by Lucy Gordon;Sarah Morgan;Robyn Donald;Lucy Monroe;Lee Wilkinson;Kate Walker
The night was still warm, the damp sand hard under her back, and she lay with her eyes closed, trying to recover, aware of the throbbing heat of his body inside hers, the soft swish of the sea in the background.
Gradually reality intruded on fantasy and she felt a rush of mortification. ‘Oh, my goodness, are we allowed to do this on a beach?’
It was a moment before he replied, but finally he lifted his head and rolled away from her, springing to his feet in a lithe movement that said a great deal about his strength and power given the quantity of energy he’d just expended. ‘This is a private beach.’ He reached down and pulled her to her feet. ‘I own it.’
Well, of course he owned it, she thought wearily. It appeared that he owned everything the eye could see as well as a considerable amount that it couldn’t.
Horribly aware that, once again, she was naked while he was dressed, she stooped to pick up the green silk but he was ahead of her, his hands sure and confident as he slid the fabric over her head and settled it on her curves.
Suddenly she wished he’d say something. Anything.
After what they’d just shared, surely he wanted to say something.
But he simply picked up his jacket and her shoes, took her by the hand and led her back to the car.
Chapter Nine
NIKOS stood staring at the famous dolphin fresco, wondering what on earth he was doing.
Had he finally lost his grip on sanity?
He had a mountain of work that required his immediate attention, a senior executive team fighting for his time, and yet he’d elected to take the day off to show his new wife around the palace of Knossos.
If that had been his only questionable action then he could perhaps have justified it by telling himself that, since they were married, it was worth investing a little time into the relationship in order to make his life run smoothly.
But the justification lost credibility when he forced himself to confront the fact that the past week had been full of questionable actions.
Each day he’d found himself unable to concentrate in the office and had returned home early with the sole purpose of taking his new wife to bed and trying to work whatever it was that so fascinated him about her out of his system. His lack of success in that direction had been more than demonstrated by his behaviour on the way home from the ball a week ago.
He cursed softly and ran a hand over the back of his neck. His need for her had been so great that he hadn’t even been able to wait until they’d arrived home. He’d been so incensed by her praise of Dimitri that he’d pulled the car off the road and taken her on the beach without thought about their surroundings. His single objective had been to drive thoughts of other men out of her head.
And then he laughed. Why was he fooling himself?
The chemistry between them was positively electric. Despite the fact that she was as far from his usual choice of woman that it was possible to be, he found her strangely addictive.
‘It’s fascinating, isn’t it? It has four wings arranged around a central court which is the nucleus of the whole complex.’ Her blue eyes bright with excitement and enthusiasm, she stepped up next to him, her fiery hair tucked under a widebrimmed hat. As usual she was wearing trousers and a simple top and he smiled at the irony of the situation. He’d been involved with plenty of women whose sole idea of fun was exercising his credit card in a designer boutique and then changing outfits on almost an hourly basis.
‘Nikos?’ She tilted her head and smiled up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. ‘Don’t you find it fascinating?’
He found her fascinating. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met before and he was more and more confused and irritated by his reaction to her. He was used to his relationships being entirely straightforward. He made the rules and women stuck to them. ‘You’re a very atypical woman.’
Her smile faltered. ‘What do you mean by that?’
‘I mean that I give you the entire contents of an expensive boutique and you choose to wear virtually the same thing every day. Trousers and a top.’
She blushed and looked down at herself, insecurity showing in that glance. ‘I—the clothes are lovely. Thank you. I suppose I’m just not really that good at deciding what should go with what.’
‘Why?’ He slipped a hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him. ‘Why don’t you have any confidence in the way you look?’
‘Oh—’ She gave a faint frown as if it wasn’t something she’d considered before. ‘Because I know I’m not beautiful. And I’m not great at choosing what to wear. Mum always used to wince when she looked at me. Whatever I wore, she always rolled her eyes and told me I looked wrong—’
‘One’s family has a great deal to answer for.’
‘Does yours?’
Nikos thought of his father and gave a wry smile. ‘My family is as dysfunctional as the next.’
‘You’ve never told me anything about your family.’
His hand dropped to his side and he stared down at her, suddenly realising just how close he’d come to sharing intimate details that he’d never shared with anyone. What was the matter with him? He never talked about his family and if he ever chose to do so it certainly wouldn’t be to Tiffany Littlewood’s sister.
‘There’s nothing to tell. But if you’re nervous about dressing up, I’ll arrange for someone to come and suggest how you might wear the clothes.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You’d do that for me?’
‘Why not?’ He shrugged dismissively. ‘It’s in my interests to see you wearing something other than trousers. I have a friend in Athens who can help. I’ll fly her over and she can spend an afternoon with you.’
‘Thank you.’ She gave a shy smile. ‘I could do with more information on the subject.’
Information. Only Angelina would turn dressing up into something to be studied.
As if to prove where her priorities lay, she suddenly caught his hand and dragged him to see a row of pots, examining them in minute detail.
Her lively interest in her subject was infectious and he took a step back, reminding himself that his sole purpose in being here was to prevent her going with Dimitri.
‘This whole area lies on a great seismic site. It’s been destroyed by earthquakes on several occasions.’ Why should a conversation that was so dull and boring make his nerve-endings hum?
‘And been rebuilt—’ She grabbed his hand again and pulled him towards a different part of the ruins. ‘Come and look at this. You can see how they would have invented the myth of the monster in the Labyrinth, can’t you?
She was smiling and he found himself once again noticing the amazing colour of her eyes. When she talked about archaeology or mythology she was a different person, he observed. Confident. Vibrant.
‘You don’t believe in our Minotaur?’
‘A monster, half-man half-bull? I don’t think so. But it makes a great story. It was my favourite when I was a child.’ She seemed unaware that her hand was still on his arm and he frowned.
‘I can imagine you locked in your room, absorbed in a book.’
She blushed slightly and her hand dropped to her side. ‘You’re not far from the truth. I spent a lot of time in my room or in the library at school. I wasn’t a very sociable child. I liked my own company.’
And yet her mother and sister had clearly made socialising a priority. Something jarred in his brain and he reminded himself that, although she was clearly unlike her sister in many obvious ways, she insisted on excusing and approving her sister’s behaviour.
‘We need to leave.’ His tone was rough as he glanced at his watch. ‘We have another dinner tonight.’
‘Really?’ Her face brightened and his insides clenched.
‘If you’re hoping to renew your acquaintance with Dimitri, then it’s only fair to warn you that he won’t be there tonight.’
‘It will be nice to meet some of your other friends and colleagues.’ She bent down to examine a piece of stone more
closely. ‘Can you see the pattern?’
‘I thought you hated socialising?’
‘I do usually.’ She stood up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. ‘But that’s because the conversation at these events is usually so superficial and I feel out of place. The ball last week was like spending an evening at the University. They were lovely people.’
Recalling just how many of his previous girlfriends had threatened to walk out of similar events, declaring them boring, Nikos frowned. ‘Tonight will be a different set of people. Bankers.’
‘Fine.’ Her eyes fixed on something behind his shoulder. ‘Oh, can we just take a closer look at that?’
Wondering what had happened to the woman who was afraid to dress up and go out, Nikos allowed himself to be led along the dusty path to another section of the Palace.
She couldn’t remember when she’d enjoyed a day more. Nikos had been interesting and entertaining company and his depth of knowledge on Minoan art and history had astonished her. And she was more and more confused about him.
‘You know such a lot about Knossos.’
‘I’m Greek.’
‘And that’s why?’ As they drove back along the coast towards his villa, she sneaked a glance at his profile. What exactly had a man of his obvious intelligence seen in Tiffany? She’d loved her sister but love had never made her blind. She’d known that her sister had no interest in anything more serious than clothes or dressing up. But she’d been truly beautiful. And, according to her mother, that was what mattered to a man like Nikos.
To him women were entertainment, nothing more. When he became bored, he moved on. But why would a man who was famed for avoiding commitment propose marriage to her sister? Why would he have given her sister the Brandizi diamond? None of it made sense.
‘You’re staring at me.’ His smooth observation brought a flush to her cheeks.
‘Did you ever love her or was it just about sex?’ Her impulsive question was greeted by a tightening of his mouth.
‘I refuse to discuss your sister. I thought I’d made that clear.’
‘I’m trying to understand you—’
‘Don’t bother. Being understood is not high on my list of requirements in a partner.’ He slowed the car as they approached the villa and he waited for the enormous iron gates to swing open.
‘But we’re married. We’re spending time together.’ The powerful car purred along the drive and the gates swung closed behind them.
‘We are married because you insisted on it,’ he reminded her in a cool tone as he parked the car, ‘and we’re spending time together because you effectively banned all other women from my life.’
She bit her lip, attacked by insecurities. She’d thought they’d had a nice day. She’d thought that he’d actually enjoyed her company and yet here he was making it clear that he was with her under sufferance and the knowledge made her utterly miserable. Why? Why should she be miserable when she’d achieved exactly what she’d wanted to achieve? She’d wanted to punish him and she had.
Why was she disappointed that the intimacy she’d felt during the day had somehow disappeared?
‘We have a dinner to attend tonight,’ he reminded her as they walked towards the steps of the villa. ‘We’ll be leaving in an hour.’
This time she didn’t bother arguing or asking questions. Instead she just showered quickly and walked through to select a suitable dress.
Determined to be less hesitant and clueless than usual, she selected what she hoped was a suitable dress and changed.
‘I’ll say this for you, it’s refreshing to be with a woman who doesn’t need at least half a day to prepare for an evening out.’ He strolled towards her, staggeringly handsome in a dinner jacket, his dark hair still damp from the shower. ‘That dress suits you. And I love you in high heels. You have fantastic legs. From now on, trousers are banned.’
Angie blushed and ran a hand over her hips in a self-conscious gesture. The midnight-blue silk fell from tiny straps on her shoulders and skimmed her curves, stopping just short of the knee. It made her feel beautiful and feminine. ‘It’s pretty,’ she said softly, glancing sideways at her reflection in the mirror. ‘I actually didn’t realise how much I could enjoy dressing up.’ The confession surprised her but she suddenly realised that it was true. Tonight, for the first time in her life, it had suddenly felt important to select the right thing to wear.
Why? Why did her appearance suddenly matter?
Her eyes were still on the woman in the mirror. She barely recognised herself. Her eyes and skin glowed with health and the subtle application of make-up made her mouth seem fuller and her eyes seem bigger.
Nikos strolled up behind her and her eyes met his in the mirror. ‘Your mother did you a disservice.’ His voice was rough. ‘You’re a very sexy woman.’
The unexpected compliment startled her. ‘I—I don’t think so. I’m so used to comparing myself to—’ She broke off, not wanting to spoil the moment by mentioning her sister.
‘Tiffany.’
‘You saw her. She was beautiful. She made men do stupid things.’
His mouth tightened. ‘I’m entirely aware of that.’
‘Of course you are—’ Hating the reminder that he’d been with her sister, she glanced away. ‘No man could resist Tiffany.’
‘I still don’t understand why that affected whether you dressed up or not.’
‘I suppose I didn’t even bother to compete,’ she said quietly. ‘From the moment she was born, Tiffany was the pretty one. You should have seen her as a baby. Completely gorgeous. No one ever looked further than her blonde hair. Did you know that she was clever?’ She felt tears prick her eyes and blinked them away. ‘I wanted her to study and use her brain but she always thought that was a waste of time. She just wanted to fall in love and get married.’
‘Preferably to the richest guy possible.’
‘And why not?’ She turned on him angrily, spirited in her defence of her sister. ‘It’s so easy for you to judge and yet you know absolutely nothing about our lives! Have you any idea how hard it was for her? Dad had one affair after another and spent money until he was bankrupt. One minute he was showering Tiffany with presents and the next he’d died of a heart attack and Mum was moving us out of our very comfortable four-bedroom detached house into a tiny flat with less light than a cave. Can you really blame Tiffany for wanting more?’ She broke off and bit her lip, wishing she hadn’t revealed so much. Why had she told him all those things?
‘You believe that the end always justifies the means?’
His question threw her and she frowned. ‘No. No, I don’t believe that, of course I don’t. I’m just saying that you don’t have all the facts.’
There was a long silence and a tiny muscle worked in his bronzed cheek. ‘No, agape mou,’ he said softly, ‘I think you’re the one who doesn’t have all the facts. And now we need to leave or we will be late.’
She followed him to the car, the frown still on her face. What did he mean, she didn’t have all the facts? Of course she had the facts! She had far more than he did! She’d known Tiffany. She’d understood her, even if she hadn’t always approved of her slightly wayward behaviour.
She was silent all the way in the car, brooding on his words. Part of her wanted to question him further but held herself back. Their relationship was already so inflammatory and complicated that the last thing they needed was a row about Tiffany just before appearing at a public function.
‘Where are we?’
‘At the museum,’ he drawled, clamping a hand round her wrist and pulling her out of the car. ‘Smile. There will be cameras.’
He’d barely finished his sentence before a flash of light blinded her and she gave a tiny gasp of shock.
‘Just smile,’ Nikos instructed, taking the steps up to the museum at a furious pace and forcing her to follow. ‘They’re not allowed inside, it’s a private function.’
‘Where are we going?’
�
�Fundraising and private view of Crete’s antiquities,’ he told her, walking through the doors of the museum as if he owned it. ‘Right up your street.’
‘Why is no one else arriving?’
‘I expect they’re already here.’ He gave a yawn and glanced at his watch. ‘We’re extremely late.’
‘We are?’ Horrified, she allowed him to lead her into a large room and then gave a whimper of discomfort as a hush spread over the crowded room and everyone turned to look at them. ‘Oh, God—’
‘Smile.’ Totally relaxed and unconcerned, Nikos hauled her against him and dropped a lingering kiss on her mouth.
Forgetting their audience, her eyes closed, her head spun and it wasn’t until he finally lifted his head that she remembered where they were. Embarrassed at drawing even more attention to herself, she stared up at him, her head spinning. ‘Why did you do that?’
‘To remind them that we’re newly married. Now they’ll all be convinced we’re late because we were having amazing sex.’
‘But that’s terrible,’ she stammered, clutching her bag tightly. ‘I don’t want them to think that. It isn’t true.’
‘It would have been true if you hadn’t brought up the thorny subject of your sister. I have to confess she has a detrimental effect on my libido.’
‘I don’t want to talk about my sister.’
‘Good, because neither do I.’ With a smooth, confident movement he guided her to her chair and introduced her to the people seated at their table.
The names flew in and out of her head and she took a sip of wine for courage, aware that she was once again the object of discussion and speculation.
The talk revolved around the money markets and her mind drifted as she was slowly excluded from the conversation. They spoke Greek, clearly assuming that she wouldn’t understand, the interaction between the men so exclusively masculine that her opinions weren’t required or sought. Everyone deferred to Nikos, confirming his importance in society and her already firm belief that he was very much the king of the pack. The women on the table exchanged trivial pieces of news, who had been to which social gathering, bought which dress. Unable to join in, Angie sat in silence.