by Jennie Lucas
“Oriste.” Agata was suddenly standing next to him. She held out a small towel.
Talos took it. “Efkharisto.”
“You’re wasting your time with her,” she said quietly, nodding toward Eve. “You’re going to get hurt.”
“You’re wrong.” Talos wiped the blood off his hand with the towel. The cuts weren’t deep. “She can’t hurt me.”
But he knew he was lying. Eve had cut him to the bone long ago.
He watched her across the room, dancing with her eyes closed, her arms swaying over her head. His lust for Eve cut far deeper than any blade. Like every other man in the room, he wanted her so badly that every nerve in his body vibrated with her music. And after three months of constant longing, an increasingly frustrated desire had left him frayed like fabric, falling apart at the edges.
After being so close to her, courting her, of having her in his bed but not being able to touch her, he was going mad. Lust for her was killing him.
He’d been so certain that coming to the party tonight would cause Eve to regain her memory and return to the cruel, grasping seductress he remembered. And she had—but in a way he’d never expected.
She was taunting him.
Watching her move and sway, he swallowed his lust, his whole body in a hot sweat. As the song ended, Talos felt, rather than heard, the low deep growl of every man in the place wanting Eve. Felt the press of male footsteps and bodies leaning toward her.
As if coming out of a trance, Eve slowly opened her eyes.
Talos saw Jake Skinner reach for her as the dance ended. Reaching with his hands, with his hungry eyes, with his mouth—
Suddenly, Talos found himself across the room and in the middle of the dance floor.
He pushed his rival aside.
“Stay—away—from—my—wife!”
He drew back in shock. “Your wife?” Skinner gasped. He backed away, his face turning white. “You’re married?”
Eve just tilted her head quizzically. “As a matter of fact, we are.” She tossed Talos a look through narrowed eyes. “I didn’t know you cared.”
“I care,” he ground out. Tightening his jaw, Talos looked at his American rival. Every muscle was taut with the control it took not to attack the other man. “Stay away from my wife,” he said again in a low voice.
Skinner looked between them quickly. What he saw in Talos’s face must have convinced him, because he turned and ran, pushing his way past the party guests, nearly knocking over their hostess in his haste.
Talos felt the eyes of the whole room upon them. So much for telling Agata that he wouldn’t make a scene.
“Happy birthday,” he told Agata abruptly. “Thanks for the party.”
Lacing his fingers through Eve’s, he escorted her out of the building. Only when they were on the sidewalk and the cooling night air hit their skin, did he turn to her.
“You little fool,” he bit out. “What were you thinking with that little show?”
But she clearly wasn’t going to let him railroad her.
“Isn’t that what you wanted?” she retorted furiously, tossing her head. “Isn’t this who you want me to be?” She blinked back sudden tears. “And you think just because you don’t want me, you can pass me off to your friends—”
He pushed toward her, backing her into the darkness of the rough, rubbish-strewn alley.
“You think I don’t want you?” he said dangerously.
When her heels hit the stone wall, she stopped, lifting her chin. Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight as she matched him toe-to-toe, holding her ground.
“I think you’re a liar,” she said hoarsely. “You lured me into marrying you under false pretenses, and now you want to punish me for some reason. I don’t know why, but I was a fool to trust your words, your lying kisses. I can’t believe I ever let you touch me. I never will again—”
He cut her off with a kiss, pushing her back against the rough stone, holding her wrists like shackles against the wall. He spread her lips wide, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth, deepening the kiss until she sagged in his arms. Until she started to kiss him back.
The moment he felt her lips move against his, as she matched his fire with her own, a surge of reckless joy went through him that he could not control.
He was going to take her right here in the alley. Against the wall. Damn the consequences.
He would possess her now, even if he died for it.
Eve’s breath came in little gasps as he slowly kissed up her neck, his arms tracing up and down her naked skin.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered. Feeling his mouth on her sent sparks down her body until she thought she might forget to breathe. “I did what you wanted. Why are you so angry? Why do you feel possessive because I danced with your friend—exactly as you wanted?”
“Seeing all those other men lusting for you was never what I wanted,” he ground out.
“Then why?” she managed as his hands stroked her roughly over the sequins of her dress. “Why are you killing me like this—kissing me one moment then pushing me away the next? As if you hate me? Why are you torturing me?”
His hands stilled. He looked down at her, and the fire in his eyes of a moment before had changed to longing. To confusion. To pain.
Staring down at her, he suddenly yanked off his black blazer. Without a word, he wrapped it around her tiny silver dress. The jacket hung long on her, covering her modestly to mid-thigh.
Grabbing the jacket’s lapels, he pulled her close. He leaned his head forward, pressing his forehead against hers.
When he spoke, his voice was so low she barely heard his words. “I’m sorry.”
And just like that, she exhaled.
He pulled her gently from the alley to the Bentley waiting for them on the street. Without explanation, Talos opened Eve’s door and helped her inside. He didn’t speak to her in the car—he didn’t even look at her.
But he held her hand tightly all the way to his penthouse.
When they arrived at his apartment a few moments later, he helped her out of the car. Still, he held her hand and didn’t let go.
She stared up at him in a daze, unable to look away from his darkly handsome face as they crossed the lobby of the elegant nineteenth-century building and went into the elevator. At the door of the penthouse, Talos unlocked it and turned to her, his face dark with need.
“I should have done this a long time ago.”
He lifted her in his arms. His body glowed with warmth and heat she could almost see, burning off his body in waves. Holding her closely, Talos kicked the door open, then kicked it closed behind them.
Crossing the penthouse, with the view of the lit-up Acropolis on the mountain floating high above the night, he gently set her on her feet on the marble floor. Never taking his eyes from hers, he peeled his large black jacket off her shoulders, dropping it to the floor.
She closed her eyes, her breath shortening as she felt him reach behind her head and undo her ponytail. Her hair fell softly against her shoulders in one shake.
She felt his hands run over her body, stroking her over her silvery cocktail dress.
“You’re mine, Eve,” he whispered. He traced his large hands over her hips, over her slender waist.
He ran his hands back over her whisper-thin silver dress, causing it to slink and move over her body like a caress. She felt his thumbs brush against her breasts, making her nipples harden to agonizing intensity beneath the fabric. Her breasts felt heavy and swollen, swaying as he cupped them reverently in his hands. Her whole body felt tight and hot. She felt dizzy all over, her knees weak.
Her eyes flew open as he knelt at her feet. The room seemed to spin around her as she watched him stroke slowly down her bare legs, from her thighs to the backs of her knees. Massaging her calves, he slowly removed one stiletto heel, then the other, dragging them gently against the tender hollow of her foot. He sent the shoes skidding across the floor.
His gaze locked
on hers, hot and dark.
Slowly, he rose back to his feet. Never taking his eyes from hers, he removed his tuxedo tie. He unbuttoned his white shirt, dropping it carelessly to the floor. She had the sudden vision of his bare chest, powerfully muscled and laced with dark hair.
Then he stood naked and powerful in front of her. His olive skin gleamed in the sharp moonlight, which cascaded over the hard planes of his body. Every inch of his muscular body exuded masculine power. Looking down, she saw how much he wanted her, and she swallowed, afraid of his strength, his size. She was pregnant with his child, and yet with no memory she felt as shy as a virgin.
Murmuring endearments in Greek, he picked Eve up in his arms. Carrying her across the room, he gently set her down on the enormous bed. Stretching her arms above her, he pulled off her little sliver of a gown. Pushing her back against the pillows, he pulled off her panties. And suddenly she was naked in front of him, naked on their bed.
The thought terrified her, but before she could move away, he was on top of her. She felt his hardness against her belly as he slowly kissed her neck, sucking on her earlobes, softly brushing back her hair as he whispered in her ear, “Ekho sizigho. My sweet one.”
He cupped her breasts together, nuzzling between them, thumbing the nipples until they tightened to agonizing points. He suckled first one, then the other, before moving down her body to kiss her belly. His hands stroked her hips, brushing her thighs before he moved up to kiss her mouth. His kiss was hard, hungry. He wrapped his arms beneath her shoulders, holding her tightly to his body. She gasped as she felt him between her legs, pushing her thighs apart.
A satisfied masculine growl escaped him as he moved his hardness against her slick, wet heat. She twisted beneath him as the low tension built deeper and deeper inside her, making her breath come out in quick little pants, making her body sizzle from her taut nipples to her hot molten core. She was melting for him, melting to nothing, and if he didn’t…
He slid inside her with a single deep stroke.
Her back arched. She cried out as he filled her to the hilt, releasing pleasure so deep inside it was almost pain.
He choked out a gasp, closing his eyes as he thrust inside her again, pulling back, riding her hard and slow. Each stab was deeper, spiraling a sweet ecstasy so far inside her that she thought she might be devoured by it.
He spread her wide, splitting her apart. Harder, faster, pain, pleasure. Just four times. Four thrusts, each one deeper and harder than the last.
And she exploded.
CHAPTER NINE
As Talos felt her body tighten, he knew he could not last.
Touching her was heaven. Her skin was even softer than he remembered. She tasted sweet, so sweet. The very first time he slid inside her, he nearly lost control. With every thick thrust he watched her full breasts sway from the force of his possession, and he gasped out each breath. How long had he wanted her?
How had he denied himself for so long?
With each slow thrust inside her, he shattered a little more, until he was coming apart like Venetian stucco falling into the water. His whole body shook with the agony of holding himself back when all he wanted to do was bury himself in her completely, to lose himself in the ecstasy of making love to her. Every nerve was on fire. It had never felt like this before—not even with her.
Three thrusts, and he was shaking with the desperate effort to stay in control. He grunted as he shoved into her roughly, pushing all the way to the hilt in pleasure so great he nearly lost his mind. He heard her soft gasp spread to a scream and felt her shudder as her body convulsed around him. And he could hold back no longer. With a shout, he shoved inside her one last time with a guttural cry, pulsing and spurting inside her.
Spent, he collapsed next to her, pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly.
Now, as he looked at the gray light coming from the windows, he realized it was already morning. They’d slept in each other’s arms for at least two hours.
Something he’d never done before.
Oh, they’d slept in bed together, of course, between stretches of nearly constant lovemaking. But he’d never just held her like this, cradling her against his chest as they drowsed.
He felt…contented. Protective.
He stared down at her naked beauty. The white cotton sheets had fallen past her hips. Her skin was lustrous and creamy. Her breasts were heavy and swelling, the tips that he’d suckled so recently now a shade of pink that was the color of deep pink roses. The slight swell of his child in her belly only made her look more feminine, like a goddess of fertility.
He felt himself instantly go hard. He already wanted her again. And not just her body…
How had she changed so much?
How could losing her memory make her into such a different person?
He’d tried to resist her. He had every reason in the world to punish and hurt her. But he could not.
Something inside Talos wouldn’t let him do it. Even as his exacting soul cried out for justice, he could not hurt her.
There was only one card left to play. One last chance for justice.
He could tell her the truth.
He could take her to the place where she’d betrayed him.
It was his last chance.
Because this new Eve, the woman now sleeping in his arms, was too beautiful, too real, too vulnerable. Too warm and natural and loving.
He’d counted on her having no defenses. He’d never thought that her innocence would cause him to lose his own defenses.
But sooner or later, Eve would revert to her true self, the cold, cruel, clever siren who’d sold him out for love or money. The woman who would undoubtedly hate their baby because of what the pregnancy did to her perfect figure. The woman who would ignore and neglect her child for her own selfish pursuits.
Who would never want to settle down with any man for long.
His fingers tightened on her as he took a deep breath. He had to end this. Today. He had to erase this new woman completely. Before he…before he…
He suddenly heard a strange sound. Frowning, he looked down at the woman in his arms.
For a moment, he heard only the quiet snuffle of her breathing and the sound of morning birds singing outside in the pale blue of dawn.
Then he heard Eve suck in her breath again. And she started to scream.
Cradled in Talos’s strong arms, beneath the soft dawn spilling from the windows, Eve hadn’t wanted to wake up. She’d pressed her head against his naked chest, relishing the feel of his warm skin laced with dark hair.
His body was so much larger than her own. Snuggled against him in the enormous bed, she’d felt protected. Safe. Loved. There was so much about him she still didn’t understand. But still, she was falling in love with him all over again.
Drowsy and content, she’d listened to the beat of his heart against her cheek. The beat grew louder, like the sound of heavy footsteps stomping in unison against a hard stone floor. Step. Step. Step.
She felt suddenly cold as she looked at the blurry faces around her. Her mother’s sobbing face came into sharp focus. She clung to Eve, wailing as they watched her father’s coffin pass out of the church on the shoulders of old men. Eve clutched her mother’s hands in her own, suddenly terrified that her father’s death would cause her to lose both her parents. In the last week, she’d lost her father, their home, their fortune, their reputation. And it was all that man’s fault. He’d destroyed her father with all his lies. He’d heartlessly destroyed them all…
Now outside, standing on the frozen grass of the cemetery beside the dark-clothed mourners, she saw the cold March wind blow her mother’s black veil back like a dark spirit. She saw her mother stretch her arms toward the coffin as her beloved husband was lowered into the earth, as if she intended to bury herself in the same cold grave…
“No!” Eve screamed. “Please!”
“Eve!” She suddenly felt a man’s strong, protective arms around her, his vo
ice anxious as he enveloped her with his warmth. “Wake up. Wake up.”
With a choked gasp, Eve opened her eyes. And saw Talos’s face.
“What—what is it?”
“You were screaming.” He held her tightly, stroking her face, stroking her hair. His dark eyes were full of concern. “Did you have a dream?”
A dream?
Pain racked through her, and suddenly her head was pounding as if her skull had been fractured into pieces. She pushed away from him as tears streamed down her face. For some reason, she suddenly couldn’t stand his touch.
“I remembered my father’s funeral,” she whispered.
She pushed away, standing up, then realized she was naked. She froze, remembering their night together. Remembering how happy she’d been sleeping in his arms…
She took a deep, ragged breath, pushing her hair out of her eyes. “I’ll go take a shower.” Before he could reply, she added quickly, “Alone.”
Talos’s eyes darkened. He turned away from her, reaching into his closet. “Fine.”
She took a quick shower, trying to wash away the sharp pain of her memory. She quickly dressed in clothes for the hot Greek sun—a pale pink tank top, a short knit skirt and white flat sandals. Brushing her hair, she stared at herself in the mirror.
All these days she’d been so desperate to remember her past. And now…
What if she didn’t like what she found?
“Are you hungry?” Talos asked quietly when she came out into the bedroom. “Shall we have a quick breakfast?”
“That sounds fine,” she said, careful not to touch him. Anything to get away from this place where, just as she’d found happiness at last, she’d been stabbed with pain.
Talos left his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets as they took the elevator downstairs. He opened the back door of the Bentley and helped her inside. But as he sat next to her on the short drive, he kept his distance. As if there were an invisible wall between them.
To think last night, he’d held her so tightly, whispering endearments to her in Greek, covering her body with hot kisses as he pressed his naked body against hers.