‘That’s exactly what I don’t want.’ She almost gasped the words out. ‘I don’t want that kind of attention.’
He frowned, thinking of the gowns he’d seen her wearing before. Something wasn’t making sense. ‘The dress is beautiful, as are you.’
The level of protectiveness he felt for Rio was far beyond anything he’d known before. All he wanted was to look after her, care for her and keep her safe. It wasn’t just because she was his sister’s friend. It was deeper than that. It was also something he wasn’t remotely ready to acknowledge, let alone explore.
‘I just feel...’ She searched for the right word. ‘...vulnerable.’
‘Relax,’ he said softly, and stepped close enough to inhale the light floral scent of her perfume. Instinctively he reached out and brushed back a stray strand of hair that had already broken free from her elaborately pinned-up hair. ‘I will be at your side all night—if you want me to be.’
‘I do,’ she whispered, sending his pulse rate rocketing, and the heavy throb of desire struck up a constant drumming round his body. Were they finally getting back to that moment at the recital? The moment when she’d told him she wanted to be his all night?
‘In that case, it will be an honour to have a beautiful woman on my arm.’ He’d have to be blind not to have noticed the soft swell of her breasts, and he wondered if Xena was aware just how self-conscious Rio had become. He hadn’t seen Rio like this before and Xena wouldn’t be so insensitive as to insist such a dress be sent here for her if she was aware Rio felt like this. But then Xena still hadn’t recovered her memory, and maybe, if things were normal, she would have known how uncomfortable Rio would be with a dress like that. ‘All I can say is that Xena made the right choice.’
She blushed and looked down, but didn’t step away. ‘Thank you.’ She paused and looked back up at him. ‘For looking after me, for being patient.’ She blinked as if considering whether to add something to that, finally succumbing to the temptation. ‘And for not pushing me into anything, despite what I said at the recital.’
He took her hand in his and, looking into the depths of her eyes, he saw her pupils expand, saw the unveiled attraction shining in them. That pulse of desire leapt within him. She might be holding back on him, but she wanted him with the same kind of intensity with which he wanted her. Whatever her reason for calling things off, it couldn’t be a lack of attraction or desire.
‘We are in a strange situation,’ he said softly as he stroked his thumb over her hand, the best way he could convey his respect for her. ‘Our engagement is not real, and as you know all about my first encounter with engagement, I hope you can understand why it can’t be.’
Lysandros imagined being engaged to Rio for real. Imagined planning to make her his wife, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with, and was shocked that the idea was far from unappealing.
‘I do,’ she said softly, so softly it sounded filled with regret.
‘But there is one thing that is very real. The desire between us. I feel it every time I am near you. It tests my promise to you every time I look in your eyes and see desire in them.’
She took in a deep and ragged breath but didn’t pull her hand back from his. ‘It tests me too, Lysandros,’ she said in a shaky whisper.
He lifted her hand to his lips, brushing a lingering kiss over her soft skin. That touch stirred all the longing he’d had for her since the first day Xena had introduced them. From their very first date he’d promised himself he would take things slowly, go at the pace Rio was comfortable with. He just hadn’t expected her to shut him out of her life, not when they had been getting on so well and especially not when the sexual tension between them had increased with each date.
‘There is something I should tell you, Lysandros.’ Rio’s voice wavered with emotion, or was it fear? ‘Something that may douse that desire entirely.’
‘Then tell me, Rio. Whatever it is, tell me. It’s driving me mad.’
‘I want to, but not now. There isn’t time. We need to go to the charity ball.’ Nerves hovered in those statements, showing him so much more than she knew, and he accepted that now was not the time to press her for more details.
‘You can tell me, Rio,’ he reassured her. ‘Whenever you are ready, you can tell me.’
‘Thank you.’ She lowered her lashes, looking up at him shyly and smiling. ‘I will. Soon. When I’m ready.’
He knew he’d have to accept that. Whatever it was between them, preventing the desire from flowing freely, would be removed, but not until she was ready.
‘My car is waiting,’ he said brusquely, pushing down his need for her. ‘We should go now.’
Before I forget my patience and kiss you. Prove to you that nothing else matters.
* * *
Lysandros had been true to his word all evening and Rio had enjoyed the charity ball, where she was more than a little shocked to discover he was the patron for the charity. She stood now at the front of the gathered crowd, listening to the applause for the speech he’d just given. It might have been in Greek but she knew from the nodding heads of approval and the applause that he’d made an impact on those here tonight, that they respected him. It was clear that the charity to help families in crisis in Greece was one he was passionate about.
From the stage he looked down at her, smiling at her, before speaking again in Greek. As the applause slowed, her heart lurched, forcing her to suck in a deep breath. His tall, athletic physique, which she’d seen on the yacht and had tried desperately to ignore, couldn’t be disguised completely by his black tuxedo.
He looked devastatingly handsome, the kind of man who would break a girl’s heart, but he’d been so sweet, so gentle and patient since she’d arrived in Athens. It made her admit she’d missed him last week once he’d left the island. During the weekend on his yacht she’d almost forgotten her fears of being physical with him, almost forgotten why she’d ended things between them. Now, after his subtly seductive gestures, entwined with such caring patience, before they’d left the apartment, she couldn’t help but want more. She wanted him to kiss her, to hold her and caress away that last lingering fear.
And she wanted that, wanted him—tonight. But first she had to tell him. Their engagement might not be real, but the raw sexual desire between them was. Despite always envisaging giving her virginity to the man she loved, the man she would one day marry, she couldn’t walk away from Lysandros now and not know the joy of being completely his. Even if it was for one night only. Especially now she was sure it was what she needed to lock away the past for ever.
The lights dimmed, snagging her from her thoughts, and a round of applause broke out again, confusing Rio. Or was it the handsome Greek walking towards her, intent and purpose in his eyes as those around her moved back, allowing him through the crowd until he stood before her and took her hands in his?
‘I ended my speech by saying I would open the dancing with my fiancée.’ He smiled at her, mischief in his eyes, laughter in his voice, and her stomach somersaulted. ‘Will you do me the honour? Or are you going to make me look a complete fool?’
She laughed at him, feeling more at ease in his company than she’d ever felt with any man. ‘Just to save you from ridicule, I will dance with you.’
He took her hand and led her to the dance floor as the applause continued. When he took her in his arms she didn’t feel awkward, as she’d expected to do. It felt so right to feel the heat of his body, his strength as he held her close. Right and exciting. It made that realisation of moments ago even stronger.
‘I think I have shocked just about every person here.’ He spoke softly as he lowered his head close to hers, so close that if she turned just a fraction she would be able to tilt her chin up and kiss him.
Heat coursed through her. Not because of her thoughts but because of how much she wanted it to happen. She wanted to feel his
lips on hers once more. Really feel them. She wanted to taste the exquisite pleasure of being desired by Lysandros.
‘Because you are dancing?’ she teased with a coy smile, trying not to give in to the need surging through her so wildly.
‘Maybe, but I think it has more to do with the fact that I am engaged to the most beautiful woman in the room.’ His sexy, desire-laden voice sent a tremor of pure pleasure hurtling around her.
‘Then maybe I should shock them too.’ Her rediscovered desire for Lysandros gave her the kind of boldness she’d only just begun to explore the afternoon of the recital. That boldness now made her daring—flirty.
His brows rose suggestively as they moved slowly around the dance floor, other couples now joining them. ‘And how would you do that?’
Rio lowered her lashes, suddenly shy, but when she raised them again and looked into the inky blackness of his eyes, swirling with desire, she knew fighting it was pointless. From the very first day they’d met something had sparked to life between them, something powerful and undeniable. She couldn’t deny that she wanted this man to kiss her, to touch her and to love her.
Almost all the barriers she’d put up around herself, around her heart, long before Hans’s attack, crashed down as she reached up to press her lips to his. The warmth of his lips melted to hers and she closed her eyes, savouring the heady sensation, wanting to lose herself in its pleasure for ever.
His hand brushed over her cheek, into her hair, pulling down some of the elaborate hairstyle she’d had painstakingly done only hours ago. It felt like they were swaying as the pleasure of his kiss took over. Why had she resisted him for so long? Why hadn’t she been brave enough to admit she wanted him?
Because then you weren’t ready.
Now she was.
The words swirled around in her mind as he slowly pulled away from her. ‘That was magnificent acting,’ he said in a hoarse whisper. ‘Nobody will ever question our engagement now.’
‘It wasn’t acting.’ She forced herself to continue looking at him, even though she wanted to look down, lessen the intensity of the emotions that shrouded them in a mist of desire.
His sexy, lingering smile made her surer than ever that she was finally ready to leave the past behind, finally ready to explore the joy of being loved by a man. She trusted Lysandros. He’d let his guard down, revealed the kind of man he truly was—a man burned by love, unable to trust the emotion again. That vulnerability helped her, as did his patience. Despite the tough devil-may-care attitude he showed to the world, the hard-edged businessman he portrayed himself as, he was a gentle, compassionate man. Hope began to grow within her. Hope that something more could come of their fake engagement, rekindling all she’d begun to feel about him when they’d been dating. Her emotions freed themselves from behind the defensive wall she’d retreated to after the attack.
‘It’s a good job we are surrounded by so many people at this moment.’ His accent had deepened, his voice almost cracking with desire, heightening her need for him, her need to be kissed by him—and so much more.
‘Why?’ she teased, the power of being desired dizzying, as if she’d drunk far too much champagne.
‘Why?’ He tightened his hold on her, his hand at her back searing through the fabric of her gown. ‘Because I would not be able to stop at kissing you.’
‘I don’t want you to.’ She closed her eyes as a shudder of desire rushed through her. She swallowed, hardly able to believe what was happening, what she was about to admit, that she was finally ready to move on from that terrifying moment with Hans. ‘I want you to kiss me.’
‘Rio.’ He whispered her name, the raw desire in his voice almost too much. ‘Are you sure this is what you want?’
She could feel him breathing deeply against her, each breath pressing against her breasts, and she knew she would never be surer of anything in her life. She wanted Lysandros, wanted him to make love to her, but not until she’d walked out from beneath the shadow of what Hans had done. Not until Lysandros knew why she’d stood him up. ‘It is, but...’
He brushed his lips over hers then spoke softly, his lips so close it was wildly erotic to feel his breath on her lips. ‘I promised you nothing would happen until you want it to and I meant it.’
She looked into his eyes, saw the smouldering desire but knew he really did mean it. She was totally in control and that was exactly what she needed to know.
* * *
The hum of desire still ruled her body as Rio walked into Lysandros’s apartment. The short time in the chauffeur-driven car hadn’t lessened any of that sexual tension, hadn’t made her change her mind, but nerves were beginning to rush over her. Before anything could happen, she had to tell him why she’d stood him up that night after the recital.
Nerves fluttered inside her. It was more than just what Hans had done. She was a virgin. She was choosing, this moment, to give him something very precious. Should she say something? Would he know if she didn’t? Would he be able to tell that the emotions she was experiencing were so very new to her?
‘Champagne?’ His question arced through the air, pulsating through the heady desire that still had them in its grip. Nerves added to the powerful cocktail of feelings and made her skin tingle as if tiny flakes of snow were falling on her.
‘Champagne sounds perfect,’ she said, glad of the time to compose herself, to prepare to tell him what he deserved to know. Instinctively she walked over to the grand piano standing proudly by the windows that gave an unrivalled view of Athens. She wanted to reach out and touch it, to touch the keys, but not yet. ‘There is something I need to tell you.’
She had his full attention now as he stood, the unopened bottle in his hand. ‘What is it, Rio?’ The gentleness of his voice gave her the strength she needed to finally tell him why she’d called off their blossoming romance.
‘The reason I didn’t meet you for dinner that night...’ She paused, trying to gauge his reaction, but his eyes were full of concern and she knew she had to say it. ‘It was because I was scared.’
‘You were scared?’ The incredulity in his voice was too much and she drew in a deep, ragged breath.
‘Not of you, but of what I’d told you I wanted.’
‘That you wanted to be with me all night?’
She nodded, her eyes locking with his across the apartment. He hadn’t moved but the intensity in his eyes, the desire he couldn’t hide, gave her the courage to continue. ‘That was what I wanted that night—and it’s what I want tonight.’
He put the bottle down and walked over to her, a frown on his face, his breathing fast and shallow. ‘I want that, Rio, so much,’ he said as he took her hands in his, and the sincerity in his voice almost broke her heart, it sounded so full of love. Or was that just her foolish heart believing what it really wanted to see, to hear, to feel? ‘But I don’t want you to be scared. I meant what I said about not doing anything you didn’t want to do. You are in full control.’
‘I’m grateful for that, thank you,’ she whispered. ‘But there is something else I need to tell you first.’
He brushed her hair back from her face so tenderly she almost closed her eyes, expecting him to kiss her. But he didn’t. ‘Tell me,’ he whispered so softly it was almost impossible to hear him.
‘After the recital I went to one of the practice rooms. Hans had arranged to meet me there, to go over some of my final pieces of the season. I was playing when he came in, so I didn’t hear him. He’d been drinking and...’ Her words stumbled to a halt and she swallowed hard as Lysandros appeared to hold his breath. She didn’t know if she could finish, didn’t know if she could admit it aloud. After she’d given her statement the only other person she’d told had been Xena. She’d understood why she couldn’t see Lysandros any more, had supported her through it, but the accident had claimed those memories, along with the other bad events of recent weeks.
‘What happened, Rio?’ His voice was so gentle that it didn’t fit with the hard lines of his jaw as he clenched it and looked down at her.
‘He...he...’ She looked up at him anxiously, not wanting to say it but knowing she had to, for herself as well as Lysandros. ‘He thought I was interested in him, that I was playing just for him, and he tried to...’
Fury blazed in Lysandros’s eyes, but he remained calm and still, giving her the strength to finish telling him. ‘Only tried?’
‘He took advantage of the fact that I was sitting at the piano and grabbed me. I managed to push him away and should have run, but I was too shocked. Then he tried to kiss me, tried to...’ She shuddered at the memory of Hans pawing at her and the way her heart had raced as she’d lashed out at him, shocked by the intensity of it.
A harsh expletive tore from Lysandros and she blinked. ‘Did he hurt you?’ he growled.
She began to wonder if she’d done the right thing. Had she ruined the moment between them? ‘No, thanks to Judith and two other men.’ She closed her eyes against the memory, willing herself not to get upset all over again. Hans wasn’t worth another tear. ‘I went home with Judith after I’d given the police my statement. I just couldn’t face you or Xena.’
‘I understand, Rio.’ He looked at her, full of compassion as he brushed his hand over her hair soothingly. ‘Of course you didn’t want to see me after that. Does Xena know?’
‘Yes, but she seems to have blocked it out too,’ she said, and finally looked down, away from his gaze. She’d just ruined the one chance she might have had at discovering intimacy with the man she loved.
‘Can I hold you?’ She looked up again. He still wanted her, but more than that, he was thinking of her just by asking.
‘Yes,’ she whispered, hope that he could one day love her blotting out the bitterness of all she’d just told him. ‘Please, hold me.’
Seducing His Convenient Innocent Page 10