The two brothers gave her cursory glances but barely spoke to her. When Ari abruptly asked Theo to accompany him to the boat shed, her stomach fell.
Perla organised a Jeep to take her back to their villa and when Theo returned half an hour later, his jaw was tight and his movements jerky as he swept her off her feet and strode into the bedroom.
He made love to her with a fierce, silent passion that robbed her of speech and breath before he clamped her to his side and slid into sleep.
Her eyes filled with tears and she hurriedly brushed them away. It was no use daydreaming that things would ever magically turn rosy between her and Theo.
As much as she wanted to wish otherwise, they were on a countdown to being over for good.
* * *
The wedding was beautiful and quietly elegant in a way only an events organiser extraordinaire like Perla could achieve despite being seven months pregnant. Inez watched the bride and groom dance across the polished floor of the casino, transformed into a spectacular masterpiece that stood directly on the water, and fought the feelings rampaging through her.
Theo would never be hers. She would never have a wedding like this or have him gazing at her the way Ari was gazing at his new wife.
She would never feel the weight of his baby in her belly or have it suckle at her breast.
Despair slowly built inside her, despite knowing deep down that Theo had done her a favour by bringing her here. He didn't need her to save him from whatever nightmares plagued him. He had a family that clearly adored him, who would be there for him when he chose to let them in.
She needed to stop moping and get on with her life.
Her time in Theo's house and his bed was over. In retrospect, she was thankful she'd let him talk her into keeping her volunteer position. It was a lifeline she was grateful for in a world skidding out of control. The things she couldn't control she would learn to live without.
A tall figure danced into her view and her eyes connected with the man who occupied an astonishingly large percentage of her mind. In his arms was an elegantly dressed woman with greying brown hair and a sad expression. She said something to him and he glanced down at her. His smile was gentle but wary and Inez saw her sadness deepen.
Inez heard the soft gurgle of a baby over the music and turned to see Brianna next to her. 'That's their mother.' She nodded to Theo's dance partner. 'Their relationship has been fraught but I think they're all finding their way back to each other.' She glanced at Inez with a smile. 'I hope that you two find your way too.'
Inez shook her head. 'I'm afraid that's impossible.'
Brianna laughed. 'Believe me, I've seen the impossible happen in this family. I've learned not to rule anything out.' She smiled down at her child and danced away with him towards her husband.
Tears stung her eyes as she watched Sakis enfold his wife and son in his arms.
'What's wrong now?' Theo's deep voice sounded in her ear.
She blinked rapidly and pasted a smile on her face. 'Nothing. Weddings … they make me emotional. That's all.'
His eyes narrowed speculatively on her face before he took hold of her elbow. 'Dance with me.'
He led her to the dance floor and pulled her close.
'You have a big family,' she said, more for something to fill the silence.
'They can be a pain in the rear sometimes.'
'Regardless, you all seem to watch out for each other.'
He shrugged. 'Force of habit.'
'No, it's not. Does Ari know who I am?'
His mouth tightened. 'He suspects. I didn't enlighten or deny because it's none of his business. He's welcome to draw his own conclusions. Why do you ask?'
'Because he's been watching me like a hawk since we got here and he hasn't spoken more than two words to me. That's what I mean. What you have with your brothers isn't habit. It's love.'
His mouth twisted in a way that evidenced his dark pain.
'Love hasn't conquered the nightmares that have plagued me for all these years, Inez.' The raw pain in his voice made her throat clog. She forced a swallow.
'Because you haven't allowed it to. You resisted any attempt at help because you thought you had to face this demon alone, do things your way.'
The honest barb struck home. He was silent for the rest of the song. Then abruptly he spoke. 'I didn't want to appear weak. I hated myself every time I couldn't walk into a dark room or down an unlit street. I haven't been able to cope with the smell of cigars without breaking out in a cold sweat. Do you know what that feels like?' he asked in a harsh undertone.
She shook her head. 'No, but I know it will never go away if you keep it buried.'
Her warmth, her strength hit him hard and he wanted to reach for her with all he had. Suddenly, everything he'd ever craved, ever wished for seemed coalesced in the woman before him.
'It's no longer buried. A month ago I was still the messed-up boy Ari dug up from that hole twelve years ago. But you did something about that.'
'No, I'm not responsible for that.'
His hand cupped her nape and he whispered fiercely in her ear. 'You are. You've seen me, Inez. I can't sleep with the lights off. I used to panic whenever someone shut a door behind me. That's why I surrounded myself with glass. With you by my side I flew here with no need for sleeping pills.'
'Even though you refused to speak to me for hours.'
He exhaled. 'Things are upside down and inside out right now. Let's just … we'll get through this wedding and head back to Rio. And we will damn well fix this thing between us. Because I'm not prepared to let you go yet.'
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
'I TOLD YOU, you're so much better than a damn sleeping pill.'
Inez laughed as Theo tugged her dress down and lifted her out of it. Leaving it on the floor of the master cabin bedroom, he waited for her to kick her shoes off before he crossed over to the bed. The diamond pendant he'd looked incredibly pleased that she'd worn lay nestled between her breasts.
'Keep that on,' he instructed, just as the plane jerked through turbulence and they fell onto the bed together, a tangle of hard and soft limbs and hot, needy kisses.
'I'm glad I have my uses,' she said, laughing, when he let her up for air.
His face grew serious as he stared down at her. 'You've attained the ultimate purpose in my life, querida. Now more than ever you're my saviour: my angel.' He cradled her head as he kissed her.
Inez closed her eyes and imagined that she could feel his soul through his reverent kiss. She studiously ignored the voice that mocked that she was deluding herself.
When he finished undressing her with gentle hands, she tried to stem her tears as he made love to her with a greedy passion that touched her very soul.
Afterwards she held him in her arms as he fell asleep. Unable to sleep, her mind drifted back to the wedding.
Theo had introduced her to his mother and again she'd witnessed the sadness in her eyes. When he'd hugged her at the end of the evening and murmured gently into her ear, his mother had burst into tears. Inez had watched as the brothers closed around her and soothed her tears.
She was still watching them when Ari had glanced her way. His measured smile and thoughtful nod in her direction had made her swallow. It hadn't been acceptance but it hadn't been the chilly reception he'd given her either.
As they'd packed to leave, Inez had asked Theo about what had happened with his mother.
'She fell apart completely after my father was arrested. She left Athens and locked herself away at our house in Santorini,' he'd replied in an offhand manner, but Inez had seen his anguish.
Recalling his words about abandonment, she'd gasped, 'She wasn't there when you were kidnapped, was she?'
Heart-shredding pain washed over his face, but a moment later it was replaced by a look even more soul-shaking. Forgiveness. 'No. She wasn't. But I had Ari and Sakis. They were strong for me. And they were that way because of her. I told her that tonight because I think we both needed to hear it.'
His words had resonated deep inside her. But most of all it had been his statement on the dance floor that continued to flash across her mind. I'm not prepared to let you go yet.
Her heart lurched. He meant to keep her in his bed for a while yet. Like a trophy he wasn't prepared to relinquish. And her foolish heart performed a giddy little samba at the thought of having a few more moments with him.