THE TYCOON'S REBEL BRIDE(64)

astonishment. He looked…well, he looked bedraggled. His clothing was dusty and

rumpled, his hair was in disarray, and his golden eyes burned with feverish intensity.

Before she could say anything, he kissed her again, this time foregoing the

gentleness of before. He dragged her to him, kissing her until she was left completely and

utterly breathless.

Then he pulled away and uttered a command in Greek directed at the cockpit. To

her increasing shock, the plane began to move. With Theron in it.

“Theron, wait,” she protested. “This plane is going to London. You can’t just

leave here. What about Alannis? And your family?”

He pulled her out of her seat, maneuvered to the couch, then pulled her down onto

his lap.

“Shouldn’t we be in our seatbelts for takeoff?” she asked dumbly, still unable to

comprehend that he was here.

“I’ll catch you if there is any unexpected turbulence,” he said silkily. “Now that

you can’t run anywhere and I have you all to myself, you’ll have to listen to every word

I’m about to say.”

Her eyes rounded, and her mouth fell open. He traced her lips with his finger then

pulled her down to replace his finger with his mouth.

“Foolish, impetuous, beautiful, frustrating woman,” he murmured. “If you think

you’re going to get rid of me after you’ve hooked me and reeled me in, then you have

another think coming, Bella mou.”

Hope stuttered and made a soft pitter-patter in her chest. She stared at him unsure

of what to say. So many things raced through her mind that she was absolutely

speechless.

Then he rotated, sliding her off his lap and onto the seat next to him. He got to the

floor on one knee and took her hand in his.

“I love you, my beautiful Isabella. I adore you. I can’t imagine my life without

you. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?”

He slid the ring that she’d given him back on her finger. Then he leaned down and

kissed her knuckle.

“This was never another woman’s ring, pethi mou. I never gave Alannis a ring,

and the one I intended for her was replaced by this one. I chose it for you. I never asked

her to marry me. I was yours from the day you walked into my office. You turned my

world upside down, and it’s never been set to rights.”

“You didn’t propose?” she croaked around the swell of tears knotting her throat.

He looked back at her solemnly. “I would have never made love to you belonging

to another woman. I intended to propose the night of the party. I had the ring. The

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THE TYCOON’S REBEL BRIDE

91

MAYA BANKS

SILHOUETTE DESIRE 1944

THE ANETAKIS TYCOONS

moment was arranged. But all I could see was you. All I wanted was you. The morning

after we made love, I went to see Alannis. I told her that I was going to marry you.”

Isabella’s face fell. Theron smiled and touched her cheek. “How tenderhearted

you are, agape mou. Alannis isn’t in love with me and is in fact, quite anxious for me to

find you and put this ring back on your finger.”

“She’s not? You’re not? In love with her, I mean?”

She closed her eyes and shook her head, sure she had to be dreaming.

“I’m in love with you,” he said softly. “Only you.”

“But I heard what you told Chrysander, about you wanting what he and Marley

had, a family, a wife. I don’t fit into that anywhere,” she said bitterly.

“What I want is you,” he said simply. “Everything that I ever wanted, what I was

so restless for and hoping to find was staring me in the face. I think I knew it that first

day you came into my office. I saw that tattoo and it drove me crazy. I wanted to strip

every piece of your clothing off so I could see more of it. But I had already started things

rolling with Alannis. I fought my attraction to you because I was supposed to be acting as

your guardian, not trying to think of ways to get you out of your clothing.”

She raised a shaking hand to his face and cupped her palm to his cheek. He closed

his eyes and leaned into her touch. Then he turned so he could press his lips to her

fingers.

“Marry me, Bella.”

“You want to marry me even if I don’t want children right away?” she challenged.

“I have a feeling you’ll keep me far too busy to think of children anytime soon,”

he said with an amused smile. He leaned in and kissed her again, his lips melting warm

and sweet over hers. “We have all the time in the world, my precious love. Just promise