Claimed by the Sicilian Tycoon (Criminal Seduction #3)(55)

“Because he’s her baby daddy,” Lyra said, holding his gaze and feeling her stomach flip when relief filled his eyes, “and her husband.”





Chapter Twenty-Nine



From his position on the hard seat in the hospital waiting room Andros shifted. He eyed the coffee machine, wondering whether to bother with the foul instant brew, then shifted again. Where was Lyra? When was she likely to emerge? He checked his wristwatch and considered the possibilities. How long did labor even take? Would she spend the entire time in the room with her sister? Even though her husband was in there too?


More to the point, how the f*ck had her sister ended up married to Rimeria? Perhaps if he’d been in the country he would have heard of it, maybe even have been invited, but Andros had spent the last several weeks holed up in the States. Desperately trying to get on with his work. Counting down the days until he came to get Lyra.

He had not lied to her when he’d said he planned to do just that. But he’d needed those weeks. Needed time to evaluate everything he thought he knew about himself. Everything he thought he knew about her.

The Point. He knew all about that too, knew about her charity work, and many things had clicked into place when he’d realized exactly what Lyra did spend her time doing. He’d read up on everything he could to understand her better. Her background. Where she lived. Everything. He suspected their arrangement had contributed in some way to the work she was now doing, and intended to ask her about that, but for the moment he could do nothing but wait, and it was f*cking killing him.

Too many months had passed.

What if he’d waited too long?

He shook the thought off as soon as it formed. Lyra was his, whether she knew it or not, and he was ready now. Dios, he’d probably been ready from the beginning and just hadn’t known it.

A black haired woman came into view, trailing an olive skinned man behind her. She looked vaguely familiar and Andros eyed her carefully.

“Where are they?” she demanded.

He looked behind him to see who she was talking to but realized it was he. “They?” he asked.

“Rachel and Lyra,” she snapped.

“I am not sure, I—”

“For f*ck’s sake.” She ran off down the corridor, her lean legs eating up the distance. It was then that Andros realized why she looked familiar. Her air reminded him of Lyra. That same fire. The same glare.

“The other sister,” he said slowly.

“Penny. My wife.”

Andros turned to see the olive skinned man sit down next to him. He too looked familiar, and Andros narrowed his eyes.

“I’m Sebastian Demetrious, Penny’s husband,” the other man said, holding out a hand. “And you must be Andros. We’ve never met, but I know of you.”

“And I you,” Andros replied, realizing that he had. There were not that many billionaires based in the UK after all.

“So you’re the Sicilian,” Sebastian said with a laugh.

“I am.”

“We’ve been wondering when you might turn up,” he added.

“We being?”

“Myself, Dominic, Penny, Rachel.” He reeled the names off and shook his head. “Lyra has been a nightmare to deal with,” he added. “Stubborn. Penny was giving strong consideration to flying to the States and dragging you back here. Probably would have if Rachel’s due date was not so close.”

“I don’t—”

“She’s missed you,” Sebastian said simply. “We are all aware of it.”

Andros’ heart thudded at those words, and despite himself, and the fact he barely knew Sebastian, he couldn’t help asking the question pounding in his brain. “She has?”

Sebastian nodded. “We did not know how you felt about her,” he said slowly. “Which was why I advised Penny to hold off until we did know more. But,” he shrugged. “You have followed her here to the hospital I assume, at least from the words I could hear Lyra shouting down the phone to my wife, and so that says plenty.”

“She’s mine,” Andros stated. “That is all you need to know.”

Sebastian grinned. “There is no escaping those women when they have their claws in. You are aware that I met Penny when she broke into my home and lifted a quarter of a mil from my safe?”

Andros started. “Excuse me?”

Sebastian laughed. “Yes, I held her hostage until I could work out what to do with her She tied me in f*cking knots. In the end, it was simpler to just marry her and be done with it. How else was I going to get any peace from myself? And I believe Rachel pickpocketed Dominic just as he asked her to marry him. We were all concerned how that was going to turn out, but Lyra fixed it.”

“The sisters are thieves?” Andros asked, his mind reeling. That had not been in his research.

“More like…devious angelos,” Sebastian said. “They needed the money for The Point. It’s a sanctuary for vulnerable teens, like they all were.”

The Point. Andros closed his eyes as everything clicked into place. Her sisters. Her actions. The first conversation they’d ever had. The books she’d mentioned. Flashes of Fire. Who knew exactly where those pieces would be now? Not in Lyra’s possession, that was for sure.