distance I’d needed to get my composure back after handing Andreos over to his grandmother lasted mere minutes before I sensed a presence beside me. It wasn’t as visceral and all-encompassing as Axios’s, but it demanded attention nevertheless.
I glanced up to find Neo Xenakis standing before me.
‘I never quite got the chance to welcome you into the family last year.’ His tone was measured, his eyes just as probing as his brother’s.
‘I guess the circumstances weren’t exactly…conducive,’ I replied.
‘Ochi, they weren’t. But your disappearing act didn’t help matters, I expect?’
I stiffened. ‘I had my reasons,’ I replied.
Without answering, he dropped his gaze to the contents of the crystal tumbler he clutched. ‘Whatever they were, I hope it was worth keeping a father from his child?’
Again his tone was more appraising than censorious, as if he was attempting to understand my motives. Again my guilt resurfaced. And this time brushing it away wasn’t easy.
Before I could formulate a response, a deeper and more visceral voice asked, ‘Is everything all right?’
For me not to have sensed his arrival spoke volumes of the kind of magnetism the Xenakis men possessed. And now Axios had arrived next to me the force of their presence had doubled. Their sole focus was on me, but one set of grey eyes was vastly more potent than the other, sending my composure into free fall.
I took a long, steadying breath to reply, ‘We’re fine.’
Axios’s gaze slid from mine to his brother, a clear question in his eyes.
Neo’s expression clouded for a moment, then he shrugged. ‘Like your wife said, we’re fine. No need to go Neanderthal on me.’
Before either of us could enquire what he meant, he excused himself and struck out for the large gazebo on the south side of the garden, currently decked out with fairy lights and free of guests.
‘Is he okay?’ I felt compelled to ask.
Axios’s gaze stayed on him long enough to see his brother lift a phone to his ear before he turned to me. ‘His issues aren’t mine to disclose, but Neo is touchy on the subject of babies. Like the rest of the family, news about his nephew’s existence surprised him. But, since Andreos is single-handedly winning everyone over, I suspect the circumstances of his arrival will be forgiven soon.’
Had he deliberately excluded himself from that statement? Unwilling for him to see the bite of anguish that distinction brought, I turned my gaze to where the majority of the Xenakis clan had now gathered, choosing to see the bright side.
Andreos was indeed holding centre stage, tucked into his favourite blanket and nestled lovingly within his grandmother’s arms. The absolute devotion on the older woman’s face eased my heartache, but in the next moment the sudden thought that my own mother hadn’t met my son hit me with tornado-strength force.
‘What is it?’ Axios asked, the eyes that hadn’t left my face since his brother’s disappearance narrowing.
The fleeting thought to shrug off his question came and went, and I couldn’t help the small shaft of pain that came with it. ‘My parents haven’t met him yet.’
His face tightened, the mention of Yiannis Petras drawing a reaction I would have preferred to leave out of the already fraught atmosphere. I held my breath, ready to fight my corner.
‘We can arrange a visit for your mother later…if you wish?’
Surprised by that response, I blinked. ‘I do. Thank you.’
After another minute of assessing scrutiny he nodded. ‘Whatever your reasons for fleeing Agistros, I accept that I could’ve handled our last meeting a little better,’ he said, his voice a deep rasp.
My lips were parted in shock when another wave of Xenakises wandered over. Axios’s droll look and almost-smile told me he’d seen my shock at his apology.
I managed to get my emotions under control beneath his family’s probing glances, watching their silent musing as to what had transpired with Axios’s stray wife. I was grateful for their circumspection because, as baptisms of fire went, it could have been worse.
It was with far more trepidation that I contemplated my extensive closet three hours after everyone had disappeared into their various guest rooms and private homes to get ready for the main event. The knock on the door barely snagged my attention. Absent-mindedly I responded, my fingers toying with the tie of my bathrobe as I contemplated the stunning array of clothes.
‘As much as you seem to enjoy simply staring at them, you do actually have to pick an outfit to wear for the party, you know?’ Ax drawled, his deep tone more amused than I’d ever heard him.
I jumped and turned around, barely able to hold back a gasp at the sight of him, standing a few feet away, wearing half of a bespoke tuxedo. His pristine snow-white shirt was half buttoned, but neatly tucked into his tailored trousers, and his bowtie was strung around his neck.
The intimate knowledge of what resided beneath his clothes dried my mouth as I stared, slack-jawed, several superlatives crowding my brain.
Debonair. Breathtaking. Insanely gorgeous.
Slowly the silence thickened and he raised one sleek eyebrow. ‘Can I help with anything?’
The hand I waved over my shoulder at the closet was irritatingly fluttery. ‘I can’t decide what to wear. Meeting your family was one thing… This is a different ballgame.’
His gaze travelled from the top of my hair, which still held its earlier style, thanks to the expertise of the stylist, then lingered at the belt holding my robe closed, before moving to my bare feet. Each spot his eyes touched triggered fiery awareness.
‘You handled my family admirably and won them over with Andreos. Even Neo—and he’s a handful at the best of times,’ he added dryly. ‘You’ll excel just as well tonight.’
The deeply spoken reassurance made my heart lurch. To hide its effect I scrambled for something else to concentrate on, and spotted his dangling sleeves and the cufflinks in his hand.
‘Do you need help with those?’ I asked, even though assisting him would involve stepping closer, breathing in the intoxicating scent that clung to him and never failed to send my senses haywire.
He held out his arms. ‘If you wouldn’t mind?’
Breath held, in the hope that it would mitigate the erotic chaos stirring to life inside me, I reached for the two halves of his shirtsleeve in one hand and held out the other for the cufflinks. The tips of his fingers brushed my palm as he handed them over, and every inch of my skin responded as if set alight.
Intensely aware that my nipples were hardening, and that a pulse had started throbbing between my thighs, I hurried to finish my task, my own fingers brushing the inside of his wrist in the process.
Axios inhaled sharply, an incoherent sound rumbling from his chest.
Could
