Playing by the Greek's Rules

by Sarah Morgan

  He stopped toe to toe with her, slid his hand into her hair and tilted her face to his. ‘You’ve never had angry sex?’

  ‘Of course not! Until you, I’ve only ever had “in love” sex. Angry sex sounds horrible. Sex should be loving and gentle. Who on earth would want to—?’ Her words died as he silenced her with his mouth.

  He cupped her face, feeling the softness of her skin beneath his fingers and the frantic beat of her pulse. He took her mouth with a hunger bordering on aggression and felt her melt against him. Her arms sneaked round his neck and he explored the sweet heat of her mouth, so aroused he was ready to rip off her dress and play out any one of the explicit scenarios running through his brain.

  He had no idea what it was about her that attracted him so much, but right now he wouldn’t have cared if she was holding an armful of babies and singing the wedding march, he still would have wanted to get her naked.

  Without lifting his mouth from hers, he hauled her dress up to her waist and slid his fingers inside the lace of her panties. He heard her moan, felt her slippery hot and ready for him, and then her hands were on his zip, fumbling as she tried desperately to free him. As her cool fingers closed around him his mind blanked. He powered her back against the wall, slid his hands under her thighs and lifted her easily, wrapping her legs around his hips.

  ‘Nik—’ She sobbed his name against his mouth, dug her nails into his shoulders and he anchored her writhing hips with his hands and thrust deep. Gripped by tight, velvet softness, he felt his vision blur. Control was so far from his reach he abandoned hope of ever meeting up again and simply surrendered to the out-of-control desire that seemed to happen whenever he was near this woman.

  He withdrew and thrust again, bringing thick waves of pleasure cascading down on both of them. From that moment on there was nothing but the wildness of it. He felt her nails digging into his shoulders and the frantic shifting of her hips. He tried to slow things down, to still those sensuous movements, but they were both out of control and he felt the first powerful ripples of her body clenching his shaft.

  ‘Cristo—’ He gave a deep, throaty groan and tried to hold back but there was no holding back and he surrendered to a raw explosive climax that wiped his mind of everything except this woman.

  It was only when he lowered her unsteadily to the floor that he realised he was still dressed.

  He couldn’t remember when he’d last had sex fully clothed.

  Usually he had more finesse, but finesse hadn’t been invited to this party.

  He felt her sway slightly and curved a protective arm around her, supporting her against him. His cheek was on her hair and he could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she struggled for air.

  Finally she locked her hand in the front of his shirt and lifted her head. Her mouth was softly swollen and pink from his kisses, her eyes dazed. ‘That was angry sex?’

  Nik was too stunned to answer and she gave a faint smile and gingerly let go of the front of his shirt, as if testing her ability to stand unsupported.

  ‘Angry sex is good. I don’t feel angry any more. You’ve taught me a whole new way of solving a row.’ She swayed like Bambi and he caught her before she could slide to the floor.

  ‘Theé mou, you are not going to use sex to solve a row.’ The thought of her doing with anyone else what she’d done with him sent his stress levels soaring.

  ‘You did. It worked. I’m not saying I like you, but all my adrenaline was channelled in a different direction so I’m feeling a lot calmer. My karma is calmer.’

  Nik was far from calm. ‘Lily—’

  ‘I know this whole thing is difficult for you,’ she said, ‘and you don’t need to make the situation more difficult by worrying about me falling in love with you. That is never going to happen. And next time your little sister is upset, don’t hand her to someone else. I know you don’t like tears, but I think you could make an exception for a distressed two-year-old. Man up.’

  Nik, who had never before in his life had his manhood questioned, struggled for a response. ‘She needed comfort and I have zero experience with babies.’ He spoke through his teeth. ‘My approach to all problems is to delegate tasks to whichever person has the superior qualifications—in this instance it was you. She liked you. She was calmer with you. With me, she cried.’

  She gave him a look that was blisteringly unsympathetic. ‘Every expert started as a beginner. Get over yourself. Next time, pick her up and learn how to comfort her. Who knows, one day you might even be able to extend those skills to grown-ups. If you didn’t find it so hard to communicate you might not have gone so long without seeing your father. He adores you, Nik, and he’s so proud of you. I know you didn’t like Callie, but couldn’t you have swallowed your dislike of her for the occasional visit? Would that really have been so hard?’

  Nik froze. ‘You know nothing about the situation.’ Unaccustomed to explaining his actions to anyone, he took a deep breath. ‘I did not stay away from my father because of my feelings about Callie.’

  ‘What then?’

  He was silent for a long moment because it was a topic he had never discussed with anyone. ‘I stayed away from him because of her feelings for me.’

  ‘That’s what I’m saying! Because the two of you didn’t get along, he suffered.’

  ‘Not because I didn’t like her. Because she liked me—a little too much.’ He spoke with raw emphasis and saw the moment her expression changed and understanding dawned. ‘That’s right. My stepmother took her desire to be “close” to me to disturbing extremes.’

  Lily’s expression moved through a spectrum encompassing confusion, disbelief and finally horror. ‘Oh, no, your poor father—does he know?’

  ‘I sincerely hope not. I stayed away to avoid there ever being any chance he would witness something that might cause him distress. Despite my personal views on Callie I did not wish to see his marriage ended and I certainly didn’t want to be considered the cause of it, because that would have created a rift that never would have healed.’

  ‘So you stayed away to prevent a rift between you, but it caused a rift anyway and he doesn’t even know the reason. Do you think you should have told him?’

  ‘I asked myself that question over and over again, but I decided not to.’ He hesitated. ‘She was unfaithful several times during their short marriage and my father knew. There was nothing to be gained by revealing the truth and I didn’t want to add to my father’s pain.’

  ‘Of course you didn’t.’ Lily’s eyes filled. ‘And all this time I was thinking it was because of your stubborn pride, because you didn’t like the woman and were determined to punish him. I was so wrong. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.’

  More unsettled by the tears than he was by her anger, Nik backed away. ‘Don’t cry. And there is nothing to forgive you for.’

  ‘I misjudged you. I leaped to conclusions and I try never to do that.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter.’

  ‘It does to me. You said that she had affairs—’ Her eyes widened. ‘Do you think that Chloe might not be—?’

  He tensed because it was a possibility that had crossed his mind. ‘I don’t know, but it makes no difference now. My father’s lawyers are taking steps to make sure it’s a legal adoption.’

  ‘But if she isn’t and your father ever finds out—’

  ‘It would make no difference to the way he feels about Chloe. Despite everything, I actually do believe she is my father’s child. For a start she has certain physical characteristics that are particular to my family, and then there is the fact that Callie did everything in her power to keep her from him.’

  ‘You really think she used her child as currency?’

  ‘Yes.’ Nik didn’t hesitate and he saw the distress in her eyes.

  ‘I think I dislike her almost as much a
s you do.’

  ‘I doubt that.’

  ‘I’m starting to see why you were worried about your father marrying again. Is Callie the reason you don’t believe love exists?’

  ‘No.’ His voice didn’t sound like his own. ‘I formed that conclusion long before Callie.’

  He waited for her to question him further but instead she leaned forward and hugged him tightly.

  Unaccustomed to any physical contact that wasn’t sexual, he tensed. ‘What’s that for?’

  ‘Because you were put in a hideous, horrible position with Callie and the only choice you had was to stay away from your father. I think you’re a very honourable person.’

  He breathed deeply. ‘Lily—’

  ‘And because you were let down by a woman at a very vulnerable age. But I know you don’t want to talk about that so I won’t mention it again. And now why don’t we go to bed and have apology sex? That’s one we haven’t tried before, but I’m willing to give it my all.’

  * * *

  Hours later they lay on top of the bed, wrapped around each other while the night breeze cooled their heated flesh.

  Lily thought he was asleep, but then he stirred and tightened his grip.

  ‘Thank you for helping with Chloe. You were very good with her.’

  ‘One day I’d love to have children of my own, but it isn’t something I usually admit to out loud. When people ask about your aspirations, they want to hear about your career. Wanting a family isn’t a valid life choice. And I’m happy and interested in my job, but I don’t want it to be all there is in my life.’

  ‘Why did you choose archaeology?’

  ‘I suppose I’m fascinated by the way people lived in the past. It tells us a lot about where we come from. Maybe it’s because I don’t know where I come from that it always interested me.’

  There was a long silence. ‘You know nothing about your mother?’

  ‘Very little. I like to think she loved me, but she wasn’t able to care for me. We assume she was a teenager. What I always wonder is why no one helped her. She obviously didn’t feel she could even tell anyone she was pregnant. I think about that more than anything and I feel horrible that there wasn’t anyone special in her life she could trust. She must have been so lonely and frightened.’

  ‘Have you tried to trace her?’

  ‘The police tried to trace her at the time but they had no success. They thought she was probably from somewhere outside London.’ It was something she hadn’t discussed with anyone before and she wondered why she was doing so now, with him. Maybe because he, too, had been abandoned by his mother, even though the circumstances were different. Or maybe because his honesty made him surprisingly easy to talk to. He didn’t sugar coat his views on life, nor did he lie. After the brutal shock of discovering how wrong she’d been about David Ashurst, it was a relief to be with someone who was exactly who he seemed to be. And although she’d accused Nik of arrogance, part of her could understand how watching her with Chloe might have unsettled him. That moment had highlighted their basic differences and the truth was that his extreme reaction to her ‘baby moment’ had been driven more by his reluctance to mislead her, than arrogance.

  It was obvious that his issues with love and marriage had been cemented early in life.

  What psychological damage had his mother caused when she’d walked out leaving her young son watching from the hallway?

  What message had that sent to him? That relationships didn’t last? If a mother could leave her child, what did that say to a young boy about the enduring quality of love?

  He’d been let down by the one person he should have been able to depend on, his childhood rocked by insecurity and lack of trust. Everything that had followed had cemented his belief that relationships were a transitory thing with no substance.

  ‘We’re not so different, you and I, Nik Zervakis.’ She spoke softly. ‘We’re each a product of our pasts, except that it sent us in different directions. You ceased to believe true love existed, whereas I was determined to find it. It’s why we’re both bad at relationships.’

  ‘I’m not bad at relationships.’

  ‘You don’t have relationships, Nik. You have sex.’

  ‘Sex is a type of relationship.’

  ‘Not really. It’s superficial.’

  ‘Why are we talking about me? Tell me why you think you’re bad at relationships.’

  ‘Because I care too much. I try too hard.’

  ‘You want the fairy tale.’

  ‘Not really. When you describe it that way it makes it sound silly and unachievable and I don’t think what I want is unrealistic.’

  ‘What do you want?’

  There was a faint splash from beyond the open doors as a tiny bird skimmed across the pool.

  ‘I want to be special to someone.’ She spoke softly, saying the words aloud for the first time in her life. ‘Not just special. I’m going to tell you something, and if you laugh you will be sorry—’

  ‘I promise not to laugh.’

  ‘I want to be someone’s favourite person.’

  There was a long silence and then his arms tightened. ‘I’m sure you’re special to a lot of people.’

  ‘Not really.’ She felt the hot sting of tears and was relieved it was dark. ‘My life has been like a car park. People come and go. No one stays around for long. I have friends. Good friends, but it’s not the same as being someone’s favourite person. I want to be someone’s dream come true. I want to be the person they call when they’re happy or sad. The one they want to wake up next to and grow old with.’ She wondered why she was telling him this, when his ambitions were diametrically opposed to hers. ‘You think I’m crazy.’

  ‘That isn’t what I think.’ His voice was husky and she turned her head to look at him but his features were indistinct in the darkness.

  ‘Thank you for listening.’ She felt sleep descend and suppressed a yawn. ‘I know you don’t think love exists, but I hope that one day you find a favourite person.’

  ‘In bed, you are definitely my favourite person. Does that count?’ He pulled the sheet up over her body, but didn’t release her. ‘Now get some sleep.’

  * * *

  The next couple of days passed in a whirl of social events. Helicopters and boats came and went, although tucked away on the far side of the idyllic island Lily was barely aware of the existence of other people. For her, it was all about Nik.

  There had been a subtle shift in their relationship, although she had a feeling that the shift was all on her side. Now, instead of believing him to be cold and aloof, she saw that he was guarded. Instead of controlling, she saw him as someone determined to be in charge of his own destiny.

  In between socialising, she lounged by the pool and spent time on the small private beach next to Camomile Villa.

  She loved swimming in the sea and more than once Nik had to extract her with minutes to spare before she was expected to accompany him to another lunch or dinner.

  He was absent a lot of the time and she was aware that he’d been spending that time with his father and, judging from the more harmonious atmosphere, that time had been well spent.

  After that first awkward lunch, he’d stopped firing questions at Diandra and if he wasn’t completely warm in his interactions with her, he was at least civil.

  To avoid the madness of the wedding preparations, Nik was determined to show Lily the island.

  The day before the wedding he pulled her from bed just before sunrise.

  ‘What time do you call this?’ Sleepy and fuzzy-headed after a night that had consisted of more sex than sleep, she grumbled her way to the bathroom and whimpered a protest when he thrust her under cold water. ‘You’re a sadist.’

  ‘You are going to thank me. Wear sturdy shoe
s.’

  ‘The Prince never said that to Cinderella and I am never going to thank you for anything.’ But she dragged on her shorts and a pair of running shoes, smothering a yawn as she followed him out of the villa. She stopped when she saw the vintage Vespa by the gates. ‘I hate to be the one to tell you this but something weird happened to your limo overnight.’

  ‘When I was a teenager this was my favourite way of getting round the island.’ He swung his leg over the bike with fluid predatory grace and she laughed.

  ‘You are too tall for this thing.’ But her heart gave a little bump as she slid behind him and wrapped her arms round hard male muscle. ‘Shouldn’t I have a helmet or a seat belt or something?’

  ‘Hold onto me.’

  They wound their way along dusty roads, past rocky coves and beautiful beaches and up to the crumbling ruins of the Venetian fort where they abandoned the scooter and walked the rest of the way. He took her hand and they scrambled to the top as dawn was breaking.

  The view was breathtaking, and she sat next to him, her thigh brushing his as they watched the sun slowly wake and stretch out fingers of dazzling light across the surface of the sea.

  ‘I could live here,’ she said simply. ‘There’s something about the light, the warmth, the people—London seems so grey in comparison. I can’t believe you grew up here. You’re so lucky. Not that you know that of course—you take it all for granted.’

  ‘Not all.’

  He’d brought a flask of strong Greek coffee and some of the sweet pastries she adored and she nibbled the corner and licked her fingers.

  ‘I don’t believe you made those.’

  ‘Diandra made both the coffee and the pastries.’

  ‘Diandra.’ She grinned and nudged him with her shoulder. ‘Confess. You’re starting to like her.’

  ‘She is an excellent cook.’