by Sarah Morgan
‘Does this conversation have a point?’
‘I’m just telling you more about me.’
‘I don’t need to know more about you. I already know all I need to know.’
‘So you’re a man who doesn’t believe in love? I bet as far as you’re concerned it’s a myth right up there with the Minotaur and the legend of Atlantis.’
‘You should definitely stop talking.’ Stefan removed his bow tie with an impatient flick of his long fingers. ‘Go into the bathroom and turn the shower to cold. It might help you. It would definitely help me.’
She rolled onto her stomach and leaned her chin in her palm. ‘Do you know what this room needs? Scented candles. Studies have shown that nine out of ten men are more likely to get laid if there is a scented candle in the room.’
His mouth tightened. ‘You know nothing about getting laid.’
‘I’m doing my best but you’re not being very accommodating.’ Trying to distract herself from the spinning, Selene beckoned to him. ‘Kiss me. And this time don’t stop.’
He stilled, his eyes a dark, dangerous black. ‘You are playing with fire.’
‘I’d so much rather be playing with you...’ Registering the exasperation on his face, she giggled. ‘For a sophisticated man of the world with a shocking reputation, you’re very restrained.’
‘A drunk woman telling me she wants love tends to do that to me.’ Unbelievably tense, Stefan dropped his tie onto a vacant chair and undid the top button of his shirt, his eyes never leaving her face.
‘I am definitely not drunk and I absolutely don’t want love from you. I just want sex,’ Selene said firmly. ‘Really steamy sex. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I won’t hurt you. And you can walk away afterwards and neither of us will mention it again. It will be our little secret.’
The atmosphere shifted in an instant. For a moment she thought he was going to walk out of the room but instead he stared at her for a long time, as if he were making a decision about something.
Just when she’d given up on him taking it any further, he walked towards her with a purposeful stride.
As he approached her tummy tumbled and she felt a wild flicker of delicious, terrifying anticipation.
Her eyes collided with his and she struggled to sit up. ‘Say something—’
‘You’ve said more than enough already. It’s time to stop talking.’ His tone raw, he undid the buttons on his shirt with sure, strong fingers and her mouth dried.
Her stunned gaze rested on his wide shoulders and slid slowly down to his flat abdomen.
‘I—I—’
‘You issued an invitation, Selene. I’m here to take it up.’
As her eyes fixed on his he shrugged the shirt off his shoulders revealing a bare, bronzed torso that would have been the pride of any gladiator.
‘That’s what you want, isn’t it?’
Still looking at her, he reached for the button at the top of his trousers...
CHAPTER FIVE
STEFAN lay with his hands hooked behind his head, watching as dawn sent beams of light across the bedroom. He could see a tiny bird dipping itself in the pool, playing innocently, blissfully unaware of the possibility of danger.
It reminded him of Selene.
Next to him, she stirred. With a moan, she flung her arm over her eyes. ‘Turn the light off. Ugh—how can you be so thoughtless? It’s giving me a headache.’
He turned his head to look at her, remembering how frank and open she’d been. He was starting to understand why her father was so overprotective. She was a sitting duck for any unscrupulous individual that happened to come along.
And now she was lying in his bed.
His bed. In his house, where no woman had stayed the night before. The house he’d built from nothing after Stavros Antaxos had ripped everything from his family.
Now he lay in silk sheets, but he never forgot how it had felt to lie on the cold, hard ground with the smell of rotting food in his nostrils. He never forgot the pain of seeing someone he loved laughing with someone he hated.
Stefan reached out and pushed her tangled blonde hair away from her face, remembering how open she’d been with him. It was the champagne, of course. ‘It’s called the sun. It’s morning and your headache has nothing to do with the light.’
She peeled her eyelids open gingerly. For a moment she stared at him, as if trying to work something out. Those eyes slid from his bare shoulders to his abdomen and lower to—
‘You’re naked?’ She shot up in bed and then groaned and immediately flopped back down again. ‘Oh, my God, that hurts.’
There was something hopelessly endearing about her lack of sophistication. ‘Yes, I’m naked. And so are you. That generally happens when two people spend the night together.’ He waited for his words to sink in. Watched as her eyes widened and a faint colour touched her pale cheeks.
There would be regret, he knew. She would shoot out of his bed, accuse him of taking advantage of her and that would be the end of that. Except he would have taught her a lesson life hadn’t yet taught her. To be cautious of people.
Next time she’d be more careful.
Next time she wouldn’t drink so much with a man she didn’t know—especially a man with his reputation.
Next time she’d know better than to trust someone like him.
‘You undressed me and I don’t even remember it.’ Her voice was muffled by the pillow. ‘I bet that was fun for you. I don’t feel too good. Could I have a drink, please?’
‘More champagne? That was your favourite drink last night.’
The sound from her throat was a whimper. ‘No, not champagne. I’m never drinking again. It hurts so much. Why didn’t anyone tell me it hurts afterwards? Water. Is there any water? A glass from the pool will do. I don’t care. Anything as long as it isn’t champagne.’
Stefan reached out a hand for the phone and spoke to someone in the kitchen, all the time aware of Selene burrowed into the pillow next to him like a very vulnerable, very sleepy kitten. She was adorable.
He frowned slightly, realising it wasn’t an adjective he’d had cause to use before.
The sheet had slipped. He stared at the smooth skin of her shoulder, knowing that no other man had enjoyed the view he was enjoying now. Unable to help himself, he reached out and ran his hand down the length of her arm, feeling her tremble. But still she stayed in his bed. Even though the alcohol had to have worked its way out of her system, she wasn’t showing any more caution than she had the night before.
Tenser than he could ever remember being, Stefan sprang from the bed and grabbed boxer shorts and jeans. ‘My advice would be to go and take a long, cold shower.’
‘That sounds like a truly horrible idea.’ Selene winced as he pulled up his zip. ‘Could you try and be a bit quieter? The noise is killing my head.’
And still she lay there. In his bed. In his home. Trusting him.
His fury with her father growing with every passing minute, Stefan dragged open the door of his bedroom suite, removed the tray from his staff with a nod of thanks and kicked the door shut.
Unaccustomed to playing the role of nurse, he poured iced water into a glass and handed it to her.
Run, part of him screamed. Get out of here while you can.
Still half under the covers, Selene eyed it doubtfully. ‘I’m not sure if I’m thirsty after all. My stomach isn’t happy.’
‘You’re dehydrated. You need fluid. And then you need food.’
‘How can you mention food at a time like this?’
After a moment’s hesitation, he sat down on the bed next to her and scooped her up, keeping his arm around her bare shoulders. Trying to ignore the softness of her flesh beneath his fingers, he lifted the glass to her lips. ‘Drink. You’ll f
eel better.’ At least one of them would. He should never have brought her back here. It had been an appalling error of judgement on his part.
‘I feel hideous. And I hate you for being so full of energy first thing in the morning.’ Instead of taking the glass from him, she curled her fingers over his and took a few sips. ‘Thank you. You’re so kind.’
Kind.
The word jarred against his thoughts.
He felt a rush of exasperation. Somehow he had to kill this impression she had of him as some sort of god. ‘You’re naked in my bed and you remember nothing of last night.’
‘I know. I’m furious.’
Stefan relaxed slightly. This was better. ‘Good. You should be furious with me for taking advantage of you.’
‘Oh, I’m not furious with you. I’m furious with myself. You kept telling me not to drink. I drank. My fault. How could I be furious with you? You’ve been amazing.’
‘I was the one who stripped you naked.’
‘It would have been horribly uncomfortable sleeping in that dress, so I’m grateful to you.’
He’d spent his life shattering women’s illusions without trying and now, when he wanted to, he didn’t seem able to manage it. Stefan shifted tack. ‘It was a very exciting night. I am now familiar with every delicious inch of your body, and you,’ he murmured, ‘are familiar with every inch of mine.’
Still with her hands locked around his, Selene took a tiny sip of water. ‘Really?’
‘Really. You were so responsive. Unbelievably bold for someone with so little experience. When you suggested I tie you up, I admit I was surprised. I didn’t think someone as innocent as you would be prepared to give a man that much power.’ He’d expected shock. He hadn’t expected a smile.
‘I trust you. Whatever you want to do will always be fine with me.’ Her simple declaration raised his tension levels several notches. Heat exploded through his body.
‘Theé mou, I thought you were so trusting because you were drunk, but apparently not. What does it take to get you to show caution?’
‘I can be cautious when I have to be. I just don’t feel the need when I’m with you.’
‘You should be angry.’
‘I am angry. Angry with myself for ruining a really special night. You warned me to stop drinking and I didn’t listen. You could have left me in a heap on the beach for anyone to take advantage of.’
Stefan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘I took advantage of you.’
‘No, you didn’t. And I’m the one who should be apologising to you for flirting and then collapsing unconscious. Hardly responsible behaviour. You were thoughtful and protective and you lay in bed all night wide awake, frustrated and determined not to touch me because that would have gone against your moral code.’
Why was it that her response was never what he expected? ‘Selene, I don’t have a moral code.’
‘If that’s true then why didn’t we have sex?’
‘What makes you so sure that we didn’t?’
‘I may be inexperienced but I’m not stupid. I’d know if I’d had sex. And you wouldn’t have done that. Not like that. Not with me. You protected me.’
Her voice husky, she turned her head to look at him and that look contained everything he’d avoided all his life. Depth. He’d always run from it because it led to something he absolutely didn’t want. Not ever. He’d seen what that did. Seen lives ripped apart because of it.
‘Stop turning me into a hero.’
‘You could have taken advantage of me, but you didn’t. You could have left me on the beach, but you didn’t. You put me safely to bed where no harm could come to me.’
‘My bed.’
‘Where you didn’t touch me.’
The rawness of the attraction was shocking. It pulled at the edges of his control, dragging him downwards. He no longer knew who he was protecting—himself or her.
‘I was doing you a favour.’
‘But you never do people favours, so that makes me feel even more special.’ There was a brief pause and then she gave him a soft look that almost finished him. ‘You’re right. I should take that shower. It will wake me up and make me feel more human.’ Her fingers uncurled from his and she slid from the bed, stood for a moment as if she were getting her balance and then walked towards the bathroom.
Naked.
Deciding that selflessness was definitely an overrated quality, Stefan was torn between a desire to flatten her back to the bed or throw a sheet over her. ‘You should cover up.’
‘What would be the point of that? You were the one who undressed me. You’ve already seen everything there is to see.’
* * *
She stood under the shower, feeling the cool water wash over her.
The drink and the tablets had cleared her head and reduced the pain to a dull ache. What couldn’t be so easily erased was the knowledge she’d messed up what should have been the best night of her life so far. She almost wished he’d lived up to his reputation because then she wouldn’t have been standing here bathed in regret.
Switching off the shower, she groped for the towel she’d put out for herself and instead encountered hard male muscle.
Swiping water from her eyes, she opened them. What she saw made her breath catch.
There was nothing tame there. Nothing gentle. Just raw male sexuality.
And he was naked, too.
‘Maybe you should have locked the door, Selene.’
His silky voice made her stomach flip. ‘Maybe I didn’t see the need.’
‘No?’ He slid his hand behind her neck, his eyes locked on hers as he drew her head towards him. ‘You need to develop a keener sense of self-preservation.’
‘I can protect myself when I have to.’ And she’d had to on so many occasions she didn’t want to think about it. That had been her old life, and this was her new one. And because she didn’t intend to screw her new life up a second time, she placed her hands on his chest.
His skin was warm. His muscles hard and smooth. The difference between her body and his fascinated her, and she explored him with her fingers and then pressed her mouth to his chest and heard his sharply indrawn breath.
‘Are you afraid?’ His voice was rough and she lifted her head.
‘Excited, maybe a little nervous, but never afraid. Not of you.’
‘And if I say that you should be?’
‘I wouldn’t listen. I make up my own mind. I trust myself.’
He smoothed her wet hair away from her face. ‘Your hair is spectacular. You remind me of a mermaid.’
‘You’ve met a lot of mermaids?’
‘You’re the first.’ He lowered his head slowly, his mouth hovering just above hers. ‘And I’ll be your first so if you don’t want this you’d better speak now.’
Her heart was pounding. ‘I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.’
‘I do not come with a happy ending attached.’ He spoke the words against her mouth, his fingers locked in her hair. ‘There’s a strong chance I’ll make you cry.’
‘I only cry when I’m happy. Don’t worry, you’re off the hook. I take full responsibility. This is my decision.’ She felt the warmth of his hand at the base of her bare back as he drew her against him. Felt the hardness of his body against hers and closed her eyes, because she’d imagined it for so long in so many different ways but even her dreams had never felt as perfect as this.
‘I might hurt you.’
‘You could never hurt me.’
The hand on her back was now resting on the curve of her hip. ‘I’m terrible at relationships.’
‘I know. I don’t want a relationship.’ But she wanted him and the fact that he was still protecting her made her want him even more. ‘I have a whole n
ew exciting life ahead of me and nothing is going to get in the way.’
‘You’re crazy to do this—you know that, don’t you? You should be slapping my face.’
‘Stefan, please.’ She gripped his biceps. ‘I want this. I want you. I always have.’ He’d been her dream for so long, her lifeline, the one thing that had kept her going when she’d lain awake at night thinking how much she hated her life.
Something in her voice must have convinced him because he scooped her off her feet and carried her back to the bedroom.
The early morning sun beamed approval as he lowered her onto the bed.
Selene didn’t care that it was daylight. Daylight meant that she could see him. All of him. Trembling with anticipation, she slid her arms around his neck, drawing him down to her. His hand locked in her hair.
‘We’re taking this slowly.’
‘I don’t want slowly.’
‘I’ll tie you up if I have to.’
‘Then tie me up. Do it.’
His eyes darkened. ‘You shouldn’t say things like that.’
‘Only to you.’
‘You’re far, far too trusting.’ Something flickered in his eyes, the suggestion of a frown mingling with the blaze of raw desire.
If he changed his mind she’d die.
‘Stefan—’ Her hands slid down his body and she heard the sharp intake of his breath as she closed her hand around that part of him that was new to her. She felt silk over steel, experimented with the lightest of touches and heard him groan deep in his throat. The sudden switch of power was as intoxicating as the feel of him. The heady, extravagant excitement triggered by the fact that this man, this gorgeous indecently sexy man, wanted her as much as she wanted him was enough to wipe everything from her head except the moment.
Later she’d think of the future but not now, because right now her dream was finally reality.
‘You have to slow down,’ Stefan said in a thickened tone, closing his hand over hers to stop her. ‘You’ve never done this before.’