The Greek Billionaire’s Love-Child Read online

  He looked at Nikos and saw him playing a frivolous game.

  But Ella saw something very different.

  She saw a skilled doctor using a distraction technique as a tool to give him answers. She saw Nikos’s gaze rest on the child’s chest as he assessed her breathing. She saw him encouraging the child to speak to him, so that he could evaluate how breathless she was.

  And she saw a more relaxed child.

  Look and learn, Alan, she thought wryly.

  Nikos removed his stethoscope from his pocket. Tamsin immediately tensed and opened her mouth to protest loudly, but Nikos simply smiled and listened to the mermaid’s chest, a look of total concentration on his handsome face.

  ‘Well?’ Playing along, Ella asked the question with a solemn expression on her face. ‘How’s the mermaid?’

  Nikos nodded slowly. ‘I think she might have swallowed some sea water but, other than that, she is good.’

  Tamsin grabbed at the stethoscope. ‘Me.’

  ‘You want a turn?’ Ella stroked Tamsin’s silken curls. ‘Would you like to listen?’ She took Nikos’s stethoscope and pretended to put it to the child’s ears.

  Seeing Ella smiling at Nikos, Tamsin started to relax. And Nikos was so skilful at dealing with her that by the time he finally placed the stethoscope on the child’s chest, the little girl was so fascinated by him that she simply reached up a chubby hand and tugged at his dark hair. Then she pushed the mermaid in front of him again and Nikos smiled.

  ‘She’s all yours, koritsi mou. Make sure you look after her.’

  Ella felt her heart flip because this side of him always left her in a puddle. She’d seen him verbally dissect experienced doctors who had fallen short of his expectations, she knew he was capable of being ruthless when the need arose, and yet with a small child he was a pussy cat—extraordinarily gentle, all that latent strength and power firmly leashed.

  It was so hard to hate this man. So hard.

  Choked by the thought of what could have been, she concentrated her attention on the monitor.

  ‘Her sats are improving.’

  Nikos nodded. ‘She’s doing fine.’

  Despite the simmering tension between them, they worked together seamlessly, their movements smooth and slick as they did what needed to be done—a veneer of normality covering dangerous undercurrents…

  Twice his fingers brushed against hers and in the end Ella stepped back from the trolley because although he was clearly indifferent to her, she didn’t think she had the control to be this close to him and not react. He registered her retreat with a faint narrowing of his eyes and she wished she knew what he was thinking.

  Why was he so angry?

  He should have been thanking her for making things easy for him.

  For quietly accepting his cold email brush-off.

  She studied his handsome face for signs of strain—some evidence that the separation of the last four months might have affected him in the same way that it had affected her. Had he lost weight? Did he look as though he’d suffered?

  But his face showed no sign of the ravages of worry. He looked strong and healthy, as if the weaknesses that permeated other mortals were afraid to lay a hand on him. The collar of his white shirt was undone and for a moment Ella’s gaze lingered on the strong column of his throat, remembering how many times she’d pressed her mouth to that exact place. And his skin was a deeper bronze than usual, suggesting exposure to a more generous climate than that enjoyed by the South of England. Which reminded her of just one thing.

  He’d been back in Greece.

  With his beautiful Greek wife?

  The pain almost split her in two and with the pain came anger.

  He’d betrayed her and she needed to remember that. What she didn’t need was to be seduced all over again by his skills as a doctor.

  ‘So—her breathing is much improved.’ Having won the child’s confidence, Nikos addressed his remark to the little girl’s mother. ‘We need to try and establish what might have caused this attack. Her asthma is usually well managed?’

  Still jiggling the baby in her arms, the woman nodded. ‘Yes. In the winter she sometimes has problems if she has a chest infection, but nothing like this. We’ve rented a house on the coast with my sister and her family. One minute she was playing happily, the next she couldn’t breathe.’

  ‘And she is well at the moment? No cold? No temperature?’ As he questioned the mother Nikos carried on examining Tamsin, this time checking her throat and her ears, feeling her glands and doing the same with the mermaid whenever required to do so by the little girl. ‘Nothing different?’

  Ella’s heart jerked as her eyes settled on his skilled, bronzed fingers. Fingers that could save a life or drive a woman crazy.

  She had so many questions.

  Why was a billionaire playing at being a doctor?

  Why hadn’t he told her the truth about himself?

  The mother was trying to give him the answers he wanted. ‘I can’t think of anything. She hasn’t even been on the beach much because the children have mostly been playing in the house with the puppy.’

  Nikos raised an eyebrow. ‘Puppy?’

  ‘I’m on holiday with my sister. They bought a puppy last week. A little spaniel. Tamsin loves the dog. They’ve been sleeping together.’

  Ella exchanged a brief glance with Nikos just as the little girl snatched the mask off her face.

  ‘Want to see Bruno.’

  ‘Keep the mask on, Tams. Oh, my goodness.’ Her mother was staring at Nikos. ‘You think it might be the dog? Some sort of allergy? I hadn’t thought of that.’

  ‘It’s possible.’ Nikos reached for the notes. ‘For the rest of the holiday play with the dog outside, not inside. When you get home, go and see your own doctor and talk it through with him. He might want to rethink your management plan.’

  ‘Do you want to do a chest X-ray?’ Ella asked. ‘Shall I phone the radiographer?’

  Nikos shook his head. ‘Her oxygen saturation is improving, her heart rate has come down and her breathing has improved. I’m happy with that. You can move her to one of the cubicles and she can play for a while. If she’s all right in an hour, she can go home.’

  ‘I wish my sister would pick up my message and call. They’ve all gone for a walk.’ Tamsin’s mother fretted as the baby’s wails grew louder. ‘I want her to take the baby so that I can give Tams some attention.’

  ‘The baby is probably picking up on your stress levels.’ Ella held out her arms. ‘Give her to me for a moment. I’ll hold her while you give Tamsin a cuddle.’ She took the baby, her heart melting as she studied the child’s miniature features. If she felt like this about a stranger’s baby, how would she feel about her own? ‘There, now, Poppy. I bet you’re wondering what you’re doing in this strange place.’ She murmured nonsense to the baby who promptly stopped crying and stared up at Ella.

  Holding the baby securely, Ella smiled at her.

  Apparently reassured and intrigued by a new face, the baby smiled back.

  ‘She smiled!’ Her arm around Tamsin and the mermaid, Amanda laughed with amazement and delight. ‘Did you see that, Tams? Poppy smiled at Ella. It’s the first time. She was six weeks yesterday and we’ve all been trying to get her to smile. You’ve obviously got the touch. Do you have kids of your own?’

  Ella’s eyes shifted from the baby to Nikos and found him looking at her with an almost fierce intensity. The emotion inside her tumbled and threatened to spill over.

  ‘No,’ she said huskily, dragging her gaze from his before she made a fool of herself. ‘I don’t have children.’

  ‘Oh, well, plenty of time.’ Amanda stroked her daughter’s hair. ‘First you have to find that prince, don’t you, Tams?’ There was a wistful note in her voice that said her own ‘prince’ had fallen far short of expectations and Ella frowned slightly, wondering whether it was a good thing to fill a child’s head with fairy stories.

  If she had a littl
e girl, she wouldn’t do that, she vowed silently. She’d bring her up to have realistic expectations of life.

  No relying on fictitious princes for happiness.

  Without looking at Nikos, she handed the cooing, contented baby back to Amanda and, at that moment, another nurse popped her head in with an urgent request for him to look at another sick child.

  With a smile at Tamsin and a fulminating look at Ella that promised a future far more complicated than that of any fairy story, he left the cubicle.

  Ella felt a flicker of panic as she transferred Tamsin into one of the cubicles and contemplated the inevitable confrontation. What was he going to say to her? What excuses would he give? Was he going to tell her that his wife didn’t understand him? That their marriage was in name only?

  Frustrated with herself, she fished a book out off the shelf and sat down next to Tamsin. Nikos was married. The exact circumstances of that marriage were irrelevant. All that was between them was recriminations. And, on her part, self-blame.

  Would he apologise for not telling her the truth?

  Or was he one of those men who thought affairs were a natural part of marriage?

  Forcing herself to concentrate, she read to Tamsin for a bit and then let her play with toys.

  An hour later Nikos reappeared and pronounced her well enough to be discharged.

  ‘Thanks so much for everything.’ Amanda held Poppy against her shoulder with one hand, while Tamsin tugged at the other. ‘You’ve been so great. Thank you.’

  Nikos was writing up the notes as Tamsin dropped her mother’s hand and held out her arms to Ella.

  ‘Play.’

  ‘No more playing today. You’re going home, Tamsin.’ Ella dropped into a crouch and smiled at her new friend. ‘And you’re going to have a lovely holiday.’

  ‘You come.’ Tamsin grabbed Ella’s hand and gave her a tug.

  Ella laughed and stood up. ‘Now, that’s a tempting invitation.’ The way she felt at the moment she’d do anything to escape from the prospect of working with Nikos. ‘Unfortunately, I can’t come home with you.’

  ‘I wish you could,’ Amanda breathed. ‘You’re a miracle with the children. You have a real way about you.’

  Ella saw Nikos’s pen still and wondered what he was thinking.

  Did he feel regret that they could never be a proper family?

  Guilt that his child would grow up without a father?

  Pushing that thought aside, she guided Amanda and the children out of the department and then reluctantly returned to the cubicle.

  Fortunately there was no sign of Nikos and Ella felt a rush of relief as she cleared and restocked the room ready for the next patient.

  The tension had formed a knot inside her stomach and she reminded herself that he wasn’t going to say anything while they were at work.

  Having used that fact to calm herself, she turned to leave the room only to find Nikos blocking her exit, his legs spread apart in a confrontational stance, the look in his black eyes dark and dangerous.

  This time there was no evidence of gentleness or kindness. This wasn’t a man who would be pulling a mermaid out of his pocket.

  Anger surrounded him like a forcefield.

  Closing the door firmly behind him, he strolled forward until his body was brushing against hers. ‘It’s time you and I had a conversation, agape mou.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘I DON’T have anything to say to you, Nikos.’ Heart racing, desperately flustered, Ella pushed at his shoulders but he didn’t budge.

  This wasn’t a man about to apologise for anything. Mouth grim, he backed her against the wall and planted an arm either side of her shoulders, imprisoning her and blocking her escape. Through the fabric of his shirt she could feel the heat and power of his body and the immediate response of hers, and it appalled her that she could still feel like this after the casual, careless way he’d treated her.

  He didn’t care and yet still she couldn’t switch off the screaming need inside her.

  Her body was no judge of character, she thought bitterly, turning her eyes away from his in the hope of reducing temptation. He was everything male, from the top of his glossy dark head, down six feet four inches of supremely fit body, to the arrogant way he stood in front of her, as if he owned the world.

  Which apparently he did, she thought, biting back a hysterical laugh as she remembered all the things she’d learned about him during that one, awful afternoon four months ago.

  ‘You don’t have anything to say to me? You are pregnant with my child and you don’t think you have anything to say to me?’ His voice shook with emotion, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as he focused on her face. ‘Answer me one question—were you going to tell me? If your friend Helen hadn’t written that letter, would you have told me?’

  ‘Why would you even care?’

  The hiss of his breath was the only sound in the room. ‘You are seriously asking me that question?’

  She pushed at his chest, the enormity of the issue closing in on her like huge brick walls. ‘We can’t talk about this here. It’s going to have to wait until we’ve finished work.’

  He laughed, but the sound was bitter and contemptuous. ‘I’m not letting you out of my sight, agape mou. And this is as good a place to talk as any. At the moment we have no patients. And I repeat—were you going to tell me?’

  ‘I don’t know!’ Shaking now, Ella lifted her hands to her cheeks. ‘You want an honest answer? I don’t know. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.’

  His mouth tightened into a grim line. ‘I fail to see what is hard about telling a man that he is going to be a father.’

  ‘It’s hard when that man is already married!’ Her passionate outburst was greeted by frozen silence.

  It was as if she’d shot him at close range.

  Nikos’s sinfully handsome face grew several shades paler and his breathing became decidedly unsteady. ‘What possible grounds do you have for making a statement like that?’ His voice was hoarse and she shook her head, wondering why she suddenly felt guilty when it was his behaviour that had driven her away.

  ‘I found out everything, Nikos.’ It was hard to get the words past the lump in her throat. ‘Everything that you were hiding from me.’

  His sudden stillness was marked. ‘What,’ he demanded in a thickened tone, ‘was I supposed to be hiding?’

  ‘Your secret life—the fact that you’re a billionaire, with a wife waiting for you back in Greece.’

  The silence that greeted her statement was like the strike of a blade through her heart. For months she’d nurtured a secret hope that she’d got it all wrong. She’d wanted desperately to be wrong, even though the evidence was damning. Even now, she was hoping for a denial.

  But no denial was forthcoming.

  Before that moment she hadn’t realised that a silence could say so much.

  He looked down at her, the shimmer of his eyes a warning of danger. ‘This is the reason you didn’t tell me about the baby? Because of some rumour you heard?’

  ‘It wasn’t a rumour.’

  ‘Did you hear it from me? Did you hear from my lips that I have a wife?’

  ‘You know I didn’t.’

  ‘And you didn’t think it was worth asking me about this “secret life” of mine before you decided to deprive me of my child?’

  ‘You walked out on me, Nikos! How could I ask you?’

  ‘I did not know you were pregnant.’

  The temperature between them was rising, the atmosphere so highly charged that Ella half expected the smoke detectors to be activated at any moment.

  ‘What difference would it have made? You’re married.’ Reminding herself of that fact, Ella pushed at his chest and then wished she hadn’t because touching him was sweet torture. She let her hands drop. ‘I understand why you left me.’

  ‘You understand nothing.’ His voice held a harsh, brutal note. ‘Nothing.’

  She lifted h
er chin. Looked at him. Faced her mistake. ‘I know that you lied to me. Maybe you’re miserable together—I don’t know—but that’s no excuse. Whatever the state of your marriage, I can’t be with a man I don’t trust. That’s the end of it for me.’

  ‘Trust?’ His laugh had a cynical edge to it. ‘You dare talk to me about trust when you would have hidden your pregnancy from me?’

  Feeling the fury in him, Ella felt a burst of frustration because the conversation was focused on him. His feelings. His ego.

  He was thinking only of himself.

  Had he once asked how she felt? Had he asked what had happened to her after he’d left? Did he care? No. He just cared that she hadn’t told him she was pregnant.

  Somehow he was twisting this whole thing to make it seem like her fault. She’d been expecting some sort of apology. Instead he was attacking her as if she’d committed a crime. ‘The baby isn’t the issue here, Nikos.’

  ‘Why? Isn’t it mine?’ His tone was harsh and Ella gave a soft gasp of shock and lifted her hand.

  The sound of the slap echoed around the room, the pain in her heart as great as the sting in her palm. ‘How dare you? How dare you say that to me?’

  ‘Theos mou…’ Nikos lifted a hand to his cheek, incredulous dark eyes sweeping her face. ‘It was a reasonable question.’

  ‘It was not a reasonable question! It was a totally offensive question!’ She almost choked on the words. ‘Especially coming from you. You lay in my bed night after night and made love to me and all the time you were married. What’s your excuse? Your rampant sex drive? You have no idea how much I wish this wasn’t your baby, Nikos! I would give anything for this not to be your baby.’ Her hand still stung from the blow and part of her was embarrassed at her loss of control. It was to his credit that he hadn’t returned the blow, she thought grudgingly, hating herself for not being able to maintain a front of cool indifference. ‘No, I didn’t tell you about the baby. I didn’t want to do that to your wife!’ Ella lifted her chin, pride giving her wobbly limbs the strength they needed, and her eyes clashed with his. ‘And I didn’t want to do that to my baby.’