‘Come, Cece,’ he said, his voice rumbling through her. It was a command, an order her body could not ignore. Her back arched and her orgasm shot through her like lightning and earthed to his mouth.
He coaxed every flicker from her so that she was flushed and near crying when her body came down.
Never had it tasted this good. This was not like the work he used to do. This was different.
He slid up her body, Cecelia pulling him those final inches. They drank from each other in a desperate kiss that was both deep and heady. Luka came up on his arms but she pulled his head back down to claim a deeper kiss.
It was nothing like either of them had known before.
He was practised to the core and she was so new to passion, yet it was fire that they made together. She did not want him to be this good.
‘That wasn’t work,’ he told her. ‘That was bliss.’
And so was this.
He was there at her entrance and nudging a little way in. ‘Come with me,’ he said to the shell of her ear. ‘To Xanero...’
Luka did not want to go and now had been presented with a way to make it more bearable.
She liked the thought of fourteen nights of this. But she held back.
‘No,’ she said, and he pulled out. ‘I mean, no to Xanero...’
But yes to this.
Her eyes were closed as he slid in deep, all the way in. If she could have examined her thoughts she feared she would rediscover her self-control, and the part of her that knew this was wrong.
And so did Luka.
But they were past caring.
The feel of him unsheathed and stretching her was sublime.
And for Luka too, for she was slippery yet tight. He drove in deep and she let out a moan that he wanted to turn into a scream.
He reached for her leg and wrapped her calf around his thigh, pushing into her again. She was more open than she had ever been.
He thrust slowly and could feel the intimate welcoming grip of her.
Her nails dug into his buttocks and she moved with him until they were lost to each other and the moment.
‘Luka...’ She could barely breathe, yet at her plea he took her harder and faster, making her dizzy. She could feel her climax building and this time she welcomed it.
He angled himself and took her deeper and then he tipped into rapid, rhythmic thrusts from which there was no return. It was her scream that brought him back to consciousness.
It was her first scream in bed, Luka knew as his stomach lifted and he pulsed into her, shouting his release.
Her cry came from a place she had never known, and her orgasm was so intense that for a moment she felt possessed. As if her body had been taken over by someone else, by a woman who knew how to be free.
Yet as she gloried in the sensation, his weight atop her reminded her starkly that soon she would have to dig her way out of the ashes from the fire he had brought to her heart.
CHAPTER SIX
‘COME WITH ME to Xanero.’
As the mist was clearing he said it again. His weight pressed down on her even as he still rested inside her. If there was ever a weak moment this was it and Cecelia knew she was about to say yes when Luka spoke.
‘Not to the resort or anything,’ he added, pushing up onto his forearms. ‘Or my mother would think we were serious or something. You could stay on the yacht.’
Cecelia slid out from under him and rolled to her side. He did the same.
She had almost said yes.
In a delicious weak moment she had almost succumbed, and she failed to keep the bitter edge from her tone when she responded to his invitation. ‘You mean, come to Xanero as your plaything.’
‘I’d work you by day...’ He smiled, completely unfazed as he toyed with her breast, still throbbing from his previous attention, for this was the life he led. ‘And then make up for it by night.’
‘So while you’re on the island I’d be cooped up—’
‘Hardly cooped up. It’s not a tin boat with a gas stove....’
‘I have seen your yacht, Luka.’
Well, she had seen pictures of it and had seen some of the accounts for it. It was a luxury resort in itself, and of course she knew all about the wild parties that were held there.
And now she was being invited into the playboy’s bed.
Oh, the dewy mist of his lovemaking was most certainly starting to clear for suddenly Cecelia pulled herself away and sat up.
And it was then that realisation kicked in. ‘Luka, we didn’t use anything...’
In a life spent not making mistakes, Cecelia had just made a huge one and there was no excuse.
For either of them.
‘Are you on the Pill?’
‘Yes, I’m on the Pill,’ she snapped as she tried to remember if she’d taken it last night, because it hadn’t just been putting out her clothes for the morning that had fallen by the wayside. But surely if she went home now and took it, then she’d be fine.
But pregnancy wasn’t the only thing on her mind.
‘It’s not just that, though.’ Cecelia turned and looked over to where he lay and saw that his expression was equally grim.
He’d just told her he’d once been a gigolo—she could not believe she had been so careless.
‘Cecelia, you don’t have to worry about anything there,’ Luka said as he moved to reassure her. ‘I always use protection.’
‘Well, clearly you don’t!’
It was as much her fault as his, Cecelia knew that, and her angry tone was aimed more towards herself.
‘You’ll be fine,’ he said, which might have sounded dismissive, but neither did he want to admit just how impossibly rare this lapse was.
She gave a terse nod and headed for the shower while Luka lay there, his hands behind his head, trying to fathom what had just taken place.
This morning he’d forgotten the rules. This morning he’d been so wrapped in the feel of her, the feel of them, that he’d forgotten the care he usually took.
He had complete control in the bedroom, for though he was wild he was not reckless.
Yet this morning he had been.
Not only had he invited her to come to Xanero with him—at least he had quickly reacted and told Cece that she would only be on the yacht—but for a moment he had glimpsed it. His dream, showing off the first Kargas restaurant and the now stunning resort which was by far his proudest achievement to date.
And he had told her how his ascent to the top had started.
Luka wasn’t particularly close to anyone.
He kept work and family neatly separated, and certainly he had never invited an employee, albeit one who had resigned, to join him there.
The yacht was for escape, for parties and fun. It had never been used as a couples’ retreat.
She came out of the shower and dressed quickly. He was relieved that she seemed as keen to leave as he now wanted her gone, for she had messed with his head.
‘I’d better take your case in to the office,’ Cecelia said.
‘Please.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll be in later.’
No, he wasn’t a perfect gentleman, for he did not tell her to leave the case and that he would take it.
And neither would his driver magically appear.
She could take the underground.
Cecelia had said herself that she wanted to draw a neat line and get back to being his PA.
That suited him just fine.
Last night had been amazing.
So had this morning, and yet now he was left feeling deeply unsettled.
Luka chose not to get close to anyone, but this morning he had.
* * *
Xanero really was hell in paradise.
For Luka, the first week there had been a protracted nightmare—his mother seemed resigned to her fate and his father continued to lord it over the restaurant and resort.
And he had found out that his father was bullying the staff.
Bastard
!
While Luka disliked how his father had rewritten history to suit the image of himself he wanted to believe, Luka could live with it if it made life easier on his mother.
But bullying would not happen in one of Luka’s establishments, and for all the lies and wealth that shaped his mother’s life, she was finding it no easier that he could see.
Luka had taken the yacht out over the weekend, but the pop of champagne corks and the sound of music skimming over the Mediterranean had soon grated and he had cleared everyone off except the crew as he mulled things over. Now, back on Xanero, and midway through the second week, on the Wednesday morning his decisions were made and he was ready to execute them.
He walked through the alfresco area of the restaurant where diners were enjoying the morning sun and through to the cool darkness of the main restaurant.
Theo Kargas was at the bar, speaking with the bar manager, and Luka could feel the young man’s tension from across the room.
‘Hey,’ he said to his father. ‘We need to talk.’
‘About?’ Theo asked, even as he crammed whitebait, crisped to perfection, into his mouth. He was utterly relaxed, for any angry words from his son always took place out of earshot of the staff.
Yes, Luka’s door was always closed.
Not so today.
‘I want to discuss your appalling treatment of my staff and your inexcusable conduct towards my mother.’
Theo almost choked, but then attempted a recovery. ‘Your staff? We are partners. I gave you—’
‘You gave me nothing,’ Luka said, and got right in his father’s face. ‘You actually believe your own lies. Now, as I said, we need to talk...’ He gestured to a table, for he too would prefer privacy for this but the fact he had first addressed the issues in front of the bar manager had been deliberate.
Theo would listen, or Luka would act.
‘I bought this restaurant,’ Luka said, ‘from the money I made picking up rich woman...’
‘Luka,’ his father warned, for a waiter was setting up the table and could hear what was being said.
‘What?’ Luka shrugged. ‘I’m not ashamed of it.’
Well, perhaps he was a bit, but having told Cecelia the real truth about his start he felt more reconciled with it.
So he told his father a truth that had consistently been ignored. ‘I gave you an opportunity to work, and you spurned it. I have put up with it for years for my mother’s sake. No more. I am hiring a new manager, who shall report directly to me. One more episode of your foul temper used on my staff and I shall take you through the courts to extricate you from our agreement and the restaurant’s name shall be changed to Luka Kargas.’
‘It would kill your mother.’
‘She’s already dying,’ Luka pointed out, and then he looked right at his father. ‘Actually, she isn’t, because I am moving her to London for her treatments and I am going to ensure that she rests and is taken care of between them.’
‘You can’t just swan in here and dictate—’
‘Oh, but I can,’ Luka said. ‘I own the complex, and I have a half-share in the restaurant, and,’ he added, ‘I can destroy you if I so choose. You should be pleading with your wife to seek treatment, because if it wasn’t for her you’d be seeing your days out in a shack on the hills and, believe me, Theo, you don’t want to test me on that.’
‘I’m your father!’ Theo reared and stood and leant across the table and grabbed Luka’s shirt.
‘More’s the pity,’ Luka said. ‘And I strongly suggest that you get your hands off me. I’m not ten years old any more, or a skinny teenager up against a brute. I could floor you and I am more than willing to do it.’
Sensibly, his father removed his hand, for it was clear Luka meant every word. But he was not finished yet. ‘You have no idea the ruthless bastard I can be. I could crush you and your so-called empire in the palm of my hand,’ Luka said. ‘And I will say it again, just so we’re clear—the only reason I’ve held back where the resort is concerned is for the sake of my mother.’
It was Luka who stood up and walked off back towards his villa.
He’d have loved to have hit his bully of a father, but what good could come from that? So instead he stripped off and dived into the pool, pounding out several lengths before hauling himself from the water a touch breathless.
And then he messaged Cecelia.
We need to talk.
His message came up on her computer and Cecelia tensed, because though they had spoken about work both online and on the phone on many occasions, this sounded rather personal.
She replied quickly.
I’m about to call someone in for an interview.
So?
Of course he didn’t mean that they needed to speak about what had taken place between them, Cecelia scolded herself for her less-than-professional reply. If Luka Kargas wanted to speak to his PA it didn’t matter if she’d been about to call someone in.
‘I have to speak with Mr Kargas,’ Cecelia said to the interviewee. ‘I’ll be back when I can.’
Cecelia didn’t apologise for keeping Sabine waiting, for the potential PA might as well get a glimpse of what she would be in for.
A moment later his face appeared on her screen and Cecelia got more than a glimpse.
His chest was naked and her view was of a dark mahogany nipple surrounded by a swirl of black hair. But then he angled the screen better and she saw that his hair was wet and he was squinting from the bright sun.
‘What can I do for you?’ Cecelia asked.
Her voice was cool, her demeanour brisk and she was determined that they were back to business.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked.
‘Working.’ She frowned. ‘Marco has a few things he needs to run by you but apart from that things are ticking along.’
She was wearing a grey dress with a sheer grey silky cardigan, because perish the thought that she might show too much skin. Her hair was neat and pulled back and yet now he knew another side to her he couldn’t help but see her buttoned-up appearance for what it was. A defence strategy.
‘I want you to fly here,’ Luka said. ‘I want you here tonight.’
Cecelia stared back at him. ‘For work?’
‘No.’
She liked it that he was direct.
In fact, Cecelia liked it that he had basically asked her to get on a plane for sex. But what happened when he got bored? She reminded herself of all the reasons she had refused his original offer.
He would wake up one morning and instead of kisses she would sense his restlessness.
His slight disdain.
Oh, she had seen it on too many occasions not to know what was in store for her.
At least here in London she was but a taxi ride away from salvaging her pride when he told her they were through.
But in Xanero?
Did she book her own flight home?
Or would they suffer it through until she left his employ less than three weeks from now?
‘If it isn’t for work, then I shan’t be joining you.’
‘Fine,’ Luka snapped. ‘In that case, I need you to go and view some apartments for me.’
‘Sure.’
‘And I want you to interview some private nurses. Make sure they speak Greek.’
Cecelia took down the details.
It was now all very businesslike. Surly, but businesslike. Yet she ached to know more about his mother, though she resisted asking for details that were not with the remit of a professional relationship.
They had spent one night together, and she knew from his reputation that that didn’t give her the keys to his private life.
‘How are the interviews for your replacement going?’ Luka asked.
‘I’m getting there,’ Cecelia said. ‘I’m on the second round, so I should have a shortlist of three for you to choose from.’
‘Any stand-outs?’
Cecelia hesitated.
Luka was a de
manding boss but she almost had to shake the stars from potential employees’ eyes to ensure they understood what the job entailed.
But one had stood out.
Sabine.
She had an incredible work history and was bright and engaging. The only trouble was that Cecelia didn’t like her.
‘There’s one,’ Cecelia said. ‘Sabine. I’m just about to interview her again and give her a tour but...’
‘But what?’
‘I don’t know,’ Cecelia admitted.
‘Try telling me.’
‘I don’t like her.’ Cecelia shrugged. ‘But, then, she’s not for me to like. I’ll see how this interview goes. She speaks Greek, which might be a help with your mother, and...’
‘My mother will be coming to London for treatment, not for little get-togethers with my PA.’
He turned off the computer and closed it up.
Luka really did not want her to leave.
And yet it was perhaps for the best because despite strong words about PAs not getting involved with his family, he had told Cecelia some things he had never told anyone. And he had her interviewing nurses and looking for apartments.
He trusted her, and Luka was more comfortable trusting no one.
* * *
With that awkward conversation over, Cecelia got on with the second-round interviews.
Cecelia was self-aware enough to know that it was probably for private reasons that she couldn’t take to Sabine. The young woman was gorgeous, with piercing blue eyes and straight black hair cut in a jagged, edgy style. She made Cecelia feel terribly drab.
‘Luka will probably call you Sab, or Sabby...’ Cecelia said in an offhand comment as she showed her around. ‘It drives me crazy.’
‘He can call me what he likes as long as he pays me.’
Cecelia held in a breath.
Sabine was arrogant and overly confident perhaps, but she really was the perfect match for Luka.
She could almost hear the banter between them.
‘This is his suite,’ Cecelia explained as she opened the door. ‘It’s serviced daily but I tend to check it as it sometimes needs an extra service. Not currently, though, he’s still in Greece.’
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