The Innocent's Surrender (29 page)

?He said that?? Natasha repeated numbly. ?Oh, God, how could he??

Alex grimaced. ?There was worse. He also added that what had happened to my father would be nothing by comparison. Letting me know that Papa?s car crash had been no accident, and that he had been deliberately driven off the road. Taunting me with it.?

Natasha pressed a hand to her trembling mouth. She said again, ?Oh, God??

?It was clear there was more to this than mere business rivalry,? Alex went on. ?So I showed my father the letter, and it was then that he confessed to me about his affair with Theodosia Papadimos, and told me there had been a child?a daughter he had never seen. And in telling me, he made it clear that you were lost to me forever. That no girl was worth such a risk, and I must forget you.?

He shook his head. ?I went a little crazy, I think. I could think only that he had robbed me of my one chance of happiness with the girl I loved. I told him that I hated him?that I would never forgive him.

?And he looked at me with tears in his eyes, and said, ?Do you think I shall ever forgive myself, Alexandros
mou
???

He paused. ?Since that time, Iorgos has been my shadow. It was only after Kyrios Papadimos died that I allowed myself to think of you again. To wonder. I knew that you had gone back to England, but had a nominal place on the Papadimos board. As your brothers were already experiencing commercial and financial difficulties, it seemed possible that I might see you again.

?When it was suggested that any deal between our organisations should be sealed by marriage, I felt as if I had been given the world. I wanted you so badly, I forgot to be cautious. I ordered an immediate refit of
Selene
for our honeymoon, and extended the work already being done at the house on Alyssos. I told myself we could spend our weekends there, at first, and extend our visits once our children came.

?I could think of nothing but the dream of my heart which was coming true at last. My dream of you, Natasha
mou
, my moonlight goddess.?

He paused, then added flatly, ?Then I received the second letter, and all dreaming stopped. I was destroyed?sick to my stomach. It was as if I?d lost you a second time, and this time it would be forever.

?I also knew by then that your brothers intended to renege on any deal made between us, so I was angry, as well as hurt. I thought of you naked by the pool, and decided to take the sexual favours you were offering, and enjoy them for as long as it suited me.

?Instead I found innocence, and, though I hated myself for what I had done, I could not let you go. And when I came to you that first night on
Selene
and found you waiting for me, all in white, I could only think of the adorable bride on our wedding night I had longed for. It was like coming home. As if an empty space in my life had been filled at last. So, what could I do but ask you to be my wife??

?But you didn?t say that.? Her voice shook. ?You just talked about?making amends, and the possibility I could be pregnant. And you told me later you didn?t want me or any of your other women to fall in love with you.?

His smile was wry. ?Self-protection,
pedhi mou
. I thought you hated me. Every time I tried to get close, you pushed me away. Even when we were so happy on the island, I thought it was just my lovemaking that you wanted, and not my love. And when you said that being with me had been unbearable, I almost gave up all hope.?

She said huskily, ?For three years, I remembered the way you?d looked at me. Thought of you, and dreamed too, but never knew why. I was so afraid that I would never be more to you than another willing body in bed. Just one more among so many. That?s what I couldn?t bear.?

?I am no saint,
matia mou,
? Alex said gently. ?But I can swear I have been more selective than you might think.?

He slipped off the sofa and knelt beside her. He said slowly, ?I was yours since that first night, Natasha, and you have always been mine. My woman, my wife and the only love of my heart. Now, and for all time.? His hands trembled as they closed round hers. The dark eyes pleaded. ?So, will you take me as your husband, my dearest one, and let us heal the hurt of the past??

?Alex,? she whispered. ?Oh, darling, I?ve been so unhappy without you. And I love you so much?more than you could ever believe.?

He got to his feet, pulling her up with him, holding her for one endless moment. He said softly, ?You will find I have infinite faith, my sweet one.? Then kissed her, his mouth warm and ineffably tender as it caressed hers.

At last he put her from him, sighing reluctantly. ?And now you must get dressed,
agapi mou
. I have promised Madame Papadimos that I would take you to her.?

She gasped. ?Thia Theodosia?s here in London??

?She is here to buy her wedding dress, and, if God was good, to help you choose yours too. Also to act as your chaperone,? he added pensively. ?She and my father are prepared to forgive my past behaviour with you, only on condition that I now behave with suitable restraint until our wedding night. So you will have your formal wooing after all,
agapi mou
.?

She stood up on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips, swiftly and mischievously. ?Formal, and very short, I hope, Kyrios Alexandros.?

He laughed. ?Shamefully brief, Kyria Natasha, I give you my word. And once I have you,? he added with sudden fierceness, ?I shall keep you safe forever.?

?I know,? she said, and her smile was misty. ?My dearest love?I know.?

ISBN: 978-1-4268-4986-2

THE INNOCENT?S SURRENDER

First North American Publication 2010.

Copyright ? 2009 by Sara Craven.

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