by Andie Brock
‘Look at me, Kate.’ His command held all the urgency of a man very, very close to the point of losing his self-control.
Kate did as she was told, her thick, dark lashes lifting tantalisingly slowly, revealing emerald eyes that glittered like the most precious jewels. Nikos stared into them, drinking in their beauty, their infinite depth, registering everything they were telling him.
And that was all he needed. As the tip of her tongue reached out to wet the velvet plumpness of her lips he gave himself permission to let go, bending his head to place his mouth over hers, immediately lost in the power of their kiss.
Turning onto her side, Kate looped her leg over his hip, pressing their bodies together, hot skin against hot skin. Sliding his hand between them, Nikos slipped his hand beneath her bikini bottoms, his fingers finding her soft, sweet core. With a sharp spasm and a gasp of pleasure into his mouth Kate let her tongue tangle with his, hot and wet and wild.
Without breaking the kiss Nikos rolled onto his back, so that Kate was above him, and then, lifting her hips, firmly positioned her over his throbbing groin.
There was no going back now.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
IT WAS EVENING by the time they returned to Villa Levanda, Nikos having skilfully manoeuvred the launch boat into the small mooring at the foot of the cliff, leapt ashore to secure the ropes, then held out a hand to assist Kate. Silence settled over them as they climbed the steep steps leading to the villa, and Kate hung on to the wooden handrail warmed by the sun to help her to the top.
She was exhausted. Mentally and physically spent. Today had been so wonderful, so perfect in every way, but now, as the villa came into view, she knew the day was nearly at an end. Everything was nearly at an end, and the cold fingers of reality started to close around her heart.
Ahead of her, Nikos was juggling cool boxes and bags of beach equipment, but at the top he stopped and put them down, turning to look at Kate. ‘You okay?’
‘Sure.’
It was an automatic response—a word she had probably used tens of thousands of times—but never had it felt less true. Because Kate wasn’t okay. Far from it.
As she joined Nikos at the top and looked back at the panoramic view, darkening around her, she felt emptied out...barren. Like an echoing space that could only ever be filled by one man. Nikos.
‘Come on, you look done in.’ Leaving the bags, Nikos slipped his hand around her waist and guided her towards the villa. ‘You need a shower and a meal and an early night. We both do.’
He turned and gave her a mischievous smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, lighting up his handsome face. Kate thought she was going to cry.
The villa was cool and quiet, and Kate quickly made her way to her room, leaving Nikos no time to say he would join her. Standing under the shower, she let the pounding water cascade over her, watching the rivulets of soap run over her lightly tanned body, the fine grains of sand accumulating at her feet.
Refusing to look at her face in the mirror, afraid of what she might see, Kate towelled herself dry, then pulled on a white kaftan and slipped her feet into a pair of sandals. She had decided she was going to tell Nikos that she didn’t want anything to eat. That she needed an early night. Alone. It was time to put an end to this agonising torture.
But, walking into the living room, she found it empty. Hearing the clink of cutlery coming from the terrace, she wandered out and saw Agní laying the table there.
‘Kalispera, kyria.’ She straightened up, smoothing down her apron. ‘I hope you have had a pleasant day?’
‘Yes, thank you.’ Kate felt a blush creep over her cheeks. Surely it must be obvious what she and Nikos had been doing? Kate felt as if she was still radiating sexual energy. ‘And, please, call me Kate.’
‘Of course... Kate.’ Agní smiled slightly nervously. ‘I am so pleased to hear the news about Sofia.’
‘Isn’t it great?’ Kate agreed wholeheartedly. Then a thought occurred to her. ‘Do you know Sofia, then?’
‘Yes. She is the same age as my younger sister. They were in the same class before... Well, before Sofia was sent to boarding school. My sister was there to support her at Philippos’s funeral, though. We all were.’
‘Well, I’m sure she appreciated that.’
‘And now she will be living here at Villa Levanda, at least for the holidays, so we will be able to see much more of her.’ Agní smiled happily.
‘Yes, of course.’
Kate looked away, fighting back tears. She knew it was horribly selfish of her, but she couldn’t match Agní’s cheerfulness. She was talking about a shared history that Kate knew nothing about. And worse—far worse—about a shared future that she would never be part of.
‘Efharisto, Agní.’
Nikos appeared, smelling of citrus soap, his damp hair curling at the nape of his neck. He was wearing a plain white tee shirt and loose navy cotton trousers. Kate drank in the sight of him. After a rapid conversation with Agní in Greek, he pulled out a chair for Kate, who was still standing awkwardly beside the table.
‘Agní has made her special moussaka for us. I guarantee it will be the best moussaka you have ever tasted.’
‘Great...’ Kate tried to smile. She could hardly refuse to eat the meal now—it would appear rude.
Nikos reached for the wine bottle in the cooler, but when he went to fill Kate’s glass Kate shook her head. If she was to share this last meal with Nikos, she didn’t want it to be blurred by alcohol. Suddenly she knew she wanted to live every last second with him. She wanted to feel the pleasure and the pain. Because no one else would be able to make her experience emotions like this again.
Nikos swapped the wine for sparkling water, filling his own glass too, before taking Kate’s hand, which lay on the table between them. He turned the plain gold wedding ring on her finger, staring at it intently.
As if returning from a trance, he replaced her hand on the table and met her eyes. ‘So, what time is your meeting with Rosebury’s tomorrow?’
‘Um...three-thirty.’ Kate had arranged to meet with Charles Lewis to go over the forecasts for Kandy Kate in the UK. ‘There’s a nine a.m. flight that should get me there in plenty of time.’
‘You don’t want to take the private jet? It’s yours if you want it.’
‘No, thank you.’ Kate took a sip of water. ‘I’m very grateful for all your help—with Kandy Kate and everything else—but now I need to stand on my own two feet.’
‘If you’re sure?’
‘I am.’
Silence fell between them, punctuated only by the cicadas in the olive trees and the rustle of the sea breeze.
‘Then I guess this is it.’
Kate bit down on her lip. She would not cry. She would not cry.
‘At some point we will have to see about a divorce.’ As he spoke the night air stilled. ‘But I don’t suppose there’s any hurry.’
‘Not unless you want to remarry!’ Kate had rushed to try and fill the aching gap. But her attempt at levity only worsened the pain.
Nikos made a disbelieving noise in his throat. ‘Or you, of course.’
‘Yes.’ Kate’s fingernails bit into her palms. ‘Or me.’
Agní appeared, proudly bearing a large dish of steaming moussaka, and set it on the table before them before discreetly disappearing.
Nikos quickly served them, then raised his glass of water. ‘A toast, then.’ His eyes shone almost black. ‘To the future.’
‘Yes.’ Kate touched her glass against his. ‘The future.’
‘I wish you every happiness Kate. You do know that, don’t you? I really hope you find what you’re looking for.’
What she was looking for? Kate’s bottom lip began to tremble. Could Nikos really not see that what she was looking for—everything she could ever want—was right in front of her? Did
he really not know? Or was he making it plain that it could never be? Twisting the knife with his gentle words and telling her that they were done—finished? That he could never love her.
She took another gulp of water. ‘You too, Nikos.’ Somehow she formed the words from her strangled throat.
For a long moment Nikos held her gaze. Unable to look away, Kate lost herself in the fathomless depths of his eyes, falling down and down to a place from which she could never return. She didn’t even want to.
‘Kate?’
Eventually he spoke. Never had her name on his lips sounded more solemn, more portentous.
‘Yes?’ The word quaked with a mixture of fear and hope.
But silence fell between them again, as if time was holding its breath.
‘Nothing.’ He turned his proud profile away, staring out to sea. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘No, go on.’ She reached across the table for his hand. ‘What were you going to say?’
‘No, really...it was nothing.’ The moment had gone, like a glimmer of sunshine engulfed by clouds. ‘Come on—eat up. You’ve hardly touched your food.’
‘I’m afraid I don’t have much appetite.’ Kate withdrew her hand.
‘No.’ Nikos moved his plate away. ‘Me neither. Not for food, anyway.’
With a sudden movement he pushed back his chair and stood up. Startled, Kate felt her heart plummet to her feet.
Was this goodbye? Oh, please no.
Silently Nikos walked round to the back of her chair, lightly placing his hands on her shoulders. Kate closed her eyes.
‘One last night?’
His question whispered around her like a heady, seductive promise. Relief swamped her. Not trusting herself to speak, she turned to look up at him, swallowing hard. She felt herself nod. A small, almost imperceptible movement. But it was all that was needed.
Pulling back her chair, Nikos waited for her to stand then, taking her hand, he led her into his bedroom, closing the door firmly behind them.
* * *
Nikos rolled on his side, stretching out an arm to where Kate should be. Nothing. He opened his eyes.
She had gone.
Leaping out of bed, he threw open the bedroom door, marching through the living room to Kate’s bedroom, already knowing it would be empty. And so it was. There was no evidence of Kate having stayed the night there at all. Not so much as an open drawer or a slight indentation on the neatly made bed.
Cursing, Nikos stormed back to his own room, hurrying to cover his nakedness with some hastily thrown on clothes. Lifting his head, he found himself staring straight into Kate’s eyes. Her portrait, drawn by the artist in Paris, gazed back at him, taunting him with a watchful gaze. Having it framed and hung in his bedroom had felt like a guilty secret. Now it seemed more like masochism.
How could she have left without him knowing? He had been awake most of the night—at first totally consumed by the after-effects of their lovemaking and then, when Kate had finally fallen asleep, staring at her head on the pillow, at the dark sweep of her lashes, the soft fullness of her lips, listening to her gentle breathing, inhaling her intoxicating scent.
Under the cover of darkness he had allowed himself that one sweet indulgence. He wasn’t going to try and rationalise his feelings, to attempt to make sense of anything.
What was there to rationalise anyway? He loved her. It was a certain, indisputable fact.
And maybe that was the very definition of love—it wasn’t rational. It was the most exquisite, excruciating, punishingly powerful feeling in the world. And every breath he took hurt with it. But what was he to do?
In the end, Kate had made the decision for him.
As dawn had started to creep across the sky, when Nikos had finally fallen asleep, she had pulled back the covers, left the sanctuary of their bed and walked out of his life for ever.
No! Not if Nikos had any say in it! If he dashed to the airport he might be in time to stop her. And if he wasn’t he would fly to London himself. In his private jet he would probably get there before her.
Snatching up his passport, he jammed it into his back pocket and headed for the door.
And then he saw it. Kate’s wedding ring, lying on the glass table by the front door.
Nikos stopped, his heart pounding in his chest. She must have pulled it off just as she was leaving. He stared hard at the simple gold band, narrowing his eyes as if somehow it held the clue to their future. To everything.
Had Kate thrown it down, relieved that she no longer had to pretend to be shackled to Yhim? Or had she slowly, reluctantly eased it from her finger, experiencing at least some feeling of regret before placing it carefully on the table?
The ring wasn’t revealing its secrets, and in the end what did it matter? Their marriage was effectively over. They had both fulfilled their obligations to one another. As he had said to Kate last night—this was it...the end. And she had said nothing to dispute it.
Picking up the ring, Nikos held it between his thumb and forefinger, turning it to catch the light. He had been so near to asking her to stay. Teetering on the very brink of confessing his need for her, his love for her. Would it have made any difference if he had? Or would he simply have been laying himself open to more ridicule, more heartbreak?
He had been hurt so badly once by Kate, and only a fool would go back for more. But where Kate was concerned he was a fool. The biggest fool going. He had given her every opportunity to talk to him, to show him some sort of sign that she wanted to stay. They had shared the most wonderful night together.
And how had Kate rewarded him? By sneaking out of the house while he was still asleep. Without having the decency to even say goodbye.
Palming the ring, he closed his fist over it, watching the skin pull taut over his knuckles. Enough! He would not play victim to this woman any more.
Shoving the ring into his pocket without looking at it again, he turned on his heel and marched back through to the living room. Sliding open the enormous glass doors, he walked out onto the terrace, where the reassuring sound of the cicadas, the dazzling light and the sunshine twinkling on the broad expanse of water heralded another new day.
Nikos made himself stop and stare, forcing himself to be grateful for what he had—a wonderful home, a hugely successful business empire. And now he had guardianship of Sofia all his goals had been met. All except one.
There was still one thing he wanted in the world above all else. Kate. Without her there was a yawning chasm in his life—so huge, so wide, it could never be crossed. But he would not beg. Kate had made her decision. Despite every instinct screaming at him to go after her, he had to let her go.
Time passed.
Finding it impossible to settle to anything, Nikos paced around the villa, then went into the gardens, taking the steps down to the water’s edge and staring out to sea. Usually a source of solace, today it held no comfort for him. Even the thought of going out on his boat did nothing to ease his misery.
How was he going to live the rest of his life without her? It was unthinkable.
A dozen times he picked up his phone to call her, but a dozen times he put it down. He would not be that weak. He would not be that man. His heart might be breaking, but at least he had his pride. He would not let Kate take that away from him.
Eventually he ended up back on the terrace, gazing unseeing into the distance. Hearing a noise behind him, he stiffened. He had sent Agní home. And nobody ever visited his remote villa uninvited.
‘Nikos...’
Her soft voice floated towards him like a promise on the breeze. Kate. Nikos gripped the arms of his chair, fighting every instinct to leap up and go to her, to silence the madness in his head by taking her in his arms and never letting go.
With superhuman effort, he remained seated. ‘Did you forget something?’ He spoke over his
shoulder.
‘In a way, yes.’
He heard her come closer, moving around the side of the villa.
‘Well, go ahead and find it.’ He kept his voice firm, harsh, still staring straight ahead. ‘Don’t let me stop you.’
‘I... I already did.’
He heard her falter.
‘I came back to find you.’
‘Me?’ Nikos started to turn, but she was right behind him now.
Kate’s hands came down on his shoulders, softly restraining him. ‘No, don’t turn around, Nikos. Don’t look at me. I can’t do this if your eyes are on me.’
‘Do what?’
He heard her draw in a juddering breath.
‘Make my confession.’
Confession? Nikos’s thoughts flew wildly in every direction. But when he spoke his words were cold. ‘Go on.’
‘I love you.’
She loved him.
Her words slowly sank into him, warming him like the golden sun.
She loved him.
He tried to move but Kate’s hands pressed down harder.
‘No, hear me out, Nikos. If I don’t say it now I will lose my nerve.’ Her light gasp split the air. ‘I have loved you from the very first moment I set eyes on you and that love has only grown deeper and stronger. Even when we were apart—even when you’d hurt me so badly—I still loved you. I have come back to tell you this because suddenly I couldn’t bear for you not to know the truth. Not to know the way I feel about you. You are the only man I have ever loved, or ever could love.’
She paused, her breath catching in her throat.
‘There—it’s done. I’ve said it.’ She gave a short, brave laugh. ‘Now you only have to say the word and I will go.’
‘Go?’ Nikos repeated the word in a daze. A split second later he was on his feet, hurling the metal chair between them to one side with a clatter. ‘No, Kate!’ He moved his arms around her waist, roughly drawing her to him. ‘You mustn’t go. Not now—not ever.’