Chapter One

Naila. 

Pregnant.

Despite the warmth of the summer day, an uncomfortable chill settled over my skin as I sat on the bench in the small garden just a few blocks from the apartment I shared with Toby Anetakis.

I shivered even as the sun's rays warmed my tightly clenched fingers, unable to chase away the goose bumps covering my skin. Stavros wouldn't be happy about my brief disappearance. Neither would Toby once Stavros reported that I hadn't taken proper security measures. But dragging my intimidating bodyguard to my doctor's appointment hadn't been an option. Toby would have found out about my pregnancy before I had the chance to tell him myself.

How would he react to the news?

Despite the precautions we had taken, I was eight weeks pregnant. The only explanation I could come up with was that it had happened after he had returned from his extended business trip overseas. Toby had been insatiable.

Then again so had I.

Heat rushed to my cheeks as the memory of that night washed over me. He had made love to me over and over again, murmuring warm Greek words against my skin, words I didn't fully understand but felt deep in my heart.

I glanced at my watch and grimaced.

He would be home in just a few hours, yet here I was, hiding like a coward instead of facing the inevitable. I still had to change out of the faded jeans and oversized T-shirt I only wore whenever he was away.

With a reluctant sigh, I pushed myself to my feet and started the short walk back to the luxurious building that housed Toby's penthouse.

"You are being ridiculous," I muttered under my breath.

If the doorman was surprised to see me walking instead of arriving in one of Toby's cars, he didn't show it. He simply hurried forward and opened the door for me.

Inside the elevator, I rested a hand over my still flat stomach.

Nervousness fluttered wildly in my chest as the elevator climbed higher. When the doors finally slid open into the spacious foyer of the penthouse, I took a deep breath before stepping out.

I kicked off my shoes as I walked into the living room and dropped my handbag onto the couch. Every muscle in my body felt heavy with exhaustion. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep.

Instead, I needed to figure out how I was going to tell Toby not only about the baby but about us.

A few days ago, I would have said I was perfectly happy but today's blood test had changed everything.

For the past six months, I had been content living in our little bubble, never questioning what we were. I loved Toby with every piece of my heart.

But did he love me the same way?

Whenever he was with me, he made me feel cherished. Desired. The chemistry between us was undeniable.

Now there was a baby to think about.

I needed more from the man I loved than passionate nights squeezed into the tiny gaps between his business trips.

Slowly, I made my way toward the master bedroom.

I barely stepped inside before the bathroom door opened.

Toby walked out wearing nothing but a towel wrapped low around his waist.

A slow smile spread across his handsome face.

Every single time I looked at him, it felt exactly like the first time. Goose bumps erupted over my skin while warmth spread through every nerve in my body.

"Y-you're home early," I stammered.

"I have been waiting for you, my love," he replied, his voice low and husky.

Without another word, he let the towel fall.

My breath caught as my gaze instinctively drifted downward before snapping back to his face.

He stalked toward me with slow, deliberate confidence until his hands settled on my shoulders. Then he lowered his head and claimed my mouth in a deep, possessive kiss.

A helpless moan escaped me as my knees threatened to give out beneath me.

He was my greatest weakness. One touch from him was all it took to set me ablaze.

His lips trailed from my mouth to my jaw before finding the sensitive skin of my neck while impatient fingers tugged at the hem of my shirt.

Without thinking, I buried my fingers in his dark hair, silently urging him closer.

Every inch of him was hard, lean, and powerfully built. He moved with effortless confidence, knowing exactly how to unravel me until I could think of nothing but him.

I clung to his shoulders as he eased me backward onto the bed.

"You are wearing entirely too many clothes," he murmured, lifting my shirt over my head.

We should stop, we needed to talk but I had missed him, missed us and maybe, just maybe a part of me wanted one last perfect moment before everything changed forever.

He unclasped my bra, his fingertips brushing over my overly sensitive breasts.

I sucked in a sharp breath, they were darker now, Would he notice?

"Did you miss me?" he asked.

"You know I did," I whispered.

"I like hearing you say it."

"I missed you."

His smile deepened.

It took him only moments to rid me of the rest of my clothes. My jeans landed somewhere across the room. My bra disappeared in another direction. Then he was above me, holding me close as we lost ourselves in each other.

I wrapped myself around him, surrendering completely as we came together with the desperate familiarity that had always existed between us, It was always like this.

As though neither of us could ever get enough of the other.

When everything was over, he gathered me into his arms and whispered something soft in Greek against my ear.

The unfamiliar words felt like a promise as I drifted into sleep wrapped safely against him.

I wasn't sure how long I'd slept.

When I opened my eyes again, Toby was lying beside me with one arm draped possessively over my waist.

His golden eyes rested on me with quiet satisfaction, now this was my chance.

There would never be a better moment.

"Toby," I said softly.

"What is it my love?"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Had he heard the nervousness in my voice?

"I wanted to talk to you."

He shifted onto his side, giving me his full attention. The sheet slipped lower across his hips as his fingers lazily traced over my bare skin.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Us."

The change in him was immediate and the warmth vanished from his eyes, his expression hardened into one of practiced indifference it terrified me.

I could almost feel him pulling away before I had even spoken another word.

A loud buzz shattered the silence interrupting us, 

Toby muttered a curse beneath his breath before reaching over to press the intercom.

"What?" he said sharply.

"It's Roslyn sir, may I come up?"

My entire body stiffened at the sound of his assistant's voice.

It was already late, yet here she was... arriving at the apartment she knew we shared.

"I'm busy at the moment, Roslyn," Toby replied. "Surely this can wait until tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, sir, but it can't. I need your signature on a contract that has to be delivered by seven tomorrow morning."

He swore again before exhaling heavily.

"Fine, come up."

He climbed out of bed and walked toward the wardrobe, pulling out a pair of trousers and a crisp shirt.

"Why does she come here so often?" I asked quietly.

He looked over his shoulder, clearly surprised by the question.

"She is my assistant, It's her job to keep up with me."

"At your home?"

He buttoned his shirt without looking away.

"I will be back in a moment," he said. "Then we will have our talk."