Bought: The Greek's Baby(25)
Toward the end of the dinner, Roark and Lia toasted their anniversary with champagne in a private moment, while Eve, still dressed in her simple wedding gown, cuddled their sleeping baby and kept the little girl entertained with charming fairy tales made up out of the air.
What a mother she would make, Talos found himself thinking as he watched her. What a wife she would make.
Against his will, his gaze fell upon the neckline and bodice of her gown. His eyes traced her creamy skin, the lush breasts plumped forward as she leaned over to pick a toy from the stone floor.
He wanted Eve so much it hurt. He ached to caress her. His body tightened painfully, his hand gripping the crystal goblet of red wine.
“Talos?” With a questioning look, Eve placed her small, slender hand over his. Her caress and the tender expression of her impossibly beautiful shining face caused a shock wave to go through him.
And he suddenly realized that this sweetly loving woman was more dangerous than the seductive, sexy mistress had ever been.
He wanted her. All of her.
In his bed.
In his life.
He hungered for the dream she offered him. Hungered for her illusion to be true. Most of all, he hungered for the bedroom he knew awaited them in the guest wing of the castle, festooned with rose petals, candles and soft sheets.
No, he told himself furiously. He couldn’t give in!
Ripping his hand away from Eve’s, he crashed the crystal goblet down so hard on the table that it cracked, exploding red wine all over the wood like blood.
Three-year-old Ruby cried out in shock.
Roark and Lia, who’d been cuddled at the other end of the table with intimate, private laughter, looked up with a gasp.
“Sorry,” Talos muttered. He rose to his feet. “Sorry.”
Staring at their faces, he backed away.
“What is it?” Eve whispered. “What’s wrong?”
He had the sudden image of her pale, frightened face.
“We have to go,” he ground out. He focused on his friends behind her. Roark and Lia had gone far beyond the call of duty to create a fairytale wedding for them with only a few hours’ notice, though they had their own responsibilities with their young children; though they had their own anniversary to celebrate. “Thanks for arranging our wedding.”
“Surely you’re not leaving?” Lia demanded. “I prepared a guest room for you…”
Yes, he’d seen the honeymoon suite, and he wanted no part of it.
“Sorry,” he bit out. “We can’t stay.”
Lia’s eyes widened. Talos knew he was being incredibly callous but he would explain to Roark later. His old friend would understand, and he’d make his amends to his wife. All Talos knew was that he couldn’t stay for another hour in this romantic place so filled with happy dreams that for him would always be lies.
Talos broke out in a cold sweat.
He had to get out of here.
He had to end this.
He’d won his objective. Eve was his wife. His war was half won. Now all he had to do was make her regain her memory. Now. Before the temptation was too much.
Before Eve finished what she’d started three months ago, and finally crushed him into ashes and dust.
He abruptly turned on his heel, whirling away from the terrace with its overhanging wisteria and fairy lights gleaming in the night.
“Talos? Talos!” he heard his wife cry after him as he strode into the villa, but he didn’t look back. Instead, he opened his cell phone and started to bark out orders.
Eve had started this war three months ago.#p#分页标题#e#
Now he would finish it.
“Mrs. Xenakis, the plane will be landing shortly.”
Eve woke up blearily to discover a pretty brunette flight attendant standing over her, holding a tray. Sitting up straight in the white leather chair, she rubbed her eyes, feeling sweaty and disoriented. She smoothed her wedding dress with her hands, but it didn’t help. The cream-colored silk was wrinkled and wilted.
Just like her wedding day.
Eve’s head was still spinning. One moment, she’d been a happy bride, pledging her fealty and her faith to the father of her unborn child.
The next, Talos had been dragging her from the castle, pushing her into a car that took them back to the private airport. They’d left without even properly thanking Lia and Roark for the lovely wedding they’d created. Talos had forced her to leave the cheerfully decorated table with its flowers and lights, the homemade pasta and bread. They’d fled the celebration as if they were thieves in the night, rudely abandoning their kind hosts without explanation as Talos herded her onto his private plane.
There, he’d utterly ignored her and refused to answer any of her questions. He’d gone to the other side of the large cabin to a desk that was as far away from Eve as possible. He’d barked an order to a flight attendant for a shot of Scotch whisky—then hadn’t even drunk it. He’d just taken a deep sniff of the amber-colored Scotch before handing it back, telling the flight attendant to pour it out.