by Susanna Carr
Savage need stretched his golden skin against his sharp cheekbones. “Good,” he said in a growl. “Because I can’t. Not with you.”
Stergios rose from the bed and yanked off his shirt. She sat up and reached for him. She wasn’t going to be gentle, either. Jodie pressed her mouth against his V-cut abs and licked his heated skin. She smiled, the sense of power hurtling through her, as his muscles bunched under her touch.
She grasped the zipper of his jeans and dragged the rest of his clothes down his powerful thighs. He looked like a pagan god, his jaw clenched, eyes glittering with lust, as he speared his hands in her hair.
Staring at the glorious male body in front of her, she reverently encircled her fingers against his throbbing erection. He was hot and powerful under her touch. Jodie licked the tip and hummed with appreciation before she covered him with her lips.
She tasted him with a building hunger and he encouraged her in a husky, strained voice. Jodie heard him mumble something about her red lips as she pleasured him. When she drew him deep inside her mouth, Stergios’s ragged breath echoed in the bedroom. She gripped him hard when he swelled against her tongue.
Stergios grasped her jaw and stopped her before carefully pulling away. Panic filled her chest. Why was he stopping? Why did he have to come to his senses when she was aching for him? “Wait,” she pleaded.
“I can’t,” he said in a low, driven tone. Stergios grabbed for her and turned her over. Jodie blinked, startled. She was on her hands and knees facing away from him. He slid his finger along the wet folds of her sex. Pleasure rippled through her.
He grabbed her hips, his fingers digging into her skin, and mounted her. Jodie closed her eyes as the low, guttural moan ripped from her throat. She clawed the sheets, heat blooming her skin, as he gave a deep thrust.
Jodie rolled her hips as he stretched and filled her. Stergios withdrew only to thrust harder. She urged him on and he exceeded her most brazen demands. She met his demonic pace as the bed shook beneath them.
Stergios slid his hand beneath her and found her slick clitoris. Jodie surrendered to his touch. Her mind shut down as her climax hit. Her cries of ecstasy echoed in the room as wave after wave of white-hot pleasure swept through her.
Her flesh gripped Stergios and his thrusts grew unpredictable. Unbridled. He banded his arms around her and held her close as he surged deep inside. His chest, slick with sweat, pressed against her spine as he burrowed his face into the crook of her neck.
“Jodie!” he said in a roar as he found his release.
Her knees buckled from the force and she collapsed onto the mattress. Her arms and legs shook as she fell onto her pillow. Jodie’s heart felt as if it was going to burst through her skin as she took in big swallows of air.
Every muscle pulsed and twitched. Stergios rolled to his side and silently gathered her in his arms. Jodie weakly closed her eyes as he held her close. She needed his touch but she didn’t want to him to see how much the simple gesture affected her.
As she rested her head against his chest, listening to Stergios’s thudding heartbeat, she tried to tell herself that this didn’t mean anything. It was a moment of madness, never to be repeated.
But she couldn’t lie to herself. Tonight meant everything to her.
* * *
Jodie stood by the bay of windows and looked out onto the beach. It was a cloudy and gray morning. There should be nothing that stood in the way of her getting off this island.
She saw her reflection in the window. Her hot-pink dress was prim with its rounded collar and short sleeves. Her black handbag hung from her forearm as she clasped her hands in front of her. The proper image was a far cry from the carnal woman last night.
Jodie felt her skin go hot as the memories overwhelmed her. She had reached for Stergios during the night and demonstrated exactly how she felt. There had been no limits to her desire. It was as if she had been parched for years and had finally found water to slake her thirst.
But when she had woken in the morning, she had been alone in her bedroom. Tucked into her bed and her torn slip carefully folded on the chair next to her. At some time around dawn Stergios had carried her into her room, as if sharing a bed for the whole night had been too intimate for him.
After she had showered and dressed, she had searched the small house and discovered Stergios was gone. His absence had been like a fist in the stomach. It was just like the last time. He had recognized how far he had fallen and couldn’t get away fast enough. Only this time he wasn’t able to go very far.
Jodie flinched when she heard his footsteps outside but schooled her features into a cool expression when the front door swung open. She exhaled slowly, bracing herself before she turned around to greet him.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him dressed in a casual white tunic and a faded pair of jeans. His hair was tangled and windswept and the stubble on his angular jaw seemed darker. She longed to walk up to him and curl against his chest. Her thought vanished when her gaze clashed with his wintry eyes. The generous lover who had kissed her breathless last night had been replaced with the cold and ruthless man.
“The helicopter will be here in ten minutes,” he informed her as he set down the satellite phone. “The pilot has been instructed to take you to Athens.”
“Thank you.” She gestured at the suitcase by the door. “I’m packed and ready.”
The silence stretched between them. Stergios started to pace the room but kept his distance from her. He couldn’t have made it more obvious that he wished she were already gone.
As she watched him prowl the room, Jodie knew she should feel some sense of feminine pride. She could make the great Stergios Antoniou fall to his knees. But she didn’t feel victorious. Stergios didn’t like her. He wished he didn’t want her. He couldn’t stand being next to her.
“Are you okay?” she blurted out. “Last night after the power outage...” He cast a scathing look and she stumbled into silence. It was a mistake to mention his moment of vulnerability.
“I’m fine,” he said tersely. “And you?”
She gave an abrupt nod. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
“You can’t be,” he decided, his voice a rasp. “I can see the whisker burns on your skin from here.
There were faint scratches all over her body. He had marked her in more ways than one. “And I see a love bite on your neck.”
He raked his hands through his long hair. “That’s different.”
No, it wasn’t. Jodie turned her attention back to the beach before she started an argument. He had encouraged her to explore his body in the middle of the night. Nothing she did or said had shocked him. But did he find her desire for him unseemly in the light of day? Should her lust not match his?
She guessed she was supposed to be innocent, passive and fragile. Right now she felt fragile. She felt as if she was going to burst into tears.
Stergios took a few ground-eating strides to reach her. “Give me your cell phone,” he said as he stretched out his hand.
She automatically took a step back. “I don’t think so,” she said as she held her purse close to her body.
His eyebrows rose in surprise and her fingers tightened on the leather. Did Stergios expect unquestioning obedience after she had yielded completely to him last night? “I want to add my number to your contact list.”
Jodie stared at him. “Why?”
His lips compressed into a line. “I will need to know if there were any consequences from last night.”
“There won’t be.”
“How can you be so sure? Are you on the pill?”
“Well, no...” There had been no reason for her to have a prescription.
His shoulders hunched as the harsh lines of his face deepened. It looked as if he had the world on his shoulders. Had he felt thi
s way four years ago when they first had made love?
She raised her hands as if she could soothe his troubled thoughts. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“You’re wrong.” There was a bite of anger in his voice. “If you get pregnant, everything I have worked for all these years will disappear.”
Jodie went still. It hurt that she was a distraction, a hindrance to his dreams, but how would her presence in his life ruin everything? “What are you talking about?”
“Do you know the fight I would have on my hands if I had a baby out of wedlock? A love child with my stepsister?” His face was ashen. “The board of directors would crucify me. The scandal would damage the Antoniou Group. I would be forced to marry you and I can’t let that happen. When I marry, it will be to strengthen my family’s power base, not because of a mistake.”
Jodie bent her head and stared at the ground. He sought for extraordinary power so no one could harm him and he would use marriage to get it. Jodie wanted him to feel safe even if it meant he had to stay away from her. Peace was the one thing she couldn’t give him. She never could.
There was one thing she could do for him. She could leave and never come back. Sever all connections. Jodie winced as she imagined the hole it would leave in her heart. But she had to let go of Stergios so he could find what he needed.
What they both needed, she amended. Because he would marry for power and she would marry for love. Whatever this was that they shared wouldn’t last. She wouldn’t waste his time or hers anymore.
“I expect you to call me whether or not you’re pregnant.” His hands were bunched at his sides. “If you don’t I will hunt you down and get my answer.”
It would be a repeat of what happened last time. Only this time she would know that he was pursuing her. And she’d let him catch her. And if he found her again, they would fall back into bed and the cycle would continue. Jodie twisted her lips. He would be drawn to her and hate the power she had over him. It wouldn’t stop him unless he thought she had fallen into bed with another man.
Another man. Jodie lifted her head. What if she said another man had a claim on her? Her pulse started to race. No, no, no. She couldn’t do it. It would be too painful. The ultimate betrayal in Stergios’s eyes. She immediately discarded the idea. If she told that lie, Stergios would cut her out of his life for good.
Which was what she wanted, didn’t she? She had to end this relationship before it became an unhealthy obsession that changed the course of their lives. But if she did this, there was no turning back. Stergios would never forgive her.
Which was why she had to go through with it. It was the only way. Her mouth was dry and she nervously licked her lips. “Like I said, you don’t have anything to worry about,” she said in a whisper. She wasn’t sure if she could do this.
He gave an impatient sigh. “How would you know?”
Her heart pumped hard and her stomach twisted. The room tilted and she fought back the nausea. She could do this. All she had to do was lie and make a clean getaway. Just a few words and she could end this madness.
“Jodie?”
She struggled to meet his curious gaze. “Because I’m already pregnant.” She forced out the next words as she spread her hands against her stomach. “With another man’s child.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“THEN...KATALAVÉNO? I don’t understand.” His mind lagged behind but the pain had been sharp and swift. There was another man in Jodie’s life. And she... Stergios refused to believe it. “What did you say?”
“I’m—” her voice hitched “—already pregnant.”
Pregnant. She was with child. Another man’s child. The bitterness cut through him like acid. He studied her slim figure in the hot-pink dress. “Oxi,” he said in a whisper. “I don’t believe you.”
She lifted her chin. “Why would I lie about something like this?”
Stergios couldn’t move. He felt as if he’d been hacked down from where he stood. Pregnant. She couldn’t be pregnant. No, Jodie was his.
A chill settled into his bones. Stergios remembered feeling like this before. The numbness held back the searing pain so he could cope. Survive. The coldness would be temporary and then the ferocious rage would take over. “Who’s the father?”
She appeared surprised by the question. “That is none of your business.”
“Do you know?” His voice was flat.
She jerked back as if she’d been slapped. “I’m going to ignore that.”
“Do. You. Know?” He bared his teeth as he enunciated the words.
She pressed her lips together and crossed her arms.
“You don’t know,” he said in a stunned breath. How could she do this? Stergios thought he knew Jodie. “Was he a stranger? Or were there a few other candidates at that time?”
She glared at him before she turned away. “I’m so glad I shared this news with you.”
Other pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. The anger and despair swirled and clashed inside him. “This is why you no longer drink,” he said in a low voice as he struggled to control his emotions. “And why you suddenly have this interest in family.”
She gave a start as if she couldn’t believe he had put the pieces together. “It isn’t sudden,” she said over her shoulder.
Stergios bunched his hands in his hair as his heart thudded against his ribs. “I couldn’t understand why you wanted to reconcile with your father,” he said as he searched his memory for other signs. “I thought it was for revenge. I couldn’t figure it out. I didn’t think...”
She refused to look at him. She should be ashamed, he decided. This woman was his. He knew Jodie made no promises to him but this felt like a betrayal. Stergios didn’t think she could have hurt him like this. He couldn’t forgive her actions.
He dragged his hands down to his sides. “You bitch.”
Her spine stiffened but she didn’t turn around. “I’m going to wait at the helipad,” she announced as she marched to the door.
Stergios watched her. How could she be hard and emotionless now when she had been open and loving last night? “What did your father say?”
Jodie slid to a stop and whirled around. “He doesn’t know. No one knows.” She pointed at Stergios. “Do not say a word to him.”
“Why not?” Why would she hide something like this from Gregory? Would her father disapprove of the man?
“Because...” Jodie spluttered as pink tinged her cheeks. The unfeeling woman was suddenly flustered. “Because it’s...customary to wait until the first trimester before you make the announcement.”
Something wasn’t right. He didn’t know if he should trust his instincts but he didn’t believe her explanation. “How far along are you?”
She grabbed her suitcase and concentrated on raising the handle. “Not far.”
“But you knew you were pregnant. You knew and you spread your legs for me,” he said with disgust. “You let me...”
“Stop it, Stergios.”
He wasn’t going to listen to Jodie’s pleas. She had lost that right. The destructive anger flashed inside him before he tamped it down. “If you weren’t pregnant, I would...”
“Would what?” she asked, tilting her head as she watched the tremors sweep his body. “No need to hold back, Stergios. What would you do?”
He wasn’t sure how he’d respond and that scared him. He would hunt down the mysterious father and destroy him. He would pray that the baby wouldn’t inherit Jodie’s treachery and manipulation. And Jodie? He would cast her out of his life for good.
Starting now. Stergios ruthlessly controlled the pain threatening to erupt, knowing he had to be emotionless if he was going to retaliate. “I’m grateful that you’re pregnant.”
Jodie took one step back and watched him as if he was
a predatory animal who was ready to go in for the kill. “What do you mean?”
“Because that means you will never have my baby,” he explained in a disquieting tone. “I’m grateful that my child wouldn’t have you for a mother. A whore, a liar and an outcast.”
She paled. “Yes, it’s a very good thing that you are not the father.”
She wasn’t fighting back. Stergios wanted her to. He didn’t want to see her eyes glistening with unshed tears. He needed answers. “The mother of my child would be—”
“Pure?” she offered. “Compliant?”
“My children deserve a good mother,” he said as his gaze raked over her. “A woman they could respect and trust. A woman who could make them proud.”
Her eyes darkened but she kept her mouth firmly shut. “Goodbye, Stergios,” she finally said and she reached for the door.
“Who’s the father?” he said in a roar.
Her shoulders slumped for a moment. And then, as if she had made a decision, she grabbed the doorknob as if it was a lifeline. “The only thing you need to know is that it’s not you.”
He was suddenly behind her and flattened his hand against the door so she couldn’t open it. He wanted her gone and yet he wanted to dole out her punishment. His world was crashing down around him and the woman who destroyed it was walking away without a backward glance.
Jodie kept her head bent. “I hear the helicopter. Please let me leave.”
“What do you plan to do? Are you keeping the baby?”
She glanced up at him, horrified. “What are you recommending I do?” Her voice was unsettling and he lowered his hand. “Why wouldn’t I keep the baby? Because it’s an inconvenience for you? Because it isn’t yours?”
Did she think he was that kind of monster? His stomach twisted with dread. Jodie had seen him at his worst and this is what she thought of him?
“The sight of you sickens me. Get out,” he said in a threatening growl. “Get out of my house and out of my sight. Get the hell out of my life.”