“I have a proposition for you,” he blurted.
“What sort of proposition?”
“A truce for the next, say, seven days? You need R and R. Your health is the priority, and I don’t want that jeopardized. Everything else can wait.”
“What happens after the seven days?”
“We have that talk you’re dying to have. Or we have wild, no-holds-barred sex.”
He laughed ruefully when her forked clattered onto her plate. “There was a time when the idea of sex with me didn’t make you look so horrified.”
“I’m not. I just— Why a truce?”
“I don’t want us to keep fighting. Every good businessman or combat soldier knows when to retreat and regroup. So seven days on Althea while you recover. Agreed?” he coaxed.
With a hard swallow, Belle opened her mouth, but her consent stalled in her throat.
Here was her chance to put her long months of reclaiming her life to the test. Could she stand to be alone here with him on his secluded island? Could she cope with being with him day in and day out if he chose to remain here with her?
She cast her eyes over the beautiful garden and flowers. The breeze carried the mingled, heady scents of lemon, jasmine, and eucalyptus. The low hum of the waves hitting the beach lent the island an even more seductive air, and she knew in this, Nick was right.
“So you’re saying I can ask to return to England if I choose, or I can stay here? No pressure either way?” The idea of letting this magical place soothe her, make her stronger for when she took her life back, was so tempting. Also tempting was the idea of not being prey to the ever-hungry paparazzi who seemed bent on tracking her every move.
Nick’s gaze stayed on her, a charismatic smile coupled with a hint of something else she couldn’t define on his face. He knew she was being swayed by the island’s enthralling promise. He’d always been able to read her mind with insulting ease while she’d grappled with the enigma she’d married. “No pressure,” he said softly, despite the determined gleam in his eyes.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Agreed. But we will have that talk in seven days. Yes?”
He said nothing for a moment, but his eyes took on a glint that made her wonder fleetingly what she’d gotten herself into. “Yes.”
Feeling strangely let down when she should’ve been celebrating her minor victory, she took a hasty sip of water and resumed eating.
After a few mouthfuls and many deep breaths to regain her composure, she looked up. “I, um, thanks for coming to rescue me…all of us. I don’t know how you found out where I was, but you put your life in danger when you didn’t have to. So thank you.”
“There was no debate. You were in danger and I, as your husband, had a duty to ensure your safety. I’d ask you why you were there in the first place, but that’s not a conversation for tonight. Tonight is for relaxing. Let the island begin to work its wonders. Perhaps when you’re stronger, you can explain to me why you felt the need to put yourself in such a dangerous situation,” he finished with a quirked eyebrow.
But she hardly heard his words as her mind seized with wrenching precision on one word. Duty.
He’d only come out of duty. Of course he wouldn’t want the world to know his wife had been in danger and he’d done nothing. Especially when everyone knew he had the means to act.
As head of Andreakos Shipping Industries, he commanded an astonishing amount of power and respect in the business world, and she knew for the sake of share prices that any hint of scandal was to be avoided at all costs.
It occurred to her he hadn’t answered her question about how he’d known her whereabouts. “Did you speak to Liz? Is that how you knew where to find me?”
“No, I haven’t seen or spoken to your friend since you left.” The curtness of his tone reminded her that Liz and Nick had never gotten along. Liz had never hidden her disapproval of her husband. In the end, she’d been justified.
“So how did you find me?” she persisted.
He shrugged. “My security team alerted me that you were missing and in possible danger. I took it from there.”
“You mean you had me under surveillance even in Nawaka?” First Mwana, and now Nick, as well? Unbelievable. Her appetite completely deserted her.
One of the things she’d hated about her life with Nick had been the constant presence of security, media, and bodyguards. Having restaurants and theaters checked out before they entered had seriously worn on her nerves right from the start of their relationship. Even when they were alone, there’d always been a shadow or two in the background somewhere.
Except here on Althea.
Here, they’d been truly alone. Or as alone as they could be without the visible presence of security guards. The thought of being permanently spied on—not to mention the press attention that would likely await Nick Andreakos’s wife at home in England—made the prospect of recuperating here on Althea even more appealing.
“You didn’t stop being in danger just because we weren’t together.” The harsh snap to his voice brought her head up. Just as in the kitchen, something in his tone coupled with her own instinct warned her things weren’t quite right.