Kidnapped the Wrong Sister (17 page)

“I’m sorry”, she mumbled, “I didn’t mean to behave like that”  As she looked away, her eyes refusing to meet his, he placed a finger under her chin, gently moving her head towards him forcing her eyes to look back at him.  “You were in a plane crash?”, he asked, his voice firm but gentle.  He could see the tears welling up in her eyes as her head nodded subtly, her lips starting to quiver.

With a small pained groan he
pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against him.  “Dear God, why didn’t you tell me?”, he said so softly, feeling as she began to cry gently against him.  “I... I don’t like talking about it Nikias, it was so horrible”, she said, her voice full of pain as she pulled back from him.  He watched as she looked over his shoulder as the memories flooded back to her, the pain and horror filling her beautiful blue eyes.

“Tell me about it Diona”, he asked softly, seeing how she flinched slightly before after a few seconds she started to talk, her voice low and emotionless.  “I had to go down to London to assist in a medical procedure.  The only flight I could get down was on a small plane with some salespeople on a holiday.”  He could see the trouble she was having telling him the rest, as he moved his hand to gently squeeze hers, seeing how she smiled feebly up at him.

“Halfway through the journey something went wrong with the engine and the plane went down.  When I came to, of the seven of us who were in the back, only four of us were alive”  Nikias gasped in shock seeing the horror in her eyes, knowing that she was once again transported back to that day, seeing the carnage within her mind.  “The other three were badly hurt and I did what I could.  When I went in to see the pilot, he was still alive”, her voice faltered slightly, “He died later...but he was able to call for help so that we could be rescued”

“Were you hurt?”, he asked softly, seeing how she nodded gently.  “Yes.  I had a broken leg, some internal bleeding and a concussion…but I was the only one conscious…I was the only person who could help them”,  her voice full of such pain.

“Some w
ere in a really bad way; I managed to keep them alive though until help arrived.”  She looked at him with such sadness.  “I managed to move around the cabin to the pilot… and I tried to save him, I really did, but he died from his injuries in my arms”, she said as more tears filled her eyes, her lips quivering.  “I tried to save him Nikias, I really did”, she repeated, her eyes pleading with him to believe her, as he kissed her lips so gently.  “I know that”, he replied, his eyes holding hers.  “I know you Diona… if he died then it was because there was nothing you could do”, he said his voice sure, seeing how she nodded softly, her eyes dropping to the floor.

He
looked at the young woman before him, his whole being in such turmoil.  She had never told him about the crash, and with sudden understanding, he finally understood why she had been so terrified at the thought of flying.  She really truly had been petrified to fly on his private jet that day and he could only look at her with wonder that she had actually come all the way to Greece to stop her sister from ‘making a mistake’, as she had put it all those months ago.  Nikias looked away from her, his whole mind so confused.

“When did this happen?”, he finally asked, as she replied so softly, “Three years ago” Lifting her eyes once more to look at him she said sadly,  “It changed my life.  I couldn’t work abroad anymore…couldn’t go on holidays… I was trapped in Britain”

“But you did get on a plane”, he said softly, “To come after your sister”  Diona nodded gently.  “I was so scared Nikias, but I had to come... I really thought she needed rescuing” With a small laugh she continued, “Then you took me prisoner, and it was me who needed rescuing”

Nikias
smiled at the memory.  “So you wouldn’t use my plane because...” Diona shuddered.  “The holiday plane was bad enough…but the thought of going on a small plane… that was too much… I really couldn’t handle that… I was too scared”, she said with shame in her voice.  “I wasn’t brave enough”  He groaned gently.  “I think you are one of the bravest people I have ever met”, he said softly against her, his voice full of such respect, as she looked into his eyes, hers full of sadness.

“But you went back to work abroad”, he said, his voice suddenly filled with surprise.  Diona nodded her head.  “When Daryle, Alexis and I got back, I was so ashamed with myself that I went for help.  I spent a month with a counsellor, who helped me get over my fear”, she said, making a small derisive sound.  “Well I thought I had gotten over it”, suddenly ashamed at her actions only minutes ago.

Nikias
frowned.  “Who was your counsellor Diona?”, he asked softly, groaning with pain when she replied, “James”  She looked at him, her eyes questioning.  “Why?”  Diona watched as Nikias sat back on his heels, his fingers angrily raking through his hair.  “When I left you at the airport, I was so damned angry”, he began looking at her beautiful face.  “I thought you had planned everything.  That you had got me to tell Alexis what was going on, knowing that he would come to the airport after your sister. I really thought you had taken me for a ride”

He
placed a finger on her lips to stop the words of denial pouring from them.  His face pained.  “It is a real good job you can’t speak Greek, considering what I called you”, he said, his voice full of regret, as she remembered how Alexis had gasped at the way he yelled at her.

“But within the month, I wanted you back… I hired a detective to keep me informed about my brother, and I started getting reports about you too”  Diona’s eyes widened in surprise.  “Soon I started getting pictures back showing you with the man you brought to the wedding… I assumed that he was your boyfriend.  My male pride was hurt that you had forgotten me so fast”, he said with a small sheepish grin.

“Eventually, I decided that I wanted you more, and was coming to get you… I decided that this other man was about to get some really serious competition.  Then you moved… you went to work abroad.  I was so confused Diona… I couldn’t understand why you would suddenly want to work for the voluntary organisations, and I was so annoyed with myself that I had let you go again.

He
sighed gently.  “I knew that you would be back for the wedding… I knew you wouldn’t miss that”, he said with certainty.  “And I planned to meet up with you after the wedding… but then I could see how well Alexis was doing, and how happy he seemed… suddenly I wanted to be there, not to miss my brother’s wedding... and to see you too”

He
looked into her shell-shocked face.  “I planned to take it so slowly Diona… but things just seemed to happen with us, it was as if we couldn’t keep our hands off each other... like we were meant to be together”, he finished.

“You were coming for me?”, Diona whispered gently, seeing how his eyes closed with the memory.  “You wanted me? Even though you thought I had...”  He nodded his head slowly.  “The day I walked into the hotel and saw you with James, I was so jealous”, he laughed, seeing the look of incredulity on her face.  “You were?”, she asked in surprise.  He nodded. “I was ready to go over there and drag you out… and then you collapsed”, his voice so full of pain.  “I didn’t know what to do… you were like a ghost Diona… I just kept thinking that I should have seen it, I kept blaming myself”

She
moved her hand to cover his, smiling softly. “Nobody could have known Nikias… all I saw before I collapsed was you... I knew that you would catch me”, she gave a small chuckle.  “Good job you did…because if you hadn’t then I would have blamed you too”

He smiled back.
  “Well I knew that your illness was the ideal opportunity to get you to myself for a while... once I got rid of Alexis and Daryle, that was”, he chuckled, seeing the look of surprise on her face.  “I knew that you felt the attraction for me just as strongly as I did for you... That much was clear from the night we went out”  He laughed gently, seeing the look of embarrassment cross her face as she remembered trying to seduce him in her flat.

“I knew that we would become lovers again.  God how I longed for you”, he said, the yearning so evident in his eyes as well as in his voice.  “You have no idea how many nights I spent dreaming about you”  Diona looked at the man before her, remembering how she had dreamt of him too, her eyes once again so full of pain. “But for how long Nikias?”, she said sadly, “You will get tired of me eventually, and then you will move onto the next woman and it will be goodbye Diona”

“You
’re wrong”, he said with such force that she looked up to see the grim determination on his handsome face.  “Stay with me Diona”, he pled with her, his eyes begging her, as she continued to shake her head, her voice quivering with emotion, as he saw the tears once more shining in her lovely eyes.  “I can’t Nikias, no matter how much you think you won’t tire of me, I know you will, and...and I don’t think I could handle that”, she said softly, seeing how he had become frustrated.

“You are wrong Diona”, he repeated, becoming more adamant.  “Why won’t you believe me?”  Looking down at her lap to try to hide the hurt in her eyes she said, “You will Nikias, you are fooling yourself if you think differently, why would you not?”  With exasperation he cried out, “Because I love you dammit”

Diona
froze, not believing what she had just heard, before very slowly her eyes rose to look into his, hers full of disbelief tinged with hope.  “What ... what did you say?”, she asked, her voice hardly audible.  Nikias moved forward to slowly cup her face in his hands, his eyes looking gently over her shocked features.  “I love you Diona”, he whispered, his tone soft as she gulped, the tears gently sliding down her cheeks.

“You love me”, was all that she could manage, before his mouth moved forward, his lips taking hers so gently before once again he moved to release her, his eyes so unsure.  “I was so angry with Alexis when he told me he had met some woman and within a week had fallen madly in love with her.  I thought he was an idiot… people don’t fall in love in a week, and then I met you,  and I knew I was in love, I kept telling myself that it was just lust… but deep down I knew Diona.  I know that you don’t feel the same about me, but stay with me, maybe one day you will feel something for me”, he said, the pain in his voice so evident.  “I can’t bear to lose you again”

Diona
sobbed gently, looking into his eyes, hers shining with the love she had hidden from him for so long, before she threw her arms around his neck.  “I love you Nikias… I love you so much…”  She felt him stiffen with her words, before he pulled her back, his face hardly able to believe what she just said.  “Don’t just say it because you know I want to hear it”, he said in confusion, as she started to half laugh, half sob.

“It’s true Nikias, I never thought you would ever feel the same way about me.  I love you so much, but I thought you just wanted to have an affair.  It was tearing me apart.  I had to get away because you were breaking my heart”

With a tortured sigh he
pulled her into his arms.  “God, what fools we have been”, he said gently.  “I have been so scared of losing you.  When you threatened to leave because of Anya, I couldn’t care about the talks, I could only think about losing you”

Diona
giggled gently against him.  “So you made me a prisoner again”, she said as he groaned.  “I do seem to come over all caveman around you”, he laughed. “But I was so worried that you would take off and jump straight on the next plane abroad to work with some agency or other, and that I might never find you again”, he said with pain in his voice.  “I had to keep you there until I could explain”

Diona
nodded, knowing that he was right, remembering what her plans had been for when they landed.  “That is exactly what I would have done”, she confirmed to him, her eyes holding his.  With a groan, he pulled her back into his arms kissing her so passionately that her head spun.  “Do you still want to go home?” His eyes grew sad as she nodded at him, before she placed her hand on his cheek saying so softly,  “Our home”

She
held her breath, seeing how his eyes lit with such love for her, as he pulled her back into his arms.  For the rest of the journey he held her tightly to him the two just talking together, both happy and secure in the other’s arms.

When they
landed in Britain, Alexis and Daryle were waiting for her.  Both seemed confused to see the two walking off the plane hand in hand, laughing happily together.  When they walked out to the departures to meet up with their siblings they saw as Daryle and Alexis shot knowing smiles at each other.

“Diona, are you al
l right?”, her sister asked, looking at Nikias and then Alexis, not sure what to do.  However, Diona smiled back at her.  “I’m fine”, she replied. “In fact more than fine”, she said looking so lovingly at Nikias, who looked back at her in the same way. “We have the car outside”, Daryle said, her voice still confused seeing how Nikias shook his head.

“In a minute Daryle”, he smiled at her before looking at Diona.  “Well, we are in the airport, and it seems that we seem to be starting a little family tradition”, he laughed, his eyes full of fun as he looked over at Alexis.  “So, I have something to ask you Diona”, pulling her around so that they were looking at each other.

“Diona Brown, I love you”, he said, his voice full of emotion, as both Daryle and Alexis looked at each other, small smiles starting to light up their faces.  Diona looked up at him, her eyes so bright “And I love you too”, she replied softly, seeing how he smiled back at her.

“Diona will you marry me, will you be my wife?”, he asked, his eyes so dark, with a glow lighting up that darkness, as he looked lovingly into her face.  Diona was partly aware of her sister’s hands flying to her mouth as she nodded, throwing her arms around Nikias’ neck, kissing him as he lifted her off her feet to hold her closer to him.