Page 10 of The Heir Affair (Claimed by a Greek #1)

‘Money talks, Poppy,’ Theo said. ‘And you’re about to become a big story. You and Xander and the baby…’

‘But I didn’t mean for this to happen…’ she said, and Xander heard the confusion as well as the innocence in her voice he remembered so well from that afternoon.

Before he could think better of the gesture, he pressed his hand to her shoulder, felt her quiver of distress. And wanted to murder whoever had invaded their privacy. He intended to use the press attention to keep her here, but the visceral anger with that photographer felt justified.

He pulled her around to face him and saw hopelessness in her face now as well as fatigue.

‘I need that job,’ she murmured, sounding devastated. ‘The tips are really good, and I don’t have any savings left.’

What foolishness was this now?

He frowned. Surely, she had to know she could not return to work. The restaurant would be besieged by reporters, and so would she. And he had already told her he intended to support her now.

But when he saw astonishment flash across his brother’s face, he clamped down on the angry retort.

He had already told Poppy he had no intention of abandoning his responsibilities to her or the baby.

But losing his temper—and his hurt at her refusal to accept anything from him—had not helped.

Clearly, she was exhausted. And more fragile than she realised.

He needed to treat this situation with finesse, no matter what it cost him.

Because his first priority at the moment was to impress upon her she could not leave the safety of the yacht.

‘Serge is already understaffed,’ she continued. ‘So I can’t just—’

‘Poppy, this is not rational,’ he cut in to her ramblings, as gently as he could, while tucking a knuckle under her chin and lifting her face to his.

The sheen in her eyes, and the way she chewed her lip, made frustration and something a lot more volatile coil in his gut.

‘But I—’ she began again.

‘Listen to me. You will stay here, tonight.’ If he got his way, she would be under his protection now for the foreseeable future.

But he would have to deal with the logistics of that after he had spoken in private to Theo, because he had to persuade his brother to return to Galicos and break off the engagement—and renegotiate the deal with Prince Andreas without a marriage, as there was no way he could marry the man’s daughter now.

Theo’s greatest strength was his charm—perhaps he could use it to schmooze the Prince into selling them the land without a marriage?

The cruise line had always been Xander’s baby.

Theo had been against the idea from the start—seeing no need for them to diversify.

But they had sunk enough capital into the venture now that Theo would be incentivised to find a solution.

And it would have to be his brother’s problem to solve.

Because buying the land they needed in the principality was now way down on Xander’s list of priorities.

By far the most pressing problem was the woman in front of him, looking as if she had just been kicked in the teeth.

Keeping her safe from the reporters until he could figure out what the hell he was going to do about her and the hold she still had over him—not to mention his child—was what he must focus on first.

‘I don’t think that’s a good idea…’ Poppy began again. But he simply brushed his thumb across her lips to silence her. Her vicious shudder of reaction reverberated in his groin.

‘I know you don’t wish to stay…’ he said, as calmly as he could manage.

‘But you must think of the baby. Do not be so na?ve as to believe the press will go easy on you because you are pregnant and unable to defend yourself against them. They won’t.

And Theo is right, wherever you go now, they will find you.

Especially if you do not have the resources to protect yourself. ’

A tear slipped over her lid. She brushed it away with her fist. A flush of embarrassment lit her cheeks, making it clear she wished he hadn’t seen her weakness.

‘I shouldn’t have come here. I didn’t think this through at all.’ She sighed, her shoulders drooping in defeat.

He captured her waist and went with the urge to pull her against him. She stood stiffly in his arms, clearly unsure about accepting his support, but also unable to stop trembling.

He stroked her narrow shoulders, aware of the compact bump between them.

This was a new experience for him too. He had always been a hard man—had always been determined never to let his guard down.

Tenderness was a weakness, one he had succumbed to only once before…

And this woman had been responsible for those strange urges then, too.

But when she finally stopped trembling and let out a hefty sigh, all he felt was relief.

He drew back. Her chestnut eyes had lost their anger, so the only thing left was vulnerability.

He doubted that would last. Poppy was far too independent, and frankly impulsive and reckless, to let her guard down for long.

But tonight, she looked too washed out to fight him any longer. And he was glad of that much at least.

‘Meghan has already prepared the Sunrise Suite. Let me take you there. You can sleep and then we will discuss what to do in the morning?’ He tried to phrase it as a question, even though he had already made up his mind.

They could not remain in Galicos. Not if they were to have privacy and Poppy was to be protected from the fallout when news of the broken engagement came out.

She let out another sigh. ‘Okay, but can you tell me how to get to the suite? I just want to be alone.’

He bristled, not willing to let her out of his sight.

But he forced himself not to demand she let him escort her…

He would have to learn to only fight the battles that mattered, because demanding her obedience only made her more belligerent.

Releasing his hold on her, reluctantly, he pulled his phone out and sent a message to Meghan, the yacht’s service manager.

‘I have requested that Meghan escort you to your suite,’ he told her as he put away his phone. ‘If there is anything you require, just ask and she will supply it.’

She nodded. ‘Thanks.’ She pressed her hand to her stomach as she grabbed her bag and coat from the seat. ‘And… I’m sorry. It was never my intention to make this so complicated.’

When Meghan arrived, Poppy thanked Theo too, then left with her. The weary set of her shoulders added incredulity to the surge of possessiveness—and determination.

Had she really believed telling him about the pregnancy would be simple?

That he would have no interest in the child growing inside her?

Of course, their situation was complicated.

But frankly one thing remained clear. As the mother of his child, she would have to deal with him now.

And he had no intention of letting her remain alone. And unprotected.

And that had not one thing to do with media intrusion.

‘There is a selection of nightclothes in the armoire, Miss Brown, and complimentary toiletries in the bathroom, but if there’s anything specific you need—in the way of clothing or accessories—I can get a crew member to pick them up first thing in the morning.’

Poppy turned from contemplating the lavish suite to find Meghan Henri, who had introduced herself as the yacht’s service manager, smiling at her.

‘No… That’s…’ She hesitated. The suite was beautifully furnished and appointed, the large picture window looking out onto the shoreline. She’d never lived anywhere so lavish, but something about this level of luxury felt incredibly intimidating, almost as intimidating as the man who owned it.

‘You’ve been so kind and helpful, Meghan,’ she said, desperately trying not to be totally overwhelmed.

She’d almost burst into tears when Alex had tugged her into his arms and held her.

Stupid really, because he was the cause of most of her panic, and that huge bottomless pit in her stomach, which had become a chasm when she’d seen the photographs on his brother’s phone.

‘But I’m only going to be here for one night. ’

‘Of course, miss.’ The older woman’s expression remained gentle. ‘Is there anything else you would like, to eat or drink, before you retire for the night?’

‘No, thank you.’ Poppy shook her head. The last thing she would be able to do right now was eat anything.

Her insides felt as if they had been knotted into a pretzel, while everything that had happened in the last hour was still bombarding her exhausted brain.

She needed to sleep. Alex was right about that much.

Hopefully everything would seem less overwhelming—and insurmountable—tomorrow.

She’d need to find another job, and she would probably have to get out of Galicos.

But surely the press wouldn’t be that interested in the story.

Perhaps she would just have to lie if they did track her down, and say the baby wasn’t Alex’s.

She didn’t want anything from him, and surely he would have to see reason about supporting her, because it would mean acknowledging he was having a child with a woman who was not the one he was planning to marry.

Even if he didn’t have a romantic attachment to Princess Freya, he was obviously invested in the marriage.

She shivered at the memory of his ruthless explanation for the engagement. What kind of man agreed to marry a woman he barely knew to secure a land deal?

She let her gaze linger on the luxury furnishings, the leather upholstery and the silk quilt on the bed, monogrammed with the Caras Shipping logo, and felt the gentle sway of the water beneath her feet.

The kind of man who had enough money to own a yacht the size of an apartment building.