by Marian Tee
She shook her head, still crying.
“You’re not one of them.”
Her eyes widened and her lips parted and closed. It was his beloved blowfish look, but more than that, his words had stunned her so that she stopped crying.
When she recovered from her shock, she cried out, “Meanie!”
“But effective in stopping the tears, ne?” His voice was gruff, but the gleam in his eyes was beautiful and intense, and the thousand promises in them made her throat dry.
“What now?” she whispered.
His gaze became hooded, and his tone was guarded when he answered, “We take it day by day.”
“Okay.” She didn’t bother playing coy about it, she was just so relieved and grateful he wasn’t leaving.
He stood up, and so did she. Their gazes met, her eyes filled with fear and innocent longing. It made Kyr slowly draw her to him, and he heard himself say, “I am not an easy person to be with. I’m too damaged, too cynical, too damn old. I’ll probably hurt you without knowing, and for that, I’m already apologizing.” Lifting his head, he cupped her chin, smiling wryly as he said, “Given all that, are you sure you still want me in your life?”
“Yes.” She answered without any hesitation, and her eyes shone bright like stars.
Ah, God.
He was the most selfish bastard on earth, to take what she was offering when he knew he didn’t deserve it.
But it was too late now.
His eyes closed. “Be patient with me, psaraki.” And before he realized what he was doing, he was already bending down to press a soft kiss on her hair, committing everything to her – everything except his nonexistent heart.
Chapter Five
“What’s that?” Kyr curiously eyed the massive bag Polly had slung over one shoulder the next day. He watched her put it down next to the picnic hamper with a frown, thinking that the bag looked older and heavier than she was.
“Well…” Her tone, which matched the sheepish smile that had flitted over her lips, fascinated him. He had a feeling she was going to say something insane again. “Coz it’s our first date, you know?”
And because she had started rummaging through her enormous bag, Polly missed the way the billionaire froze at her choice of words.
“I just want to be sure I have everything,” she was saying while pulling out a blanket and then spreading it on the grass. “I want to be prepared.” Kneeling down, she began to take the food and drinks out of the hamper, all of which she had singlehandedly prepared.
Kyr barely understood the rest of her words. Date. The foolish girl thought they were dating, that they were a permanent item now. Goddammit. Hadn’t he told her they were going to take it day by day? So why the hell was she thinking they were dating now?
For God’s sake, there had been women in his life he had fucked over a week without even knowing their last names. And yet here was Polly, thinking they were dating after one kiss?
Looking up, Pollyanna gave the billionaire a sunny smile, asking laughingly, “Why are you still standing, silly?” She took his hand without warning and tugged him down.
Noting his stiff posture, she thought ruefully that maybe her first choice for their date was too ordinary for him. “Is it your first time to go on a picnic date?”
“Yes.” Kyr saw no reason to lie.
“I figured as much.” She looked at him in concern. “Do you want to go somewhere else? I’d be game with whatever, really—”
“No. Of course not.” He forced himself to relax. “New experiences are always a good thing.” He was just going to pretend she hadn’t said anything about dating.
“If you’re sure?” She gave him a skeptical look.
Kyr was beginning to feel a little offended. “I’m not a snob.”
She swallowed back a laugh. “Of course,” she said quickly, even while remembering how Mr. Not-A-Snob looked at her when she suggested they borrow bikes from the staff so they could cycle to the picnic grounds.
Kyrillos Gazis did not do bikes, that look had said. Limousines, sports cars, Harley Davidson bikes – those were the only acceptable modes of trans. Bikes, especially borrowed and old ones, were totally out of the question.
Watching her shoulders shake as she silently unwrapped a sandwich, he said pleasantly, “I hope you’re not laughing at me.”
Her fingers stilled, but her shoulders shook harder.
“And if this is all about me being a snob—”
She could no longer keep it to herself, bursting into peals of laughter as she gasped, “B-but your t-tone. It’s a-already s-snobbish—”
Impertinent little blowfish, he thought even as a reluctant grin stretched on his lips. Her laughter was infectious, and damn if the sound didn’t turn him on. It was like hearing sunlight make music, and after drowning in darkness in four long years, the sound was the most beautiful music to his ears.
Without a thought, he hauled her to his lap, and as she gasped, he caught her mouth in a hard, deep kiss. He gave her no time to think, only allowed her to feel as his tongue swept in and laid siege to every inch of her mouth. He sucked hard on her own tongue, and his blood surged hot and primitively at the way she whimpered and sank against him.
When he finally raised his head, giving her time to breathe, she looked up at him with stars in her eyes.
It was an irresistible look, and with a groan, Kyr deliberately shoved all his reservations out of the way and focused on the most important thing in the world: giving Pollyanna her first taste of pleasure.
Feeling the billionaire lay her flat on the blanket, Pollyanna’s eyes flew open just in time to see and feel Kyr nudge her legs apart so he could settle between them. The position made her feel exposed and vulnerable in the most feminine way possible, and the way he was so hard all over made her feel almost shamelessly weak. But even so, it also left her embarrassed and panicky, and she raised anxious blue eyes to the billionaire. “A-aren’t we going too fast?”
His smile was devastatingly sexy. “No.”
Her heart slammed against her chest as he reached for a wayward curl, and when he twisted it around his finger, the sensual and possessive gesture had Pollyanna gulping with a mixture of excitement and fear. Everything he did had such a shattering impact on her, she thought helplessly, and she just wasn’t sure if it was normal.
Before she knew what she was saying, she heard herself mumble jerkily, “I want you too much.” Pollyanna squeezed her eyes shut as soon as the words flew out. Oh dear Lord, had she really admitted that—
Her thoughts were interrupted as she sensed Kyr bending down, and unable to help it, she peeked, and the first thing she saw was his smirk. It was an arrogant, I-don’t-mind-you-find-me-hot kind of smirk, and oh dear Lord, she wished she could hate him for it. But she couldn’t. It just made her want him more.
And then his lips touched hers, and there was no chance for her to think at all.
Kyr kissed her hungrily. He had thought that by now, his desire for her would have waned even slightly, but if anything it had become even more urgent and desperate, the memory of his first kiss with her making him wonder how the rest of her body would feel and taste. Moving down, he laid a hot, wet trail on her neck, and his lips curved in a smile of sexual satisfaction as he heard Polly whimper. When he felt her hands fluttering restlessly under him, he helped her by taking them and settling her hands on his shoulders.
“Hold on.” His voice was tight with desire, and Pollyanna clutched his shoulders hard, a part of her instinctively realizing that the rest of what he had to do would have her reeling.
And it had.
She held on to him tightly as she felt him nuzzle the valley between her breasts, and her nails dug deep in his back when she felt him release the first buttons of her blouse. And then she felt it—
It was like the world had even slowed down for her to savor everything, step by step.
His hands molding her breasts, cupping them, kneading them, and oh God, how h
er breasts swelled in his touch, as if this part of her body was rejoicing at being touched by its master.
And then he was pulling the cups of her bra down, and oh, how her body arched up at the agonizing sensation of his hot breath tickling the sensitive skin of her breasts.
“Kyr.” His name slipped out of her mouth in a moan the moment she felt his lips close over one nipple. The heat of his kiss was excruciatingly beautiful, and all her reservations and inhibitions disappeared in the next second. She no longer cared about where they were and if someone could see them.
Eyes wide, lips parted, and her skin electrifyingly alive, she could not stop staring at the way the billionaire was laving her nipple with his tongue. When he paused to look up, she could feel her face flaming at being caught staring, but even so, when the billionaire asked if she wanted more, his voice rough with desire, all she could do was nod. The way his lips curved told Pollyanna he liked her answer, and her toes curled at how good it felt to please him.
And then he was bending his head down again.
This time, when his mouth closed over her nipple, he meant business. He started sucking, practically devouring her breast while his other hand played with its creamy twin. She gasped and her nails sunk deeper into his back. But still she couldn’t take her gaze off him, not even when he switched to her other breast and did the same.
Over and over, thoughts flashed in her mind, a running commentary that made what was happening feel even more surreal. Kyrillos Gazis was sucking her nipple. The billionaire’s hands were running over her legs. One of his hands had found its way under her dress—
“Ah!” She couldn’t help gasping out when she felt his fingers slip under her cotton underwear. His hand cupped her mound and she gasped again, her eyes flying to him in shock.
And just like what he did to her breasts, he began kneading the flesh between her legs, and she fell back on the blanket, unable to stop herself from shuddering at the painfully sharp pleasure his touch evoked. Her head began to toss left and right as he kneaded harder, and when he found that tiny hidden nub and began to rub gently—
Sensing the way her climax was about to happen anytime, Kyr rose up while keeping his hand on her pussy. He stared down at her for one moment, treasuring the look of wonder and pleasure on her face.
Her lips parted, and he knew it was time. He covered her mouth with his, catching her scream in his kiss. He rubbed her clit harder, and she bucked violently under him. Her legs wrapped instinctively around his waist, and he groaned and kissed her harder.
After, she was meek and silent, obediently letting Kyr take over as he righted her clothes.
Maybe he had been too fast, he thought broodingly, noting the way Pollyanna was nervously eating her sandwich.
This is the last time I’ll touch her, he promised to himself tautly. He would make sure she would only see him as a summer fling and nothing else, and to do that, he had to stop giving her reasons to mistake sex for love.
“Polly?”
She looked up, and the stars in her eyes were brighter than ever.
Ah, fuck.
He wasn’t the type to break his word, but his last promise might just be one thing he would never be able to keep.
Chapter Six
“What made you decide we should try scuba diving?” Pollyanna was asking him the afternoon of the next day. Again, she had on her usual shirt, beach shorts, and flip flops as well as her larger-than-life bag, the sight of which was somehow endearing itself to him for some strange reason.
“Teleios has one of the best seascapes in the world,” he answered smoothly. “I wouldn’t want you to miss out on it just because you didn’t know how to scuba dive.” But this was a lie. He figured that with her covered head to toe, he would be less prone to jumping on her.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
When she came out of the locker room, Kyr had to take a deep breath and make a special effort not to speak. Her diving suit, which indeed covered her head to toe, also emphasized her curves to perfection. It not only made him want to fuck her, but it also had every red-blooded male in the vicinity ogling her.
Damn it to hell.
“I’m ready for my lesson,” she told him cheerfully. Her eyes darted behind him, and she waved.
He turned and saw Chris – good, old Chris, who was just as much a flirt as Abram was – and his deadly look was enough to have the younger man hurriedly looking away and diving into the practice pool.
Looking back at Polly, he asked with deceptive casualness, “You’re certain you can do this then? You’ll be twenty feet underwater, and the pressure can be disconcerting. You won’t be able to hear anyone inside your suit, and you might find yourself struggling to breathe.”
But Polly only laughed, saying, “I know what you’re doing. You want me to back down so you’re going to say I’m acting like a kid?” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Not gonna happen, Master Kyr.”
Idiot. His lips compressed. Stupid, naïve, goddamn idiot. He was jealous, dammit, and was too proud to admit it. Couldn’t she see that?
But because he valued his pride, Kyr forced himself to grit between clenched teeth, “Have fun, then.”
Settling down on one of the lounge seats, he watched Pollyanna walk towards Chris. Weren’t her hips swaying too prominently? He remembered how it was one of her favorite ways of seducing other men, remembered how she would laughingly admit to him that she did it just because she liked seeing him jealous.
And he had let her do it, Kyr thought with grim self-loathing, because back then he had allowed love to turn him into a wimp.
Jaw tight, he forced himself to stay there and watch Chris and Pollyanna talk. He wanted to punch the younger man every time Chris touched her, never mind if it was necessary. He wanted to haul Polly back to his side every time she smiled and laughed at whatever the jerk said. She was supposed to find him – only him – funny, dammit.
A sultry brunette in a bikini blocked his view suddenly. His first instinct was to roar at her to get out of his way, but he managed to control himself. If Pollyanna could have fun with Chris, then there shouldn’t be anything wrong for him to have fun with other women, was there?
And so he did.
The hours passed, and Kyr deliberately kept his attention on the women around him. They had come flocking to him as soon as they realized he wasn’t going to turn anyone away, and soon it was almost like he was ruling his own harem.
Not once had he allowed his gaze to stray towards where Pollyanna was, even though he kept her figure in the periphery of his vision. He knew the moment she resurfaced, the moment she went back down diving. And he heard her goddamn sweet laugh. He was furious at her for laughing, but he was even more furious with himself for being so unreasonable about it.
As for the women, all of them grated on his nerves, and it took all of Kyr’s patience not to have security remove them from his sight.
He was disgusted at the way all of them seemed to compete with each other. Why couldn’t they be more like Pollyanna? Her naïve assumption that everyone was destined to be her friend was dangerous, but it wasn’t irritating.
At the four-hour mark, Kyr could no longer take it, and he stood up, excusing himself abruptly. If he spent one more second with those airheads, he was certain he would end up killing them.
As he walked away, he was stunned to hear a familiar voice calling out to him. He turned, and it was Polly.
“What is it?” he demanded, not liking the seemingly desperate way she had rushed out of the pool and practically ran to him. “Did Chris do anything to you?”
Chris, who had been about to join them, immediately beat a hasty exit at the billionaire’s words. Used to being the object of hatred of jealous boyfriends, he knew when to make himself scarce. But he was grinning as he hurried to the employees’ quarters, thinking, who would have imagined that Master Kyr would end up falling for someone like Polly?
Pollyanna was already shaking her head eve
n before he finished speaking. But instead of answering him, she said in a small voice, “I’m sorry you were bored waiting for me to finish my lesson.”
Kyr was stunned.
“If you’re going somewhere else, maybe I could go with you instead? I don’t really need the lessons, you know. Or I could take them when you’re at work. But if you’re free, we could do what you want and—”
“Stop,” he said harshly. She looked at him in miserable silence, and his guilt flayed him. The entire time Pollyanna had spoken, the truth had hit him, and it wasn’t a pretty one. He had let his memories with her get to him, and he had ended up pushing Polly away, even punishing her, when she hadn’t done anything at all.
He looked at Pollyanna, saw the stars were still in her eyes, but this time they were also made hazy with tears. Without a word, he hauled her to him, his arms closing tightly around her small, curvy body. She hugged him back without a word, and when he felt the telltale shake of her shoulders, he said gruffly, “Don’t.”
“D-don’t want?”
“Don’t cry.” He rested his chin on top of her shoulders, oblivious to the way everyone was gaping at the mind-bogglingly sweet picture they made. “You don’t want those other girls to see your ugly cry face, do you?” Her shoulders shook again but of laughter this time.
She also surprised him by tightening her arms around his waist, prompting him to ask curiously, “What is it?”
“Just glad you chose me over them,” Pollyanna mumbled against his chest.
Ah.
He pulled away, and when she glanced up, he returned her surprised look with a scowl. Didn’t she know it was extremely unfair of her, saying the sweetest things out of the blue? Taking hold of her hand, he pulled her close to him again and led her out of the diving facility.
“Where are we going?” she stammered.
“Somewhere private, so I can kiss you.”
She stumbled over her feet.
“Also…what do you want to do tomorrow?” Kyr didn’t look at her as he spoke. “Anything you want, we’ll do it.” As an apology, he added silently because he knew she wouldn’t get it if he said sorry.