Chapter Fourteen

Rania trailed her fingers in the fountain, disturbing the water so it didn’t reflect her face. She knew she looked dreadful. She didn’t need to see it confirmed. Of course she could turn the fountain on, but it reminded her of the water feature she’d installed on the patio of the house in Crete. Had Demetri removed it, along with the rugs and lanterns and other knick-knacks she’d bought to turn the clinical building into a warm home? It could go back to being a cold mausoleum now, a testament to her husband’s inability to love.

As promised, she’d walked out of her marriage with what she’d brought to it—nothing. All she’d taken were the wealth of memories that kept her awake at night—the sound of Demetri’s laughter, the curve of his lips when something amused him, the touch of his hand, the whisper of his breath on her skin…

She managed a sigh past the tightness in her chest. This was her last day for lamenting the end of her marriage. Two months had passed since she’d leaped off the boat, almost as long as she’d been married. She’d finally accepted that the home she’d hoped to find in Demetri’s heart was barred to her. It was time to find something to keep her mind engaged before she went insane. The job interview in Montreal next week would be a start.

There was nothing else she could do about her uncle’s estate. With no body or record of his death, everything was held in stasis. She’d arranged for his various houses outside of Egypt to be maintained and closed down the few remaining businesses the government hadn’t already seized. There was a pile of money in several off-shore accounts but she left those alone. They weren’t going anywhere and she didn’t need the money for anything. The only thing she truly wanted she couldn’t buy.

She also couldn’t stay hidden away in the walled garden of Uncle Fouad’s Turkish villa forever. Turning away from the fountain, she headed back to the house only to stop after two meters. Her lack of appetite had caught up with her because she’d obviously began to hallucinate. A Demetri-shaped specter leaned against a column supporting the patio above. A ghost wearing jeans and a cream cable-knit sweater, a couple days’ sexy stubble on his face. The tranquility of the garden was shattered. She blinked twice. He was really here, and he looked as dreadful as she felt. Had his injuries been more serious than they thought? Had he spent the last two months in hospital recovering and that’s why he hadn’t followed her?

Don’t be an idiot, girl. He didn’t follow you because he doesn’t love you. If he’d felt anything, he’d at least have sent a letter or something. Even a goddamned text telling her to come home would have sufficed. She wasn’t stupid enough to think he couldn’t find her if he wanted to. Clearly, he hadn’t wanted to.

So why was he here now? Maybe he had the divorce papers and wanted her signature right away. Probably had another woman in his shower he was anxious to marry, one who wouldn’t take her clothes off in his car or procure erectile dysfunction pills for his grandfather.

She ran a shaking hand through her hair, unable to remember if she’d brushed it today.

“How did you find me?” she finally asked as he continued to stare. Okay, she looked bad but surely not unrecognizable.

“I’ve had you followed since the day after you left me.”

“You had me followed?”

“Don’t even try to play the outraged victim, Rania. You did the same to me.”

“Fair enough. So you’ve known where I’ve been for the past two months. Why come now?”

“I heard you were leaving.”

“And you didn’t want to pay your operatives to go abroad?”

“No, I told you on our wedding day I would follow you forever.”

“That was then. You have the property. I sent the deeds to your lawyer. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was buying the land to give to you. Christina’s uncle somehow found out about the resort plan while you were in Egypt. My sister Amal’s husband is an architect, so I had him sketch up a quick house plan and sent that to the landowner to convince him to sell. There’s no restriction in the sale deed against a resort. If you still want to build it, go ahead. You got what you wanted out of our marriage. Why are you here now?”

“I have something to give you, something I hope will delay your travel plans.” He handed her an envelope.

She slipped an embossed card from the gold lined envelope. If she’d eaten anything today, she would have thrown it up on his shoes. This had to be the worst, sickest joke anybody had ever played. How could he be so cruel?

Her hand shook so much she couldn’t put the card back into the envelope. Not just any card—an invitation to celebrate the marriage of Demetri Christodoulou to Rania Ghalli, to be held in three weeks’ time at his exclusive resort on Santorini.

“Why are you celebrating a marriage that’s over?”

“Two reasons. Can we talk inside? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

The lump in her throat had gotten so large she couldn’t speak. Demetri put his arm around her shoulders and led her back into the house. She tried not to lean into his strength, tried not to remember all the times he’d held her, or led her into the house to make love to her. Focusing on the card she still held with a death grip, she pulled away as they entered the sitting room. Her knees no longer willing to hold her upright, she sank into the nearest chair.

“I’ll make you some tea.” Demetri left the room and for a moment she wondered whether she’d imagined the whole episode, except she still held the invitation to her belated wedding reception.

She closed her eyes. What kind of game was he playing now? He had the land. Was there some other reason he needed her to keep acting the part of his wife? She couldn’t do it, couldn’t stand next to him and watch him pretend to love her when she knew he didn’t. A single tear escaped and she quickly wiped it away when she heard him return to the room. He had a tray with not only the glass tea set but a couple of sandwiches. Her stomach rumbled at the sight of the food, then rolled over when her gaze rose to Demetri’s face. She still loved him. This was beyond cruel.

“What’s all this about, Demetri?”

“Eat first.”

“I can’t eat until I know why you’re here. If this is some investment deal you’re working on…” Her throat closed up again.

He handed her the glass teacup on the silver saucer. The sweet aroma of apple tea awakened her appetite. After a sip she picked up the sandwich and took a bite.

Demetri rose from the sofa where he’d taken a seat and paced between the chair and the patio doors. She took two more bites while he ran an agitated hand through his hair. Finally, he stood still, shoved both hands in his pockets and locked his gaze with hers.

“I lied to you.”

She put the sandwich down. “About what?”

“Your uncle isn’t dead. He’s alive and well and living on Gavdos with my mother.”

“What?” Rania jumped from the chair. Her glass of tea rattled on the saucer as she knocked the table.

Demetri took his hand from his pocket and stretched it out to her, then dropped it at his side as she refused to touch him. Because if she touched him she wouldn’t care why he was here or the lies he’d told her.

“I did it for his safety and your own. We managed to get your uncle out of Egypt alive. I worried if I told you he was on Gavdos, you’d insist on going there and seeing him for yourself. We needed the Egyptian government to believe he died in the hail of bullets that accompanied his extraction. I wasn’t sure if you were still being watched, so I had to tell you he didn’t make it.”

Demetri was talking like Mahmoud and Natasha now, discussing life like it was a commodity. “You let me grieve. You held me as I cried.” He’d been so wonderful. That, too, had been a sham.

“It killed me to see you so upset.”

“So, what’s with the invite? Is this a ruse to move my uncle from Gavdos?” Oh God, she’d have to do it if it meant her uncle’s safety. But to stand beside Demetri and smile and pretend her heart wasn’t smashed to smithereens was going to take more acting talent than she possessed.

“It’s more than that. Your uncle and my mother have fallen in love. They want to get married. However they can’t invite people to their wedding because then it would get out that Fouad is still alive. So my mother suggested we hold a celebration of our wedding and invite all your family as they weren’t at the Gavdos reception…”

“Doesn’t your mother know we’ve split?” Rania fell back down into the chair and grabbed her tea. The lump in her throat was back.

“No, she’s been living in seclusion in the pink shack with your uncle. Everyone except my grandparents think she’s left the island. We’ve only communicated sporadically.”

“I don’t know if I can do this.” She stared at the invitation so he didn’t see the moisture in her eyes. When she dared glance at him, his face was rigid.

Demetri’s hand fisted at his side. “There is a second reason for the invitation. But first I have a confession. There’s something else I’ve lied about.”

…

A flicker of anger showed in Rania’s eyes. At least the flash of fury had dried her tears. “What other lies have you told me? You don’t want a divorce to mar your reputation? You want me to live the rest of my life as the forgotten wife of the great Demetri Christodoulou?”

Demetri’s pulse thundered in his ears and he couldn’t breathe. The next sixty seconds were the most crucial in his entire life—his entire future. “I lied by omission. I should have told you long ago. I love you, Rania, more than I thought possible to love another human being. And I want to spend every day proving I’m worthy of you. I want our marriage to continue with you at my side where I can feast on your beauty and hold your hand through life’s rollercoaster.”

She stared at him, stunned. Her silence unnerved him and he fell on his knees in front of her.

He waited but still she said nothing. So he continued. “I’m so sorry I jumped to conclusions when I saw your surveillance photos of me. I assumed you only wanted me for what I could do for you. I was wrong. Is there anything I can do to make you love me again?”

She reached out and caressed his face. He was finally able to pull in a deep breath once she touched him. “I never stopped loving you. But is that what has held you back from admitting your love? You didn’t feel worthy?”

“That was one thing.” He had to lay himself bare, no holding back. She deserved to know it all.

“Demetri, hobi, my love, from the moment you rescued me from the gunmen you have proved yourself worthy. What was the other reason?”

“You’re a butterfly, Rania. A beautiful creature meant to spread your joy around the world. How can I keep you happy stuck at my side? More often than I want, I behave like a pompous ass. I’m a control freak. You’re a force of nature. You’ll get bored of me and want to go off on adventures. How can I keep you happy?”

“By telling me every day you love me. When a butterfly finds a place where the weather is warm and there’s plenty of food, it doesn’t need to fly away. Each day with you is an adventure, Demetri. My home is in your arms. I want to share in your world, help with your work…create a family with you.”

His heart felt like it had wings. For the first time in weeks it didn’t ache. “Are you sure? Because I tried to live without you and failed. It was only when Mahmoud told me you weren’t faring any better than I was that I dared come for you. I don’t think I could let you go again.”

“Then don’t. Hold on to me, hobi. Never let me go. Keep me safe in your heart, and I’ll do the same to you.”

“Kardia mou, my soul, you are the very essence of my life.” He lifted her from the chair and moved over to the sofa where he could sit with her in his lap. It was going to be impossible to let her out of his sight for the next year at least. When their lips met, he poured every ounce of love into the kiss.

“You never told me the second reason for the wedding invitation,” Rania said as she kissed her way over to his ear and down his throat. God, he’d missed her touch.

“I want to stand up in front of both our families and friends and tell the world how much I love you. I want to pledge my heart and my life to you. I want you to have the wedding day you always dreamed of, because this is the only one you’re ever going to get. I have an event planner ready and waiting to fulfill every one of your wishes.” His voice dropped and he nuzzled her ear. “I get to fulfill your fantasies.”

She raised her head and stopped unbuttoning his shirt. “That was very presumptuous of you.”

“Not presumptuous, desperate. Keeping busy, organizing the basics, is the one thing that has kept me sane as I wondered whether I was too late. Every decision I made was based on, ‘What would Rania want.’ It nearly drove me over the edge. I haven’t slept, barely eaten…”

“Me neither.”

“Then let’s cook something together, have a nap, and then I think we can figure out what to do afterward.”

“You always were better with plans than I was,” she said as she climbed off his lap.

“As long as our plans include each other, we can’t go wrong.”

Two hours later, Rania curled up against Demetri’s side. Her leg was thrown over his thighs, her arm around his waist as though holding on to him in case he was going to leave. The gentle rise and fall of her chest as she slept eased the last thread of tension in him. They’d had to modify the plan slightly, making love before they slept. He was more than willing to compromise on that point. There would probably be a lot of compromises with Rania as his wife, but he was looking forward to the negotiations.

…

Rania woke with the most delicious sensation of being loved. Demetri had both arms around her, holding her tight against him. Through the crack in the curtains from where they’d hastily pulled them closed yesterday evening, she could see the faint light of dawn tinging the darkness with a pink hue.

Her stomach rumbled and the man underneath her stirred. Although they’d eaten before going to bed it had been fourteen hours ago, and they’d made love three times in that period. The hand on her back wandered down to her ass. Demetri was awake.

“Food first,” she said as his other hand began to explore.

“Whatever my wife wants.”

“Ha, can I quote you on that?” She raised her head to see a huge smile across his face.

“Today only. Well, probably more often than that, but I will stand firm on a few things.”

“Such as?”

“First, if your nomadic instinct surfaces again and you feel the need to travel, I have the option of accompanying you. Second, you always come to me first when you have a worry. And third, when we argue, don’t leave. Let me cool down and then we’ll talk things through rationally. Then enjoy incredible make-up sex.”

“I think I can abide by those conditions.”

“Brilliant. Then let’s get breakfast. We have a wedding to plan.”

Breakfast made, they sat side by side on the heated terrace watching the dawn turn into day. Demetri had one arm around her shoulders, he held her left hand with his. Rania was trying to feed them both from the one plate balanced on her lap.

“You know it would be so much easier to eat if I had both hands,” she chided.

“I know but I can’t seem to let you go.”

She dropped the fork and stroked his cheek, the bristles from his morning stubble rough against her palm. He felt wonderful. “I’m not going anywhere. You know how tenacious I can be. You’re stuck with me now.”

He raised her left hand to his lips and kissed her bare ring finger. “We need to rectify this. Wait here.”

Demetri returned a moment later with a small black velvet box. He knelt down on one knee before her and took her hand in his. “Rania, my love, my life, will you do me the honor of remaining my wife.”

“Yes, I will.” She leaned over and kissed his lips. “And I’ll do you later as well.”

He laughed and she reveled in the noise. Taking the box from his hand she opened it, expecting the jewelry she’d left on the boat. Instead the most incredible ring nestled among the velvet. Four oval cut yellow diamonds were set in the shape of a butterfly’s wings. She raised surprised eyes to Demetri. “You bought me a new ring.”

“The other ring I purchased for another woman. This is your ring. The yellow diamonds remind me of the gold flecks in your eyes, especially when they get bright when you’re aroused.”

“Like now?”

Demetri laughed again as he slipped the ring on her finger. “Whatever my wife wants. How close are the neighbors?”

“Not close enough to complain.” Loosening the tie on her robe, she spread the sides, exposing her naked body to the cool morning air. She wasn’t cold for long however as Demetri quickly covered her body with his.

“Is Uncle Fouad really getting married to your mother?” she asked half an hour later when her breathing had finally returned to normal.

“Yes. I started to protest that they hardly knew each other. Then had to shut my mouth, seeing as I married you less than two weeks after we met.”

“True, but how do you feel about it?” She snuggled closer to him, rubbing her cheek on his chest hair.

“I’m happy for my mum. I don’t know your uncle well, but he seems a good man.”

“He is, the very best. I never thought he’d get over my aunt’s death. I can see how he would fall in love with your mother. He’ll make her happy, Demetri. He’ll dote on her and buy her everything she’s ever wanted and tell her every day how special she is to him.”

“Then I can’t ask for a better stepfather.”

“Do you realize if they have a baby it will be both my cousin and brother or sister-in-law?”

“Rania, I am pleased my mother has found love. I don’t want to consider how that love is being expressed.”

“You can say that while lying naked next to your own wife? I think you have double standards, hayati.”

“Hayati, that’s a new one. Another upgrade?”

“Yes, it means my life.”

“I like it, but as much as I’d love to lie here all day with you naked next to me, we have a lot to get done. The wedding planner is waiting on the yacht. You tell her everything you want and she’ll make it happen. Then as soon as we arrive in Crete, I’ve got a private plane lined up. We’ll fly to see your parents in London and then your sisters in Montreal—”

“Montreal. Oh damn, I’ve got a job interview there next week. I’m afraid I can’t celebrate my marriage to you in three weeks, Demetri. If I get the job, I won’t have vacation for at least six months.” She sat up, forcing a concerned expression on her face.

“I was hoping to convince you to work with me. I plan to build several new resorts in the coming years and expand a few of my most profitable ones. I could use a good environmental engineer to guide me, especially one with such amazing vision. I also need someone to supervise the building of my new house on Gavdos. Make sure it’s a warm, beautiful home and not a clinical, gray box. Or a pink one for that matter.”

“Wow, competing bids for my employment. I’ll have to weigh the options carefully.”

“I enjoy a good competition. Mostly because I always win. Is there something I could do, something I could say, that would swing the decision in my favor?” He trailed a finger from her lips, down her throat into the valley between her breasts.

“Well, maybe there is something.” She leaned down and kissed him.

“Excellent. Now, if we can move the rest of the interview to the boat, then I could make a start on selling you on my employment package…” Another package was already making its presence known.

“Oh, hayati, I love your attempts to get me where you want me.” She pushed off his chest and stood, snagging her robe from the end of the sofa where they’d just made love. She trailed it behind her as she sauntered naked back into the house. “I’ll do what you want. This time.”

She quickened her pace as Demetri followed her down the hall, shrieking as he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder.

This was going to be a most interesting marriage.