Until then she’d be thankful for what he’d revealed to her. She wouldn’t be greedy.
Suddenly he gathered her against his steadily beating heart, reenacted with her what he’d just told her he’d done endless times in his youth—watched the sun melt into the sea, leaving star-studded darkness to rush in to fill the dominion it had rescinded.
And she realized. Not being greedy—when he kept giving her such maddening glimpses of who he was and where he’d come from, far more than she’d ever thought there was to him or for her to have of him—would be the hardest thing she’d yet endeavored.
She had a feeling she’d fail.
Selene looked at the magnificent sight before her and expelled the turmoil vibrating through her on a ragged breath.
Aris, stripped down to the waist, his godlike body now gleaming deep bronze, his muscles flexing in sonnets of power and grace, his hair trapping the sun rays in the palette of its hues. And if that wasn’t enough, he was leading an equally, achingly beautiful, perfectly tanned and shrieking-in-delight Alex through his first assisted footsteps on the sand.
She closed her eyes, unable to bear the heart-bursting poignancy. It had been two weeks, and she’d long gotten addicted to Aris. To the sight of him, to his presence, his company. She was becoming dependent on having him transform her and Alex’s duo into a trio.
The more he opened up to her, the more he proved that he wasn’t just the man she respected as a businessman and lusted after as a lover but the man she could love. Did love. With everything in her.
And it was making her insane.
For what if he wanted his son, but not her, too?
She had very good reason to think that might be the case.
She no longer doubted that the bond Aris had formed with Alex was profound and vital, unbreakable and forever. But he hadn’t tried to make love to her again. Maybe he no longer wanted her. Maybe he had never wanted her. They had come together under extremely stressful conditions, after all.
So what if he was doing whatever it took to prove to her that they could share Alex, without having anything else between them? He was an incomparable businessman, and this might all be his comprehensive plan to acquire the son she now knew he wanted with all the single-minded fierceness he was capable of.
She had to know for sure. Or she would go insane.
Hours later, after they put Alex to bed, he took her hand with one of those soul-melting smiles, led her to the kitchen to begin their nightly ritual of preparing their creative dinners.
He was laying out vegetables on the worktop, the spring onions, mushrooms and bell peppers they’d picked from his garden, when she reached critical mass.
She blurted out, “You can give Alex your name.”
He snapped up his head as if she’d shot him.
He stared at her, his eyes widening, his face slackening, shock visibly shaking him, rocking him on his feet.
Just as she was about to scream for him to say something, his eyes shimmered and he choked, “Theos, Selene…you mean it?”
She nodded, her own throat clogging with tears. Of delight for his obvious agonizing joy. Of dreadful anticipation.
“You want Alex to be Alexandros Sarantos?” His voice shook.
She could only nod again. If she had functioning vocal chords left, she would have begged him to put her out of her misery.
Do you want me to be Selene Sarantos, too?
An urgent rap on the door made them both jerk with the force of the intrusion.
Tearing his turbulent gaze from hers, he swung around and rushed to the door. It was Olympia. Though Selene spoke Greek well, she understood only the highlights of Olympia’s outburst. Christos had fallen off a ladder and injured himself.
Aris sent his aunt back to Christos before rushing to Selene.
He towered over her, looming bigger as delight mixed with worry emanated from his every pore. Then he hugged her off the ground.
Next second, he turned and rushed away.
Within fifteen minutes, she heard the chopper taking off.
Shortly thereafter, he called. She picked up immediately, heard his voice raised above the chopper’s din. “Christos broke his shoulder. I’m flying him to a hospital in Heraklion.”
She winced. She hated to think of the lively Christos in pain, incapacitated. “I hope it isn’t too bad. Take care, please. And give him my best wishes.”
“I will. Selene…” He paused. Her heartbeats did, too. He finally exhaled. “When you said you’ll let me give Alex my name, you meant only that?” She closed her eyes, her heart rattling, unable to bear anticipating his next words. “To give him my name but not be his father, fully? I know it’s been only a month since this all started, but… Theos, Selene! Do you still suspect the depth of my commitment? You think I’ll sooner or later consider huge bank deposits and assets in his name a substitute for love and being there for him as I always did? Are you still afraid I’ll eventually disappear from his life?”
“No!” She didn’t doubt his commitment. Not to Alex. But what do I mean to you? She restrained the outburst with a force that shook her. “I’m now sure you won’t be the absentee father I feared you would be. I believe you’ll be the very opposite.”
His ragged exhalation shuddered through her.
When next he spoke, he sounded high with relief and delight. “Thank you, Selene. You will never regret this decision.”
A cry rang out. For moments she thought it had come from her.
His voice receded on a growl. “Theos, don’t move!” He spoke to her this time. “I have to hang up now. Thank you again, kala mou.”
The line went dead.
As dead as the rock that suddenly filled her chest.
He hadn’t brought up anything between them.
He wanted only Alex.
Eight
Aris stayed away all of the next day, making sure his aunt and her husband had the very best care.
It was seven in the morning, after another night in hell, when she heard the front door open. She felt her heart plummet with every heavy footstep taking him to her.
She would tell him now. That she wanted to go home.
Their test had been concluded. And he’d passed it. He would be Alex’s father. It was time to find out how he planned to work that out once they went back to the real world. No need for them to remain here.
He came into the kitchen. He looked grim and haggard—and the zenith of male beauty. Her breath sheared through her lungs as he approached her, his gaze denuding in intensity.
“Is—is Christos okay?”