‘What gives you the impression that I’d wish to do anything of the sort?’

My shrug fell short of full efficiency under his heavy frown. ‘It’s been known to happen.’

‘Who? Your father?’

I could have denied it, kept up the years-long pretence. But time was too precious to waste on falsehoods. So I nodded. ‘Yes.’

Axios moved towards me, his frown a dark cloud. ‘What did he do to you?’

I hesitated now, because on the flipside I didn’t want to bare my all to him. The desire to continue living on my own terms hadn’t diminished an iota since my return to Greece. And even if I intended to agree to Axios’s demands I would always keep one small corner of my life free from his interference.

‘He manipulated every relationship I ever had in some way. I don’t want that to happen with Andreos.’

The grey gaze boring into mine stated blatantly that he wanted more. Mine declared I’d given him all I intended to.

‘I’ve seen you with Andreos. He thrives under your care. I’d be a fool to jeopardise that.’

Before I could breathe my relief he stepped closer, bringing that bristling magnificence into touching distance. I balled fingers that tingled with the need to feel his vibrant skin under my touch again.

‘You have my word I will not interfere. Will you give me yours?’

Again I was mildly stunned that it was a question rather than a declaration. But the searing reminder that giving in to one emotion around Axios was simply the gateway to a flood of other sensations I needed to keep a tight leash on, had me swallowing the desire.

‘I will stay for as long as it takes to give you what you need,’ I offered.

He accepted it with a simple nod, as if it was nothing to celebrate. And perhaps in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t. We were picking up where we’d left off with the added inconvenience of needing to put out more fires than he’d initially anticipated.

After several skin-tingling moments during which he simply stared at me, as if probing beneath my defences to read my secrets, I twisted away, eager to escape those all-seeing eyes.

‘I need to get back to Andreos.’

‘We’re not quite done, Calypso.’

About to ask what else we needed to talk about, I felt my tight throat close even further when he stepped closer. His scent curled around me, reminding me of what had happened on the sofa a short while ago. Had things really got out of hand so quickly? My body still hummed with unspent energy, and my heart hadn’t quite settled into its steady cadence.

‘I’ll come with you to visit my son.’

The throb of possessiveness in his voice sent my senses flaring wide with warning. What exactly that warning was refused to surface as we left his suite.

As it turned out it wasn’t necessary to return to the ground floor. Sophia was carefully navigating the stairs, with a sleepy Andreos in her arms. We followed her as she entered the opposite wing of the villa, where a nursery had been set up by a team of designers on the first day of my return.