She opened her eyes to find herself staring into Nik’s face, and suddenly plummeted back to the real world with a sickening jolt. Had she completely lost her mind? Why had she let Nik kiss her like that?
‘What are you doing?’ she gasped, hearing her voice rise with a hint of panic.
‘Nothing you didn’t like, that’s for sure,’ Nik replied, his cheeks darkening with strong emotion.
‘I didn’t like it.’ Carrie took a step backwards and bumped hard into the kitchen counter. What was happening to her? She’d never let herself get so carried away before. She’d had no idea it was possible to be so utterly overcome by naked desire that she lost track of the world around her.
‘You did like it,’ Nik said, his blue eyes burning dangerously. ‘And you’d like it if I did it again. Don’t lie to me, Carrie. I know what I felt—what we felt. The chemistry between us is incredibly powerful.’
‘There’s nothing between us,’ Carrie said.
She stared at him, battling with conflicting thoughts and emotions. She didn’t want there to be anything between them. After all, Nik had barged into her life upsetting her and threatening to take Danny. But at the same time all she wanted to do was step back into his arms and let him kiss her again—let him do anything he wanted with her.
No man had ever had such a powerful physical effect on her. But it wasn’t just physical. She’d had no idea that her body could respond with such raw sexual energy to a man, but her mind was overwhelmed, too. When she was in his arms all she could think about was how good it was, how incredible he was making her feel.
‘A moment ago you wanted that just as much as I did,’ Nik said.
‘You’re wrong,’ Carrie muttered, leaning back against the counter and looking down at the floor. Oh, why had she let him kiss her?
‘I’m not wrong.’ He took a step closer and brushed his hand against her cheek.
An instant response shivered through her, but she straightened her shoulders and stared back at him defiantly, refusing to give in to her body’s desires.
‘You’re crazy!’ she said. ‘Crazy and arrogant and…and I think it’s time you left.’
‘I’m not leaving yet,’ Nik said flatly. ‘We still have things to discuss.’
‘I’m not talking about it any more,’ Carrie said. ‘It was a mistake and it will never happen again.’
‘Why are you making such a big deal out of it?’ Nik asked. ‘I told you I’m not married, and neither are you. Do you have a boyfriend?’ he added suddenly, looking at her sharply. ‘Is that why you’re so upset?’
‘No!’ she squeaked. ‘But that’s none of your business. Besides, I already told you—your marital status is of no interest to me.’
‘You don’t care whether your lovers are married?’ he asked.
‘Of course I do,’ she said, thinking it would be a big mistake to let Nik know she was a virgin. ‘But, since you are never going to be my lover, why should I care whether you are married or not?’ She felt a dark prickle of excitement skitter through her body at the idea of being in bed with him, but she shied away from the thought in horror, appalled at her body’s reaction.
‘Don’t be so sure about that. We both know what we felt just now,’ he said. ‘Besides, in the car you asked me straight out whether or not I was married. So I think I can be forgiven for assuming you were interested.’
‘I just thought you must have children,’ Carrie said quickly, thinking back to the awkward journey in the limousine. ‘What with the car seat and the toys. That’s all.’
‘They were for Danny, of course.’ Nik seemed surprised. ‘How can you think I would come unprepared for him?’
‘Prepared for what?’ Carrie said in alarm. ‘You went to Danny’s nursery without my permission. You were planning to kidnap him! That’s why you had those things!’
‘You really have the most overactive imagination.’ Nik’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
‘Then how come you were discussing who could take children out of the nursery with Mrs Plewman?’ Carrie demanded in a stiff and quiet voice. ‘She obviously told you an unauthorised person couldn’t take a child—so you must have asked about it.’
‘I already told you—I wanted to see where he was cared for,’ Nik replied. ‘I wanted to assess how safe he was there.’
‘You were going to take him away!’ Carrie gasped, convinced that had been Nik’s intention all along. What if he really had driven Danny away in the limousine before she’d got there? Her chest felt so tight she could barely breathe, and her stomach churned in horror. ‘You were going to abduct him and take him back to Gree
ce!’
She’d been suspicious of Nikos Kristallis from the start, but he’d deliberately distracted and confused her with his magnetic sex appeal. Now the threat to Danny seemed all too real. Next to that, nothing else was important.
‘I’ll never let you have him!’ she cried.