The Kristallis Baby

‘My mother died when I was very young.’ She spoke steadily, knowing it was best to be open with him, but she was determined not to let any emotion show in her voice. She didn’t need to lay her heartfelt feelings out for him to scrutinise.

‘And your father?’ he prompted.

‘My father couldn’t cope.’ She thought unhappily how he hadn’t even managed to come to the funeral six months ago. ‘He left me with my aunt and uncle and their daughter, Sophie.’

‘And you grew up as part of their family?’

‘Sophie was like a sister to me.’ Tears suddenly pricked in Carrie’s eyes and she dropped her gaze slightly, determined not to let Nik see. Her relationship with her aunt and uncle had never been warm. Somehow the infrequent but unsettling appearances of her father bringing them money for her upkeep had seen to that. But she had loved Sophie.

‘You lost a great deal in that car accident.’

Something in Nik’s voice made her look up. Their eyes met and a tremor ran through her. For a long moment she couldn’t look away, despite the knowledge that he’d seen the tears swimming in her eyes.

Then Danny made a sound, and suddenly the spell was broken.

She looked back at the baby, and the love she felt for him welled up inside her. She wouldn’t let Nik take him from her. She couldn’t be parted from Danny now.

She’d loved him from the moment she saw him, and had revelled in their time together since then—even though hardly anyone had been truly supportive about her decision to take on an orphaned baby. Sometimes it felt as if they were all watching her, waiting to see how she would perform.

Her friends from the small town where she had grown up kept telling her to return home, where there were people who could help her out if she needed it. They told her it was irresponsible to try bringing up a baby alone in the city, especially as she had no experience and no one to help her. But Carrie had worked very hard to escape her painful roots, and she’d do almost anything to avoid going back.

She’d made a very different life for herself in London. She had been enjoying her new lifestyle, and found a real sense of achievement from her increasingly successful career as a personal trainer. Her London friends knew nothing about her childhood, and that was how she wanted it, but it meant they had no way to understand why looking after her orphaned cousin was so important to her.

Danny looked a bit better now. His cheeks were still flushed, and his wispy brown fringe was sticking damply to his forehead, but for the moment he was all right. They’d be home very soon, and she had to admit—to herself, anyway—that this way of travelling was better for a grizzly child than crowded, unreliable public transport.

Looking at Danny, comfy and secure in the car seat, she suddenly wondered why Nik had a car seat in his limousine. The thought that he might be married with children made her stomach lurch. Surely a family man wanting to adopt his nephew would have a better chance in court than a bachelor businessman?

‘Do you and your wife have children?’ Carrie asked abruptly.

‘Why do you ask?’ Nik said, the expression on his face telling Carrie he had misinterpreted her interest.

‘You have a car seat,’ she said flatly. She had no intention of letting him see how much the meaningful gleam in his eyes had suddenly made her heart beat faster. No doubt Nikos Kristallis was used to women throwing themselves at him—but she had more to think about than just herself.

He might be the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen, and there was no question that she had found him overwhelmingly attractive at first, but that had been before she’d learned his identity. That kiss in Darren’s study had been extraordinary for her—she was inexperienced and had had no idea a kiss could affect her so profoundly—but at that point she hadn’t discovered the threat he posed to her and Danny.

‘I am not married, and do not at present have children.’ Nik spoke smoothly, but his deep blue eyes were narrowed and fixed on her altogether too sharply. ‘However, we can continue our discussion about my marital status later.’

‘I thought the discussion was already finished.’ The last thing Carrie wanted was for Nikos Kristallis to start getting ideas. Or, even worse, to think that she was getting ideas! ‘Your marital status is of no interest to me,’ she added quickly.