The Santorini Bride

Men like Theo ought to be locked away where they couldn’t have an adverse effect on women. It was obvious he’d had one on Agnetta, if she’d come all the way to Greece just to get a second chance at him.

And why? A woman as beautiful as Agnetta could have any man in the world. But she was apparently determined to have Theo.

He paced like a jungle cat trapped in a cage, then reached the end of the room, spun around and demanded, “How long are they here for?”

“What do you mean? Here on Santorini?”

“No. In the living room,” he said sarcastically. “Of course on Santorini. Don’t be an idiot!”

Martha shook her head. “A week, I think. Cassandra said they’re having a week’s holiday before they had to be in Marseilles for a shoot. Apparently she called home, and your mother was visiting hers, and when she heard that Agnetta and Cassandra were in the Adriatic, she had this brilliant idea they should come visit you and—”

“I get the picture,” Theo said grimly. He paced some more, considered some more, and finally nodded. “Okay. A week. They can stay a week. You’re staying, too.”

“Me?” Martha stared at him. “But you said—”

“You wanted to stay. You said so. ‘Big enough for both of us,’ you said.” He quoted her words back at her. “You made a big issue out of it.”

“Well, yes, then, but—”

“No buts. They can stay for a week, as long as you do. Acting as my girlfriend.”

“What!”

“You heard me. They won’t be able to pester me if I’ve already got a woman in residence.”

“I’m not—”

“And when you go, they go.”

Martha glared at him. “You’re trying to make me the bad guy.”

Theo shrugged unrepentantly. “Up to you.”

“But I’m going to be here three weeks. That’s what my plane reservation is for!”

“Then you can take this week to find another place to stay. No problem.”

Not to him, maybe. In fact Theo looked disgustingly pleased with himself.

Martha glared. “Why?” she asked him at last. “Why should I?”

He shrugged. “Because you need a place to stay? You’re broke and desperate?” He gave her a mocking smile.

It was altogether too close to the truth. But that didn’t make her want to do it. She stalled. “Tell me more about this ‘history’ you have with Agnetta.”

Theo didn’t look as if he were going to, but when Martha just stared at him wordlessly, he finally muttered, “I just don’t want her thinking she’s going to worm her way back into my life.”

“So she was in your life?”

“I went out with her a few times.” His tone was dismissive, but definitely edgy.

“‘Out with?’” Martha raised her brows. “Just casual dates? Home by eleven? That sort of thing?” she queried with false innocence.

“Slept with,” Theo snarled. “But that’s it. Nothing else.”

“What else could there be?”

“I mean, no strings! It wasn’t a ‘relationship.’ We weren’t a couple. I don’t do relationships. It was a good time, that’s all. And I made that clear.”

“How very charming of you.”

“Look, I never claimed to be in love with her. I met her at a sailing race. She was a model on a photo shoot. We hit it off. Had a few beers. Spent some time together.”

“In bed.”

“In bed and out of bed,” he said, exasperated. “But I told her I wasn’t looking for anything serious. Ever.”

“Of course not. You just swept her off her feet,” Martha agreed gravely. “You and that earth-shattering charm.”

Theo’s teeth snapped together. “Nobody forced her to go to bed with me!”

Martha gave him a baleful look. “Oh, I believe it. A man with charm like yours…”

“At least I didn’t lie to her!”

And, as Martha well knew, some men did.

Julian had dripped charm as he’d vowed he loved her and wanted to spend forever with her. Julian had told her he just wanted her to be ready. The same Julian who, in the meantime, hadn’t been able to keep his trousers zipped.

Perhaps truth had more to recommend it than charm, Martha thought and decided to cut Theo a tiny bit of slack.

“So fine. You didn’t want anything serious and she did. So? Don’t tell me she tried to kidnap you and force you to the altar.”

“Damn near,” Theo growled. He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. “We spent a few weeks together on the shoot and after. Next thing I knew, she showed up on my doorstep announcing she was pregnant!”

He said the word as if it had four letters. Clearly not a man hankering to be a father.

“So what did you do? Whip out the charm and tell her to get rid of it?” While she imagined he had been shocked, she was still indignant at the thought.

Theo’s teeth snapped together. He leveled a hard look in her direction. “I’d never do that.”

“Then…?” Martha frowned, confused.

“There wasn’t a baby.”

“But you said she said—”

“She said she was pregnant. She wasn’t. Ever. But she figured that if she said she was, I’d marry her.” He looked furious all over again, and if he was really telling the truth, Martha could understand why he was upset with Agnetta.