AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I would not take the child without your knowledge,’ Nik said, his glittering blue eyes darkening with anger. ‘What kind of man do you take me for?’
‘The kind of man who seduces someone just to get close to her baby!’ Carrie declared.
‘Danny is not your baby,’ Nik said. ‘And what happened between us had nothing to do with the child.’
‘You have no more right to him than me.’ Anger was rising up to take over from the sick horror that still swamped her at the thought of losing Danny. ‘You’re never going to take him from me!’
She planted her hands on her hips and matched his angry stare. He’d soon discover that she wasn’t just going to step aside and give up a child she loved like her own.
‘This is ridiculous! Why are you making such a drama out of it?’ Nik asked. ‘I give you my word that I will not abduct Danny and take him out of the country without your prior knowledge.’
‘So you’re going to tell me first, then take him?’ Carrie asked. ‘Great—that makes me feel a lot better!’
‘No, I’m still working on the basis that we can behave like adults,’ Nik said coldly. ‘I assume we can work together to come to an agreement. A mutually beneficial arrangement that we both believe to be in the best interests of Danny.’
‘You assume a lot!’ Carrie said.
‘That we can both behave like adults?’ Nik asked, a hint of derision colouring his voice.
‘That you can treat Danny like one of your business deals,’ Carrie said. ‘He’s a human being, and we certainly won’t be coming to any “mutually beneficial arrangements”—he’s not a piece of property!’
CHAPTER FOUR
THE Mediterranean sun was hot on her back as Carrie sat beside the pool, waiting for her client, Elaine, to come out of the villa for her workout. She flipped through the glossy pages of a magazine, trying to keep her thoughts away from Nikos Kristallis. Even after three quiet days on the Spanish island of Menorca she was still on edge.
He couldn’t get his hands on Danny here, she thought grimly. Or on her. That thought sent a shiver running down her spine, despite the heat of the sun.
Nik had been furious when he’d left her flat the other night, but when she’d asked him to leave for the second time he’d gone without further comment. Maybe he’d realised he was fighting a losing battle? Maybe he’d figured out that she’d never willingly give up Danny?
But surely that wouldn’t stop a man like Nikos Kristallis? Wasn’t he the sort who went to any lengths to get what he wanted? Carrie shivered again, wondering just how far Nik would go.
She was glad she’d brought Danny to Menorca. The trip was a work commitment that had been arranged for months, but as far as Carrie was concerned the timing was perfect. Although the situation with Nik was still unresolved, everything had suddenly become too intense. She needed some breathing room.
She’d considered letting Nik know about the trip, but in the end she’d decided against it. Why should she tell him? After all, he’d never shown any consideration for her. His constant assertions that Danny would be returning to Greece with him were really starting to worry her, and she was still horrified by what might have happened if she hadn’t arrived at the nursery when she had. Despite the nursery’s strict rules about who could collect children, she knew the extent of Nik’s charm. There was no doubt he could be very persuasive.
‘Here I am,’ Elaine said, shrugging off her towelling robe as she hurried over to the table by the pool. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting.’
Carrie smiled as her friend sat down. ‘Yes, it’s been really terrible waiting here for you, in the sunshine, reading a magazine…’
She glanced across to the shady spot under the trees where Elaine’s nanny and her ten-year-old twin girls were playing with Danny. She could hear his giggles of delight and see how happy he was.
It was good to be in Menorca. They could both do with a pleasant change from their usual routine. It had been a long hard winter for Carrie and, although it was now early May, warmer weather had seemed reluctant to come to London that year. It was wonderful to escape for a while, and relaxing by a pool in the Spanish sunshine certainly beat pushing Danny’s buggy round the dreary pigeon-pecked paths of her local park.
‘Danny sounds like he’s enjoying himself.’ Elaine smiled, looking over at the children, too. ‘The girls love having him here. If they get too much, you will tell me, won’t you?’
‘They’ve been fantastic,’ Carrie said, thinking about the way the girls had been doting on Danny, fussing over him every chance they got. ‘You know how much I love being with him, but it’s been wonderful to be able to relax and watch him playing with someone else.’
‘You don’t get much chance for that, do you?’ Elaine asked. ‘You work too hard, love. I know you have to make ends meet, but time flies by and you can never get this time back again.’
‘I know,’ Carrie said, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt for sometimes wishing that life was less exhausting, and that Danny was older and easier to care for. Somehow it seemed as if all she did was work and look after the baby. Her social life had ground to a virtual halt.
‘Any juicy gossip?’ Elaine asked, leaning over to peer at the magazine.
‘I don’t know,’ Carrie said. ‘I wasn’t really reading properly.’ Her eyes scanned the glossy celebrity photos, automatically looking for familiar faces.
Many of her clients were celebrities, and in the past she’d worked with even more famous people. After she’d started caring for Danny she’d had to drop a lot of her clients. The out-of-hours training sessions required by some of her regulars simply didn’t fit in with her childcare arrangements. She’d felt bad about letting people down, but Danny had to come first.
She’d been lucky to find part-time work at a gym, and the rest of the time she devoted to clients like Elaine, who could train during the day, when Danny was at nursery.
