Читать книгу Greek Affairs - Кейт Хьюит - Страница 31

UNLIKE previous trips there was no limousine waiting for them at the airport. Instead Alexi headed for the car park where he picked up a shiny, red convertible sportscar.

‘Is this yours?’ Katie asked as she settled herself into the luxurious cream leather seats.

‘Of course.’ He tossed their luggage in the boot and shot her a look of amusement. ‘I always keep a car here. When I’m not working I like to drive.’

‘And I bet that doesn’t happen very often,’ she said sardonically.

‘Not as often as I’d like, no.’

Alexi flicked a button and the roof started to go back. Katie lifted her face to the sultry rays of sun.

‘So have you always been a workaholic, or is it something that just fell upon you in your thirties?’ she asked as they drove out of the airport and joined a busy main road.

He laughed at that. ‘I suppose I’ve always enjoyed my work too much. I find it exciting and challenging, and certainly after my divorce I decided it was possibly even more rewarding than a social life.’

She stared out at the passing countryside and silence fell between them.

‘How about you?’ he asked her suddenly. ‘Have you always been a workaholic?’

‘I guess I’m the same as you, only without the divorce bit,’ she added jokingly, and then smiled over at him. ‘I like a challenge.’

‘So that guy—the one who hurt you—what exactly happened?’ Alexi asked suddenly.

The unexpectedly personal question made her hesitate.

‘It just didn’t work.’ Her reply was measured, ‘I thought he was serious about me … but it turned out I was wrong.’

Although she said the words lightly, Alexi sensed that her feelings ran a little deeper than that.

‘And you loved him?’

Katie bit down on her lip. She’d thought she loved him, but she realised now that the feelings she’d had for Carl hardly scraped the surface of what she felt for Alexi.

Aware that he was waiting for a reply, she just shrugged. ‘It doesn’t really matter now, does it?’

‘No, I suppose not.’ Alexi concentrated on the road again.

It shouldn’t matter, but strangely it did, and that made anger twist inside him. What the hell was the matter with him? he wondered. He wasn’t the type to get jealous, he never had been, and he never would be. He didn’t do those kinds of emotions. The guy was history, anyway; Katie belonged to him now. Maybe lack of sex was affecting his brain, he thought wryly. Over a month of abstinence had obviously taken its toll, and now he needed to play catchup with his body’s demands. Some undisturbed time in the bedroom … in the lounge … in the kitchen … wherever and whenever he wanted her … should just about do the trick. He smiled to himself.

He changed down gears. The scenery was softening.

They were on a winding coast road where the tree-covered mountains tumbled down to meet the Mediterranean. Every now and then there was a glimpse of a deserted white-gold beach.

Silence settled between them again.

‘It’s beautiful here,’ she reflected.

‘Yes.’ He pulled off the road suddenly and parked in a lay-by that gave a view down along the coast.

Her heart bounced unsteadily until she realised he’d stopped to take a phone call.

She tried to relax back into the leather seats. The heat of the afternoon was intense. Alexi was speaking in Greek. She found his voice incredibly sexy; it washed over her like the day, hot, languid and intensely pleasurable.

Her eyes drifted down over the coastline; there was a yacht with white sails skipping out over the blue of the sea, and just at the curve of the bay she could see a house nestling amidst the greenery of the hillside. It was painted white and had a red-tiled roof.

Alexi finished his call and followed her gaze. ‘What do you think of the house?’

‘It’s beautiful,’ she murmured.

‘Well, I’m glad you like it, because it belongs to me, and it’s where I would like to set up home with you.’

The husky words caused a flame of emotion to flare up inside of her. ‘It looks very big! I thought you liked condominiums and sleek bachelor-pads in the hub of things.’

‘I do. But now I’m going to become a family man …’ He smiled at her. ‘And my priorities have changed.’

The sentiment sounded good, so good that she found herself swallowing hard on the knot in her throat as she desperately tried to keep herself grounded in reality. Alexi was doing all this because of the baby, not because of her … and she had to remember that!

‘Of course, if you want to continue with your career you might find it a bit isolated—but we can work around that. You can commute to Athens from here.’

‘I might have to learn Greek first!’

‘Well, I can certainly help you with that,’ he murmured huskily. ‘I think a few private lessons could be arranged.’ His eyes were on her lips as he spoke.

She could feel the heat in that look—almost as warm as the day itself. If only he had real feelings for her, she thought longingly. If only this was real. She almost wished that the first pregnancy test she’d done had come back positive and he’d proposed back then, because at least she wouldn’t have had the cold proof that without it he’d just let her go …

He re-started the car engine and she tried to let go of the thoughts—they weren’t helping.

The driveway to the house was hidden amongst a riot of greenery. They turned through the entrance and drove down past manicured gardens. Then as they rounded a corner the house opened out in front of them in spectacular style. It looked even larger up close, and the views out across the sea were breathtaking.

Katie stepped out into the warmth of the afternoon and looked up at it in wonder. She had never thought that she would live somewhere like this. ‘The whole of my flat would probably fit into a tiny corner of one room here!’ she murmured.

‘Well, you don’t need your flat any more. You may as well put it up for sale.’

Katie didn’t think she would rush into that—her flat felt like a safety net that she was loathe to let go of—but she said nothing as she followed Alexi up the steps to the front door.

‘As it’s tradition, I should carry you over the threshold,’ Alexi said assertively.

The thought of him touching her made her senses dissolve. ‘I don’t think there is any need for that! We’re hardly a traditional couple, are we—?’

Before she had even finished speaking he had swung her up into his arms. Caught off-guard she was forced to put her hands on his shoulders to hold on to him. She could smell the familiar tang of his aftershave, could feel the heat of his body against hers, the power of his muscles beneath her fingertips.

Being in his arms brought back a flood of memories. She remembered the first time they had made love in her flat. She remembered the feelings, the exquisite tenderness of his touch combined with the almost ruthless domination of her body.

She wanted to lean in against him and wind her arms more tightly around his neck, wanted to give in to the yearning need he stirred inside her. It took all her self-control to hold herself stiff and unyielding against him. ‘Are you going to put me down now?’ she asked as they crossed the hallway.

‘Definitely not!’ He continued on up the curving stairway and along the galleried landing.

Her heart was racing against her chest as he pushed a door open and then placed her down inside the bedroom.

For a moment she stood awkwardly in front of him, and his eyes seemed to burn with intensity as he looked at her.

‘Well, Mrs Demetri, this is exactly where I have wanted you all day … where I have pictured you all day …’ He traced a finger down over the side of her face and then traced it lower to the sweetheart neckline, teasing her with the butterfly caress. ‘In fact, maybe for longer than that …’

Katie swallowed the raw feeling in her throat. This was exactly where she had been picturing herself all day, too. She wanted him so much, but she was also frightened—frightened of revealing her true feelings for him, and of giving her heart and soul to him only for it to be smashed to smithereens if this fragile marriage fell apart.

His hand moved from the side of her neck to her face, stroking it gently, whilst his thumb held her chin so that she was forced to look up at him. ‘This is what your eyes have been asking of me ever since you walked back into my office.’

‘You are the most arrogant and conceited man I have ever met, Alexi!’ Her voice trembled, but not as much as her body as his other hand moved to unfasten the top button of her jacket.

He noticed the subtle yet unmistakable way she quivered as his fingers brushed against her skin, noticed the way her nipples hardened against the cream silk material.

He smiled to himself as a flare of triumph soared through him. For all her prickly defences, the chemistry was still scorching between them. He knew it and so did she.

Katie could feel her heart thundering against her breast. His lips were just centimetres from hers, and she wanted him to kiss her. Wanted it so much that her whole body ached.

Desperately she tried to counteract the feelings. ‘If you must know, I haven’t looked at you with anything but distrust since I walked back into your office.’ She forced herself to say the words; she couldn’t allow him to think for one moment that her heart was his. She had to keep strong; she had to remember that he had allowed her to walk away from him, that he hadn’t wanted a real relationship with her until the baby.

He laughed at that. ‘So that morning at my apartment was just a figment of my imagination?’

Her skin flared with bright embarrassment as she remembered how much she had wanted him. How dared he mention that and laugh at her? ‘Sometimes I—I don’t even like you!’ she muttered angrily.

‘Don’t you?’ He smiled, but his eyes narrowed. ‘But you like what my body can do for you, you always have.’ His fingers skimmed over her breasts, caressing them through the silk, and she closed her eyes on a wave of immediate ecstasy.

He leaned closer and his lips covered hers hungrily and possessively, his body pressing hard against hers.

This was where she wanted to be—it was the only place to be—in his arms, his lips hungrily devouring her. She kissed him back, her hands moving upwards to stroke along the broad contours of his muscular torso.

‘You see?’ He pulled away from her and smiled. ‘Katie, you can pretend as much as you want, but we both know that we are good together, and you still want me so badly it hurts.’

As he spoke he trailed a hand down over the collar of her dress. Then he started to take off her jacket and allowed it to fall to the floor.

Her breathing felt tight with a mixture of apprehension and desire.

‘And you belong to me now …’ The arrogant words inflamed her senses, as did the touch of his lips against her neck as he pulled her closer.

She leaned against him weakly, loving the feel of his body against hers, the familiar scent of him, the possessive touch of his hands circling her waist.

He started to unfasten the buttons at the back of her dress until it fell from her shoulders. She put a hand up, trying to catch it, but he brushed her hand away.

Then he pulled the dress down so that it slithered to the floor, and she stood before him in her lacy bra and pants.

His eyes raked over her body. God, but she was gorgeous. She’d lost a little weight since they’d last made love, but her body was still perfect. Her breasts were pushed up, high and pert above the band of her bra; her waist was tiny, her hips gently curved. Just looking at her gave him a thrill of pleasure beyond belief.

‘You are so beautiful, Katie.’

The warmth of his eyes on her body, and the guttural sound of his voice, made her melt inside. She wanted him so much.

His hands moved upwards, roughly stroking against her breasts through the lace material. ‘There’s so much that’s unfinished between us …’

She moved her head to find his lips, and as they met it felt like barriers were crashing down inside her like huge steel gates of emotion. She groaned with pleasure as his hand moved to push down her bra, his thumbs stroking over her with a sensual heat that made her gasp with desire.

She closed her eyes as his hands squeezed against her, toying with her, then he lowered his head and his lips took one hard, throbbing peak into the warmth of his mouth.

She quivered with arousal, and the last of her control snapped completely. Her hands raked through the darkness of his hair, then her nails scratched down the powerful lines of his back through his shirt as she pressed herself closer, her need for him like a burning fever.

‘Ah … My little wild Kat has come back!’ He laughed with pleasure as he scooped her up into his arms and put her down on the bed.

Then he straddled her, kissing her, stroking her, teasing her with his tongue until she was panting and wild for him. She reached to try and unfasten the buttons on his shirt, her hands trembling and unsteady.

He helped her and the shirt was thrown to the floor. For a second her eyes moved over his powerful torso. ‘You have a perfect body,’ she murmured, tracing one hand over the satin-smooth shoulders that gleamed like gold in the afternoon sunlight slanting through the window beside them.

He laughed at that. ‘You’ve stolen my lines,’ he whispered as his hands curved against her breasts, his fingers squeezing against her nipples until they pulsated, heavy with pleasure and need.

She closed her eyes on a wave of ecstasy.

‘You like that, hmm?’

She could hear the teasing gleam of enjoyment in his voice.

His hands stroked lower over her ribs and down over her pants, finding the core of her and then tormenting her through the delicate silk.

She groaned with pleasure as his caress became firmer, more insistent.

Katie couldn’t think of anything now except the pleasure he could give her, and the aching void inside her. ‘Alexi, I want you so much.’ The words were torn from her.

And then he pulled away from her.

‘Where are you going?’ Her eyes snapped open in panic and he laughed.

‘I’m not going anywhere, believe me.’ He’d been holding on to his control by a whisper, but now that she was truly ready for him he was going to savour this moment. He unbuckled his belt and took off his trousers.

‘Tell me again how much you want me,’ he commanded softly as he took off his boxers.

‘You know how much I want you,’ she whispered unevenly, and he noticed the way she moistened her lips and looked at him with those playful come-to-bed eyes.

He found himself hardening so much that he was uncomfortable now.

Unable to bear it a moment longer, he reached for her, pulling her down against him. ‘I’ve missed you so much, Katie.’

The murmured words gave her a thrill of pleasure unlike any other as he rained kisses down over her face before crushing his lips against hers.

She gasped with joy as he rolled her over, tipping her head back, raking his hands through her hair, pulling it roughly as his lips nuzzled in against her neck. The sensation was pure sensual bliss.

‘I don’t know how I’ve waited this long to have you again.’ His mouth was on hers again now, his tongue entering the softness of her mouth, taking possession as his hands moved over the narrow curve of her waist, then lower to push down the flimsy pants that she wore.

She felt him push deep inside her and she cried out in rapture, running her hands over the broad, smooth contours of his back as she drew him as close to her as she possibly could.

He smiled. ‘This is the Katie I remember so well, the Kat I like to play with, torment and tease …’ He laced the words with kisses along her neck, and she shuddered with delight, wrapping her legs around him, holding him tight and giving herself up to the thrill of his body.

Alexi felt lost as soon as he entered her—he wanted her with a force that was overwhelming in its intensity. He felt like he’d been starved of her and now had to gorge on her, take her and take her and drive himself into her, with thrusting, deep strokes until they became absolutely one.

He spoke to her in Greek, forgetting everything, forgetting almost who he was in the mist of his desire.

And she matched his passion, her body merging with his with a wanton, passionate disregard for everything but the moment.

Katie cried out his name as she exploded inside with long, shuddering, orgasmic pleasure. He followed soon after, and she held him tightly against her body, absorbing the shudders of his body, stroking her hands caressingly over his shoulders, turning her mouth to find his lips and drink him in.

For a long while afterwards they just lay closely entwined—exhausted. Alexi’s body was hot against hers, his arms like tight bands of possession around her. She cuddled closer, loving the feeling of warmth and closeness. She’d missed him so much. She wanted to cry at the sheer pleasure of being held in his arms again. And the fact that he’d told her he’d missed her swirled pleasurably with the sated, exhausted threads of her emotions.

Maybe this marriage would work. Maybe there was a chance for them. Maybe he would start to fall in love with her …

After all, in the right situations, love could be nurtured and cultivated until it blossomed like a flower.

He pressed a kiss against her forehead and she smiled, drowsily contented.

Alexi pulled away from her slightly, and his eyes drifted down over the warm curves of her body. He’d known he wanted her, but the extreme force of that need had taken him totally by surprise. He’d lost control—and that never happened to him.

He wanted her again, wanted her right now. The sudden need hit him again and it angered him. He didn’t want to feel like this. He wanted to feel sated now, wanted the bewitching spell she had cast over him to abate so that he could take her again at his leisure when it suited him. He wanted absolute control over his emotions.

She rolled over and looked up at him with clear blue eyes. ‘Tell me again that you missed me,’ she whispered.

The question splintered through him.

‘You know I’ve missed you. You’re great in bed, Katie.’

He said the words with a frown, and they hit her like a physical whack of a stick.

The world had been held at bay whilst she was in his arms, and she’d believed him when he’d said he’d missed her. But what he’d really meant was that he had missed her body, nothing more. Would she never learn? How could she be so stupid? A hot wave of shame rushed through her as she remembered how hungrily and greedily she had needed him.

‘Do you want a drink of something?’ Alexi forced himself to move away from her.

‘Some water would be good.’ She reached hastily for her clothes on the floor and found her underwear. Her hands were shaking as she tried to fasten her bra.

Alexi watched her, momentarily distracted. He loved the way she looked after sex, her hair all messed up and her skin flushed.

God, he wanted her.

‘We’ll make love again later,’ he told her abruptly. He noticed how her hands weren’t completely steady now as they flew to pick up her jacket, shutting out his view of her curves.

‘I think I’ll have a shower and get changed.’

Something about the way she looked over at him made him reach out and catch her arm before she could move away. ‘Katie, are you OK?’

‘Of course.’ Her blue eyes shimmered for a moment, too wide, too impossibly blue for the pallor of her skin.

‘I didn’t hurt you, did I?’

For a moment the gentleness of that question threw her—and she thought he realised how she was feeling.

‘I wasn’t too rough?’ he asked softly, and his eyes moved down over her to rest on her stomach, and she realised he was just worried about the baby.

‘No—it was fine.’ She moved away and came round to pick up her dress.

‘Fine?’ For a moment he frowned. ‘I think it was more than fine.’

Her hair flowed like liquid silk around her shoulders as she glanced over at him. ‘Not worried about your sexual prowess, are you, Alexi?’ She couldn’t resist the jibe—she was hurting inside, and she wanted to hurt him, too. Wanted to act and talk as if she didn’t care. ‘You were good,’ she said airily. ‘Don’t concern yourself. It was more than … adequate.’

She knew she had gone too far when she saw his eyes darken. Alexi was used to being complimented in the bedroom, used to women idolising him. ‘Adequate?’ he asked.

She shrugged and tried to walk away, but he caught hold of her wrist again and pulled her back.

‘Now run that by me again.’ He pulled her down onto his knee. She looked very sexy in just her jacket and underwear, her long, bare legs shapely and inviting.

‘Alexi, I’m going for a shower. I haven’t got the energy to reassure you.’

‘Very amusing, Katie!’ He smiled at that. ‘Well, let’s see if we can conjure some energy up, shall we?’ He pulled her closer and crushed her lips with his. For a moment she tried to resist him, tried to act as if his kiss meant little, but after a while the passion and the heat started to simmer inside her and she started to kiss him back hungrily.

‘Now run that word by me again,’ he murmured, his hand moving inside the jacket, stroking over her curves.

The way he was caressing her now made her scared that he could prove his point all too easily. ‘Don’t, Alexi. Stop …’

He pulled down her bra, stroking her breasts with firm strokes. ‘Now what were you saying?’ he asked playfully as he felt her body responding very positively.

What had she been saying? She couldn’t remember. She couldn’t remember anything except how good that was. ‘Alexi, don’t stop,’ she whispered as his hand moved away.

‘I’ve no intention of stopping …’ he told her huskily. ‘None at all.’

Katie lifted her head to the full force of the shower, letting it run over her face in cooling jets. After the heat of their passion she needed cooling down. How was it that Alexi was able to turn her on like that? How did he make her feel so alive, so excited—almost delirious with passion and then so sated—so deeply sated? And then so sad …

The first time they had made love had been wild and abandoned but just now he had taken her with a gentle tenderness that had been so incredibly moving it made her just want to cry.

But it was just sex, she reminded herself fiercely. Alexi had just been proving to her how much he could control her and turn her on. And the tenderness had been just out of deference to the fact that she was expecting their child.

There was no point reading anything into it. No point day dreaming or hoping for loving, meaningful words; it wasn’t going to happen.

She snapped off the water, stepped out of the shower and put on one of the fluffy white-towelling robes that were hanging on the back of the door.

Then she stepped back through to the bedroom. Alexi had left about thirty minutes ago—but he must have returned whilst she’d been in the shower because their luggage was now sitting next to the wardrobe. She opened up her case and wondered what she should put on.

Alexi had said something about having an intimate candlelight supper out on the terrace. The thought made her heart tight with pain.

She had all the trappings of a romantic honeymoon—but none of the feelings. Was she destined to go through her marriage like this? Was this as good as it would get? And just say Alexi got tired of her soon? He enjoyed a challenge, and if he could have her twenty-four-seven then sexually he might want to move on to some other conquest. He might just keep her tidily tucked away in the background—the little wife who had given him the all-important heir.

She sat down on the bed. Why was she torturing herself with these thoughts? She needed to stop. She needed not to care!

Her eyes drifted around the room. Deep golden carpets covered the floor and turquoise-and-gold heavy curtains hung at windows leading out to a large balcony. The doors were open, and a soft breeze stirred the frothy voiles that were pulled across to keep the insects out.

Katie felt a little disorientated after all the travelling, and she would have liked to lie down and sleep, but, mindful of the fact that Alexi could come into the room at any moment, she got up and went to stand by the windows.

Night had descended with speed, and she could just make out the dark silhouettes of the cypress trees against the moonlit sky and the silvery glitter of the sea. She felt a little better after some deep breaths of the sea air. She could hear the sound of the cicadas, and the distant rush of the tide against the shore.

She would get dressed; she would face Alexi and she would act cool and reserved. OK, she couldn’t act that way when he kissed her, when they made love, but she could manage it on a day-to-day basis. She had to keep strong if she was going to make this marriage work.

Katie rummaged through her case and found a floral summer dress in pastel shades. She tried it on and surveyed her reflection. Feminine yet sexy—just right, she thought with a nod.

She took her time blow-drying her hair and applying a light make-up.

It was almost nine when she stepped out of the bedroom and walked down the stairs.

The house was magnificent. A chandelier threw sparkling light over the grand entrance-hall, and to either side there were reception rooms of breathtaking proportions, each opening out to a terrace that ran the length of the house. As she lingered by the doorway through to the first of the sitting rooms she saw that Alexi was on the terrace, looking out to sea. He seemed lost in thought.

What was he thinking about? Katie wondered. She wondered if this house held memories of his first wife … if they had lived here together.

She was going to move away but he turned and saw her. ‘Come and join me,’ he invited. ‘It’s a beautiful evening.’

Katie did as he asked. He was wearing black jeans and a black T-shirt, she noticed. He looked so handsome and strong and vital that her stomach twisted into knots. She would have given anything to stand close to him, reach for his hand. But she didn’t dare. It was too possessive, too intimate, which seemed absurd after what they had just shared! But she had to resurrect barriers, she reminded herself sharply, had to play this situation carefully and protect herself.

He looked over at her and swiftly she glanced away. ‘Fabulous view from out here,’ she murmured, looking down over the sweep of a lawn that ran seamlessly down to a private beach and a jetty where a small yacht was anchored.

‘Yes, it’s a nice place.’

‘Is the yacht yours?’

For a moment Alexi didn’t reply; it was as if he were deep in thought.

‘Alexi?’ She glanced over at him again.

‘Actually, I bought it for Andrea.’ He turned his back on the view and gave her his full attention suddenly. ‘She wanted to learn how to sail, but she didn’t really take to the water—got bored with it after a while. I should get rid of it—I just haven’t had the time.’

Or maybe he just didn’t want to get rid of it, a little voice suggested inside Katie. Maybe the memories were too bittersweet to let go of it.

‘You and Andrea lived here, then?’ She tried to make her voice sound casual.

‘For a few months, but she is a city girl, so we moved back into Athens.’ He shrugged. ‘Anyway, on a more interesting note, this house used to belong to my grandparents. They left it in perpetuity for me, my children and my children’s children. I used to come here a lot as a boy.’

‘It must have been an idyllic childhood.’

Alexi smiled. ‘Yes, I was lucky. I’m from a large, very close family; it made my childhood feel very secure. That’s what I want for our child.’

‘That’s what I want, too.’ She tried to smile, but it felt decidedly shaky. She wanted that so much, it hurt.

‘We’ve done the right thing, you know—getting married,’ he told her suddenly.

She nodded, but deep down she wondered if he really meant that—or if he was trying to convince himself as much as her.

Alexi frowned as he noticed the flicker of distress in her blue eyes. ‘We’ll be happy—we’ll work at it,’ he told her softly.

Such sensible words, she thought with a sudden stab of anger. ‘Yes, of course we’ll work at it—and the fact that we don’t love each other will somehow magically become acceptable.’

She probably shouldn’t have said that. For a moment there was a tense silence between them and then he just shrugged. ‘Well, we will just have to hope for the best, won’t we?’

The phone was ringing inside the house. ‘Excuse me, Katie—I better take that.’

She watched him walk away and then turned her attention to the view again. The yacht bobbed against its mooring, a little breeze whispering and whistling through the ropes that held her secure. Almost like the ghost of his first marriage, Katie thought wryly, laughing at her …