She tried to resist the need to press herself against him, to feel the hardness of his body, determined he wouldn’t sway her from her questions with kisses and heady glances. She couldn’t let him seduce her again.
He smiled at her, almost hypnotising her with his blue eyes so full of desire and so incredibly sexy. ‘My grandmother will be happy that you are living here.’
‘But she should be living here—in this luxury.’
She couldn’t help raising her voice a little. The injustice of the old lady living in such an old-fashioned house while he offered her this fabulous villa was too much. What kind of cold-hearted man was he? How could he build and move into this villa, leaving his grandmother in her little white house overlooking the sea?
‘Do you always worry about everyone else?’ His voice had deepened to a rough growl, but a trace of humour lingered there too.
Before she could answer his lips were on hers, insistent and powerful. Unable to resist, she gave in to what had been building between them all afternoon and met his kiss head-on with all her desire and love. What she felt for him was becoming too powerful to control, too intense to mask, but she was wary of letting him know. That solid wall, so impenetrable, was still firmly around him, and he showed no intention of letting her in.
She pushed those doubts to the back of her mind and gave herself up to his kisses. With a sigh of contentment she wrapped her arms about his neck, pulling herself ever closer, feeling the rising heat of his desire.
He broke the kiss, his face close to hers, and whispered, ‘I love that about you.’
Serena blinked in disbelief. Those first two words had shocked her, and then the final words had slammed into her and what he’d really meant had finally registered. He wasn’t telling her he loved her.
A weak smile played at her lips and an arrow of sorrow penetrated her heart. Would she ever hear real words of love from his lips? Words of love for her?
‘It’s not right,’ she said, and looked about her, searching for anything to change the subject. She came back to his grandmother. ‘Your grandmother’s house is so old.’
He stepped back from her, but kept her hands in his. ‘Do you really think I haven’t tried to tell her that?’
Softness had entered his eyes, but still her doubts remained. A man who was capable of blackmail as a prelude to marriage was capable of anything.
‘Her house is adorable, but so old, and all those steps...’ Was he that heartless?
His hands let go of hers, and before she could register what he was doing he’d cupped the back of her head and moved against her, his lips lingering over hers.
‘She wouldn’t leave her “adorable” little house, as you put it. I built this as a surprise for her, but she is stubborn and she has lived in that house for many years. When she wouldn’t leave it I employed young villagers to help her discreetly.’
Serena’s heart skipped a little beat. The uneasy suspicion that this was to have been a home for a past lover was quashed. She smiled, looking deep into his blue eyes. ‘Maybe you are not as ruthless as you like people to think.’
He frowned at her. ‘Don’t be fooled, Serena. I am nothing else.’ A hard edge had crept into his voice. Was he aware that he’d just dropped his guard, even if only briefly?
The arrow of sorrow slipped deeper into her heart. That was a warning. He’d never love her.
‘Have you ever loved?’ The question inadvertently slipped out, and instantly she wished she could snatch it back.
His brows dropped into an irritated frown, almost hiding his eyes, now an icy blue, from her. ‘No.’
His admission hurt. To hear it said aloud, when he kept whatever it was he felt for her tightly locked away, forced her eyes shut. She couldn’t look at him but she was trapped by his hold, unable to step away physically or emotionally.
His free hand lifted her chin, his fingers warm against her skin, and her eyes snapped open to see his darkened and swirling with passion.
‘Don’t waste your time looking for love, Serena. Our marriage is only a deal—for the sake of the baby. My heir must be legitimate. Nothing else is important.’
She tried to keep herself focused. She’d gone along with his plans, pushed aside the bitter taste of accepting his offer of money for Sally. She’d believed her love would be enough for both of them. Now she knew for certain it would have to be.
She nodded.
His smile held a hint of relief, as if he’d expected her to demand more from him than he was prepared to give. His thumb caressed her lips and she closed her eyes against the pleasure just that simple touch evoked.
Be brave, Serena. Be brave.
The advice Sally had given her filtered through her mind like water through limestone and she knew that was all she had left. Her love, her bravery and her sister’s happiness.
‘Let’s just focus on us—on the moment right now.’ She whispered the words, desperate not to think too much about the reality of what was happening and unaware that she’d voiced what was in her mind.
He pulled her roughly against him, pressing his lips to hers in a passionate and demanding kiss that she answered with every bit of love she felt for him. If she couldn’t say the words she would show her love in other ways. Tonight, at least, she would be brave.
A flourish of husky Greek rushed from him as he broke the kiss. She had no idea what he was saying, but she imagined they were words of love and kissed him deeply, forcing him back a step. His hands skimmed down her body, over her hips to her thighs, making her sigh with pleasure. She pushed her fingers into his thick hair, gripping it tightly as urgency overtook her. Tonight she wanted to lead this erotic dance, to show him how it could be if only he’d let her in.
More Greek words were breathed out against her lips as one hand moved up her body to cup her breast, releasing a jolt of heady desire. She let her head fall back, sighing in pleasure as he kissed her throat. She arched towards him, supported by the strength of his arm, as his thumb and finger teased her nipple. Shockwaves of desire rushed through her.
‘I think we should take this inside.’
His husky voice sounded far away as desire rushed around her, more consuming than she’d ever known it.
She lifted her head, bringing her face so close to his that she felt his breath warm on her face and the beat of his heart as it thumped in unison with hers. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t say a word. She was choked with emotion, so full of the most powerful need of him.
As if sensing this, he swept her from her feet, his strong arms holding her in a firm grasp. Every step he took as he marched purposefully back into the villa shuddered through her, increasing the desire which threatened to consume her completely.
‘This is becoming a bit of a habit,’ she said, keeping her voice light as they entered the villa and he made his way up the wide staircase into what could only be the master bedroom.
She slid from his hold and stood before him, the urgency of her need for him almost too much. Judging by the hard set of his face and his passion-darkened eyes, he was struggling with the same desire.
The need to show him that she too could be ruthless, could take what she wanted, was rushing over her so strongly she couldn’t fight it any longer. She placed her palms on his chest, forcing him back until he had no option but to sit on the end of the bed. His eyebrows shot up as she continued her dominance, her legs astride his as she moved over him, her lips meeting his, demanding, fierce and brave.
His hands gripped her thighs, his fingers digging erotically into her flesh, and she moved against his erection, making him groan. The sound was snatched away by her kiss. She pushed her body forward, forcing him back against the white duvet, teasing him as she held herself above him.
The deep growl of words which rushed out between kisses sounded so passionate, so erot
ic, and all she wanted was for them to be loving words.
‘This is what we have,’ she whispered, surprised at how husky her voice had become. ‘Passion and pleasure.’
His hands slipped under her dress and up her bare legs. She stilled in anticipation of his touch, and when it came she gasped with shocked pleasure. He stoked the fire of urgency ever higher, despite the barrier of her panties, and she almost fell apart just from that touch.
Quickly she moved away from him, tugging at the fastening of his jeans. His large hands covered hers, stilling their desperate fumbling, and his gaze locked with hers.
‘Allow me,’ he said sexily, his words so deep and accented they were barely discernible as English.
She slid away as he practically ripped the denim from his legs, throwing his jeans aside without a care. She glanced at the black hipsters that stretched tightly across him and raised her brows.
He laughed—a throaty sound that made a coil of lust unfurl at the very core of her.
‘This is a new side to you. I like it.’
Before she could think of a response he pulled them off, lying back against the bed, his eyes daring her to take control again. She didn’t need any more invitation. She loved him and she wanted to show him exactly how much—just once, at least.
Without a thought for anything other than this, she sat on him once more, pressing herself intimately against him, feeling his scorching heat against her. But still it wasn’t enough. She wanted more—much more.
He reached up to her shoulders and dragged down the straps of her dress and bra in one move, exposing her breasts, her nipples hardened by desire. She arched towards him, sighing in pleasure as he lifted himself up, taking one nipple in his mouth. The sensation was so wild it was all she could do to support herself over him. As his tongue tortured first one nipple, then the other, he moved his hands quickly to her panties, tugging at them until the flimsy material ripped and she could feel his heated flesh against her.
His hands held her hips, keeping her over him. She’d never been in control of the moment. He’d just let her think that and now he was taking charge.
‘Nikos...’ she gasped as he lifted himself against her, sending a shudder of desire through her.
He dropped down against the bed, watching her intently. Her nipples were hard and damp, after he’d kissed them so passionately, and she moved over him, believing she was back in control. He guided her hips to exactly where he wanted them and thrust hard into her as wild urgency suddenly took them both.
She stifled a cry, causing him to stop for a moment, but she didn’t dare open her eyes and look at him. She wanted to believe he loved her so much that he was consumed by the same fierce need that engulfed her.
‘Don’t stop,’ she gasped as she moved against him, feeling his fingers grip her hips as a groan of pleasure left him.
The wildness which exploded within her was so powerful that she moved quickly against him, setting the pace and regaining the control she wanted.
‘Serena...’ he growled as he rained kisses over every part of her body he could.
She moved frantically, a need so wild pushing her to a dizzying height she’d never been to before. So high she was scared to let go. Each thrust he made into her pushed her higher still.
‘Nikos!’ she gasped, sitting up on him and throwing her head back. The sensation was so acute she could hardly think as he filled her, moving with her in this new and exciting erotic dance.
The whole world shattered around her and she heard him shout out. But she had no idea what he said, and nor did she want to know. The sensation of falling to pieces didn’t stop and her body shuddered with an ecstasy that overwhelmed her completely.
‘Nikos, I love you...’
* * *
Nikos wrapped his arms around Serena as she fell against his chest. He couldn’t believe he’d been so forceful with her. Each time they’d made love he’d been gentle—cautious, even. But her teasing had pushed him over the edge, driven him wild.
He’d let her think she was in control, that she was leading him, because he’d enjoyed it. But then it had all become too much, and now her heart was pounding so hard he could feel it.
As cooling air slipped over him he wondered if his heart had stopped beating all together. Then the words she’d gasped aloud, full of pleasure, finally registered.
I love you.
He could scarcely breathe, and as if she sensed the change in him she moved to sit on the edge of the bed, her green eyes wide and, if he wasn’t mistaken, misting with tears. She didn’t say anything else. Instead she waited for him.
A still calmness settled in him, pouring over the passion that had rushed through him moments ago. She couldn’t love him. She mustn’t love him. He didn’t want her love. It would only end in disaster.
‘I love you, Nikos,’ she said again, in a tremulous whisper that pushed him further away than ever.
‘Love?’
He was out of bed faster than he’d ever tumbled a woman into it and pulling on his jeans. Her horrified expression should hurt him, or at least make him feel guilty, but it didn’t. He had to keep her at a distance—and not just for her sake.
That fact that he didn’t feel any guilt proved he was incapable of loving anyone and completely unworthy of love. It backed up everything he’d felt—all the pain and anguish—from the day his mother had left. As a young boy he’d thought he was unlovable, and now, as a man, he certainly was.
‘Yes, Nikos, love.’
Her voice was firmer now and her chin tilted defiantly as she straightened her dress, pulling the straps up to cover the body which had just given him such pleasure.
‘You don’t know what love is. You have no idea of its power to destroy, its ability to render a person helpless.’
He crossed the room and turned on the main light, hoping to instil some sense into their conversation—one that he really didn’t want to be having.
‘That’s unfair.’ She jumped up from the bed, her anger coming off her in waves.
‘Serena, you’ve grown up in a safe family, experienced the lighter side of love.’ That was something he had been denied the day his mother had walked away. His half-English mother. And now he was about to take an English wife. Would she too walk away? Deny her child love as he had been denied? Was that the reason for his doubts and reservations?
‘You know nothing of my childhood, Nikos.’
She virtually hissed the words at him and he paused for a moment, frowning in concentration, trying to recall just what she had said about her family. The only thing he really knew was that her sister was desperate for a baby. That was the only reason she was here now. To help her sister.
‘You’re close enough to your sister to know how badly she wants a child, to have accepted my offer of help.’ Anger mixed with confused emotions was making his voice sharp, but she didn’t flinch.
‘I only said yes to marrying you because I was overwrought with guilt. I had been accidentally given what Sally most wanted—the baby she’d been trying to conceive for years. How could I live with that?’
Those final words knocked the breath from his lungs, making them sting as he tried to take a breath in. Suspicious thoughts hammered into him and he fought the urge to walk away from the hurt and the pain.
‘So the only reason you agreed to be my wife was to help your sister?’
‘Yes,’ she replied, in a tone that sounded as if she had no idea of the implications of what she was saying.
She’d never wanted to marry him, for them to bring their child up together. So why had she come to Greece? Why tell him the news personally?
‘That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?’
It was obvious he was second-best. Damn it, he didn’t want to be second-best. Not ever again.
> ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, Nikos. I didn’t have a plan—except to tell the fisherman I thought you were that he was going to be a father. I didn’t expect anything from him—not financially, anyway. But he’d lied.’
‘So as soon as you discovered who I was you agreed to my proposal?’
He stood and watched her as she looked at him, her brow furrowing as she saw her future with him and all he could provide possibly slipping away.
‘Are you serious?’
‘Damn it, Serena, you’ve made a fool out of me. You’ve been working out how to get the best from this since we parted the night our child was conceived.’
‘I have not. How can I have been so stupid? I believed things could work out between us. You, Nikos—you blackmailed me into staying, leaving me no option. I couldn’t go back and flaunt my pregnancy in front of my sister, knowing I’d given up what is probably her last chance at being a mother. You have forced me into the worst possible situation. But I can’t do it any more.’
Before he could form a reply she’d marched from the room. She wouldn’t be going anywhere now. It was nearly midnight and she didn’t have a clue where she was. Maybe some cooling off time was best—for both of them.
Tomorrow they would draw up a plan for how to continue. They would marry to legitimise the child and he would spend his time between London and Athens if it meant seeing his child grow up. And right now his child was all he cared about.
* * *
Serena sat in the darkened living room, the pale glow from the outside lights shining in through the windows the only light. If it had been daytime she would have gone—walked away without a backward glance. She was totally aware that her declaration of love had poured cold water over the desire that had been in every look Nikos had given her, every touch and definitely every kiss.
She had watched him get dressed and known that cold water had turned to icicles.
From One Night to Wife Page 13