Pretending with the Greek Billionaire Read online

Their connection burned with intensity, breaking all the barriers he’d tried to erect, destroying his defenses. She hadn’t just gotten under his skin—she’d invaded his heart, his mind. His soul. He’d never be free of her, and he never wanted to be.

  With one final thrust, he brought her to climax, screaming his name, her body convulsing around his. Her muscles stroked him, owned him, pushed him over the edge until her name on his lips echoed off the cliffs surrounding their paradise.

  She collapsed against him, her body trembling, curling into him. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder and wrapped his arms tighter about her, then carried her out of the water to the waiting bed suspended on the porch. They dropped onto it, their movement setting the bed swinging. Constance giggled, a sweet, lighthearted sound that she didn’t make nearly often enough. He sat up long enough to pull the mosquito netting closed. He grabbed one of the soft, furry throws that draped the bed and pulled it up over them.

  He kissed her softly, murmuring words in Greek that she probably didn’t understand and he didn’t want to dwell on. Between their escapades and the gentle swaying of the bed, she was asleep in moments, but Luca remained awake, cradling the woman he loved.

  He loved her.

  The words seemed alien to him. Impossible. Inevitable.

  He’d known the moment he’d walked into his backyard and seen her standing in that storm of childish chaos that she was unlike anyone he’d ever met, and the first time he’d kissed her, he’d known she would change his life. But not even he could have predicted just how much. The fading sunlight glinted off the sapphire ring on her finger and Luca found himself wondering how she’d feel about making their little arrangement permanent, for real.

  She’d probably laugh, tell him he was crazy, that it made no sense. They were too different. It was only supposed to be a sham, temporary, that anything more was insane.

  The children…that thought still filled him with terror. He wasn’t even remotely father material, but maybe with Constance there to help make sure he didn’t do any permanent damage, maybe they could make it work. It hadn’t been so bad with the kids there these past few weeks. They’d seemed happy. And he…he’d been happy, too.

  He brushed her hair from her face and a faint smile crossed her lips, even in sleep. He wrapped himself around her, breathed in her cherry blossom scent.

  Yes, it was crazy. But if he was very lucky, she might just say she loved him, too. There was only one way to find out.

  But it could wait. For that moment, he was content to hold her. For the rest, he’d suck it up and do what terrified him the most. He’d bare his soul and hope she didn’t reject it.

  Tomorrow.

  …

  Constance woke early, the morning sun gently stealing across the beach to reach them in their swinging nest. She sighed happily, reaching out for Luca only to find he was no longer beside her. Her movements set the bed swinging when she sat up, so she took care when she climbed down. She wrapped a blanket around her, following the sound of Luca’s voice.

  He stood outside the front door, already dressed, speaking on the phone. She couldn’t hear his words but by his tone he was obviously displeased about something. He must have heard her step because he turned to glance at her. He frowned, not aiming it at her but at something he must be hearing, then he turned back around.

  A deep unease settled in her gut. This was not the way she expected the morning to go. After the night before…he’d been so loving. That hadn’t just been lust and sex; it had meant something. To her at least. And to him, she’d been sure of it.

  He put his phone back in his pocket and came inside.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  Luca frowned again. “Nothing that can’t be handled.”

  He gave her a strained smile that did little to ease the ache settling in her heart. “We’re going to have to cut our morning short. There are a few things I need to take care of. I’d like to leave in a few minutes if possible.”

  She nodded, her throat suddenly tight. “Probably best,” she managed to say. “I’m sure Mrs. Ballas could use a break by now.”

  He caught her hand before she could turn around and pulled her to him.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to her lips. “This isn’t how I wanted our morning to go.”

  “Me, either,” she said with a small smile.

  He wrapped her in his arms, hugging her close for a few moments. Then he kissed the top of her head and sent her toward the bathroom with a playful slap to her rear. He was trying. Too hard, maybe. Something was definitely wrong.

  She dressed as quickly as she could, the mood of their idyllic getaway tarnished with whatever he was keeping from her. When she came out, he was pacing the room, running his hands through his hair.

  “Hey,” he said, grabbing her hands and drawing her in for a kiss. “What do you say to a trip?”

  “A trip? Where? I mean…I’d love to, but I can’t leave the kids…”

  “For all of us. You, me, and the kids. Mrs. Ballas can come along to help wrangle.”

  Constance still sensed an underlying tension to him, but he did seem genuinely excited about his plan.

  “Where would we go?”

  “I’ve told Joe to get the yacht ready. We can cruise around the islands, get away from everything for a while, all the craziness. It can just be us.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Can you do that? I mean, aren’t you supposed to meet with your dad again soon?”

  “Don’t worry about him. This isn’t about him anymore. This is about us.” He cupped her face and drew her in for a kiss.

  She sank into him, letting the last of her anxiety drift away. Whatever had upset him earlier didn’t seem to be an issue. She’d probably blown it out of proportion.

  “Let’s go home and get packed,” he said, breaking away long enough to gather up the rest of the things they’d brought.

  “What, you mean we’re leaving today?”

  “Why not? You didn’t have any other plans, did you?”

  “Well, no.” Constance laughed. “I guess I’m not used to having someone say hey let’s go on a cruise in my yacht and have it be an actual possibility.”

  He grinned. “Well, get used to it.” He gave her a quick kiss and then pulled her out the door to the motorcycle.

  She wrapped her arms around him again but tried not to get too carried away. They’d be walking into a house with six kids this time, not a private bungalow. They might not be able to rush straight to the bedroom upon arrival.

  When they pulled up to the house, however, the kids were nowhere to be seen. The house was almost eerily quiet.

  “I wonder where everyone is,” Constance said.

  Joseph came out of Luca’s office. Constance gave him her usual bright smile but his expression was tight, subdued. What was going on?

  Luca frowned at Joseph and wrapped his arm around Constance’s waist. “Is everything ready?”

  Joseph nodded. “She’ll be ready to leave within the hour.”

  “Excellent.” Luca turned to Constance. “As soon as you can get packed we’ll head over.”

  “So quickly?”

  “Why wait?” he said, though the smile he gave her seemed forced.

  “Luca, what’s going on?”

  “Can’t a man want to take his fiancée and a parcel of kids on a trip without something being wrong?” he asked with a spark of his usual humor.

  She relaxed a little. “I suppose.”

  “Then go pack your bags so we can get this show on the road.”

  “Yes, sir,” she murmured, leaning in for a kiss that was so sweet and gentle it raised red flags all on its own.

  She pulled away with a slight frown. “Luca…”

  He cupped her face in his hands. “There are several things we need to talk about, Stanzia, but I don’t want to do it here. I want to get you and the kids on my boat and get underway so we can relax and take our time
.”

  “Am I going to like what you have to say?” she asked, not sure if she should be excited or terrified. Surely he wouldn’t be planning a trip with her if he were going to break things off. She couldn’t imagine anything more awkward than being stuck on a boat with someone you’d dumped, with six kids you had no real tie to tossed in for fun.

  “I hope so,” he said, pulling her closer for another kiss that curled her toes and melted her heart. “Now go get packed.”

  She grinned and hurried off to their room to grab her things.

  She had her bag nearly ready to go when Mrs. Ballas came in.

  “Oh, Mrs. Ballas, good. I was wondering where you and the children had gotten to. Are they packed and ready to go?”

  “They’re all ready, but I wanted to make sure you really wanted to go before I told them where we were going. No sense in getting them excited if they weren’t going to get to go after all.”

  Constance frowned. “Of course we’re really going. Why wouldn’t we?”

  “I thought you might be upset over what was in the papers this morning. I suppose that’s why Mr. Vasilakis is taking you on a trip. It’s a good idea, actually, get away from it all until those jackals find some other bones to chew on.”

  The knot reformed in Constance’s stomach. She didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to know. There shouldn’t be anything in the papers. Nothing new, anyway. Nothing Luca would feel the need to take her away from. They hadn’t been anywhere but his bungalow. Maybe they’d gotten some unflattering pictures of her on the beach earlier?

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mrs. Ballas. What’s in the papers this morning?”

  The old woman’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh. I’m sorry. I thought Mr. Vasilakis would have told you. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Mrs. Ballas,” she said, trying to hold her temper, but the panic rising in her throat was making that more difficult by the second. What could be so bad that Luca would want to take her away? “Please just tell me what is going on.”

  Mrs. Ballas frowned, but she nodded. “Not right, you not knowing. Mrs. Lasko showed me this morning. There are pictures today. All over. Of…well…you and Mr. Vasilakis…” Her face flamed red and Constance’s stomach dropped.

  Either some enterprising photographer had managed to get a picture of them in their bedroom or…or there had been one at Luca’s supposedly secret bungalow. The one no one knew about where they would be perfectly safe and private, and free to make love on the private beach and on the private porch bed.

  She’d been such a colossal fool. He had to have set it up. No one could have followed him with his crazy antics and backtracking on that motorcycle. Oh God. What if they’d gotten pictures of them on the motorcycle in front of the bungalow? Why would he do that? He had more than enough images of them together. Why set her up like that? Let the vultures take pictures of their most intimate moments just to prove that their relationship was real? What a joke! Even she’d started to believe it. No wonder he wanted to whisk her away on a yacht where she wouldn’t see any newspapers or magazines, where internet connections would be spotty and she’d be too busy basking in the lap of luxury to pay attention to what was going on in the outside world.

  His distance that morning made sense now. He’d finally gotten what he wanted, undeniable proof that they had a full relationship in every way. His father had questioned it and now he could see for himself.

  She swallowed hard against the tears that choked her. She wouldn’t cry over him. He wasn’t worth her tears. “Mrs. Ballas,” she said, glad when her voice came out steady and calm. “Please get the girls ready to leave. We’ll be going back to our own home. I’d like to leave as soon as you can manage.”

  Mrs. Ballas nodded, thankfully not questioning their sudden change of plans. “They were already packed for the trip. I’ll have them gather the rest of their belongings.”

  “Thank you. Please get everything loaded into the van. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

  The old woman patted her kindly on the arm. “You deserve better, my dear.”

  Constance had no response for that so she merely nodded.

  Did she deserve better? She’d gone into this crazy relationship knowing full well what it was. She’d slept with him of her own free will. He hadn’t coerced her into it, unless you counted being inhumanely sexy as coercion. He’d never told her he loved her. Perhaps she’d read too much into all the lingering glances, soft kisses, and sweet, tender lovemaking. Maybe all it boiled down to was a man who was really good in bed and a woman who was too lonely and desperate to realize good sex was all it was.

  He had no right to splash intimate images of them all over the world. She covered her face, tears burning her eyes at the sudden realization her father would see those photos. The Reverend Mother would see. Would they take the children from her? Yes, the world thought she and Luca were engaged, but they weren’t yet married. There were some things even someone as tolerant as the Reverend Mother couldn’t overlook.

  How could he do this to her? Why?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Luca paced in his office, more furious than he’d ever been in his life. Anger burned its way through him, making his blood boil. The only thing keeping him from smashing his fist into every wall of the house was the desire to get the hell out of town as quickly as possible. He had no time for a trip to the hospital for broken bones.

  He would sue every publication that had run the pictures. The damn paparazzi had been invasive before, but this took it to a level of depravity even he hadn’t anticipated. They should have been safe at his bungalow. No one knew where it was. Yes, he’d originally planned for photographers to shoot them that night, but not there, and he’d called it off.

  He pinned his gaze back on Joe, who for the first time in the ten years they’d worked together actually looked flustered.

  “I told you to call off all other photo ops.”

  “I did, sir. Before we’d even left the beach. All scheduled sessions were canceled. Even had that not been the case, I don’t see how they could have known where you’d be. The photographers had been told you’d be at the Mykonos Grand last night, and as I suspected, quite a few of them showed up anyway. I don’t know how they’d have known where to find you. Perhaps you were followed?”

  Luca frowned. “It’s possible, though I don’t see how. Besides, some of these pictures were taken moments after we arrived. They would have had to be there waiting already. There is only one way in and out of that place. If they’d come up the road, we would have seen or heard them.”

  “The only explanation is that someone must have tipped them off,” Joe said, a frown creasing his brow.

  “That’s not possible. Mrs. Lasko hires different people to clean the place whenever I need it and takes care of stocking the place for me. No one she brings in knows who I am. I purchased it under a false name, and they never know when I’m going to arrive.”

  “Drones, maybe?”

  “Possible, I suppose.” He whirled back around with a growl and resumed his pacing.

  If he found out someone had tipped them off…he really couldn’t be held responsible for what he’d do.

  He never should have brought Constance back to the house. They should have gone straight to the yacht. His only hope was to get her away, convince her that his feelings for her were genuine, that he truly cared for her and would never do anything to hurt her. Maybe then she’d believe that he had nothing to do with this.

  The moment she walked into his office, he knew it was too late. Her pain-filled eyes bore into his, fury radiating from her.

  “Joe,” he said quietly. He didn’t take his gaze from Constance, just trusted that Joe would know what he wanted. The quiet click of the door announced that they were alone.

  “Stanzia,” he began, but she didn’t let him finish.

  “How could you?” Her voice was a harsh whisper that tore into his heart.

 
; “I didn’t do this.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  That brought him up short. He’d known she’d need some convincing. He expected confusion and hurt, certainly, but he hadn’t expected wholescale accusation right off the bat. It hurt much more than he’d expected.

  “I want to see them,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

  He thought about saying no. He didn’t want her to see them. Didn’t want her to know the level someone had sunk to in order to make a buck, but she’d see them anyway. They were everywhere.

  He went to his computer and pulled up the screen he’d been looking at. Six tabs were open to some of the biggest sites. All had their pictures splashed across the screen with nothing but a few little black bars or blurred pixels to keep the photos publishable. She kept her eyes on him as she walked to his side of the desk. He stepped back with a resigned sigh. There was no stopping the disaster now. He could only hope she’d hear him out.

  Her eyes dropped to the screen, her face flushing as she read the bold headlines streaked across every page.

  Real After All!

  Luca’s Love Nest!

  Luca’s Lady is a Tramp!

  Some of the others weren’t as tame, or kind, but it was the pictures that caused the whimper of distress emanating from her lips. He tried to put an arm around her waist but she pushed him away as she scrolled through picture after picture.

  Her, arching back on his motorcycle, her legs wrapped around his waist, her black-barred breasts thrust into the air.

  Him, on his knees before her, his face buried against her, her head thrown back in ecstasy.

  Her, wrapped around him in the sea, staring into his eyes as they made love.

  For the last time.

  He knew it before she said a word.

  She stumbled back from the computer. “These…are everywhere?”

  He nodded, his heart sinking. Her eyes darted around, searching for something. Not him. Her gaze landed on him and she recoiled like she’d been struck.

  “This is a nightmare,” she said, her voice thick with tears. “This can’t be real. This can’t be what my life has been reduced to. I want to wake up and be plain old anonymous Constance McMurty again.”