Ruthless Milllionaire, Indecent Proposal. Emma Darcy
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what he wanted with Christina, yet her hand was still in his and as he rose from the table, the temptation to draw her up from her seat and straight into his embrace was irresistible. She didn’t try to break free but her free hand fluttered in agitation against his chest and there was a heart-piercing vulnerability in the eyes that met his.
He hated her fear. It made him feel even more wrong about what he’d taken from her in the past. He pressed a soft kiss on her forehead and murmured, ‘I’ll make it right, Christina. For you and for Theo.’
He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he released her, only retaining her hand, keeping that physical link for the walk back to the wedding reception, wanting her to feel secure with him.
Tonight belonged to Cassandra and George.
Tomorrow was his.
He could wait.
TINA waited until after their Greek relatives departed for the mainland so she could have a private chat to her mother about her connection to Ari. Everyone had still been revelling in Cass’s wedding—such a wonderful family celebration. Amongst the happy comments were a few arch remarks about Ari’s interest in her.
‘He didn’t have eyes for anyone else.’
‘Never left your side all evening.’
‘Such a charming man!’
‘And so handsome!’
Tina had shrugged off the curiosity, discouraging it by refocussing the conversation on her sister’s life. However, she saw the same curiosity in her mother’s eyes, and when they were finally alone together, relaxing on the lounges by the swimming pool, watching Theo practice diving into it, she didn’t have to think about how to lead into revealing the truth. Her mother did it for her.
‘Are you seeing Ari again today, Tina?’
‘Yes. And there’s something I have to tell you, Mama.’ She took a deep breath to calm her jumpy nerves and started at the beginning. ‘Ari Zavros and I were not meeting for the first time in Athens. Six years ago he was in Australia on a three-month tour of the wineries in our country. I met him on a modelling assignment and fell in love with him.’
Her mother instantly leapt to the truth, understanding of Ari’s behaviour towards them flashing straight into her eyes. ‘He’s Theo’s father.’
‘Yes. I didn’t expect to ever see him again. It was a shock when he was presented to us as George’s best man. I asked him to wait until after the wedding before revealing that my son was also his because it would have been a major distraction from Cass and that wasn’t fair, but today we have to deal with it, Mama.’
‘Oh, my dear!’ Her mother swung her legs off the lounge to face her directly with a look of anxious concern. ‘These past few days must have been very difficult for you.’
Tina had to fight back tears. She hadn’t expected such a rush of sympathy from her mother. Shock and perhaps criticism for her silence, worry over the situation, fretting over the choices to be made … she’d geared herself to cope with all this but not the caring for her feelings and the quick understanding of the distress she had been hiding.
‘I thought … he was gone from my life, Mama,’ she choked out. ‘But he’s not and he never will be again. He’s made that very clear.’
‘Yes … very clear,’ her mother repeated, nodding as she recollected how Ari had inserted himself and his family into their time on Santorini. ‘I don’t think that’s going to change, Tina. He’s definitely intent on making a claim on his son.’
‘And he has the wealth and power to back it up. There’s no point in trying to resist his claim, Mama. I have to give way.’
‘Has he said how he wants to deal with the situation?’
Tina’s mouth instantly twisted into an ironic grimace. ‘He wants me to marry him.’
‘Ah!’
There was no real shock in that Ah!—more a realisation of the bigger claim being made—one that would completely change her daughter’s life, as well as her grandson’s.
After a few moments’ thought, her mother asked, ‘His family knows all this?’
‘He told them after our meeting in Athens. He had no doubt that Theo was his child. His age … his eyes …’
‘Yes … now I see.’ Her mother nodded a few times. ‘They have been extending a welcome to join their family because of Theo.’
‘He is the main attraction,’ Tina said dryly.
‘But they have been very gracious to us, as well, Tina. Which shows they are prepared to accept you as Ari’s wife. How do you feel about it?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t know. He said he would have come back to me had I told him he’d left me pregnant. I didn’t tell him because he didn’t love me. I was only a … a charming episode … that he could walk away from.’
‘But you loved him.’
‘Yes. Totally.’
‘And now?’
‘I doubt there will ever be anyone else for me, Mama, but it’s Theo he wants. I can’t fool myself that I’m suddenly the woman he loves above all others.’
‘Perhaps you are more special to him now because you are the mother of his child. It’s a very Greek way of thinking, Tina. And sometimes love grows from sharing the most precious things to both of you.’
Tina choked up, remembering Ari listing how much he had missed of Theo because she had denied him knowledge of his son.
Her mother heaved a sigh. ‘It’s not for me to say what you should do, my darling. What do you think is best for you?’
‘Oh, probably to marry him,’ Tina said in a rush, relieved in a way to finally have it out in the open. ‘I think he will be a good father. He’s asked me to wait until he comes here this afternoon for us to tell Theo together that he does have a Papa. And after that—well, Ari and I need some time alone to … to see how we feel about each other, Mama. He wants to take me somewhere. Will you look after Theo, have him in your room tonight?’
‘Oh, dear!’ Her mother shook her head in dismay at realising what the all-night arrangement most probably meant. ‘There’s so much to take in. I wish your father was here.’
‘Don’t worry, Mama. I have to make a decision and I think this is the best way to do it.’
‘Well, of course I will look after Theo, but … do be careful, Tina,’ she said anxiously. ‘If you decide not to marry Ari … I remember how you were when you were pregnant with Theo.’
‘That won’t happen again, Mama,’ Tina assured her. It didn’t matter this time if Ari used a contraceptive or not. She knew she was in a safe period of her cycle. She reached across and took her mother’s hand. ‘Thank you taking all this so well. I hate being a problem to you.’
‘Not a problem, dear. Just … I do so want you to have a happy life and I wish with all my heart that everything turns out well with Ari.’
The fairy-tale happy ending.
Maybe if she could believe in it enough, it might happen. She’d have a better idea of how the future would run after tonight. Right now she couldn’t trust Ari’s word that he would remain a faithful husband. Even if they did find sexual pleasure with each other, that was no guarantee he would always be satisfied with her. She might begin to believe they really could forge a good marriage together after he signed the prenuptial agreement.
If he did.
Ari spent an extremely vexatious morning