‘It’s too late, Kallie. We’re married. As you seem to have conveniently forgotten, you’ve already signed the agreement that seals my promise of the loan, and this…’ He moved his hips slightly, his erection sliding tantalisingly against the silk-covered apex of her thighs. The burning desire still held her in its grip. ‘This is very much the next part of the plan.’
She was held and mesmerised by his eyes. She had to wonder for the first moment since seeing him again what he would do when he discovered she was woefully inexperienced. That suddenly made her brain freeze. He wouldn’t want to sleep with a novice. She wasn’t a virgin but may as well be compared to him! She should tell him now before they went any further. This was the thing that would make him dump her faster than a hot piece of coal. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Two sides of her went to war, the side that wanted very badly to get away right now, forget she’d ever seen Alexandros again, and the other side that wanted nothing more than for him to lay her down, right where they were, and take her to paradise and back.
They were still locked together, as close as they could be. She had to say something, she couldn’t be this weak. A flashing pop made Kallie flinch in his arms as suddenly, within what seemed like seconds, they were surrounded by paparazzi. The hotel doormen, along with bodyguards that had materialised out of thin air, were trying to beat them back, and in the mayhem that followed Kallie was bundled out and into a car with Alexandros so fast that they were speeding away before she could even get her breath, never mind launch into a declaration of her sexual inexperience.
CHAPTER SEVEN
WHEN she was finally able to articulate a word she bit out, ‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going?’
The thought of a honeymoon, just her and Alexandros together, was causing waves of panic through Kallie’s tense body.
Alexandros looked at her. Her arms were folded across her chest. Everything about her screamed, Get out! And made him more determined than ever to slake his lust, experience the passion that ignited with just a touch of their mouths.
He forced himself to relax, to try and dampen the spark that was ready to be fanned into a burning flame at the slightest provocation…or encouragement, which he figured was unlikely in the near future.
‘Our bags are following so we’re going straight to the airport.’
Was he being deliberately obtuse? Kallie emitted a frustrated sigh.
‘And is this a magic mystery tour or are you going to tell me where we’re going?’
She was all too aware of the strained edge in her voice. Alexandros regarded her coolly from his seat. Looking casual and relaxed and at ease, when she felt as tightly wound as a spring.
‘We’re going to my villa just outside Athens.’
Kallie frowned and automatically slipped into the familiar Greek name for her grandmother. ‘The villa beside ya ya’s?’
He nodded. ‘My mother has moved into town. It’s easier for her, and closer to the doctors if she needs them. I’ve had it completely refurbished in the interim.’
She’d bet he had. And she could only imagine the opulence. It had always been very grand, effortlessly overshadowing her grandparents’ more humble villa, with its deceptively simple design.
She saw that they were driving into a small airfield, approaching a private jet. She tried to quell her panic and looked at Alexandros as if to block out the evidence that very shortly they would be on a plane, flying to Athens, to be alone. She knew she was talking quickly, inanely.
‘I haven’t been back there since ya ya died. Her house is sitting empty now. Some of the family go there sometimes, I think, but…’
A sudden upsurge of sadness gripped Kallie, taking her by surprise. That house held such special memories for her and the thought of seeing it again without her beloved grandmother hit home.
She didn’t see how Alexandros’s gaze narrowed on her face. ‘Is this your first visit back to Athens since then?’
And was that moisture in her eyes?
She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at him, shaking her head, desperately willing the emotion down. ‘Not to Athens, just to her house…’
She’d had no idea the thought of going back there would affect her so strongly.
The car came to a smooth halt and thankfully she clambered out into the cool air. Anything to avoid that intense, laser-like gaze. Within minutes they were ensconced in plush cream leather seats in the plane, sitting opposite one another. Kallie felt a little more under control again. She couldn’t be her normal self around Alexandros. But it was so hard, watching everything she said, having to control every impulse. She was used to living honestly, openly. But, of course, they were the last things he believed her to be. Open and honest. As they took off and she avoided meeting the dark gaze she could feel resting on her, Kallie had to admit to herself that being open and honest hadn’t exactly worked for her in the past. She’d found out that people didn’t appreciate it. Would step all over it…
A host of conflicting uncomfortable emotions were ripping through Alexandros. He took in Kallie’s averted profile, the way she swallowed convulsively. He’d seen the sheen of tears in her eyes in the car and it had thrown him completely. He’d even found himself about to ask if she’d prefer to stay at his apartment in Athens, rather than go to the villa. His jaw clenched. Thank goodness he’d come to his senses. Kallie Demarchis at the age of seventeen had shown a mercenary streak that had stunned him. Seven years on, it would only have been honed and developed.
The only reason she’d be letting tears fall would be to manipulate a situation for her own ends. And he had to concede that she must be seething…perhaps even plotting something. How could she not? He’d made sure that she would get nothing from the marriage and he’d checked up on her financial status. The money she would have got from her shares, which would have gone into six figures, was long gone. The girl had expensive tastes. Goodness only knew what she had spent the money on.
He looked away moodily and stared out the window at the ground dropping away beneath them. Bed her and get her out of his system. That’s all he wanted to do. He didn’t have to think about anything else. He sent up a fervent prayer that by the end of the two weeks he’d be thoroughly sated and he could file for divorce. He’d even told his solicitor to have the divorce papers drawn up and ready, not intending this to be a long marriage at all.
Kallie sent a quick curious look to Alexandros and was shocked to see his face in such stern lines. She’d felt his withdrawal, as if he was pulling in, pulling away from her. And as if to confirm her suspicions, he looked at her then, but it was so cold, so black that she had to repress a shiver.
‘Are you hungry?’ he surprised her by asking brusquely,
Kallie shook her head and felt a wave of tiredness wash over her, which she succumbed to with relief and not a little cowardice. She was confused by her own turbulent desires. She welcomed some respite, however flimsy. Allowing her eyes to close, shutting out the evocative and disturbing image of Alexandros, her body sank into the reclining seat.