2

Three months later

Chrysander sat in his apartment brooding in silence. He should have some peace

of mind now that there was no longer any danger to his company, but the

knowledge of why was hardly comforting. He stared at the pile of documents in

front of him as the evening news droned in the background.

His stopover in New York was going to be short. Tomorrow he’d fly to

London to meet with his brother Theron and have the groundbreaking ceremony

for their luxury hotel—a hotel that wouldn’t have happened if Marley had gotten

her way. A derisive snort nearly rolled from his throat. He, the CEO of Anetakis

International, had been manipulated and stolen from by a woman. Because of

her, he and his brothers had lost two of their designs to their closest competitor

before he’d discovered her betrayal. He should have turned her over to the

authorities, but he’d been too stunned, too weak to do such a thing.

He hadn’t even ridded his apartment of her belongings. He’d assumed she’d

return to collect them, and maybe a small part of him had hoped she would so he

could confront her again and ask her why. On his next trip back, he’d see to the

task. It was time to have her out of his mind completely.

When he heard her name amidst the jumble of his thoughts, he thought he’d

merely conjured it from his dark musings, but when he heard Marley Jameson’s

name yet again, he focused his angry attention on the television.

A news reporter stood outside a local hospital, and it took a few moments for

the buzzing in Chrysander’s ears to stop long enough for him to comprehend

what was being said. The scene changed as they rolled footage taken earlier of a

woman being taken out of a rundown apartment building on a stretcher. He

leaned forward, his face twisted in disbelief. It was Marley.

He bolted from his desk and fumbled for the remote to turn the volume up. So

stunned was he that he only comprehended every fourth word or so, but he heard

enough.

Marley had been abducted and now rescued. The details on the who and why

were still sketchy, but she’d endured a long period of captivity. He tensed in

expectation that somehow his name would be linked to hers, but then why

should it? Their relationship had been a highly guarded secret, a necessary one in

his world. His wish for privacy was one born of desire and necessity. Only after

her betrayal had he been even more relieved by the circumspection he utilized in

all his relationships. She’d made a fool of him, and only the knowledge that the

rest of the world didn’t know soothed him.

As the camera zoomed in on her pale, frightened face, he felt something inside

As the camera zoomed in on her pale, frightened face, he felt something inside

him twist painfully. She looked the same as she had the night he’d confronted

her with her deception. Pale, shocked and vulnerable.

But what the reporter said next stopped him cold, even as an uneasy sensation

rippled up his spine. He reported mother and child being listed in stable

condition and that Marley’s apparent captivity had not harmed her pregnancy.

The reporter offered only the guess that she appeared to be four or five months

along. Other details were sketchy. No arrests had been made, as her captors had

escaped.

“Theos mou,” he murmured even as he struggled to grasp the implications.

He stood and reached for his cellular phone as he strode from his apartment.

When he broke from the entrance of the well-secured apartment high-rise, his

driver had just pulled around.

Once inside the vehicle, he again flipped open his phone and called the

hospital where Marley had been taken.

*

“Her physical condition is satisfactory,” the doctor informed Chrysander.

“However, it is her emotional state that concerns me.”

He simmered impatiently as he waited for the physician to complete his

report. Chrysander had burst into the hospital, demanding answers as soon as

he’d walked onto the floor where Marley was being treated. Only the statement

that he was her fiancé had finally netted him any results. Then he’d immediately

had her transferred to a private room and had insisted that a specialist be called

in to see her. Now he had to wade through the doctor’s assessment of her

condition before he could see her.

“But she hasn’t been harmed,” Chrysander said.

“I didn’t say that,” the doctor murmured. “I merely said her physical condition

is not serious.”

“Then quit beating around the bush and tell me what I need to know.”

The doctor studied him for a moment before laying the clipboard down on his

desk. “Miss Jameson has endured a great trauma. I cannot know exactly how

great, because she cannot remember anything of her captivity.”

“What?” Chrysander stared at the doctor in stunned disbelief.

“Worse, she remembers nothing before. She knows her name and little else,

I’m afraid. Even her pregnancy has come as a shock to her.”

Chrysander ran a hand through his hair and swore in three languages. “She

remembers nothing? Nothing at all?”

remembers nothing? Nothing at all?”

The doctor shook his head. “I’m afraid not. She’s extremely vulnerable.

Fragile. Which is why it’s so important that you do not upset her. She has a baby

to carry for four more months and an ordeal from which to recover.”

Chrysander made a sound of impatience. “Of course I would do nothing to

upset her. I just find it hard to believe that she remembers nothing.”

The doctor shook his head. “The experience has obviously been very

traumatic for her. I suspect it’s her mind’s way of protecting her. It’s merely shut

down until she can better cope with all that has happened.”

“Did they...” Chrysander couldn’t even bring himself to complete the

question, and yet he had to know. “Did they hurt her?”

The doctor’s expression softened. “I found no evidence that she had been

mistreated in any way. Physically. There is no way to find out all she has

endured until she is able to tell us. And we must be patient and not press her

before she is ready. As I said, she is extremely fragile, and if pressed too hard,

too fast, the results could be devastating.”

Chrysander cursed softly. “I understand. I will see to it that she has the best

possible care. Now can I see her?”

The doctor hesitated. “You can see her. However, I would caution you not to

be too forthcoming with the details of her abduction.”

A frown creased Chrysander’s brow as he stared darkly at the physician. “You

want me to lie to her?”

“I merely don’t want you to upset her. You can give her details of her life. Her

day-to-day activities. How you met. The mundane things. It is my suggestion,

however, and I’ve conferred with the hospital psychiatrist on this matter, that

you not rush to give her the details of her captivity and how she came to lose her

memory. In fact, we know very little, so it would be unwise to speculate or offer

her information that could be untrue. She must be kept calm. I don’t like to think

of what another upset could cause her in her current state.”

Chrysander nodded reluctantly. What the doctor said made sense, but his own

need to know what had happened to Marley was pressing. But he wouldn’t push

her if it would cause her or the baby any harm. He checked his watch. He still

had to meet with the authorities, but first he wanted to see Marley and said as

much to the doctor.

The physician nodded. “I’ll have the nurse take you up now.”

*

Marley struggled underneath the layers of fog surrounding her head. She

murmured a low protest when she opened her eyes. Awareness was not what she

sought. The blanket of dark, of oblivion, was what she wanted.

There was nothing for her in wakefulness. Her life was one black hole of

nothingness. Her name was all that lingered in the confusing layers of her mind.

Marley.

She searched for more. Answers she needed to questions that swarmed her

every time she wakened. Her past lay like a great barren landscape before her.

The answers dangled beyond her, taunting her and escaping before she could

reach out and take hold.

She turned her head on the thin pillow, fully intending to slip back into the

void of sleep when a firm hand grasped hers. Fear scurried up her spine until she

remembered that she was safe and in a hospital. Still, she yanked her hand away

as her chest rose and fell with her quick breaths.

“You must not go back to sleep, pedhaki mou. Not yet.”

The man’s voice slid across her skin, leaving warmth in its wake. Carefully,

she turned to face this stranger—or was he? Was he someone she knew? Who

knew her? Could he be the father of the child nestled below her heart?

Her hand automatically felt for her rounded belly as her gaze lighted on the

man who’d spoken to her.

He was a dominating presence. Tall, lithe, dangerously intent as his amber

eyes stared back at her. He wasn’t American. She nearly laughed at the absurdity

of her thoughts. She should be demanding to know who he was and why he was

here, and yet all she could muster was the knowledge that he wasn’t American?

“Our baby is fine,” he said as his gaze dropped to the hand she had cupped

protectively over her abdomen.

She tensed as she realized that he was indeed staking a claim. Shouldn’t she

know him? She reached for something, some semblance of recognition, but

unease and fear were all she found.

“Who are you?” she finally managed to whisper.

Something flickered in those golden eyes, but he kept his expression neutral.

Had she hurt him with the knowledge she didn’t know him? She tried to put

herself in his position. Tried to imagine how she’d feel if the father of her baby

suddenly couldn’t remember her.

He pulled a chair to the side of the bed and settled his large frame into it. He

reached for her hand, and this time, despite her instinct to do so, she didn’t

retract it.

“I am Chrysander Anetakis. Your fiancé.”

“I am Chrysander Anetakis. Your fiancé.”

She searched his face for the truth of his words, but he looked back at her

calmly, with no hint of emotion.

“I’m sorry,” she said and swallowed when her voice cracked. “I don’t

remember….”

“I know. I’ve spoken to the doctor. What you remember isn’t important right

now. What is important is that you rest and recover so that I can take you home.”

She licked her lips, panic threatening to overtake her. “Home?”

He nodded. “Yes, home.”

“Where is that?” She hated having to ask. Hated that she was lying here

conversing with a complete stranger. Only apparently he wasn’t. He was

someone she had been intimate with. Obviously in love with. They were

engaged, and she was pregnant with his child. Shouldn’t that stir something

inside her?

“You’re trying too hard, pedhaki mou,” he said softly. “I can see the strain on

your face. You mustn’t rush things. The doctor said that it will all come back in

time.”

She clutched his hand then looked down at their linked fingers. “Will it? What

if it doesn’t?” Fear rose in her chest, tightening her throat uncomfortably. She

struggled to breathe.

Chrysander reached out a hand to touch her face. “Calm yourself, Marley.

Your distress does you and the baby no good.”

Hearing her name on his lips did odd things. It felt as though he was speaking

of a stranger even though she did remember her name. But maybe in the

madness of her memory loss, she’d been afraid that she’d gotten that part wrong,

and that along with everything else, her name was a forgotten piece of her life.

“Can you tell me something about me? Anything?”

She was precariously close to begging, and tears knotted her throat and stung

her eyes.

“There will be plenty of time for us to talk later,” Chrysander soothed. He

stroked her forehead, pushing back her hair. “For now, rest. I’m making

preparations to take you home.”

It was the second time he’d mentioned home, and she realized that he still

hadn’t told her where that was.

“Where is home?” she asked again.

His lips thinned for just a moment, and then his expression eased. “Home for

us has been here in the city. My business takes me away often, but we had an

apartment together here. My plan is to take you to my island as soon as you are

well enough to travel.”

well enough to travel.”

Her brows furrowed as she sought to comprehend the oddity of his statement.

It sounded so...impersonal. There was no emotion, no hint of joy, just a sterile

recitation of fact.

As if sensing she was about to ask more questions, he bent over and pressed

his lips to her forehead. “Rest, pedhaki mou. I have arrangements to make. The

doctor says you can be released in a few days’ time if all goes well.”

She closed her eyes wearily and nodded. He stood there a moment, and then

she heard his footsteps retreating. When her door closed, she opened her eyes

again, only to feel the damp trail of tears against her cheeks.

She should feel relief that she wasn’t alone. Somehow, though, Chrysander

Anetakis’s presence hadn’t reassured her as it should. She felt more

apprehensive than ever, and she couldn’t say why.

She pulled the thin sheet higher around her body and closed her eyes, willing

the peaceful numbness of sleep to take over once more.

When she woke again, a nurse was standing by her bedside placing a cuff

around her arm to take her blood pressure.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” she said cheerfully as she removed the cuff. “I

have your dinner tray. Do you feel up to eating?”

Marley shook her head. The thought of food made her faintly nauseous.

“Leave the tray. I’ll see to it she eats.”

Marley looked up in surprise to see Chrysander looming behind the nurse, a

determined look on his face. The nurse turned and smiled at him then reached

back and patted Marley’s arm.

“You’re very lucky to have such a devoted fiancé,” she said as she turned to

go.

“Yes, lucky,” Marley murmured, and she wondered why she suddenly felt the

urge to weep.

When the door shut behind the nurse, Chrysander pulled the chair closer to her

bed again. Then he settled the tray in front of her.

“You should eat.”

She eyed him nervously. “I don’t feel much like eating.”

“Do you find my presence unsettling?” he queried as his gaze slid over her

rumpled form.

“I—” She opened her mouth to say no, but found she couldn’t entirely deny it.

How to tell this man she found him intimidating? This was supposed to be

someone she loved. Had made love with. Just the thought sent a blush up her

neck and over her cheeks.

neck and over her cheeks.

“What are you thinking?” His fingers found her hand and stroked absently.

She turned her face away, hoping to find relief from his scrutiny. “N-nothing.”

“You are frightened. That’s understandable.”

She turned back to look at him. “It doesn’t make you angry that I’m

frightened of you? Quite frankly, I’m terrified. I don’t remember you or anything

else in my life. I’m pregnant with your child and cannot for the life of me

remember how I got this way!” Her fists gripped the sheet and held it

protectively against her.

His lips pressed to a firm line. Was he angry? Was he putting on a front so as

not to upset her further?

“It is as you said. You don’t remember me, therefore I am a stranger to you. It

will be up to me to earn your...trust.” He said the last word as if he found it

distasteful, and yet his expression remained controlled.

“Chrysander...” She said his name experimentally, letting it roll off her

tongue. It didn’t feel foreign, but neither did it spark any remembrance.

Frustration took firm hold when her mind remained frightfully blank.

“Yes, pedhaki mou?”

She blinked as she realized he was waiting for her to continue.

“What happened to me?” she asked. “How did I get here? How did I lose my

memory?”

Once again he took her hand in his, and she found the gesture comforting. He

leaned forward and touched his other hand to her cheek. “You shouldn’t rush

things. The doctor is quite adamant in this. Right now the most important thing

for you and our child is to take things slowly. Everything will come back in its

own time.”

She sighed, realizing he wasn’t going to budge.

“Get some rest.” He stood and leaned over to brush his lips across her

forehead. “Soon we will leave this place.”

Marley wished the words gave her more reassurance than they did. Instead of

comfort, confusion and uncertainty rose sharply in her chest until she feared

smothering with the anxiety.

Sweat broke out on her forehead, and the food she’d picked at just moments

ago rolled in her stomach. Chrysander looked sharply at her, and without saying

a word, he rang for the nurse.

Moments later, the nurse bustled in. At the sight of her, sympathy crowded her

features. She placed a cool hand on Marley’s forehead even as she administered

an injection with the other.

“You mustn’t panic,” the nurse soothed. “You’re safe now.”

But her words failed to ease the tightness in Marley’s chest. How could they

when soon she was going to be thrust into an unknown world with a man who

was a complete stranger to her?

Chrysander stood by her bed, staring down at her, his hand covering hers. The

medication dulled her senses, and she could feel herself floating away, the fear

evaporating like mist. His words were the last thing she heard.

“Sleep, pedhaki mou. I will watch over you.”

Oddly, she did find comfort in the quiet vow.

*

Chrysander stood in the darkened room and watched as Marley slept. The strain

of the frown he was wearing inserted a dull ache in his temples.

Her chest rose and fell with her slight breaths, and even in sleep, tension

furrowed her brow. He moved closer and touched his fingers to her forehead,

smoothing them across the pale skin.

She was as lovely as ever, even in her weakened state. Raven curls lay

haphazardly against the pillow. He took one between his fingers and moved it

from her forehead. It was longer now, no longer the shorter cap of curls that had

flown about her head as she laughed or smiled.

Her skin had lost its previous glow, but he knew restoring her health would

bring it back. Her eyes had been dull, frightened, but he remembered well the

brilliant blue sparkle, how enchanting she looked when she was happy.

He cursed and moved away from the bed. It had all been a ruse. She hadn’t

ever been happy. Truly happy. It seemed he’d been incapable of making her so.

All the time they were together, she’d plotted against him, stolen from him and

his brothers.

Though he’d considered her his mistress, he’d never placed her in the same

category as his others. What he’d shared with her hadn’t been mercenary, or so

he’d thought. In the end, it had boiled down to money and betrayal. Something

he was well used to with women.

Yet he still wanted her. She still burned in his veins, an addiction he wasn’t

equipped to fight. He shook his head grimly. She was pregnant with his child,

and that must take precedence above all else. They would be forced together by

the child, their futures irrevocably intertwined. But he didn’t have to like it, and

he didn’t have to surrender anything more than his protection and his body.

If she would once again be placed under his protection, then he’d do all he

If she would once again be placed under his protection, then he’d do all he

could to ensure she had the best care, her and their baby, but he’d never trust her.

She would warm his bed, and he wouldn’t lie and say that prospect wasn’t

appealing. But she would get nothing more from him.