The Billionaire's Runaway Bride (16 page)

“I will admit Grace that when Alexos informed me that the two of you were once more together…I was surprised…especially with how hard he took the breakup in the first place”

Fidgeting slightly she had looked back in surprise

“I…I never meant to hurt him”

Nikoli Manetas silently watched her for a second before he had given a smile “Well, do not do it again Miss Leotta” an understanding falling between the two.

Alexos had arrived back at the estate late, everybody else having gone to bed several hours previously. Grace had heard his car park and had waited patiently for him to knock at her door. However, as the minutes had slipped past she had savaged her lips before slipping out of the room and knocking on his.

As the door had opened he had looked tired, a smile lighting his sensual lips.

“Mmmmmmm….you are a definite sight for sore eyes, pulling her into his arms for a kiss”

Grinning she had looked up at him with eyes full of fire

“Well it seemed wrong you getting all the sneaking around fun” his laugh rumbling against her mouth. Peeling her gently from him he had given a sorrowful look down at her

“I’m sorry Grace…I am washed out. Is it OK if we just sleep tonight?” Grace stepping back giving an awkward half-smile as she had felt so foolish, nervously touching her hair.

“S…sure…not a problem.I’m sleepy anyway” Alexos giving her a smile. As she had made to turn she had caught a whiff of perfume, and leaning in she had given him a small kiss on the cheek, her nose catching the unmistakable aroma of another woman’s fragrance, the pain of what it meant hitting her harder than she would have ever thought possible. She recognised the scent, the image of Angelica Fleur filling her mind as she had stiffly left the room, once more returning to her own.

She had not slept that night, staring unseeingly into the darkness. What a fool she had been. So he was still seeing her, the woman he loved, bitterness twisting her insides into a tight knot. Well she knew now and in another week she would be out of his life. The guilt she had felt for the past six years left her with the realisation that she had been right, right to leave him. He truly was like her father, a womaniser and deceiver.

As the hazy half-light of dawn had broken the darkness she had finally given up on sleep, showering and dressing before sneaking out of the villa. Walking to one area she had been shown the previous day, she had sat on the cool grass. The hillside had opened up to reveal the beauty of the land below, as Grace allowed the serenity of the scenery to wash over her in wave upon wave of soothing calm. She had not known how long she sat there, her mind blank as she had watched the way the sun had brought the colour back to the land.

The ringing of her mobile phone had broken the reverie as she had pulled the device from her pocket

“Where the hell are you?” the voice of Alexos had sounded concerned, Grace fighting the desire to scream at him that she knew where he had been, as her fingers had clutched the device tightly, keeping her voice calm.

“I woke early…thought I would just go for a walk”. On the other end of the line he had sighed softly, his still sleepy voice becoming more sensual.

“Why didn’t you walk by here, wake me up gently” Grace gritting her teeth.

“You were tired…I thought you needed the lie in” Alexos chuckling “Mmmm that is not what I needed, and I’m guessing it is too late now”

As she had signed off agreeing to return to the house her mouth had been clenched tightly. The man was unbelievable. He had spent yesterday in the arms of his mistress and still expected her the next day to perform the same duties. Grace felt dirty, used, as she had slowly made her way back.

By now the house was bustling with morning activity, as the staff had moved around cleaning and preparing breakfast for the family, Grace met at the door by Alexos. Looking more rested, he had pulled her into his arms dropping a kiss on her soft lips.

“Good morning Cara” his soft murmur against her mouth as she had held herself stiffly trying so unsuccessfully to relax and not show her hurt.

“What is wrong?” his eyes had delved deeply into hers, taking in her pallor, the strained expression on her face, his frowning with concern.

“Are you OK?” Grace giving a half-smile as she had ran her hand along her forehead “Just a headache. I thought that a walk would clear it … but …”

Moving his arms around her shoulder he had kissed her head softly. “Well…I have organised for the helicopter to pick us up after breakfast…so when we get home you can go straight back to bed”

With a wavering smile she had nodded against him “Yes…I think that would be for the best”

Through breakfast that morning she had been quieter, Nikoli looked at her with surprise smiling as she had informed him that she had enjoyed staying at his home, the older man patting her hand affectionately.

“You will always be welcome here Grace, always”

After their meal the helicopter had arrived as planned, and with hugs all round the two had once more found themselves speeding their way back to the island, Grace able to escape from him for the rest of the day as she had fled to their bedroom. To her surprise she had fallen into a deep sleep almost immediately, not moving again for nearly five hours. It was the soft movement beside her that had woken her, eyes blinking open as her befuddled mind had tried to figure out where it had come from, just as a hand had moved around her

“Feeling better?” Alexos’ soft voice had made Grace jump, rolling onto her back to find him looking down at her, a soft smile on his mouth.

“You really were tired” he had chuckled “Is your head better?” Grace nodding “Yeah…yeah it is”

About to speak he had murmured sensually “Good…because I have missed this”, his mouth taking hers and silencing her. With a groan her arms had flown around his neck pulling him in harder as the flames had consumed her.

As they had lain in each others’ arms she had felt so confused. Why had she let him do this to her again - let him use her body knowing that that was all it was to him. Some casual sex with a fill-in fiancée until the one he really wanted was finally free, the knowledge sending a stabbing pain through her.

“Penny for them” His voice had pulled her from her thoughts as she had looked up at him giving a shaky smile “Not sure they are worth even that”

Alexos had given a soft frown as he had turned her onto her back looking down at her

“I want to know everything that is going on inside that beautiful head of yours” he had murmured softly, his fingers brushing a stray hair from her cheek, this simple action sending all new signals through her, biting her lip with indecision she had looked up at him, the truth rising to her lips as her phone had once more begun to ring.

Alexos had watched as she had seemed on the verge of telling him something, something important he could tell, the sigh as her phone had rang ending it as she had rolled over to retrieve the device. As she had listened, her body had stiffened, Grace sitting up quickly, her face full of concern as she had looked over at him

“What…what is wrong?” a frown on his face as her eyes had closed in pain.

“Mum whatever it is…it is not worth putting up with all that…please you have to let me come and get you”

Grace once more went quiet as the woman on the other end of the phone had talked.

“Please meet me…we can talk about it” more silence, relief on her face as she had nodded to something the other person had said, her eyes looking over at Alexos.

“Tonight?” her eyes questioning as he had nodded, lifting his phone and once more calling back the helicopter.

Ringing off she had leapt from the bed, pacing naked backwards and forwards her hands wringing by her side “My mother told my father that she was leaving him”

Alexos watching her carefully

“He told her that if she does then he is going to reveal something, something that she seems terrified of. He also said that he will cut her off without a penny”

Stopping she had fixed him with a look so full of pain “He is blackmailing her to stay”

Her eyes filled up with tears as she had looked heavenwards a flash of anger running through her before she had looked back at him her lips curling with contempt.

“Seems to run in our family doesn’t it……..manipulated by men through the use of blackmail”

Alexos had felt the guilt hit him hard, as speechlessly he had held her look “Is she going to leave him?” his question making Grace groan softly

“She says that she needs to talk to me before she can think about it. I promised her that I would meet her on the mainland - the two of them are still there”

Nodding softly he had risen “The helicopter is coming back for us in two hours. Enough time for a shower and dinner”

As she had made to turn down food he had taken her hand in his leading her into the bathroom

“No dinner, no helicopter” Grace closing her mouth at the insistence of his tone, part of her knowing that having eaten nothing all day she was indeed hungry and would need the strength for the talk with her mother.

Her mother was pale and tired the first thoughts that had crossed Grace’s mind as she had moved into the foyer of the exclusive hotel. Scanning the room for any sign of her father she had quickly joined the woman sitting so small and alone on the large couch, she standing to hug her daughter closely, tears coming to the older woman’s eyes.

“Oh Grace…this is such a mess…I’m so sorry to drag you into this”

Sitting down she had held her mother’s hands, looking resolutely into her eyes.

“Don’t be…I am glad that you are including me” a small smile lighting her lips “I have missed you so much mum”

The sob from the other woman had tugged at Grace as she had whispered for her not to cry, her mother normally so staunch as she had put up with all she had from her husband, always seeming to rise above his petty comments and jibes.

However, now she seemed to be falling apart, Grace moving closer and placing a comforting arm around her shoulders “Whatever it is mum…I promise that we can deal with it together”

Her mother had raised her head, anguish on her lovely face “You don’t understand Grace…the secret he is prepared to make public is about you”

The surprise on her face had been hard to ignore as she had given another grin. “I don’t think that there is much that he can say about me that isn’t already public knowledge”, squeezing her mother’s hand, her look becoming concerned as the other woman had given another sob looking away

“Oh Grace…I don’t know what to do…if I leave him…it will be hard for you too”

Shaking her head firmly she had given a reassuring smile. “There is nothing that can be so bad that you have to put up with him”

For a few moments her mother had sat in silence, a myriad of emotions running through her expressive face before finally she had looked up at her daughter, her voice shaky “He is not your father Grace”

Grace’s eyes widened in shock, her mother looking away, pain on her face.

“When I was 19, I fell in love. He was everything you could ever hope for in a man. Kind, gentle, caring and I was lost, ready to do exactly what you did…run off and elope because my father thought him beneath our family”

Her voice had broken as sadness had filled her “One day there was an accident…and he was killed…it broke my heart”

Grace could hear the pain in her voice, even after all that time

“Then I found out I was pregnant and your father agreed to marry me, even though I was carrying another man’s child…I was so upset that I just let them push me into it…I didn’t love him, and I don’t think that he ever really loved me. Just wanted someone to produce his children”

Anger now in her tone “He always blamed me for not having his sons…but truth is that I don’t think that he could have children, so he blamed me and you for having no suitable heirs”

With tears winding unchecked down her face she had looked bleakly at Grace “I am so sorry Grace, can you ever forgive me?”

She however, had smiled, a wide happy smile as she had pulled her mother into her arms “He isn’t my father…Oh my God that is the best news I have heard in so long”

Pulling back, her mother had regarded her with confusion “But…don’t you see, people will know that you were not born in wedlock…you will be penalised for it…Alexos and his family will not see you as suitable”

Taking her mother’s hand once more in hers, she had smiled warmly

“Things have changed mother. People do not think that way anymore…and certainly not Alexos and his family; they don’t care where I came from…more what I have achieved”

Looking back at her daughter she had shaken her head sadly “No Grace…things have not changed as much as you think”

Lifting her hand to gently stroke her daughter’s cheek she had given a shaky smile “You are just not the kind to care….but his family will”

Another tear rising to her eyes “And it is all my fault”

With another shake of her head Grace had risen

“No…not your fault. My whole life you were the only person who ever looked after or gave a damn about me…and I love you mum…and now it is my turn to look after you. First you will need a lawyer and also a place to stay”

Standing with her daughter her mother had given another pained look

“There was another reason I did not leave him long ago Grace. When we married I was made to sign a pre-nup which meant that if I left, I left with nothing”

Frowning Grace had knitted her brows together before giving a smile

“Not to worry. I have been saving for a place for a long time. At least enough to put down a deposit on a decent place…I don’t need anywhere mum, I am travelling so much, but it would be nice if I had a base to come back to when I needed one”

Frowning, her mother had looked quizzically at her “What about you and Alexos…why would you need a base?”

Grace chastising herself for her words, putting a forced smile on her face “It would still be nice to come and spend time with you” her mother giving a small unsure smile back “No…I appreciate it …but I have to find a job and stand on my own feet Grace”