CHAPTER NINE
SHE COULDN’T STOP thinking about him. It was as if a switch had been flicked, in the week since they’d spoken in the lounge she preferred, with the tropical rain lashing against the windows. She caught his eyes often and, every time that happened, heat bloomed in her cheeks. She watched him when she should have been doing other things. She imagined him undressed—pictured his abdominals, his tanned skin, his broad shoulders. She found herself daydreaming about him and, when it came to actually sleeping in the same bed as him yet not touching, Annie was fighting a losing battle.
Each night, Annie felt as though she were burning alive, lying only a few feet away from him on their separate sides of the bed. She was so careful not to move, not to stir, not to reach out and drag her nails down his back, cup his buttocks. Temptation was driving her crazy.
It wasn’t just sensual heat, though. It was so much more.
Dimitrios was an amazing father. Watching him bond with Max convinced her, every day, that she’d made the right decision. Seeing them together made her feel a happiness she’d never known. It wasn’t even as if they were slowly building a relationship. Something had clicked inside Max the moment he’d met Dimitrios. It was easy and natural, as though they’d been together from birth. The night before, she’d watched Max and Dimitrios play cards for hours, while she’d pretended to read a book. But her concentration had been shot, so in the end she’d given up and simply enjoyed the sight of her son playing his favourite game—and winning by no small margin.
Yet every time Dimitrios had lifted his gaze and looked at Annie, her heart had skipped a beat, her stomach had tied itself in knots and she’d felt a surge of need that had had nothing to do with Dimitrios’s paternal abilities and everything to do with him and her.
‘Good morning.’ She startled, shifting in the bed a little, wondering how he’d known she was awake. Usually one of them got up before the other, avoiding the intimacy of speaking while they were lying down side by side. Silly, really, given that they’d created a child together.
She rolled over, wondering why she didn’t feel more self-conscious about her natural state—no make-up, hair a mess, wearing only a pair of pyjamas she’d had for years. Annie’s lips lifted into a small smile. ‘Good morning.’
‘Are you busy today?’
Annie shook her head. She’d kept on a few clients, but the workload was much lighter than before, and she’d been able to finish up for Christmas.
‘Why do you ask?’
‘Francesca is taking Max to that soccer workshop.’ He reminded her that the lovely nanny he’d hired had scheduled some holiday activities for Max—many of them with pupils from the school he’d be attending—and he was already starting to make friends. How quickly it was all falling into place!
‘That’s right. He was so excited about that.’
‘Yes.’ Dimitrios’s smile showed pride, but the way his eyes were roaming over her face made it hard to concentrate on anything except the fact there was only about eight inches between them—and how badly she wanted to close them.
‘So,’ he drawled, ‘I was thinking it would be a good opportunity.’
‘For what?’ she enquired on a snagged breath.
‘To go Christmas shopping.’
It was such a perfect suggestion, she should have been excited, but there was a part of Annie that was screaming in complaint. What had she hoped he’d say—that they stay home and make love all day?
He was waiting for her to suggest that. He’d made it obvious it would only happen if and when she said she was ready. And what if she could never screw up the courage?
The idea of that made breathing difficult. What was she waiting for? Why wasn’t she telling him how much she wanted him?
‘You mentioned you’d been saving up for Max,’ he murmured, reaching out and putting a hand on hers. It was a simple touch but it sent a jolt running through her and she visibly startled, her eyes flying wide open. ‘You don’t need to worry about money. I want you to get him whatever you want. And I want to come—to help choose some gifts for him.’
Her fingers were tingling beneath his. ‘That’s very...thoughtful. But surely you’re too busy?’
His expression shifted a little. ‘If you’d prefer to do it alone, I understand.’
‘No.’ She shook her head, rushing to correct his misunderstanding. ‘I didn’t mean that.’
‘It’s fine,’ he said gently. ‘It’s been just you and Max for a long time. I didn’t mean to rush you. We can leave things as they have been—you do the shopping. I’ll help next year.’
Next year. It was such a promise of permanence and longevity! It was hard to get her head around that. Besides, he was right: this would take time. He was being so reasonable and understanding, so accommodating of her needs.
‘It’s not that. I’d like you to come. I honestly meant what I said—that I presumed you’d be too busy.’ A frown crossed her face. ‘I don’t want you feeling that you have to rearrange your life for us.’
A pause followed, then he leaned closer. ‘I don’t feel that I have to. I want to.’
Lightness spread through her; a smile followed. ‘Then let’s do it.’
At some point since Sydney, he’d stopped thinking of her as Lewis’s sister. He’d stopped thinking of her as a mistake from his past and started seeing her as she was. And Annabelle Papandreo was completely captivating. His eyes followed as she browsed the toy aisle, carefully lifting boxes from the shelf, looking at them for several moments, reading the back, then more often than not replacing them in their spot. He was pushing a trolley that remained empty. If it had been up to him, it would be half-full by now. At least.