“Come here,” he said, holding out his hand to her as she neared. He pulled her down onto his lap, suddenly wanting her close. “I have to return to New York.”
A shadow crossed over her face. “When?”
“In the morning. My brother called, and a dignitary we are courting for a hotel project is going to be at a reception at our New York hotel. Piers and Theron thought to handle it, but the man wished to meet with all three of us. It’s something I cannot miss, I’m afraid.”
She looked disappointed, and even as the uneasiness over her going back to New York lingered in his mind, he found himself saying, “You could go with me.”
Her eyes lightened. “I wouldn’t be in the way?”
He frowned. “You are never in the way,agape mou.This would be good, I think. We could announce our wedding plans. My brothers will want to meet you,” he said, warming to the subject. “We could even be married in New York with my family around us and then return here.”
In his mind, the sooner they married, the better.
“I’ll arrange for Dr. Karounis to return to Athens. I don’t think we need him any longer.”
Her smile broadened. “And Patrice? Not that I don’t love her, but she and Dr. Karounis seem to have gotten along extremely well. Maybe she’d like to take a trip to Athens.”
“I’ll extend the offer,” he said with a smile.
“Then yes, I’d love to go.” She threw her arms around him and kissed him exuberantly on the lips. Before he could deepen the kiss, she scrambled off his lap. “I have to go pack!”
He chuckled and caught her hand. “You have plenty of time.”
But still she hurried away, and he stared after her, long after she’d disappeared through the doorway. He should feel relieved that soon they’d be married, and she’d be bound to him, but he couldn’t dispel the uneasy feeling that gripped him.
Chrysander’s jet touched down in New York in the late afternoon, and a limousine was waiting for them when they stepped off the plane. A tall, formidable-looking man stood by the car, and as they drew closer, Marley could see a strong resemblance between him and Chrysander.
“Theron,” Chrysander called out. “I did not expect you to meet us. This is a surprise.”
Theron gave a half smile. “Can I not greet my brother?”
Chrysander put an arm around Marley’s waist and drew her forward. “Theron, this is Marley. Marley, this is my younger brother Theron.”
She smiled. “I’m very glad to meet you.”
His gaze flickered impassively over her, and he didn’t return her smile. Slowly hers faded as she read the unwelcoming look on his face. Instinctively, she shrank into Chrysander.
Then Theron’s gaze dropped to the hand on which she wore the engagement ring, and he outright frowned. He stared back up at Chrysander, his jaw tight.
“You will be courteous,” Chrysander said in a very low tone. Even so, she could hear the bite in his voice.
“I’m pleased to meet you,” Theron said stiffly, though his body language said just the opposite. He turned on his heel and walked toward another car parked a short distance away.
Marley looked up at Chrysander in bewilderment. “What was that all about?”
“It is nothing,pedhaki mou.I am sorry he was rude. It won’t happen again.”
“Butwhywas he rude?” His behavior baffled Marley. And then another thought occurred to her. “Have we met before? Of course we would have. He’s your brother. Did I do something to offend him in the past? Has he always disliked me?”
Chrysander ushered her into the car and slid in beside her. “No, you haven’t met before. You needn’t worry that you’ve done anything. It’s just Theron’s way.” He sounded a bit strangled, and her gaze narrowed at what she thought must be a lie.
When his cell phone rang, he lunged for it in his haste to answer. She put her lips together and seethed in silence. Something didn’t add up. Why would his brother dislike her so intensely on sight? And for that matter, why had she never met him before? It couldn’t be normal for her not to have met the family of the man she was going to marry, the father of her child.
She leaned back against the seat and blew out her breath in frustration. While in New York, she fully intended to seek answers and maybe try to dislodge the block that seemed permanently embedded in her mind. There had to be some way to break her memories free. And if there was, she was going to find it. Preferably before she got married.
Yet more was in store when they reached the penthouse. She very nearly growled her frustration when the lift opened and she caught sight of Roslyn. Was she doomed to find this woman in her home at every turn?
Roslyn smiled warmly in greeting, and Marley did not miss that it extended only to Chrysander. She stood beside him while his assistant outlined the schedule of meetings, phone calls he needed to return and contracts that needed his attention. She wouldn’t retreat this time and allow Roslyn any victory, implied or otherwise.
