3

Two days later, Marley sat nervously in a wheelchair, her fingers clutched

tightly around the blanket the nurse had draped over her lap. Chrysander stood to

the side, listening intently as the nurse gave him the aftercare instructions.

Marley fingered the maternity top that one of the nurses had kindly provided for

her and smoothed the wrinkles over the bump of her abdomen. They’d all been

exceedingly kind to her, and she feared leaving their kindness to venture into the

unknown.

When the nurse was finished, Chrysander grasped the handles of the

wheelchair and began pushing Marley down the hallway toward the entrance.

She blinked as the bright sunshine speared her vision. A sleek limousine was

parked a few feet away, and Chrysander walked briskly toward it. The driver

stepped around to open the door just as Chrysander effortlessly plucked her from

the wheelchair and ushered her inside the heated interior. In a matter of seconds,

they were gliding away from the hospital.

Marley stared out the window as they navigated the busy New York streets.

The city itself was familiar. She could remember certain shops and landmarks.

She possessed a knowledge of the city, but what was missing was the idea that

this was home, that she belonged here. Hadn’t Chrysander said they’d lived

here? She felt like an artist staring at an empty canvas without the skills to paint

the portrait.

When they pulled to a stop in front of a stylish, modern building, Chrysander

bolted from the limousine while the doorman opened the door on her side.

Chrysander reached inside and carefully drew her from the vehicle. She stepped

to the sidewalk on shaky feet, and he tucked her to his side, a strong arm around

her waist as they walked through the entrance.

A wave of déjà vu swept over her as the elevator opened and he helped her

inside. For the briefest of moments, her memory stirred, and she struggled to part

the veils of darkness.

“What is it?” Chrysander demanded.

“I’ve done this before,” she murmured.

“You remember?”

She shook her head. “No. It just feels...familiar. I know I’ve been here.”

His fingers curled tighter around her arm. “This is where we lived...for many

His fingers curled tighter around her arm. “This is where we lived...for many

months. It’s only natural that it should register something.”

The elevator opened, and she cocked her head as he started forward. His

phrasing had been odd. Had they not lived here just a short time ago? Before

whatever accident had befallen her?

He stopped and held out his hand to her. “Come, Marley. We’re home.”

She slid her fingers into his as he pulled her forward into the lavish foyer. To

her surprise, a woman met them as they started for the large living room. Marley

faltered as the tall blond young woman put a hand on Chrysander’s arm and

smiled.

“Welcome home, Mr. Anetakis. I’ve laid out all contracts requiring your

signature on your desk as well as ordered your phone messages by priority. I

also took the liberty of having dinner delivered.” She swept an assessing look

over Marley, one that had Marley feeling obscure and insignificant. “I didn’t

imagine you’d be up for going out after a trying few days.”

Marley frowned as she realized the woman was implying that Chrysander had

been through the ordeal and not Marley.

“Thank you, Roslyn,” Chrysander said. “You shouldn’t have gone to the

trouble.” He turned to Marley and pulled her closer to him. “Marley, this is

Roslyn Chambers, my personal assistant.”

Marley gave a faltering smile.

“Delighted to see you again, Miss Jameson,” Roslyn said sweetly. “It’s been

ages since I last saw you. Months, I believe.”

“Roslyn,” Chrysander said in a warning voice. Her smile never slipped as she

looked innocently at Chrysander.

Marley glanced warily between them, her confusion mounting. The ease with

which the woman moved around the apartment that Chrysander called home to

both of them was clear, and yet Roslyn hadn’t seen Marley in months? The

proprietary way his assistant looked at him was the only thing currently clear to

Marley.

“I’ll leave you two,” Roslyn said with a gracious smile. “I’m sure you have a

lot of catching up to do.” She turned to Chrysander and put a delicate hand on

his arm once more. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll come straight over.”

“Thank you,” Chrysander murmured.

The tall blonde clicked across the polished Italian marble in her elegant heels

and entered the elevator. She smiled at Chrysander as the doors closed.

Marley licked her suddenly dry lips and looked away. Chrysander was stiff at

her side as though he expected Marley to react in some way. She wasn’t stupid

her side as though he expected Marley to react in some way. She wasn’t stupid

enough to do so now. Not when he was so on guard. Later, she would ask him

the million questions whirling around her tired mind.

“Come, you should be in bed,” Chrysander said as he curled an arm around

her.

“I’ve had quite enough of bed,” she said firmly.

“Then you should at least get comfortable on the sofa. I’ll bring you a tray so

you can eat.”

Eat. Rest. Eat some more. Those dictates seemed to compose Chrysander’s

sole aim when it came to her. She sighed and allowed him to lead her into the

living area. He settled her on the soft leather couch and retrieved a blanket to

cover her with.

There was a stiffness about him that puzzled her, but then she supposed if the

roles were reversed and he’d forgotten her, she wouldn’t be very sure of herself,

either. He left the room, and several minutes later returned with a tray that he set

before her on the coffee table. Steam rose from the bowl of soup, but she wasn’t

tempted by the offering. She was too unsettled.

He sat in a chair diagonally to her, but after a few moments, he rose and paced

the room like a restless predator. His fingers tugged at his tie as he loosened it

and then unbuttoned the cuffs of his silk shirt.

“Your assistant...Roslyn...said she left work for you?”

He turned to face her, his eyebrows wrinkling as he frowned. “Work can

wait.”

She sighed. “Do you plan to watch me nap then? I’ll be fine, Chrysander. You

can’t hover over me every moment of the day. If there are things that require

your attention, then by all means see to them.”

Indecision flickered across his handsome face. “I do have things to do before

we leave New York.”

A surge of panic hit her unaware. She swallowed and worked to keep her

expression bland. “We’ll be leaving soon then?”

He nodded. “I thought to give you a few days to rest and more fully recover

before we go. I’ve arranged for my jet to fly us to Greece, and then we’ll take a

helicopter out to the island. My staff is preparing for our arrival as we speak.”

She stared uneasily at him. “Just how wealthy are you?”

He looked surprised by the question. “My family owns a chain of hotels.”

The Anetakis name floated in her memory, what little of it there was. Images

of the opulent hotel in the heart of the city came to mind. Celebrities, royalty,

some of the world’s wealthiest people stayed at Imperial Park. But he couldn’t

be that Anetakis, could he?

She paled and clenched her fingers to control the shaking. They were only the

richest hotel family in the world. “How...how on earth did you and I...” She

couldn’t even bring herself to complete the thought. Then she frowned. Had she

come from such a family?

Fatigue swamped her, and she dug her fingers into her temples as she fought

the tiredness. Chrysander was beside her in an instant. He picked her up as

though she weighed nothing and carried her into the bedroom. He carefully laid

her on the bed, his eyes bright with concern. “Rest now, pedhaki mou.”

She nodded and curled into the comfortable bed, her eyes already closing with

exhaustion. Thinking hurt. Trying to remember sapped every ounce of her

strength.

*

Chrysander 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 for

long. 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 the

groundbreaking go?”

“Chrysander, finally,” Theron said dryly. “I wondered if I was going to have

to fly over to beat answers from you.”

Chrysander sighed and grunted in response.

“Do hold while I get Piers on the phone. It’ll save you another call. I know

he’s as interested in your explanation as I am.”

“Since when do I answer to my younger brothers?” Chrysander growled.

Theron chuckled and a moment later Piers’s voice bled through the line. He

didn’t bandy words.

“Chrysander, what the hell is going on? I got your message, and judging by

the fact you never showed up in London, I can only assume that you’re

otherwise occupied in New York.”

Chrysander pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and closed his

eyes. “It would appear that the two of you are going to be uncles.”

eyes. “It would appear that the two of you are going to be uncles.”

Silence greeted his statement.

“You’re sure it’s yours?” Theron finally asked.

Chrysander grimaced. “She’s five months pregnant, and five months ago, I

was the only man in her bed. This I know.”

“Like you knew she was stealing from us?” Piers retorted.

“Shut up, Piers,” Theron said mildly. “The important question is, what are you

going to do? She obviously can’t be trusted. What does she have to say for

herself?”

Chrysander’s head pounded a bit harder. “There is a complication,” he

muttered. “She doesn’t remember anything.”

Both brothers made a sound of disbelief. “Quite convenient, wouldn’t you

say?” Piers interjected.

“She’s leading you around by the balls,” Theron said in disgust.

“I found it hard to believe myself,” Chrysander admitted. “But I’ve seen her.

She’s here...in our—my apartment. Her memory loss is real.” There was no way

she could fake the abject vulnerability, the confusion and pain that clouded her

once-vibrant blue eyes. The knowledge of her pain bothered him when it

shouldn’t. She deserved to suffer as she’d made him suffer.

Piers made a rude noise.

“What do you plan to do?” Theron asked.

Chrysander braced himself for their objections. “We’re flying out to the island

as soon as I feel she’s well enough. It’s a more suitable place for her recovery,

and it’s out of the public eye.”

“Can’t you install her somewhere until the baby comes and then get rid of

her?” Piers demanded. “We lost two multimillion dollar deals because of her,

and now our designs are going up under our competitor’s name.”

What he didn’t say but Chrysander heard as loudly as if his brother had

spoken the words was that they had lost those deals because Chrysander had

been blinded by a woman he was sleeping with. It was as much his fault as it

was Marley’s. He’d let his brothers down in the worst way. Risked what they’d

spent years working to achieve.

“I cannot leave her right now,” Chrysander said carefully. “She has no family.

No one who could care for her. She carries my child, and to that end, I will do

whatever it takes to ensure the baby’s health and safety. The doctor feels her

memory loss is only temporary, merely a coping mechanism for the trauma she

has endured.”

“What do the authorities have to say about her abduction?” Piers asked. “Do

you know why yet, and who was responsible?”

you know why yet, and who was responsible?”

“I spoke briefly with them at the hospital, and I have a meeting with the

detective in charge of the investigation tomorrow,” Chrysander said grimly. “I

hope to find out more then. I’ll also tell them of my plans to take her out of the

country. I have to think of her safety, and that of the baby.”

“I can see you’re already decided in this,” Theron said quietly.

“Yes.”

Piers made a sound as though he’d protest but was cut off when Theron spoke

once more. “Do what you have to do, Chrysander. Piers and I can handle things.

And for what it’s worth, congratulations on becoming a father.”

“Thanks,” Chrysander murmured as he pressed the button to end the call.

He set the phone aside. Instead of making him feel any better about the

situation, his discussion with his brothers had only reinforced how impossible

things were. He didn’t doubt that Marley didn’t remember him or the fact that

she’d stolen from him. Her confusion couldn’t possibly be that feigned.

Which left him with the only choice he had, one he’d made the instant he’d

known she was pregnant with his child. He would keep her close to him, take

care of her, ensure she had the best care possible. He’d hire someone to stay with

her when he couldn’t be there and to provide the more intimate details of her

care. It would enable him to keep her at arm’s length while still keeping a close

watch on her progress. And he would set aside, for now, the anger over her

betrayal.