The Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress(28)

“I can be a reasonable man. Just not in this matter,” he said arrogantly. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to live with the fact that I intend to take care of you.”

She rolled her eyes, but a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. She could tell she strained his patience, and for some reason that amused her.

He waited while she changed and handed her a sweater when she was finished. She laid it over her arm, and once again he took her down the stairs and out to the helipad, where the helicopter waited.

Soon they were flying over the water and a while later landed in Corinth. A car was waiting, and to her surprise, Chrysander put her into the passenger seat of the Mercedes then slid into the driver’s seat himself.

“I do know how to drive,” he said dryly when she looked at him questioningly.

She laughed. “It’s just that I’ve never seen you do so.” She frowned as she realized what she’d said. “What I mean is, I haven’t seen you drive since…”

He laid a hand over hers. “I know what you meant, Marley. True, I don’t drive very often. I’m usually occupied with business matters, but I have a car both here and in New York.”

She settled into the soft leather seat as he drove away from the airport.

They spent much of the morning walking among the ruins. He explained the history, but she was more focused on the fact that it was a beautiful autumn day and they were together. No annoying personal assistants, no doctors or nurses, no business calls or faxes. It was, in a word, perfect.

“You’re not paying a bit of attention, pedhaki mou.” Chrysander’s amused voice filtered through her haze of contentment.

She blushed and turned to look at him. “I’m sorry. I’m enjoying it, truly.”

“Are you ready to return to the island?” he asked. “I’m not overtiring you, am I?” The amusement had turned to concern, and if she didn’t dissuade him of the notion that she was not well, she’d find herself bundled back on the helicopter and her perfect day would be at its end.

“Tell me about your family. You’ve said nothing about them. I realize the information may be redundant, but since I can’t remember any of it, perhaps you could humor me.”

“What would you like to know?” he asked.

“Anything. Everything. Are your parents still living? You don’t talk about them.”

A flash of pain showed in his eyes, and she immediately regretted the question.

“They died some years back in a yachting accident,” he said.

She slipped her hand into his and squeezed comfortingly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up such a painful subject.”

“It’s been a long time,” he said with a shrug. But she could tell speaking of them bothered him.

She opened her mouth to change the topic when he suddenly frowned and lowered his other hand to his pocket. He pulled out his cell phone and studied it for a moment before opening it and putting it to his ear.

“Roslyn,” he said shortly, after a quick glance at Marley.

Marley stiffened and pulled her hand away from Chrysander’s. Trust his assistant to know just when to call. She must have radar.

She could see the tension rise in Chrysander, and when he looked in her direction, it was as though he stared right through her.

“Everything is fine here,” Chrysander said. “Find out from Piers how things are going for the Rio de Janeiro hotel and report back.” There was a long pause. “No, I don’t know when we’ll return to New York.” He glanced again at Marley, and she got the distinct impression Roslyn was talking about her. “No, of course not,” he said in a soothing voice. “I appreciate your diligence, Roslyn. You’ll be the first to know when I plan to leave the island.”

Marley looked away in disgust, no longer able to listen to his part of the conversation. A few moments later, he snapped the phone shut and put it into his pocket. As expected, when she turned back to him, his entire demeanor had changed for the worse. He looked at her almost suspiciously, though she couldn’t imagine why. But she wasn’t imagining it. There was a distinct change in his mood.

“I’m sorry for the interruption,” he said almost formally. “What were we talking about?”

“Tell me about your hotels,” she said impulsively, wanting to steer him away from his concerns.

His expression froze and wariness stole over his face. “What would you like to know?”

She found a place to sit that overlooked the tall pillars and tugged him down beside her.

“I don’t know. Anything. Where do you have hotels? Imperial Park in New York is one of yours, isn’t it?”