‘They remind me of what a fool I was with you. I won’t be fooled again, Ari.’
He grimaced. ‘I’m sorry you read more into our previous relationship than was meant, Christina.’
‘Oh! What exactly did you mean when you said I was special?’ she sliced back at him, her eyes flashing outright scepticism.
He gave her a look that sent a wave of heat through her, right down to her toes. ‘You were special. Very special. I just wasn’t ready to take on a long-term relationship at the time. But I am now. I want to marry you, Christina.’
Her heart stopped. She stared at him in total shock. No way had she expected this. It was Theo, her stunned mind started to reason. Ari thought it was the best way—the easiest way—to get Theo. Who
she
was, and what
she
wanted was irrelevant.
‘Forget it!’ she said tersely. ‘I’m not about to change my life for your convenience.’
‘I could make it convenient for you, too,’ he quickly countered.
Her eyes mocked his assertion. ‘How do you figure that?’
‘A life of ease. No fighting over Theo. We bring him up together. You’ll have ample opportunity to do whatever you want within reason.’
‘Marriage to you is no guarantee of that. You can dangle as many carrots as you like in front of me, Ari. I’m not biting.’
‘What if I give you a guarantee? I’ll have a prenuptial agreement drawn up that would assure you and Theo of financial security for the rest of your lives.’ His mouth took on an ironic twist. ‘Think of it as fair payment for the pain I’ve given you.’
‘I’m perfectly capable of supporting Theo.’
‘Not to the extent of giving him every advantage that wealth can provide.’
‘Money isn’t everything. Besides, I don’t want to be your wife. That would simply be asking for more pain.’
He frowned. ‘I remember the pleasure we both took in making love. It can be that way again, Christina.’
She flushed at the reminder of how slavishly she had adored him. ‘You think a seductive honeymoon makes a marriage, Ari? Taking me as your wife is just a cynical exercise in legality. It gives you full access to our son. Once you have that, I won’t matter to you. You’ll meet other women who will be happy to provide you with a
special
experience. Can you honestly say you’ll pass that up?’
‘If I have you willing to share my bed, and the family I hope we’ll have together, I shall be a faithful husband like my father,’ he said with every appearance of sincerity.
‘How can I believe that?’ she cried, sure that his sincerity couldn’t be genuine.
‘Tonight you will meet my parents. Their marriage was arranged but they made it work. It was bonded in family and they are completely devoted to each other. I see no reason why we cannot achieve that same happiness, given enough goodwill between us. Goodwill for the sake of our son, Christina.’
‘Except I don’t trust you,’ she flashed back at him. ‘I have no reason to trust you.’
‘Then we can have it written into the prenuptial agreement that should you file for divorce because of my proven infidelity, you will get full custody of our children, as well as a financial settlement that will cover every possible need.’
Tina was stunned again. ‘You’d go that far?’
‘Yes. That is the deal I’m offering you, Christina.’ As Theo moved back to claim their attention, Ari shot her one last purposeful look and muttered, ‘Think about it!’
CHAPTER SIX
A
RI
was deeply vexed with himself. Christina
had
pushed him too far. He should have stuck to the financial deal and not let her mocking mistrust goad him into offering full custody if he didn’t remain faithful to their marriage. It was impossible to backtrack on it now. If she remained cold and hard towards him, he’d just condemned himself to a bed he certainly wouldn’t want to lie in for long.
The will to win was in his blood but usually his mind warned him when the price to be paid was becoming unacceptable. Why hadn’t he weighed it up this time? It was as though he was mesmerised by the fierce challenge emanating from her, the dark blaze of energy fighting him with all her might, making him want to win regardless of the cost.
The stakes were high. He wanted his son full-time, living in his home, not on the other side of the world with visits parcelled out by a family law-court. But something very strong in him wanted to win Christina over, too. Maybe it was instinct telling him she could make him the kind of wife he’d be happy to live with— better than any of the other women he knew. She’d proved herself a good mother—a deeply caring mother. As for the sharing his bed part, surely it wouldn’t prove too difficult to establish some workable accord there.
She’d been putty in his hands once, a beautiful rosebud of a girl whose petals he had gradually unfurled, bringing her to full glorious bloom. She was made of much stronger stuff now. The power of her passion excited him. It was negative passion towards him at the moment, but if he could turn it around, push it into a positive flow.
She did have a beautiful smile. He wanted to make it light up for him. And he wanted to see her magnificent dark eyes sparkling with pleasure—pleasure in him. The marriage bed need not be cold. If he could press the right buttons … he had to or he’d just proposed the worst deal of his life.
He took stock of this different Christina as they wandered through the alleys of shops leading up to the summit of the town. The short hair did suit her, giving more emphasis to her striking cheekbones and her lovely long neck. Her full-lipped mouth was very sexy—bee-stung lips like Angelina Jolie’s, though not quite as pronounced. She wasn’t quite as tall as her sister, nor as slim. She was, in fact, very sweetly curved, her breasts fuller than when she was younger, her waist not as tiny—probably because of childbirth—but still provocatively feminine in the flow to her neatly rounded hips.
Today she was wearing a pretty lemon and white striped top that was cut into clever angles that spelled designer wear—possibly a gift from Cassandra. She’d teamed it with white Capri pants and she certainly had the legs to wear them with distinction—legs that Ari wanted wound around him in urgent need. She could make him a fine wife, one he would be proud to own, one he wouldn’t stray from if she let herself respond to him.
He would make it happen.
One way or another he had to make it happen.
Marriage! Never in her wildest imagination had Tina thought it might be a possibility with Ari Zavros, not since he’d left Australia, putting a decisive end to any such romantic notion. But this wasn’t romance. It was a coldly calculated deal to get what he wanted and he probably thought he could fool her on the fidelity front.
How on earth could she believe he wouldn’t stray in the future? Even as they strolled along the alleys filled with fascinating shops women stared at him, gobbling him up with their eyes. When she stopped to buy a pretty scarf, the saleswoman kept looking at him, barely glancing at Tina as she paid for it.
The man was a sex magnet. Despite how he’d left her flat, she wasn’t immune to the vibrations, either, which made it doubly dangerous to get involved with him on any intimate level. He’d only hurt her again. To marry him would be masochistic madness. But it was probably best to pretend to be thinking about
his
deal until after Cass’s wedding to ensure he kept
her
deal.
Then the truth could come out without it being such a distracting bombshell and visitation rights could be discussed. She wouldn’t deny him time with his son since he seemed so intent on embracing fatherhood, but he would have to come to Australia for it. Greece was not Theo’s home and she wasn’t about to let that be changed.
They reached the summit of the town where a cable-car ran down to the old port. Alternatively one could take a donkey-ride along a zig-zag path from top to bottom. Tina would have much preferred to take the cable-car. Ari, however, was bent on making good his promise to Theo, and she made no protest as he selected three donkeys for them to ride—the smallest one for their son, the biggest one for himself and an average-sized one for her.
Theo was beside himself with excitement as Ari lifted him onto the one chosen for him. Tina quickly refused any need for his help, using a stool to mount her donkey. She didn’t want to feel Ari’s hands on her, nor have him so close that he would have a disturbing physical effect on her. She’d been unsettled enough by his ridiculous offer of marriage.
He grinned at her as he mounted his own donkey, probably arrogantly confident of getting his own way, just as he was getting his own way about Theo’s birthday. She gave him a
beautiful
smile back, letting him think whatever he liked, knowing in her heart she would do what
she
considered best for her child, and being a miserable mother in a miserable marriage was definitely not best.
‘I’ll ride beside Theo,’ he said. ‘If you keep your donkey walking behind his, I’ll be able to control both of them.’
‘Are they likely to get out of control?’ she asked apprehensively.
‘They’re fed at the bottom and some of them have a tendency to bolt when they near the end of the path.’
‘Oh, great!’
He flashed another confident grin. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you both. That’s a promise, Christina.’
His eyes telegraphed it was meant for the future, too.
He could work overtime on his deal, making it as attractive as he could, but she wasn’t having any of it, Tina thought grimly. However, she did have to concede he kept their donkeys at a controlled pace when others started to rush past them. And he cheerfully answered Theo’s constant questions with all the patience of an indulgent father.
Her son was laughing with delight and giving Ari an impulsive hug as he was lifted off the donkey. For Tina, it was a relief to get her feet back on solid ground. She’d been far too tense to enjoy her ride.
‘We’ll take the cable-car back up when we return,’ Ari said soothingly, aware of her unease.
She nodded, muttering, ‘That would be good.’
‘Which boat is ours?’ Theo asked, eagerly looking forward to the next treat.
Ari pointed. ‘This one coming into the wharf now.’
‘Looks like you already have a captain,’ Tina remarked.
‘Oh, Jason will be happy to turn the wheel over to Theo while he’s preparing lunch for us. It will be an easy day for him. When the boat is not in family use, he takes out charters, up to eight people at a time. Today he only has three to look after.’
The good-humoured reply left her nothing to say. Besides, she was sure everything on board would run perfectly for Theo’s pleasure. Ari would not fail in his mission to have his son thinking the
nice
man was absolutely wonderful. He’d been wonderful to her for three whole months without one slip for any doubt about him to enter her head.
The white motor launch was in pristine condition. A blue and white striped canopy shaded the rear deck which had bench seats softened by blue and white striped cushions. Tina was invited to sit down and relax while Jason got the boat under way again and Ari took Theo to fetch drinks and give him a tour of the galley.
She sat and tried to concentrate on enjoying the marvellous view, let the day flow past without drawing attention to herself. Tonight’s family dinner would test her nerves to the limit, but at least her mother would be there, helping to keep normal conversation rolling along. And despite the stress this meeting with Ari’s parents would inevitably cause, Tina told herself she did need to see the Zavros home environment, check that it would be a good place for Theo to be if visits to Santorini had to be arranged.
She smiled as she heard Theo say, ‘I’m not allowed to have Coca-Cola. Mama says it’s not good for me. I can have water or milk or fruit-juice.’
Welcome to the world of parenting, Ari. It isn’t all fun and games. Making healthy choices for your child is an important part of it. Would he bother to take that kind of care or would he hire a nanny to do the real business of parenting?
Tina mentally ticked that off as an item to be discussed before agreeing to visits.
‘Okay, what would you like?’ he asked, not questioning her drinks ruling.
‘Orange juice.’
‘And what does your Mama like?’ ‘Water. She drinks lots of water.’
‘No wine?’
Not since you put intoxicating bubbles in my brain.
‘No. It’s water or coffee or tea for Mama,’ Theo said decisively.
‘Well, after our hot walk, I guess iced water would be the best choice.’
‘Yes,’ Theo agreed.
He carried out jugs of orange juice and iced water, setting them on the fixed table which served the bench seats. Theo brought a stack of plastic glasses, carefully separating them out as Ari returned to the galley, emerging again with a platter containing a selection of cheeses and crackers, nuts, olives and grapes.
‘There we are! Help yourselves,’ he invited, though he did pour out the drinks for them—water for him, too.
‘I love olives,’ Theo declared, quickly biting into one.
‘Ah! A true Greek,’ Ari said proudly.
Tina instantly bridled. ‘Theo is an Australian.’
‘But Yia Yia is Greek, Mama,’ Theo piped up.
‘Definitely some Greek blood there,’ Ari declared, a glittering blast from his golden eyes defying Tina’s claim.
‘True,’ she agreed, deciding the point that needed to be made could be driven home when Theo was not present. Australia was their home country. Theo was an Australian citizen. And the family court in Australia would come down on Tina’s side. At least she had that in her favour.
Ari chatted away to their son who positively basked in his father’s attention. He explained about the volcano as they sailed towards what was left of it, telling the story of what had happened in the far distant past, how the volcano had erupted and destroyed everything. Theo lapped it up, fascinated by the huge disaster, and eager to walk up to the crater when they disembarked there.
Then it was on to the islet of Palea Kameni for a swim in the hot springs—another new exciting experience for Theo. Tina didn’t really want to change into her bikini, being far too physically conscious of Ari looking at her to feel comfortable in it, but she liked the idea of letting Theo go alone with him even less. He was
her son
and she was afraid of giving Ari free rein with him without her supervision.