The Tycoon's Secret Affair (The Anetakis Tycoons #3)(12)

Married.

She couldn’t imagine being married to such a hard man. She’d had enough hard people in her life. Emotionless, cold individuals with no heart, no love. And now she was consigned to a marriage that would be a replica of her childhood.

Her hands rubbed and massaged her swollen belly. “It will never be like that for you, sweetie. I love you so much already, and there’ll never be a day you won’t know it. I swear. No matter what happens with your daddy, you’ll always have me.”

Six

“I ’ve done a terrible thing,” Piers said when his brother, Chrysander, muttered an unintelligible greeting in Greek.

Chrysander sighed, and Piers could hear him sit up in bed and fight the covers for a moment.

“Why is it becoming commonplace for my younger brothers to call me in the middle of the night with those exact words?”

“Theron messed up lately?” Piers asked in amusement.

“Not since he seduced a woman under his protection,” Chrysander said dryly.

“Ahh, you mean Bella. Why do I imagine that it was she who did the seducing?”

“You’re straying from the topic. What is this terrible thing you’ve done, and how much is it going to cost?”

“Maybe nothing. Maybe everything,” Piers said quietly.

A curse escaped Chrysander’s lips, and then Piers heard him say something to Marley in the background.

“Don’t worry Marley over this,” Piers said. “I’m sorry to have disturbed her sleep.”

“It’s too late for that,” Chrysander growled. “Just give me a moment to go into my office.”

Piers waited, drumming his fingers on the desk in his hotel room. Finally Chrysander came back on the line.

“Now tell me what’s wrong.”

Just like Chrysander to get to the point.

“I had an affair—a brief affair, a one-night stand really.”

“So?” Chrysander asked impatiently. “This isn’t new for you.”

“She was my new assistant.”

Chrysander cursed again.

“I didn’t know she was my assistant until she showed up for work. I had her fired.”

Chrysander groaned. “How much is she suing us for?”

“Let me finish.” This time it was Piers who was impatient. “I didn’t intend to fire her at all. I asked my human resources manager to transfer her, or promote her or pay her for her entire contracted term, but he only heard the get rid of her part and fired her. She disappeared before I could remedy the situation, and I wasn’t able to locate her. Until now.”

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

“She’s in the hospital. She’s ill, she needs a surgery…and she’s pregnant.”

Dead silence greeted his announcement.

“Theos,” Chrysander breathed. “Piers, you can’t let this happen again. Last time—”

“I know,” Piers said irritably. The last thing he needed was a recap of that disaster from his brother. It was bad enough he’d been made a complete fool of, but his brothers had witnessed the entire debacle.

“Are you certain the child is yours?”

“No. I’ve asked for paternity testing.”

“Good.”

“There’s something else you should know,” Piers said. “I’m going to marry her. Soon, as in the next few days.”

“What? Have you lost your mind?”

“Funny, that’s what she asked me.”

“I’m glad one of you has sense then,” Chrysander said heatedly. “Why on earth would you marry this woman when you don’t even know if the child is yours?”

“It’s amazing how the tables have turned,” Piers said mildly.

“Don’t even start. I heard the same thing from Theron when he was so set on marrying Alannis. Never mind that I was right about what a disaster that would be. You two warning me about Marley was an entirely different situation, and you know it. You don’t have a relationship with this woman. You slept with her one night, and now she claims to be pregnant with your child, and you’re going to marry her? Just like that?”

“She needs my help. I’m not stupid. I’m having our lawyer draw up an ironclad agreement that provides stipulations for the possibility that the child isn’t mine. For now, with her surgery looming, it’s best that we marry. This way I can make decisions for her care and that of the child’s. If it does turn out to be my daughter, how would I feel if I had sat back and done nothing while I waited for the proof?”

“Daughter?”

“Yes. Apparently Jewel is pregnant with a girl.”

Despite his doubts and his heavy suspicions, he couldn’t help but smile at the image of a little girl with big eyes and a sweet smile.

“Jewel. What’s her last name?”

“Oh no you don’t, big brother. There’s no need to get all protective and have her background dug up. I can handle this myself. You just concern yourself with your wife and my nephew.”

“I don’t want you hurt again,” Chrysander said quietly.

And there it was. No matter how much he wanted to avoid the past, it was always there, hanging like a dark cloud. Unbidden, the image of another child, a sweet baby boy, dark-haired with a cherubic smile and chubby little legs, came painfully to mind. Eric. Not many days had gone by that Piers hadn’t thought of him in some form or fashion, but not until now had such pain accompanied the memories.