Chapter Five

IT WAS ALREADY HALF past midnight when Lukas came back to his apartment, sweaty and his every muscle aching after the punishing workout he had voluntarily subjected himself to in the past two hours.

He was hoping the grueling activity would be enough to quell the restlessness inside of him, but it did nothing at all, and his disquiet only grew when he heard a now-familiar sound coming from one of the guest rooms.

Her son was crying again, and seeing her bedroom door slightly ajar remained a temptation he couldn't resist.

Lukas took a look...and bit back a groan.

Karma at its finest.

It was all he could think of since he was now treated to yet another illicit sight, this time of his housekeeper pulling the loose neckline of her nightshirt down so she could start breastfeeding her son.

He fought against the urge to slam the door shut behind him and headed straight to the en-suite to take a cold shower.

Thrice.

But it did nothing at all.

His mind kept taunting him with images of his housekeeper's milk-swollen breasts...and Betsy pleading for him to drink some of it.

Shit.

It was already three in the morning by the time Lukas' senses yielded to an exhausted sleep, but this made no difference to his body clock, which had him out of bed at six, just like usual.

What was not typical, however, were the sounds (and scents) coming from his kitchen, and Lukas couldn't help feeling wary as he stepped out of his bedroom.

Betsy glanced up at the sound of footsteps, and her heart immediately skipped a beat when her gaze collided with her boss.

Gulp.

His sleep-tousled hair made him more gorgeous in her eyes for some reason, and the fact that he also had nothing but a pair of sweatpants on had her wanting to fan her face.

Please, please, please remember you're about to get married to another man, Betsy!

"Good morning."

The stilted tone of her boss's greeting had Betsy forgetting her discomfort. Aww. This beautiful man was obviously unused to seeing someone else take over his kitchen, but because he had an equally beautiful heart, he was striving so hard to make her feel welcome.

"Good morning, Mr. Tsaldaris!"

Betsy's smile was almost blinding as she returned Lukas' greeting, and with the morning sun shining behind her from the balcony, her beauty had almost taken an ethereal glow.

"I wasn't sure what you usually have for breakfast so I thought I'd prepare a little of everything..."

Her words had him belatedly glancing down at the counter, and Lukas' eyes widened. When she said everything, she had apparently meant it since what Betsy had prepared was fit to feed an entire army.

"Is it too much?" Betsy asked in concern.

"No, not at all," Lukas answered right away. "How did you know I like to eat a week's worth of breakfast in one go?"

A choked laugh escaped her, and although it made no sense at all, the sound somehow reminded him of the one thing that was not right about this picture. A frown creased his forehead as his gaze swept over his living room. "Your son..."

"D's fine," Betsy quickly assured him. "I meant it when I said you wouldn't even notice—"

"I don't mind him joining us for breakfast," Lukas heard himself interrupt. "You don't have to hide him." And as soon as the words slipped past his lips, Lukas realized that what he said was true. If anything, he was actually looking forward to getting to know the boy more, and so when he saw Betsy biting her lip in uncertainty—

"You do not strike me as the inefficient type. Surely you are confident about your ability to do your job without having to leave your son unattended?"

"Are you really sure?" Betsy felt as if she owed it to her boss to at least try refusing one more time.

Lukas nodded. "Abso—" His lips twitched. There was no point finishing what he had to say, with Betsy already gone.

Betsy came back a few moments later, her son in his arms, and the widest smile on her lips. "We're back!"

"I see that."

Betsy laughed. "You have the most wonderfully dry sense of humor, Mr. Tsaldaris."

"Just call me Lukas, will you?"

Betsy vigorously shook her head. "Never, sir. You deserve to be treated with the utmost respect."

We'll see about that, Lukas thought lazily, and his lips were about to form a smirk when he realized the direction his thoughts had taken. It was as if their marriage was already a foregone conclusion in his mind.

But it was not.

Was it?