As if part of her degree hadn’t been in business management! Clearly Christo had missed that part of their conversation, probably distracted by planning how to tie her to his niece’s nursery.
‘On the contrary, it is my concern, if you’re hoping to use your grandfather’s property as capital.’
Something dropped hard through Emma’s middle, like a stone plunging into a pool of arctic water. Chill splinters pricked her body.
She didn’t like the triumph in Christo’s eyes. As if he knew something she didn’t.
But that was impossible. She already knew control of the valuable real estate in Athens had been handed to Christo on her behalf. Emma intended to change that, along with her married status.
‘It’s not my grandfather’s property now. It’s mine.’ Her gaze swept the gracious room. This place, so full of precious memories, was her solace now, her home.
And more. It was her future. Her one asset, given her savings after years studying and looking after Papou were negligible. She’d get a loan using the property as collateral and invest it in the business she’d establish.
‘If only that were true.’ A deep voice cut through her thoughts.
She swung her head round to face him.
Either Christo had the best poker face in the world or he really did have bad news for her. Emma had a horrible feeling he was about to pull the rug out from under her feet...again.
She hiked her chin up, ignoring her stomach’s uneasy roiling. ‘If you have something to say, say it. I’ve had enough games.’
That sharp gaze held hers an instant longer then he shrugged. ‘It seems your grandfather didn’t tell you everything.’
That did it. Emma’s stomach was now in freefall. She shifted her feet wider, bracing herself for the axe she sensed was about to drop, curling her hands into each other behind her back where Christo couldn’t see.
‘Go on.’
‘He believed you needed a guiding hand. Which is why he left me in charge of the Athens property.’
‘And?’ Was he dragging this out to torment her?
‘And your other inheritance, the estate here, is yours with the proviso that for the next five years any decision to sell or develop it, or take a loan against it, is subject to my approval. I have the right to veto any change of use if I don’t believe it’s in your long-term best interests.’
He smiled, a baring of white teeth that looked carnivorous rather than reassuring. ‘Look on me as your business partner.’
Emma had been prepared for something but not this.
The blow struck at her knees, making them shake and threaten to collapse. Frantically she redistributed her weight, standing taller and hauling her shoulders back to glare at the man surveying her with that smug hint of a smile on his too-handsome face.
‘I’ll fight it. I’ll challenge it in court.’
‘Of course you will.’ If she didn’t know better, she’d almost have believed that soothing tone. ‘But do you know how long that will take, or how much it will cost? How it will eat into your inheritance?’ He paused, letting her digest that. ‘You could lose everything.’
Main force alone kept Emma where she was. If she thought she had a hope of doing it, she’d have slammed a fist straight into Christo’s smirking mouth.
She was still reeling, her brain whirring fruitlessly because, outrageous as it sounded, it was just the sort of thing her old-fashioned Papou might have done. Especially as he’d known his grandson-in-law-to-be was a commercial wunderkind.
He’d wanted to protect Emma. Instead he’d tied her to a man who wasn’t fit to enter this house.
Belatedly she realised she should have insisted on reading every line of every legal document herself. More fool her!
‘I’ll still fight it.’ Her voice was strained, her vocal cords pulled too tight.
‘That’s your prerogative.’ Christo paused, that searing gaze stripping her bare. ‘But there’s an alternative.’
‘What is it?’ She didn’t dare hope but she had to know.
‘Simple. Meet my terms and you can do as you like with this place.’ His mouth lifted at one corner in a hint of a smile but Emma knew in her very bones this would be anything but simple. ‘I’ll sign your inheritance into your control. All you have to do is fulfil your vows and live as my wife for a year.’
‘LIVE AS YOUR WIFE? You’ve got to be kidding.’
A flush climbed Emma’s pale cheeks and her greenish brown eyes glittered more brightly than he’d ever seen.
She was a pretty woman but indignation made her arresting.
Christo surveyed her curiously. She vibrated with energy, her breasts heaving and her mouth working. She looked...full of passion. That hadn’t been on his checklist.
The news he’d become responsible for his stepsister’s child had come just before his visit to Australia. He’d picked Emma as a suitable bride because she’d make a good mother and a compliant wife.
But Emma was far more than either of those things, he realised. Instinct had drawn him to her with good reason. Her allure was more subtle and intriguing than surface glamour. His body tightened in anticipation.
He wanted his wife.
Wanted her more by the minute.
And he intended to have her. To salvage his pride after being dumped like an unwanted parcel at his own wedding. Because he had a score to settle. But above all because he’d desired her ever since their first gentle kiss. Her breathless ardour had unlocked something deep inside that had grown and morphed into something very like need.
‘There are two things I never joke about. Business and family.’ The first because it was his lifeblood, the second because he never made light of anything with such power to destroy.
‘I know why you married me, remember? I heard what you told your best man.’ Emma’s lips thinned as she pulled her mouth tight and the colour faded from her cheeks.
Christo didn’t like her pallor. That drawn look made her seem fragile. Vulnerable. Reminding him that she looked that way because of him. He was responsible.
‘I never lied to you.’
‘Not specifically, but you made me believe—’ She bit her tongue and looked away.
Christo could finish her sentence. He’d made her think he was falling for her. That he was a man capable of love.
Something dark slithered through his belly, drawing nausea in its wake. Without a second thought Christo stifled it. He didn’t have the time or inclination for feelings. Nor for pointless self-recrimination.
‘It’s done now. And my offer is on the table.’ An offer she would accept.
Her face swung round and the impact of all that barely contained emotion slammed into him. To his surprise, Christo welcomed it.
Because he’d rather have his wife angry than sad and defeated. It was a new concept. He filed it away for later consideration. Along with the dark shadow edging his conscience.
‘You can’t want me to live with you. I despise you.’
If Emma expected that to derail his plans, she really was an innocent. But then she hadn’t come