Laura complied—knowing that if she didn’t want to create discord then she didn’t really have a lot of choice. ‘What is it?’
‘Why…?’ He drew a deep breath. ‘Why are you helping out in the kitchen?’
‘Because we both agreed that would be my role here.’
‘No, Laura,’ he said heavily. ‘You insisted on it and I was railroaded into agreeing.’
‘That must have been a first,’ she said gravely.
Unwillingly, his mouth twitched. ‘Very probably,’ he agreed, before the sight of her beautiful body in that hideous-looking floral pinafore made the smile die instantly. ‘I don’t want you doing any more of this kind of work in the house and neither does my father. It is no longer appropriate. You are Alex’s mother—and at the party tonight you will be introduced to the people of Livinos as such, not serving damned pastries to the guests!’
‘But won’t…?’ She could feel her heart racing with nerves. How would the Karantinos family’s friends and neighbours accept her—a pale little English waitress—as the mother of the Karantinos heir?
‘Won’t what?’
‘Won’t people think it strange? I mean, it’s a small island. Everyone’s going to want to know why I’ve been working here and now suddenly I’ve been revealed as the mystery mother. Why, even Demetra’s been dying to ask, but she’s so loyal to you and your father that she wouldn’t dare.’
‘I do not care what other people think,’ he iced back. ‘It is what I think that matters.’
‘If you knew just how arrogant that sounded—’
His black eyes glittered. ‘You didn’t seem to be complaining about my arrogance when I ordered you to strip for me last night, agape mou. In fact, you told me that you had never been so turned on in your life.’
Laura flushed. Well, no—but characteristics which worked well within the bedroom did not always work in everyday life. ‘Oh, very well,’ she said quickly, in an effort to change the subject. ‘I’ll come to the party—if you insist.’
Fleetingly, it struck him as ironic that she—of all people—should sound as if she were conferring upon him a favour, when just about every other female of his acquaintance would have bitten his hand off for an invitation to what would be an undeniably glittering event.
‘You will, of course, need something to wear.’
Laura felt her body stiffen with tension. ‘What’s the matter with the clothes I brought with me?’ she questioned defensively. ‘Too small-town and humble for the Karantinos family? Is that it?’
‘Frankly, yes,’ he drawled, his eyes mocking her as she took an angry step towards him. ‘Ne, just try it,’ he murmured. ‘Go on, Laura. Jab an angry finger at my chest and we both know what will happen. Except that it won’t, because we can’t—since Alex is having a chess lesson with my father just along the hall and Demetra is getting half the women in the village to bake bread for her. That is why I’m not able to ravish you here in the kitchen, or by the pool—or anywhere else for that matter.’ He paused and he gave the flicker of a smile. ‘So maybe you’ll lose that indignation when I tell you about the dresses I’ve bought for you.’
Laura stared at him. ‘You’ve…bought me dresses?’
He nodded as he met her uncomprehending look with one of his own. Didn’t all women like to be bought beautiful dresses? he wondered. In his experience, the more money you lavished on a female, the more she adored you for it. ‘When I was in Athens I took the opportunity to pick some up. You see, I knew that this kind of situation was bound to arise at some time, and that you’d need to look the part of a Karantinos woman.’
Her heart raced with anger and shame and hurt. Look the part? Because she was playing a role instead of being the real thing? Of course she was—or that would be how Constantine saw it.
The arrogant swine! He had bought her finery with his millions so that she would blend in, had he? Well, for once in her life—she would make sure she did the exact opposite and stand out at his wretched party!
‘How very kind of you,’ she said, mock-demurely, and saw him frown. ‘I’ll go and look at them.’
‘No. Not now,’ he said softly, and caught her wrist, bringing it up to his lips and whispering them against the fine tracery of veins which clothed the thready hammering of her pulse.
Just that brief touch weakened her, and Laura swayed and closed her eyes. ‘Don’t,’ she whispered. ‘You’ve just said yourself that the house is full of people.’
‘Which is why we’re going for a drive.’
Laura swallowed. ‘Alex—’
‘Is fine with my father. I’ve checked. Now, take off that damned pinafore and let’s get going.’
Minutes later they were zipping their way along an isolated coastal road in a little silver sports car she hadn’t seen before. ‘Where exactly,’ she questioned, ‘are we going?’
‘You’ll see.’
The wind whipped through her hair and Laura felt ridiculously light-hearted. ‘Suddenly you’re an international man of mystery?’