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“We have a lot of people to tell. Remember?” She pulled on his arm. “You told me you wanted to show me off to your friends and business associates. We should do that. Time is running out.”
Amusement played across his face, making him smile. At least he stood, silently giving in to her demand. His arm slid around her waist, and he took a moment to say goodbye to her sister. “I am sorry our first meeting has to be cut short.” He put his hand out to shake Kristina’s hand. “Perhaps we will be able to talk before you leave Vegas.”
A malicious glint hit Kristina’s eyes. “Count on it.”
“In the meantime, if there is anything you or your friends desire, let my staff know. You are family now, and we Greeks take care of family.”
Kristina seemed to forget her anger at Chloe, and she beamed up at Nik. “Thank you so much. You are so kind, Mr. Andropolis.”
“Nik. You are my sister now. Call me Nik.”
“I will do that, Nik, and I look forward to talking to you again later. I have a feeling we have a lot to say to each other.”
Kristina sent Chloe a knowing smirk. She had connected the dots and was silently threatening to tell him everything. Chloe made a mental note to have a talk with her sister before the girl could talk to her new husband. Kristina might be angry with her at the moment, but she loved Mia. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt her niece. Chloe just had to make sure that Kristina understood finding out Mia was his would hurt her daughter.
Chapter Five
Chloe stood in the middle of the Las Vegas Aces football field. She turned in a slow circle, overwhelmed by the stadium’s size. It took her breath away... like the man standing beside her. In her memories, the place had shrunk to a less intimidating size. So had he.
Sunlight beat down on them through the stadium’s mile-high ceiling. She gazed at the thousands of empty blue seats surrounding them. On Monday night, they would be filled with excited fans. She could practically hear the cheers as they all rooted for Nik’s team.
Still surprised that he had brought her to the stadium instead of taking her to hang with his friends, she smiled up at him. Maybe he’d had a change of heart about taking his pound of flesh from her.
Memories returned. Happy memories. How many times had she sat beside him in the owner’s box watching his team play? After a win, he was always pumped with ten times the energy and twice the pride. Their lovemaking had been extra intense on those nights.
When his team lost, he was gracious with his players and coaching team, assuring them they did their best. He would go quiet on her for a while, but he always found comfort in her arms. She knew how to make him forget about the losses.
Her cheeks burned hot at the flashes of memory, nights shared, and the way her hands glided over his tanned muscles. Her mouth went dry. Even though his size intimidated most people, Nik was always gentle with her. So tender that sometimes it brought tears to her eyes. She’d felt safe in those arms.
“What are you thinking about?” Nik asked, bringing her back to the present with a jarring jerk.
“N-nothing.” She turned to keep him from searching her eyes. “Why did you bring me here?”
“You were always such an enthusiastic fan. I thought you’d like to see the place again. We’ve made some improvements since you were here last.”
She nodded. “I can see that.”
Then he changed the subject on a dime.
“Your sister surprised me today.”
Chloe stiffened. “How so?”
“The two of you look nothing alike.”
“That’s because we don’t share the same father.”
Ten years ago, Chloe had kept certain things from him; she didn’t like discussing painful matters. Not even as a child. Opening up to another human being about anything traumatic was difficult, so she tended not to even try. What he thought about her didn’t matter now, so she told him.
“Kristina’s dad died when she was a baby. Our mother decided she didn’t want to remarry, but she also didn’t want to raise Kristina alone. So she hooked up with a stranger at a bar and got pregnant with me.”
The worst thing was everyone in their small town knew how she was conceived. They knew her story better than she did. People gossiped behind her back. Sometimes it reached her ears. Kristina certainly made sure she never forgot they only shared a mother.
“Why didn’t you tell me that when we were dating?” Nik asked.
She shrugged. “Never came up.”
She turned away again and rapidly blinked her eyes to keep tears from forming. The last thing she needed was to break her never-cry-in-front-of-others rule today.
