by Sarah Morgan
But it didn’t come.
After a brief hesitation his fingers tightened on hers, locking her against him.
‘Who lived there, Zander?’
She thought he wasn’t going to answer her and then he inhaled sharply, his eyes fixed on the house. ‘My grandmother. She lived here all her life.’
‘The house belonged to her?’
‘The whole island belonged to my father, but he lost it in a divorce settlement,’ Zander said harshly, and then he turned and started walking back along the path without uttering another word.
The fact that he kept an almost painful grip on her hand gave her a flicker of hope. At this moment in time he needed her, and for something other than sex. The fact that he’d shared even a tiny bit of what was in his mind felt like an enormous step forward. She felt as though she’d managed to open the door to his mind just a crack and been rewarded with a tantalising peep of what lay inside.
Why had they never once discussed his background before? Why had he kept so much of himself a secret from her?
It occurred to her that she’d never really known him at all.
‘Did your grandmother lose her home?’
He slowed his pace and shook his head, his expression bleak. ‘She would have done, but in the event she died before she was forced to move out.’
Lauranne stopped dead, shocked and distressed by his bald statement. ‘No!’
‘She was devastated that my father had lost the island.’ Zander stared at the sea, his eyes fierce. ‘She was very elderly and she never got over the shock.’
Lauranne tried to imagine what it must be like to lose the home that you’d lived in all your life.
‘That’s terrible—’
‘I was staying with her when she died. I found her.’ His tone was matter-of-fact but Lauranne still had her hand in his and she felt the sudden painful tightening of his fingers on hers. ‘I was nine years old.’
Without thinking, Lauranne stepped forward and slid both her arms around him, feeling his pain so acutely that the tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks. ‘That’s so awful—’
His mouth twisted but his arms tightened around her. ‘What was awful was losing the only person who actually bothered about me,’ he confessed. ‘And she was so angry with my father. The night before she died she made me promise that I’d get the island back.’
Lauranne closed her eyes, finally understanding what this was all about.
He was fulfilling his promise.
The promise of a nine-year-old boy to his beloved grandmother.
The knowledge choked her. ‘So has Kouropoulos always owned it?’
Zander shrugged. ‘Virtually. It was sold to him by wife number three. He’s owned it for twenty-six years and up until now he’s always refused to sell.’
‘So what makes you think he’ll sell now?’
‘He’s in financial difficulty.’ Zander frowned. ‘To be honest I’m mystified as to why he hasn’t sold sooner.’
‘Does he know why you want it?’
Zander shrugged. ‘I have no idea.’
‘Your father must have been devastated to lose it.’
‘He had bigger problems to worry about. His entire company was going under,’ Zander said. ‘When he died the company was in a mess.’
Lauranne looked at him. ‘It must have been so hard for you.’
‘I was thrown in the deep end,’ Zander admitted, his handsome face blank of expression. ‘The company had been struggling for the best part of a decade. There were thousands of employees relying on me for jobs. My entire focus was on turning the company around as fast as possible.’
He obviously felt an enormous sense of responsibility for his employees and she frowned slightly, remembering how everyone had sung his praises during the interviews she’d arranged with the media.
Without exception, the people who worked for him seemed to think he was a very good boss.
‘And you did turn it around.’ And he’d done it at a ridiculously young age. ‘How did you do it? How did you build the company into what it is today?’
‘By being ruthless, cold and unemotional, agape mou.’ His eyes gleamed as he quoted her again and she gave a rueful smile, fascinated and warmed by the new insight into his character.
He wasn’t unemotional. She knew that now. In fact she’d seen more emotion in him during the past hour than in all the rest of the time they’d been together. There was no doubting his fierce love for his grandmother, the hurt caused by his father and his loyalty towards those who worked for him. He certainly wasn’t unemotional and if he’d been cold and ruthless then maybe it had been because he’d had so much responsibility thrust on him at a young age. With no support from family.
‘When your mother left, who did you live with?’
He gave a humourless laugh. ‘The next wife. And you should probably feel sorry for them rather than me,’ he drawled, lifting a hand to ward off sympathy. ‘I was the child from hell. I think I was personally responsible for wife number four leaving.’
‘No child would have been able to do that if she’d truly loved your father.’ She hesitated. ‘Your childhood must have been very lonely. Is that the reason you give so much money to children’s charities?’
‘My childhood was fine.’ His tone was slightly chilly, discouraging any further exploration down that route. ‘I learned at an early age to rely on no one but myself and that has been the best business lesson of all.’
Lauranne bit her lip.
It might have benefited his business, but it had done nothing for his ability to trust women.
He really, really didn’t believe in love and she was beginning to understand why.
* * *
What the hell was the matter with him?
Zander ground his teeth in irritation. He never spilled his guts to anyone, and here he was talking to Lauranne about subjects that he had never discussed with another living soul.
The touch of her fingers on his arm and the sympathy in her blue eyes had eroded the emotional barriers he’d built between himself and the world.
Stunned by his own uncharacteristic behaviour, he ignored the concerned look in her eyes and strode ahead towards the crowded beach, trying to drag his mind back to a state that he recognised.
What was it that she did to him?
Why did he always behave in a manner that was totally out of character whenever he was near her?
Lauranne flashed him a smile and lifted her face to the sun. ‘Fancy a paddle before dinner?’
‘A paddle?’ Thrown by the change of subject, he threw back his head and laughed, some of the tension leaving him. ‘You sound about six years old.’
Only she didn’t look six years old.
She was a full woman and keeping his hands off her was becoming more difficult by the minute.
‘Maybe, but everyone should behave like a child once in a while,’ Lauranne told him, slipping off her shoes and running towards the water shrieking with laughter as he grabbed her from behind and almost toppled her in. ‘You rat!’
He swung her into his arms, a wicked expression in his eyes. ‘What will you give me not to drop you?’
‘I’ll give you a black eye if you do drop me.’ Her arms were round his neck and he held her easily. ‘Try explaining that to Theo Kouropoulos.’
He waded slightly deeper. ‘I’m beginning to wish that Theo Kouropoulos and his whole damn resort would just vanish,’ he muttered, his Greek accent suddenly very pronounced. ‘I want to make love to you on a beach and I would far rather we didn’t have an audience.’
He felt her tremble in his arms. ‘Do you remember the Caribbean?’
He gave a groan and shot her a reproachful look. ‘You ask me that here? In such a public place? Have you no mercy?’
‘It was just you and me,’ she said softly, her tongue flicking out to moisten her lips, ‘with the dark as curtains and the swish of the sea on the sand.’
He mutter
ed something in Greek and dropped her in the water.
With a yelp of laughter she landed on her feet, clutching at his shirt. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Cooling us both down.’ He shot her a sizzling smile and splashed water in her direction.
‘Zander! Stop it!’
‘I thought you wanted to behave like a child.’
She was still laughing as she wiped the sea water from her eyes, but as she met the burn of his dark gaze there was nothing of the child in her eyes.
Before she could speak, he grabbed her wrist in his fingers and virtually dragged her through the water and back to the sand, pausing briefly to pick up their shoes before striding purposefully back towards their villa.
* * *
Lauranne shot him a glance and her heart turned over as she read the blatant intent in his eyes.
Inside the villa he kicked the door shut behind him and brought his mouth down on hers with a ferocity that made her gasp in ecstasy.
Without a second’s hesitation he relieved her of her dress and dealt with her silk panties with similar speed.
Breathing heavily, their mouths clashed again in a wild, frantic kiss, tongues tangling, breath mingling as they attacked each other with the passion that characterised their whole relationship.
With a swift movement he kicked off his own shorts and lowered her to the floor.
She gasped as the cool marble touched her skin and then cried out as she felt his fingers slide between her thighs.
‘Zander—’
‘You’re so wet for me already,’ he said thickly, shifting her under him and entering her with a hard thrust that made her sob with pleasure. He plunged into her with an expert rhythm, the slick, heated glide of his flesh inside and against hers driving her skywards.
It was so fast and intense that when it was over Lauranne lay in shock, unable to believe what she’d just done.
Zander obviously felt the same way.
‘Remind me to tell Kouropoulos that he needs to redesign these villas,’ he groaned, wincing as he rolled onto his back. ‘Marble is not very comfortable.’
‘The bedroom was only a few metres away,’ she pointed out huskily and he pulled a face.
‘Too far. I wanted you on the beach. This was a compromise.’
As her breathing slowed she rolled to face him, ‘Are you injured? I could give you the kiss of life.’ She grinned mischievously and he groaned.
‘No, don’t touch me, you witch!’ He sprang to his feet and dragged her with him. ‘We’re going to spend the afternoon in the pool. Cold water should do the trick.’
Privately Lauranne thought it was going to take a great deal more than cold water to subdue the way she felt about him, but she was careful not to share those thoughts.
Instead she walked through to the bedroom, changed into a bikini, and met him by the pool.
‘This is gorgeous.’ The pool was a perfect oval of tempting blue, totally private and surrounded by colourful pots of geraniums. ‘Do all the villas have their own pools?’
Zander nodded. ‘I think so. Kouropoulos developed this bit of the island as an up-market resort for families. Each villa is state-of-the-art in terms of design and equipment. There are several private beaches, water sports and nannies to look after the children. Basically all the ingredients for a perfect family holiday.’
Lauranne sat on the edge of the pool and dipped her toes in the water. ‘Mmm. That feels so nice.’ Her smile faltered slightly as she glanced up and saw him stripping down to a pair of swimming trunks. Deciding that a swim was called for, she slid into the water and swam to the other side of the pool.
Zander dived in and caught up with her, crossing the pool in powerful strokes, his handsome face glistening with water as he surfaced next to her.
He dragged her against him and she felt the heat of his body contrasting with the cool of the water.
Hating herself for being so responsive to him, Lauranne placed a hand in the middle of his chest, trying to keep some distance between them. ‘Why do you think Kouropoulos invited you here and then vanished?’
Zander shrugged, his eyes on her mouth. ‘I really have no idea, and frankly I don’t care. I’m enjoying the rest.’
‘You haven’t had much rest yet,’ Lauranne teased and he gave her the sexiest smile she’d ever seen.
‘Want to go back to bed?’
‘No!’ Her hunger for him appalled her, but she knew that it was all linked with the way she felt about him. And it was becoming harder and harder not to tell him.
* * *
They dined on their terrace, overlooking the pool and the beach, drinking wine and talking until darkness fell and the pool was lit by tiny lights spaced around the private garden.
The atmosphere was perfect and Zander was astonishingly good company, making her laugh with his dry observations about his business competitors and making her think and argue as he expressed his views on foreign affairs.
Enjoying herself hugely, Lauranne remembered just why she’d fallen so heavily under his spell five years earlier.
As well as being sophisticated, he was also well educated and astonishingly well informed about virtually everything. It was hardly surprising that her head had been turned.
And now, at last, she understood something of the life he’d had. The childhood that had made him the man he was now.
When they’d drunk the last of the wine and eaten the last of the food he took her hand and led her to the bedroom, stripping her clothes off with hands that were both gentle and urgent, his mouth seeking hers in the darkness.
After that, each day followed the same pattern.
They rose late, had breakfast by the pool and then explored the island by boat or on foot until it became too hot. Then they retreated to the villa and made love until Lauranne was exhausted.
By contrast, Zander never seemed tired. His stamina was awesome and on several occasions he chose to work on his laptop while Lauranne dozed on the huge bed. But the fact that he didn’t leave her side, even when he was working, was intensely flattering.
It was almost as if he couldn’t bear to be apart from her even for a moment, but that was ridiculous, of course. Zander was the most independent person she knew and he certainly didn’t find her that irresistible.
It was probably the only place in the villa with a suitable plug, she thought practically, trying not to read anything into his behaviour.
‘Don’t you need sleep?’ she asked him one day as she lay wrapped in a sheet, so totally wiped out by the intensity of his lovemaking that she didn’t think she’d ever be able to move again.
He flashed her a sizzling smile. ‘Sex with you energises me, agape mou,’ he confessed ruefully, leaning down to drop a lingering kiss on her mouth before picking up his laptop. ‘And although I am here with you, unfortunately business does not stand still.’
‘You’re on holiday,’ she said sleepily, struggling to keep her eyes from closing.
‘It feels like a holiday,’ he agreed, a frown touching his brows as if the thought had only just occurred to him, ‘but it’s supposed to be a business trip.’
The plump, perfect happiness oozed out of her.
Wrapped up in the fabulous atmosphere and his company, it actually felt more like a honeymoon, but he was right, of course. It was a business trip. And he’d brought her here for business reasons.
And on their fifth day, those business reasons were suddenly very much in evidence.
‘That was Kouropoulos.’ Zander tossed his phone onto the bed and reached for his shirt. ‘He’s back. He wants us to meet him and a member of his board for dinner tonight.’
‘Oh.’ So that was that, Lauranne thought bleakly.
‘What’s the matter?’ Zander pulled the shirt on, his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. ‘You look as though you just lost your best friend.’
‘I’ve enjoyed it being just the two of us,’ she said simply, her smile faltering at the sudden frown in his e
yes.
Oh, help. Maybe she shouldn’t have admitted that. Maybe—
‘I’ve enjoyed it too,’ Zander said gruffly, frowning as if the thought had only just occurred to him. ‘But it isn’t over yet. After dinner we’ll be coming back here again so that I can ravish you.’
But despite his teasing words, he seemed different since the call. For the past few days he’d relaxed. Seemed younger and more carefree. But now the international businessman was back.
And the honeymoon was over.
* * *
It was early evening when she glanced at her watch and realised that they should be getting ready. They were by the pool, Zander lying on a lounger next to her, engrossed in the business section of a paper, cool and relaxed.
She leaned over and dropped a kiss on his shoulder, closing her eyes as she breathed in his masculine scent. ‘We should get dressed. We’re expected for drinks on the terrace in half an hour.’
Zander tossed the newspaper to one side and sprang to his feet in an athletic movement, pulling her up after him. ‘Wear something that covers everything. It’s the only way I’ll be able to keep my hands off you and I don’t want to shock Kouropoulos.’
Lauranne gave a wistful smile. It was flattering that he wanted her so much, but a tiny part of her still desperately wished that it was more than just sex.
In the five days they’d been together they’d spent most of the time in bed, locked in the most passionate sex she’d ever experienced.
And when they were at their most intimate, she was finding it harder and harder not to tell him that she loved him.
Sooner or later the issue of a divorce was going to come up again, but she wasn’t allowing herself to think about that now.
She was living for the present. Enjoying every minute while she could.
‘You use the shower.’ He took his mobile from his pocket and strolled towards the bedroom. ‘I have some calls to make.’
Thinking that it would be nice if he weren’t quite so easily distracted by work, Lauranne made her way to the bathroom and showered.