The Greek Billionaire's Innocent Rrincess(33)

were clear evidence that he had no intention of taking his marriage vows seriously.





CHAPTER EIGHT


KITTYhad been taught from an early age that members of the royal family never displayed their

emotions in public, and the training proved invaluable for the remainder of the reception.

Somehow she managed to smile at the well-wishers who crowded onto the palace lawn where

Nikos’s helicopter was waiting, and she was confident she had fooled Sebastian and the queen

that she was happy to be leaving Aristo for her new life in Greece.



As soon as the helicopter took off she closed her eyes and feigned sleep, unable to face Nikos.

She reminded herself that in the days before their wedding he had been free to do as he chose—

even if that meant cavorting on a public beach with his half-naked lover—but she felt deeply

humiliated that he had flaunted his affair so openly.



As for Vasilis’s story about Nikos’s past—she did not know what to think. Knowing Vasilis’s

warped personality as she did, it was entirely likely that he had employed an investigator to dig

up any dirt on Nikos, and she supposed the facts would be easy to verify. She did not care if

Nikos came from a poor background, but the idea that he had acquired his wealth and success

because he had played on the emotions of a rich older woman filled her with dismay.



Her thoughts tormented her as the helicopter flew over the sea, and her heart ached as Aristo

faded to a tiny speck in the distance. Nikos had been speaking to the pilot, but now he came and

sat down next to her, and despite everything she had learned of him her senses quivered at his

nearness. She felt his gaze on her and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Tension gripped her but

after a few moments she heard him sigh, and when she peeped at him she saw he was engrossed

in his newspaper.



Nikos lived in the heart of Athens in an imposing tower block that loomed high above the busy

city streets. It was a far cry from the peace and tranquillity of Aristo, and Kitty felt a pang of

homesickness when his chauffeur-driven limousine turned into the underground car park beneath

his apartment.



‘When I am at work my driver, Stavros, will take you to wherever you wish to go. He is a

trained bodyguard and you are not to leave the apartment without him,’ Nikos told her when they

stepped into the lift.



‘I didn’t have a bodyguard on Aristo and I won’t need one here,’ Kitty argued, startled.



‘It’s different on Aristo. All the members of the royal family are well loved by the Aristan

people, and no one would ever harm you there. But here in Athens you are already something of

a talking point,’ Nikos said tersely. ‘People, especially the press, are fascinated by the idea of

having a princess in their midst. You can’t have missed the paparazzi who tailed us from the

airport. Your photograph will be on the front pages of all tomorrow’s papers, and unfortunately

that level of interest isn’t always healthy.’



Kitty frowned. ‘What do you mean?’



‘I mean that there are some individuals who resent my wealth, and yours,’ he told her grimly. ‘I

don’t wish to scare you, Kitty, but you have to be aware of the possibility of kidnap—a

possibility that is reduced to zero if you do as you are told and always stay close to Stavros.’



He had instructed Stavros to tail her every move, but not only to ensure her safety, Nikos

brooded. Kitty had insisted she wanted the baby, but he was taking no chances—he would know

her whereabouts every minute of the day.



The expression on Nikos’s face warned Kitty to say no more on the subject of a bodyguard, but

her heart sank. She had thought she would have more freedom here in Athens, away from the

stiff protocol of palace life, but it seemed that she had swapped one prison for another, and she

was to have her own personal jailer.



The lift halted at the top floor, and Nikos took her by surprise when he swept her into his arms

and carried her into his apartment. ‘Now you are truly my bride,’ he murmured, frowning

slightly when he noted how she had stiffened at his touch.



His words settled like concrete in Kitty’s stomach as she wondered if he was intending to carry

her on into his bedroom and make her his wife in the time-honoured fashion. She could not

forget the magazine pictures of him and Shannon Marsh, and she wriggled in his arms so that he

was forced to set her on her feet. ‘I’m too heavy for you,’ she muttered. ‘I’ll break your back.’



‘I think that is unlikely, agape ,’ he drawled, his eyes narrowing when she refused to meet his gaze. It was the first time she had visited his home, and it was perhaps natural that she seemed