But what kind of sacrifices would she have to make to have her father accept her? How much would she have to hide about herself to be considered lovable?
Dimos’s smile dipped as the light dimmed from his eyes. “That’s very kind of you, Jodie. Especially after what happened between us.”
Shock washed over her and she fought for a mildly interested expression. She hadn’t been prepared for Dimos—for any Antoniou—to mention that night. Jodie wanted to cross her arms and back away but she was immobile. The only thing she felt was the pressure of her fingertips as they pressed against the cool surface of her water glass.
Dimos shoved his hand in his hair and looked away. “I did not handle the situation well,” he confessed in a low tone.
She fought the urge to find a quick getaway. “No one did,” she mumbled. She had been branded a Jezebel, a woman determined to snag an Antoniou man for a husband and ruin any potential marriages that had been carefully orchestrated. After that night she had been considered extremely dangerous to the Antoniou family’s future.
“I didn’t know that one of the maids had seen us.”
Jodie blinked. That was what he was apologizing for? That they had been caught? Interrupted? She pressed her lips together before she said anything. It was tempting to give a scathing reply but she had to be on her best behavior.
“I couldn’t believe that maid went and told Stergios.” Bitter anger bloomed in Dimos’s voice. “What had she been thinking?”
Jodie wondered if she might bite her tongue off as she fought back the words. The maid had known exactly what Dimos’s intentions had been. Jodie wished she had figured it out earlier. She had seen Dimos as a cousin who helped her navigate a big family, not as a viable lover.
“And I know this is years too late, but I should have spoken up.” Dimos splayed out his hands. “I didn’t realize you would have been severely punished.”
She was wrong, Jodie decided. Dimos was still immature for his age. Her jaw hurt as she fought to remain silent and took a small sip from her water glass. She wanted to point out that she had never encouraged him, or that it was never too late to right a wrong. He could have protected her from the fallout at any time. But that wouldn’t have served him.
And if there was something she had learned over the years, especially after that infamous night, it was that men didn’t understand the meaning of honor, respect or protection. They pursued, they took what they could get and they got out fast.
“So, how long are you planning to stay in Greece?” Dimos asked with a puzzled expression when she didn’t respond.
She darted a glance at her father standing among the older Antoniou men. Her first goal was to ask for forgiveness for her past behavior but she didn’t know if her father would give her the chance. “I’m not sure,” she murmured. “My plans aren’t set in stone.”
“Then you must come to my wedding,” he said, his eyes widening with enthusiasm.
Jodie raised her hand to halt that line of thinking. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“Intrude?” Dimos laughed. “That’s not possible. You’re family.”
She wished it were true. She wished she didn’t have this need to belong somewhere. To belong with someone. She had always been the outsider. The burden. She was used to it, and at times wore the label like a badge of honor, but everything changed after her mother’s death. She wanted to be loved, accepted and part of a family.
“You must agree,” Dimos insisted.
“Jodie must agree to what?”
She went still when she heard the low, masculine voice. Stergios Antoniou was here. She swallowed hard. He was standing next to her. Her pulse began to gallop as her stomach made a sickening turn. Her skin went hot and then cold but she refused to look in his direction.
“I invited her to my wedding,” Dimos said with a touch of defiance.
“I doubt there’s space,” Stergios responded.
“I can make space,” Dimos promised Jodie. “It’s going to be on an island that Zoi’s family owns. It’s small, but not that small.”
She nervously licked her lips as the panic swelled inside her. It pressed against her skin, ready to burst free. Every instinct told her to run but she stood as still as a statue. “I wouldn’t want to cause any inconvenience for you or your bride,” she explained huskily.
“You won’t,” Dimos said with a lopsided smile. “I’ll go ask Zoi right now.”
She watched helplessly as Dimos strode toward his fiancée. She wanted to run and hide but knew she had to be brave. At least appear fearless. From the corner of her eye, she saw Stergios’s crisp white linen suit. She forced herself to turn. Jodie looked straight ahead at his pale blue shirt. She tried to ignore how it emphasized the breadth of his powerful chest before she jerked her gaze to his face.
Her breath snagged in her throat as her heartbeat roared in her ears. She stared at Stergios’s luxuriant black hair that fell past his chin. The shadow of a dark beard almost diminished the whitened scar on his upper lip.
This was not the Stergios she’d known. She blinked several times, noting the bold lines of his cheekbones and nose, the slash of his mouth and his warm golden skin. She recalled how he’d once kept his hair ruthlessly short and had shaved twice a day. Now it looked as if he could no longer contain the wildness that rumbled through him.
His dark brown eyes were cold as he callously assessed her and immediately found her lacking. “I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve—”
“I wasn’t asking for an invite,” she bit out. “He offered and wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Perhaps he didn’t understand what you were saying.” His gaze drifted to her mouth. “You’re not good at saying no to any man.”
She swallowed the gasp of outrage and fought the driving need to fling the contents of her glass into his face. Damn it, her new and improved image was already slipping. She was never in control when she was around her stepbrother. She had to get away from Stergios or risk making a scene. That wouldn’t help her gain forgiveness from her father.
“Don’t confuse me with the women you associate with.” Jodie turned on her heel.
“Running away already?”
She whipped around, wobbling to a standstill as she glared at him. Stergios had sounded disinterested and bored while she was a jittery mass of nerves. It wasn’t fair. “I don’t run away. That’s your signature move, stepbrother dear.”
The muscle bunching in his cheek was the only indication that her barb had hit its target. “You know how to create a disaster and leave without a trace while everyone else deals with the aftermath. The merger had fallen apart after that night because Dimos suddenly didn’t want to get married. It has taken me years just to get the Antoniou-Volakis wedding to this point.”
“I was banished.” She wanted to stamp her feet. This was bad. It was as if her hard-earned poise had disintegrated into nothing. “There’s a difference.”
“Banished?” Stergios repeated with skepticism. “You’ve always been dramatic.”
And you’ve always been cold and hateful. No, she realized that wasn’t true. Stergios had been tolerant the first time she’d moved in with the Antoniou family. He had been her only companion, her one true confidant. But gradually he had become distant.
The more he was around her, the more he knew and learned about her, the more hostile he became. It had been a relief and yet agony when he missed her eighteenth birthday to work overseas on a project. He had returned a few months later but her joy had been brief and misplaced. It had become obvious that Stergios couldn’t stand being in the same room with her.
“If you were banished, why are you working so hard to return to the family fold?” His tone was casual but he watched her with open suspicion. “You’re not the type to forgive.”
Stergios knew her too well. Having one person understand her should bring comfort, but this man would use that knowledge against her. “I am here,” she said slowly, emphasizing each word, “to repair my relationship with my father.”
“And that’s all?”
No, this time she wanted Gregory Little’s concern and interest. She wanted to be a priority. She’d always wanted that from her father but she had tried to gain it the wrong way when she had been a teenager.
Jodie lifted her head when she suddenly understood Stergios’s question. “Oh…you think I’m here to get revenge or to cause trouble. To stop this merger that you need so badly. I hate to disappoint you, but the Antoniou family isn’t worth my time.”
One winged eyebrow arched at her statement. As if he couldn’t believe his family wasn’t everyone’s top interest. “You returned just when Dimos and Zoi are about to marry.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get the family newsletter,” she said with exaggerated sweetness, “or I would have timed my visit better.”
She was about to flounce away but Stergios easily read her next move. He grabbed her arm, his large fingers biting into her pale flesh as he held her still. Her skin went hot as she remembered the last time he touched her. She knew better than to look at him or she would betray her conflicted emotions.