But every time he looked in the mirror, he was reminded of his father. Despite his achievements and milestones, nothing could cover up the fact that he was Elias Pagonis’s son.
Stergios stepped away from the window. He thrust his hands in his hair, but he didn’t feel the sting of his fingers dragging along his scalp. He had to fix this. Redeem himself. Find a way to erase his actions.
He glanced up at the sky and noticed how the trees swayed against the wind. There was no way they could leave the island tonight in this weather. And could he allow Jodie to attend the wedding? Was he willing to take that risk?
Stergios would consider the consequences later. Right now she was his obligation. He couldn’t let anything happen to her while she was here.
He strode out of the house, the door banging against the wall, and marched through the sand. Jodie’s eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of him. She scooped up her shoes as she struggled to stand up.
“You are so stubborn,” he called out over the roar of the storm.
She scurried back, poised to run. “Don’t talk to me! I’m furious with you.”
“Are you going to stay out here all night?” The wind whipped his hair as the cold sheet of rain stung his bare skin.
“Yes,” she spat out. “I’d rather catch pneumonia than be your prisoner.”
“You always pick the wrong choice,” he said in a growl as he rubbed the water from his eyes. “Instead of showing common sense, you have to make some dramatic statement.”
“This from a man who thought kidnapping was the only option.”
He had had enough. Stergios lunged forward and grabbed Jodie. She screamed as he gathered her in his arms. She fought for her release, kicking and slapping, demanding that he set her down.
“Keep that up and I’ll drop you,” he warned as he walked across the beach.
“Try it and I’ll take you down with me.”
He entered the house and walked through the living area, past the welcoming heat of the fire he had built in the fireplace. “There are two bedrooms,” he told her as he approached the door. “Mine is on the other side of the house. This one is yours. You can stay here for as long as you like.”
“I bet you’d like that,” Jodie said as she kicked wildly in the air. “You want me to hide in here. Stay out of the way so you can forget what you’ve done.”
He was finished with dramatic, impertinent women who brought nothing but disruption into his life. All he wanted was peace. A sense of security. Anything that blunted the tension inside him.
Stergios carefully set Jodie onto the floor. “Your bathroom is through there,” he said, nodding in the direction of one of the doors. “Your suitcase is in the closet.”
“That’s it?” She stood before him barefoot and in a sodden dress, but she didn’t appear small or vulnerable. “That’s all you have to say to me?”
He wiped the dripping water from his forehead with the back of his hand. “You do not want to know what is going through my mind right now.”
“Bringing me here was a mistake,” she said with a snarl. “You assumed I was a threat to the Antoniou-Volakis marriage and you thought you were so clever to keep me away. But the truth is I’m a threat to you. I’m the only person who’s cracked you. I see you—the real you.”
“You’re not so special,” he said as he stepped over the threshold. “You’re the only one who has yet to realize that you should be afraid of the real me.” He quietly closed the door behind him and strode away.
* * *
An hour later, Jodie wrenched open her bedroom door and entered the main room of the house. She could have stayed in the hot shower all night but the last thing she would do was hide in her room. As much as she wanted to avoid Stergios, she wasn’t going make herself invisible.
She tightened the belt around her robe, wishing she had something heavier than the ivory silk one that didn’t reach her knees. With any luck, Stergios would be in his room.
Jodie took a moment to look around. It wasn’t a surprise that Stergios’s island getaway was light, airy and luxurious. He had always surrounded himself with exquisite beauty.
There were large windows that offered a panoramic view of the ocean. The cathedral ceiling’s exposed rafters and the stone floors seemed to reflect the island environment. The modern fireplace in the center of the main room was a showpiece. She was tempted to curl up on one of the white couches and get warmed by the dying fire.
Jodie pressed her hand against her growling stomach and decided she needed to get something to eat first. She went in search for the kitchen and found that the large room was casual and inviting. Jodie skidded to a stop when she saw Stergios sitting at the kitchen table.