The Greek Billionaire's Innocent Princess (8 page)

She should never have lied to him, she thought desperately. But when she had met him at the

ball and allowed him to think she was a servant she’d had no idea that they would be lovers

before the night was out. The enormity of what she had done struck her with the force of a tidal

wave and she held her hand against her mouth to hold back her cry of despair. She had to go

now, before Nikos woke up.

Heart racing, she scrambled to her feet and groped for her glasses. Nikos had placed her clothes

on a rock and she quickly slipped off his jacket and folded it neatly next to him before she

dragged her dress over her head, not daring to waste precious time fumbling with her underwear.

She realised that her shoes must still be down by the shore, but Nikos could stir at any minute,

and so she ran barefoot to the back of the cave, out through the narrow hole in the rocks and up

the path leading back to the palace. Heart pounding, she fled through the dark, thankful that she

knew every twist and turn and half expecting to hear Nikos coming after her. But there was no

sound of his footfall and she flew across the garden and into the palace through the now empty

kitchens.

The party was over and the guests had gone. The caterers had left, and the palace staff had all

retired for the night. No one saw her on her way up to her bedroom but her heart felt as though it

would burst when she locked her door and staggered over to the mirror to stare at the reflection

of the woman she barely recognised as herself, with her swollen mouth and her hair tumbling in

wild disarray over her shoulders.

What had she done?
She must have been out of her mind. Nikos had invited her to drink

champagne with him but she’d barely had a sip and couldn’t blame alcohol for her appalling

behaviour. Kitty buried her face in her hands, as if she could somehow blot out the memories of

the wild passion she had shared with Nikos in the cave. God knew what he must think of her. But

it couldn’t be any worse than her opinion of herself. She was just thankful she was never likely

to see him again. She could never risk him discovering her true identity. It was far better that he

believed he’d had a one-night stand with a lowly domestic assistant called Rina—and for her to

forget she had ever met him.

IN THEdays following the royal ball Kitty did her best to banish Nikos from her mind—but

failed hopelessly. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his face, and at night she dreamed she

was in his arms, their bodies intimately entwined.

Sexual frustration was a new and unwelcome experience, but soon another reason kept her

awake until the early hours. Her period was late— and she had always been as regular as

clockwork. As the days passed with no sign that would put her mind at rest she acknowledged

that it was no good trying to ignore her fears. But buying a pregnancy-test kit was no simple task

for a member of the ruling family of Aristo. She was one of the lesser-known royals, but she

couldn’t just waltz into a chemist and brazenly buy a kit.

Eventually she drove into the centre of Ellos, Aristo’s thriving capital city, and, hiding behind

large sunglasses and an oversized sunhat, bought a kit from a busy outlet before swiftly leaving

the shop, terrified that someone had recognised her. The test result was horribly predictable, and

at the same time utterly shocking, and two weeks after the royal ball she stood in her bathroom

and stared numbly at the blue line that had appeared on the pregnancy kit, wondering if the

churning sensation in her stomach was caused by fear, or whether it was the first physical

indication that she was expecting Nikos’s baby. How could it be possible? she thought

despairingly. Nikos had used protection. She felt as though she were caught in a nightmare from

which there was no escape, and she wanted to bury her head under the duvet and wait for

morning to come. But this wasn’t a bad dream, this was real, and she had to face the fact that she

was an unmarried, pregnant princess.

She was still in a state of shocked disbelief when Sebastian found her in the library later that

morning. ‘Ah, there you are, Kitty.’ He stared at her closely. ‘Are you okay? You’ve been

looking pale for the past few days and Mama is concerned about you.’

‘I’m fine,’ Kitty said quickly. She swung away from Sebastian’s sharp glance but not before

he’d glimpsed the sheen of tears in her eyes.

‘Hey, Kitty-Kat, what’s the matter?’

‘Nothing.’ Her brother’s gentle concern and his use of her childhood nickname tore at Kitty’s

frayed emotions, and she dropped her head in her hands, great sobs racking her as the dam

holding back her fears burst.

‘
Kitty!
What the hell is it?’ Sebastian’s voice was harsh with anxiety as he walked round the desk and put his arm around her shoulders. ‘Come on, you can tell me. Whatever it is it can’t be
that

bad,’ he coaxed softly. ‘And you know I’ll always help you.’

Sebastian had always been her protector, but even he couldn’t sort out this problem. There was

no way of lessening the impact of her announcement so she said starkly, ‘I’m pregnant.’

For a few seconds the silent library seemed to echo with Sebastian’s shock before he exploded

into speech. ‘
What
? What do you mean?’ he demanded, staring at her as if she had suddenly

grown another head. ‘I don’t understand.’

For some reason his stunned incomprehension caused the truth to finally sink into Kitty’s brain

and she took a deep, shuddering breath. ‘It’s quite simple. I’m going to have a baby.’

Once again Sebastian was rendered speechless, but finally he straightened up, his jaw rigid as he

asked with deadly softness, ‘Whose baby?’

Nikos’s arrogantly handsome face filtered into Kitty’s mind. ‘I can’t tell you that,’ she

whispered miserably.

‘Don’t be ridiculous—’ Sebastian broke off and frowned. ‘Are you saying you
don’t
know? That

the father could be one of several partners?
Theos
, Kitty, do you have a whole secret life that I know nothing about?’

‘
No
…of course not,’ she cried, more tears falling at the flare of disappointment in Sebastian’s eyes. ‘I know who the baby’s father is—it could only be one person,’ she said thickly. ‘But it

was an accident, a mistake and he…he won’t be pleased. I’ve decided not to tell him.’

‘I don’t give a damn if he’s pleased or not,’ Sebastian growled, swinging away from her and

raking his hand through his hair. ‘It’s you I’m concerned about. Kitty…’ He broke off and closed

his eyes briefly at the sight of her tear-streaked face. ‘You are a royal princess of the House of

Karedes. You are fourth in line to the throne, and you cannot be a single mother.’

Kitty bit her lip. It was no wonder Sebastian looked devastated. On the night of the ball Vasilis

Sarondakos had taunted her that the royal family could not afford to be tainted by another

scandal. No member of the ruling family of Aristo had ever given birth to an illegitimate child,

and the implications could rock the House of Karedes to its foundations.

But her choices were limited; in fact they were non-existent. She was pregnant, and
not
having her baby was absolutely not a consideration. Involving Nikos was another matter. He was

Sebastian’s closest friend, she thought despairingly, her heart cracking at her brother’s shattered

expression. How much worse would Sebastian feel if she revealed that she had been seduced by

a man he trusted implicitly?

And she had lied to Nikos. She had allowed him to believe she was a waitress called Rina. How

would he react if she revealed that, not only was she a royal princess, but that during their brief, sexual pairing she had conceived his child?

If you’re harbouring any romantic illusionsabout me, then I suggest you forget them fast,
he’d warned her immediately after he’d made love to her.
I value my freedom above everything
.

This was her problem and she would have to deal with it alone. She would have to retire from

public duties and live quietly somewhere away from the palace. Financially she had the security

of an annuity from her father, and when her child was older her qualifications would hopefully

enable her to resume her career as a researcher at the museum. She took a deep breath and felt a

sense of calm replace her earlier panic. Everything would be okay; she would cope. But she had

no intention of ever revealing the identity of her baby’s father—even to her family.

‘Sebastian, I’m sorry but I can’t tell you.’ Kitty jumped to her feet and the colour drained from

her face as a wave of dizziness swept over her. ‘You’ll have to excuse me. I’m not feeling very

well,’ she muttered as she hurried towards the door.

‘What about Mama?’ Sebastian’s voice stopped her. ‘She’ll have to be told about this—and

coming so soon after Papa’s death it will break her heart.
Theos
, Kitty, what a mess,’ he muttered grimly.

His stark words filled Kitty with guilt and shame. ‘I will speak to Mama and the rest of the

family. Just give me a few days to…to come to terms with things myself. Please, Seb.’

Sebastian hesitated, his gaze locked with her tear-filled eyes, and then he nodded abruptly. ‘But

if I ever find out who the father is, I swear I’ll tear him limb from limb,’ he vowed savagely.

‘You deserve better than this, Kitty.’

A week later Kitty stood on the palace balcony, waving to the crowds who had gathered for the

Day of Independence celebration that marked the day the Adamas Islands had gained

independence from British rule. Queen Tia, still consumed with grief for her husband, had a

chest infection and had been advised by her doctors not to attend. Prince Alex and his wife Maria

were in America, and Prince Andreas was with his new wife Holly in her native Australia. Liss

had other royal duties elsewhere to deal with and so Kitty had assured Sebastian that she would

act as his consort— aware that once she was a single mother she would no longer appear at state

occasions.

Saturday was a beautiful June day typical of early summer in Aristo. Warm sunshine bathed the

crowds who had followed the carnival procession through the streets, and as they flocked into the

palace courtyard Kitty smiled and tried to ignore the discomfort of her heavy silk state gown and

the ornate diamond tiara on her brow that had given her a headache.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a huge crowd of well-wishers. Hundreds of people have come

to show their support for you, Sebastian,’ she commented as she stepped off the balcony, into the

drawing room, peeling off her white gloves as she walked and handing them to a footman. Her

brother was chatting with a guest but at the sound of her voice he swung round—and as Kitty

caught sight of his companion her heart stopped beating. If was as if someone had pressed the

mute button. The voices of the people around her faded, and she was conscious of the fractured

sound of her breathing and a peculiar rushing sound in her ears.

‘Nikos, I don’t think you actually met my sister at the ball a few weeks ago. This is Princess

Katarina…’ Sebastian fell silent, plainly bemused by Nikos Angelaki’s coldly furious expression

and Kitty’s sudden pallor. The tense silence between them caused a ripple to run through the

room, and Kitty felt the curious stares of the assembled guests, but her wide, shocked eyes were

locked on Nikos’s face.

He was the first to speak. ‘Oh, we met, my friend,’ he drawled in an icy tone that sent a shiver

down Kitty’s spine. His eyes narrowed, and Kitty could feel the aggression that emanated from

him. ‘But it seems that Princess Katarina likes to play games, and regrettably she neglected to

properly introduce herself—didn’t you,
Rina?
’

Shock surged like a foaming torrent through Nikos’s blood, and with it a black rage that

threatened to choke him. The woman who had come in from the balcony and was staring at him

fearfully was instantly recognisable when she had spent the past three weeks lodged in his

brain—and yet, dressed in her royal robes and tiara, she was someone he did not know.

She had lied to him that night on the beach. How she had lied! He closed his eyes briefly and

tried to get a grip on the savage anger that made him want to shake her and demand an

explanation as to
why
she had pretended to be a servant, instead of telling him at the start that she was Princess Katarina Karedes.

Had she found the pretence amusing? Fury burned corrosively in his gut. And why the
hell
had

she slept with him? Not slept, he corrected himself grimly. She hadn’t slept in his arms, she’d

had sex with him—and even then she had lied by omission when she had failed to warn him she

was a virgin. But he had slept. Overcome with exhaustion, and physically sated after making

love to her, he had felt more relaxed than he had done in years and had been unable to fight the

tiredness that had settled on him. When he had stirred again he’d discovered that an hour had

passed, and Rina had disappeared.

Memories of the wild passion they had shared filled his mind. And another memory, of the

private conversation he’d had with Sebastian when he had first arrived at the palace today,

caused his heart to crash in his chest. Sebastian had been tense and grim-faced, and at first Nikos