Along Came Twins…

She nodded. “They’re due March 12.”

“Kellie—”

The next thing she knew he’d picked her up and wrapped her in his strong arms, burying his face in her neck. She felt moisture against her skin as he crushed her against him. He’d been at the hospital with her to do his part while they’d gone through procedure after procedure. Every time it turned out she hadn’t gotten pregnant, he’d been there to comfort her and promise her it would happen next time. He never gave up, and now they were going to be parents. But it was too late for them. The situation had put too much strain on both of them.

His reaction to the news was all she could have wanted if they’d been happily married, but that was the excruciating point. Their marriage was over and had been for months.

Soon they’d be divorced. Having his babies wouldn’t solve what was wrong between them. When he lifted his head to kiss her, she put her hands against his chest to separate them, but he wasn’t having any of it.

“Don’t push me away, agapi mou. Not now,” he cried. Before she could move, he drew her back into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her with startling hunger. She could taste the salt from his tears. Her mind and body reeled from the passion only he could arouse.

For a moment she responded, because it had been so long since she’d known his touch, and because she simply couldn’t help herself. But when he moaned and deepened their kiss, she remembered why she was here.

Since he was physically powerful, her only weapon was to refrain from kissing him back until he got the message. He went on kissing every inch of her face and hair till it slowly dawned on him she was no longer participating.

A tremor shook his tall, hard-muscled body before he released her with reluctance. Dazed by his passion, she sank down in the chair behind her. His eyes searched her features, trying to read her. “Are you still suffering from morning sickness?”

“No,” she answered honestly. Though she’d love to use it as an excuse, she couldn’t. From here on out, everything she told him would be the whole truth and out in the open.

Dr. Creer was very worried about her going through a divorce right now. He’d warned her that since she didn’t want to burden her aunt and uncle with her problems, then she needed to find an outlet to deal with all her emotions. Keeping them bottled up inside was the worst thing for her at a time like this. She could tell Dr. Savakis had been worried about her, too.

After being alone with her thoughts for the last month, she realized the doctor was right. She’d gone about things wrong in her marriage. She was sick of trying to protect herself, Leandros and everyone else. But no longer. No more mistakes if she could help it. That’s why she’d come all this way. “The doctor has given me medication for it.”

His hands went to his hips, as if he needed to do something with them. Unfortunately, he stood too close to her, affecting her breathing. “This pregnancy puts a different slant on our impending divorce.”

“I know. That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”

“You do realize that a great deal of our pain came from trying to get pregnant without results,” he reminded her grimly.

“So now that I’m carrying your child, you think that erases everything?”

“No,” he murmured, “but you’ve just brought me news I’m still trying to assimilate. One moonlit night on the sailboat, after we’d been disappointed a second time, you lifted tear-filled eyes to me and asked me if it was asking too much to reach for the stars. I told you we’d keep reaching for the stars and the moon. Now you’ve just told me we’ve been given both!”

“I remember.” She averted her eyes. “Please sit down so we can talk.”

Studying her through veiled eyes, he hitched himself on a corner of his desk. It still wasn’t far enough away from her, but that was as much room as he was willing to give her. “I have a better idea. We’ll go to our suite at the hotel, where we won’t be disturbed.”

He was referring to the Cassandra, the main Petralia five-star hotel in Athens, where he kept an elegant, permanent suite. It was like a small house, really, with three bedrooms, a dining and living room and kitchen facilities.

When she’d stayed at the hotel with her aunt and uncle on their first trip to Greece, that’s where she’d met him. Some of her happiest memories of their life together were associated with the Cassandra before they were married. It would be painful to go there.

“Why do we have to go to the hotel? Why not the apartment?”

He moved off the corner of the desk. “We can’t go to the apartment because I sold it to Frato three weeks ago. I’m living at the hotel.”

CHAPTER TWO

LEANDROS HAD SOLD his fabulous penthouse to his cousin? Kellie couldn’t believe it. Stunned by the news, she said, “What’s to stop Karmela from hurrying over to the hotel with something important for you before the day is out?”

He breathed in sharply. “It’ll never happen again.”

Kellie blinked. “That sounded final. She must have received quite a shock to see me in here with you a few minutes ago, but no worries. I won’t be in Athens much longer.”

In the tangible silence that followed, Kellie lowered her eyes and opened her purse. Inside was the paper her attorney had drawn up. “If you’ll please read through this and consult with your attorney, then we’ll sign it and our divorce can go through as scheduled.”

Leandros made no move to take it. She should have known this was going to be a battle to the end. “That’s all right. I’ll read it to you.

“Point One. If and when one or both children are born, the mother will retain custody at her address in Parkwood, Pennsylvania.”

“Why if?” he demanded in an anxious voice. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”

“No. My attorney simply wanted to cover every contingency.”

Shadows darkened his features.

“Point Two. Liberal visitation rights will be offered to the father.

“Point Three. Both mother and father will discuss times when the mother will bring said child or children to Athens for visitation, and when the father will travel to Parkwood for visitation.

“Point Four. The mother asks for no additional money. The father can decide what monies he will afford for the child or children’s upbringing.”

She looked up at him. “It’s all very simple and straightforward.”

His eyes glittered a frostbite gray. “If you think I’m going to agree to that, then you never knew me.” The words seemed to come from a cavern miles underground.

“You’re wrong, Leandros. After being married for a while, I discovered the real you. That’s why we’ve reached this impasse.” Heartbroken, she stood up and left the paper on his desk.

With a grimace, he immediately wadded it in his fist before pocketing it. “When did you fly in?”

“Yesterday morning. I’m staying at the Civitel Olympic near the north park. You can reach me there after you’ve talked with your attorney.”

Leandros moved like lightning, preventing her from leaving the room. Standing in front of the door, he talked into his cell phone and rapped out instructions. When he clicked off, he said, “You won’t be going back to the Civitel. I’ll send Yannis for your personal belongings and have him bring them to you. We’re flying to Andros right now.”

Where else would he take her? It was his favorite place on earth. Hers, too, except… “You mean where Karmela and her family drop in on a regular basis to visit your family whenever you’re in residence there?”

His eyes narrowed to slits. “They come to visit my parents in their villa. As for my family, they’ve already left for the yearly reunion in Stenies village and will be gone overnight, so no one will be around. In any case, we’ll be staying in my villa. Shall we go?”

So much had happened in the last month, Kellie’s mind was spinning. Since he’d dictated the location for the conversation they needed to have, she was left with no choice but to go along with him.

After grabbing his briefcase, he opened the door that led to the elevator, and stepped in behind her. Their bodies brushed, sending darts of awareness through her as they rode to the roof, where the helicopter blades were already rotating.

She smiled at his pilot, Stefon, before climbing in the back to join Christos. Kellie had done this so often in the past, she strapped herself in before Leandros could do it. She watched him take the copilot’s seat and put on the earphones. Soon they were airborne for the short flight to Andros, an hour and a half from Athens by car and ferry. There was no airport, but with a helicopter, Leandros could be where he wanted in no time at all.

That pang of familiarity attacked her in waves as they left Athens and headed for the fertile green island in the Cyclades that Leandros called home. It was a contrast of craggy mountains, woods, valleys and streams rising out of the blue Aegean.

The Petralia estate was located on the eastern slope of a hillside with its share of vineyards, lemon and walnut groves near Gialia beach. To Kellie, the island was glorious beyond description.

Close by was the picturesque stone village of Stenies, with its paved streets. The cluster of villas on the estate had been built in the same traditional stone architecture of the region. Parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins…all lived in the vicinity.