Alex.Alex slumped in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. He fingered the list of phone messages as his gaze lighted on the one from his brother Theron.There was a message from his other brother,Piers, as well. He shifted uncomfortably and knew he wouldn’t be able to put them off forlong. They would have gotten his messages by now and be curious. How he was going to explain this mess to them and also explain why he was taking the woman who had tried to damage their business home to Greece was beyond him.With a grimace, he picked up the phone and dialed Theron’s number. He spoke rapidly in Greek when his brother answered. “How did thegroundbreaking go?”“Alex, finally,” Theron said dryly. “I wondered if I was going to have to fly over to beat answers from you.”Alex sighed and grunted in response.“Do hold while I get Piers on the phone. It’ll save you another call. I know he is as interested in your explanation as I am.”“Since when do I answer to my younger brothers?” Alex
Maya.The next morning, Maya sat across from Alex as he watched her eat breakfast. He nodded approvingly when she managed to finish the omelet he had prepared, and he urged her to drink the glass of juice in front of her.Despite her anxiety and uncertainty, it felt good to be taken care of by this man. Even if she wasn’t entirely sure of her place in his world. He was solicitous of her, but at the same time he seemed distant. She wasn’t sure if it was out of deference to her memory loss, and he had no wish to frighten her, or if this was simply the normal course of their relationship.She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and nibbled absently. The idea that this could be ordinary bothered her. Surely she hadn’t desired marriage with someone who treated her so politely, as though she were a stranger.And yet, for all intents and purposes, they were strangers. At least he was to her. A flood of sympathy rolled through her. How awful it had to be for him to have his fiancée, a wom
MayaA buzz sounded, and Alex stood and strode to the call box on the wall.Maya strained to hear who he was speaking to, but she only heard his command to come up.He returned to her and sat down, collecting her hands in his. “That was the nurse I hired to look after you. I have a meeting that I can’t miss in an hour’s time.”Her eyes widened. “But Alex, I don’t need a nurse. I’m perfectly capable of remaining here while you attend to your business.”His grip on her hands tightened. “Humor me,Maya. It makes me feel better knowing I’m leaving you in capable hands. I don’t like to think of you having need of anything in my absence.”A smile curved her lips at his insistence. “How long will you be gone?” She hated the hopeful, almost mournful quality to her voice. She sounded pathetic.He stood as the sound of the elevator opening filtered into the living room.“Stay here. I’ll return with the nurse.”Maya relaxed against the back of the couch and waited for Alex to return. His attentiv
Alex.Alex watched her go and cursed under his breath. He dragged a hand through his hair before he sat down and reopened the laptop. A quick check ofthe browsing history showed she had done nothing more than research memory loss and a few articles about his company. Another check of his files indicated none of his business documents had been accessed.He cursed again. He had reacted badly, but seeing her using his computer had immediately put him on guard. In that moment, he had wondered if her memory loss was all a ruse and she was plotting again to betray him.He propped his elbows on the desk and held his head in his hands. His meeting with the detective in charge of the investigation into Maya’s abduction had been an exercise in frustration. They had little to no information to go on, and the one person who could supply it couldn’t remember.Maya hadn’t been rescued as the news had led viewers to believe; rather, she had been abandoned by her kidnappers, and an anonymous caller
Maya.Maya stood in the closet of the bedroom Alex had given her, staring blindly at the row of clothing hanging in front of her. She wiped the tears with the back of her hand and concentrated on what to wear.She rummaged through the many outfits, but none of them felt like her. With an unhappy frown she turned to the row of shelves that lined the right side of her closet and saw a stack of faded jeans next to several neatly folded T-shirts.She reached for the jeans, knowing that this was what she felt comfortable in.But when she unfolded the first pair, she saw that they weren’t maternity pants.A quick search of the rest yielded the same results.She turned back around and flipped through outfit after outfit on the hangers and saw that they, too, were not suitable clothing for a woman in the more advanced stages of pregnancy. Why did she have nothing to wear? She glanced down at the bulge of her stomach. While she wasn’t huge, the waistlines of the clothing in her closet were too
Maya.The next morning, Maya dressed in one of the chic outfits that had been delivered straight to their penthouse by a local boutique specializing in maternity wear. Alex had insisted she see an obstetrician before they departed for his island, and so, accompanied by Alex and flanked by several members of his security team, they entered the medical building where the doctor’s offices were housed.She felt conspicuous and faintly embarrassed, but she also glowed under Alex’s constant attention and his apparent concern for her well being.To her surprise, there was no waiting once Alex announced their arrival to the receptionist. His security detail remained in the lobby, and Maya smiled at the image of the big, burly men standing amidst a dozen pregnant women.She and Alex were ushered to an exam room by a young nurse who assured them that the doctor would attend them shortly.When the nurse retreated, Alex lifted Maya and settled her on the exam table. Instead of sitting in the chai
MayaShe smiled. “You are making it easy.” She settled against him, content. But then an uneasy thought assailed her. She had spoken of loving him, something she couldn’t remember, but felt that she had, but there had been nothing said of hislove for her. Not once had he voiced words of love, and shouldn’t they have come? When she was in the hospital. Weren’t reaffirmations of love common after a scare? Wouldn’t he seek to reassure her that he loved her when she couldn’t remember their life together?She raised her head to ask him, to seek confirmation of that fact, but the question died on her lips when she saw his attention was already focused on the small television screen in the corner of the large compartment of the limousine.She let the question die and contented herself with remaining snuggled into his body. The next thing she knew, they were arriving at the airport.“We are here,” Alex said.She nodded, and Alex stepped from the limousine. He reached in and helped her out, a
Chapter 25Zuri’s wide, innocent eyes didn’t fool Maya, and she felt the beginnings of a headache drumming in her temples. She pulled her hand from Alex’sand merely walked away, having no desire to listen to the mewings of his assistant any longer.“You are welcome to stay, Zuri. I do hope you will have dinner with us tonight,” Alex said politely as Maya mounted the stairs.She really had no idea where she was going, but upstairs seemed as good a place as any, and it would put her solidly away from the source of her irritation. She was nearly to the top when Alex overtook her.“You should have waited for me,” he reproached. “I don’t like you navigating the stairs by yourself. What if you were to fall? In the future, someone will escort you up or down.”Her mouth fell open. “You are not serious!”He frowned, clearly not liking her tone of disbelief. “I’m very serious when it comes to your well being and that of our child.”She blew out her breath in frustration as Alex escorted her fr