Page 197 of Modern Romance September 2026 Books 1-4

‘No buts. The topic is closed. End. Of. Story. One more word about it and you’re gone.’

Panos pulled out his phone, punching out a number. As he turned away he spared her a single searing glance. ‘So, what’s it to be, Dido? Greece with Athena on my terms or stay here, alone?’

CHAPTER EIGHT

A FEW DAYS later Dido stood on her balcony, hands gripping the railing as she watched Panos in the shallow end of the pool, holding Athena who looked adorable wearing floaties on her arms and a cloth sun hat.

Dido’s fingers curled tighter at the way she’d slipped into calling her little girl by her proper name. Dido still called her Theeny from time to time but somehow Athena seemed more fitting here.

Panos’ island home had a spectacular view across the deep blue sea at the bottom of the garden. Beyond the water the mainland stretched along the horizon, while the bright blue Greek sky made the whole scene picture perfect. There was even an olive and pistachio grove on the far side of the house and two sand beaches perfect for swimming.

The air was warm and filled with the sound of cicadas, as if inviting her to close her eyes and relax.

Impossible!

The decision to come with Panos had been no decision at all, for what choice had she had? Every hour she watched him build a relationship with their daughter, feeling at each moment that her place in Athena’s life grew more tenuous.

A loud splash sounded and maternal instinct jerked her head back to her daughter who, it seemed, had the makings of a water baby. Dido watched her kick her chubby legs and work her arms, gurgling with delight as she sprayed her father with water.

Her father.

There was that plunging sensation again, as if a weight dropped from Dido’s chest to her hollow stomach.

After being solely responsible for her daughter for years, it was hard to accept his role in her life. She knew his fickle character, had experienced the pain of his mistrust and rejection.

How could she allow him a role in her daughter’s life?

Yet she saw his fond smile even as their baby splashed his face. He didn’t look like a man with a hair-trigger temper. He looked like a man besotted. A man with infinite patience.

Dido shook her head at the difference between Panos the father and Panos the husband she’d known. And the fierce, menacing man who’d forced her here.

Was it possible the father-daughter bond would be enough to protect her baby from his impatience?

Maybe he just didn’t care enough to trust you.

That made sense. They’d married in haste. Her dream of a happy future with a man she’d barely known had been too good to be true.

Dido had still missed her parents and the warmth that came from loving and being loved. Since their deaths she’d been conscious of something lacking. Belonging.

Curiously though, that had made her wary of relationships with men, not overeager. She hadn’t wanted to compromise her desire for a strong, lasting relationship for something less.

Had that caution fed into her impulsive response to Panos? Had she held back too much with other men, so his devastating magnetism rocked her off balance? Perhaps that explained her overwhelming response to his allure—too much caution and abstinence might have made her vulnerable to the intense pull of attraction.

As if sensing her regard, Panos looked up.

Her pulse quickened. She wished she could say it was because she hated him. But even after all he’d done, he still attracted her physically. More than any man ever had.

Her gaze lingered on those broad, tanned shoulders, the impressive V shape of his torso. His attention was claimed by their daughter and he rose to his feet, swinging Athena through the air until she squealed with delight.

The movement revealed the bunch and flex of muscles in his arms and body. Then there were those powerful thighs and tight buttocks in wet, black swim shorts that clung like a second skin.

Dido’s breath stalled.

He’d threatened her. Given her no option but to agree to come here. And still he stole her breath.

He’d stayed in her flat, refusing to be parted from Athena while he organised her passport in record time. Finally, faced with no other option, Dido had given in. She and her baby had been bundled out of the country to his private Greek island.

For days they’d shared his mansion, and a truce. No more accusations, no furious arguments, for Theeny’s sake. Dido feared putting a foot wrong and being expelled without her child. She’d told herself to stay calm and concentrate on finding a way out of this disastrous situation.