Double Trouble: Newborn Twins: Doorstep Twins / Those Matchmaking Babies / Babies in the Bargain

Chapter Five

“GABI?” Leon had turned to her. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Do you mind being responsible for the twins a while longer? You know what I mean.”

Yes. She knew exactly, but by some miracle she didn’t give in to the impulse to break into hysterical sobbing. “I’ve loved taking care of my nephews and want to help you any way I can. Why don’t you put the children back in their cribs so I can change them?” she suggested in the brightest voice she could muster.

As they headed for the bedroom she was aware of Andreas’s avid gaze leveled on her, but she managed to avoid contact. He could see inside her soul. If she were to make the mistake of looking at him, her composure would dissolve. This was a pivotal moment for Leon. An emotional meltdown on her part now could ruin everything.

Thankful after they’d left the room and she could hear the rev of the boat engine, Gabi put clean diapers on the twins and got them ready for an evening walk around the village in their stroller. Next to the bakery was a deli where she could buy some food ready to go.

Once she’d showered and had dressed in a matching blue skirt and sleeveless top, she wheeled them out of the back door. Lena happened to be pushing her little boy along in his stroller as she did some weeding.

The two of them talked and pretty soon they went into the village together. Gabi enjoyed the other woman’s company. It helped not to think about the loss that was coming. If she were honest, it wasn’t only the twins she was already missing…

Three hours later she was putting the babies to bed when her cell rang. The sight of Andreas’s name on the caller ID caused a fluttery sensation in her chest.

“Hello?” She knew she sounded anxious.

“I called as soon as I could, Gabi.”

“You don’t owe me anything. H-has Leon told his wife?” Her voice faltered.

“Yes.”

His silence made her clutch the phone tighter. “Was it awful?”

“I won’t lie to you. It was a great deal worse.”

Tears clogged her throat. “I’m so sorry.”

“So am I. She’s threatened to divorce him and has flown back to Athens in the helicopter. I just drove him to the island’s airport so he could take a plane to catch up to her.”

A whole new world of pain had opened up for them.

When Thea had divorced Dimitri, Gabi had been overjoyed, but this was an entirely different situation. From all accounts Deline was a lovely woman who didn’t deserve to have any of this happen to her. Neither did the babies. But the fact remained Leon and Thea had made a mistake that had caused heartbreak in every direction.

“Does your family know the reason they left Milos?”

“Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time,” he ground out.

She moistened her lips nervously. “What would your brother like me to do?”

“Stay right where you are. I’ll bring the car around at eight-thirty in the morning. We’ll drive to the pier where the cabin cruiser will be waiting. I need a solid break and intend to show you the sights of the island. Pack enough formula in case we want to dock somewhere overnight. Stavros will take care of everything else.”

Her body trembled.

An invitation to party overnight on the Simonides yacht had proved too much of a temptation for Thea. Gabi wasn’t any different. The desire to spend uninterrupted time with the twins’ uncle aboard his cabin cruiser filled her with secret longings that had her jumping out of her skin.

When she thought about it, she would never again have the opportunity to be with a man who thrilled her the way Andreas did. In a few days Leon would make definitive plans where the twins were concerned and Gabi would be leaving Greece.

So why not enjoy this time with Andreas? As long as she recognized he was a bachelor who didn’t take his relationships with women seriously, then she wouldn’t either. She’d learned her lesson with Rand.

In the future she would come to visit her family and the twins from time to time, but she had a career waiting for her back in Virginia. The boys’ lives were here with their father. They would need to get used to the nanny Leon would employ to help him.

Gabi couldn’t possibly stay around, otherwise none of it would work; therefore this little bit of time on Apollonia was all she was going to get with Andreas. As she’d told his receptionist on Friday, “I’ll take it!”

“Eight-thirty’s a perfect time. The three of us will be ready. Goodnight, Andreas.” She hung up before she betrayed herself and kept him on the phone if only to listen to the sound of his deep, mellifluous voice.

With the babies down until their next feeding, Andreas instructed Stavros to bring the cruiser as close to the cave opening as possible. A side glance revealed that a golden-haired nymph had come to join him on the swim platform and was ready to dive with him.

Her modest two-piece suit only seemed to add to the allure of her beautifully proportioned body. Compared to the bronzed females he’d seen at various beaches throughout the day wearing little or nothing at all, her delicious femininity and creamy skin—unused to so much sun—drew his gaze over and over again.

“Are you sure you want to try this, Gabi? We’ve done a lot of swimming today. If you’re tired, we can explore here in the morning.”

She flashed him a mischievous smile that gave his heart a wallop of a kick. “After the big buildup about an evening swim at your favorite beach, you couldn’t stop me!”

Without warning she leaped off the side and headed through the cave opening to Papafragas beach at a very credible speed.

Andreas hadn’t had this much fun in years and followed her into the cool water. Beyond the opening was a long, natural, fjordlike swimming pool surrounded by walls of white rock. He heard her cry of delight.

“This is fabulous, Andreas!” Her voice created an echo.

He caught up to her and they both treaded water. “You can see the deep caves where pirates used to hide.”

Her lips twitched. “Even modern-day pirates like the Simonides twins, I would wager.” She kept turning around, looking up at the incredible rock formations. “It’s time for the truth, Andreas. Between you and Leon, how many girls did you used to bring here on an evening like this, pretending surprise that you were the only ones about?”

His laughter created another echo. “You’ve caught me out. We brought our share. It’s true that this late in the day most tourists have gone back to wherever they came from.” He’d planned it this way because he’d wanted Gabi to himself. “Come on. I’ll race you to the beach at the other end.”

Another fifty yards lay a strip of sand still warm from the sun, though its rays no longer penetrated here. She reached it first and sank down in it, turning over so she could look up at the sky. “Oh-h-h, this feels so good I’ll never want to move again.”

“Then we won’t.” Andreas stretched out on his stomach next to her. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this alive.

A come-hither smile broke one corner of her delectable mouth. “We’ll have to, if only for the twins’ sake.”

“They’re being watched over. For the moment I’d like to forget everything and everyone and simply concentrate on you.” He raised up on one elbow. “You know what I want to do to you.”

The little pulse at her throat was throbbing madly. “Yes,” she whispered in an aching voice.

A moan sounded deep in his throat. That was all he was waiting to hear before leaning down to lower his mouth to hers. He needed her kiss as much as he needed air to breathe. At the first taste of her, he was shaken by her breathtaking response. After coaxing her lips apart he began drinking deeply. Back and forth they gave each other one hungry kiss after another until it all became a blend of needs they fought to assuage.

Heedless of the fine sand covering their bodies, he rolled her on top of him, craving the perfect fit of her in his arms, the sweet scent of her. “You’re so beautiful, Gabi,” he murmured against the side of her tender neck. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?”

“Andreas—” The tremor in her voice told him she was equally caught up in the surge of passion sweeping them into a world where nothing existed but their desire for each other.

“What is it?” he whispered after wresting another kiss from her incredible mouth.

“I feel out of control,” she admitted against his lips.

He molded her body to his with more urgency. “That’s the way you’re supposed to feel when it’s right. I can’t get enough of you.” So saying, he kissed her again until they were both devouring each other.

Never having known rapture like this, he wasn’t prepared when she suddenly tore her lips away and rolled off him. “Where did you go?” he cried before sitting up. “We’re not in any hurry.”

“Maybe not, but I’m out of breath and need to slow down before we start back.”

He kissed her shoulder. “If you’re too tired when we’re ready to go, I’ll help you.”

“You mean you’ll get me out of here using the old reliable life-saving technique? Just how far do you think we’d get?” Gabi teased. She’d turned her head, focusing her dark-fringed eyes on him. Their color changed with the surroundings. Right now they’d picked up some of the gray-blue of the water.

“In my condition and the way I’m feeling at the moment, not far, but in time I’d manage it.”

“I believe you would,” she said with a smile that was too bright after what they’d just shared. His eyes narrowed on the erotic flare of her mouth, an enticement that lured him like Desponia’s song. She could pretend all she wanted, but in each other’s arms they’d both been shaken by a force that was only going to grow in strength.

“Sometimes I think you’re half god the way you make things happen. It’s like magic.”

“Would that I had the magic to put my brother’s world back together.”

“I could wish for the same thing.”

She got up from the sand and walked into the water to wash off. Bringing her to this spot had been in the back of his mind since last night. He couldn’t bear it that they were forced to leave, but they had to get back to the twins.

Although he’d allowed Gabi to believe otherwise, he’d never brought another woman here before, not even Irena. She liked an occasional dip in a swimming pool, but she wasn’t adventurous, not like Gabi, who’d sprung onto the canvas of his life with an unexpectedness that had left him reeling.

Until today he could have told Irena that everything he’d done to help his brother through a nightmarish, unprecedented situation had been necessary and it would have been the truth. But being out here with Gabi would have been impossible to explain. More than ever he was thankful he’d broken it off with her.

She would have pointed out that the twins’ aunt was already staying in a vacation spot that provided every possible distraction without requiring Andreas’s assistance. He would have had no excuse for spending the rest of today and tonight with her on his cabin cruiser. No excuse for coming close to making love to her.

While she treaded water, he threw his head back and looked up at the darkening sky, wishing this night never had to end.

“We’d better go, Gabi.” The words came out harsh, even to his own ears. “Do you think you’re up to it?”

“I was afraid maybe you weren’t and I would have to save you,” she quipped. So saying, she took off like a golden sea sprite, leaving behind a trail of tinkling laughter he found utterly irresistible.

Gabi gripped the rings that helped her climb the ladder into the boat. After rinsing off in the shower of the swim platform, she wrapped up in a towel and moved toward the rear cockpit where Andreas was talking to Stavros.

She smiled at him. “Did you think we were never coming back and you’d have to deal with two howling babies wanting their feeding in the middle of the night?”

The older man’s eyes twinkled. “We would have managed.”

“Have they been good?”

“Like little angels.”

“I’m glad, then.” She raised up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for being a wonderful babysitter.”

Gabi was still trying to catch her breath, as much from the physical exertion of attempting to outdistance Andreas—which was an impossibility—as having been alone with him.

There’d been a moment on the sand when she’d wanted to know his possession so badly, she’d almost expired on the spot. But she knew better than to repeat the mistakes of the past.

She had no doubt Andreas wanted her. He’d been forthcoming about it, and the desire between them had been building until she was ready to burst. Those kisses on the beach were inevitable, but she was wise enough not to read anything more into them. That was why she’d swum for her life back there, so she wouldn’t forget the promise she’d made to herself to focus all her energy on her career.

She flicked her host a steady glance. “When I’m back at my job inundated with work, I’ll remember this glorious day. Thank you.”

“There’s more to see tomorrow before we get back to Apollonia,” Andreas reminded her.

Gabi knew what that meant. Her pulse throbbed without her permission. “I’m looking forward to it,” she said bravely. “Goodnight.”

Not daring to meet his eyes this time, she darted down the steps to her cabin off the passageway. Relieved the children lay sound asleep in their carry-cots, she quickly showered again and washed her hair before climbing into bed.

Since spending time on the boat, she’d learned that his stateroom was on the other side of the wall. One more thing she’d picked up from Stavros. This cabin cruiser was Andreas’s home when he really wanted to get away on his own.

Gabi realized the older man had let her know she was a privileged person, but she could tell him that without the babies she would never have been given entrée to Andreas’s private world.

Almost a week ago today she’d gone to his office. Since then she’d spent some time with him, yet she still didn’t know anything about his personal life. He’d only volunteered information on a need-to-know basis. Love for his brother was the sole reason she’d been invited aboard this boat.

With time on his hands, he’d done the natural thing and had kissed her because he knew the attraction was mutual. The same thing had happened with Rand. She’d been a guest on his ranch and he’d enjoyed her to the fullest as long as she was there.

Those were the key words to help her keep her head on straight with Andreas until she went back to Alexandria.

Three o’clock was going to be here before she knew it. With the memory of him lying next to her on that sandy beach where she could still feel the taste of his mouth on hers, she closed her eyes, fearing she’d never be able to sleep. But to her shock the twins didn’t start crying until seven-thirty the next morning.

Maybe it was the sea air or the gentle sway of the boat. Whatever, they’d actually slept through the night!

After she’d bathed and fed them, she got dressed in shorts and a top before carrying them up on deck one at a time. Already the sun was warm. Stavros had breakfast waiting for her on the up-and-down table, another remarkable invention aboard the cruiser.

“Mmm, that looks delicious. Good morning, Stavros. How are you?”

“Never better.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Is Andreas still asleep?”

“No,” sounded a familiar voice behind her. She swung around to discover him standing there in a sage-colored polo shirt and white shorts. There couldn’t be a more attractive man anywhere in the Cyclades. His slate eyes collided with hers. “I’ve been waiting for you and the babies to appear. Let’s eat. I’m ravenous.”

“I’m hungry myself,” she admitted. “It must be this gorgeous air.” Andreas sat down next to her. Gabi tried to act natural, but after her dreams of him it was close to impossible.

Andreas studied her for a moment. “How did you sleep?”

Was this god from Olympus psychic, too?

“Would you believe these two didn’t start crying until seven-thirty? It’s the first time I haven’t had to get up in the middle of the night. The pediatrician said it would happen when the time was right. Isn’t it strange how they both did it at the same time?”

His compelling mouth broke into a lopsided smile. “My mother could tell you endless stories about the mystifying aspect of twins.”

“I don’t doubt it.” She would love to meet the mother of this extraordinary man, but held back from telling him so. Near the end of their meal he chuckled over Nikos, who gave a big yawn. In the next breath he got up and took the twins out of their carry-cots. Propping them in either arm, he moved over to the windows. “What do you think of this sight, guys?”

Gabi had been concentrating so hard on Andreas, she could tell him that the sight of him standing there holding his nephews was the most spectacular one in all Greece. Terrified to realize how emotionally involved she’d become with him, she found it a struggle not to let him know it.

When she could finally tear her gaze away, she noticed the cruiser was anchored off an unreal white outcropping of elongated rocks set against a brilliant blue sea. She stood up and joined him. “What is this place?”

“Sarakiniko, an Arabic word.”

“It looks like a moonscape.”

“That’s what it’s famous for. When we were boys, Leon and I would come here to play space aliens with our friends.”

She laughed. “That beats the neighborhood park.” Andreas’s backyard was unlike any other. “Every time you show me a new place, I think it’s the most fabulous spot around. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this tour. I’m very lucky.”

He cast her a sideward glance. “Seeing everything through your eyes has taken me back to happier days and times. I’m the one indebted to you, so let’s agree we’re even.”

Once again she sensed he was brooding. If he’d heard from Leon, he would have told her. His change in demeanor had everything to do with his brother.

Gabi knew most men stuck in this unique situation would have left her to her own devices while she waited for word from his brother. Not Andreas. His unselfishness meant he’d put his own needs aside, but it was wearing on him. She wouldn’t allow this to happen again.

For the next while they lazed on deck and played with the babies. To convince him he wasn’t the sole meaning of her existence she phoned her mother to let her know she and the children were fine. She hoped that if she played it breezy in front of him, he wouldn’t suspect how on fire she still was for him.

Her mom was delighted to learn the boys had slept through the night. In front of Andreas she raved about her sightseeing trip and his kindness, then promised to phone again when she knew more about Leon’s plans. He could prob-ably see through her attempt to keep everything light and above board, but she had to try.

By the time she hung up, they were coming into port at Apollonia. Since Andreas was still having fun with the babies, she excused herself and went below to pack up the few things in her cabin. She found Stavros and thanked him.

Within a half hour Andreas had driven them back to the house. While he helped her and the twins inside, she sensed he had other matters on his mind. As he was bringing in the last bag, she met him at the door.

“Stop right there. You’ve done enough.” She took the bag from him. “I had the time of my life. Now go. I know you’ll get back to me when you have any news.”

Gabi felt his gaze travel over her, turning her body feverish. He seemed reluctant to leave. “Promise me you’ll phone if you need anything.”

His entreaty spoken in that husky tone sent a weakness to her legs. She rubbed her palms against her hips nervously. “You know I will. Now I’ve got to take care of the babies.”

“Before you do that, I need this.” In the next breath he pulled her into his arms and started kissing her again. Caught off guard, she was helpless to stop him. Gabi had been dying for his touch since last night. Without conscious thought she slid her hands up his chest and encircled his neck, needing to get closer to him.

He was such a gorgeous man. With every caress her senses spiraled. The heat he created was like a fever in her blood. Another minute and she would beg him to stay. Through sheer strength of will she wrenched her mouth from his and eased away from him, breathing in gulps of air.

“I’ll be back. Miss me a little.” With another hard kiss to her trembling mouth, he strode off. She shut the door and fell against it while she waited for him to drive away.

As soon as she couldn’t hear the car motor any longer, she made fresh bottles of formula, then put the twins in their stroller and headed out the door for a long walk. If her life depended on it, she couldn’t have stayed in the house another second, not when she was feeling this kind of pent-up energy. She didn’t plan to come back until she’d visited every shop in the village and had worn herself out.

At noon the next day Gabi left the house again, this time taking the twins with her to enjoy lunch in a delightful little restaurant she’d passed last evening. It was a good thing Andreas hadn’t come back.

She blushed to realize how wantonly she’d responded to him at the door. Twice now she’d been playing with fire, but only she was going to get burned if she continued to let it happen every time he got near her.

During the delicious meal, the babies created a minor sensation with customers and staff alike. On her way out the door several tourists asked if they could take their picture because they thought the boys were so angelic.

Gabi supposed it didn’t matter as long as no one knew they were the sons of Leonides Simonides. In that case their pictures would show up in the newspaper and on television.

Before long she reached the path to the house. As she was about to open the door she heard a female voice call to her. She turned around to see the manager come hurrying up to her. “I’m glad you’re back. You have a visitor who’s been waiting for a while. She’s in the office.”

“Who is it?”

“Mrs. Simonides.”

Her heart pounded an extra beat. Deline? Was it possible? Where was Leon? Or maybe it was Andreas’s mother. Had he dropped her off with the intention of coming by for her later? She could hardly breathe at the thought of seeing him again.

“While I take the children inside, would you please show her over here, Lena?”

“Of course.” She rushed off.

Gabi looked down at the children. “Come on, you cute little things. Someone has come to see you. I want you to look your very best.”

After wheeling them inside, she brought out the big quilt and put it on the living-room floor where they could stretch out while she changed them. With that accomplished she put them in their white and yellow stretchy suits. The colors brought out the warm tone of their olive complexions. She kissed their necks. “Umm, you smell sweet.”