“When I read the note left in the flowers, you have no idea what it did to me. I realized I was only a spring fling to you. I—I thought it was more.” Her voice caught. Feeling unexpectedly nauseous, she moved over to the bed and sank down to recover.

He pinned her with those jet-black eyes. “Yet even though you got the message that our interlude was over, you came here, anyway.”

After what they’d shared, for him to say that it had been over since they’d left the Caribbean caused her spirits to plummet to a new low.

“Yes. It was important for me to see you again, to find out why you had to go back to your work so abruptly. What if you needed help? Possible reasons for your sudden disappearance plagued me, until I couldn’t sleep. I feared it might have even been a medical emergency that prompted you to write me that note, and you didn’t want me to worry about you.

“All this time I’ve wondered if something terrible had happened to you or your family, and you couldn’t confide in anyone who knew you. I simply didn’t know.” She bit her lip. “A few days ago I couldn’t stand it any longer and decided to search for you.”

“How did you manage that? Who told you my name?” He sounded beyond livid.

“No one!” she cried. “At least not in the way you mean.”

“Explain that to me.”

She stood up again, kneading her hands together. “When I couldn’t find a number or address for you in New York, I turned to the employees at the resort to try to get answers.” By the time she’d explained everything she’d done, his expression looked thunderous.

His dark head flew back. “Are you telling me you figured out what plane flew me out of the Caribbean?”

“Not at first. Taking you at your word that you had an emergency at work, I thought about the flights. One to Los Angeles and one to Vancouver. Why would you go to either place when you were working in New York? The private jet to Greece made no sense, either, at least not at first.

“I spent all night wondering. By morning I looked the name up on the computer and discovered Vassalos Maritime Shipping located on the island of Egnassou. I didn’t know if you were a Vassalos from Vassalos Maritime Shipping or an employee. But since you’d told me you worked for an international export company, I thought it was a close enough connection to find out. That’s why I brought the photographs, in case someone recognized you.

“I thought there might be a chance I could find you here. When the man at the shipping office desk recognized your picture, I knew I’d come to the end of my search. That’s when I realized you’d been lying to me the whole time. Undoubtedly, you do that whenever you meet a woman to enjoy for a time before you disappear.”

For a full minute he studied every square inch of her, his expression lethal. “Since you’ve accomplished your objective, let’s go to bed for old time’s sake, one more time, shall we? Then I’ll send you on your way with enough money to have made your trip worthwhile.”

Her body stiffened. “I don’t want your money and have already gotten what I came for, Dev.”

“The name is Nikos, as you damn well know!”

Nikos...

Somehow she’d thought Dev would soften while they were alone, and tell her why he’d lied to her. But the inscrutable man facing her bore little resemblance to her secret Adonis who’d brought her joy every second they’d been together. It hadn’t mattered whether they’d been walking on the beach or finding glorious sights in the aqua depths of the sea.

She decided this man didn’t deserve to know about the baby until it was born. He wouldn’t believe her if she told him now, anyway. In fact, she was beginning to think he’d drummed up this betrayal business on purpose, to get rid of her. He’d probably pulled the same excuse on his other lovers when he was through with them. If that was true, he’d done a stellar job.

Now that she had the main phone number of Vassalos Shipping, she could always leave a message for him next January. If he cared to answer, he’d learn then that he was a new father, not before.

His smile was beautifully cruel. “You’ve been playing me for a reason. Now I want to know what it is.”

Stephanie drew in a fortifying breath. “I’d hoped to get an honest answer out of you, but you’re not Dev Harris. Let’s just say I don’t want to ruin my memory of him. You, sir, are someone I don’t care to know. For all I know you have a wife and children. The thought of committing adultery with you makes me sick.”

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