anything Darius was even more in love with her now than he had been three weeks ago.
‘Here we go,’ Xander murmured as the lights dimmed and the curtain began to rise.
* * *
Andy’s heart was beating wildly in her chest as the curtains lifted in front of where she stood poised in the centre of the stage, the opening bars of the music beginning to play softly, the audience falling expectantly silent.
Andy froze as she looked out at that sea of faces, her heart now pounding loudly, a buzzing in her ears, her stomach churning as she wondered if she was going to be able to do this, after all.
And then she looked up into the box, where she knew Darius was sitting with their families, a calm falling over her as she saw his love for her glowing in his face.
Love and pride.
The same love and pride Darius could see shining for him in Miranda’s expression before her shoulders straightened and she began to dance. For him. Only for him. She was a delicate white swan, flying nimble and free across the stage, every movement graceful and perfect.
His Miranda...
* * * * *
Read on for an extract from PLAYING BY THE GREEK’S RULES by Sarah Morgan.
CHAPTER ONE
LILY PULLED HER HAT down to shade her eyes from the burn of the hot Greek sun and took a large gulp from her water bottle. ‘Never again.’ She sat down on the parched, sunbaked earth and watched as her friend carefully brushed away dirt and soil from a small, carefully marked section of the trench. ‘If I ever, ever mention the word “love” to you, I want you to bury me somewhere in this archaeological site and never dig me up again.’
‘There is an underground burial chamber. I could dump you in there if you like.’
‘Great idea. Stick a sign in the ground. “Here lies Lily, who wasted years of her life studying the origin, evolution and behaviour of humans and still couldn’t understand men”.’ She gazed across the ruins of the ancient city of Aptera to the sea beyond. They were high on a plateau. Behind them, the jagged beauty of the White Mountains shimmered in the heat and in front lay the sparkling blue of the Sea of Crete. The beauty of it usually lifted her mood, but not today.
Brittany sat up and wiped her brow with her forearm. ‘Stop beating yourself up. The guy is a lying, cheating rat bastard.’ Reaching for her backpack, she glanced across the site to the group of men who were deep in conversation. ‘Fortunately for all of us he’s flying back to London tomorrow to his wife. And all I can say to that is, God help the woman.’
Lily covered her face with her hands. ‘Don’t say the word “wife”. I am a terrible person.’
‘Hey!’ Brittany’s voice was sharp. ‘He told you he was single. He lied. The responsibility is all his. After tomorrow you won’t have to see him again and I won’t have to struggle not to kill him.’
‘What if she finds out and ends their marriage?’
‘Then she might have the chance of a decent life with someone who respects her. Forget him, Lily.’
How could she forget when she couldn’t stop going over and over it in her head?
Had there been signs she’d missed?
Had she asked the wrong questions?
Was she so desperate to find someone special that she’d ignored obvious signs?
‘I was planning our future. We were going to spend August touring the Greek Islands. That was before he pulled out a family photo from his wallet instead of his credit card. Three little kids wrapped around their dad like bindweed. He should have been taking them on holiday, not me! I can’t bear it. How could I have made such an appalling error of judgement? That is a line I never cross. Family is sacrosanct to me. If you asked me to pick between family and money, I’d pick family every time.’ It crossed her mind that right now she had neither. No money. No family. ‘I don’t know which is worse—the fact that he clearly didn’t know me at all, or the fact that when I checked him against my list he was perfect.’
‘You have a list?’
Lily felt herself grow pink. ‘It’s my attempt to be objective. I have a really strong desire for permanent roots. Family.’ She thought about the emotional wasteland of her past and felt a sense of failure. Was the future going to look the same way? ‘When you want something badly it can distort your decision-making process, so I’ve put in some layers of protection for myself. I know the basic qualities I need in a man to be happy. I never date anyone who doesn’t score highly on my three points.’
Brittany looked intrigued. ‘Big wallet, big shoulders and big—’
‘No! And you are appalling.’ Despite her misery, Lily laughed. ‘First, he has to be affectionate. I’m not interested in a man who can’t show his feelings. Second, he has to be honest, but short of getting him to take a lie detector test I don’t know how to check that one. I thought Professor Ashurst was honest. I’m never calling him David again, by the way.’ She allowed herself one glance at the visiting archaeologist who had dazzled her during their short, ill-fated relationship. ‘You’re right. He’s a rat pig.’
‘I didn’t call him a rat pig. I called him a rat b—’
‘I know what you called him. I never use that word.’
‘You should. It’s surprisingly therapeutic. But we shouldn’t be wasting this much time talking about him. Professor Asshat is history, like this stuff we’re digging up.’
‘I can’t believe you called him that.’
‘You should be calling him far worse. What’s the third thing on your list?’
‘I want a man with strong family values. He has to want a family. But not several different families at the same time. Now I know why he gave off all those signals about being a family man. Because he already was a family man.’ Lily descended into gloom. ‘My checklist is seriously flawed.’
‘Not necessarily. You need a more reliable test for honesty and you should maybe add “single” to your list, that’s all. You need to chill. Stop looking for a relationship and have some fun. Keep it casual.’
‘You’re talking about sex? That doesn’t work for me.’ Lily took another sip of water. ‘I have to be in love with a guy to sleep with him. The two are welded together for me. How about you?’
‘No. Sex is sex. Love is love. One is fun and the other is to be avoided at all costs.’
‘I don’t think like that. There is something wrong with me.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s not a crime to want a relationship. It just means you get your heart broken more than the average person.’ Brittany pushed her hat back from her face. ‘I can’t believe how hot it is. It’s not even ten o’clock and already I’m boiling like a lobster.’
‘And you know all about lobsters,
