‘You were trying to separate us,’ she panted, still trying to catch her breath from the steep climb as she hugged Danny. ‘Locking the gate and getting him away from me—’
‘If I’d wanted to separate you from Danny I’d have locked you off my property, not on it,’ he said witheringly, and he turned and walked away from her.
Nik pushed his chair back from his desk abruptly, stood up and strode across to his study window. The spectacular view across the mountains usually soothed him, made him thankful for this peaceful retreat away from his main residence in Athens. But that afternoon it didn’t seem to be having its usual calming effect.
He turned and stalked across to the other window, looked out over the bay. The water glittered turquoise and the sky was still fine—which was more than could be said for his mood. Since they’d returned from the beach his mood had been growing darker and darker.
He thought about Carrie’s behaviour that morning. She’d been happy and relaxed at first, but then everything had suddenly changed. It had seemed as if she was deliberately trying to pick a fight with him.
It was unacceptable. He wouldn’t put up with that behaviour from anyone—and especially not from Carrie. She had agreed to this marriage and she understood his terms—or at least he’d thought she did.
‘We need to talk.’
He turned to see Carrie standing in the doorway of his study. Her face was pale but resolute and her black hair was tied neatly at the nape of her neck. She was wearing the same flowery green dress she’d been wearing earlier. It was the dress she’d been wearing the first time they’d made love. The shade suited her, bringing out the colour of her eyes, and the soft draping fabric skimmed alluringly over her body, accentuating her curves.
‘Yes, we do,’ he agreed smoothly. Her silent arrival had caught him slightly off guard, but he didn’t allow it to show. ‘Where’s Danny?’
‘Irene is playing with him,’ she said. ‘I don’t want any distractions while we talk.’
‘Good. Neither do I,’ he said. She had calmed down, but he noticed an unusual brittleness underneath the surface of her composure. ‘Come in and sit.’
‘There’s no need. I want to get on with this,’ she said, not moving from her spot.
‘I’m not having this discussion in a doorway.’ Nik took her arm and pulled her into the room. ‘Haven’t you understood anything I’ve said to you about being my wife—about discretion?’
‘Stop manhandling me!’ Carrie wrenched her arm out of his grasp and glared at him. Her eyes were flashing green fire again and her calm composure was starting to crack.
‘Then stop deliberately baiting me.’ He closed his study door and looked at her meaningfully. ‘When you married me you agreed to maintain the appearance of a normal happy marriage.’
‘I wasn’t baiting you!’ Carrie gasped, rubbing her arm where his hand had held her. ‘And there was no agreement between us! Like everything else, you told me what I had to do!’
‘Well, listen carefully to what I’m telling you now,’ Nik grated. ‘You’ll regret it if you try to pick a fight with me in public again. At the beach it was unacceptable—but arguing in front of my household is utterly unthinkable!’
‘I wasn’t trying to pick a fight,’ she said, staring up at him towering over her. It was a large room, but Nik’s presence seemed to fill it to capacity, making her shiver apprehensively. ‘I was upset.’
Her heart was pounding and she was starting to question whether coming to talk to him now was the right decision. But no matter how much she balked at telling him her fears, in her heart she knew she had to take the initiative. By making the running it felt as if she was taking back some control of her life.
‘What have you got to be upset about?’ Nik asked, his derisive tone doing nothing to encourage her to tell him the truth. ‘I told you—I’m not going to put up with petty squabbles and backbiting.’
She stared at his glowering face and swallowed, wondering how he was going to react. Despite the fact he was already bad-tempered, he couldn’t be angry over possible pregnancy—he must know it was a potential outcome of their lovemaking. She might have forgotten about contraception, but surely he was far too experienced to have made the same mistake?
‘Well?’ he barked impatiently. ‘Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?’
‘I think I might be pregnant,’ she blurted.
‘What?’ Nik stared at her in absolute shock. His chest felt rigid and drawing breath was suddenly hard.
‘I…I realised at the beach this morning.’ She stared up at him with wide eyes, looking uncertain even though she was the one who’d said the unfathomable thing.
‘But you’re on the pill,’ Nik said. Blood was thudding relentlessly in his temples, making it almost impossible to think straight. ‘If you forgot to take it you had a responsibility to tell me.’
‘I didn’t forget,’ Carrie said. ‘I’m not on the pill.’
‘Then what are you playing at?’ he demanded, raking his hands through his hair. ‘Why did you tell me you were on the pill?’
‘I didn’t,’ she insisted, shrinking back slightly.
‘Did you plan to trap me in some way by getting pregnant with my child?’ he growled. A horrible sensation churned in the pit of his stomach and he clenched his teeth, biting back the turmoil that was rising within him.