by Maya Blake
Sage was not sure which emotion reigned supreme—pain, anger or sadness. ‘Is he still there?’
He shook his head. ‘He wrong-footed my men. They thought he’d be heading to Hong Kong so they concentrated their efforts there,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘They reached Macau three hours ago but haven’t found him.’
‘Are you...going to lose your deal?’ She didn’t want to contemplate yet another problem.
Xandro’s jaw tightened. ‘Ruffled feathers will need to be smoothed over, but I’ve dealt with more challenging obstacles in a business deal.’
She stared at his resolute expression. After the brief glimpse into his past, a stinging premonition curled over her nape. ‘What Ben took from you...it isn’t just a meaningless piece of jewellery, is it?’
His eyes locked on hers. Direct. Searing. ‘No, it’s not.’
He didn’t elaborate. She didn’t push. In just a handful of hours, she’d learned that his past was an integral part of the man he’d become. And if what Ben had taken was a part of that history, then Xandro wasn’t going to rest until he had it back. Which meant his presence in her life, depending on her brother’s actions, could get even more overwhelming. She couldn’t contain a shiver at the thought.
‘Tell me what you’re thinking,’ he demanded a moment later.
Twin streaks of betrayal and anxiety warred inside her. But in the end she answered. ‘I love him. He’s been my champion and my strength for a...long time. But sometimes I wish...’ She shook her head.
His lips firmed. ‘You’re wishing again. Let’s focus more on getting him to do what we want.’
A pulse of irrational anger charged through her. ‘How, exactly? With another fumble at the dinner table?’
If she’d expected a mocking denial, she was about to be sorely disappointed.
‘Indeed. Or, better still, a more...demonstrative show.’
Her heart lurched but the free fall wasn’t one born of fear but an emotion she didn’t want to identify too closely. ‘Demonstrative in what way?’
‘You, fully ensconced in my life in a way that leaves no room for doubt as to what is between us. You wish to return to the suite to get some sleep? I think it’s a good idea. We’ll fly out to Vegas first thing in the morning.’
CHAPTER TEN
THE RIDE IN Xandro’s helicopter had introduced her to a short but stomach-dipping bout of excitement. His private jet, almost as large as the commercial jet she’d flown to Greece in, introduced her to yet another dimension of his wealth and power that would’ve made her wonder why he was chasing her brother for a relatively insignificant sum, had she not discovered the truth last night.
One hour after take-off in his private jet, Xandro joined her for lunch. Their meal was served in china she was almost scared to touch. And when she retreated to the back of the plane to wash, the stunning master bedroom suite left her speechless for a long moment. Until she realised she was staring at the bed Xandro slept in when he was flying and her cheeks flamed.
When she returned to the sitting area his gaze rested on her for a long moment, one eyebrow lifted mockingly, as if he’d read her thoughts, before he excused himself to return to the business area.
For the rest of the long flight he left her mostly alone, joining her for another meal when they stopped to refuel in New York.
The straggle of paparazzi at Athens International Airport on their departure was disturbing enough. The flash of cameras when she strode beside Xandro at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas was an experience she never wanted to relive.
As for the questions they’d flung her way—‘Who are you? How long have you been dating Xandro? Is it serious? Are you living together?’
‘It’s not always like this for you, surely?’ she asked once they were in the limo, a little bewildered by the invasive questions and the fact that with the partition between them and the driver closed she was cocooned in low-lit privacy with Xandro.
He shrugged, his focus on his phone. ‘They take an interest whenever I start dating someone new.’
‘And how often is that?’ she asked before she could think better of it.
That got his attention although with his eyes shielded by a pair of aviator shades, she couldn’t read his expression. ‘Are you prying into my sex life, Sage?’ he murmured.
‘I just want to know how long I have to suffer their interest before I become old news to them.’
‘The first few encounters can be a nuisance, but they’ll grow tired and move onto the next victim. In your case, however...’ He paused, a curious smile playing at his lips.
She waited. ‘In my case, what?’ she snapped when it became clear he intended to leave her hanging.
‘I dare say their interest will last a while longer.’
‘That’s not funny.’
He removed his shades, then reached across without warning to pluck hers off her nose.
‘What are you doing?’ she demanded.
‘I like to see your eyes when I’m talking to you,’ he rasped, his gaze locking on hers with the precision and sizzling effect of a laser beam.
Except now he’d taken her glasses off he just seemed content to stare at her. When his gaze dropped to her mouth a moment later, Sage dragged in a strangled breath. ‘You were saying...?’
‘Don’t count on their interest waning any time soon. There’s an innocence about you that draws tabloid hacks like vultures to a fresh carcass.’
‘I don’t find that reassuring in the least. And I’m not innocent,’ she tagged on.
‘Are you not? When did you last have a lover?’
She couldn’t stop the heat that invaded her cheeks. ‘That’s none of your business.’
‘They’re going to eat you up if you blush at questions like that.’
‘Well, they’re welcome to try. I am not answering you and I certainly won’t be answering them!’
The car turned a sharp corner, throwing her across the bench seat towards him. He dropped her sunglasses and caught her by the arms. Between one breath and the next they were inches apart, with his breath washing over her lips as he spoke. ‘Who was he, Sage?’ he demanded in a low, deep voice. ‘Was he your first?’
‘Xandro—’
He made a rough sound under his breath. ‘Scratch that. I don’t think I want to know.’
She was attempting to decipher why his voice rumbled with dark irritation when he dragged her the rest of the way and slanted his mouth over hers, staking a claim she seemed helpless to deny.
The moment she parted her lips he went in deep, stroking her tongue with his in a move so blatantly erotic her breath caught and a moan erupted from her diaphragm before she could stop it.
It seemed the most natural thing in the world to grip his forearms to steady herself against the torrent of sensations buffeting her.
Strong muscles bunched at her touch, an intimation of the leashed power in his body. His tongue stroked hers with increasing insistence, his invasion deepening until she felt as if he meant to devour her.
She’d been kissed before. By the same lover Xandro didn’t want to know about. He’d been her first and last experience. One born out of loneliness and curiosity more than anything else. A fellow dancer who’d come to DC at the same time as her and stayed for a short time in the Georgetown townhouse, they’d fallen into a casual friendship, shared the same concerns about being in a strange city and had eventually drifted apart by mutual consent.
She didn’t regret giving Paul her virginity. He’d been a gentle, considerate lover. But at the time she’d secretly wondered why the earth hadn’t moved for her, or why she hadn’t been in a hurry to repeat the experience after the first time. Now she knew it was because he hadn’t set her world on fire.
Not like Xandro Christofides was doing now with a mere kiss.
Except it wasn’t a mere kiss. It was a blistering lesson in eroticism that singed her to her very toes. The relentless onslaught robbed her of breath and thought,
of everything except the need to experience more of the same. Even though she knew she shouldn’t.
One hand caressed up her arm and shoulder to rest against her neck, his fingers stroking the runaway pulse beating at her throat. ‘Thee mou,’ he muttered gruffly against her stinging lips.
Before good sense could return, he dived in for a longer, even deeper kiss, his groan matching hers as his other hand trailed down her back to the curve of her buttock. He gripped her, kneaded her flesh once, twice, before using his grip to tug her closer.
The shameless evidence of his arousal branded her hip, throwing another log onto the bonfire of her senses. Even through his pants, his girth and power was difficult to dismiss. When her thoughts strayed to what it would feel like to have all that power against her, inside her, Sage knew she was in deep trouble.
But, for the life of her, she couldn’t pull back, couldn’t stop her lips from following where he led, a slave to the pleasure invading her bloodstream. It was why she shockingly heard herself whimper when he lifted his head an age later.
Eyes dark with turbulent hunger raked her face, the tips of his fingers brushing back and forth over her jawline as he sucked in a deep breath.
‘We really need to work on our timing.’
‘I...what?’ she murmured, dazed.
‘Much as I’d like to continue this, pethi mou, we need to stop. We’ve arrived.’
It took a long, embarrassing minute for his meaning to sink in. A look out of the window showed the driver waiting for the signal to open the door. Beyond him, the iconic curved skyscraper that was Xandro’s flagship hotel and casino soared into the sky in a powerful statement of lights, glass and steel.
Feeling another blast of heat flame up her face, she scrambled away from him. Sage wasn’t sure whether he let her go because he also needed to get himself under control.
Just as she wasn’t sure why her gaze dropped to his lap at that moment. Sure enough, the erection she’d felt was a bold statement. She quickly averted her eyes, but not before he caught her looking. A breath punched out of him and his jaw gritted for a control-gathering moment before he rapped on the glass window.
He didn’t exit immediately, probably because of the surge of paparazzi that surrounded the car.
The bodyguards who’d travelled in a separate car held back the throng as Xandro stepped out and held out his hand to her.
More flashbulbs erupted, the questions coming thick and fast as he helped her out. His sunglasses were back in place. While she was left feeling raw and naked.
‘Can I have my glasses back, please?’ She silently cringed at the husky, breathless quality of her voice.
He didn’t hand them to her. Instead he took his time to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear before he unfolded the glasses, his gaze fixed on her face as he placed them on her nose. Then his fingers drifted down her cheek to brush the corner of her mouth.
If he’d wished to confirm their involvement without saying a word, Xandro achieved it in that single, carefully choreographed moment. The media frenzy erupted around them.
Through it all, he remained calm and supremely collected as he placed his hand in the small of her back and escorted her into his hotel.
She was still shaking, partly with shame, partly with the sinking feeling that he’d manipulated her yet again, as the private lift raced them towards another penthouse suite.
Words churned through her mind. She wanted to accuse, to challenge, to blast him for the rioting emotions coursing through her body. But she was just as responsible. She’d let this wild hunger that he stoked in her take over her senses. She could blame him all she wanted for taking advantage of it, but she’d handed herself over to him on a platter.
Perhaps he was satisfied with the events of the last ten minutes, or he had already moved on from it. Either way, he was back to scrolling through his phone, the very epitome of arrogant control as he strode out of the lift.
The penthouse they entered was twice as large as the one in Athens. ‘Do you only live in hotels?’ Her voice was sharper than she’d intended.
He stilled, his gaze snapping up from the phone to track her as she paced. ‘No. I have several properties around the world,’ he drawled.
‘Properties, not homes?’
Grey eyes narrowed. ‘Do you have a point you wish to make?’
Did she? ‘It just seems like a cold existence, that’s all.’
He folded his arms and it took a lot of effort not to stare at the flexed power of his biceps. ‘You’re sure that’s all? You want to tell me what’s really bothering you?’
She snatched in a breath. ‘That was all orchestrated downstairs, wasn’t it?’
‘Not initially, no. The need to kiss you in the car stemmed from the simple fact that you’re exceptionally beautiful and extremely desirable,’ he stated baldly.
Her mouth dropped open.
His lips twitched. ‘I’ve succeeded in robbing you of speech.’
It took a minute for her to regroup. ‘But again you took advantage of the situation?’
‘Every success in life comes from the right advantage being taken at the right time.’
She swung away, unable to look at his breathtaking face and lithe body without recalling how she’d felt plastered to him. But she silently thanked him for reminding her exactly who he was. A manipulator and control freak who used every single situation to his advantage.
Suitably re-armed, she started to walk away, then stopped when she was confronted with a trio of hallways. ‘Can you tell me which one is my bedroom? I’m tired.’ It was a half-lie. Travelling in private luxury had taken away a huge amount of discomfort, but her senses felt battered. The need to retreat and regroup was paramount.
He studied her for a beat before he started towards her. She tensed, but he walked past her with a curt, ‘Come with me.’
She followed, past two doors to the last door on the right. The suite was as plush as the rest of the penthouse, the furnishings elegant and classy. In the small adjoining living room a wide sofa with a dozen cushions beckoned relaxation, as did the impressive drinks cabinet and entertainment centre.
She spotted a door at the far side of the living room. ‘Where does that go?’
‘A corridor and stairs to the floor upstairs.’
‘What’s upstairs?’
‘My bedroom.’
‘Wow. You had secret stairs put in for your lovers? A little archaic, don’t you think?’ Heavens, what was wrong with her?
He laughed.
And everything inside her stilled at the deep, hypnotic sound. With his head thrown back in amusement, he was almost too much to behold. ‘If you ever wish to rethink your career, try your hand at scriptwriting period drama. You have a flair for it.’
She flushed, then pursed her lips, annoyed with herself for continuing to allow him to get under her skin.
‘The corridor also leads to my private pool,’ he elaborated. ‘Use it if you wish. Relax, have something to eat. I have a few things to catch up on so I’m sure you’ll be happy to be free of me for a while.’
She didn’t answer, simply because a slight hollow feeling yawned inside her with the news of his absence.
His phone buzzed again. With one last look at her, Xandro walked out.
She tried to ignore the bereft feeling that assailed her as he left. She clearly needed something to do.
Decision made, she grabbed her swimsuit, took the door and stairs Xandro had indicated and arrived at a stunning, partially covered swimming pool. Tiled with dark green marble, the waters sparkled with a tropical exoticism that invited her to indulge.
Diving into the pool, she powered through the water, hoping the exertion would clear her mind. She emerged after twenty laps to see the butler approaching with a tray. She devoured the club sandwich and cool drink before returning to her suite.
It was late afternoon but her body clock was wired to Greek time, which was somewhere in the middle of the night.
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She lay on the sofa in her favourite T-shirt, grabbed the remote and channel-hopped, with every intention of staying awake because now her mind was a little clearer, she remembered she’d intended to talk to Xandro about where she could practise. The added thought that she had no means of reaching him also began to irk her. Did he work in the hotel? Or did he have offices elsewhere? And, considering he was single with no family, why did he need a penthouse with enough rooms to house a large family?
And how exactly had he managed to evade the gang that had put a price on his head in New York all those years ago?
Questions pelted her mind. Each time she tried to push one away, another rose, more persistent. And then came one that made her chest tighten in disquiet.
She’d stepped into her unwilling role without asking Xandro if he was involved with another woman. Considering the number of pictures she’d seen of him with different women on his arm, it wasn’t as if he lacked female attention. When he’d said he had a few things to catch up on, she’d assumed he meant work.
But now she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d meant something else. Someone else. Regardless of the fact that she was here because he was using her to bring her brother to heel, Sage despised the thought that she might unwittingly be sharing him with another woman.
Except sharing meant he was hers. And he wasn’t.
Her lips pursed. Nevertheless, it needed to be addressed. Irritated that something so vital had slipped her guard, she turned over, plumped the sofa cushion and turned up the volume on the music station she’d located to drown out the voice mocking her stupidity.
When she opened her eyes again it was to a different view. In the moments it took for her to recall her whereabouts, she stretched her arms above her head, luxuriating in the warm, comfortable sheets.