

‘Let’s go.’

She threw him a fulminating look that had no visible effect whatsoever, and they rode the distance to Double Bay in silence.

The apartment was exactly as she’d left it, and she became extremely conscious of Loukas’ presence as he overrode every objection she made.

Okay, so she’d transfer all her clothes, shoes and personal possessions. Any decision about the furniture and the apartment itself could wait. The practical side voted she maintain it as was. Logically, she should lease it out.

Except it bore her personal stamp, with everything carefully chosen to create a perfect blend of muted colours, a kitchen to die for, beautifully elegant furniture and furnishings.

Hers alone…a sanctuary representing a personal triumph through darkness to light, the re-emergence of strength and resolve.

‘I’ll clear the tallboy and dresser drawers while you take the wardrobe.’

She looked at him askance.

He intended to gather together her personal stuff? Lingerie, briefs, bras?

‘I’ll take care of those.’

Except he was already there, opening a drawer and scooping up pastel silk thongs, satin briefs, lacy bras and transferring them into a packing box.

‘Must you?’ she flung with exasperation, barely quelling the urge to hit him.

His husky chuckle incensed her, and she reacted without thought, aiming the shoe she held in her hand with accuracy, only to watch in stunned disbelief as he fielded it and placed it down with care.

His smile was still in place, but the expression in his dark eyes sent chills scudding the length of her spine.

‘You want to play?’

Not the sort of game he had in mind, and she silently damned her foolish action. ‘I don’t do sex in the middle of the day.’