Читать онлайн книгу «The Ruthless Greek′s Virgin Princess» автора Trish Morey
The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess
Trish Morey
Purchased one night with the Princess!Thirteen years ago Yannis Markides threw a young princess out of his bed. Even now Mariettas cheeks burn in shame as she remembers her youthful attempt at seduction. Evicting the scantily clad Marietta was the brooding Greeks last act of chivalry. The ensuing scandal destroyed his life and broke his family.Now hes rebuilt his empire, recovered the Markides nameand hes ready to make the Princess pay! Marietta owes him a debt. Her virginity is her price
Make love with me tonight.
Her heart was thumping, her breathing choppy, her lips felt plumped and tender. Its crazy, she said. Because she couldnt say no, even though she knew she should. She shook her head, the pain of that night thirteen years ago refusing to be ignored. You had your chance. You threw me out.
A long time ago.
You hate me.
I want you.
And I hate you!
Do you? You didnt kiss me like you hated me.
Her teeth found one kiss-swollen lip and she raked them over its unfamiliar plumpness. One night?
Just one night. And then we go our separate ways.
Trish Morey is an Australian whos also spent time living and working in New Zealand and England. Now shes settled with her husband and four young daughters in a special part of South Australia, surrounded by orchards and bushland, and visited by the occasional koala and kangaroo. With a lifelong love of reading, she penned her first book at age eleven, after which life, career and a growing family kept her busy, until once again she could indulge her desire to create characters and storiesthis time in romance. Having her work published is a dream come true. Visit Trish at her website, www.trishmorey.com
Recent titles by the same author:
FORCED WIFE, ROYAL LOVE-CHILD
THE ITALIAN BOSSS MISTRESS OF REVENGE
THE SHEIKHS CONVENIENT VIRGIN
THE RUTHLESS
GREEKS VIRGIN
PRINCESS
BY
TRISH MOREY
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
THE RUTHLESS GREEKS VIRGIN PRINCESS
For darling Kate, whose strength of spirit
and sense of humour knows no bounds and who is
an inspiration to us all (and who demanded from her
sickbed to know why it took me so long to dedicate a
book to her, so I just had to do it again
),
for Eleni, to whom I am eternally grateful, efharisto,
and for the fabulous Maytoners, whose friendship,
laughter and wisdom are like a lifeline.
Thank you for keeping me sane.
Love you all heaps.
Trish
x
PROLOGUE
Paris
THERE was thunder in his head, a foul taste in his mouth and a naked woman in his bed, the latter almost enough to make him forget everything else. She was smooth, her bare skin like silk and satin under hands that felt too clumsy and unresponsive for his wants. Her small, nimble hands soothed his frustration, firing his anticipation with clever fingers that seemed to track the need under his skin while her mouth set fire to other placesthe angle of his jaw, the jut of his collarbone, and below.
He reached for her with leaden arms still heavy with alcohol and sleep, but she just laughed, wicked and low, and slipped out of his grasp, and it was too dark to see, so he collapsed back into the pillows, the blur in his head turning jagged and sharp as he tried to make sense of things. But there was no thinking, not with her attacking from a different direction, her mouth a circle of fire on the inside of one knee, her tongue the brand of a torch on the bare skin of his thigh.
The sensations split cracks in the pain in his head, tiny fissures that memories squeezed through, blowing into life. Memories of arriving in Paris at his fathers command, of his father shouting, of him arguing back, and of the gut-wrenching blow when hed realised that he had no choice
His tongue felt thick, his mouth dry, and the unfamiliar taste of stale whisky clung thick on his breath. How much had he drunk?
Blood thundered in his ears, drumming in a skull that seemed to ache more with every beat, a beat that pushed his blood south until another part of him throbbed and kicked. Then her two small hands were around him, and the breath was punched from his lungs. Cool hands. Smooth hands. Bewitching hands.
And then, just when he thought he could take no more, she flicked his very tip with her tongue. Just a graze, and yet still he bucked underneath her as if hed been hit with a bolt of electricity, swelling even more and forcing her hands to loosen their grip.
He reached a hand to his pounding head, sure his skull must be swelling with each hammer blow. Was this their fathers idea? To seal the deal? So that there was no going back?
From the putrid depths of a drink-addled brain, anything seemed possible. Theyd both been vehement that the engagement would go ahead. So theyd sent Elena here, naked to his bed, to seduce him and maybe create the child that would mean there was no chance of escape, no chance of avoiding the fate his father had carved out for him.
He rubbed his aching, slick brow with one hand, wishing he could think clearly, wishing away the fog that filled his brain, but sick with the knowledge that it could indeed be true. After tonight he knew their fathers were capable of anything. His fate was sealed. There was no going back.
And then she straddled him, one hand still on him, and he pulled away his arm and opened his eyes again, battling the pain that shot through his brow as his eyes struggled to focus in the dark.
She moved over him, guiding him past the brush of curls to her entrance, and heat flared again as she brought him to that slick sweet spot, only to have rebellion course through his brain in a vivid flash of pain. Even if there was nothing he could do about this marriage, he would not be taken like some prize of war! If anyone did the pillaging around here, it would be him. And she would know it!
With a roar that thundered in his head like cannon fire, he surged up, catching her in his arms and rolling her beneath him before her cry of surprise had faded away. His head was thumping with the sudden movement, his gut rebelling, but he had more important things on his mind. Still, just for a moment he allowed his hands to sweep up her sweet body. This time, trapped beneath him, she would not get away. He caught her breasts, smaller than hed expected, but it wouldnt be the first time the reality had failed to match up with the promotion. Besides, they were firm and peaked, and in the fog of his brain, he wasnt about to complain. Not when they were the best things hed felt all night. And if he could feel anything through the war zone that was his head, hed take it.
Even so, he would make her pay for playing this part in their fathers sordid business deal. He dipped his head and took her tightly budded breast into his mouth. Her body arched beneath him, and she shuddered as his hand grasped the other breast and squeezed it tight, his teeth grazing her nipple, nipping at her flesh, each nip feeding his anger.
How dared she try to trap him? Hed agreed to marry her, hadnt he? A fire burned inside him, flames fuelled by whisky and want and need and a firm-fleshed woman who had strayed where she shouldnt. He had given their fathers his word. Damn her, he would make her pay!
Through a fog-thick brain and the thump of blood, he heard her cry out, worked out the reason why, and finally released the breast clamped so tightly between his clenched teeth that it was a wonder he hadnt drawn blood. Instantly she relaxed under him, and he laved the rest of her tension away, nuzzling, sucking, until once again she curled like a kitten around him, her silken legs wound around his in an age-old invitation.
He was done with toying with her. She was ready, he knew, so he drew back, his thumb making lazy circles around the screaming tight bud of nerves that had her groaning in pleasure as he positioned himself at her tight entrance.
Another surprise. Elena had struck him as a woman of the world. Four years his elder, shed had her share of lovers, he knew that beyond doubt. And yet
He pushed against flesh slick and yet strangely unwilling and felt her tense beneath him, sensed her holding her breath.
She couldntbe. He was just drunk and clumsy and this time
And then he heard her cry out, and some familiar but unexpected quality in her voice made his blood run cold. He pulled away, fighting a body screaming for release, a head protesting every jarring movement, his hands scrabbling wildly for a switch he knew was here somewhere. Light erupted in the room and exploded in his head, spears of agony lancing his eyes that he had no choice but to ignore if he were to discover what he feared was true.
And then he turned, and the agony in his head was the least of his worries. Marietta Lombardi, the teenaged sister of his best friend, lay naked in his bed, her eyes wide open and afraid like a rabbit caught in a spotlight, her long blonde hair tangled about her head, her milky-skinned limbs squirming uncomfortably upon the bedlinen.
What the hell are you doing here? Each word crashed around his head like a shotgun blast. The effect they had on her was more devastating. She looked mortally wounded as she shrank back against the headboard of the bed, bringing her knees up and clutching her arms about her.
I wanted to give you something. Her bottom lip quivered, a bottom lip hed often been tempted to kiss, although he never had, and now never would. I came to give youme.
No! he roared, rising from the bed, dragging the damask cover with him to cover his nakedness until he could reach his robe. She was his best friends little sister. She was a virgin. And while hed thought that maybe one day in the future But there was no chance of that now. No chance of that ever! Not after tonight. What the hell were you thinking?
I was thinking I wanted to be your birthday present.
There it was again, the telltale tremble of her bottom lip. And there, on her breast he saw it, the mark of his teeth where hed bitten her in his anger, and the sight of those red marks on her perfect skin sent pain slicing through him anew. Oh, God, this was wrong, on so many levels. Hed been about to take her, to bury himself into her, to punish her as if shed done him wrong.
And hed hurt her.
He raked his hands through his hair.
You have to go.
But Yannis.
You have to go!
You were going to make love to me. You were. Why cant you. Why did you stop?
He growled into the room. Because I didnt know who you were then!
So who did you think I was? She had the nerve to look incensed, and he almost laughed. Almost. Because there was nothing funny about it.
Justget out of here.
But I love you.
Youre sixteen. You cant love me.
But you love me. You told me!
He stormed away again, his fists hard against his brow, fighting the agony inside, fighting the injustice and the foolishness that comes with recalling a day filled with green fields and daisy chains and blue skies and a girl who had always seemed perfect for him.
He felt her hand on his shoulder and wheeled around. She was naked and trembling, her creamy skin goose-bumped, her rose-pink nipples pebbled and hard. She took his hand and placed it over one breast, so that the hard nipple jutted into his palm and his fingers curled into her firm flesh, making his body jerk once again into life.
I want you, she said, with a brazenness hed never seen in her before, twin slashes of red staining her cheeks, a brazenness that had her reaching out for the place where he lay swelling beneath. Please make love to me.
Sto thiavolo, but he was tempted. She moved herself closer into him, taking his silence for assent, pressing her breasts into his chest, her mouth suckling at his flesh while a new agony played out in his aching mind.
He could take her now, and nobody need ever know. Nobody would be any the wiser. One night of perfection before he married Elena. Was it too much to ask?
He wove his fingers through the curtain of her hair, wound its weight around his thumbs, pressing his lips to her hair, already sinking. And she looked up at him with such a look of adoration in her eyes, such a look of love and trust, that he felt sickened hed even considered it. How could he do that to Mariettabed her one night and declare his engagement to another the next?
It couldnt happen.
It couldnt be allowed to happen.
Not now.
Not ever!
Get out, he told her, unwinding her arms from his body and pushing her away. Pushing temptation away. I dont want you here.
Confusion lit her features. You dont mean that.
Cover yourself up and get out!
But I love you. And you love me.
Like a sister! he blurted, the lie coming with the knowledge that a clean break might be cruel, but it was the only way. Dont you understand? I love you like a sister. Nothing more.
Her beautiful face crumpled, sudden moisture transforming her eyes to liquid, her cheeks sheeting with tears. But you said
It doesnt matter what I said! Dont you understand? I can never love you any other way. Now get out and get back to your room before anyone sees you.
But Yannis
Go!
CHAPTER ONE
The Island of Montvelattethirteen years later
HE WAS close, she could feel it.
It wasnt just the prickle at the base of her neck and the catch in her throat that had Marietta Lombardi on full alert. It was the way the air seemed suddenly thinner, tighter, as if the myriad candles in the Castellos enormous dining room had consumed every last drop of oxygen from the atmosphere, leaving a vacuum that ached to be filled.
And then across the room the ancient timber doors swung open, and even the air in her lungs was sucked out.
Yannis Markides, the man shed vowed never to see again, was finally here in Montvelatte. Dressed entirely in black, he filled the wide entrance like a dark cloud, his eyes purposefully scanning the throng assembled for the wedding rehearsal dinner while an adrenaline-fuelled wave crashed over her, pinning her to the chair and threatening to free thirteen-year-old memories that had been buried in the deepest recesses of her mind.
Apparently not deeply enough.
Yet even a flood of unwanted memories was no match for seeing him in person. The Yannis of her unbidden and unwanted dreams couldnt hold a candle to this man, who looked more like a warrior about to go into battle than an old family friend. Had he always been so tall? Had he always been able to fill a space with his mere presence? And, in spite of the war-like stance, had he always looked so damned good?
She swallowed down on a sudden lump in her throat. She didnt need him to look good. Didnt want him to. She should go now. Slip out in the confusion of waiters serving a multitude of meals before he saw her, before she had to face him again and relive the humiliation of their last encounter.
And then her brother jumped to his feet beside her, calling across the room, and Marietta knew shed left it too late. The obsidian eyes shed been hoping to avoid found their mark as they zeroed in on Rafe, his mouth turning into a smile until those same eyes fell on her, lingering so coldly that she shivered, any semblance of a smile frozen clear away, before they snapped back to Rafe so cleanly and decisively as if even looking at her had been a mistake.
Released from his cold-as-a-grave gaze, Marietta felt as if shed taken a blow to the gut. Shed known Yannis Markides was not the type of man who would forgive and forget, but it was clear he also had no problems holding a grudge. And from the expression on his face as hed practically seared her with his gaze, he was as unenthusiastic about seeing her as she was about seeing him.
Fine. The sooner this wedding was over, the sooner they could both go back to never seeing each other again, and the happier theyd both be.
So she was here, just as hed been warned. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides in time with the thump of his heart, a deep-seated anger turning his vision to red. Hed always believed in the principle that to be forewarned was to be forearmed. The adage had stood him in good stead over the years in both his professional and his private life, and yet now, coming face to face with the woman whod done more to destroy his familys financial security than any number of corporate sharks hed had to deal with in his time, the old adage wasnt holding up to scrutiny. Because it wasnt until now that realised the depths of his resentment. It was as if seeing her had rekindled every last spark of anger and bitterness, reigniting old wounds and sending the flames high.
He didnt want to be here, even if it was his best friends weddingnot if it meant seeing her again, and certainly not if it meant being thrust back into those dark days.
He dragged in a lungful of air heavy with the combined scents of garlic, rosemary and spit-roasted game and sensed something else in the mixduty. For he had no choice but to be here. One thing hed learned over the years was that life didnt necessarily serve up what you wanted. He was here, and somehow he was expected to be her opposite number on the bridal party, to be her partner throughout the festivities, even to take her in his arms and dance with her. No amount of forewarning was going to prepare him for that.
He should have brought a woman. He could have had his pick of any number, even after terminating his brief liaison with Susannah, and he cursed the decision that had seen him arrive alonealthough he was still sympathetic with the logic of it. Taking a woman to a wedding was fraught with danger. It put ideas in womens heads, ideas that had no place in his relationships.
Yannis! She heard her brothers greeting over the chamber music and hubbub of conversation from the assembled guests as the pair met, shaking hands and pulling each other into a man hug before slapping each other on the back. She watched, unable to move, compelled to watch, waiting for the inevitable moment when Rafe would pull Yannis over to introduce him to his bride-tobe, and for the moment when she would have to look him in the eye and greet him and pretend that what had happened thirteen years ago had never taken place.
So thats Yannis Markides, Sienna said, leaning across Rafes empty chair between them, her head still angled towards the reunion between the two men. Hes very good-looking, isnt he? Almost as good-looking as Rafe.
Better.
The rogue thought came unbidden and unwelcome, but as much as she tried to clamp down on it, the truth would not be denied. Having inherited the best of their fathers genes, her brother was beyond handsome, and in his dress uniform of maroon jacket and ceremonial sash, even more so. But Yannis, with his unique mix of his Montvelattian mother and Greek-Cypriot father, was something else again. It was as if hed been blessed with the best genes the Mediterranean had to offer, a combination of dark hair, bottomless eyes and chiselled features. As a twenty-one-year-old, hed been the best-looking man shed ever seen. Thirteen years on, as a man in his prime, he was utterly arresting.
I guess so, she replied at last as she reached for her glass, looking for something tactile and solid and real to cling onto, telling herself he was only a man, a mere mortal like everyone else.
And then she looked up again.
Under the ballroom lighting, his black hair gleamed thick and healthy, his strong features complemented by the play of light and shadow as he moved, with even the angles and planes of his face speaking of nobility.
Mortal? Then why did he have to look so much like a god? Was it any wonder shed once imagined herself in love with him? What girl wouldnt be na?ve enough to let herself imagine, to think that maybe there was something more to it when this man was your brothers best friend and you saw him practically every day of your life, and when he treated you as if you were something special, the way he always had
What girl wouldnt have made the same mistake she had? She took a deep breath, her fingers locked tight around the stem of her wine glass. Back then shed been just a teenager, and clearly impressionable at that. Thank God she wasnt so na?ve, so easily driven by her hormones any more. And thank God this ordeal would soon be over. A day, maybe two, and the wedding and the associated formalities would be done with, and they would both be gone from the island.
She could hardly wait.
I can see why hes so popular with the women, Sienna continued, although I cant believe hes alone now. I expected hed bring a partner.
Marietta didnt care. Yannis had a reputation as a playboy, the same label her brother had boasted until his world had connected with Siennas. If Yannis was by himself, she had no doubt it would only be a temporary situation. Maybe she saw sense, she muttered, not quietly enough.
The other womans head swung around, You dont like him? I thought you guys grew up together, one big happy family. At least, thats how Rafe makes it sound.
Marietta shrugged and forced a smile to her face. You know how it is, twos company, threes a crowd. Theyve always been best friends and Ive always been Rafes little sister.
Whether shed placed too much emphasis on the last two words, or whether theyd contained a hint of bitterness that shed never quite dispelled, Sienna studied her for a second, as if weighing up her answer. Then she nodded and reached over to squeeze her free hand. I think I understand. And Marietta felt a surge of affection for the Australian woman who would soon be her sister-in-law.
The two men turned then, Rafe gesturing towards the women, and something twisted in her gut, pulling her lower into the chair. She let go the glass she was still holding in a rush, lest she tip it over and spill its contents, and battled to dredge up a plastic smile to affix to her face as they came closer.
You remember Marietta, of course, her brother said as he led the way, and the dark cloud hovered before her, brooding dangerously over her before shed had a chance to find her feet, even if shed been able to remember how to do so, standing so close to her that she dared not attempt the feat now. Not when the look in his eyes damned her to the core, without the merest shred of warmth at meeting her again.
Shed done that, she realised in a rush. Shed banished every good memory he might have of their years together with one foolish and reckless act. And now, just as he had done thirteen years ago, he was still making her pay the price.
So many years later. Shed been a teenager back then. Made just one foolish mistake. Had what shed done been so unforgivable?
Yannis, she said, needing to do something to break the silence that stretched taut like piano wire between them, its been a long time.
The searing look he sent her in reply told her he thought it nowhere near long enough, before he dipped his head in the barest nod. Princess, he said, and Marietta swallowed. The way he said it made it sound like an insult, but before she could force her tight vocal cords to relax enough to tell him that he could call her Marietta, as he had always done, Rafe had already turned away to introduce his fiance, and Yannis had severed contact.
Sienna clearly had more presence of mind than Marietta or maybe it was just that the other womans knees were still working, as she rose from her chair to greet Rafes lifelong friend, her smile broad and welcoming as he lifted her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it.
Raphael always insisted he would beat me at everything. At finding the perfect wife, Im afraid I must concede this contest.
Sienna laughed a little, her smile widening. Rafe told me you were a charmer. Im surprised you havent found the woman of your dreams by now.
Marietta stiffened in her chair as she awaited Yanniss response, although she wasnt entirely sure why. Shed long ago given up the notion that she was the woman of his dreams. Long ago given up caring who he was with. So she topped up her glass of mineral water, needing the distraction and waving away the waiter who had descended upon her ready to do the task himself.
Yannis will never marry now, I am convinced of that, Rafe answered for his friend. No woman is good enough for him.
Especially not Marietta. She hadnt even been good enough to sleep with.
Beyond her, Sienna shook her head at her husband-to-be and smiled softly. Tell me, Yannis, how is your father now? Rafe said hes been very ill.
He has been, although hes thankfully off the critical list. He suffered another stroke a month ago. My mother apologises for not coming to the wedding, but she cannot leave him now.
Im sorry that they cant both be here, but it is so good to meet you at last, she said. Rafes told me so much about you.
None of it good, Rafe added, urging them all to sit as waiters appeared from nowhere to bring another meal and fill wine and water glasses. Yannis took his place alongside Sienna, and with a sigh of relief Marietta settled in her brothers shadow, happy for the barrier of the grateful couple separating her from their new arrival.
Although now, Rafe continued, Ill have to take back the bit about not making it to our wedding. Youve missed the rehearsal, though. What kept you? You were supposed to be here days ago.
Yannis shrugged and picked up the large wine glass, swirling the contents and lifting it casually to his nose, and Marietta thought he would never answer, until finally he spoke. The US market has been jittery, and with it some of our clients. It seemed unwise to leave too early. As it is, Ill have to head back straight after the wedding.
Rafes face darkened, his brow creased. You never mentioned jittery clients in your emails.
Youre getting married, Yannis countered, there are some things you dont need to know. Besides, you have enough on your plate sorting out Montvelattes finances.
Then why not let Kernahan handle it? After all, you hand-picked the new manager yourself. Why couldnt you have left it to him?
The other mans eyes glowed unnaturally bright as he stared silently out over the crowd, his jawline tight and rigid.
Marietta chose that moment to reach forward for her water, needing to feel something cool in a throat that felt too tight, too dry. In itself it wasnt a foolhardy action. The mistake she made was in turning her head, only to have her eyes connect once again with the man three seats down, who was staring right at her. Sensation sizzled down her spine as the connection was madeand held.
Oh, I had my reasons, he muttered, his voice low, his lips tightly drawn, and his eyes still locked on hers so that she was in no doubt that he had waited until the last moment to attend his best friends wedding so as to avoid her.
Beside her, Rafe made a move to remonstrate, but his fiance stopped him with one hand on his wrist. Rafe, Yannis is here now, in plenty of time for the wedding. Thats all that matters.
And her brother shrugged and let it go, just as Yannis released her eyes so that at last she could drop back in her chair and disappear behind the shield of her brother, her breathing suddenly too shallow and too fast, her pulse racing, as if shed just run up the Castellos marble staircase.
This was crazy. She should gotell them she had a headache. It was almost the truth; her nerves were so strung out that she didnt know what she felt other than this decade-plus ache in her bones that just felt plain wrong. Shed plead a headache and go to bed early, and then there would only be the wedding tomorrow and the reception, and then she wouldnt have to see Yannis again. Wouldnt have to sense his near hatred in every look, in every single word.
Shed almost found the courage to stand, had almost found the words she needed to say, when the music suddenly changed tempo, the orchestra switching to a waltz and an air of hushed expectancy falling over the crowd. Her brother beat her to her feet, took his fiances hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. Come, cara, they await the dance.
But surely thats after the weddingat the reception.
Not all of these people he waved his hand around the room will be able to be here for the reception. Many are villagers who have performed a special task or who will be busy themselves tomorrow, preparing the flowers or working in the kitchens. Tonight is our way of saying a special thank you to them.
Sienna smiled and nodded. Of course. Then we mustnt disappoint them. She took his hand and stood, and the crowd burst into applause, cheering as Rafe led Sienna to the dance floor and folded his soon-to-be wifeMontvelattes soon-to-be Princessinto his arms. She went as if she belonged there, their bodies moving as one to the music, their eyes on each other, their love a palpable thing.
To love someone so much and to have that love returned how must that feel? Marietta sighed as she watched them effortlessly glide around the dance floor as one. Now, with the eyes of everyone in the room on them, was her chance to escape. She pushed her chair back, reaching for her purse in the same motion.
You look different, came a deep voice from beside her, the words innocent enough yet the tone accusatory. She looked around, surprised that anyone in the room had eyes for anyone but the couple on the dance floor, but then Yannis didnt possess eyes so much as pointed barbs that launched out and impaled her, arresting her escape mid-flight. She swallowed, her back straightening, refusing to be cowed even if her ability to stand had once again deserted her.
You mean with my clothes on?
His expression grew darker and harder, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip, wishing shed managed to form the words in her brain before shed allowed herself to utter the retort. The look on his face was enough to tell her that the last thing either of them needed was a reminder of that night.
But what did he expect? His attitude had hardly been conciliatory from the moment hed walked into the room and his gaze had first connected with hers. Why shouldnt she go on the attack when he obviously needed to realise how ridiculous his petty grudge really was?
I meant you looked older, he growled once hed recovered.
Of course that was what hed meant.
She forced a smile to her lips, but there was no forcing it any further than that. Did you? That sounds so much better, thank you.
You know what I meant, he snarled.
It has been thirteen years. Is it any surprise Ive grown up a bit since then? Out on the dance floor the Prince and his bride-to-be spun together, two halves of a whole, totally absorbed in each other, totally oblivious to whatever tension existed beyond their world. Marietta watched their effortless glide with an envious eye.
Have you?
She looked back at him, the vision of her brother and his wife making her lose her train of thought. Have I what?
Grown up.
She dragged in a breath, oxygen destined to fuel the fire already burning inside her. People change with time, Yannis. Maybe you should try it one day. There was no point staying any longer. She stood, determined this time to leave. It would be easier this way. She wouldnt have to plead a headache. Yannis wouldnt require any explanation at all. Hed just be happy she was gone.
But Yannis was standing, too, and blocking her way. Where do you think youre going?
Im leaving.
You cant leave yet.
He had to be kidding. Im sorry, but Ill do whatever I damn well like. So if you wouldnt mind getting out of my way?
Its Rafe and Siennas rehearsal dinner.
Now her breathing was more impatient than ever. Dont you think I know that? I was here for it, remember? Im not the one who blew in late.
A muscle tightened in his jaw. His eyes grew hard and even colder. Maybe not, but that doesnt mean you can avoid your responsibilities now. He gestured towards the dance floor. Your brother clearly expects us to join them. He extended a reluctant arm to her. Shall we?
She blinked up at him, her head already moving into a shake. You must be mad.
And then he nodded in the direction of the dancing couple, and she followed his gaze to where Rafe was spinning his wife-to-be around the dance floor. We are expected to join them.
A lump lodged in her throat, and she swallowed, trying to shift it. He expected her to dance with him? To be escorted around the dance floor in those arms tonight? No way. It was one thing to be expected to do it at the formal reception, but there wasnt a snowballs chance in hell that she would do it tonight. She didnt have the stomach for it. Im sorry, she said, clutching at her earlier excuse. Im afraid I have a blinder of a headache. I really have to go.
One dark eyebrow arched as he frowned, disapproval and something else skating across his eyes. Youre afraid.
She stiffened at the accusation, resenting the challenge, resenting even more the glimmer of truth his words contained. Afraid youll make my headache worse? she answered, twisting his words to her own purposes. Oh, Ill admit theres every chance of that.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. Im sure you can tolerate the inconvenience if I can. His words sounded like gravel on gravel, scraping away at the scars left all those years ago until the flesh was raw and tender and she could almost taste the blood seeping fresh from the wound. And dont think I would ask you if I didnt have to, but others are waiting for us before they can dance, so tell me, are you coming willingly, or do I have to drag you to the dance floor?
So he wanted to dance with her as much as she wanted to dance with him. She wanted the time to roll that thought around her mind, to find out why the concept wasnt as satisfying as it should be. But there was no time because he was rightheads were turned, people were watching them expectantly, waiting for them to join the happy couple. She looked back at him, to the dark-as-night eyes that now held an I told you so glimmer of triumph and she didnt answer, couldnt bring herself to. Instead she just strode past him, her chin held high, not caring if he chose to follow her or not, half wishing he wouldnt so that in spite of the audience waiting, she could just keep walking.
He followed her. She didnt need to turn around to know he was right behind her. She could sense his proximity, feel the heat generated by the man just as surely as she could feel the tide of her sapphire silk gown swirling around her ankles as she strode purposefully towards the dance floor.
Shed barely reached it when he captured one hand and swung her around so firmly that she collided hard against the wall of his chest, knocking the air from her lungs and the sense from her mind. He held onto her with a vice-like grip as if certain she would flee at any moment. Dance, he ordered when shed stood rigid too long, his legs forcing hers to follow suit, though protesting and awkward.
She didnt want him so close, didnt want to feel the press of his thigh or the heat of his chest. Didnt want her hand wrapped so securely in his long, warm fingers, fingers that had come so close to taking her to paradise so many years ago
Lost in the echo of sensations long gone, she stumbled, only to be abruptly righted by the man in front of her. And it occurred to her how different a picture their entrance on to the dance floor must look, forced and stiff and unnatural after Rafe and Siennas silken-smooth coupling.
She mangled still more steps before they managed to find some kind of uncomfortable rhythm. Uncomfortable to Marietta, anyway. There was no telling what Yannis thought or felt beyond his overwhelming aura of resentment.
Well, this is fun, she blurted, hating every second of it, resenting the grip he had on her hand and the feel of his large hand in the small of her back. Just being close to him was enough to set her skin on fire with awareness. Having to tolerate his touchthe touch of a man who hated her and made no effort to hide itwas too much to endure.
Nobody said it would be fun.
He spun her around as easily as if she were made of balsa wood rather than flesh and blood, using his size to counteract her resistance and make her move with him the way he thought she should.
Exasperated, she took a breath and immediately wished she hadnt, her lungs suddenly full of the scent of the man, the very essence of him captured in one ill-timed gasp for air. She turned her head away, so desperate to find somewhere unpolluted with his scent that she missed yet another step, and their feet collided and clashed. He answered by hauling her even closer so she was plastered from breast downwards against his body, her legs so close to his that she had no choice but to cede to his control. What are you doing? she protested, pushing back her shoulders to try to reclaim some space between them.
Attempting to look like a couple.
Were not a couple.
We could at least try to move in the same direction at the same time, he growled. Just dance.
He didnt say anything after that, and for that she was grateful. So she tried to concentrate on the music and forget all about the way her skin tingled where their bodies met, tried to disregard the warm puff of air that signalled his breath teasing the coils of her hair around her ear. But there was no forgetting the feeling of skin against skin as he held tight to her hand, no ignoring how strong and warm the body plastered next to hers felt. And no amount of music would ever be enough to let her forget exactly who she was dancing with.
So she closed her eyes, wanting to shut off at least one of her senses. It was a mistake, the action just heightening her awareness of him until all she knew was the feel of their bodies swaying together to the music as he expertly guided her around the floor. Somehow, in the midst of flying sparks and backbiting, their bodies had found some kind of synchronicity, and in spite of him being the last person in the world she wanted to be with, the way his body moved against hers was intoxicating.
She could feel an underlying tension to his steps as if every movement was a battle, and yet his moves were masterful, long lean legs powering his big body around the floor as smoothly as a professional. And in spite of herself, in spite of her own deep-seated tension, she felt herself relaxing into him.
Why fight it? It was all for appearances, after all. Soon they could go back to being enemies. Soon this momentary respite in their battle would be over. But at least for now there was a kind of truce, where time and resentment were suspended in the magic of the music and the dance. And the thought came from nowhere that if it felt this good to dance with this man when he hated you and you hated him, how much better must it feel if they actually loved each other?
She jerked her head away from his shoulder, snapping her eyes open and her thoughts back from the brink. She had no right to ask such questions. No right to wonder anything except when this interminable ordeal of being in Yanniss arms would be over. What she needed was a distraction from her thoughts, and conversation was the only tool she had to hand.
I take it youve never married.
She felt his intake of breath rather than heard it, felt it in the brief falter in his step and the slight jerk of his head above hers. Not yet.
No need to sound defensive, she responded with a nerve she didnt know she possessed. Im sure theres hope for you yet. Couples began drifting onto the dance floor around them, men and women with smiling faces in dusted-off suits and brightly coloured Sunday-best dresses. So why is it proving so difficult? she persisted. What is it youre looking for in the woman of your dreams thats proving so elusive?
I dont see a ring on your finger.
Ive been busy.
And I havent?
Touch. Rafe told me you were driven to succeed. Tell me, when will you have amassed enough millions that you can settle back and relax?
She felt his fingers tense around hers.
I thought you had a headache.
It didnt get me out of dancing. Why should it preclude me from conversation?
He spun her around a couple who cut across their path, the sudden motion leaving her momentarily breathless and giddy, her fingers biting into him for support. Frankly, Im surprised you havent, she managed once theyd settled into a steadier rhythm again and thinking that if she kept talking, he might not notice how desperately shed just grabbed for him. I know people have always liked to label you and Rafe as playboys, but of the two of you, somehow I always picked you for a family man. I would have expected you to have been married long before now.
Maybe I should have been! His voice was gruff as his feet ground to a sudden halt. He looked around at the couples filling the dance floor, as if assessing whether theyd done enough to satisfy their duty, before releasing her suddenly as if deciding they had. Now you can go.
CHAPTER TWO
WOMEN and headaches. Women with headaches. Who needed them?
Yannis tugged at his tie, then removed his gold and onyx striped cufflinks and let them clatter to the bedside table as he kicked off his shoes, taking in the empty suite and the king-sized four-poster bed with more than a touch of regret.
He could have brought Susannah. He hadnt had to terminate their arrangement when he had, even if it had made so much sense at the time. Apart from her own tendency to play the headache card, it was always a risk, he knew, taking any woman to a wedding and expecting her to come away without thoughts of wedding gowns and honeymoons planted in her head.
But if he had brought her, at least hed have someone here now. Someone to rub his shoulders and massage his temples and soothe this other throbbing part of him Kolasi. Why the hell he felt like sex when hed had to endure the worst night of his life was beyond him.
No, not the worst night of his life. That black night and the explosion of events it had detonated belonged to a time thirteen years ago. Tonight might have been uncomfortable, unpleasant at times, but nothing could surpass that poisoned night.
Still, surely he deserved some kind of compensation after having to face Marietta again? He reefed off his shirt and slung it to the floor before launching himself onto the bed, gazing unseeingly at the canopy above his head.
Shed taken offence to his comment that shed changed, but there was no denying it. Shed grown into her body in the intervening years, her breasts fuller than he remembered, with hips that balanced their weight and rendered her shape more womanly than before.
He closed his eyes, but the pictures were still vivid of Marietta lying naked in his bed, her blonde hair like a halo around her head, the dip of her slim waist and the spring of blonde curls at the apex of her thighs, and the unmistakable mark on her breast where his teeth had bruised her perfect skin
And yet it was the look in her eyes that had burned deeper than any memory. Wounded and hurt as hed banished her from his bed and from his life.
He punched his pillow into submission before settling back down. Shed changed all right. Not that it mattered to him one way or another how she looked.
He sighed and folded his arms behind his head, restless and dissatisfied, wanting to put all thoughts of her out of his head and failing as another snippet from tonights encounter wormed its way into his mind. Shed said shed thought him a family man. Maybe long ago he had been. But that was before hed learned what families expected of their own.
And even though hed never married Elena in the endnot after that nightthe relief had been short-lived, the ensuing financial fallout consuming all his attention. It had taken years of working alongside Rafe to recover the family fortune, years when hed pushed himself mentally in order to come up with the kind of deals that would garner millions, years in which hed pushed himself physically, spending hours in the gym, honing muscles that would keep his body as exercised as his mind. And all those years there had been no time for women in his life, unless they came with a warm body, a cold heart and a definite use by date.
No, marriage and family had no place on his list of priorities.
None whatsoever.
He was already taking breakfast when she came down. Marietta hesitated before stepping out onto the vine-covered terrace, needing a moment to gather her thoughts while she took in the picture of Yannis sitting at the table with his back to her, sipping his coffee and reading the papers.
She considered turning around and withdrawingshe could always get something delivered to her roomhad half convinced herself to do so, when he seemed somehow to sense her presence and look over his shoulder. Only for a second, but hed seen her. The cold acknowledgment in his eyes had been enough to tell her that. And she knew that if she disappeared now, it would look as if she was running away. Hed already accused her once of being afraid. She would not give him the satisfaction of thinking so again.
So instead she steeled her shoulders and pushed herself from her vantage point, the kitten heels of her sandals clicking rhythmically as she crossed the tiled terrace. In a world suddenly shrunken to this one shaded terrace and the man occupying it, the noise seemed bold. Therapeutic. Necessary.
For why should she shrink away and make a quiet approach? She had nothing to be ashamed of. Shed made an embarrassing mistake when she was just a teenager, shed accepted it and got on with her life. Shed dealt with it. He was clearly the one with the problem.
Buongiorno, she called, determined to be upbeat and not show him how much she wished she could avoid another encounter with him and so soon. What a perfect day for a wedding.
And it was. Above them the sky was an endless blue, while the sun cast jewels upon the azure sea beneath, with only the shard of rock known as Iseos Pyramid, the remnants of an ancient caldera, slicing through the perfect water.
She turned her back from the view and sat down opposite him, her bravado not extending to trusting herself to meet his eyes. And yet something, whether it be curiosity, mere impulse, or a compulsion she had no way of fighting, made her lift her gaze to his face.
She should have known he would be looking at her.
For a moment their eyes connected, almost fused, before she managed to tear her eyes away and instruct the maid who had just appeared to fill her coffee cup, grateful for the diversion.
Sleep well? she asked, some inner minx determined to provoke him, anything not to let him see how much he rattled her. She hadnt, and it had taken her some time this morning to repair the damage of a broken sleep. And if the tightness around his eyes was any indication
He folded the newspaper hed been reading and sat back in his chair, planting his hands behind his head. Lazy movements, every one of them, and yet every one of them compulsive viewing. I slept fine.
Excellent, she said, smiling too enthusiastically. If shed needed a reminder of the width of his chest or the muscled firmness of his torso, hed just given it to her. Along with a glimpse of olive skin with just a dusting of dark hair in the vee at his open-necked shirt. Im so pleased. She pounced on the yoghurt, drizzling on some island honey and declining an offer of pastries and bread. Im meeting Sienna at ten, she offered by way of an explanation that wasnt needed other than to give her mind something neutral to focus on. I dont have long.
Wouldnt you be better having a decent breakfast?
Theres something indecent about yoghurt and honey? I never realised.
She lifted the spoon to her mouth, aware that he was watching her every move, and a flash of annoyance was replaced by another, more sinful, urge.
Let him watch.
She paused, her lips slightly parted, her eyes half closed in anticipation, before she fully opened her mouth and swept the thick creamy yoghurt from the spoon.
There was definitely something indecent about hermouth. As he watched, a speck of honey clung to one lip, a tiny dew drop that caught the sun and glistened gold, and he had to fight every part of himself to remain in his chair and not lean over and remove it himself. If only he could work out how to do it without her knowing. He was still watching, mesmerised, when the tip of her pink tongue emerged and licked it from lips that settled back into a smile.
She might well have licked him. Electricity sizzled its way south as he remembered a time when she had. Virgin that she was, tentative though it had been, shed touched him with her tongue. Tasted him.
And it hadnt been enough.
Its good, she said, scooping her spoon into her bowl once again? Maybe you should indulge in something indecent yourself.
Ive already ordered my breakfast, he growled, looking away, her words grating on some dark, unfamiliar part of him, but more disturbingly, arousing him in a way hed thought impossible. But also proving a point that was more than satisfying. Hed caught her out. Shed been wrong when shed said shed changed. Shed claimed shed grown up and yet here she was, still playing silly sexual games. So much for growing up.
He pushed his chair back and strode to the edge of the terrace, wanting an end to it, needing space, both mentally and physically. On the level below an infinity pool stretched to the cliff, merging with the brilliant blue sea beyond, a sea interrupted by nothing more than the occasional vessel and the sharp black rock that lay kilo-metres offshore. Even from this distance it looked like a mountain, seabirds forming an ever-changing cloud at its peak. And something Raphael had mentioned cut through the resistance he felt at extending his dealings with this woman.
Tell me, is that where Siennas helicopter crashed?
Marietta followed his gaze and shivered in spite of the sun, remembering the day shed arrived here on Montvelatte and the anticipation shed felt to be meeting Rafes fiance, only for her almost to be lost before they had even met. Iseos Pyramid? Thats right.
What happened? Raphael said she was lucky to be alive. I didnt press him for details.
He didnt turn around, just continued to gaze out over the sea, and for that she was glad. The memories of that day, the fear of not knowing whether Sienna was alive or dead, and the look of anguish shed seen in her brothers eyes when hed thought hed lost the woman he loved were still fresh and raw and more than enough to contend with without Yanniss piercing gaze to throw her further off balance.
So she safely addressed her comments to the back that was turned to her and to the close-fitting shirt stretched even tighter as he crossed his arms in front of him. There was an unseasonal summer storm that day. It had been building slowly for hours but when it hit, it was ferocious and wild. Sienna was a passenger in a helicopter when lightning struck the rock, scattering the sea birds and sending them panicked in all directions. The pilot had no way of avoiding them. The helicopter was hit, one of the birds crashing through the cockpit and knocking out the pilot.
He turned so suddenly she jumped, feeling caught out. What in Gods name was she doing out there in a helicopter in the midst of a storm?
Marietta looked away, doing her best to forget about the play of fabric against firm flesh and remember back to that dark day and the anguish that had driven Sienna to flee, an anguish that Marietta had only become aware of in the following days when the two women had had a chance to talk. Of course, it sounded crazy that anyone would be up in a helicopter in weather like that, but at the time Sienna had been left with no choice, facing marriage to a man she loved and yet who refused to acknowledge his love for her. A man who had only realised the truth when she was gone.
But how could you explain love to a man like Yannis, who knew more about anger than he would ever know about love? She shrugged. Sienna simply had no choice. She had to go. As it was, the pilot was lucky she was there. Sienna managed to bring the aircraft under control long enough to make it to a tiny beach on the other side of the rock. It wasnt a pretty landing, apparently, but it saved both of them.
And Rafe was here on the island the whole time?
She smiled thinly, remembering the tension of that time, remembering the look of terror on her brothers face when that single plume of smoke had been sighted. It was a tough few hours. For everyone, but especially for Rafe. He was one of the first out with the local coast-guard, and he was there when the helicopter was found, and Sienna inside it. She had cuts and bruises but she and her babies were miraculously otherwise uninjured. Sienna maintains their survival proves that the Beast of Iseo is officially dead.
He nodded and turned his attention back out to sea. He vaguely remembered the legend of the Beast of Iseo, where once a month the beast of the rock would rise, trawling the surrounding waters, hungry for wayward travellers and those blown off course.
It was funny how some people liked to define their monsters by the calendar. Hed learned that life wasnt that simple. Life had shown him that monsters and dangers were there every day of your life. Not dictated by a calendar. More likely dictated by a woman. And in his case, the woman sitting behind him now.
Just one day, he promised himself as his fingers curled into fists, just one more day and he would be gone from here. Gone from her.
You sound like youve taken the Montvelatte customs to heart, he said, finally turning away from the rock and forcing himself back down opposite her as his breakfast was served. Does that mean youll be staying here now youre a princess?
She laughed, knowing hed been serious when he asked the question. You make it sound like being a princess is a career choice.
You have something better to do?
She flashed him a glare, but he was looking away, and it was wasted, just as she knew any barbed retort she threw at him would be. He obviously had his mind made up about her.
You didnt know I was a jewellery designer?
Thats a full-time job?
She chose to answer a different question. My partner, Xavier, and I are actually just about to embark on a major expansion, with a gallery and showroom opening shortly in Honolulu, and were both really excited about it. So thank you, but, yes, while Im not sure if its better, I do have something else to do.
Xavier? He ignored her correction and focused in on the surprise element in her words. He hadnt realised she was attached, especially given her comment last night about being too busy. Clearly she wasnt that busy. Although, was it any real surprise? Given the ease with which shed offered herself to him, she was bound to have found herself someone else willing to accept an offer of her charms. Probably many someones.
So where is this Xavier? Why isnt he here with you?
It was the look on her face that told him hed demanded rather than asked his questions.
Because the opening is in less than two weeks. Apart from which, why should he be invited?
You were the one who said he was your partner.
She blinked, slowly and purposefully, and he immediately regretted pressing the point and giving the impression that it mattered to him in the least. It didnt, of course; his interest was merely in shooting holes in her argument. There were bound to be plenty of those.
Xavier Delahunty, she began after a measured breath, is my business partner, and together we own Paua International, a small but growing jewellery concern. Xavier handles the business side of things while Im the head designer. Weve been working with paua and silver designs in Auckland for a few years but slowly incorporating pacific pearls into the equation.
When the new gallery opens in Honolulu, she continued, well launch the new collection with it. If it goes well, we have plans to expand further into the US and Europe.
Not many things took Yannis Markides by surprise. Not many people. But not for the first time, this woman did.
I didnt realise you had a job.
No? I suppose you imagined Ive just been swanning around, princess-in-waiting these last few years. Whereas youve been amassing so much money you havent had time to breathe. Why are you so driven, Yannis? Is money so sexy that youd rather have a fortune than a wife?
Any hint of remorse that he might have misjudged her was consumed in the heat that speared up inside him, a tidal wave of resentment that brought with it more than a hint of satisfaction. This was more like it, more of what he expected from someone like her.
No surprises there at all.
Maybe, he replied, it would have been nice to have had the choice.
She looked up him, cat-like eyes narrowed and searching for the meaning behind his cryptic comment, the question already forming on those sultry lips. A question that never came as the maid interrupted with more coffee, and he turned back to his meal, suddenly reminded of his hunger and the reason he was out here on this terrace. Not to settle old scores, nor even to relive the circumstances that had given birth to them, but simply to break his fast. To slake his early morning thirst and hunger.
And that hunger had nothing to do with her!
Sienna was still enjoying a scented bubble bath when Marietta arrived at her suite. Her dresser, Carmelina, was fussing over her, bringing towels and catering to her every need, and Marietta was grateful to have a few moments to collect her thoughts. Meeting with Yannis on the terrace had rattled her, and much more than shed realised at the time, leaving her feeling shaky, her emotions shredded. For Yannnis appeared determined to dislike her, even to hate her no matter what she did or said, and still she had no real inkling why. But whatever it was she was supposed to have done in the past, he certainly seemed to bring out the worst in her now.
She wasnt a bad person, she was sure of it. She wasnt perfect either, far from it, but why Yannis held her in such contempt was beyond her. Shed gone to his bed. Offered herself to him. Made a stupid fool of herself in the process. But beyond that, what had she done that was so unforgivable?
Forget him! Tomorrow would bring escape and escape couldnt come soon enough. Tomorrow she would go to Hawaii and focus on the launch and the new gallery and getting back to her career and her life, and bury all thoughts of Yannis Markides in the process. His place was in the past. And in the past was where he would stay.
Sienna emerged from the bathroom, wearing a veil of steam and a smile so wide and joyous it rendered Yanniss puzzling behaviour irrelevant. Im marrying Rafe today, she told Marietta, as if she had said, I cant believe its really happening. The love beamed out of her soon-to-be sister-in-laws face as Marietta wrapped her in her arms and gave her a hug. And once again, the sheer wonder of witnessing a love so truea love that was returnedblew her away. Marietta smiled and breathed in the good vibes, knowing without a doubt that her brother was one lucky man.
.
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, (https://www.litres.ru/trish-morey/the-ruthless-greek-s-virgin-princess/) .
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Trish Morey
Purchased one night with the Princess!Thirteen years ago Yannis Markides threw a young princess out of his bed. Even now Mariettas cheeks burn in shame as she remembers her youthful attempt at seduction. Evicting the scantily clad Marietta was the brooding Greeks last act of chivalry. The ensuing scandal destroyed his life and broke his family.Now hes rebuilt his empire, recovered the Markides nameand hes ready to make the Princess pay! Marietta owes him a debt. Her virginity is her price
Make love with me tonight.
Her heart was thumping, her breathing choppy, her lips felt plumped and tender. Its crazy, she said. Because she couldnt say no, even though she knew she should. She shook her head, the pain of that night thirteen years ago refusing to be ignored. You had your chance. You threw me out.
A long time ago.
You hate me.
I want you.
And I hate you!
Do you? You didnt kiss me like you hated me.
Her teeth found one kiss-swollen lip and she raked them over its unfamiliar plumpness. One night?
Just one night. And then we go our separate ways.
Trish Morey is an Australian whos also spent time living and working in New Zealand and England. Now shes settled with her husband and four young daughters in a special part of South Australia, surrounded by orchards and bushland, and visited by the occasional koala and kangaroo. With a lifelong love of reading, she penned her first book at age eleven, after which life, career and a growing family kept her busy, until once again she could indulge her desire to create characters and storiesthis time in romance. Having her work published is a dream come true. Visit Trish at her website, www.trishmorey.com
Recent titles by the same author:
FORCED WIFE, ROYAL LOVE-CHILD
THE ITALIAN BOSSS MISTRESS OF REVENGE
THE SHEIKHS CONVENIENT VIRGIN
THE RUTHLESS
GREEKS VIRGIN
PRINCESS
BY
TRISH MOREY
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
THE RUTHLESS GREEKS VIRGIN PRINCESS
For darling Kate, whose strength of spirit
and sense of humour knows no bounds and who is
an inspiration to us all (and who demanded from her
sickbed to know why it took me so long to dedicate a
book to her, so I just had to do it again
),
for Eleni, to whom I am eternally grateful, efharisto,
and for the fabulous Maytoners, whose friendship,
laughter and wisdom are like a lifeline.
Thank you for keeping me sane.
Love you all heaps.
Trish
x
PROLOGUE
Paris
THERE was thunder in his head, a foul taste in his mouth and a naked woman in his bed, the latter almost enough to make him forget everything else. She was smooth, her bare skin like silk and satin under hands that felt too clumsy and unresponsive for his wants. Her small, nimble hands soothed his frustration, firing his anticipation with clever fingers that seemed to track the need under his skin while her mouth set fire to other placesthe angle of his jaw, the jut of his collarbone, and below.
He reached for her with leaden arms still heavy with alcohol and sleep, but she just laughed, wicked and low, and slipped out of his grasp, and it was too dark to see, so he collapsed back into the pillows, the blur in his head turning jagged and sharp as he tried to make sense of things. But there was no thinking, not with her attacking from a different direction, her mouth a circle of fire on the inside of one knee, her tongue the brand of a torch on the bare skin of his thigh.
The sensations split cracks in the pain in his head, tiny fissures that memories squeezed through, blowing into life. Memories of arriving in Paris at his fathers command, of his father shouting, of him arguing back, and of the gut-wrenching blow when hed realised that he had no choice
His tongue felt thick, his mouth dry, and the unfamiliar taste of stale whisky clung thick on his breath. How much had he drunk?
Blood thundered in his ears, drumming in a skull that seemed to ache more with every beat, a beat that pushed his blood south until another part of him throbbed and kicked. Then her two small hands were around him, and the breath was punched from his lungs. Cool hands. Smooth hands. Bewitching hands.
And then, just when he thought he could take no more, she flicked his very tip with her tongue. Just a graze, and yet still he bucked underneath her as if hed been hit with a bolt of electricity, swelling even more and forcing her hands to loosen their grip.
He reached a hand to his pounding head, sure his skull must be swelling with each hammer blow. Was this their fathers idea? To seal the deal? So that there was no going back?
From the putrid depths of a drink-addled brain, anything seemed possible. Theyd both been vehement that the engagement would go ahead. So theyd sent Elena here, naked to his bed, to seduce him and maybe create the child that would mean there was no chance of escape, no chance of avoiding the fate his father had carved out for him.
He rubbed his aching, slick brow with one hand, wishing he could think clearly, wishing away the fog that filled his brain, but sick with the knowledge that it could indeed be true. After tonight he knew their fathers were capable of anything. His fate was sealed. There was no going back.
And then she straddled him, one hand still on him, and he pulled away his arm and opened his eyes again, battling the pain that shot through his brow as his eyes struggled to focus in the dark.
She moved over him, guiding him past the brush of curls to her entrance, and heat flared again as she brought him to that slick sweet spot, only to have rebellion course through his brain in a vivid flash of pain. Even if there was nothing he could do about this marriage, he would not be taken like some prize of war! If anyone did the pillaging around here, it would be him. And she would know it!
With a roar that thundered in his head like cannon fire, he surged up, catching her in his arms and rolling her beneath him before her cry of surprise had faded away. His head was thumping with the sudden movement, his gut rebelling, but he had more important things on his mind. Still, just for a moment he allowed his hands to sweep up her sweet body. This time, trapped beneath him, she would not get away. He caught her breasts, smaller than hed expected, but it wouldnt be the first time the reality had failed to match up with the promotion. Besides, they were firm and peaked, and in the fog of his brain, he wasnt about to complain. Not when they were the best things hed felt all night. And if he could feel anything through the war zone that was his head, hed take it.
Even so, he would make her pay for playing this part in their fathers sordid business deal. He dipped his head and took her tightly budded breast into his mouth. Her body arched beneath him, and she shuddered as his hand grasped the other breast and squeezed it tight, his teeth grazing her nipple, nipping at her flesh, each nip feeding his anger.
How dared she try to trap him? Hed agreed to marry her, hadnt he? A fire burned inside him, flames fuelled by whisky and want and need and a firm-fleshed woman who had strayed where she shouldnt. He had given their fathers his word. Damn her, he would make her pay!
Through a fog-thick brain and the thump of blood, he heard her cry out, worked out the reason why, and finally released the breast clamped so tightly between his clenched teeth that it was a wonder he hadnt drawn blood. Instantly she relaxed under him, and he laved the rest of her tension away, nuzzling, sucking, until once again she curled like a kitten around him, her silken legs wound around his in an age-old invitation.
He was done with toying with her. She was ready, he knew, so he drew back, his thumb making lazy circles around the screaming tight bud of nerves that had her groaning in pleasure as he positioned himself at her tight entrance.
Another surprise. Elena had struck him as a woman of the world. Four years his elder, shed had her share of lovers, he knew that beyond doubt. And yet
He pushed against flesh slick and yet strangely unwilling and felt her tense beneath him, sensed her holding her breath.
She couldntbe. He was just drunk and clumsy and this time
And then he heard her cry out, and some familiar but unexpected quality in her voice made his blood run cold. He pulled away, fighting a body screaming for release, a head protesting every jarring movement, his hands scrabbling wildly for a switch he knew was here somewhere. Light erupted in the room and exploded in his head, spears of agony lancing his eyes that he had no choice but to ignore if he were to discover what he feared was true.
And then he turned, and the agony in his head was the least of his worries. Marietta Lombardi, the teenaged sister of his best friend, lay naked in his bed, her eyes wide open and afraid like a rabbit caught in a spotlight, her long blonde hair tangled about her head, her milky-skinned limbs squirming uncomfortably upon the bedlinen.
What the hell are you doing here? Each word crashed around his head like a shotgun blast. The effect they had on her was more devastating. She looked mortally wounded as she shrank back against the headboard of the bed, bringing her knees up and clutching her arms about her.
I wanted to give you something. Her bottom lip quivered, a bottom lip hed often been tempted to kiss, although he never had, and now never would. I came to give youme.
No! he roared, rising from the bed, dragging the damask cover with him to cover his nakedness until he could reach his robe. She was his best friends little sister. She was a virgin. And while hed thought that maybe one day in the future But there was no chance of that now. No chance of that ever! Not after tonight. What the hell were you thinking?
I was thinking I wanted to be your birthday present.
There it was again, the telltale tremble of her bottom lip. And there, on her breast he saw it, the mark of his teeth where hed bitten her in his anger, and the sight of those red marks on her perfect skin sent pain slicing through him anew. Oh, God, this was wrong, on so many levels. Hed been about to take her, to bury himself into her, to punish her as if shed done him wrong.
And hed hurt her.
He raked his hands through his hair.
You have to go.
But Yannis.
You have to go!
You were going to make love to me. You were. Why cant you. Why did you stop?
He growled into the room. Because I didnt know who you were then!
So who did you think I was? She had the nerve to look incensed, and he almost laughed. Almost. Because there was nothing funny about it.
Justget out of here.
But I love you.
Youre sixteen. You cant love me.
But you love me. You told me!
He stormed away again, his fists hard against his brow, fighting the agony inside, fighting the injustice and the foolishness that comes with recalling a day filled with green fields and daisy chains and blue skies and a girl who had always seemed perfect for him.
He felt her hand on his shoulder and wheeled around. She was naked and trembling, her creamy skin goose-bumped, her rose-pink nipples pebbled and hard. She took his hand and placed it over one breast, so that the hard nipple jutted into his palm and his fingers curled into her firm flesh, making his body jerk once again into life.
I want you, she said, with a brazenness hed never seen in her before, twin slashes of red staining her cheeks, a brazenness that had her reaching out for the place where he lay swelling beneath. Please make love to me.
Sto thiavolo, but he was tempted. She moved herself closer into him, taking his silence for assent, pressing her breasts into his chest, her mouth suckling at his flesh while a new agony played out in his aching mind.
He could take her now, and nobody need ever know. Nobody would be any the wiser. One night of perfection before he married Elena. Was it too much to ask?
He wove his fingers through the curtain of her hair, wound its weight around his thumbs, pressing his lips to her hair, already sinking. And she looked up at him with such a look of adoration in her eyes, such a look of love and trust, that he felt sickened hed even considered it. How could he do that to Mariettabed her one night and declare his engagement to another the next?
It couldnt happen.
It couldnt be allowed to happen.
Not now.
Not ever!
Get out, he told her, unwinding her arms from his body and pushing her away. Pushing temptation away. I dont want you here.
Confusion lit her features. You dont mean that.
Cover yourself up and get out!
But I love you. And you love me.
Like a sister! he blurted, the lie coming with the knowledge that a clean break might be cruel, but it was the only way. Dont you understand? I love you like a sister. Nothing more.
Her beautiful face crumpled, sudden moisture transforming her eyes to liquid, her cheeks sheeting with tears. But you said
It doesnt matter what I said! Dont you understand? I can never love you any other way. Now get out and get back to your room before anyone sees you.
But Yannis
Go!
CHAPTER ONE
The Island of Montvelattethirteen years later
HE WAS close, she could feel it.
It wasnt just the prickle at the base of her neck and the catch in her throat that had Marietta Lombardi on full alert. It was the way the air seemed suddenly thinner, tighter, as if the myriad candles in the Castellos enormous dining room had consumed every last drop of oxygen from the atmosphere, leaving a vacuum that ached to be filled.
And then across the room the ancient timber doors swung open, and even the air in her lungs was sucked out.
Yannis Markides, the man shed vowed never to see again, was finally here in Montvelatte. Dressed entirely in black, he filled the wide entrance like a dark cloud, his eyes purposefully scanning the throng assembled for the wedding rehearsal dinner while an adrenaline-fuelled wave crashed over her, pinning her to the chair and threatening to free thirteen-year-old memories that had been buried in the deepest recesses of her mind.
Apparently not deeply enough.
Yet even a flood of unwanted memories was no match for seeing him in person. The Yannis of her unbidden and unwanted dreams couldnt hold a candle to this man, who looked more like a warrior about to go into battle than an old family friend. Had he always been so tall? Had he always been able to fill a space with his mere presence? And, in spite of the war-like stance, had he always looked so damned good?
She swallowed down on a sudden lump in her throat. She didnt need him to look good. Didnt want him to. She should go now. Slip out in the confusion of waiters serving a multitude of meals before he saw her, before she had to face him again and relive the humiliation of their last encounter.
And then her brother jumped to his feet beside her, calling across the room, and Marietta knew shed left it too late. The obsidian eyes shed been hoping to avoid found their mark as they zeroed in on Rafe, his mouth turning into a smile until those same eyes fell on her, lingering so coldly that she shivered, any semblance of a smile frozen clear away, before they snapped back to Rafe so cleanly and decisively as if even looking at her had been a mistake.
Released from his cold-as-a-grave gaze, Marietta felt as if shed taken a blow to the gut. Shed known Yannis Markides was not the type of man who would forgive and forget, but it was clear he also had no problems holding a grudge. And from the expression on his face as hed practically seared her with his gaze, he was as unenthusiastic about seeing her as she was about seeing him.
Fine. The sooner this wedding was over, the sooner they could both go back to never seeing each other again, and the happier theyd both be.
So she was here, just as hed been warned. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides in time with the thump of his heart, a deep-seated anger turning his vision to red. Hed always believed in the principle that to be forewarned was to be forearmed. The adage had stood him in good stead over the years in both his professional and his private life, and yet now, coming face to face with the woman whod done more to destroy his familys financial security than any number of corporate sharks hed had to deal with in his time, the old adage wasnt holding up to scrutiny. Because it wasnt until now that realised the depths of his resentment. It was as if seeing her had rekindled every last spark of anger and bitterness, reigniting old wounds and sending the flames high.
He didnt want to be here, even if it was his best friends weddingnot if it meant seeing her again, and certainly not if it meant being thrust back into those dark days.
He dragged in a lungful of air heavy with the combined scents of garlic, rosemary and spit-roasted game and sensed something else in the mixduty. For he had no choice but to be here. One thing hed learned over the years was that life didnt necessarily serve up what you wanted. He was here, and somehow he was expected to be her opposite number on the bridal party, to be her partner throughout the festivities, even to take her in his arms and dance with her. No amount of forewarning was going to prepare him for that.
He should have brought a woman. He could have had his pick of any number, even after terminating his brief liaison with Susannah, and he cursed the decision that had seen him arrive alonealthough he was still sympathetic with the logic of it. Taking a woman to a wedding was fraught with danger. It put ideas in womens heads, ideas that had no place in his relationships.
Yannis! She heard her brothers greeting over the chamber music and hubbub of conversation from the assembled guests as the pair met, shaking hands and pulling each other into a man hug before slapping each other on the back. She watched, unable to move, compelled to watch, waiting for the inevitable moment when Rafe would pull Yannis over to introduce him to his bride-tobe, and for the moment when she would have to look him in the eye and greet him and pretend that what had happened thirteen years ago had never taken place.
So thats Yannis Markides, Sienna said, leaning across Rafes empty chair between them, her head still angled towards the reunion between the two men. Hes very good-looking, isnt he? Almost as good-looking as Rafe.
Better.
The rogue thought came unbidden and unwelcome, but as much as she tried to clamp down on it, the truth would not be denied. Having inherited the best of their fathers genes, her brother was beyond handsome, and in his dress uniform of maroon jacket and ceremonial sash, even more so. But Yannis, with his unique mix of his Montvelattian mother and Greek-Cypriot father, was something else again. It was as if hed been blessed with the best genes the Mediterranean had to offer, a combination of dark hair, bottomless eyes and chiselled features. As a twenty-one-year-old, hed been the best-looking man shed ever seen. Thirteen years on, as a man in his prime, he was utterly arresting.
I guess so, she replied at last as she reached for her glass, looking for something tactile and solid and real to cling onto, telling herself he was only a man, a mere mortal like everyone else.
And then she looked up again.
Under the ballroom lighting, his black hair gleamed thick and healthy, his strong features complemented by the play of light and shadow as he moved, with even the angles and planes of his face speaking of nobility.
Mortal? Then why did he have to look so much like a god? Was it any wonder shed once imagined herself in love with him? What girl wouldnt be na?ve enough to let herself imagine, to think that maybe there was something more to it when this man was your brothers best friend and you saw him practically every day of your life, and when he treated you as if you were something special, the way he always had
What girl wouldnt have made the same mistake she had? She took a deep breath, her fingers locked tight around the stem of her wine glass. Back then shed been just a teenager, and clearly impressionable at that. Thank God she wasnt so na?ve, so easily driven by her hormones any more. And thank God this ordeal would soon be over. A day, maybe two, and the wedding and the associated formalities would be done with, and they would both be gone from the island.
She could hardly wait.
I can see why hes so popular with the women, Sienna continued, although I cant believe hes alone now. I expected hed bring a partner.
Marietta didnt care. Yannis had a reputation as a playboy, the same label her brother had boasted until his world had connected with Siennas. If Yannis was by himself, she had no doubt it would only be a temporary situation. Maybe she saw sense, she muttered, not quietly enough.
The other womans head swung around, You dont like him? I thought you guys grew up together, one big happy family. At least, thats how Rafe makes it sound.
Marietta shrugged and forced a smile to her face. You know how it is, twos company, threes a crowd. Theyve always been best friends and Ive always been Rafes little sister.
Whether shed placed too much emphasis on the last two words, or whether theyd contained a hint of bitterness that shed never quite dispelled, Sienna studied her for a second, as if weighing up her answer. Then she nodded and reached over to squeeze her free hand. I think I understand. And Marietta felt a surge of affection for the Australian woman who would soon be her sister-in-law.
The two men turned then, Rafe gesturing towards the women, and something twisted in her gut, pulling her lower into the chair. She let go the glass she was still holding in a rush, lest she tip it over and spill its contents, and battled to dredge up a plastic smile to affix to her face as they came closer.
You remember Marietta, of course, her brother said as he led the way, and the dark cloud hovered before her, brooding dangerously over her before shed had a chance to find her feet, even if shed been able to remember how to do so, standing so close to her that she dared not attempt the feat now. Not when the look in his eyes damned her to the core, without the merest shred of warmth at meeting her again.
Shed done that, she realised in a rush. Shed banished every good memory he might have of their years together with one foolish and reckless act. And now, just as he had done thirteen years ago, he was still making her pay the price.
So many years later. Shed been a teenager back then. Made just one foolish mistake. Had what shed done been so unforgivable?
Yannis, she said, needing to do something to break the silence that stretched taut like piano wire between them, its been a long time.
The searing look he sent her in reply told her he thought it nowhere near long enough, before he dipped his head in the barest nod. Princess, he said, and Marietta swallowed. The way he said it made it sound like an insult, but before she could force her tight vocal cords to relax enough to tell him that he could call her Marietta, as he had always done, Rafe had already turned away to introduce his fiance, and Yannis had severed contact.
Sienna clearly had more presence of mind than Marietta or maybe it was just that the other womans knees were still working, as she rose from her chair to greet Rafes lifelong friend, her smile broad and welcoming as he lifted her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it.
Raphael always insisted he would beat me at everything. At finding the perfect wife, Im afraid I must concede this contest.
Sienna laughed a little, her smile widening. Rafe told me you were a charmer. Im surprised you havent found the woman of your dreams by now.
Marietta stiffened in her chair as she awaited Yanniss response, although she wasnt entirely sure why. Shed long ago given up the notion that she was the woman of his dreams. Long ago given up caring who he was with. So she topped up her glass of mineral water, needing the distraction and waving away the waiter who had descended upon her ready to do the task himself.
Yannis will never marry now, I am convinced of that, Rafe answered for his friend. No woman is good enough for him.
Especially not Marietta. She hadnt even been good enough to sleep with.
Beyond her, Sienna shook her head at her husband-to-be and smiled softly. Tell me, Yannis, how is your father now? Rafe said hes been very ill.
He has been, although hes thankfully off the critical list. He suffered another stroke a month ago. My mother apologises for not coming to the wedding, but she cannot leave him now.
Im sorry that they cant both be here, but it is so good to meet you at last, she said. Rafes told me so much about you.
None of it good, Rafe added, urging them all to sit as waiters appeared from nowhere to bring another meal and fill wine and water glasses. Yannis took his place alongside Sienna, and with a sigh of relief Marietta settled in her brothers shadow, happy for the barrier of the grateful couple separating her from their new arrival.
Although now, Rafe continued, Ill have to take back the bit about not making it to our wedding. Youve missed the rehearsal, though. What kept you? You were supposed to be here days ago.
Yannis shrugged and picked up the large wine glass, swirling the contents and lifting it casually to his nose, and Marietta thought he would never answer, until finally he spoke. The US market has been jittery, and with it some of our clients. It seemed unwise to leave too early. As it is, Ill have to head back straight after the wedding.
Rafes face darkened, his brow creased. You never mentioned jittery clients in your emails.
Youre getting married, Yannis countered, there are some things you dont need to know. Besides, you have enough on your plate sorting out Montvelattes finances.
Then why not let Kernahan handle it? After all, you hand-picked the new manager yourself. Why couldnt you have left it to him?
The other mans eyes glowed unnaturally bright as he stared silently out over the crowd, his jawline tight and rigid.
Marietta chose that moment to reach forward for her water, needing to feel something cool in a throat that felt too tight, too dry. In itself it wasnt a foolhardy action. The mistake she made was in turning her head, only to have her eyes connect once again with the man three seats down, who was staring right at her. Sensation sizzled down her spine as the connection was madeand held.
Oh, I had my reasons, he muttered, his voice low, his lips tightly drawn, and his eyes still locked on hers so that she was in no doubt that he had waited until the last moment to attend his best friends wedding so as to avoid her.
Beside her, Rafe made a move to remonstrate, but his fiance stopped him with one hand on his wrist. Rafe, Yannis is here now, in plenty of time for the wedding. Thats all that matters.
And her brother shrugged and let it go, just as Yannis released her eyes so that at last she could drop back in her chair and disappear behind the shield of her brother, her breathing suddenly too shallow and too fast, her pulse racing, as if shed just run up the Castellos marble staircase.
This was crazy. She should gotell them she had a headache. It was almost the truth; her nerves were so strung out that she didnt know what she felt other than this decade-plus ache in her bones that just felt plain wrong. Shed plead a headache and go to bed early, and then there would only be the wedding tomorrow and the reception, and then she wouldnt have to see Yannis again. Wouldnt have to sense his near hatred in every look, in every single word.
Shed almost found the courage to stand, had almost found the words she needed to say, when the music suddenly changed tempo, the orchestra switching to a waltz and an air of hushed expectancy falling over the crowd. Her brother beat her to her feet, took his fiances hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. Come, cara, they await the dance.
But surely thats after the weddingat the reception.
Not all of these people he waved his hand around the room will be able to be here for the reception. Many are villagers who have performed a special task or who will be busy themselves tomorrow, preparing the flowers or working in the kitchens. Tonight is our way of saying a special thank you to them.
Sienna smiled and nodded. Of course. Then we mustnt disappoint them. She took his hand and stood, and the crowd burst into applause, cheering as Rafe led Sienna to the dance floor and folded his soon-to-be wifeMontvelattes soon-to-be Princessinto his arms. She went as if she belonged there, their bodies moving as one to the music, their eyes on each other, their love a palpable thing.
To love someone so much and to have that love returned how must that feel? Marietta sighed as she watched them effortlessly glide around the dance floor as one. Now, with the eyes of everyone in the room on them, was her chance to escape. She pushed her chair back, reaching for her purse in the same motion.
You look different, came a deep voice from beside her, the words innocent enough yet the tone accusatory. She looked around, surprised that anyone in the room had eyes for anyone but the couple on the dance floor, but then Yannis didnt possess eyes so much as pointed barbs that launched out and impaled her, arresting her escape mid-flight. She swallowed, her back straightening, refusing to be cowed even if her ability to stand had once again deserted her.
You mean with my clothes on?
His expression grew darker and harder, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip, wishing shed managed to form the words in her brain before shed allowed herself to utter the retort. The look on his face was enough to tell her that the last thing either of them needed was a reminder of that night.
But what did he expect? His attitude had hardly been conciliatory from the moment hed walked into the room and his gaze had first connected with hers. Why shouldnt she go on the attack when he obviously needed to realise how ridiculous his petty grudge really was?
I meant you looked older, he growled once hed recovered.
Of course that was what hed meant.
She forced a smile to her lips, but there was no forcing it any further than that. Did you? That sounds so much better, thank you.
You know what I meant, he snarled.
It has been thirteen years. Is it any surprise Ive grown up a bit since then? Out on the dance floor the Prince and his bride-to-be spun together, two halves of a whole, totally absorbed in each other, totally oblivious to whatever tension existed beyond their world. Marietta watched their effortless glide with an envious eye.
Have you?
She looked back at him, the vision of her brother and his wife making her lose her train of thought. Have I what?
Grown up.
She dragged in a breath, oxygen destined to fuel the fire already burning inside her. People change with time, Yannis. Maybe you should try it one day. There was no point staying any longer. She stood, determined this time to leave. It would be easier this way. She wouldnt have to plead a headache. Yannis wouldnt require any explanation at all. Hed just be happy she was gone.
But Yannis was standing, too, and blocking her way. Where do you think youre going?
Im leaving.
You cant leave yet.
He had to be kidding. Im sorry, but Ill do whatever I damn well like. So if you wouldnt mind getting out of my way?
Its Rafe and Siennas rehearsal dinner.
Now her breathing was more impatient than ever. Dont you think I know that? I was here for it, remember? Im not the one who blew in late.
A muscle tightened in his jaw. His eyes grew hard and even colder. Maybe not, but that doesnt mean you can avoid your responsibilities now. He gestured towards the dance floor. Your brother clearly expects us to join them. He extended a reluctant arm to her. Shall we?
She blinked up at him, her head already moving into a shake. You must be mad.
And then he nodded in the direction of the dancing couple, and she followed his gaze to where Rafe was spinning his wife-to-be around the dance floor. We are expected to join them.
A lump lodged in her throat, and she swallowed, trying to shift it. He expected her to dance with him? To be escorted around the dance floor in those arms tonight? No way. It was one thing to be expected to do it at the formal reception, but there wasnt a snowballs chance in hell that she would do it tonight. She didnt have the stomach for it. Im sorry, she said, clutching at her earlier excuse. Im afraid I have a blinder of a headache. I really have to go.
One dark eyebrow arched as he frowned, disapproval and something else skating across his eyes. Youre afraid.
She stiffened at the accusation, resenting the challenge, resenting even more the glimmer of truth his words contained. Afraid youll make my headache worse? she answered, twisting his words to her own purposes. Oh, Ill admit theres every chance of that.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. Im sure you can tolerate the inconvenience if I can. His words sounded like gravel on gravel, scraping away at the scars left all those years ago until the flesh was raw and tender and she could almost taste the blood seeping fresh from the wound. And dont think I would ask you if I didnt have to, but others are waiting for us before they can dance, so tell me, are you coming willingly, or do I have to drag you to the dance floor?
So he wanted to dance with her as much as she wanted to dance with him. She wanted the time to roll that thought around her mind, to find out why the concept wasnt as satisfying as it should be. But there was no time because he was rightheads were turned, people were watching them expectantly, waiting for them to join the happy couple. She looked back at him, to the dark-as-night eyes that now held an I told you so glimmer of triumph and she didnt answer, couldnt bring herself to. Instead she just strode past him, her chin held high, not caring if he chose to follow her or not, half wishing he wouldnt so that in spite of the audience waiting, she could just keep walking.
He followed her. She didnt need to turn around to know he was right behind her. She could sense his proximity, feel the heat generated by the man just as surely as she could feel the tide of her sapphire silk gown swirling around her ankles as she strode purposefully towards the dance floor.
Shed barely reached it when he captured one hand and swung her around so firmly that she collided hard against the wall of his chest, knocking the air from her lungs and the sense from her mind. He held onto her with a vice-like grip as if certain she would flee at any moment. Dance, he ordered when shed stood rigid too long, his legs forcing hers to follow suit, though protesting and awkward.
She didnt want him so close, didnt want to feel the press of his thigh or the heat of his chest. Didnt want her hand wrapped so securely in his long, warm fingers, fingers that had come so close to taking her to paradise so many years ago
Lost in the echo of sensations long gone, she stumbled, only to be abruptly righted by the man in front of her. And it occurred to her how different a picture their entrance on to the dance floor must look, forced and stiff and unnatural after Rafe and Siennas silken-smooth coupling.
She mangled still more steps before they managed to find some kind of uncomfortable rhythm. Uncomfortable to Marietta, anyway. There was no telling what Yannis thought or felt beyond his overwhelming aura of resentment.
Well, this is fun, she blurted, hating every second of it, resenting the grip he had on her hand and the feel of his large hand in the small of her back. Just being close to him was enough to set her skin on fire with awareness. Having to tolerate his touchthe touch of a man who hated her and made no effort to hide itwas too much to endure.
Nobody said it would be fun.
He spun her around as easily as if she were made of balsa wood rather than flesh and blood, using his size to counteract her resistance and make her move with him the way he thought she should.
Exasperated, she took a breath and immediately wished she hadnt, her lungs suddenly full of the scent of the man, the very essence of him captured in one ill-timed gasp for air. She turned her head away, so desperate to find somewhere unpolluted with his scent that she missed yet another step, and their feet collided and clashed. He answered by hauling her even closer so she was plastered from breast downwards against his body, her legs so close to his that she had no choice but to cede to his control. What are you doing? she protested, pushing back her shoulders to try to reclaim some space between them.
Attempting to look like a couple.
Were not a couple.
We could at least try to move in the same direction at the same time, he growled. Just dance.
He didnt say anything after that, and for that she was grateful. So she tried to concentrate on the music and forget all about the way her skin tingled where their bodies met, tried to disregard the warm puff of air that signalled his breath teasing the coils of her hair around her ear. But there was no forgetting the feeling of skin against skin as he held tight to her hand, no ignoring how strong and warm the body plastered next to hers felt. And no amount of music would ever be enough to let her forget exactly who she was dancing with.
So she closed her eyes, wanting to shut off at least one of her senses. It was a mistake, the action just heightening her awareness of him until all she knew was the feel of their bodies swaying together to the music as he expertly guided her around the floor. Somehow, in the midst of flying sparks and backbiting, their bodies had found some kind of synchronicity, and in spite of him being the last person in the world she wanted to be with, the way his body moved against hers was intoxicating.
She could feel an underlying tension to his steps as if every movement was a battle, and yet his moves were masterful, long lean legs powering his big body around the floor as smoothly as a professional. And in spite of herself, in spite of her own deep-seated tension, she felt herself relaxing into him.
Why fight it? It was all for appearances, after all. Soon they could go back to being enemies. Soon this momentary respite in their battle would be over. But at least for now there was a kind of truce, where time and resentment were suspended in the magic of the music and the dance. And the thought came from nowhere that if it felt this good to dance with this man when he hated you and you hated him, how much better must it feel if they actually loved each other?
She jerked her head away from his shoulder, snapping her eyes open and her thoughts back from the brink. She had no right to ask such questions. No right to wonder anything except when this interminable ordeal of being in Yanniss arms would be over. What she needed was a distraction from her thoughts, and conversation was the only tool she had to hand.
I take it youve never married.
She felt his intake of breath rather than heard it, felt it in the brief falter in his step and the slight jerk of his head above hers. Not yet.
No need to sound defensive, she responded with a nerve she didnt know she possessed. Im sure theres hope for you yet. Couples began drifting onto the dance floor around them, men and women with smiling faces in dusted-off suits and brightly coloured Sunday-best dresses. So why is it proving so difficult? she persisted. What is it youre looking for in the woman of your dreams thats proving so elusive?
I dont see a ring on your finger.
Ive been busy.
And I havent?
Touch. Rafe told me you were driven to succeed. Tell me, when will you have amassed enough millions that you can settle back and relax?
She felt his fingers tense around hers.
I thought you had a headache.
It didnt get me out of dancing. Why should it preclude me from conversation?
He spun her around a couple who cut across their path, the sudden motion leaving her momentarily breathless and giddy, her fingers biting into him for support. Frankly, Im surprised you havent, she managed once theyd settled into a steadier rhythm again and thinking that if she kept talking, he might not notice how desperately shed just grabbed for him. I know people have always liked to label you and Rafe as playboys, but of the two of you, somehow I always picked you for a family man. I would have expected you to have been married long before now.
Maybe I should have been! His voice was gruff as his feet ground to a sudden halt. He looked around at the couples filling the dance floor, as if assessing whether theyd done enough to satisfy their duty, before releasing her suddenly as if deciding they had. Now you can go.
CHAPTER TWO
WOMEN and headaches. Women with headaches. Who needed them?
Yannis tugged at his tie, then removed his gold and onyx striped cufflinks and let them clatter to the bedside table as he kicked off his shoes, taking in the empty suite and the king-sized four-poster bed with more than a touch of regret.
He could have brought Susannah. He hadnt had to terminate their arrangement when he had, even if it had made so much sense at the time. Apart from her own tendency to play the headache card, it was always a risk, he knew, taking any woman to a wedding and expecting her to come away without thoughts of wedding gowns and honeymoons planted in her head.
But if he had brought her, at least hed have someone here now. Someone to rub his shoulders and massage his temples and soothe this other throbbing part of him Kolasi. Why the hell he felt like sex when hed had to endure the worst night of his life was beyond him.
No, not the worst night of his life. That black night and the explosion of events it had detonated belonged to a time thirteen years ago. Tonight might have been uncomfortable, unpleasant at times, but nothing could surpass that poisoned night.
Still, surely he deserved some kind of compensation after having to face Marietta again? He reefed off his shirt and slung it to the floor before launching himself onto the bed, gazing unseeingly at the canopy above his head.
Shed taken offence to his comment that shed changed, but there was no denying it. Shed grown into her body in the intervening years, her breasts fuller than he remembered, with hips that balanced their weight and rendered her shape more womanly than before.
He closed his eyes, but the pictures were still vivid of Marietta lying naked in his bed, her blonde hair like a halo around her head, the dip of her slim waist and the spring of blonde curls at the apex of her thighs, and the unmistakable mark on her breast where his teeth had bruised her perfect skin
And yet it was the look in her eyes that had burned deeper than any memory. Wounded and hurt as hed banished her from his bed and from his life.
He punched his pillow into submission before settling back down. Shed changed all right. Not that it mattered to him one way or another how she looked.
He sighed and folded his arms behind his head, restless and dissatisfied, wanting to put all thoughts of her out of his head and failing as another snippet from tonights encounter wormed its way into his mind. Shed said shed thought him a family man. Maybe long ago he had been. But that was before hed learned what families expected of their own.
And even though hed never married Elena in the endnot after that nightthe relief had been short-lived, the ensuing financial fallout consuming all his attention. It had taken years of working alongside Rafe to recover the family fortune, years when hed pushed himself mentally in order to come up with the kind of deals that would garner millions, years in which hed pushed himself physically, spending hours in the gym, honing muscles that would keep his body as exercised as his mind. And all those years there had been no time for women in his life, unless they came with a warm body, a cold heart and a definite use by date.
No, marriage and family had no place on his list of priorities.
None whatsoever.
He was already taking breakfast when she came down. Marietta hesitated before stepping out onto the vine-covered terrace, needing a moment to gather her thoughts while she took in the picture of Yannis sitting at the table with his back to her, sipping his coffee and reading the papers.
She considered turning around and withdrawingshe could always get something delivered to her roomhad half convinced herself to do so, when he seemed somehow to sense her presence and look over his shoulder. Only for a second, but hed seen her. The cold acknowledgment in his eyes had been enough to tell her that. And she knew that if she disappeared now, it would look as if she was running away. Hed already accused her once of being afraid. She would not give him the satisfaction of thinking so again.
So instead she steeled her shoulders and pushed herself from her vantage point, the kitten heels of her sandals clicking rhythmically as she crossed the tiled terrace. In a world suddenly shrunken to this one shaded terrace and the man occupying it, the noise seemed bold. Therapeutic. Necessary.
For why should she shrink away and make a quiet approach? She had nothing to be ashamed of. Shed made an embarrassing mistake when she was just a teenager, shed accepted it and got on with her life. Shed dealt with it. He was clearly the one with the problem.
Buongiorno, she called, determined to be upbeat and not show him how much she wished she could avoid another encounter with him and so soon. What a perfect day for a wedding.
And it was. Above them the sky was an endless blue, while the sun cast jewels upon the azure sea beneath, with only the shard of rock known as Iseos Pyramid, the remnants of an ancient caldera, slicing through the perfect water.
She turned her back from the view and sat down opposite him, her bravado not extending to trusting herself to meet his eyes. And yet something, whether it be curiosity, mere impulse, or a compulsion she had no way of fighting, made her lift her gaze to his face.
She should have known he would be looking at her.
For a moment their eyes connected, almost fused, before she managed to tear her eyes away and instruct the maid who had just appeared to fill her coffee cup, grateful for the diversion.
Sleep well? she asked, some inner minx determined to provoke him, anything not to let him see how much he rattled her. She hadnt, and it had taken her some time this morning to repair the damage of a broken sleep. And if the tightness around his eyes was any indication
He folded the newspaper hed been reading and sat back in his chair, planting his hands behind his head. Lazy movements, every one of them, and yet every one of them compulsive viewing. I slept fine.
Excellent, she said, smiling too enthusiastically. If shed needed a reminder of the width of his chest or the muscled firmness of his torso, hed just given it to her. Along with a glimpse of olive skin with just a dusting of dark hair in the vee at his open-necked shirt. Im so pleased. She pounced on the yoghurt, drizzling on some island honey and declining an offer of pastries and bread. Im meeting Sienna at ten, she offered by way of an explanation that wasnt needed other than to give her mind something neutral to focus on. I dont have long.
Wouldnt you be better having a decent breakfast?
Theres something indecent about yoghurt and honey? I never realised.
She lifted the spoon to her mouth, aware that he was watching her every move, and a flash of annoyance was replaced by another, more sinful, urge.
Let him watch.
She paused, her lips slightly parted, her eyes half closed in anticipation, before she fully opened her mouth and swept the thick creamy yoghurt from the spoon.
There was definitely something indecent about hermouth. As he watched, a speck of honey clung to one lip, a tiny dew drop that caught the sun and glistened gold, and he had to fight every part of himself to remain in his chair and not lean over and remove it himself. If only he could work out how to do it without her knowing. He was still watching, mesmerised, when the tip of her pink tongue emerged and licked it from lips that settled back into a smile.
She might well have licked him. Electricity sizzled its way south as he remembered a time when she had. Virgin that she was, tentative though it had been, shed touched him with her tongue. Tasted him.
And it hadnt been enough.
Its good, she said, scooping her spoon into her bowl once again? Maybe you should indulge in something indecent yourself.
Ive already ordered my breakfast, he growled, looking away, her words grating on some dark, unfamiliar part of him, but more disturbingly, arousing him in a way hed thought impossible. But also proving a point that was more than satisfying. Hed caught her out. Shed been wrong when shed said shed changed. Shed claimed shed grown up and yet here she was, still playing silly sexual games. So much for growing up.
He pushed his chair back and strode to the edge of the terrace, wanting an end to it, needing space, both mentally and physically. On the level below an infinity pool stretched to the cliff, merging with the brilliant blue sea beyond, a sea interrupted by nothing more than the occasional vessel and the sharp black rock that lay kilo-metres offshore. Even from this distance it looked like a mountain, seabirds forming an ever-changing cloud at its peak. And something Raphael had mentioned cut through the resistance he felt at extending his dealings with this woman.
Tell me, is that where Siennas helicopter crashed?
Marietta followed his gaze and shivered in spite of the sun, remembering the day shed arrived here on Montvelatte and the anticipation shed felt to be meeting Rafes fiance, only for her almost to be lost before they had even met. Iseos Pyramid? Thats right.
What happened? Raphael said she was lucky to be alive. I didnt press him for details.
He didnt turn around, just continued to gaze out over the sea, and for that she was glad. The memories of that day, the fear of not knowing whether Sienna was alive or dead, and the look of anguish shed seen in her brothers eyes when hed thought hed lost the woman he loved were still fresh and raw and more than enough to contend with without Yanniss piercing gaze to throw her further off balance.
So she safely addressed her comments to the back that was turned to her and to the close-fitting shirt stretched even tighter as he crossed his arms in front of him. There was an unseasonal summer storm that day. It had been building slowly for hours but when it hit, it was ferocious and wild. Sienna was a passenger in a helicopter when lightning struck the rock, scattering the sea birds and sending them panicked in all directions. The pilot had no way of avoiding them. The helicopter was hit, one of the birds crashing through the cockpit and knocking out the pilot.
He turned so suddenly she jumped, feeling caught out. What in Gods name was she doing out there in a helicopter in the midst of a storm?
Marietta looked away, doing her best to forget about the play of fabric against firm flesh and remember back to that dark day and the anguish that had driven Sienna to flee, an anguish that Marietta had only become aware of in the following days when the two women had had a chance to talk. Of course, it sounded crazy that anyone would be up in a helicopter in weather like that, but at the time Sienna had been left with no choice, facing marriage to a man she loved and yet who refused to acknowledge his love for her. A man who had only realised the truth when she was gone.
But how could you explain love to a man like Yannis, who knew more about anger than he would ever know about love? She shrugged. Sienna simply had no choice. She had to go. As it was, the pilot was lucky she was there. Sienna managed to bring the aircraft under control long enough to make it to a tiny beach on the other side of the rock. It wasnt a pretty landing, apparently, but it saved both of them.
And Rafe was here on the island the whole time?
She smiled thinly, remembering the tension of that time, remembering the look of terror on her brothers face when that single plume of smoke had been sighted. It was a tough few hours. For everyone, but especially for Rafe. He was one of the first out with the local coast-guard, and he was there when the helicopter was found, and Sienna inside it. She had cuts and bruises but she and her babies were miraculously otherwise uninjured. Sienna maintains their survival proves that the Beast of Iseo is officially dead.
He nodded and turned his attention back out to sea. He vaguely remembered the legend of the Beast of Iseo, where once a month the beast of the rock would rise, trawling the surrounding waters, hungry for wayward travellers and those blown off course.
It was funny how some people liked to define their monsters by the calendar. Hed learned that life wasnt that simple. Life had shown him that monsters and dangers were there every day of your life. Not dictated by a calendar. More likely dictated by a woman. And in his case, the woman sitting behind him now.
Just one day, he promised himself as his fingers curled into fists, just one more day and he would be gone from here. Gone from her.
You sound like youve taken the Montvelatte customs to heart, he said, finally turning away from the rock and forcing himself back down opposite her as his breakfast was served. Does that mean youll be staying here now youre a princess?
She laughed, knowing hed been serious when he asked the question. You make it sound like being a princess is a career choice.
You have something better to do?
She flashed him a glare, but he was looking away, and it was wasted, just as she knew any barbed retort she threw at him would be. He obviously had his mind made up about her.
You didnt know I was a jewellery designer?
Thats a full-time job?
She chose to answer a different question. My partner, Xavier, and I are actually just about to embark on a major expansion, with a gallery and showroom opening shortly in Honolulu, and were both really excited about it. So thank you, but, yes, while Im not sure if its better, I do have something else to do.
Xavier? He ignored her correction and focused in on the surprise element in her words. He hadnt realised she was attached, especially given her comment last night about being too busy. Clearly she wasnt that busy. Although, was it any real surprise? Given the ease with which shed offered herself to him, she was bound to have found herself someone else willing to accept an offer of her charms. Probably many someones.
So where is this Xavier? Why isnt he here with you?
It was the look on her face that told him hed demanded rather than asked his questions.
Because the opening is in less than two weeks. Apart from which, why should he be invited?
You were the one who said he was your partner.
She blinked, slowly and purposefully, and he immediately regretted pressing the point and giving the impression that it mattered to him in the least. It didnt, of course; his interest was merely in shooting holes in her argument. There were bound to be plenty of those.
Xavier Delahunty, she began after a measured breath, is my business partner, and together we own Paua International, a small but growing jewellery concern. Xavier handles the business side of things while Im the head designer. Weve been working with paua and silver designs in Auckland for a few years but slowly incorporating pacific pearls into the equation.
When the new gallery opens in Honolulu, she continued, well launch the new collection with it. If it goes well, we have plans to expand further into the US and Europe.
Not many things took Yannis Markides by surprise. Not many people. But not for the first time, this woman did.
I didnt realise you had a job.
No? I suppose you imagined Ive just been swanning around, princess-in-waiting these last few years. Whereas youve been amassing so much money you havent had time to breathe. Why are you so driven, Yannis? Is money so sexy that youd rather have a fortune than a wife?
Any hint of remorse that he might have misjudged her was consumed in the heat that speared up inside him, a tidal wave of resentment that brought with it more than a hint of satisfaction. This was more like it, more of what he expected from someone like her.
No surprises there at all.
Maybe, he replied, it would have been nice to have had the choice.
She looked up him, cat-like eyes narrowed and searching for the meaning behind his cryptic comment, the question already forming on those sultry lips. A question that never came as the maid interrupted with more coffee, and he turned back to his meal, suddenly reminded of his hunger and the reason he was out here on this terrace. Not to settle old scores, nor even to relive the circumstances that had given birth to them, but simply to break his fast. To slake his early morning thirst and hunger.
And that hunger had nothing to do with her!
Sienna was still enjoying a scented bubble bath when Marietta arrived at her suite. Her dresser, Carmelina, was fussing over her, bringing towels and catering to her every need, and Marietta was grateful to have a few moments to collect her thoughts. Meeting with Yannis on the terrace had rattled her, and much more than shed realised at the time, leaving her feeling shaky, her emotions shredded. For Yannnis appeared determined to dislike her, even to hate her no matter what she did or said, and still she had no real inkling why. But whatever it was she was supposed to have done in the past, he certainly seemed to bring out the worst in her now.
She wasnt a bad person, she was sure of it. She wasnt perfect either, far from it, but why Yannis held her in such contempt was beyond her. Shed gone to his bed. Offered herself to him. Made a stupid fool of herself in the process. But beyond that, what had she done that was so unforgivable?
Forget him! Tomorrow would bring escape and escape couldnt come soon enough. Tomorrow she would go to Hawaii and focus on the launch and the new gallery and getting back to her career and her life, and bury all thoughts of Yannis Markides in the process. His place was in the past. And in the past was where he would stay.
Sienna emerged from the bathroom, wearing a veil of steam and a smile so wide and joyous it rendered Yanniss puzzling behaviour irrelevant. Im marrying Rafe today, she told Marietta, as if she had said, I cant believe its really happening. The love beamed out of her soon-to-be sister-in-laws face as Marietta wrapped her in her arms and gave her a hug. And once again, the sheer wonder of witnessing a love so truea love that was returnedblew her away. Marietta smiled and breathed in the good vibes, knowing without a doubt that her brother was one lucky man.
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