Baby out of the Blue. Rebecca Winters
Nik had a suffocating feeling in his chest as he drew closer and caught his first sight of the baby.
“Demi—”
His brothers crowded around, equally ecstatic at discovering their niece lying hooked up to machines, but squirming as if she didn’t like being trapped in there. She kept turning her head. Sounds of joy and tears escaped their lips as her name echoed through the ICU. But Demi took one look at them and started crying. With their masks on, she was frightened.
The woman caressing her limbs spoke in soothing tones and soon calmed her down. Nik could hardly believe it. Those words might be spoken in English, but Melina’s baby responded to the tender tone in which she’d said them.
After a minute, the woman pulled her hand through and stood up. Nik noticed she was of medium height. When she turned to them, he found himself staring into eyes a shade of violet-blue he’d only seen in the flowers that grew in certain pockets on Mykonos. They were glazed with tears.
“Mrs. Myers? I’m Nik Angelis,” he spoke through the mask. “These are my brothers Sandro and Cosimo. I understand you’re the person we have to thank for finding our niece before it was too late to revive her.”
“I just happened to be the first guest to walk out to the back patio of the hotel to be served,” came her muffled response. “When I heard her crying, I thought it was a kitten who’d been injured by the storm. I almost fainted when I saw her lying there face-up in the bushes.” Her eyes searched his. “What’s her name?”
“Demitra, but we call her Demi.”
“That’s a beautiful name.” He heard her take a deep breath. “There’s no way to express how sorry I am for the loss of your sister and her husband, Mr. Angelis. But I’m thankful you’ve been reunited with their daughter. She’s the most precious child I’ve ever seen,” she said with a quiver in her voice. Nik happened to agree with her. “If you could remove your masks, I’m sure it would make all the difference to her.”
“Demi doesn’t seem to have any problem with you wearing one.”
He saw a distinct flush creep above her mask. “That’s because I’ve been talking to her since we brought her here. I couldn’t stand it that she didn’t have anyone to give her love. Babies want their mothers. Her experience had to have terrified her.”
Not every woman had such a strong maternal instinct as Melina’s, but being a married woman, he had to assume Mrs. Myers had children of her own. “Leandros told me you’re here on vacation. For you to forget everything except taking care of Demi constitutes a generosity and unselfishness we appreciate more than you could ever know. She’ll be the reason our parents can go on living.”
“It’s true,” his brothers concurred before expressing their gratitude.
Nik moved closer. “I hope you realize our family owes you a debt we can never repay.”
She shook her head. “What payment could anyone want except to see that sweet little girl reunited with her family?” Her eyes still possessed a liquid sheen as they played over him. “Anyone can see she’s an Angelis from head to toe. Of course I don’t know about the noses and mouths yet.” Her husky voice disturbed his senses in ways that surprised him.
In spite of the horrendous grief of the past twenty-four hours, her comment made one side of his mouth lift. Until he’d entered the ICU and watched the loving way she was handling Melina’s daughter, he couldn’t imagine ever having a reason to smile again.
She took a step back. “Well—I’ll leave you gentlemen alone to be with your niece. When you speak to her, your voices will be blessedly familiar and will reassure her.”
Nik wasn’t so certain Demi wouldn’t start to cry the second Mrs. Myers left the room. “Where are you going?”
“Downstairs to join Kellie.”
“Don’t leave the hospital yet. We need to talk.”
“Since I’m their guest, I’m not sure what our plans are now.”
Making one of those decisions on sheer instinct in case she got away, he said, “In that case, I’ll go downstairs with you. I need to call our parents and give them the kind of news that will breathe new life into them. Above all, they’ll want to thank you.” He turned to his brothers and told them his plans before he left for the anteroom with her.
Once inside, he removed his mask and gown while she untied hers. Though she was married, he was a man who enjoyed looking at a beautiful woman and was curious to see what she looked like unwrapped.
Once she’d discarded everything, he discovered a slender figure clothed in a stunning green-and-white-print outfit. She had classic bone structure and a face that more than lived up to the beauty of her eyes. In a word, she stole his breath.
“What’s the verdict?” he asked after she’d studied him back.
Again, he saw warmth enter her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “I happened to see your picture on the cover of a magazine while I was reading on the plane.” Nik’s teeth snapped together at the mention of it. “If you want honesty, then let me say I’m glad your niece received all the feminine features of her parentage.”
He’d been expecting her to say something about his reputation. Instead her thoughts were focused on Demi. Her surprising comment lightened his mood.
“Your sister must have been a real beauty to have produced a daughter like Demi.”
Nik reached for his wallet and showed her a picture. “This was taken on Melina’s thirtieth birthday two months ago. She and Stavros had been trying for four years for a baby before one came.”
Kellie needed to hear that. Not every woman conceived as quickly as one hoped.
Fran studied it for a moment. “What a lovely family.” Her voice shook. “I see a lot of your sister in her.”
His throat swelled with raw emotion. “Yes. She’ll live on through Demi.” He opened the other door. “Shall we go downstairs?”
“I’ll ride down with you,” Dr. Xanthis said. “We’ll need confirmation of your relationship to the baby with a DNA test.”
“Of course. I’ll ask the hospital in Athens to send my information so you can run a test.”
“Excellent. I’ll tell the lab to expedite the process.”
Fran wondered what condition had been serious enough to put Nik in a hospital and to have provided a DNA match, but it was none of her business. She wished she weren’t so aware of him.
Though she’d always thought Leandros was a true hunk, Nikolos Angelis was in a class by himself. Despite the grief lines etched in his striking Greek countenance, he was easily the most attractive male she’d ever met in her life. The photos of him didn’t do him justice.
Besides his masculine appeal, he had the aura of a man in charge of his life—one who could accomplish anything. Kellie’s hope that Fran would meet some gorgeous royal on this trip and fall instantly in love was still laughable, but she had to admit Nik Angelis was a fabulous-looking man.
Standing next to him, Fran thought he must be at least six feet three of solid lean muscle. She wasn’t surprised he was still wearing soiled suit trousers and a creased blue shirt with the sleeves shoved up to the elbows. All three brothers had arrived in clothes they’d worn to work when they’d heard about the tornado. Naturally they’d dropped everything to fly to Thessalonika to search for their family. None of them had slept.
He needed a shave, but if anything, his male virility was even more potent. She noticed he wore his black wavy hair medium length. It had such a healthy gloss that it made you want to run your hands through it. Before the door opened, Fran gave him another covert glance.
Brows of the same blackness framed midnight-brown eyes with indecently long black lashes like