‘I…’ She swallowed the constriction in her throat and began again. ‘Yes, I will have dinner with you.’
His smile lit his eyes and she felt her mouth curving upwards in spite of her earlier misgivings.
He escorted her to the restaurant without touching her, although she felt as if she’d never been more acutely aware of him. His long stride shortened to match hers, his lean muscled arms loose by his sides, his shoulder as close as it could be without actually making contact.
The waiter seated them in a quiet corner of the restaurant and after taking their drinks order moved away discreetly.
Demetrius leaned back in his chair and surveyed her face for a moment.
‘Tell me about you, Maddison Jones.’
‘Me?’ It came out more of a squeak.
‘Yes.’ He smiled with his eyes. ‘You.’
‘I…’ She sent her tongue out to her dry lips. ‘I’m not sure I’d be all that interesting to someone…like you.’
‘You don’t know me, so how do you know what interests me?’
‘I don’t know. I guess I was thinking someone with your sort of…background would find someone from mine a bit boring.’
‘Why not test me and see?’
She couldn’t hold his intense gaze and lowered her own to the glass of champagne the waiter had just set down in front of her.
‘All right.’ She toyed with the stem of her glass. ‘I guess I had a more or less happy childhood until my mother died when I was ten. After that, things were never quite the same, even though my father was so devoted and did his best to be there for us.’ She lifted her eyes to his and was surprised to find how warm they looked. ‘Us being my brother, Kyle, and I,’ she continued. ‘He’s five years younger than me and, to be truthful, a bit of a handful.’
‘How so?’
She ran her finger around the top of her fizzing glass reflectively.
‘Ever since he got into his mid to late teens he’s run a bit wild. You know, the usual stuff, underage drinking, shoplifting, car stealing and…’
‘And?’
She caught her bottom lip between her small white teeth.
‘You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone,’ he put in.
She let her lip go to smile at his dry sense of humour. ‘Boat sinking.’
‘Boat sinking?’
She gave him a rueful roll of her eyes. ‘Yacht sinking, to be precise.’
‘Even worse.’
‘Definitely much worse.’
There was a funny little silence.
‘What about you?’ she asked, picking up her glass and bringing it towards her mouth. ‘Have you got any brothers or sisters?’
He shook his head as he reached for his own drink.
‘I’m an only child. My parents divorced when I was young.’
‘How young?’
Maddison noticed his fingers tightened around his glass but his expression remained mostly detached, as if he were discussing someone else’s history, not his own.
‘Five.’
‘That’s very young,’ she said softly. ‘Who did you live with?’
‘My father.’
‘Did you see your mother very often?’
His eyes met hers across the table and she was more than a little shocked at the hardness in his tone when he spoke.
‘I never saw her alive again.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Never?’
‘She ran off with another man, a workmate of my father’s.’
‘That’s terrible.’ She bit her lip once more. ‘You must have missed her so much.’
‘I was soon taught not to miss her.’
She knew there was a wealth of information in that simple statement but wondered if it was wise to press him for too much more.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said instead.
‘Don’t be.’ He lifted his glass and drained it. He put it back down with a definitive clink on the table top and smiled. ‘Now, what about hobbies?’
‘Hobbies?’
‘Things you like to do in your spare time.’
‘I haven’t had a lot of spare time just lately.’
‘What if you had lots of free time and money was no object, what then?’
She tilted her head as she thought about it for a moment.
‘I’d like to learn how to play the guitar.’
‘Is that all?’
‘And the cello and the piano and the flute and trumpet and—’
He laughed and held up a hand to stem her flow.
‘What about your hobbies?’ she asked.
‘Like you, I don’t have a lot of spare time but when I do I like to head into the bush where telephones can’t reach me. I like to wake up to the sounds of birds, not traffic, and I don’t want to hear the hum of electricity or computer terminals. I like the silence. In fact, I crave the silence.’
‘Do you chop your own wood?’
‘Sure do.’
‘Do you ever take people with you?’
He gave her a long, intent look. ‘No, not usually.’
‘No girlfriend…or mistress?’
He shook his head. ‘Most of the women I know would never understand my need for that kind of peace.’
She wasn’t sure what to make of his answer. Was he telling her indirectly that she was the only woman he’d ever taken to his version of paradise?
‘I expect most women would find it a bit daunting without modern conveniences.’ She ran her finger over the rim of her glass once more.
‘What about you?’ he asked. ‘How do you think you’d manage?’
‘Well.’ She lifted her gaze to his with a tremulous smile. ‘I would need to be assured there were no spiders, but if I had access to a torch or candle I think I’d cope.’
‘Are you frightened of the dark?’
It wasn’t the first time he’d asked but she didn’t see any point in avoiding the truth now.
‘I am, actually.’ She looked away, her colour high. ‘I can’t seem to help it. Ever since my mother died I found the dark intimidating. I hate admitting it but I’ve been sleeping with the light on since I was ten.’
‘You should have told me.’
‘How could I?’ she asked. ‘I don’t know you, remember?’
‘Forget about the game.’ He frowned as he reached for her hand across the table. ‘You should have told me about your phobia and about your inexperience.’
‘Game or no game, I hardly knew you,’ she pointed out. ‘You forced me to marry you. A week to ten days is not a good time frame in which to feel comfortable enough to share one’s innermost vulnerabilities.’
‘Why did you marry me, Maddison?’
‘Aren’t we playing the I-don’t-know-you game any more?’
‘Not at the moment. Now answer my question.’
‘You know why I married you,’ she said. ‘I did it to protect Kyle.’
‘No other reason?’
She found it hard to hold his look. ‘What other reason could there be?’
He leant back in his chair, his unwavering gaze unsettling her beyond endurance.
‘I can think of one or two, but you mentioned once that you’d make me regret marrying you. How did you intend to bring that about?’
‘I don’t know.’ She fluttered her free hand agitatedly. ‘It was just a stupid emotion-driven threat. I wouldn’t have the first idea of how to make you regret your actions. You seem to always get the upper hand no matter what I do or say.’
‘You are getting to know me then,’ he observed dryly.
She removed her hand from his and nursed it in her lap.
‘I thought we were having a truce?’ she said with a touch of resentment.
‘We are.’
‘You seem angry.’
‘I can assure you I’m not.’
The waiter came to take their order and Maddison felt as if Demetrius had timed his reappearance just so he could have the last word.
By the time th
eir meals arrived the conversation had drifted to less dangerous topics, much to Maddison’s relief. She didn’t know what to make of him in this mood. On the one hand he seemed to want to lay down all ammunition but a small part of her remained wary of his motives.
‘Would you like to go dancing somewhere?’ he asked after they had eaten.
‘I’m not much of a dancer.’ She lowered her gaze somewhat shyly.
‘I can teach you.’
‘I’ll step on your toes.’
‘I have strong toes.’
‘You’ll need them,’ she said as they got to their feet. ‘I have high heels.’
He glanced down at them and his quick grimace was followed by a smile. ‘We’ll just have to take it one step at a time then, won’t we?’
She gave him an answering smile but she couldn’t help wondering if he was talking about their relationship and not dancing after all.
The nightclub he took her to was crowded but the music was good and Maddison couldn’t help feeling the limited space made her lack of dancing skill largely irrelevant. She was so closely pressed against Demetrius’s body she could feel every ridge of his abdomen along hers.
He turned her on the dance floor by slipping one steely muscled thigh between hers, sending a wave of sensation to the heating core of her body. She could feel the tug of desire deep within her and wondered if he could sense it. His eyes smouldered into hers as he moved with her about the floor, his arms around her waist, hers about his neck, each of their thighs moving as one.
It was hard to concentrate on the rhythm of the music with him so close. She could feel his warm breath caress her face as he looked down at her, a silent communication in his dark gaze.
Afterwards she couldn’t precisely remember how they made it back to the car.
She recalled him whispering to her as the song ended, ‘Let’s get out of here,’ and could still feel the way her spine had loosened at the sound of urgency in his tone.
She followed him out on legs not quite steady, her hand in his, her eyes glazed with a desire that threatened to overwhelm her in its intensity.
He drove the car with a ruthless precision that sent shivers of anticipation right through her. Each determined gear thrust she felt between her thighs as he weaved the powerful vehicle between the clotting traffic, the savage throaty roar of the engine sounding almost primal.
A few minutes later he swung the car into the hotel driveway and the valet parking attendant stepped forward for the keys.
Demetrius opened Maddison’s door and she stepped out with her hand in the firm hold of his.
‘Ready, darling?’ His eyes burned into hers.
‘And waiting,’ she breathed.
The lift soared upwards as if it sensed the need for speed its occupants were silently communicating to each other as they stood shoulder to shoulder, staring at the illuminated lights above their heads.
Demetrius unlocked the penthouse door and she stepped through, turning to face him as he pushed the door closed with a flick of his hand.
He didn’t speak.
He reached for his tie and wrenched it from his neck in such an intoxicatingly male fashion she felt her stomach give an instant somersault.
He only paused to undo a couple of buttons before hauling the shirt over his head and reaching for the buckle of his belt.
Maddison reached for the clip in her hair, shaking out the tresses with a toss of her head as she dropped the clip at his feet.
He stepped over it and, grasping her upper arms in his, pulled her in to him, his mouth coming down and covering hers in a kiss that seared her.
She felt his hands on the back fastener of her dress and heard the soft rustle of fabric as it slithered down her body to the floor as if in a sigh of surrender.
She stepped out of its pink circle, kicking off her shoes as she went.
He lifted his mouth from hers, his eyes drinking in her slim form, dressed in lacy push-up bra and g-string.
She pressed the palms of her hands against his chest and slithered down his body to tongue the cave of his navel, relishing in his sudden indrawn breath as she took the kiss lower and lower.
She undid his waistband and then slowly released his zip, peeling his trousers away with a determination that made him shiver in reaction.
‘Maddison.’ His voice came out as a harsh groan as her mouth moved towards him.
She tasted the steely length of him, delighting in the power of her mouth as he shuddered against its ministrations. She brought him to the brink, his hands buried in her hair, his breathing ragged, his legs braced as he fought for control.
He took her head in his hands and eased her from him, pushing her to the floor with a rough urgency that secretly thrilled her.
He wanted her and he wanted her now.
She felt it in every hard ridge of his body, she felt it in his lips and tongue, and she felt it as he pressed her backwards to receive his hardened length, shifting the tiny barrier of lace aside.
She gasped at the impact of his body within hers, the swollen heat of him stretching her until she felt him fill her completely.
She anchored herself by clasping his shoulders, her nails digging in as he drove on relentlessly with a barely controlled passion.
Her unbridled response to him seemed to only intensify his fervid need, his breathing rate increasing with every movement of his body within hers.
She felt herself tip over the edge, the tumultuous waves carrying her off into oblivion where the mind and thought no longer existed.
She felt him tense and then the power of his release as he emptied himself, the silent shudders of intense pleasure secretly thrilling her.
She had brought him to this.
Demetrius took his time removing himself.
He loved the feel of her body around him, the way she held on to him as if she never wanted to let him go. It made him feel as if she might care for him in some as yet unconscious way.
He wanted her to care for him.
Damn it! He wanted her to love him.
Maddison reached for the pool of her dress as Demetrius got to his feet, her eyes avoiding his. She heard the slide of his zip and then the sound of him putting his shirt on.
‘Maddison.’
She clutched the dress to her chest like a shield.
‘I need to use the bathroom,’ she said.
‘I need to talk to you.’
‘Can it wait?’ She wrapped her dress around her like a sarong.
He clenched his hands to stop himself from tearing it off her.
‘No, I’d like to discuss something important with you.’
She gave him a guarded look which annoyed him immensely. ‘Well?’
He sent a hand through the wild disorder of his hair in a bid to stall for time. He wasn’t sure of her mood. She’d been so responsive but now her guard was up and he didn’t know if she was angry with him or herself.
‘There’s an important issue we need to discuss in the light of our sexual relationship.’
He saw her tense.
‘You haven’t got…anything…have you?’ she asked.
‘No, damn it! I haven’t got anything but I am fertile.’
‘Fertile?’
‘I’m not shooting blanks.’
Maddison stared at him for a speechless moment as the reality of his words sank in.
‘And, as far as I can tell, you’re not on the pill, nor using any other type of contraceptive,’ he continued.
‘I’m not pregnant.’
‘How can you be sure?’
‘Surely I’d know if my own body got pregnant?’ she threw at him. ‘I’m not completely stupid. I’m expecting my period any day now.’
‘I’m very glad to hear it.’
‘I just bet you are.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
She gave him a haughty look. ‘Don’t worry, Demetrius. I won’t slap a paternity suit on you.’
‘I woul
dn’t mind if you did.’
Her mouth fell open in shock. ‘What do you mean?’
He bent to pick up his discarded tie, threading it through his fingers idly. ‘I’m thirty-four years old. I’d not like to be too much older before I father a child or two.’
‘A child or two?’
‘A family.’
‘You’re surely not expecting me to…to…’ She flapped her hands in panic and her dress slipped to the floor.
‘Why not?’ he asked. ‘You’re my wife, aren’t you?’
‘I’m a pretend wife!’
‘So that little routine down here—’ he pointed to where they had just made passionate love ‘—was nothing more than make-believe?’
‘It was a moment of madness, that’s what it was.’ She snatched at her dress once more.
‘You know what it was, so don’t deny it.’
‘What do you want me to say?’ She turned on him. ‘That I care something for you? After all you’ve done?’
He held her fiery look for as long as he could but he had to admit she’d made a very good point. How could he expect her to feel anything but the deepest loathing for him?
‘I want you to think about it,’ he said after a small pause.
‘I’ve thought about it and no.’
‘Is that your final word?’
‘Of course it’s my final word.’
‘How soon will you know?’
‘I know now. I told you—I’m not going to be your stupid breeding machine so—’
‘I meant about your period.’
‘I…’ She did a rough calculation in her head. ‘Today or tomorrow, maybe the next day.’
‘You don’t seem very sure.’
‘I’m not a clock, you know!’ She glared at him. ‘Anyway, I’m often late.’
‘You’ll tell me as soon as you know?’
‘It’s none of your business.’
‘I beg to differ but it is now very much my business. You could already be carrying my child.’
A funny sensation trickled into her belly at the thought of her body stretching to accommodate his baby, her abdomen taut, her breasts swollen, the unmistakable evidence of their passion growing inside her.
‘I’m sure I won’t be.’
‘Just because you don’t want something to happen doesn’t ensure it won’t.’
The Greek's Convenient Wife (Greek Tycoons) Page 17