Illicit Night with the Greek - Page 39

“I will make the time,” he promised.

Jodie scoffed at that statement. “I’ve heard all the excuses before. My mother was obsessed with work just like you. Any family commitments were the first to be broken.”

He leaned down, holding her gaze with his. “You need to give me a chance,” he insisted in a low, urgent tone.

She knew he was right. It was only fair. He might prove to be an excellent father. The man protected his family and demonstrated loyalty, responsibility and care. He would extend that to his child.

But what about her? Was that why she was afraid to give him a chance? She knew she was being selfish but it was a genuine concern. What if she started to rely on him and he failed her? What if he got bored with the idea of being a father after she made room in her life for him?

She had to take the risk. Her heart beat loudly against her chest wall. She had been pushing people away before they had a chance to discard her. She had to give Stergios a chance. She wanted her baby to have a father he could rely on. That had to start now.

“Okay, Stergios. I will stay in Greece. Just until the baby is born,” she added.

Her stomach twisted when she saw the triumph gleam in his eyes before he quickly banked it. The man who promised to care for her and for her baby might be her greatest protector. So why did her instincts tell her that she’d just stepped into a trap?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

JODIE WAS UNNATURALLY silent when they returned to the Antoniou estate later that day. She was deep in thought when he helped her out of her winter coat. He noticed that her brown printed dress and low heels mirrored her subdued nature.

“Is my mother here?” he asked the butler as he gave him the coats.

“She and Kyrios Little are waiting for you in the salon.” The butler gave Jodie a commiserating look before he gave a small bow.

They walked into the entrance hall and Jodie hung back, her gaze locked onto the Christmas tree. “I think it would be best if I found my own place in Athens. It wouldn’t be right if I stay here.”

“They know, pethi mou.” Stergios curled his arm around her waist. He felt the shock reverberating inside her. “I have informed our parents that you are pregnant.”

“You didn’t have that right!” she whispered fiercely.

“I have every right.” Stergios forcefully bit out the words. “The child is mine.”

Jodie’s shoulders slumped. “Did you tell them that, as well?”

“Of course. I am not going to hide it.”

She closed her eyes as she rubbed her fingertips against her forehead. Jodie appeared pale and Stergios wondered if she should have stayed in the hospital for one more day.

“I can’t walk in there,” she confessed. “It’s going to be a feeding frenzy.”

“I won’t let that happen,” Stergios said as he guided her with his hand splayed possessively against the curve of her hip. “I will take the brunt of it.”

“I don’t want that, either,” she explained. “And you don’t have to worry about me. I’m not going to break into pieces because someone thinks I’m a whore.”

His mouth pinched. “Don’t say that.”

“Why?” she asked, walking stiffly to the salon. “You used that word to describe me.”

He had and he was not proud of it. “You wanted me to think you were when you made claims of another man, but that is no excuse. I shouldn’t have and I won’t let anyone else treat you with disrespect.”

Jodie pressed her lips together but she didn’t argue. “Tell me what I should expect before I walk into the lion’s den. How did your mother take the news?” She gave him a knowing look when he hesitated. “You can tell me the truth.”

No, he couldn’t. Stergios needed to protect Jodie from the vitriol that had spewed from his mother’s mouth. “She wants a paternity test as soon as possible.”

Jodie nodded. She paused and frowned, her forehead wrinkling. “Why haven’t you required it?”

He didn’t know why that hadn’t been his first priority. It was unlike him. He knew not to trust people until he had absolute proof. Why had he automatically accepted that this child was his when Jodie had lied to him in the past? “The timing fits.”

“I know what kind of reputation I have around here but—”

He stopped and cornered her against the carved limestone wall. “Don’t.”

Jodie straightened to her full height and jutted her chin out. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t remind me.” Stergios curled his finger under her chin and brushed the pad of his thumb against her red lips as if he could wipe away the touch of the other men in her past.

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