The Greek’s Hidden Vows by Maya Blake

CHAPTER EIGHT

ITWASDIRECTLYbecause of that wild, unfettered leap in her heart that Alexis pivoted and started to walk away. Deep in her bones she knew that she would’ve screamed yes otherwise.

She stumbled to a halt when he wrapped his fingers around her arm. ‘You need time to think about it—’

‘No.’

He waited a beat. Two. Then his eyes narrowed. ‘No?’

‘I don’t need to think about it. The answer is no.’ Her words were firm enough, but she betrayed herself by trembling a moment after they emerged.

‘You’re afraid,’ he observed shrewdly. ‘Why?’

‘Because it’s absurd?’

‘Or because you imagine you can protest this chemistry away?’

She wanted to hate him for hitting the nail on the head. But he’d already seen what she’d tried to hide—that she was attracted to him. Perhaps dangerously so. But the fact that he wanted to act on it didn’t mean she had to give in.

Did it?

No.

‘Today, tomorrow or a month from now, my answer will still be the same,’ she said, glad for the firmness of her voice. Not so much for the dismay and disappointment echoing in her chest. ‘I’m not interested.’

His gaze remained pinned, mildly disbelieving and faintly mocking, on her face. ‘Prove it,’ he taunted after a stretch of time that jangled her every nerve.

Welcome irritation stiffened her spine. ‘I don’t need to prove anything.’

‘Not even to yourself?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘If you’re so confident this is no big deal to you, that you’re not afraid of the power of it, then where’s the harm? Haven’t you wanted to put me in my place a time or two? Perhaps even a little payback for mankind in general?’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ she snapped, even though a part of her wished she did. Even though a part of her wanted someone to pay for her hurt. ‘I don’t hate all men just because of the crimes of one.’

She knew she’d fallen into his trap the moment the words left her lips.

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ he said, smiling as if he knew every single chaotic dance unravelling inside her. ‘Here’s your chance, Alexis. Are you going to take it or run away?’

It was the smile that made her see red. That triggered a throw-caution-to-the-wind switch she feared she’d regret later. But in that moment, nothing could’ve stopped her from taking that step. From wrapping one arm around his waist and the other over his nape to urge his head down to hers. Nothing could’ve stemmed the wild need that drove her onto her toes, bringing his tantalising lips within kissing distance.

At the searing contact, she moaned, her senses already clamouring for more.

With that deep grunt she was growing shockingly addicted to, Christos tugged her closer until they were plastered together from chest to thigh.

Their exploration wasn’t tentative. It was a culmination of the dance that had begun in his penthouse and matured in the time in between. Rabid for his taste, she boldly stroked his tongue, then ran hers over his bottom lip, while her nails dug into his warm skin. Pleasure and feminine power exploded through her as she felt his erection swell. And when his hand cupped one breast, teasing her nipple, Alexis cried out.

He swallowed the sound, deepening the kiss for another minute before, forced apart by the need for oxygen, his lips trailed to her jaw and neck, tonguing her pulse before trailing hot kisses onto her collarbone.

She hazily grew aware of her spaghetti strap being lowered, of the cool breeze washing over her chest. Then his mouth was covering one nipple, drawing the needy peak into his mouth.

‘Christos!’

‘Hmm,’ he growled against her flesh after an age of tormenting her. ‘You respond so beautifully,’ he said, right before he delivered the same exquisite torture to its twin.

Alexis buried her fingers in his hair, every sense tuned into the magic he was weaving, to the cavernous need demanding satiation. Dear God, this was madness. But not one she wanted to stop. Not in that moment.

‘Please,’ she found herself whimpering, against every shred of common sense she possessed. Straining for more even as the weight of her need terrified her.

‘Yes,’ he groaned, laving her expertly for another minute before lifting his head.

For the longest minute, they stared at one another, their breathing choppy. Alexis blushed when he slowly drew up her straps, the sensual glide of his tongue across his lower lip almost making her moan out loud. ‘Now tell me this is a bad idea,’ he rasped, the wash of colour across his sharp cheekbones making him even more alluring. His eyes blazed with an arousal he did nothing to hide and even the steady rise and fall of his chest was mesmerising.

‘In my experience, mixing business with pleasure only has one unfortunate outcome.’

From languorous arousal, his face instantly hardened into an austere mask. ‘Don’t judge me by another man’s standards. Have I ever lied to you?’

‘No,’ she answered truthfully. ‘But—’

He placed a finger on her lips. ‘He was worthless and attempted to tarnish you with the same brush. I know your worth, Alexis.’

Deep, solemn words that shook the very root of her soul. Alexis was stunned by how much she wanted to cling to them. But...wasn’t this very urge to cling what had left her devastated in the end? And once this little sexual experiment had ended, then what?

‘Our agreement is for three years, Alexis, and there’s still two of them left. You might grow bored of me long before then,’ he said, although the light in his eyes said the contrary.

She wasn’t about to stroke his ego by denying it. Maybe he assumed that because he believed she wasn’t the clingy type. Or even the falling-in-love type.

Someone else might have appreciated the unspoken compliment. But his perception was a vice around her chest, a reminder that it was the same reason most families had passed her over as a child. The reason her own mother had abandoned her on a forgettable doorstep. She was unlovable. Good, it seemed, for only a brief fling and nothing more.

‘I’m human, Christos. I may develop needs that go beyond just sex.’

For a nanosecond his face shuttered. Then he was back in counterargument mode. The mode he thrived in best. ‘And do you intend to deny them all as a whole or will you let me take care of one, in particular? You can rest assured I won’t leave you wanting in any way when it comes to sharing my bed,’ he said, his voice low and throbbing with the kind of dangerous sexiness that should trigger a definite flight response from her.

Instead, the brazen and unexpected response made her roll her eyes. ‘You’re certainly not lacking in the sexual ego department, are you?’

His smile was pure arrogance. ‘Our chemistry is remarkable. You’d be a fool to let it go to waste when we’re tied to each other for the foreseeable future.’

She opened her mouth to dismiss his claim with the contempt it deserved. But slowly, her lips pressed together, that loud drumbeat in her ears warning her that this could be her only chance to experience something this spectacular.

He took the opportunity to step closer, to run his fingers down her cheek, an action he seemed particularly enamoured of. ‘Take the afternoon. Think of this,’ he murmured, lowering his head to brush his lips lightly over hers. ‘And this.’ The hand on her cheek trailed down her neck, over her shoulders, to lightly graze over her nipple, causing her to shiver wildly. Against her lips, she felt his conceited smile as his hand strayed even lower, over her belly, aiming for that hot place between her legs. She had ample time to stop him, but every last objection drained away, her senses alive with the need pounding through her, with the hunger to experience what he was offering. ‘Then think of my lips here, pleasuring you for hours. Making you come over and over.’

Alexis barely stopped her knees from giving way at the thick promise. His free hand gripped her shoulder, even as the hand between her thighs splayed possessively over her hungry, feminine core. Over her clothes, his fingers boldly caressed her, unerringly finding her most responsive spot and stroking her to a frenzied arousal. Her nails dug into his skin as a delicious haze blinded her.

‘Christos...’ She wasn’t aware she’d thrown her head back until his lips found her pulse, caressing it with lazy strokes that matched the bold ones between her thighs.

‘Yes, that is exactly how you will pant my name when I’m inside you. My name, matia mou. No one else’s.’

With that hard-edged edict, he caressed her one last time, then stepped back.

Alexis inhaled desperately as he took her hand and led her back to the buggy.

In the hours after that, he didn’t by word or deed reference that insane moment on the cliff edge, morphing into the perfect host as they explored the rustic dwellings that had once formed part of a vineyard but was now turned into a stunning staff quarters for the caretakers of Drakonisos. Alexis was gratified to see that they lacked for nothing, that the same demanding but generous ethic she’d noted in Christos was practised by his grandfather.

She was hot and thirsty by the time Christos stopped the buggy almost three hours later under a clutch of cypress trees at a midway point between north and south.

An elaborate picnic was laid out on a checked blanket, complete with champagne, oysters and an array of mouth-watering Greek food.

‘Hungry?’

‘I’m starving.’

His gaze dropped to her mouth, setting it tingling. ‘Come, then. Let me feed you.’

He alighted, came around to help her off the buggy. And as she dropped down to the blanket and feigned an avid interest in the spread, Alexis was terrified to note she was several degrees hotter and more bothered. And that it had nothing to do with their trek.

The possibility of everything backfiring was strong enough to allow brief moments of misgivings as Christos expertly uncorked the champagne and filled their glasses. But they were nowhere near as strong as the need that simmered beneath his skin, threatening to turn into a blaze at the smallest opportunity.

Sleeping next to Alexis last night had been a special form of hell. He’d made an excellent job of feigning sleep until she’d stopped fretting long enough to fall asleep. Then it had been his turn to wonder what the hell he was playing at. Why he was torturing himself like this...

For Drakonisos.

For the place that had helped him hang on to a shred of humanity when everything and everyone around him had shown him that life was a hot mess of greed, pain and self-aggrandisement. In his more indulgent moods, he’d even believed the island had reached out loving arms and hugged him when he’d needed it most.

The last thing he would allow was Georgios to turn this into a hedonistic destination for his unsavoury circle of friends. That he wasn’t prepared to stomach.

He focused on her as Alexis finished admiring the view and turned her gaze on him. That blaze flared up higher.

‘This is a beautiful place. I can see why you want to hang on to it.’

He handed her a glass. ‘It definitely deserves better than to have it turned into another celebrity hangout or, worse, a destination for a TV reality show.’

Her eyes grew wide. ‘That’s what your cousin intends to do?’

‘Yes. My grandfather isn’t the only one with eyes and ears.’

‘Does he know?’

‘No. And I don’t intend to tell him.’ Telling Costas to gain an unfair advantage wasn’t his style.

She sipped her champagne, then flicked those magnificent eyes at him. ‘Even though it might gain you an upper hand?’

‘I’m confident Georgios will show his own hand before long.’

‘You don’t seem to think very highly of him.’

He shrugged. ‘Perhaps I would if he didn’t expend far too much time and energy cursing me for advantages he seems to think I earned simply by being born Costas’s grandson when he was not. What he doesn’t appreciate is that it’s the effort you put in, not the blood running through your veins, that matters.’

Her eyes shadowed. ‘I wouldn’t know, would I?’

He uttered a silent curse. ‘No. And that’s regrettable. But perhaps you’ll take my word for it that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side?’

‘Is it bad to wish that I’d been given the opportunity to find out for myself?’

A twinge of shame in his chest reminded him why he was doing all of this in the first place—because while his parents had fallen far short of their duties, he’d found an outlet here on Drakonisos thanks to his grandfather. ‘No, it isn’t,’ he found himself responding, his regret piercing deeper.

Her eyes stayed on his a moment longer, an affinity settling between them, before her long-lashed gaze lingered again on the deeper blue waters that slammed against the rocks a short distance away. ‘I agree. It’ll be a shame to have all this spoilt for the sake of financial gain.’

He’d already concluded that she was...unsettling to his senses. But every time she confirmed how in sync they were, the more he became certain that his plan would work. ‘Unfortunately, some people can’t think beyond the urge to win at all costs, regardless of how much they have or the consequences of their actions.’

The acid in his voice redirected her gaze to his. His stomach clenched, a part of him wary that she’d delve deeper into what he’d already revealed about his parents.

But again, she surprised him by holding her tongue when others would’ve seized the opportunity to ferret out more secrets.

They dished out small quiches, cold meats, olives and sun-dried tomatoes. He passed on the baklava but served her a portion, watching with a compulsion he couldn’t stem while she ate it.

‘Well, I hope you win,’ she said softly after finishing the last bite, and his breath expelled, partly in relief, and partly with an emotion he was loath to name. Because while professionally he had people on his side, personally there’d never been anyone. Even Costas had been preoccupied with his grandmother and her failing health, only granting crumbs of affection to Christos when he could. While he’d gratefully accepted those crumbs, he’d known then it wasn’t enough. The hunger in his soul had demanded more. And while he hated to admit it, that lack had scarred him. Enough to put commonplace desires, like love and family, out of his mind.

But one desire he could have. One desire he craved more than anything else. His gaze dropped to her chest. Lower, over her belly to where her dress gathered in her lap. The memory of the sound of her keening arousal, the scent of her femininity, made him grow instantly hard, and he raised his eyes to clash with the liquid chocolate-brown ones he yearned to see flame with passion.

‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she murmured, her husky voice like tinder to the flames already burning within him.

‘If all it takes is a look to arouse you, perhaps you should either shore up your defences a little more...or—and this is my personal preference—give in to me.’

Her nostrils quivered. Right before her firm little chin rose in challenge. ‘I’m done eating. Can we go now?’

He smiled, partly in anticipation. Partly in acceptance that she was proving unique in this too, that she wouldn’t fall into his lap the way women had done so very easily in the past. He also smiled because he knew this chase would be the most thrilling of all. Because at its culmination he would gain the thing he treasured most in the world.

He rose with a peculiar lightness in his chest, and when she placed her hand in the one he held out to her that sensation intensified.

‘I look forward to our little skirmish,’ he murmured.

That adorable defiance remained as her gaze boldly met his. ‘I wouldn’t hold your breath if I were you.’

The following days became an exercise in frustration, a test of his willpower and the intensifying thrill and uncertainty that maybe he might not acquire his prey this time.

From afar, Christos watched Alexis charm the villa staff with halting Greek phrases she was determined to perfect, first when her gowns arrived and he happened upon her in the living room of their suite, trying them on with the help of a young maid. Their eyes met across the small mountain of boxes and frivolous tissues, her face flushed a delicate pink as she stood there, her curvy body lovingly outlined in a satin slip, and her bare thighs and legs delivering a fresh punch of lust into his groin.

‘There are way more gowns than I remember ordering,’ she said, indicating the garments strewn around her.

He leaned in the doorway, hands thrust into his pockets, another first as he basked in the previously boring exercise of watching a woman try on clothes. ‘I may have let myself be talked into expanding the collection on the premise that future engagements will necessitate their use.’

‘Future engagements?’ she echoed.

‘Costas is right. Perhaps it’s time to make our union a little bit more...public.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It means I intend to let the world know you’re my wife when we leave here.’

Her eyes were wide and her lips parted when he walked away; she was a little perturbed to notice he was smiling.

After that he found himself watching her, increasingly aware of and intensely absorbed by her movements around the villa. Like when he found her sunbathing by the pool, the lime-green bikini clinging to her glorious, sun-kissed skin making his entire body clench in fierce need. Her exploration on the beach, usually before sunset, when the sun cast dazzling golden light in her hair. Their meals with Costas were equally absorbing. She’d shed her shyness and indulged Costas’s wicked banter with a sharp wit he found entertaining.

But the nights were the most taxing of all. To give himself a break from that battering of his libido, he waited a clear hour before joining her in their suite. Not that it helped. She might have got over her reticence on their first night but Alexis tossed and turned in her sleep for several minutes after he’d slid in beside her, making him painfully aware of her graceful limbs, of the rich thickness of her hair almost reaching out to him across the pillows, of her bewitching scent that insisted on wrapping itself around his senses and especially around his manhood, keeping him hard and on the edge of his control as she gleefully slept on.

His only consoling thought was that maybe she wasn’t having a particularly easy time of it either. He called her on it four nights later, as she was about to excuse herself to let him spend a few minutes alone with his grandfather. But tonight, Costas had pleaded tiredness and retired before coffee was served, leaving them alone.

Christos caught her arm before she could make her escape. ‘Wait.’

Slowly, she sat, her eyes flicking warily to his. ‘What is it?’

‘Are you ready to give me your answer?’ he asked, unable to drag his gaze from lips she’d painted a luscious, kissable gloss.

‘What makes you think it’s changed?’ she parried, although the faintest flush tinged her skin.

‘I’ve seen how you grip that pillow between us. How you tuck it between your legs when you sleep, as if to alleviate a certain ache. You grow breathless around me, and I’ve noticed the way your eyes follow me when you think I’m not looking.’

Her mouth opened in shock. ‘You’re unbelievable!’

‘I’m simply observant. Do you protest because it’s the truth? Or because I’ve noticed?’

‘Shut up!’

He laughed.

She gave an unladylike growl before tossing her napkin at him. He batted it away before leaning in close.

‘You need an outlet? Feel free to use me instead, matia mou,’ he offered, then had the pleasure of seeing her eyes turn that liquid chocolate he craved.

‘Thanks for the offer but no, thanks. The only thing I want to do now is go to bed.’ Her face flamed on the heels of her words. When he laughed again, her lips pursed. ‘I meant alone...’ Then at his raised eyebrow, she growled again. ‘You know what I mean,’ she whispered angrily.

It pleased him that, even het up, she was being discreet enough not to give the game away. Then he sobered up as sharp realisation hit him. He didn’t want this to be a game. He wanted...

‘What is it?’ Her question held sudden tension.

He released her, snatching his thoughts away from the sudden need for the unthinkable. For things he’d never craved or wanted. Things that would eventually only spawn hatred and recrimination. He had the emotional scars to prove it after all. ‘You can go.’

‘That wasn’t what I asked,’ she replied stubbornly, standing her ground. ‘What’s going on in that brain of yours?’

Christos rose from the table, closed the gap between them with a single step. ‘Do you really want to find out, koukla mou?’

She frowned. ‘That one is new. What does it mean?’

He smiled, the kind that bared his deep hunger. Felt a modicum of satisfaction when she swallowed and grew slightly breathless.

Before he could taunt her some more, she stepped back. ‘You know what, forget it. Goodnight.’

He didn’t respond, on account of staring into the space she’d just vacated with the type of stupefaction that came from receiving a thunderbolt. Male pride at hearing her addressed as Mrs Drakakis was one thing. Her hand slipping into his in sympathy after that harrowing revelation on the cliff and salving the rawness in his soul was another.

But...he couldn’t want any kind of permanence with her...could he?

He gritted his teeth, summoning every single scrap of memory he’d buried deep down, together with its attendant emotion. Anger. Desperation. Loneliness...that seared hardest.

‘Your mother doesn’t love you. She just hates losing to me.’

‘And you, Papa? Do you love me?’

The pitying look his father had levelled at him had shrivelled every ounce of hope in his foolish boyhood heart. But it had also taught him a valuable lesson. That depending on others for his happiness was a fruitless exercise unworthy of his efforts. Accepting that simple conclusion had truly been the moment he’d known his true purpose and worth.

It was what had got him through a faceless judge deciding he needed to live with the father who didn’t love him instead of a mother who, when she wasn’t embroiled in bitterness, regarded him with distant affection.

Perhaps it was because of that judge’s actions that he’d decided to become a lawyer. But Christos didn’t go into court with hope and love in his heart. Those emotions were too flawed to be reliable. Came with too many strings to be worth the air it took to speak them.

An hour passed, or perhaps it was only a handful of minutes—he couldn’t quite tell. As he strode down the hallway, Christos smiled grimly to himself.

No. There would be no permanence with Alexis.

A temporary agreement, with a side order of sex. And if everything went as planned, Drakonisos would be within his grasp. That was all he wanted.

All he would ever want.

So what if his stomach hollowed out with a quiet bleakness at his future outlook? It was only because he was yet to plan it all out.

‘Where are we going?’ Alexis asked as she stepped out into sunshine the next afternoon. She’d been summoned an hour ago by Christos with the instruction to pack an overnight bag. When she saw his casual state and the buggy parked at the bottom of the front steps, excitement leapt high.

‘The party is in four days. I want to show you the rest of the island before the guests descend on us.’

‘Why do I need an overnight bag if we’re staying on the island?’ The only other habitat she’d seen was the staff quarters. Unless... ‘We’re not going camping, are we?’ She wasn’t sure how she’d fare since she’d never done it.

He tossed her a wry glance. ‘So many questions. It’s almost as if you don’t trust me.’

I don’t trust anyone any more.It was a phrase she’d have unapologetically tossed at him a few weeks ago, but Alexis realised that it was no longer true.

Christos had proved himself with his generosity to Hope House, the only home she’d ever known. He trusted her professional judgement. Despite sharing a bed, he hadn’t crossed any lines. As enigmatic as he sometimes was, she knew she could trust him not to betray her the way Adrian had.

The knowledge unravelled inside her, birthing a weighty, worrisome sensation. Aware of the sharp eyes watching her, she forced a casual shrug. ‘Fine. I’ll play along.’

His gaze combed her face, paused on her mouth long enough to make it tingle wildly. Then, with a new kind of tension vibrating off him, he stepped away.

Alexis ignored the sharp dart of disappointment and watched as her bag was placed on the small flatbed buggy next to his.

Her every nerve went on high alert as they drove off once more, this time in a westerly direction.

She told herself it was residual nerves from the past several days, but she knew it was something else. It was the ever-increasing drumbeat in her chest that urged her to stop fighting. That said this was as inevitable as her arrogant husband had stated it was.

She’d spent far too many days and nights trying to rationalise her emotions. Each subsequent mental argument veering in favour of giving in.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She’d known from the first day she’d walked into Christos Drakakis’s office that there was no other man like him.

The brooding looks, the smouldering energy, the hunger he didn’t bother to hide any more, all said he wanted her. That he wanted, even if only temporarily, to make their marriage a real one.

Adrian swayed you with words and passion too.

But that thought did Christos an injustice. He’d stated his expectations upfront. No emotions. Nothing long-term. Just a physical exploration of their chemistry. A chapter to be closed when they tired of the story.

But was it worth her career?

The fervent no she’d expected arrived with a question mark. The kind that questioned the choices she’d believed were cemented in her heart. She’d seen a different facet to Christos. His care for his grandfather. For his godson even from afar. The lengths he was prepared to travel to protect the one place that meant something to him...

That already made him miles better than Adrian.

Take the leap...

She shivered, the enormity of the decision gathering strength inside her becoming a physical need as they trundled along over verdant fields and then onto a wide rocky pathway that sloped gently downwards.

‘Are you cold?’ Christos asked, the keen observance telling her his attention was on her despite his easy, offhand attitude.

She shook her head and tucked her hands into her lap. ‘Not really.’

‘We’re almost there.’

The sun was due to set in about an hour, and its brilliant rays turned the water into a jewelled, breathtaking expanse as far as the eye could see. Alexis was so enthralled by the spectacular view, she didn’t notice their destination until the buggy bounced onto rougher sand and gravel, then onto the powdery golden sand of a wide, hidden beach.

She stared around her, her eyes widening when she saw the yawning forty-foot opening set into the sheer rock face. ‘Is...is that a cave?’

The flatbed buggy she’d watched depart a few minutes before them was parked at the cavernous entrance, the staff unloading. Christos parked and stepped out. ‘Yes.’

The simple response made her glance at him. ‘And? What’s inside?’ she asked, unable to hide her excitement.

He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes doing that intense thing that sparked fireworks inside her. ‘You’ll see once we’re alone in a few minutes.’

Excitement surged higher, not helped by the light breeze that made her aware of every goosebump on her body. And the fact that she would be alone with Christos. All night long since she’d packed an overnight bag.

The bag that was currently being carried inside...

The staff emerged a few minutes later, and Christos led her in, his attention fixed on her as Alexis stepped inside the most entrancing place she’d ever seen.

Dozens of lanterns, large and small, were dotted around the living area where divans and plump futons were spread around in inviting comfort. A coffee table graced the centre, and large, thick rugs kept her bare feet cool.

Beyond the charming living area, several foldable privacy screens hand-printed with Greek hillside vistas shielded a softly lit space.

Alexis stepped around the farthest screen and stopped in her tracks, a gasp of awe leaving her lips at the sight before her.

The bed was an immense four-poster. A floaty work of art, decked from headboard to bottom in gold silk sheets, dozens of fluffy pillows and billowing muslin raining down from sturdy pegs in the cave ceiling.

In perfect complement to the gold, fat candles in lacquered lanterns were dotted all over, casting soft shadows on the ceiling and bathing the space in a seductive glow.

It was the stuff of romantic dreams. And, heaven help her, she was utterly seduced.

‘This...this is more than a few minutes’ work,’ she breathed in stunned awe.

He drew closer, setting her senses alight with his intoxicating scent. In London, he’d worn an earthier aftershave with a sandalwood base. Since their arrival, he’d switched to bergamot and leather. Her favourite. ‘They’ve been preparing the place since morning.’

‘I...why?’

He quirked an eyebrow at her. ‘Do I really need to spell it out?’

Despite the heat that flicked to life in her belly, a pang of pain reminded her of the past. ‘I’m afraid you’ll have to. I don’t want to make assumptions.’

‘I felt you needed a little more...convincing.’

Her breath shook as she exhaled. ‘Convincing or seducing?’

His expressive shrug was rich in arrogance. It said whichever road she took she would end up exactly where he wanted her. Trouble was, Alexis wanted to be there. ‘Take your pick. The outcome will be the same.’

‘You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?’

‘Even now, you tremble. Your lips yearn for me and your pulse is feverish with need.’

‘I’m... I’m...’

‘Afraid? No, you’re not. Unwilling? You’re not that either. What you are, Alexis, is desperate to embrace the need pounding inside you. All that’s holding you back is the notion that giving in makes you weak. It doesn’t. Being brave enough to grasp what you want is a strength, not a weakness.’

Heaven help her, but she lapped his words up like a starving exile offered a banquet. And when his thumb glided over her bottom lip in that indolent way he seemed to enjoy, she took that bravery one step further and flicked her tongue against his flesh.

His sharp inhale was a triumphant orchestral crescendo to her ears. He let her taste him for several thrilling seconds, before he removed his touch.

‘Tell me what you want, Alexis,’ he instructed thickly.

The presence of the emperor-sized bed behind her loomed large in her mind. But she managed to force back the words clamouring for release.

‘Kiss me,’ she said instead. ‘Please.’

His chest expanded in a supremely masculine show that made her insides quiver. He cupped her nape in a firm hold and dragged her close. Before she could catch her breath, he captured her lips, his tongue delving deep in conquest, looking for a surrender she was willing to grant. The sound of her moans filled the magical space as she dared to taste him as boldly as he was devouring her. Arms tight around his neck, she felt light as a feather when he lifted her up. A few long strides and she was wedged against one cool wall.

She was being kissed by Christos in a cave on a paradise island. A surreal appetizer to a heady feast, enticing her to wrap her legs around his waist.

‘Thee mou,’he muttered against her lips, then pinned her tighter, their position leaving her in no doubt as to the power and potency of his arousal. ‘You feel how much I want you?’ he growled.

‘Yes,’ she gasped, tightening her hold and making him groan.

Words evaporated as they indulged in another torrid kiss. As her core grew slicker and her breathing all but evaporated, she was at the point of begging when Christos lifted his head.

‘I’d love nothing more than to toss you onto that bed and bury myself deep inside you,’ he rasped, pausing to nip at her bottom lip before soothing it with his tongue, ‘but we won’t be alone for much longer.’

Disappointment seared her even as her imagination raged. ‘Wh-what?’

‘There’s one last thing to be set up, and dinner to be served. But after that...’ Words weren’t necessary to convey his intention. His deeply smouldering gaze and the passion vibrating from his hard body told her everything.

With a clear reluctance that salved her disappointment, he stepped back and lowered her to the floor.

In silence he took her hand and led her out of the sleeping area.

As they passed the screen, she looked back at the bed. And knew without a shadow of doubt that whatever armour she’d built around her emotions was perhaps irreparably fractured.