CHAPTER FIVE

AJAXKNEWHE should be feeling mildly insulted at the look of abject horror on Erin's face, but then he was becoming used to her reactions around him being the opposite of what he might have expected with other women.

She looked tired. His conscience struck. He remembered what it was like with a baby. He'd done a lot of the waking at night when Theo was small. Those had been some of his favourite moments, just him and Theo in the dark, walking up and down while the world slept. Those huge eyes on him, as if he held all the secrets of the universe. And yet he hadn't been able to keep him safe...

Suddenly he felt as if Erin could see all the way down inside him, to where his guts hadn't stopped churning ever since he'd found out about the baby. Ashling. His daughter. The thought of holding her and looking into her eyes made him feel clammy with something he didn't want to name.

He said, ‘You know what? Let's leave it till the morning. It has been a long day and I'm keeping you up.'

‘I'd prefer to know what you mean now.'

Ajax cursed himself. He should have kept his mouth shut. He'd been trying not to notice Erin too much all evening, but it was impossible.

She couldn't be dressed any more plainly—a shirt-dress and bare legs, sandals... Patently little make-up. Her hair slightly messy and rough from drying naturally. And yet she couldn't have been more alluring. Her eyes were huge. Golden-brown. Serious. But when she smiled...her whole face lit up.

Not that he'd given her much cause to smile since they'd met again.

Since he'd discovered his secret daughter.

A spark of anger helped him to focus on what he had to say and not on her. For a moment, at least. Although what he was about to propose was going to throw him all the way into the fire unless he exerted every ounce of control.

He said, ‘I had a meeting with my PR team on the way over here. They pointed out that if we're photographed together to coincide with this news of a baby, then it'll take some of the heat out of the press interest. But if we're not seen together they'll dig and dig until they know everything there is to know about you.'

‘What about you?'

Ajax shrugged. ‘They already know everything about me. You're the unknown quantity. Being seen with me will protect you to a degree. There's little for them to get excited about if it looks like we're together after having a baby. We can spin it that we managed to keep it a secret.'

Erin looked suspicious. ‘Can't we just hide away here and then go home in a few weeks, when it's all died down?'

The fact that she didn't want to be seen with him shouldn't be pricking Ajax's ego the way it was. She was right to want to protect herself from scrutiny. He'd been used to it all his life. From the moment he and his brother had been born they'd been watched and judged.

‘I know what I'm asking—for you to put yourself under the spotlight—and it might seem contradictory, but by doing that just for a short time I do believe it'll have the desired effect of taking the heat out of speculation and rumour. Then we can release a statement saying we're no longer together. Although I will obviously always ensure that you and Ashling are protected.'

Erin sounded suspicious, ‘When you say "a short time"...what does that mean?'

‘While we're here in Greece. If you agree, we'll attend a few events.'

‘What's "a few"?'

‘Two or three in public...one with my family...'

Ajax was very aware of not letting his gaze drop to her bare shapely legs. He had a vivid flashback to pushing those legs apart—

No! The woman in front of him was the one woman on the planet he could not touch again. Things were already complicated enough. She was the mother of his child and he had no intention of playing happy families again. Under no circumstances.

He would take the heat out of the press's interest in Erin and Ashling and then they would get back to their own lives. He wouldn't abandon his daughter; she would be provided for as long as she needed it. And, as he'd told Erin, he would make sure they were protected. But he would not pretend that he could be a hands-on father again.

‘Is it okay if I let you know in the morning?'

Ajax looked at Erin, his head still full of unwelcome thoughts. He nodded quickly. ‘Of course—it's your decision.'

‘Night, then.'

‘Goodnight, Erin.'

He watched her leave, with the understated elegance that had caught his eye the moment he'd seen her. Then he cursed and turned around, placing his wine glass down on the wall. It was a wonder he hadn't snapped the delicate stem, he was so tense.

Bringing her and the baby here to this villa had been a bad idea. It was too full of memories of what he'd once wished for. Something that had been snatched from his grasp. The chance of a family—even with a wife who had been in name only.

Ajax hadn't ever expected anything more with Sofia. But he'd wanted to create a family with Theo. Do it differently. Be a proper father. Not treat his child as a pawn, to be moved around for the benefit of the family name and business.

The thought of actually fostering a relationship with his son had been audacious, because it was so alien to what he'd grown up with. No affection, no tactility. Tight, cold expressions. No love. The almost unbearable weight of a legacy so embedded in Greek society and lore that Ajax and his brother's lives had been mapped out before birth.

Clearly by buying this villa and making his dreams for a different existence concrete he'd angered the gods.

Ajax smiled mirthlessly.

He didn't believe in the gods, even if some people joked that his family line was so old they were descended from them. But he did believe in not being foolish enough to think that he could try again. Erin, and Ashling would be better off with him at a distance. The sooner the news interest died down and they could get back back to their lives in New York, under the radar, the better.

Ashling was already down for her mid-morning nap by the time Erin saw Ajax again. She was having a coffee on the terrace, with the baby monitor beside her. She'd been up with Ashling since dawn and she was tired because she hadn't slept well.

She'd taken in a lot of information the previous evening. All that stuff about the reality of Ajax's marriage and the fact that his son was really his nephew.

She'd also Googled herself and Ajax and what she'd seen had made her blood run cold. Lots of speculation as to who she was and how they had eluded the press before now. Questions asking were they together, and if not, why not?

She'd had to grudgingly admit that Ajax and his PR team were probably right. Give the media a little of what they wanted to see and the heat would die down.

A sound made her look up. Ajax. The object of far too many of her thoughts. He was dressed formally, in dark trousers and a white shirt...top button open. He looked fresh and vital, and not as if he'd spent a sleepless night. She wanted to scowl, but she forced a smile and ignored her pulse tripping.

‘Morning.'

He looked at his watch. ‘Almost afternoon.' Then he looked back at her. He noted the baby monitor. ‘Napping?'

Erin nodded. ‘She woke at dawn, so we had breakfast and explored the gardens a little.' Erin hesitated for a moment and then said, ‘She's almost walking. Any day now.'

Ajax's expression didn't change, but it was as if he was consciously not allowing any titbit about his daughter to impinge upon him. ‘That's good. There's lots of space for her to experiment here and not get hurt.'

‘Yes, it's a big change from our apartment and the small park two blocks away. We could get used to this.' Erin had only been joking, but the minute the words came out she wanted to swallow them back. She said, ‘I didn't mean that the way it sounded.'

Ajax waved a hand and came over to sit down, helping himself to a cup of coffee. A little dryly he said, ‘I think you've proved that you're not bent on fleecing me of my fortune.'

‘I wouldn't know where to start,' Erin admitted. She shrugged. ‘I wasn't brought up to value money like that. We had enough to get by. I got a good education, went to university...that was enough.'

‘You and your father?'

Erin nodded. ‘As I said, my mother left when I was small.'

‘You said you were a toddler?'

Surprised he'd remembered, she said, ‘Pretty much, I'd just turned three.'

‘But she supported you?'

‘She sent an allowance that I put into a savings account. I wasn't going to touch it...but then when I got pregnant...'

‘Your father is a professor?'

‘Yes, of mathematics. His head is always in the clouds obsessing over formulas and problems to be solved.' Erin was smiling at the thought of her absent-minded father.

‘You have a good relationship?'

She nodded. ‘I adore him. It was just us. He was a good father, in his own scatty way. I was probably responsible ahead of my time, but I knew I was loved.'

Ajax shook his head. ‘That's something rare in my world. Rarer than rare. A myth.'

Erin tried not to show how curious she was. ‘Your parents...they weren't loving?'

Ajax let out a curt laugh. ‘Loving? No. I don't think they even know the meaning of the word. Their marriage was arranged, and my parents have never pretended it was anything more. They've conducted discreet affairs on the side for as long as I can remember. My brother and I were brought up by nannies until we went to school—first in the UK and then in Switzerland as I mentioned. We hardly saw them, and yet our lives were beholden to their wish for us to follow the same path they had. A path of loyalty and dedication to a legacy that has become a massive global industry.'

‘Didn't you ever want to do something else?'

‘That was never really an option—and especially not after Demetriou died.'

‘It doesn't sound like you're all that happy about it.'

Ajax's jaw clenched. ‘I don't have the luxury of choice. Thousands depend on me for their livelihoods now. The company—as you know—has been restructured to give me more control.'

‘Surely that's the opposite of what you really want?'

‘It means my life is my own now. No one can put pressure on me to marry, or have heirs, or run the business by committee.'

‘You have an heir. Ashling,' Erin pointed out, struck again by how adamant he was about not having another family. Or remarrying.

For a second Erin felt a jolt, thinking of him changing his mind some day and marrying someone else. She pushed it down. It shouldn't concern her. Their connection had been purely physical. At one point she'd felt as if her emotions were involved, but she'd convinced herself otherwise by now.

Ajax shook his head. ‘I wouldn't let her get within a hundred miles of this business.'

‘She might be interested.'

‘If there's one thing I can do for her, it'll be to allow her to live her life under no pressure from me or this family. She'll have choices I never had.'

‘Is that what you'd planned for Theo?'

Abruptly Ajax looked at his watch and said, ‘Sorry to be rude, but I have to take a call. Did you think about what we spoke of last night?'

She'd touched a nerve, mentioning Theo, obviously. But she could understand why. She said, ‘Yes, I did, and I think you're right. If we're seen together it'll cause some interest, but once they know how essentially boring I am it'll die down.'

Ajax frowned. ‘You're not boring—far from it.'

Erin felt hot, and it wasn't from the sun. ‘I don't usually behave in such a spontaneous manner...jumping into bed with people I hardly know.'

Not to mention making love in elevators.

‘Neither do I.'

For a second, the air was charged. Erin was trapped in that blue-green gaze, and couldn't look away. He looked down, and her breath caught. Her breasts felt heavy, her nipples tightening under her thin top. A very plain thin top that suddenly felt invisible.

He looked back up again and Erin sucked in air. She felt as if he'd touched her. Just with his eyes. And yet she must have imagined the whole moment, mortifyingly, because he was looking at her with no discernible expression.

She tried to recall what they'd been talking about. Appearing with him in public...

‘So...yes. Okay, I'll do what you suggested. Go out with you.' Heat climbed into her face. She sounded like a teenager.

‘Okay. Good.' Ajax was brisk, further making Erin feel as if she'd conjured up that hot little moment. ‘You'll come to Athens with me at the end of the week. We'll attend an event on Friday.'

‘What about Ashling?'

‘She'll come too.'

‘But who'll look after her? It's only ever been me or my father or the crèche.'

‘We'll hire a nanny.'

‘Like the ones you had?' Erin knew that wasn't fair, but suddenly she had visions of a woman in uniform looking at Ashling disapprovingly.

A shadow crossed Ajax's face. ‘No. Not like that. Agatha has family in Athens. I can ask her if she knows someone.'

Erin's fears subsided. She liked the woman—she was normal. Maternal. ‘Okay, that sounds good. I trust her.'

‘You only just met her.' He looked at her curiously.

Erin looked back at him. ‘I'm a pretty good judge of character and she's kind.'

Before Erin could consider the fact that she was more or less telling Ajax that she'd judged his character and liked it enough to jump into bed with him—twice—she thought of something else.

‘Is the event going to be very fancy?'

‘It'll be black-tie.'

‘I don't have anything formal with me.'

Ajax waved a hand. ‘Don't worry about that. I'll have a stylist put together some choices.'

‘I... Okay.'

Erin could hardly protest. And it wasn't as if she was going with him for romantic reasons. It was practically a job. Maybe if she looked at it like that it wouldn't feel so loaded?

At that moment there was a squawk from the baby monitor. Ashling was waking up. Erin stood up, glad her legs stayed steady. ‘I should go. She'll be hungry for lunch.'

Ajax didn't say anything, but Erin felt his eyes on her back and wished she was wearing something more exciting than her thin top and linen trousers. She usually prided herself on feeling pretty well put-together, but under Ajax's gaze she felt dishevelled. Unkempt.

The prospect of him seeing her in something other than casual or work clothes made her heart beat far too fast. She had to remember that these public appearances were purely a means to an end. An end where their lives parted again so he could carry on not engaging with fatherhood and she could continue being a single parent.

A few days later, being driven through the streets of Athens after the relative idyllic peace of the island was a little jarring, but Ashling was fascinated, staring out through the windows in the back of the car as if she'd never seen buildings before.

Erin felt a pang of regret that she hadn't made more of an effort to tell Ajax about his daughter before.

The man in question turned to her from where he sat in the front passenger seat. ‘Not long now.'

Erin forced a smile, but her gut was churning at the thought of what was ahead. She'd always been on the periphery of worlds like this—in the background, doing the paperwork for titans of industry. Not front and centre under the spotlight.

They were headed to Ajax's villa, in the hills overlooking the ancient city. The Acropolis came into view, high on its own hill in the distance. It humbled her. Yet another reminder of Ashling's ancestry.

Athens was teeming with people—tourists and locals. They'd passed through majestic Syntagma Square, and Erin had caught glimpses of the narrow, cobbled streets of the Plaka area. It was a beguiling city even as it baked under the sun.

But soon they were climbing up out of the city and into the hills. It became greener. The car stopped outside ornate gates that had appeared as if from nowhere, and a security guard in uniform opened up to let them in.

The driveway was long and winding, uphill, bordered by lush bushes until it opened out into a large courtyard area, revealing a sleek and modern split-level house. Sunlight glinted off the massive windows. It was in stark contrast to the more traditional villa on the island, but Erin liked it.

An attractive woman with glossy brown hair tied back into a ponytail, dressed in black trousers and a short-sleeved shirt, met them at the door. Ajax introduced her as his house manager, Marta. The woman was friendly, but serious...efficient. Clearly here in Athens things ran on a different schedule.

Then a younger woman appeared, pretty and shy, but smiling. She looked familiar, and it became clear why when Ajax said, ‘This is Damia—Agatha's great-niece. She's going to help us with Ashling. She's studying English at college, and has plenty of experience in looking after babies as she has four younger brothers and sisters.'

Erin smiled at her and the girl immediately connected with Ashling, who smiled too, showing her emerging teeth. Erin felt a sharp pain near her heart to see how Ajax resolutely kept his gaze off his daughter.

Damia offered to take Ashling at once, so that Ajax could show Erin around. The little girl went happily, and Erin was simultaneously proud of how content she was and also piqued that she wasn't more clingy. But she knew to take advantage of these moments.

The villa was as sleek and modern on the inside as outside, but Erin was heartened to see that baby-proofing had already been undertaken, with the sharp corners of tables softened with pads. And the open-plan nature meant that Ashling would be able to roam pretty freely.

The living space, decorated with comfortable couches and chairs and coffee tables covered in glossy hardbacks, flowed into a formal dining space. Huge glass doors opened out directly onto a patio, which led to a pristine lawn sloping gently downwards to a row of trees behind which, Ajax told Erin, was a swimming pool and changing rooms.

The air was scented by the abundant flowers blooming on the edges of the garden. Erin wistfully thought of her father, who would immediately lose himself in identifying these exotic plants—a hobby of his.

Around to one side of the patio Erin gasped at the view of Athens laid out before them. The Acropolis looked like a toy replica in the distance. It was almost possible to make out the hundreds of people clambering over it like tiny ants. There were no skyscrapers or modern structures to ruin the view from this angle. It was truly impressive.

Back in the villa, she saw a baby gate had been installed on the stairs, ruining the architectural lines somewhat, but very necessary for a curious baby on the cusp of walking, who would soon be able to tackle stairs quicker than a flash of lightning.

As Ajax led her up to the second level Erin gestured to the temporary addition and said, ‘Thank you for this.'

Ajax commented, ‘I remember how it is.'

Erin followed him silently. He might not want to engage with his daughter, but he was already proving that he wasn't completely oblivious by taking such care over her safety.

Upstairs was elegant, with plush carpets and elegant minimal furnishings. Doors led off a long corridor and Ajax opened one for Erin. She walked in and could hardly take in the scale of the room, it was so huge.

The bedroom, with a bed big enough for a football team, had two doors leading into an adjoining walk-in dressing room and then a bathroom that more resembled a spa. There was even a massage bed.

Yet another door Ajax had just opened led into a smaller anteroom which had been turned into a nursery, decorated with whimsical murals on the walls of dogs and bunnies and birds. Something struck her. Maybe...

She looked at him, but he seemed to read her mind and shook his head.

His voice was clipped. ‘No, this wasn't Theo's. His and Sofia's rooms were elsewhere.'

One of the other doors they'd passed? She forced her mind away from speculating and took in the bright decor and the doors leading out to the wide balcony that ran outside the main bedroom too.

There was a cot and a changing table. A chest of drawers full of clothes from an exclusive French children's label.

She looked at Ajax. ‘You didn't have to do this. She'll have outgrown most of these within a few weeks.'

‘I wanted to make sure you have all you need.' He pointed to a door on the other side of the room. ‘That leads into Damia's room, so she'll be right beside Ashling when we're out.'

When we're out.

As if they were a couple. But of course they were nothing like a couple. Couldn't be further from a couple. And that made her feel bereft—which was something she never would have expected.

Having a baby had changed her. She now knew that deep down she hungered for companionship, and that she'd never put her career over that. Erin wasn't like her mother.

What about love?whispered a voice.

No, not love. Love had the potential to betray and destroy. Erin was realistic enough to hope for something that didn't have the power to wreck a life...a family. Since Ashling's birth she'd realised that some day maybe a family would be nice, with a partner she could like and respect. Trust. Companionship. Not the loneliness of her father's existence. She'd always longed for brothers and sisters—she'd like that for Ashling.

But that dream was shattering before it had even fully taken root. And it wasn't even Ajax's fault. He'd never promised anything. He'd never led her on. They'd had two hot nights when they'd connected with maximum physicality and minimum emotionality.

And yet here they were now, connected for a lifetime and having to navigate emotional territory that he obviously didn't welcome.

The sooner they got through these social events and defused the press interest, the sooner she and Ashling could get on with their lives. But a sobering realisation made her go cold. Their lives would never be their own again, no matter what happened. Ashling was the daughter of a billionaire and the whole world knew it. Ajax had even alluded to the fact that they may need security.

Feeling unsettled, she said to Ajax, ‘Speaking of going out...the first event is tomorrow?'

Ajax nodded. ‘Yes, in the evening.'

Erin's belly lurched. Being in this billionaire's world was suddenly all too real. She tried to hide her trepidation.

Ajax said, ‘I've arranged for a stylist to come today, with a selection of outfits for you to choose from.'

Her belly was churning now. ‘I know how to dress for work events—not high society. What if I wear the wrong type of dress?'

‘Georgiana is very experienced. She'll know exactly what you need to wear.'

Erin couldn't help wondering if this Georgiana had dressed other women for Ajax. His wife? Even if he hadn't loved her, they'd have had to feel some affection for each other? Shared a bed at least?

‘I...' What could she say? She'd agreed to this. ‘Okay.'

‘A statement will be put out by my PR team in advance of the event. That will hopefully nip most of the speculation in the bud.'

‘I'd like to see it beforehand.'

Ajax arched a brow. ‘To make sure it's legally acceptable?'

‘Of course.' Erin couldn't stop her professional instincts from kicking in, even though she was fairly certain Ajax's team would be going out of their way to ensure the statement held no hint of a more permanent relationship in the near future.

‘I'll have my assistant send you the draft copy.'

‘Thank you.' Erin felt stiff and formal. The space was suddenly too small around her, as if all the air was being sucked out of the room. Ajax seemed huge. A solid wall of muscle.

‘I should go and check on Ashling...she'll be getting hungry.'

Ajax looked at his watch. ‘I have to go into my offices for a few hours. Go ahead and eat later without me. I'll find Damia for you and send her up.'

He left.

Erin went straight to the French doors and opened them, sucking in a lungful of air. Had she made a huge mistake in agreeing to go along with Ajax's plan for them to be seen out together? That last exchange had been as chaste and civil as any conversation between two colleagues. He hadn't even touched her. And yet her skin was prickling all over, tight and sensitised.

It was so humiliating to still be attracted to the guy when he'd moved on so long ago...

‘Miss Murphy?'

Erin whirled around to see Damia in the doorway, holding Ashling, who immediately put her arms out for her mother. She pushed all thoughts of Ajax and the future and how he made her feel out of her head and focused on her baby.

She smiled at the young woman. ‘Please, call me Erin.'