if she proved stubborn.
His mouth curled in a smile as he imagined his child held in Leah’s arms, suckling at her breast. A wave of warmth suffused him. He already knew she was maternal and kind. Nikos couldn’t think of a better woman to be the mother of his children.
To her relief, Nikos was gone from the room when she emerged from the nursery late the next morning. Another restless night had left her tossing and turning, and the little sleep she’d finally managed hadn’t reenergized her. She grimaced at the bruising around her eyes when she stood in front of the mirror, after a hot shower, several minutes later. His sharp eyes wouldn’t miss the proof of her distress, which she had no desire to show. Setting her lips in a grim line, Leah reached for her little-used cosmetics bag to conceal the signs of last night’s ravages.
Her hands were quick and skillful in masking the discoloration, but she’d had lots of experience with the technique three years ago. It didn’t sit well to be back in the same spot years later.
Once she had fixed her face, Leah padded from the bathroom, wrapped from head to toe in her bathrobe. He was nowhere in sight, so she risked dressing in the dressing room, pulling on shorts and a shirt in record time.
If Irina had brought breakfast this morning, Leah must have slept right through her knocking. Her stomach growled as she descended the stairs, sending her in the direction of the kitchen.
Irina clicked her tongue when Leah entered and went straight to the fridge. “I will cook for you, Kyria Leah. Tell me what you would like.”
With a smile, Leah held up a bottle of water after closing the refrigerator door. “I’m fine.” She scooped up a juicy orange, likely grown in the Andrakis’ orchard, from a bowl on the counter. Ignoring Irina’s admonishments about needing a substantial breakfast, she left the villa through the servants’ entrance.
Leah headed for the gardens and orchard, eager to reacquaint herself with the foliage of the island. Soon enough, she found a stone bench in the center of a small arrangement of various plants. It was one of the six garden areas set up on the Andrakis land. Six years ago, she had known them all well by the end of her stay.
As she peeled the orange, Leah scuffed her foot along the bricks underfoot. She smiled at discovering the small heart she’d found long ago was still there, with the initials K.A. + J.A.—the initials of Nikos’s parents. She remembered Kostas vaguely as a remote, serious man, so it was nice to see proof that he’d had a softer side. At some point on one of their vacations, he had taken time to make this little monument to the love he felt for Jacinth. She could imagine Nikos doing the same someday, though her heart stuttered when her imagination provided M.P. to pair with the N.A.—Maia Papadas. It had almost been a reality once, and it could be again, once he was free from their marriage.
The orange was perfectly ripe and delicious, but her thoughts killed her appetite. With a sigh, she tossed the remaining fruit and peel into the discreet rubbish bin located under the bench. The bottle of water provided a way for her to rinse her hands and avoid returning to the villa just yet. That was the last place she wanted to be, since she didn’t know when Nikos might turn up. If he persisted with his seduction attempts, Leah wasn’t sure she could continue to resist.
She resumed her explorations, enchanted all over again by the bushes, flowers, and trees that grew together in such beautiful harmony under the hot Grecian sun. By mid-afternoon, she’d been through four of the six gardens. She followed the hedge border around the fifth patch, ambling into the garden.
Leah drew up short, eyes wide. A young man tended to a tree. He had stripped off his shirt, and the sun-bronzed skin displayed was beautiful. He could have been a god in another time. A young god, she amended, when he caught sight of her and
His mouth curled in a smile as he imagined his child held in Leah’s arms, suckling at her breast. A wave of warmth suffused him. He already knew she was maternal and kind. Nikos couldn’t think of a better woman to be the mother of his children.
To her relief, Nikos was gone from the room when she emerged from the nursery late the next morning. Another restless night had left her tossing and turning, and the little sleep she’d finally managed hadn’t reenergized her. She grimaced at the bruising around her eyes when she stood in front of the mirror, after a hot shower, several minutes later. His sharp eyes wouldn’t miss the proof of her distress, which she had no desire to show. Setting her lips in a grim line, Leah reached for her little-used cosmetics bag to conceal the signs of last night’s ravages.
Her hands were quick and skillful in masking the discoloration, but she’d had lots of experience with the technique three years ago. It didn’t sit well to be back in the same spot years later.
Once she had fixed her face, Leah padded from the bathroom, wrapped from head to toe in her bathrobe. He was nowhere in sight, so she risked dressing in the dressing room, pulling on shorts and a shirt in record time.
If Irina had brought breakfast this morning, Leah must have slept right through her knocking. Her stomach growled as she descended the stairs, sending her in the direction of the kitchen.
Irina clicked her tongue when Leah entered and went straight to the fridge. “I will cook for you, Kyria Leah. Tell me what you would like.”
With a smile, Leah held up a bottle of water after closing the refrigerator door. “I’m fine.” She scooped up a juicy orange, likely grown in the Andrakis’ orchard, from a bowl on the counter. Ignoring Irina’s admonishments about needing a substantial breakfast, she left the villa through the servants’ entrance.
Leah headed for the gardens and orchard, eager to reacquaint herself with the foliage of the island. Soon enough, she found a stone bench in the center of a small arrangement of various plants. It was one of the six garden areas set up on the Andrakis land. Six years ago, she had known them all well by the end of her stay.
As she peeled the orange, Leah scuffed her foot along the bricks underfoot. She smiled at discovering the small heart she’d found long ago was still there, with the initials K.A. + J.A.—the initials of Nikos’s parents. She remembered Kostas vaguely as a remote, serious man, so it was nice to see proof that he’d had a softer side. At some point on one of their vacations, he had taken time to make this little monument to the love he felt for Jacinth. She could imagine Nikos doing the same someday, though her heart stuttered when her imagination provided M.P. to pair with the N.A.—Maia Papadas. It had almost been a reality once, and it could be again, once he was free from their marriage.
The orange was perfectly ripe and delicious, but her thoughts killed her appetite. With a sigh, she tossed the remaining fruit and peel into the discreet rubbish bin located under the bench. The bottle of water provided a way for her to rinse her hands and avoid returning to the villa just yet. That was the last place she wanted to be, since she didn’t know when Nikos might turn up. If he persisted with his seduction attempts, Leah wasn’t sure she could continue to resist.
She resumed her explorations, enchanted all over again by the bushes, flowers, and trees that grew together in such beautiful harmony under the hot Grecian sun. By mid-afternoon, she’d been through four of the six gardens. She followed the hedge border around the fifth patch, ambling into the garden.
Leah drew up short, eyes wide. A young man tended to a tree. He had stripped off his shirt, and the sun-bronzed skin displayed was beautiful. He could have been a god in another time. A young god, she amended, when he caught sight of her and
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