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‘You mentioned that you lost your mother soon after...?’
Alekos shifted in his seat. ‘My mother did the best she could, but she couldn’t manage all of us.’
‘All of you?’
‘I had—have—three siblings. We were separated when I was six, to various distant relatives or foster families.’
Iolanthe stared at him, appalled. ‘They couldn’t keep you together?’
‘No one had the money or resources to care for four children.’
‘But that’s terrible.’ Iolanthe shook her head slowly. ‘Where did you go?’
‘A foster family. They were nice enough, kept me clothed and fed, made sure I got to school.’ But loveless, Iolanthe surmised. Alekos had grown up without love or affection.
‘And your siblings?’
‘We lost touch over the years. The social workers tried at first, but it’s all too easy for kids to slip through the cracks, and my mother died when I was ten, which made us even more lost in the system.’ He sighed, rotating his glass between his fingers. ‘One of my sisters was adopted, and my brother got into trouble with the law. Beyond that...’ He shrugged, letting the words trickle away.
‘You mean you don’t know what happened to them? You never found out?’
‘No.’ Alekos’s voice was hard. ‘I never tried too hard because I suspected they didn’t want to be found. They could have found me just as easily.’
‘But that’s so sad.’ A lump formed in her throat. No wonder Alekos was so determined to be a good father to Niko. ‘I’m sorry.’
He shrugged. ‘I’ve moved on.’
But did anyone move on from that kind of sadness? Iolanthe decided they needed to lighten the mood. She cleared her throat and took another sip of wine. ‘When are we going to get to this private island of yours?’
‘We’re almost there.’ Alekos rose from his chair in one fluid movement. Iolanthe had the sense that he was as discomfited by their conversation as she was. ‘Look.’ He reached for her hand and Iolanthe enjoyed the sensation of his fingers sliding along hers as he drew her up to join Niko at the bow of the yacht. ‘Do you see that blur of green on the horizon?’ he asked them both.
Iolanthe squinted as she gazed out at the sea. ‘Yes...is that your island? It looks rather big.’
‘A few square miles.’
‘Wow.’ Impressed, she watched as the strip of green came closer, and soon she and Niko could make out rocky outcroppings, the twisted trunks of olive trees, and a lovely white strip of sandy beach.
Alekos Demetriou was a successful man, Iolanthe acknowledged afresh, as the yacht was guided towards the dock. A rich man. Above them a sprawling villa of white stone, its many windows possessing wrought-iron balconies that overflowed with pots of trailing bougainvillea, perched with views of the sea in every direction.
Now that they were about to get off the yacht, Niko had started acting nervous of the next step. Iolanthe could hardly blame him; she was as well. She touched his shoulder lightly, a second’s reassurance, and he shrugged away and jammed his hands into the pockets of his shorts, hunching his shoulders.
Alekos noticed the change in his son and thankfully took it in his stride. ‘Why don’t you and your mother have a look round the villa?’ he suggested. ‘You can choose what bedrooms you like. My staff will deal with the luggage.’
Grateful for his understanding that their son might need a bit of space, Iolanthe stepped off the yacht and started up the steps that had been carved into the rock face. Niko followed her, gazing around with wide, wary eyes.
A housekeeper was waiting at the front door as they approached; she must have been prepped by Alekos because besides offering them a welcome and inviting them in, she left them to it. The villa’s foyer was huge and airy, with skylights that let in the bright sunshine and a double staircase that led to the first floor.
Iolanthe glanced at Niko. ‘What do you want to look at first?’
Niko nodded towards the stairs and, feeling a mixture of trepidation and excitement for this new adventure, Iolanthe started up them with her son.
CHAPTER TEN (#u092481c9-424c-5d75-945c-d978a99a5052)
THE SUN WAS just starting to sink towards the placid sea as Alekos stepped out on the private balcony from the master bedroom and released his breath in a frustrated rush.
He’d left Iolanthe and Niko alone for the last few hours, sensing that they would both need time to settle in without his interference. He’d watched them from afar an hour ago as they’d left the villa and explored the pool and garden; he’d heard Iolanthe’s laughter, that throaty husk that he remembered from ten years ago and still had the power to make his body stir insistently.
The whole day had felt like an endurance test, watching Iolanthe, seeing how she relaxed, her silvery eyes lighting from within. She’d worn a simple strappy sundress that highlighted her smooth skin and slender curves and had made Alekos’s hands itch to touch her.
They still itched. And although he’d told himself they would take it slow, considering she was recently bereaved, his body was insisting otherwise. She was the mother of his child. She was going to be his wife. And the chemistry between them, as far as he could tell, was as electric and overwhelming as ever. Why shouldn’t they enjoy each other?
He’d arranged for a private dinner out on the terrace, after Niko had gone to bed. Now he found he couldn’t wait to be alone with Iolanthe, even as a restless dissatisfaction gnawed at him. Not just a sexual need repressed—heaven knew, he certainly felt that. But a dissatisfaction that he was up here alone, pacing his room like a leashed tiger, while his son and his wife-to-be spent time alone, away from him, because he was not yet part of their circle. They weren’t yet a family.
Which was why they’d come here, Alekos reminded himself. He simply needed to be patient.
Yet no matter what apology of Iolanthe’s he’d accepted, the injustice still burned. He knew what it was like to be on the fringes of a family, to feel as if he didn’t belong and never would. He’d felt it his entire childhood, knowing full well he was a duty to be dealt with to his foster family and nothing more.
They’d never been remiss in their care of him, but a thousand tiny slights had made him all too aware that this was not his family and never would be. There had been no birthday parties, no special treats, no hugs or chats at bedtime like there were with his foster siblings. He’d felt every lack even as he’d come to expect them. He’d vowed to leave them as soon as he could, and when he had he’d known they’d been as relieved as he was. Looking back, he could understand it a little bit better—he’d been a sullen, studious child, often silent and surly, refusing to be won over. Not that they’d tried. But he’d hated feeling like an outsider then, and he despised it even more now, feeling it as an adult with his own child—and all because Iolanthe had kept the truth from him. He’d told her that her deception was hard to forgive, and he’d meant it. He couldn’t let it go even now, even though he wanted to.
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—’
‘I wanted you to tell me. I want to know.’
‘I feel guilty,’ Iolanthe burst out, her voice low and tormented. ‘Sometimes I wonder if Niko would have done better with me alone, rather than with a father who had no time for him. If I’d been more confident I wouldn’t have married Lukas. I would have struck out on my own, looking for that adventure I once told you about.’ She smiled through her tears and it felt like a fist closing around Alekos’s heart. ‘I wish I had. Maybe then...maybe then Niko wouldn’t have the struggles he has now.’
Her voice broke on the last words and Alekos reached for her. ‘You can’t lose yourself in regret,’ he said as he stroked her hair and she nestled against him. ‘You have to look towards the future.’ The feel of her body pliant against his pushed his self-control to the limit. He longed to tilt her face up towards his, kiss the tears from her cheeks and then plunder her plush mouth. But Iolanthe needed his comfort and compassion now, not his lust.
‘I suppose you’re right,’ she murmured, staying in the shelter of his arms.
It was advice he gave without taking himself, Alekos knew. For fourteen years he’d let the past guide and control him, shaping every action he took, even now. But unlike Iolanthe he had no regrets. Petrakis deserved to have his company destroyed. It had been built on Alekos’s hard work, after all. Even now he couldn’t let go of that knowledge, that goal. Especially now. Talos Petrakis had conspired to take his son from him as well as his business. He could have told Iolanthe the truth about what had happened long ago, could have allowed her to make up her own mind about who to marry.
Are you really going to blame Petrakis for your own failings? You’re the one who drove her away. Who told her to leave.
Perhaps Iolanthe felt the new tension in his body for she moved out of his embrace, turning her head away from him. ‘It feels strange to be comforted by you.’
Alekos flinched as if he’d been dealt a body blow. ‘I suppose it does.’
‘I’m not used to depending on anyone.’ She turned to face him, her gaze as clear as a full moon. ‘I’m afraid of depending on you, Alekos, of Niko depending on you.’
Alekos tried to keep the affront from his voice. ‘I won’t let you down.’
‘That requires a certain level of trust,’ Iolanthe answered as her gaze flitted away from his. ‘And trust has to be earned...for both of us.’
He hated the thought that she feared he’d fail her. Again. ‘Which is why we’re here. To get to know one another. To learn to trust one another.’
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