The Purchased Wife(22)

'With Alexander to London, of course!' Thea exclaimed in beaming triumph. She turned to her great-nephew. 'Did you not tell her that you have changed your mind?' Then before he could answer she was hustling Nell inside. 'Come come. Your case has been packed for you. All you need to do is choose something to wear to travel in, then we...'

Nell was glancing back over her shoulder, a puzzled frown on her face. Xander was saying nothing-nothing, and his grim, dark stance did not encourage questions.

What was going on? Why had he changed his mind? 'Xander-'

'Do as Thea says,' he cut in. 'We must leave in ten minutes if we are to make our air slot out of Athens.' With that he spun and strode away.

Bewildered and confused, Nell allowed herself to be hurried upstairs. Xander had to have decided to take her with him before he started looking for her but-why?

'You must not get so upset when he lets off the anger, pethi mou,' the old lady murmured beside her. 'He loves you. That makes him jealous and possessive. All Pascalis men are the same. He worries that you might meet some other fine young man in London and leave him-as if you would be so cruel...'

Nell felt a blush stain her cheeks at Thea's faith in Nell's loyalty to her great-nephew, because she knew that she could be so cruel-would be so cruel if she was given the opportunity. This marriage was over as far as she was concerned.

The flight to Athens airport was quick and smooth and trouble free. As they flew across the island before heading towards the mainland, Nell didn't even bother to glance down.

She'd come to love that little island but she would not be coming back to it. And her only regret at leaving it behind was having to leave a tearful Thea behind too.

'You will come and see me soon,' the old lady made her promise. Nell didn't have the heart to say no, never again.

Landing in Athens was like being dropped from heaven into hell. The moment they began the transfer from helicopter to waiting plane, people stopped to stand and stare. Xander didn't seem to notice. Nell had a feeling he didn't see anything beyond his next target, which in this case was his private plane waiting on the tarmac.

With only a few minutes to spare to hit their slot, they boarded the plane and were taxiing towards the runway only moments after they'd strapped themselves into their seats. And the whole shift from island to plane had been achieved in an empty hollow of perfect silence. It was awful. Neither spoke, neither attempted to, neither looked at the other. Body language did it all for them. Dressed in a razor-sharp business suit, he was grim, tight-lipped and supremely contained within himself.

Nell, on the other hand, had nothing she wanted to say. She was wearing the same clothes she'd travelled to Greece in mainly because they were hanging in the closet and she hadn't cared what she wore so long as she got back down the stairs within the allotted time. The only difference being that her hair had been left loose because she didn't dare waste time in braiding it in case he left the island without her. As she'd walked out into the sunshine where Xander was waiting for her, he'd taken one look at her from behind those miserable sunglasses, his mouth had compressed then he'd just turned and stridden away.

She'd suffered his help into the helicopter without flinching and kept her gaze fixed directly ahead as he settled himself in his seat. Tension had fizzed all around them throughout the short hop to Athens Airport-making it almost impossible to breathe.

Now they sat surrounded by the kind of luxury travel most people only read about, yet they could have been two strangers on a packed package flight, the way they sat across the aisle from each other, ignoring the other's presence. As soon as the plane levelled out Xander was climbing to his feet. The sunglasses had gone but it made no difference; his long, glossy eyelashes had taken their place and Nell refused to look up at him anyway.

He disappeared into his custom-built office area towards the back of the plane and a smiling Greek stewardess brought Nell refreshment-at Xander's instruction, she presumed, because no one had asked her if she wanted anything.

Still, the freshly brewed tea was like manna from heaven after her having drunk nothing for hours. And she even managed to nibble at the selection of freshly made sandwiches before she gave up and pushed the tray away. After that she spent some time flipping through a couple of magazines without focusing on a single page. Then, in the end, because she felt so utterly dragged down and exhausted by all the emotional stresses, she rested her head back against the seat and went to sleep.

When she eventually opened her eyes again she found Xander standing over her. Her nerve-ends leapt on edge, her defences shooting back into place so violently that what she'd gained by managing to fall asleep was lost in that instant.

A nerve ticked in his jaw as she glanced warily up at him.

He quickly flicked his eyes away. 'We will be landing at Heathrow in twenty minutes,' he informed her then strode away, his body language still speaking loud and clear.

The walk through Heathrow was like being placed beneath a microscope. As had happened in Athens, people stopped in their droves and stared. Nell wanted to curl into a tight chrysalis and just disappear. With a trio of tough-faced bodyguards hustling around them, they must look like one of those celebrity couples you saw splashed across the tabloids. She hated it and kept her eyes lowered and was actually grateful for the protective arm Xander placed around her as he paced beside her like a sleek, prowling cat that wanted to leap off and savage a couple of those staring faces-keeping up appearances, she thought again with a tiny grimace. And wondered curiously why she hadn't been treated to this kind of walk down the concourse when they'd left London for Greece. But didn't ask; neither the man nor the moment nor the throat-clutching pump of her heartbeat encouraged speech.

Rico was waiting outside with the Bentley, its rear door held open wide. She was hustled inside the car's luxury interior, Xander followed, the door shut, silence clattered around them with the same ear-twisting quality of a full string orchestra tuning their instruments.

They sped away with all the smooth efficiency Xander clearly took for granted. Nell would have smiled if she'd had the will to but she didn't. She had never felt as cold and unhappy or as isolated-and that was saying something, she mused as she stared out of the car window.

'Do you actually like living like this?' The words were out before she could stop them.

'I beg your pardon?' That she had surprised him with real speech showed in the huskiness of his voice.

'Like you're a beast living in a zoo,' she enlightened and watched him stiffen. 'Or maybe you're the star in the quintessential TV reality show,' she went on, wishing she'd kept quiet, but unable to stop herself from going on. 'Everything you do, wherever you are in the world, is watched and discussed and pored over. The Press love you. Those people back there love you. Paths appear in thick crowds so you can pass through unhindered while they stand and goggle and gasp.'

She dared to flick a look at him then wished she hadn't. He was sitting like a block of rock, no reaction whatsoever. It infuriated her; she didn't know why but it did.

'Is there a weekly vote on who gets kicked out of your life next?' she prodded recklessly. 'Do big companies fall to a million or two phone calls? Mistresses get dumped-bodyguards that don't fit the tough-guy bill?'

'Shut up, Nell,' he advised very quietly.

She wished she could but she was on a roll here. 'If I don't please the masses, do I get to go too? Vote out the nagging little wife so our wonderful hero does not have to listen to her any more!'

She saw his hands curl into two fists on his lap. 'You are going nowhere, so don't build your hopes up.'

'Because I might be pregnant?' she flashed at him with acid bite. 'Well, that event should boost the ratings. Do we produce your son and heir in front of a blaze of cameras and maybe have your mistress watching from the sidelines just to add a bit of spice?'

The snakelike twist of his body came without warning. For such a big man he struck with stunning, lithe grace. Before she even knew what was happening he had her trapped in the corner of the seat with a hand at her nape and the other clamped across her reckless mouth.

'Now listen...' he hissed out in thin warning.

Nell stared at him over the top of his clamping hand-really stared, and for the first time took in his pallor, the tension cutting deep grooves around his wide, sensual mouth. But it was his eyes that held her, eyes like black crystal that pierced her so sharply they hurt.

'I give you the right to mock me and my lifestyle,' he bit out tautly. 'I will even admit that I probably deserve to feel the acid whip of your tongue. But you will not mock yourself in the same manner and you will not degrade our unborn child!'

Is that what she'd done? Oh, yes, that was what she had done, Nell acknowledged. Her lips trembled beneath his hand.

'And don't cry,' he added on a driven mutter. 'I have enough torment to contend with without you adding your tears!'

Her breasts heaved on a tightly suppressed and tremulous shudder. Some of that torment he'd admitted to flashed across his eyes. He bit out a couple of thick foreign curses then, with the same unpredicted lithe movement, let go of her and snaked back into his own seat.

'You have no idea what you do to me,' he said then in rough-toned fury while Nell just sat there and trembled. 'You have no idea of your own damn power to draw breathless gasps from the masses!'

Shocked by that, she blinked at him in bewilderment.

Turning his dark head, he caught the surprised blink and his lean face hardened into cynicism.