He stretched out his arm to stop her. “That is out of the question.”
“The baby will be born in Greece, I promise. You can trust me, Stergios.”
“Trust?” he spat out. “Unbelievable. Why should I trust you when you won’t give me the same courtesy?”
Her eyes went wide. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
“You hide how you feel because you don’t trust me. You don’t tell me what’s worrying you. Why? Do you think I can’t fix it?” His anger flashed at the possibility. “That I’m going to ignore your concerns?”
“You don’t share your concerns with me, either,” she pointed out.
Stergios scoffed. That was different. He was concealing information so she would be happy living here. “It is my job to protect you and the baby. Instead of letting me take care of it, you want to walk away.”
“That’s not how I see it. You are losing everything you worked hard for because of us. Because of me. And you choose not to tell me.”
“Because I didn’t want you to grab at the excuse and leave.” He gestured wildly as hard, cold fear settled in his stomach. “I am not going to lose you and the baby.”
Her shoulders sagged and she sat down on the bed. “Why does it matter if I stay?”
It mattered. Stergios raked his hand in his hair as he took a deep breath. He was already losing her. They didn’t share the same room or a bed. She was pushing him away and he couldn’t let that happen.
He had to make a compromise. It went against every instinct but he knew if he didn’t, Jodie would leave him. “I’m going to be wherever you are.” The words came out with great reluctance. “If you don’t want to stay in this house, then decide where we’re going to live.”
She was already shaking her head. “You can’t be away from your office. Not now, not when everyone is out for your blood.”
Stergios crouched down in front of her. He knew she had some place in mind but she was trying to talk herself out of it. “I will figure something out. Where, Jodie?”
“I want to go back to your home on the island.”
He went still. Stergios thought Jodie would associate his home with bad memories. It was where he had kidnapped her, where he had cast her out of his life. “Why there?”
“You’re right,” she muttered. “It wouldn’t work. That’s your island getaway. It’s not meant for everyday living. It doesn’t have a phone line.”
“Not anymore.” He grasped her hands in his. “After our weekend I made extensive updates on the house. It has the newest technology and a generator that works. But when I found out about the baby, I started making some more changes.”
Her face lit up. “Really? You’re making room for the baby?” She squeezed his hands. “I want to see. You have to take me there, Stergios. I want to go back to your home as soon as possible.”
“Our home,” he corrected. “And I’ll take you right now.”
* * *
Jodie felt a sense of peace once she arrived on the island hours later. She inhaled the scent of the ocean and listened to the rustling leaves. She hadn’t felt this calm in weeks. She had been tense and on guard while she was at the Antoniou house, but here she knew she could relax and settle in. Maybe even make this place the home she’d always wanted.
“We’re almost done with the renovations for this house,” Stergios said as he opened the door. “Don’t worry about the construction site that you saw when we flew in. It’s on the other side of the island. I’m having them build some cottages for the employees.”
“Employees?” she asked. It would feel different sharing this paradise with others.
“We will need a cook and a nanny in addition to the caretaker.”
Jodie bit her bottom lip to stop her smile. She was surprised that Stergios had time to think about hiring nannies. She liked his growing anticipation and how he was making room in his life for the baby.
Following Stergios into the house, she watched him lift her suitcases and carry them into the main room. Anticipation fluttered low in her belly as she watched the play of muscles under his white button-down shirt. Her gaze drifted to his lean waist and powerful thighs.
Jodie darted her gaze away. She ached to touch him. Hold him. But how could she when she had rejected his advances weeks ago? “What renovations did you have done?” she asked as she walked across the main room.
“The most advanced technology and communication features. I’ll show you how the touch screens work later.”