The Greek Tycoon's Tarnished Bride (Men of the Zodiac) by Rachel Lyndhurst

you will get your way unless I cooperate.” She leaned forward to finish before the approaching waiter reached their table. “My future is precarious in all this. I need certainties and guarantees not just empty reassurances. You ’ re asking me to give up everything except my son, for years. I have to consider what happens after I ’ m not required anymore.”
    “And that is why we are here to talk.”
    The waiter smiled as he reached their table, and Tito realized he was still holding Erica ’ s hand. They looked like lovers. “Are we ready to order?”
    Tito had stared at the menu for some time, but the words his eyes had read hadn ’ t registered in his brain. “Erica?”
    “Almost there,” she murmured. “You go first.”
    He glimpsed down at the flowing script and picked the first items on the starters and mains. “I ’ ll have the Isle of Portland seafood cocktail followed by Aberdeen Angus Sirloin Steak cooked medium rare, sauté potatoes, and a green salad.”
    “Any sauces with that, sir?” Tito shook his head and the waiter turned to Erica. “And for madam?”
    Erica licked her lips thoughtfully and suddenly food was the last thing on Tito ’ s mind. How could one woman ’ s mouth be so sexy and intriguing at the same time? “I ’ m spoiled for choice…um, I ’ ll have the hand-dived scallops with tomato, verbena, and fresh English peas followed by Lababdar style chicken curry and all the trimmings. And some of your very delicious sounding hand-cut chips.” She smiled at the waiter and then caught Tito staring at her. “Can ’ t beat curry and chips.”
    Was that indignation on her face? Or another fiery challenge? He couldn ’ t decide so he just tipped his head to one side in a quizzical fashion because at least she seemed a little happier. “If you say so. Some wine to go with it?”
    She shook her head and took a slug of her cocktail. “I ’ ll stick with this.” Her scarlet lips puckered, and her lipstick shone with a sugary sheen before licking it off. “Stronger than I thought, that. But bloody nice.”
    “ Good. ”
    Her shoulders straightened, and her nostrils flared for a second. “So, Nick only gets his massive inheritance if he moves to Greece, is nice to his granny and aunties, and reaches the age of twenty-one, right?”
    “Almost. His legacy will be in trust for him until he is twenty-one, so he will have access to all the material things he needs before then, but at the discretion of his trustees.”
    “And you are chief trustee.”
    “Yes.”
    Her shoulders rose and fell with what looked like irritation all over again. “It must be nice to have so much power all of a sudden.”
    “Erica, I am a very wealthy and powerful man already, so I wouldn ’ t describe this situation as particularly nice . It ’ s a big responsibility and a long-term commitment.”
    She looked away and frowned. “So to continue. The rest of the Cretan tribe don ’ t want me around for reasons already mentioned, so the only feasible way for Nick to secure his legacy and for me to stay with him until he ’ s grown up is to marry you. Because nobody over there will argue with you, right?”
    “If you want to put it like that.”
    “It ’ s charitable of you to sacrifice yourself in such a way. Why bother?”
    He thought he ’ d been over all this, but it would do no harm to set down precisely what needed to happen. “I bother because Yannis ’ s final wishes were for you both to be looked after. In the current circumstances the only way I can protect you properly is to get Nick out of the UK where he can be traced. Yannis wanted Nick to inherit everything from him if he should die, and the only way I can get that to happen right now is to get him to Greece and start a life there. The other trustees have made it a non-negotiable point. The trustees have also stipulated that you are not welcome in Greece, but as you aren ’ t willing to be parted from him, and I can ’ t force