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His lips twisted but he said nothing as he climbed in beside her and drove them to their villa at the southernmost point of the resort.
The sight of the turquoise waters gave her another idea for the opening. ‘I think I’ll add scuba-diving to the activities.’
‘Great. Consider rowing too.’
‘Rowing?’
‘Sakis and Brianna are joining us for a couple of days before the guests arrive. Sometimes the waters around here get a little choppy but I intend to row with Sakis. I’ll let you know how I rate it.’
‘That would be great, thanks.’
There was no sign of the ragged pain she’d seen on his face on the plane. He was back to Arion Pantelides, luxury hotel mogul and master of all he surveyed.
She held her breath when they reached the villa and the staff asked where to place their luggage.
‘I’ll take the smaller suite. You take the master suite,’ Ari said.
Perla wasn’t sure why her stomach fell with disappointment. Had she really thought he would insist on joint sleeping arrangements? Nothing had changed since yesterday aside from the fact that their indiscretions had resulted in a child. Sexually, they were done with each other.
Still she couldn’t suppress her rising desolation as he walked away. With two personal butlers seeing to the unpacking, Perla changed into the only bikini she owned and walked from room to room, acquainting herself with the layout of the villa. It was as she entered the solarium that she noticed the repeating item in each room.
She turned as Ari walked in. ‘You’ve had an epi pen placed in each room?’ she asked, her heart flipping over when she noticed he’d changed into khaki shorts and a white T-shirt.
‘Yes,’ he answered simply.
The thoughtfulness behind the gesture was so alien, she blurted, ‘Why?’
He paused on the way to the French windows that led to the teak-floored deck, changed course and came to stand in front of her. This close, his proximity wreaked havoc with her pulse rate. Reaching out, he brushed his fingers down her cheek.
‘I’m not taking any chances this time, Perla. Not with you, not with this baby.’ His voice was a solid, solemn vow that struck deep into her heart.
Her eyes prickled and she sniffed hard. ‘Are you determined to make me cry again?’
He grimaced and dropped his hand. ‘Perhaps I need to learn to accept that tears are par for the course. Come and meet Peter, your chef.’
Slowly she followed him outside into the sunshine, desperately trying to get her wayward emotions under control. ‘I really don’t need a personal chef.’
‘It is already done, glikia mou, so you have to live with it.’
She was trying to decipher the Greek endearment when a man dressed in chef whites stepped forward from behind the table where he’d been slicing fresh fruit.
‘Your fruit platter is coming right up. And for lunch I have some freshly grilled chicken kebabs with a green salad. If you need anything else, let me know.’
Ari steered her towards twin loungers by the pool. As they sat down, his phone pinged. The huge smile that split his face as he read the text made her breath catch.
‘Theo is coming down too. He’ll be here at the end of the week.’
A pang of envy spilled into her heart. ‘You’re very close, aren’t you?’
He looked up and shrugged. ‘They’re my family. They mean everything to me.’
The simple statement made more tears prickle her eyes. He saw it and frowned. ‘Perla?’
‘You’re so lucky. I mean...you’ve had tragedy, of course, but you’ve remained close with your family and that’s...that’s...’
He watched her with keen eyes. ‘It’s something you’ve never had.’
‘No.’
He set his phone aside. ‘Marry me and you can have it too.’
Her heart lurched and temptation shot hope into her heart. But still her instincts shrieked dire warning.
‘It’s not that simple. I can’t...’
His face hardened. ‘For the sake of this child we have to make sacrifices, Perla.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean we both agree we’re not an ideal match but we need to look beyond that to what’s best for our child. Whatever lofty ideas you have of being an ideal single parent will always pale in comparison to what we can provide as a united family. That is the bottom line.’
‘That may be your bottom line. It’s not mine. I think it’s more important that this child grows up in a loving environment.’
