‘I find it easier to hire what I require as and when I need it. And, before you disparage my methods, I research and make sure everything I use is of the highest safety standard.’

His gaze remained on me for another second before he nodded at the porter.

My suitcase was quickly stowed on a sleek private boat. Within minutes my last sanctuary had become a dot on the horizon.

I’d forgotten just how ruthlessly efficient Axios Xenakis could be. I received another rude reminder when, upon our arrival at the jetty, a smiling courier presented me with a gleaming state-of-the-art buggy and car seat combo, already assembled.

I braced my hand on Andreos’s back, tugged him closer to where he nestled snugly in his papoose. ‘That won’t be necessary. The airline I’m flying with will have all the equipment I need.’

Axios stepped forward and took hold of the pushchair. ‘You think I’m going to let you out of my sight now I’ve found you?’

‘But I have a ticket—’

‘And I have a private jet.’

Of course he did.

I’d blocked so many things out of my mind for the sake of pure survival. But the world had kept on turning. Axios had remained a powerful mogul with looks that weakened women’s knees. And, as a billionaire who commanded an airline empire, didn’t it stand to reason he’d possess his own plane?

A short SUV ride later we arrived at the private area of the airport, where an obscenely large aircraft bearing the unique Xenakis family logo stood gleaming resplendently beneath the French Polynesian sun.

‘So what’s it to be? Athens or Agistros?’ he asked silkily.

I stared at him in surprise. ‘You’re giving me a choice?’ It was more than he had the last time. More than my father ever had. Not that I planned on reading anything into it.

He shrugged. ‘The location doesn’t matter. Whichever you choose will be home. For all of us,’ he added succinctly.

I chose Athens.

A mere twenty-four hours later we drove through the imposing gates of Axios’s jaw-dropping villa. A different set of staff greeted us, and an even more opulent set of adjoining master suites had been readied for the prodigal wife’s return.

I was standing in the middle of cream and gold opulence when I felt his presence behind me. Not wanting to look into those hypnotising eyes, I kept still, my precious bundle safely tucked in my arms.

My skin beginning to tingle wildly, I snatched in a breath and held it when his mouth brushed over the shell of my ear and he said, in a low, deep whisper, ‘Welcome home, yineka mou. And rest assured that this time you will not get away from me that easily.’

CHAPTER FIVE

MY SON.

I have a son.

My chest squeezed tight. The emotions tumbling through me were...indescribable.

Back on Bora Bora everything inside me had prompted me to accept Calypso at her word—accept that the child was mine. Only I’d made the mistake before of thinking I could manage her, that she was a victim when she was anything but. She was cunning. Intelligent and resourceful enough to disappear without a trace for a whole year.