Her head thudded back against his chest and she heard him swear softly and then felt him scoop her into his arms.
She wanted to tell him that he had to get out of the habit of carrying her everywhere but it felt so nice being back in his arms that she just gave a sigh and nestled her head into his shoulder.
‘You smell so good,’ she muttered dreamily, ‘but I’m absolutely not getting back into bed with you until you learn to say something nice. It makes me feel horrid.’
He didn’t answer but she saw his jaw tighten and felt him lengthen his stride.
Cool air brushed her bare legs as he emerged from the nightclub and seconds later he deposited her on the back seat of the limo before leaning forward and hitting a button. He delivered a set of instructions to his driver in terse, clipped Greek and then sank back against the seat with a grim expression on his handsome face.
Alesia curled up on the seat like a baby and struggled not to be sick. ‘I’m never dancing again,’ she groaned, closing her eyes and then opening them again quickly as the dizziness intensified. ‘The whole world is still spinning.’
‘That’s the alcohol, not the dancing,’ he informed her, shooting her a glance of naked exasperation, ‘and I can’t believe you’ve reached the age of twenty-two without knowing how it feels to get drunk.’
‘I’ve reached the age of twenty-two without knowing how a lot of things feel,’ she confessed sleepily, her words slurring as her head dropped back against the leather seat. ‘These last few weeks have been one long new experience for me. Some of them good, some of them not so good. The worst by far was when you—’
‘—didn’t say anything nice to you in bed,’ he finished for her, inhaling deeply like a man at the extreme limits of his patience. ‘You’ve already told me that several times. I get the message.’
Alesia shifted her head slightly so that she could focus on him. ‘Actually, I was going to say when you flirted with another woman in front of me,’ she murmured, studying the harsh lines of his bronzed face and deciding that he really was shockingly handsome. ‘As new experiences go, that really was the pits. But I love the clothes and the shoes. And dancing was amazing. I want you to take me again. Maybe tomorrow.’
He studied her through narrowed dark eyes, his gaze suddenly disturbingly intent. ‘Tomorrow,’ he warned in a soft voice, ‘I have other plans for you.’
Alesia groaned. At the moment she just wanted to be left to sleep. ‘Well, I expect you will have done one of your vanishing acts again by the morning,’ she muttered hopefully as her eyes drifted shut again.
‘No chance,’ Sebastien murmured, leaning across to catch her before she sprawled on to the seat. ‘I’m going to start getting to the bottom of the person you really are, agape mou. Tomorrow, you and I are going to start really getting to know each other.’
Alesia woke with a pounding headache.
‘Drink this.’ The deep, masculine drawl came from right beside her and she groaned and kept her eyes firmly closed.
‘I can’t drink anything—’
‘It will help.’ He slid an arm under her shoulders, lifted her as if she weighed nothing and put the glass to her lips.
Alesia took a tentative sip and wrinkled her nose. ‘It tastes disgusting.’
‘Then maybe your education regarding the effects of alcohol is truly complete,’ he said drily. ‘Trust me, it will help.’
She sipped from the glass, froze for a moment while her churning stomach protested and then relaxed. ‘You’re right. I feel better.’
‘Good. Because you have less than an hour to get ready.’ He straightened and she realized that he was already showered and dressed.
She stared at him in disbelief. ‘Not more nightclubs.’
‘It’s lunchtime,’ he informed her helpfully, gesturing to-wards the window with a sweep of his bronzed hand, ‘so no, not more nightclubs. They don’t generally open until midnight but you wouldn’t know that, would you, given that you’d never been to one before?’
There was something in his silky tone that smelt of danger and she looked at him anxiously. Much of the previous night was a blur. Had she really told him that? ‘I—er—’ She cleared her throat awkwardly as she tried to work out how to rescue herself from the current situation. ‘I didn’t exactly say I hadn’t been in a nightclub.’
‘Yes, you did. Along with a great number of other fascinating revelations which I can’t wait to explore in greater detail.’ Sebastien glanced at his watch and then strode towards the door. ‘I have some important calls to make before we leave, so take advantage of the time to have a shower but don’t fall asleep again. My pilot will pick us up in less than an hour.’