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“I hear he’s taking you on a honeymoon…at your request.”
Damn, news traveled fast in Corfu. “We’re not leaving the island. I want him to take me around so I can be more independent. I’d rather get out of that house and do some exploring, but I don’t know enough of the language yet.”
Yet. She was going to fix that. She’d already picked up a few words here and there, like kaliméra for good morning and neró for water. She’d already been studying to get the basics down. And Lydia had been teaching her a few things each morning while Marianna ate her breakfast in the kitchen.
“We’re only calling it a honeymoon to appease the chatter of your staff,” she replied. “Maybe you should tell them to worry less about the personal lives of their bosses and more about their work.”
Dion chuckled. “You don’t know much about our culture, do you, Marianna? Gossip is like fire and water. A necessity.”
“It’s sordid.”
“Maybe, but it’s how it is. And if you’re calling it a honeymoon to appease people, fine. So long as it doesn’t mean you’re expecting Nico to suddenly act like a real husband.”
“Gee, I’m so grateful to have your approval. Thanks, Dion.” She kept her voice low, but her sarcasm wasn’t any less clear.
He reached past her and grabbed her champagne flute, deftly sloshing a good portion out and handing the half-empty glass back to her. “You look like you’re in need of a top up. I’ll grab a fresh bottle.”
He walked away and left his words ringing in her ears: don’t break him.
How was it possible for someone like her—who was clearly in the most vulnerable position in this relationship—to break a man like Nico? She watched him from the quiet fringe of the event, studying the man whose home had become hers. Whose child she carried. Whose life was now so irrevocably intertwined with her own. And she wondered if she would ever know him.
…
“What on earth are you doing here when you have a new wife to take care of?” Spiro, his head of IT, chortled and slapped him on the back. “Take advantage of the peace and quiet now before the babies come. Life will be very different then.”
Nico tipped a bottle of beer up to his lips and forced himself to stifle the retort burning in the back of his throat. The words wanted to press their way out, tasting more acidic every time someone made a thinly veiled suggestion that he should be at home with Marianna. In bed.
And it wasn’t because those kinds of comments—no matter how vaguely presented—were inappropriate for a work event. It was because his own mind drifted to the carnal side of things more than he wanted. If that wasn’t bad enough, it was even more disconcerting that watching Dion and Marianna talk, heads bowed, made something hot and uncomfortable flash through him like lightning. Jealousy. Not something he felt often, truth be told.
He’d experienced it in abundance as a child, watching the other children come and go. Finding homes and having families that he never would. But by the time he’d left the orphanage he knew such an emotion was a waste of time. Jealousy would not get him anywhere. He had to take the things he wanted, work hard, and keep his nose clean. So he didn’t covet what others had. Instead, he drove himself to acquire what he wanted. Blinkers on. Never looking at his neighbor.
Until now…
Dion had walked away, leaving Marianna alone with a half-empty glass.
“See,” Spiro said, nudging him in the ribs. “You can’t even keep your eyes off her.”
As one of their longest-running employees, he was the only man who could get away with ribbing Nico like that. “Can you blame me?” he asked smoothly. “She’s a vision.”
“Absolutely.”
Nico caught sight of someone approaching Marianna. He’d recognize the long blond hair and tanned limbs anywhere. Alethea.
Shit.
“Excuse me, Spiro. I shouldn’t leave my wife by herself for too long.” He took off before waiting for a response, disposing of his beer bottle on the way.
He needed to make sure Alethea and Marianna weren’t left alone long enough for his ex to do any damage. Curse Dion for inviting her. The only reason he still had anything to do with her was because her father had become a huge investor in their company and she and Dion had formed a friendship. But Nico kept his distance as much as humanly possible.
“Alethea,” he said, coming up beside Marianna and slipping an arm around her waist. She stiffened for a moment, but mercifully didn’t push him away. “Thanks for coming tonight.”
Alethea stuck her hand out politely in Marianna’s direction. “It’s an honor to meet the new Mrs. Gallinas. I’m Alethea Karras.”
Marianna smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
“It’s a shame you didn’t have a big wedding like we tend to here. I’m sure you made a beautiful bride.” The compliment seemed sincere. Alethea’s tone was…sad. But she smiled brightly and clapped her hands together. “Please tell me you’re going to bring some photos to the office. I’d love to see them.”
