by Weaver, Lisa
His beady stare reminded her of a cobra, although she was certain even a snake would have more warmth in its eyes. “That’s a nice little speech,” he sneered. “You’ll change your tune when you take those rose-colored glasses off and see Rafe for what he really is. It’s only a matter of time before you tire of him as Melanie did. When you do, I’ll be waiting.”
“You’re going to have an awfully long wait,” she spat, amazed at his audacity. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I actually feel sorry for Melanie. I wonder what she would think if she knew you’d just propositioned me.”
“She wouldn’t be surprised at all,” Milton shrugged, unconcerned. “Nor would she care. We have an open marriage by mutual consent.”
Repulsed, Lauren scanned the crowded dance floor for Rafe. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted him weaving his way through the throng to reclaim her, a scowling Melanie trailing unhappily behind him.
Taking her hand, Rafe glared at Milton with an I-mean-business look in his eyes. “You’ve monopolized my wife long enough, Payne.”
As the Paynes departed, Lauren let Rafe gather her back into his arms. She tried not to dwell on how right it felt to be tucked within his embrace. “You have impeccable timing.”
“So I’ve been told,” he winked.
Her heart flip-flopped at his seductive smile, and her fingers itched to trace the sexy dark stubble shadowing his strong jaw. “Your former business partner and your ex-fiancée are determined to be nuisances. They’re going to do their best to make us misstep this weekend.”
“Well, they’re going to be very disappointed when their efforts fail. It’s good to have you in my corner, Lauren. Thank you for that, and for putting up with all of this.”
“It’s not that horrible,” she shrugged. “I’m actually having fun. The estate is like a palace, the food is fabulous, and the entertainment is great. The company’s not half bad, either. The Paynes excepted, of course.”
“That goes without saying,” Rafe grinned. He nodded towards a brightly colored, star-shaped piñata hanging from the patio rafters. “Look, a group is assembling by the piñata. Shall we check it out?”
“Absolutely,” she readily agreed.
Rafe chuckled at her enthusiasm as they watched the participants’ efforts to break open the brightly colored decoration, clapping and cheering them on. “Did you know the breaking open of the piñata tells a story?”
Lauren shook her head, intrigued.
“Beating the piñata while blindfolded represents faith and the struggle against temptation. When the piñata is cracked open, the treats that spill out represent the rewards of not succumbing to sin.”
“Fascinating. Shall we see how good you are at resisting temptation, Mr. Dimitriou?”
“Ladies first,” he insisted.
Her eyes were covered with a silk scarf and Rafe guided her into position amidst the crowd’s good-natured banter. The teasing came to an abrupt halt when her first swing of the stick hit the target dead center. She pulled off the blindfold, laughing as the piñata’s bounty cascaded down around her.
It was a wonderful evening, and she told the Fullertons as much when she and Rafe relayed their thanks before returning to their suite.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach when Rafe opened the door to their room. It was foolish to fixate on sharing a bed with him, but she couldn’t seem to focus on anything else. The suite was enormous, but the bed still seemed to dominate it. You’re an adult, she lectured herself firmly. You can handle this.
Rafe slipped his suit jacket off and loosened his tie. “I have to meet with Chuck and the other bidders at the crack of dawn tomorrow, so I’m going to call it a night. Would you like to shower first or shall I?”
“You go ahead. I’m going to read for a while.”
The drama unfolding between the covers of the suspense novel that had previously held her enthralled couldn’t compete with her ruminations regarding what was transpiring in the ensuite bath. The sound of the shower filtered through the door, conjuring up images of Rafe standing naked under the warm spray.
It was impossible not to imagine the path the water droplets would take as they coursed across his broad shoulders and six-pack abs before streaming down his muscular legs.
Turning his shower time into her very own erotic fantasy was so not helping. She needed to get a grip if she was ever going to get any sleep tonight.
More than just a little hot and bothered, she decided to distract herself by checking her e-mail. She found a quick update from Liz letting her know all was well at the agency. Liz also confirmed that she’d arranged for protection for tomorrow’s off-site golf outing.
The Fullertons’ plans for the following day had the men heading off to a nearby golf course while the women visited a spa. When she’d learned she and Rafe would be separated, she’d texted Liz with his itinerary. Knowing Michael would be in place to watch over Rafe while he was at the golf course was a weight off her shoulders.
Relieved, she tucked her purse containing her handgun in the nightstand by her side of the bed. The weapon was a sobering reminder of what this mock marriage was really all about. It was critical that she stay focused on her mission. That meant pushing all thoughts of Rafe—aside from his safety—out of her mind.
Remaining invulnerable would be easier said than done, she decided, when the object of her ruminations emerged from the shower smelling of soap and clean male. He was sporting a sexy pair of pajama bottoms, but his glorious chest was on full display.
“Any preference as to which side you sleep on, Mrs. Dimitriou?” he inquired, pulling back the bed covers. The dark gleam in his eyes told her he knew exactly how he affected her.
“I’ll take the side closest to the balcony.” Security was tight, but if someone was going to be foolish enough to risk breeching the estate, the balcony would be the obvious point of entry. It was the weakest link.
From the moment Rafe felt Lauren’s slight weight shift the mattress beside him, he knew he was in for a sleepless night.
She had placed as much distance between them as she could without toppling off the edge of the bed. Now she fluffed her pillow. A silky arm accidentally brushed his bare chest as she tossed and turned in an effort to get comfortable, and his gut clenched in reaction.
What would she do, he wondered, if he gave in to the all-consuming need to take her into his arms? How would she react if he proceeded to stroke every square inch of her delectable body, blazing a trail for his mouth to follow? Would she beg for his possession?
Yes, he was certain she would capitulate. If she truly were as disinterested as she claimed, she wouldn’t melt at his touch. She wanted him. Her desire for him blazed in the emerald depths of her eyes and emanated from her lips when their mouths met. He would be patient, he determined, and wait for her to come to him. It was only a matter of time.
Just when he thought she’d settled in for the night, she readjusted her pillow again. Sighing, he reached over and turned the small bedside light on. “Trouble sleeping?”
“I guess I’m still keyed up from the party. And I’m a little apprehensive about tomorrow’s girl-bonding day at the spa.”
“You’re not looking forward to a day of pampering and relaxation?”
Lauren shook her head. “It’s not my thing. I’d rather go hiking or horseback riding than be buffed and polished. I suppose that wouldn’t help your cause, though.”
It was a flimsy excuse for her case of insomnia, but he’d allow her to take refuge behind it for now. “You don’t have to go along on the day trip with the other wives on my account. The Fullertons are already taken with you, and everyone here buys into our marriage. There’s no reason you can’t spend the day tomorrow doing whatever pleases you.”
Lauren shook her head. “No. I promised you I would play my role to the fullest, and I will. It won’t kill me to do a little schmoozing on your behalf. I know you need to get some rest. Why don’t I move ove
r to the sofa?”
He wasn’t about to let her off the hook. “You’re fine here. Shall we try and get some sleep?”
At her nod, Rafe reached over and turned the light off.
A few minutes later, Lauren rearranged her pillow again.
She was killing him. How could he forget he was sharing a bed with her if she continued to toss and turn? With a groan, he reached over to turn the light back on.
“Why don’t we talk about what’s really bothering you so we can both get some sleep?”
“You’re what’s bothering me!” The frustrated exclamation flew from her lips.
Rafe cocked an ebony eyebrow at her outburst. “And would you care to tell me precisely why?”
“After treating me like an outcast for two years, you waltz back into my life acting like nothing has changed between us. Well I have news for you. Things have changed. I loved you! I know you don’t believe that, but it’s true. I never would have gifted you my body if I hadn’t given you my heart first. When you tossed me aside without giving me a chance to explain, I realized you didn’t care about me at all. I was just a meaningless fling to you. Well, I don’t do meaningless.”
“And I don’t tolerate deceitful partners,” he retorted heatedly.
“I know what happened back in Greece looked bad, but it wasn’t like you think. If you’d bothered to hear me out, you would know that. But your refusal to let me explain isn’t what hurts the most. It’s that you believe me capable of the kind of cruel, heartless deception you accused me of.”
“So you’re saying I was wrong not to trust you?”
Lauren felt her face redden. “I’m saying there are two sides to every story.”
Rafe wasn’t sure what made him voice the words, but before he could stem them, they escaped his lips. “So tell me your side of it, then.”
Rafe’s offer hit her like a sledgehammer. What an ironic juxtaposition. Finally he was giving her a chance to relay the truth, yet she couldn’t do so without jeopardizing her mission.
It was so tempting to let the words she’d been holding on to for all these months flow. But if she told him her article had been planted as part of an assignment and that she was really a covert bodyguard, it wouldn’t take him long to realize why she’d agreed to his marriage bargain. If he deduced she was with him to provide the protection he’d refused, he would ostracize her. She might regain his respect, but in doing so she’d make it far more difficult for Sentinels to keep him safe. It was a chance she wasn’t willing to take.
Exasperated, she threw her hands up in the air. “I am not having this conversation with you. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to hear my side of the story, and you blew them. It’s too late, now.”
Tossing the sheets aside, she got out of bed and headed for the door, pausing only to grab a robe and slip her feet into a pair of sandals.
Rafe shook his head, bewildered by her sudden attitude reversal. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going for a walk.”
“Not dressed like that you’re not.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing? This nightgown is perfectly modest. Besides, no one is likely to be around at this late hour.”
Rising from the bed, Rafe took her hand and led her to the dresser mirror. “Is this your idea of modest?”
She drew in a surprised breath at the reflection staring back at her. Her cheeks were flushed with angry color and her breasts were clearly visible through the silky fabric. The gown she’d thought demure was very nearly transparent, and clung to her like a second skin.
“See? The nightgown’s cut may be discreet, but the fabric isn’t. Every delectable inch of you is outlined under the silk.”
His hands dropped down to cup her breasts and he brushed his fingers over the pebbled nubs that strained against the gossamer fabric. His fingers teased, setting the passion that had been simmering just beneath the surface to a flash point with merely a touch. “Your nightwear hides nothing.”
Heat pooled low in Lauren’s belly at the sight of his hands touching her so intimately. “I hadn’t realized,” she stuttered, her breathing quickening as her sensitized breasts swelled under his caress. His warm palms were inciting feelings that didn’t need any encouragement . . . feelings she couldn’t afford to indulge in.
“Change into something appropriate and go for your walk, but running from me won’t solve anything. The sooner you realize that and surrender to what’s between us, the easier this will be. The next year will be far more pleasurable if you just give in to your desire.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but before she could utter a word, he was swooping in on her lips, melding his mouth to hers in an evocative caress. The kiss was hot. Ardent.
“Come to bed with me,” he urged.
And with his seductively murmured appeal she was lost. With no defenses left to draw on, she surrendered, letting her body melt into his.
Rafe needed no further invitation. She felt the glide of his fingers as they slipped under the straps of her gown, sliding them down her creamy shoulders.
“You are even more beautiful naked,” Rafe murmured as the garment fell in a puddle of silk at her feet.
“This is just going to complicate things.”
“There’s nothing complicated about lust. We’re saving ourselves a lot of agony.”
While it was simply lust for him, Lauren knew she was on the brink of giving him her heart and soul again along with her body. She’d vowed not to go down this road with him a second time, and yet here she was. Worse, she didn’t want to turn back.
She moved deeper into his arms and felt the solid steel of his muscles enveloping her, drawing her closer still. She returned his embrace with the same fervor, reveling in the feel of his firm muscles under her fingertips. She grazed a masculine nipple with her fingernail and was rewarded by his indrawn breath. Emboldened, she traced the same path with her tongue.
The move pushed Rafe’s limits too far. It was her turn to gasp in surprise as he swung her up into his arms and placed her on the bed. Then he was above her, the heat from his body branding her.
“Not fair,” she gasped.
“All’s fair in love and war, agapi mou.”
“And which is this, love or war?”
The seconds ticked slowly past while he considered the question. “Neither. If that’s not the answer you wanted to hear, then you need to tell me now. If we go any further, there’s no going back. You’re driving me insane.”
She could feel the urgent evidence of that insanity nestled between her legs, pressing insistently against her thigh. Reaching down to stroke his hard length, she sighed. “I want this. I want you.”
“Then you shall have me.”
He kissed her again, and this time his mouth plundered in a sensual invasion that left her panting for more. Rafe’s fingertips stroked through her hair and down her back before he stepped away for what she knew had to be only seconds but felt like an eternity.
The sound of tearing foil brought the realization he’d had the presence of mind to remember protection when she hadn’t. She’d been so absorbed in the man and the moment that everything else had ceased to matter. Oblivion, no matter how pleasurable, wasn’t a place she could afford to go right now. Letting her guard down so completely meant jeopardizing Rafe’s safety. She needed to put a stop to this now.
Before she could give voice to her change of heart and put a halt to their lovemaking, his mouth rejoined hers and his clever tongue pushed all coherent thoughts aside. His hands fondled her breasts and then slipped between her thighs to tease her slick folds.
She was panting now, awash in sensation, communicating her desire in little needy breaths. His fingers slipped into her center and she shattered around him. And then he was there at the part of her where she wanted him most, and it felt like she was whole again. Thrilling in his possession, she urged him deeper.
Caught in his sensual undertow, Lauren let her
self be drawn under, reveling in his every move. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, and then they were both spiraling over the edge.
“This changes nothing,” she whispered as he held her in his arms in the aftermath. But even as she spoke the words, she knew they were a lie. What they’d just shared changed everything.
Chapter Nine
Lauren awoke to bright rays of sunlight streaming into the bedroom, dismayed to find she’d overslept. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise considering the scant amount of rest she’d gotten last night. A delicious tingle coursed through her at the memory of how she’d spent the hours between dusk and dawn, and she turned to find the man responsible for her current sleep-deprived state.
He wasn’t there. Disappointment burned a hole in her heart until she spotted a note on the nightstand, scrawled in Rafe’s definitive, masculine pen strokes. A.M. meeting before spending the day with Chuck and the other bidders. Looking forward to tonight.
She remembered his early appointment with Chuck, now. And while Rafe was busy wheeling and dealing, she’d promised to do her wifely duty and go along with the girls on their spa trip.
Oh well, how bad could it be? The dash of cattiness Melanie would undoubtedly add to the outing was a small price to pay in exchange for a little relaxation and pampering. Her heart suddenly lighter, she headed for the shower.
The plans for the day dictated casually chic attire, so she donned her favorite jeans, pairing them with a black satin blouse. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she added diamond studs to her ears. She finished off with the barest touch of makeup and a coat of lip gloss before heading downstairs in search of breakfast.
Catching a whiff of freshly brewed coffee, she followed the wonderful aroma to the dining room. Eagerly pouring a cup, she added sugar and a generous amount of cream.
Trina, a lovely young woman she’d met at dinner last night, greeted her with a smile. “Good morning, Lauren. Boy, do I ever need coffee.”