‘Join the club,’ Aidan said.
‘He isn’t going to come, and I’ve left this stupid message on his machine…’
‘Now it’s playing over and over in your head. I know.’ Aidan sighed. ‘Been there, done that, felt the agony.’
‘I hate Ethan Hayes.’ She sobbed into his shoulder.
‘I wish I could learn to hate Corin,’ Aidan murmured wistfully.
‘Oh.’ Eve touched his cheek. ‘Is she still—?’
‘Yes.’
Eve playing Eve, Ethan observed bitterly, as he watched her lift up her head and gaze into Galloway’s eyes.
He felt his muscles go into violent spasm, as a need to go down there and commit murder swelled in his chest. He was about to take his first step towards assuaging that desire when a hand touched him on the shoulder, making him spin round and almost explode all that violence on Theron Herakleides instead.
‘Come back inside, Mr Hayes,’ Eve’s grandfather said quietly.
‘That’s Aidan Galloway she’s with,’ he heard himself murmur hoarsely.
‘Yes, I know it is.’ Theron’s steely head nodded. ‘But angry men do not confront weaker men. So come inside,’ he repeated the invitation. ‘I have a matter I would like to discuss with you.’
Business, Ethan surmised, and shrugged the older man’s hand from his shoulder. ‘Keep your business proposals for someone else,’ he said. He had taken enough from other people trying to direct his life. ‘I’m leaving.’ And he turned to stride back into the house.
Theron followed. ‘Take care, Mr Hayes, what you say right now,’ he quietly advised. ‘For a man can still be chased through the courts here in Greece, for jilting his betrothed…’
There were several words used in that comment that stirred Ethan’s blood. Jilting, was one of them, he chose to challenge another one. ‘There was no betrothal,’ he coldly denied. It was all just an elaborate sham thought up by the manipulating witch wearing hot-pink.
‘How many witnesses do you think will I find in San Estéban who would be willing to swear the opposite to that?’
Ethan stopped walking, turned and looked at Eve’s grandfather, aware that there was still more to come.
‘Ah,’ Theron said. ‘I see you understand me. Then we will go in here and continue to discuss the small matter of a settlement…’
With that, Theron opened the door to his study and walked inside. After a small hesitation, Ethan followed him with the word settlement ringing warning bells in his head.
Theron’s study was furnished to suit the man’s big persona. Heavy furniture filled the floor space, heavy-framed portraits adorned the walls.
‘So,’ the big man began as he slotted himself behind his heavy oak desk. ‘Did you really think that you could send my granddaughter back to me like used and broken goods without paying a heavy price?’
Broken. That word made Ethan release a hard mocking laugh. There had been nothing broken about the woman he’d seen wrapped in the arms of another man. ‘Ask Aidan Galloway to pay the price,’ he suggested. ‘He has the money. You’ll struggle to get a penny out of me.’
‘Eve loves you.’
‘Hell, damn it!’ Ethan suddenly exploded spectacularly. ‘Open your eyes, Theron! Eve only loves the thrill of the chase!’
Through the fine silk drapes covering the opened French window of her grandfather’s study, Eve heard the deep rasping tones of Ethan’s voice, froze for a split second, then spun around to stare at the house.
‘Be assured that Aidan Galloway is more than willing to take your place tonight,’ Theron smoothly replied. ‘Oh, yes,’ he confirmed at Ethan’s sudden stillness. ‘Eve’s betrothal celebration will take place tonight whether or not it is you standing at her side. Eve is resigned to this. You’ve broken her heart, now she cares not about the man who will next share her bed.’
The words were used as well-aimed bullets that sank themselves deep into Ethan’s head. Was that what Eve was doing out there—seducing Aidan Galloway to take his place? More bells began ringing, a red tide of anger came flooding in. He was very intimate with Eve’s powers of persuasion. He knew only too well what it was like to fall into her sticky web.
‘What do you want from me, Theron?’ he demanded grimly.
‘I want you to honour those promises you made to me in the Caribbean,’ the big man said.
‘I’ll talk to her.’ It was Ethan’s only concession, though he was planning to do a lot more than just talk to Eve when he could get his hands on her. She played with men’s feelings. She walked all over their self-respect. She made love like a natural-born seducer and he was damned if any other man was going to know how good that felt.