Page 47 of Marriage Masquerade

She kept her gaze firmly out the window, lest he suspect what she’d said. She needed to watch her tongue.

He slid the papers back into the file and placed it into his briefcase. When he placed it beneath the seat in front of him, Gemma turned to watch.

“Did the Alteras report have what you were looking for?” she asked.

The small firm was a subsidiary of ALK Shipping and recently acquired.

“The returns are higher than expected.”

“Which means Johnson's doing a good job there. I know you had doubts when you gave him the manager’s position.”

“It’s early yet. But yes, I think he’s showing more potential than I originally expected.” Nikos raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to say you told me so?”

Gemma grinned. “Why, I didn’t know you thought I was the type to gloat when proved right.”

“Proved right? You voiced approval of Johnson’s appointment, but the proof is far from in.”

“The way you go, it’ll be fifty years before you let yourself admit he’s a good choice.”

“I believe in accepting responsibility for my decisions, however they turn out.”

“I hope you regret none of them,” she said, glancing at her wedding band.

“If you are referring to our marriage, I accept responsibility for that as well. Time will tell if it proves successful.”

“Do we wait fifty years to find out?”

Gemma almost slapped her hand over her mouth after the words came out. She stared at him wide-eyed. It sounded too much like she wanted to stay married. It was one thing to fantasize about being courted, and quite another to verbalize it.

Nikos' expression changed almost imperceptibly, became more guarded.

“We could wait fifty years. Are you considering staying with me that long?”

For a moment she was speechless as the realization flooded. She wanted to stay with him. She liked and respected him. If she was totally honest, she'd enjoyed the week and a half since they’d been married. She knew she could depend on him to do the right thing, no matter what the cost to himself. He'd see that he was a good, reliable husband. Someone she could count on.

But how did he feel?

For a wild, giddy moment, Gemma considered the possibility of staying married. Could they make it work? The romantic personal assistant from Ohio and the businessman billionaire from Greece?

Slowly, reality intruded.

Even if they continued, she didn’t want a lopsided relationship, with her growing fonder and fonder of Nikos while he continued his own way.

“We’ll see,” she temporized, afraid of the sudden suspicion that plagued her.

She was growing too fond of her boss. Too intrigued with the idea of staying with him for the rest of her life. Too involved with watching him when he didn’t know she was looking, listening to him as if she’d never heard him before. And she was growing too dependent. Time to distance herself. Hadn’t she learned her lesson?

Yet Nikos was unlike any other man she’d ever known. There was an innate honesty and honor about the man. Almost old-worldly. A blend of the cultures, maybe. But captivating and comforting. She knew beyond any doubt he'd live up to his word. He'd never lie or deceive someone—especially someone he cared about.

She couldn’t be falling in love with him. This was just a rebound thing or something.

She didn't want to fall in love again. It was too risky for her heart.

And with someone like Nikos, even more so.

Yet…

The plane bumped gently down.

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