Chapter 5
5
S unday, 10:00 am
Aurelia resisted wakefulness, wrapped snugly in a warm, weighted blanket.
She must have slept through her alarm.
Maybe it was her day off.
Either way, she was too comfortable to care, lulled by the rhythmic ebb and swell of waves, her body drifting, floating in the sea. Up…down.
She opened her eyes sleepily. She wasn’t floating in the sea. She was sprawled on top of him like he was her own personal body pillow. No, his muscles had no give. And his hands? They were resting casually on her hips like he owned them.
She tensed. Was he awake? She was in his bedroom. Maybe she could sneak out before he woke up and avoid a very awkward ‘morning after a one-night-stand’ kind of moment. Maybe she could even get out of the house.
As carefully as possible, she slid her right leg over his left hip. Damn. Her leg wasn’t long enough to get all the way over. No way could she scoot the rest of her body to make it happen. Reversing direction, she slid her leg back toward center. His legs were spread just wide enough she was able to slide her knee down in between his thighs, careful to avoid hitting his junk; that would wake him up for sure.
She blew out a small, shaky breath. So far, so good. Now, if she could just shift her weight onto that leg, she should be able to––
His hands flexed at her hips.
She froze. Was it a reflex? Was he awake? She wasn’t in the right position to look. Maybe he was only half awake. A minute passed. Then two. Nothing happened. Must have been a reflex. He’s possessive, even in his sleep. She ignored the zing of pleasure that shot up her spine at the thought.
Slower than a snail, she began moving again.
“Where do you think you’re going, wife?”
Every muscle froze as her heartbeat slammed against her chest like a jackhammer. No! Fuck! What should she do? Play it casual? Ignore the elephant in the room? Pretend last night hadn’t happened? Pretend they hadn’t consummated their marriage? They could still..
“I know you’re awake, agápe mou , so you can stop pretending.” His voice was full of smug satisfaction and a hint of laughter. “And whatever is going on inside your head right now, let me assure you, there will be no more talk of annulments. You are exactly where you belong.”
Aurelia bunched the sheet up and covered herself bit by bit as she slid off Michalis and sat up. Shame and something darker twisted inside her. She’d let him claim a physical right that sealed their marriage beyond any legal loophole. “No. This was a mistake. All we’ve done is complicate things.”
Michalis sat up, eyes locking onto hers with a fierce, possessive spark. “What we’ve done is consummate our marriage,” he said softly, brushing a thumb across her parted lips. “I am not a technicality you can toss aside with a piece of paper.”
“Wait. This is all about your ego?” she whispered, angry tear suddenly pricking her eyes. “You’re willing to ruin my life––our lives––to save your ego ?”
He looked at her without a shred of remorse. “No one’s life is being ruined, and until you can see that, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you from running again.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “I won’t apologize for that.”
She swallowed hard, staggering upright on shaky legs, yanking the sheet around her. “I don’t know who I hate more right now––you, or me.” she said, her voice cracking with the effort to hold back her tears.
He stood, unwilling to have a confrontation lying down. He’d known it would come, as soon as she was thinking rationally again and realized the true consequences.
“We both know there’s more than hate here, Aurelia,” he murmured, putting his discarded pants back on. “Annulment was never an option for us. All I did was make you see it.”
Shame burned her cheeks. She took a step back, hugging herself. “Then I want a divorce. Last night doesn’t change anything.”
“Yes, it does,” Michalis said firmly. “No divorce. No running back to him… I won’t let you go.”
She shook her head, too upset to say anything more. All of her plans lay shattered at her feet, and she had no one to blame but herself and her traitorous body.
“I’m going to take a shower. You can join me if you want, or you can run back to the guest bedroom. I’m willing to give you room to breathe, Aurelia, time to fully process what I said, but make no mistake, I meant every word––we’ve consummated our marriage. You are my wife, and I will never let you go.”
She stared at his retreating back, almost numb. She didn’t need to look to know there was blood on the sheets––and in the water. Fool that she was, she had trapped herself in a cage with a predatory shark; only this time, there was no legal loophole from which to escape. She was now married to Michalis in every sense of the word.
As he disappeared through the bathroom door, she slumped back onto the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around herself. Her mind spun with fear, guilt, and an unshakable awareness of the intense passion they’d just shared. Even if her mind could block out what she’d done, her body was all too willing to remind her. She was tender and sore down there, and if that wasn’t damning enough, her inner thighs still had traces of dried blood and semen on them. She’d wanted an annulment… but in a single, scorching encounter, she’d lost that option; allowed a virtual stranger to punch her V-card.
Despite what Michalis said, she could still try to run, but then what about David? He was in love with her, wanted to get married and start a family. She wanted those things, too––it was the whole reason she’d come out of hiding after seven years. How could she tell him what she’d done? How would he ever be able to forgive her? How, when she couldn’t forgive herself? Oh god, what if I get pregnant from last night?
Tears slipped free as she realized how entangled she’d become in Michalis Giannopoulos’s darkness in less than twenty-four hours—and how the line between hate and need might be far thinner than she’d ever imagined.
Late Sunday night
Aurelia woke to moonlight spilling across her bed. For a heartbeat, she forgot why her body ached. Then the events of the morning slammed into her: their confrontation, the collision of tempers, and the heat that had flared out of control.
She’d run back to her room and cried until her eyes were puffy and swollen and her head was pounding. Then she took a long, hot bath. The rest of the day, she’d stayed in her room, refusing to come out, even for meals, alternating between fits of rage and bouts of crying. Emotionally exhausted, she’d finally collapsed onto the bed around 11:00 pm.
She sat up slowly, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth. The bedroom lights were off, leaving only the glow from the window to illuminate Michalis’s imposing silhouette. He stood against the far wall, half-dressed, as if he’d been pacing. Waiting.
Her cheeks burned with anger and a swirl of confused shame. “What are you doing in here?” she demanded, voice raw.
Michalis turned, crossing his arms. “I was making sure you didn’t try to slip away the moment the house was quiet.”
She let out a hollow laugh. She gestured at the rumpled sheets, at her disheveled state. Each movement reminding her of the intimacy they’d shared. “Can’t exactly sneak out while I’m…dressed like this.”
She’d never felt so sore—or so ashamed––because the moment she heard his deep voice, the moment she recognized him in the shadows, her raw, tender flesh began to pulse and throb, as if in happy recognition, reminding her that this was the man who had done this to her, the one who invaded her sacred temple, took possession of her, teased her, stroked her, made her feel soooo good.
Oh, yes, that tender part of her was very aware of who, and where, he was. And she was telling the other traitorous girls all about it. They were perking right up. Aurelia crossed her arms in front of her, not wanting Michalis to see how much he was affecting her.
A beat of charged silence stretched her nerves to the breaking point. Finally, Michalis stepped closer, the tension in his gaze crackling. “Does that mean you’re considering it? Are you planning to run back to him the moment my back is turned?” It wasn’t a question; it was an accusation, his voice harsh with mingled disbelief and possession. “Will you tell him how I made you scream my name?”
Heat scorched her cheeks. “My personal life is none of your business.”
He scoffed, eyes flicking to her bare legs, half-covered by the tangled sheets. “You’re my wife. Everything about you is my business.”
Her hands twisted nervously around the sheets. “We both know this…farce of a marriage was never real. One night of sex isn’t going to change that.”
“No?” he asked, voice dropping. “Because I recall you clawing my shoulders like you wanted to sink into me and never let go. Feels pretty real to me.”
She swallowed a scathing reply, fury mixing with mortification. “It was a mistake. I thought you said you would give me time…David—” Her words faltered, shame rushing up at the reminder that she’d given her first time to Michalis Giannopoulos instead of David, in an act of raw, angry passion.
Michalis’s expression darkened. “I don’t ever want to hear you mention his name again. If you were in love with him, you wouldn’t have given yourself to me, and we both know it.”
“I want to be free of this marriage,” she snapped, hugging the sheets tighter around her. “There’s no reason to drag this out in a divorce. That could take years. We still have a court date. We can keep things simple. Civil.”
“Too late for that. You want your precious annulment? Good luck proving we never…consummated.”
Her pulse skipped. Despite the warmth of the room, a chill slid down her spine. “I can claim it never happened.”
His mouth curved in a mirthless smile. “You could try. But if you think I’ll let you waltz into a lawyer’s office and lie, you’ve underestimated me.”
Aurelia glared angrily. “It will be your word against mine.”
“Thank you for letting me know your plans in advance,” he added in a low murmur, stepping closer, “I guess I’ll just have to make sure I’ve left irrefutable evidence behind.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“No one will doubt I’ve been in your bed if there’s a baby in your belly.”
Aurelia’s jaw dropped. The stark ruthlessness in his eyes made her blood run cold—and hot––igniting her temper. “That’s your plan? Don’t be ridiculous,” she sputtered, hating how her voice trembled. “This was a one-time lapse in judgment, not to be repeated.”
Michalis leaned down, bracing a hand on the mattress beside her. “It will be repeated. Often.” he asked quietly. “You said you wanted children. You’re in my world now. It’s time you learn what that means.”
She clutched the sheets like a shield. “Is the big, bad, mafia king threatening me with––” she laughed incredulously, “pregnancy?!”
He smiled darkly. “I’m quite sure I’ll enjoy the process. Whether you do or not is up to you.”
She gasped, outraged. “You’re insane. I don’t want to be in your world. I want a divorce, and you can’t stop me from leaving. If you try, I’ll call the police–– tell them everything I know about you.”
“You will not call the police. Not now. Not ever.” He allowed her a glimpse of the killer inside him, the one who controlled everyone and everything around him, as he spelled out her situation. “Your choices are limited. Fighting with me or fucking––take your pick––but betrayal is not on the menu.”
Her blood ran cold, then traitorously hot. His threat only served to underscore the dangerous world he lived in, a world that both repelled and drew her in like a moth to a flame. The raw power he exuded cast a seductive spell over her senses, a direct contradiction to the rage building inside her.
For a moment she couldn’t swallow, choking on too many emotions.
He straightened with careful deliberation. “Get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning about your loyalty—both to me, and to this family.”
Without another word, he turned and walked out, leaving Aurelia alone with her chaotic thoughts. Her heart thundered as she realized with a sinking feeling that she truly was at his mercy. For now.
Outside the bedroom, Michalis found two of his men, Ajax and Giorgio, waiting in the hall. Under the soft glow of a wall sconce, he kept his voice low. “Any problems with the shipments from the north?”
Giorgio shook his head. “They’re running late, nothing to worry about yet.”
“Good. Let Jonas take charge of it for now, I think he’s ready.”
Giorgio raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Sure, boss. Any particular reason?”
“Yes. I need you to find out how, exactly, my wife was able to get into the fundraiser without anyone knowing about it. She said she had a ticket. They were QR coded, and when I scanned it again this morning, I got a green light to enter, but when I did a manual crosscheck, I couldn’t find a name attached. How is that possible?”
Both men’s eyes rounded in surprise. Giorgio crossed his arms. “Well, I suppose if someone had access to both the invitations and the master list, they could have green-lighted one without a name. Not that hard.”
This time Ajax interjected. “Sure…not that hard on this side but add that to somehow getting the invitation into Mrs. Giannopoulos’s hands, and we have a serious problem. She’s been outside our radar since she left. Have you asked her how she got the ticket?”
“No.” Michalis rubbed his hand across the scruff across his jaw. “I don’t want her any more involved than she already is, at least not if it isn’t necessary. If we have a traitor, I want him found.”
“You got it. We picked up some chatter. Mafia Romaneasc? are looking for someone in the area—didn’t mention your wife by name, but we suspect. Maybe there’s a connection?”
Michalis swore under his breath. “I’ll be downstairs shortly for details. Don’t discuss this around my wife. I swore to my father she would never know about hers .”
The men nodded. Ajax risked a glance at the door. “Understood, boss. Should we tighten security?”
“Absolutely,” Michalis said, steel in his voice. “I won’t lose her to that bastard again.” He paused, dark eyes flicking to the closed bedroom door. His lips twitched. “Even if it means I have to chain her to my bed.”
His men guffawed, then left as quietly as they’d come.
Michalis stayed outside the bedroom, dread curling down his spine. They thought he was kidding, but he could almost feel her slipping through his fingers.