by Alex Ryder
Finally, he was naked and he stood over her, his dark skin glistening like silk. Her hot, sultry gaze travelled upwards past the corded muscles of his powerful thighs to the gorged tumescence of his manhood, taut and proud. Above that his stomach, hard and flat, then the deep chest and broad shoulders. He looked like some darkly magnificent creation of the gods sent to pander to her most shameful and unspoken desires.
As he leaned over her she reached for him, her arms wide and her fingers outstretched like some supplicant begging for relief. Carefully he eased his dark, lithe body beside her and she eagerly sought his mouth with her own. His right hand clasped her bottom, pulling her closer, and she felt the proud and rampant flesh of his sexuality against her thigh. Her breasts were pressed against his chest, her nipples swollen and aching. The smell and the taste of him were inflaming her senses to a white incandescence and she drew one knee up and hooked her left leg over his and began sliding her calf up and down his thigh.
A low, almost animal growl of approval came from his throat and he took his mouth from hers to murmur, ‘I want you, Carrie!’
She felt a mounting frustration as he continued to tease her with his mouth and tongue instead of pinning her down and claiming possession. And then, blindingly, it came to her what he wanted. For a moment the last shreds of her natural modesty were shocked at the idea then her libido broke free and at the gentle urging of his hand she squirmed her body until she was sitting astride him, her knees level with his waist. He reached up for her shoulders and pulled her upper body forward until her palms were resting either side of him on the divan, and now her breasts, like ripe fruit ready to fall, were only inches above his face. He took one of her nipples in his mouth and feasted hard in an erotic indulgence that sent her into a fit of feverish panting. His hands moulded themselves around her slim waist and down over her hips then gently he began to lift her. As his mouth released her breast she straightened up and shivered with anticipation.
Her actions now owed nothing to experience but were dictated by urgency and instinct. As he slowly lowered her she reached down between her legs to guide him in. The slow, lubricous entry sent waves of molten fire through her loins and tiny moans of ecstatic pleasure escaped her half-parted and swollen lips. He was reaching upwards now, rubbing and teasing each of her nipples between his fingers and thumbs.
Utterly lost now in an ocean of sensuality, she began to ride the waves of her own passion. Beneath her he suddenly groaned in pleasure and as his warm essence flooded into her her muscles contracted. She arched her spine and threw her head back and cried out in ecstastic disbelief as the spasms continued. Gasping and wide-eyed, she realised that he still hadn’t finished as his powerful hands held her still and his hips rose, thrusting himself ever deeper and faster.
Oh, God! she thought with awestruck wonder. She was…she was going to…yet again!
When it was finally over she literally collapsed, still astride him but with her damp forehead leaning on his chest. Gently he tilted her face upwards and kissed her mouth with a lingering tenderness.
At last she put her hands on his chest and straightened up. ‘I’m exhausted. I feel as if I’ve just run a marathon.’
He looked up at her with a smile of lazy contentment on his face and murmured, ‘You’re good at that. Exceptionally good.’
Her passion was spent now. No doubt her old friends guilt and self-recrimination would soon pay her a visit but at the moment she could still live with herself. ‘What does “exceptionally good’ mean?’ she asked. ‘Better than your other women?’
‘Much, much better,’ he drawled. ‘Of all the hundreds I’ve known you are without doubt the most passionate.’
She saw the gleam of dark humour in his eyes and suddenly all the magic was gone. She was just a fool and he was having a good laugh at her expense. She eased herself off him and swung her legs to the floor.
His hand reached out and gripped her arm. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’
‘To get dressed.’ She looked at him blandly. ‘We both got what we wanted, didn’t we? And now it’s over.
He rolled on to his side and propped himself up on one elbow. ‘Stay here. We’ve got to talk.’
She bit her lip. ‘If it’s about my brother and your sister, forget it. I’ve got nothing else to say about them.’ He ran his fingers suggestively up and down her thigh and she lifted his hand firmly and put it away. ‘Don’t start that again.’
He raised a quizzical eyebrow and managed to look hurt. ‘Why? I thought you were in love with me?’
‘Don’t be.. .don’t be ridiculous.’ She tried to pull her arm free but his grip was too tight and she looked at him resentfully. ‘You’re going to bruise my arm.’
‘Then admit that you’re in love with me,’ he demanded.
‘You’ll break my arm if I don’t?’ she scoffed. ‘What will that prove?’
He released her then said softly, ‘All right Carrie. Now admit it.’
Her heart came into her mouth and she looked away, unable to stand the scrutiny of his eyes. ‘You…you’re mad,’ she muttered. ‘I…I might have said that I liked you once. But that was in one of my weaker moments. Before I really got to know you.’ How could she lie like this? she thought in anguish. She really did love the arrogant, chauvinistic, autocratic devil but wild horses wouldn’t drag that admission from her mouth. He would just start ridiculing her again and tell her that love was for stupid idealists like her.
Suddenly he reached up and gripped her jaw between his fingers and thumb and squeezed gently until her lips formed a perfect O. ‘You have the most wonderful mouth in the world,’ he mused. ‘Why do you spoil it by filling it with lies when the truth is so obvious in a hundred other ways?’
She gulped and said, ‘Uhh uhss?’ Pulling his hand away, she tried again. ‘It is?’
‘Of course it is. You’ve just proved it.’
Colour touched her cheeks. ‘Look…I’d like to put my clothes on now if you don’t mind.’
‘I do mind,’ he said with a taunting smile. ‘I like looking at you the way you are.’
The colour stayed in her cheeks and she said stiffly, ‘That may well be. But I find it embarrassing.’
‘You didn’t when we were aboard the Miranda.’
‘That was different.’
He gave a low, throaty chuckle. ‘It’s just a state of mind, Carrie. When you think of what we were doing to each other a few minutes ago it’s a bit fastidious of you to feel shy in my company.’ His hand, which she’d removed from her thigh, was now tracing a delicate path between the nape of her neck and the bottom of her spine and she tried her best to ignore it because she knew that if she attempted to get up he’d just grab her again. Anyway, he was right. She was acting like a schoolgirl instead of a mature woman and by God hadn’t he seen to it that she’d matured? He probably had a black belt in maturing young women. She looked down at him lying there like some dark satyr from Greek mythology. He’d be asking her to feed him grapes in a minute, she thought drily.
‘Do you know why I brought you up here, Carrie?’ he asked her quietly.
‘Yes, I’ve got a pretty good idea,’ she muttered, eyeing her clothes strewn about the floor.
‘Do you think that it was just to have sex?’ he demanded.
She could feel her eyes growing hot. ‘No. I was forgetting. You wanted to show me your empire, didn’t you? You wanted me to understand about your “duty” and the heavy burden you had to bear.’
He nodded. ‘That’s right. I wanted you to know why a Spirakis couldn’t afford to fall in love.’
‘Yes,’ she said tiredly. ‘Please don’t go into it all again, Nikos. I’m sick of hearing about it. Anyway I’m sure there are plenty of eminently suitable young ladies from good families who are only too willing to enhance your good name and share your burdens.’
‘Yet in spite of knowing that you still agreed to make love with me?’
‘Did I have any option?’
she asked angrily.
‘You could have refused,’ he pointed out calmly. ‘You were under no threat. No pressure. No strings. Remember? Now I know that I’ve given you every reason in the world to hate and despise me and yet you still gave yourself to me freely. I want to know why.’
Her blue eyes took on the hard glint of sapphire and she clenched her fists in frustration. He had no right to subject her to this kind of interrogation. He already knew the secrets of her body but that wasn’t good enough for him. He wanted to invade her mind as well.
His voice came at her again, harsher and even more insistent. ‘Tell me, Carrie. It’s important. I’ve got to know.’
She held out for another few stomach-churning seconds then she snapped at him, ‘All right, dammit! It’s because I wanted to.’ She was too quick for him as she got to her feet and reached for her briefs. ‘Don’t pretend that you don’t know the effect you have on women. I’m no different from any of your other.. .conquests. Another scalp. Another notch on your belt to brag about.’
He flashed his white teeth in a grin then commented drily, ‘Sex is a funny business, Carrie. It’s supposed to be an act of love but in most cases it’s an act of selfishness. Most people merely indulge in it for the pleasure it gives them personally. But not you. Just now you were as much concerned about pleasing me as you were about yourself. Only people in love do that.’
She picked up his trousers and threw them at him angrily. ‘Will you put these on and make yourself decent? You don’t know what you’re talking about.’
He swung himself off the divan and dressed himself unhurriedly. When he’d finished he said, ‘That’s the real reason I brought you here, Carrie. To find out how you really felt about me. You can stand there denying that you love me until you’re blue in the face but I know what’s really in that heart of yours.’
Suddenly it was all too clear to her now and as the realisation sank home and bit deep she felt a hot flush of anger. ‘I suppose you’re happy now,’ she mouthed at him bitterly. ‘Your victory is complete. Not only have you probably made the little idiot pregnant but she’s actually fallen in love with you. That’s the real icing on your cake, isn’t it?’ A tear began to roll down her cheek and she brushed it away angrily.
His dark brows came together and he shook his head. ‘You couldn’t be more wrong, Carrie. If you want to know the truth I—’
‘Truth!’ she yelled at him. ‘What the hell do you know about truth? Or decency? Or respect for other people’s feelings? You may have saved me from being raped by those two cousins of yours but the reality is that there’s very little difference between you and them. I’m not surprised your own sister wants nothing more to do with this family.’ Another tear rolled down her cheek. ‘I hope you end up married to some black-hearted bitch who makes your life a living hell.’
He sighed heavily. ‘She probably will after the way I’ve treated her.’
‘Good!’ she flung at him. ‘I wish her the best of luck.’
There was something in his eyes and his smile that she’d never seen before. Warmth! Not the usual mockery nor sarcasm that had seemed as much a part of his nature as the dark olive of his skin. She considered this new phenomenon and looked at him uncertainly, wondering what was going through that devilish mind now. Another way to humiliate her? No. It couldn’t be. Not with a smile like that. Her confusion became deeper as he spread his arms wide and said softly, ‘Come here, Carrie.’
Her throat felt dry and tight and she regarded him with deep suspicion. ‘W-why?’
‘Because it’s where you belong.’
Her voice trembled now. ‘I…I’m warning you, Nikos. Stop playing games with me. I’ve had about all I can stand.’
‘This is no game, Carrie,’ he assured her in a quiet voice.
She fixed her blue eyes on him, searching his face—challenging him. ‘Yes, it is. I…I know you by now.’
He sighed in mild exasperation. ‘You’re going to have to learn to stop arguing with me, Carrie. In public at least. I can’t have people thinking that Nikos Spirakis can’t control his wife.’
Wariness crept into her eyes. She remained tightlipped, afraid to say anything in case she made an even bigger fool of herself than she already had. It had sounded as if…as if…But that couldn’t be right. She must have misunderstood him.
‘What’s the matter?’ He frowned at her. ‘Didn’t you hear what I said? Or have you no wish to become Mrs Spirakis?’
There was no mistake about it now! He was actually asking her to marry him! She wet her lips nervously with her tongue. ‘Why?’ she asked at last. ‘I mean…after all you’ve said about…’ She ran out of words. If he told her that it was because he was feeling sorry for her or because of the child she was probably carrying…If he even hinted at anything like that she’d—’
‘Because I love you, Carrie,’ he said softly.
Her heart tripped then gave a thud. ‘But…but you said that…your duty…’
‘I was wrong, Carrie. Terribly wrong. Now are you coming to my arms or do I have to come and get you?’
This wasn’t happening, she told herself in a daze. It couldn’t be! If she ran to his arms now the bubble would burst and she’d be met with mocking laughter. She took one hesitant step towards him and then another and then suddenly she was enfolded in his arms.
Even then she still couldn’t trust the evidence of her own eyes or senses. She couldn’t allow herself to believe in the impossible. She was dreaming! Yes, that was it! A bright and vivid dream. They’d made love to each other on the divan then she’d fallen asleep in his arms. Any moment now she’d wake up. And yet…It was so real. She could feel the strength of his arms.., feel the steady beat of his heart in his chest…feel his warm breath against her cheek.
‘You still haven’t given me your answer, Carrie,’ he murmured softly.
Emotion was welling up in her throat and she swallowed. ‘Yes, Nikos. I’ll marry you. If you’re sure…I mean…truly certain that you love me.’
‘Thank God,’ he said fervently, and she could almost feel the huge surge of relief rushing through his body. ‘After the way I’ve treated you I never imagined that you could find it in your heart to forgive me.’
She looked up at him, her eyes wide in joyous wonder. ‘Neither did I, Nikos. But then I never imagined that a man like you could fall in love with me.’
‘Oh, I’m in love with you, darling. Don’t doubt that for one minute.’ His voice was thick with bitter self-reproach. ‘It didn’t happen in a blinding flash, darling. At first it was just a.. .just a feeling that I tried to ignore. And then—during the storm—the feeling turned to something stronger. Something I couldn’t ignore any longer. But I couldn’t allow it to happen.’ He gave a harsh laugh of selfdeprecation. ‘I tried to explain to you…and even as I was spouting platitudes about my duty and the honour of my family the words were sticking in my throat. And then, last night, I saw a good example of the family honour I was so determined to uphold.’
She pressed her finger to his lips, feeling his pain, trying to soothe the ache of guilt. ‘No, darling. That had nothing to do with you. You can’t take the blame for those.’
He shook his head. ‘No. You’re wrong about that. I must blame myself. I’d never liked Theo but I deliberately closed my eyes to the kind of man he was because he was a Spirakis and family loyalty always had to come first.’ He stroked her hair gently and gazed down deeply into her eyes. ‘I know now how wrong I’ve been. I told you once that I was a realist but it took a long time for the truth finally to come home to me.’
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him tenderly. ‘What truth?’
‘That love is stronger than blind loyalty.’ He returned her kiss then went on, ‘My greatgrandparents, who began all this, loved one another, and it must have been that love that sustained them through the years of hard work and deprivation. But ever since then the Spirakis family has forgotten that fundamental truth and the only thing they
’ve been interested in is their own self-importance. Well, all that is going to change, Carrie. You and I are going to see to that.’
It was the longest speech she’d ever heard him make and she didn’t need telling that it came straight from his heart. She only wished that her father were still alive to witness this. He’d readily have approved of all those sentiments and he and Nikos would have got on well together.
Her frantically beating pulse was settling down again to something just a little above normal. All her fears and misgivings had gone and in their place was a feeling of warm happiness. Only one question remained to be resolved and she ventured softly, ‘What about Helen and Jimmy?’
‘Ah, yes. Our pair of young runaway lovers.’ His eyes grew thoughtful. ‘I owe them a great debt of gratitude, Carrie. If it hadn’t been for them my eyes would never have been opened to the power of love. And I’d never have met you.’
‘I’m longing to meet your sister, Nikos.’ She smiled at him awkwardly. ‘Look…I think that I may have an idea…No. I’m pretty sure I know where they are. We could set sail from here and—’
He shook his head and grinned. ‘I think we’ll let them stay with Kati for a few more days and then we can fetch them back.’
‘How did you know that they’d gone to Kati’s island?’ she asked in astonishment.
He shrugged. ‘When I learnt that Jimmy had stolen a boat I asked myself where he’d head for. He’d know that we’d have people scouring the Aegean for him so it would have to be some outof-the-way island where he’d feel secure.’ He grinned and brushed her worries away with a kiss on the forehead. ‘As soon as the Miranda is ready we’ll go and tell them the good news. If they’re not married by then we’ll arrange a double wedding.’
‘But… but the Miranda is ready now. We can leave right away.’
‘And spoil their fun?’ He raised an amused eyebrow. ‘They’re on a secluded little island with a lovely beach. And they’re in love and have lots of lost time to make up for. If you were in their place would you welcome company?’