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CHAPTER ONE FROM the sprawling veranda outside his bedroom Theo Toyas had a clear and unimpeded view of the drive leading up to his grandfather’s fabulous villa. It was six-thirty in the afternoon, and the ferocious heat of the day was beginning to give way to something a little more acceptable. Even so, it was still too hot for anything other than a pair of light chinos and a short-sleeved shirt. In one hand he nursed a whisky on the rocks, which he had been periodically sipping for the past half-hour, content to just sit back on the cushioned wicker lounging chair and watch the scenery. And the scenery was indeed magnificent. To the right, just a short walk from his bedroom, was a stunning infinity pool overlooking Santorini’s famous flooded volcano. Meticulously manicured gardens swept around the pool and curved towards the drive, which had been impressively designed to give the illusion of dropping off the side of the caldera. He had forgotten how tranquil and soporific the place w
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO OF COURSE, that was what did it. The implication that he intimidated her, that she wanted to run away from him. Abigail thought of herself as something of a fighter. She had brought up Jamie on her own, had gone through the entire pregnancy without the support of anyone, and had been almost mortally wounded by the spectacular collapse of her relationship with her son’s father. She herself had no parents on whom to fall back and no handy network of caring relatives who could rush to her clarion call when she needed them. The only two weapons in her armoury had been her resolve to bring this baby into the world and her determination to give him all the love she was capable of giving. To have Theo Toyas insinuate that she was running scared was like a red cloth to a bull. Michael, as she expected, was soundly asleep when she quietly entered the bedroom to get her hat, her sun-cream and her book. The restaurant and nightclub business meant that he kept unsocial hours and could
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE THEO was waiting for her outside. Her heart plummeted like a stone when she spotted him standing in the drive by one of the cars, casually leaning against the bonnet with his back to her, speaking into a cellphone. Her intention to strangle Michael had fizzled out at the first hurdle. He had smiled winningly at her and somehow managed to puncture her annoyance by pleading with her to be nice to his brother. It was the fastest way of squashing his suspicions, he had assured her. An open, friendly person, he had argued with that boyishly persuasive smile of his, was a person with nothing to hide, and his brother would quickly lose interest if he saw for himself that that was the case. Abby had reluctantly agreed but had felt constrained to remind him that he owed her big time. Michael had always had the ability to get around her and she knew why. She trusted him. There was no dark, hidden agenda. Still, standing here now and looking at Theo’s broad back and lazy pose, she c
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR MICHAEL had treated her to the dress she was wearing to the party. He had insisted. He wanted her to look beautiful and, after politely listening to her insist that she could get a perfectly good something or other at one of the department stores, had reasonably pointed out that something or other from a department store just wouldn’t do. They would be surrounded by the Great and the Good, and she would just end up feeling awkward in something cheap and cheerful. Abby now stood in front of the full-length mirror in the room and inspected her reflection joylessly. The rich burgundy-coloured dress looked as stunning on her as it had when she had first tried it on at Harrods. Better, in fact, because she was wearing make-up, high heeled shoes and was clutching a little bag which was unnecessary but looked very elegant. She twisted so that she could have a view of the back which, very daringly for her, plunged almost down to the waist, although the front was deceptively modest
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE ‘YOU look tired.’ He noticed that she was making sure to keep distance between them, as much as was possible without scraping the wall next to her. ‘I am. It’s been a long day.’ Theo let a few seconds of silence stretch past. ‘I suppose you’re referring to our little sightseeing trip earlier on?’ Abby couldn’t be bothered to respond to the jibe. While she had been at the party she had felt buoyant and keyed up and the alcohol had given her a flushed, excited feeling that had kept her going through the difficult task of mixing and mingling with Michael’s relatives, people she had never met in her life before. Now that the evening was over, she felt drained. It didn’t help that this man was walking next to her, escorting her to her bedroom like a security guard making sure that the guest didn’t make off with the family heirlooms. ‘I hope you understand why I have obvious concerns about you, Abby.’ ‘I really don’t want to talk about this. Again. I’m tired and I just want to g
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX ‘HAVE you heard from your brother?’ Abby looked at Michael, who was lying prostrate on her sofa. Sundays were the only days he enjoyed away from work and, aside from the occasional lunchtimes when they would meet for something to eat during the week, they both tried to do something on Sundays. Today had been a day in the Pavilion Gardens, which Jamie had enjoyed. The weather had been beautiful and they had taken a picnic lunch, which Michael had done and, with his usual flair, had produced superb food for the three of them and the other six who had come along as well. Of course, it hadn’t been quite as carefree for Abby because Jamie demanded so much of her attention, but everyone had chipped in and, without a child between them in sight, had enjoyed the novelty of someone else’s. And Jamie had enjoyed being the centre of attention. It was difficult for him and she knew that. He was getting to the age where he had begun asking questions about why he had no father, and she k
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN ABBY felt as though someone had decided to take a swing at her ankle with a hammer. How had it happened? One minute she was dashing to the front door as if the hounds of hell were at her heels, and the next minute she had flung open the door and taken one step, one small step and bang! Down she had gone, missing her footing on the shallow step down to the front path. The same shallow step she routinely warned Jamie to be very careful of. Naturally Theo would have heard her cry out and she didn’t bother to look up as she heard him cover the distance from the sitting room to the front door, where she was sitting inelegantly on the ground outside, clutching her throbbing ankle. ‘What happened?’ He knelt down to her level and Abby gave him a jaundiced look. ‘What do you think?’ she snapped. ‘I tripped. But I’m fine.’ She made a valiant effort to heave herself up and immediately collapsed back down. ‘Don’t be a fool.’ Without waiting for a retort, Theo scooped her up and broug
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT THE woman was a bag of contradictions. He stared at the screen of his laptop computer, which he had set up on the kitchen table, making damned sure that the leads connecting it were well out of harm’s way. His mind, however, was not focused on the emails blinking at him. For once, his formidable mind, which had been meticulously trained to concentrate on work in whatever place in which it presented itself, was wandering. With an impatient grunt he stood up and wasted time making himself a cup of coffee while he wondered what she was doing in the sitting room. For someone who had been prepared to sell herself into a loveless marriage in an attempt to provide financial stability for her child she had been remarkably prudish when it came to having him help her with the bath. In fact, she had locked him out and done it herself, even if it had taken five times longer than necessary, a minor fact which he had pointed out several times through the closed door with increasing imp
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE ABBY watched lazily from the bed as Theo got dressed. She loved this and hated it. Loved it because she just loved watching him and hated it because it marked the end of the weekend, and the end of every weekend brought her closer to losing him. She still found it hard to believe that she was in the position she now found herself, in thrall to a lover who didn’t love her, addicted to his personality with a compulsion that wasn’t reciprocated and terrified of the inevitable loss. Not once in the past six weeks had he murmured any meaningful endearment to her. Not even in the throes of passion, and surely there was no passion beyond what they had shared? He enjoyed her and he told her so, but love…? No. He might not see her as the classic gold-digger, but at the back of his mind she was still the woman who had been happy to sell her own personal principles for the sake of financial and emotional security. She had used his brother, whether she wanted to admit it or not, and s
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN ‘YOU’RE moping again, Abby. You really can’t afford to, you know. Jamie senses it and it makes him unhappy.’ Abby looked at her mother and dredged a smile up from somewhere. Since when had her mother ever been brisk? Then again, since when had her mother ever worn her hair in a neat, short, tailored style and dressed in a trouser suit? The past four weeks had been a series of revelations and frenetic action, and all because she had picked the phone up the day after Theo had walked out through her front door for ever and called her parents. She had expected vague sympathies and some sort of faraway offer to bring her over to Australia just as soon as they got their act together and started saving some money. That had always been their refrain. Instead, she had got some crisp no-nonsense advice from her mother and an immediate decision to fly to England so that she could take her daughter in hand. That had been three and a half weeks ago and during that time she had sold her
CHAPTER TEN
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