He sensed Jodie’s tension soar. Did she think he was going to change his mind? Abandon her and their child? “I no longer have plans to marry Aleka,” Stergios announced.
Mairi blanched at the news. “Of course you are,” she replied in a brittle voice. “Stergios, think of your duty.”
“I am.” He placed his hand on Jodie’s shoulder. “My duty is to Jodie and our child.”
Jodie shifted uncomfortably as the room went silent. She seemed fascinated by the faded rug at her feet, but he knew she was not oblivious to the looks of condemnation.
“This merger must happen,” Mairi said as she pulled her attention back onto Stergios. “It will give us unlimited power and influence. We are at the final stages of the agreement. There’s no turning back.”
“Plans change,” Stergios said. He was not going to apologize for this decision. He turned to his stepfather. “And, Gregory, I ask for permission to marry your daughter.”
Jodie gasped and twisted around to face him. “Stergios!”
He didn’t look at Jodie. He watched Gregory squirm as the panic lit his eyes. He didn’t need the man’s approval, but had been curious to see how his stepfather would respond. The man would not support Stergios’s plans of marriage, but neither would he interfere.
Jodie bolted from her seat and pointed accusingly at him. “We have discussed this and I am not marrying you.”
“Oh, thank God,” his mother muttered with relief.
Stergios saw Jodie turn pale and she wobbled on her feet. “Excuse me,” she said, reaching for him. “I’m not feeling well.”
He was at her side and silently encouraged her to lean against him. “What’s wrong?”
“I stood up too fast.” Jodie closed her eyes. “I’m just going to go lie down.”
Stergios lifted her in his arms. She felt delicate against him. When Jodie rested her head against his shoulder and sighed, her display of trust and acceptance nearly undid him. He strode out of the salon, ignoring Gregory’s blustering and Mairi’s cold silence.
“Put me down, Stergios,” she ordered when he stepped into the entrance hall. She winced when she saw the butler carrying the coffee service. The older man stopped to gawk at them. “I don’t need for us to make a scene.”
“Are you really feeling ill?” he asked.
“Why would I lie?”
He held her closer as he carried her up the grand staircase. “To save your father from making a choice.”
She looked surprised by his insight. “That’s why I interrupted. And you shouldn’t have asked him that. What happened to the united front you wanted? Anyway, it doesn’t matter what my father would have said. We are not getting married.”
“Hush,” he said gently as he reached the second floor and turned to the right. “You’re unwell. You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“I am pregnant, not an invalid. Just because I disagree with you does not make my opinion unsound.” Jodie glanced around the hallway. “Where are you taking me?”
“To my room. It’s closer.”
* * *
Stergios’s suite of rooms was not what she had expected. The colors of sand and stone from the sitting room were a blur as he carried her to the adjoining bedroom. The furniture’s strong lines and natural wood reminded her of his island getaway. It was nothing like the formality of the rest of the house.
He carefully placed her onto his bed and her pulse skipped a beat. She shouldn’t be alone with Stergios. She wouldn’t be able to keep her hands off him and it would give him the wrong idea. He would think she was ready to reestablish their relationship.
That couldn’t happen. She still wasn’t able to give him the life he wanted and he... Her thoughts faded as she watched him remove her shoes. She was so much in love with Stergios that it hurt but he would never love her back. She couldn’t take the risk of believing that one day he would reciprocate her feelings.
“I’m going to have your things moved in here,” Stergios said as he sat on the edge of the bed.
She bolted up into a sitting position. “Have you lost your mind?” The room tilted and she groaned.
“Lie down.” He grasped her shoulders and lowered her onto the mattress.
“I’m serious, Stergios,” she said as she laid her head on the pillow. “I am not sharing a room with you. I will find a place of my own. In the meantime, I will stay in a hotel.”
“Wherever you go, I go.”
She peeked at him from under her lashes. When she saw his determined look and the clench of his jaw she knew she had a battle on her hands. “I said I would stay in Greece. I didn’t say I would stay with you.”