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CHAPTER TWELVE
MILLY STEPPED INTO Alex’s penthouse apartment in one of Athens’ best neighbourhoods with a rush of released breath. Her body still tingled from their lovemaking, her mind still reeled. So much had happened. So much had changed. She hoped.
She put her bag down by the door as she took in her minimalistic but clearly luxurious surroundings. The penthouse was open-plan, with a soaring glass ceiling and floor-to-ceiling views of the Acropolis. White and grey leather sofas were scattered over the gleaming black marble floor, and a huge canvas of white with a few artful black splotches and lines took pride of place over the fireplace.
Milly stepped closer and realised the painting wasn’t the stereotypical abstract modern art; it was a child’s drawing that had been magnified, stick figures with lopsided heads and wide smiles. Her heart constricted. Why would Alex have such a picture in his flat? What did it mean to him?
She studied it for a few more minutes noting there were three people in the picture, two adults and a child. Who had drawn it? Or did it mean nothing—it was some interior designer’s attempt at modern art?
She turned away to explore the rest of Alex’s domain: a large kitchen of gleaming chrome and granite led off the main living area, and down a corridor were two sumptuous bedrooms, one done in navy, one done in cream, each with its own luxurious bathroom. Spiral stairs at the end of the corridor led up to a private gym and a study, as well as an enormous roof terrace with an outdoor pool, the water sparkling under the midday sun.
It was every bit as luxurious as the villa on Naxos, and yet besides the child’s drawing over the fireplace, it felt strangely impersonal. Just like the villa, there were no photographs, no knick-knacks, no books or mementoes. It was a blank canvas, a clean slate, almost as if Alex had tidied away evidence of himself on purpose.
Back downstairs, Milly wondered what would happen when Alex returned home. She recalled his remoteness with a prickle of unease; no matter how explosive their lovemaking had been, he’d still kept a certain emotional distance that she supposed was second nature to him. He was a guarded, private man, and his scars had made him even more so.
Which she’d known going into this marriage, and still had to accept now. The trouble was, Milly acknowledged, what had happened between them today had changed things for her. She knew it wasn’t supposed to, and sex was meant to be just sex, but it hadn’t felt like that at all. It had felt intimate. Incredible. Important. And she was going to have to keep reminding herself that Alex definitely did not feel the same way...which was a good thing, because, no matter what their physical chemistry was like, Alex Santos was not a man to give your heart away to. He certainly didn’t want to take it, and she didn’t want to be hurt. Again. Keeping things on a physical-only level was better for both of them.
With hours before Alex was due to return, Milly decided to take advantage of the decadent bathroom, and filled the sunken marble tub right to the brim with hot water and plenty of luxury bubble bath. As she reached for a fresh change of clothes from her bag, her hand closed around the slim cardboard box she’d bought this morning. The pregnancy test.
For a second she hesitated; now would be a perfect time to take the test, to make sure she wasn’t pregnant. But without fully thinking about what she was doing, Milly shoved the box deeper into her bag. She was almost sure her missed period was down to nothing more than stress...there was no need to take the test right now. She could wait a little while.
But as she sank into the heavenly hot and fragrant water, Milly had to acknowledge her reluctance to take the test was more than the prospect of wasting it. She didn’t want to be pregnant yet. She didn’t want to upend things, not when she and Alex were starting to get to know each other. When their marriage could be just a little bit more than the business arrangement they’d both agreed on. She could wait a few days, or even a few weeks. In all likelihood her period would arrive by then anyway.
As evening approached, nerves started to flutter in Milly’s belly, of both trepidation and excitement. Since there was no food in the house, she ordered a meal to be delivered, and then she spent an age redoing her make-up before wiping it all off. This was ridiculous. It was too late to try to impress Alex, and yet she wanted to do something to show things had changed between them.
When the door to the flat finally opened, she was speechless with nerves, only able to stare at him across the darkened room, moonlight spilling in through the windows. Alex stood still for a moment, framed by the light from the hallway, the electric blaze of his blue eyes visible even in the dim lighting, and sending spirals of excitement and desire coursing through Milly. All she could do was stare—and want.
Alex’s briefcase fell from his hand with a thunk. In one fluid movement he closed the door behind him.
‘I’ve been waiting for you,’ Milly said breathlessly, half wondering if Alex felt the same taut need that she felt, running through her like a wire, pulling her to him.
Except she wasn’t being pulled; he was coming towards her, shedding his jacket and tie as he walked. Her breath bottled in her chest, her heart thumping double time as Alex discarded his tie and then pulled her into his arms. His mouth came down on hers and that was all she needed for the excitement to burst out of her in a frenzy of response; she kissed him back with all the urgency and passion she felt, her hands clawing at his shirt, longing to feel his bare skin on hers.
Shedding clothes, they tripped and stumbled their way towards the bedroom, and then fell on the bed in a tangle of limbs. Milly gasped and arched as Alex’s mouth roved over her, branding her skin with his hot touch. She came alive under his hands in a way she’d never experienced, never expected, and when he finally began to move inside her she cried out in both pleasure and surprise, that again it could be so incredible
between them. So important.
They were lying on the twisted sheets, their hearts both still thudding, neither of them having said a word, when the doorbell rang. Alex tensed and Milly laid her palm flat on his chest, revelling in the feel of him.
‘That will be the food I ordered,’ she said.
‘Ah.’ Alex relaxed, a smile teasing his mouth.
‘I’ll get it,’ she said, and she rose from the bed, flinging on a dressing gown before hurrying to the door.
As she signed for the food and took the order, her body feeling sated and sleepy and yet also achingly alive, she realised she was buzzing in places she didn’t even know she had. She was also happier than she’d been in a long while.
This was definitely some bonus, she thought, a smile curving her lips as she returned to the bedroom with several containers of takeaway.
‘Why do you look like the cat who got the cream?’ Alex asked, stretching in bed, his voice holding a teasing note that was entirely new—and wonderful.
‘I did get the cream,’ she dared to tease, and he laughed, another sound that was both strange and wonderful. She felt as if she were chipping away at Alex’s icy exterior, and the glimpses of both the heat and heart underneath thrilled her.
She shed her dressing gown and got back in bed, and together they relaxed, eating Chinese food amidst the tangle of the duvet. Milly felt buoyant with happiness, as if she could float right up to the ceiling.
‘So did you close any property deals today?’ she asked, and Alex looked surprised by the question.
‘Do you really want to know?’
