He remembered all the times he’d kissed her. Her response had always been the same—as hot a
s hell. No timorous virgin could have been so full of desire for him.
‘You’re acting like I deprived you of something,’ Carrie shot at him, her eyes flashing angrily.
‘You lied to me.’ He stood up and tugged his trousers on. ‘And that will not be acceptable in the future.’
‘I never lied,’ Carrie said. ‘You assumed.’
Nik looked at her, standing with her hands on her hips, staring straight back at him. Knowing that her bra was still undone under her dress and that she wasn’t wearing any panties sent a powerful ache burning through him.
She was ripe and ready for picking, and he was the only man ever to have tasted the delights of her body. Now that she’d given herself to him, no other man would ever have her!
‘We’ll be married immediately,’ he said.
‘I’m not marrying you!’ Carrie gasped. With everything that had just happened between them she’d almost forgotten the unbelievable proposal he’d made earlier. ‘I never agreed to marry you!’
She bit her lip as she watched him pulling on his shirt. He couldn’t really be serious about getting married, could he?
‘I thought you’d understood the offer I made,’ Nik said.
‘It wasn’t an offer,’ Carrie replied, keeping her voice level. She had to keep her head and try to find a way out of this. ‘It was blackmail.’
‘Whatever you call it, the facts remain the same,’ he said. ‘Marry me and be a part of Danny’s life—or leave and never see him again.’
‘I’ll fight you,’ she said, hearing her voice rise as a jolt of panic ran through her. ‘I’ll get a lawyer.’
‘Go ahead.’ Nik turned away towards the door. ‘Shall I send Irene to help you pack?’
‘No!’ She dashed across the room after him and was about to grab his arm to stop him when she remembered what had happened the last time she’d done that. At the last second she darted around him and stood with her back pressed against the closed door of the bedroom.
‘You don’t want to leave?’ Nik said. ‘I’m glad you’re finally coming to your senses. It will be best for everyone.’
‘No—we haven’t finished our discussion yet,’ Carrie said. She held her arms stiffly by her sides and looked up into his face, determined not to feel overwhelmed by him.
But suddenly he seemed very large and powerful in front of her. He was too close for comfort, yet she knew she was the one who had slipped past him, positioning herself in his personal space.
‘You know that your choices are severely limited,’ Nik said, fixing her with intense blue eyes. ‘I will not allow Danny to be taken off my property, which means that if you wish to seek legal representation you will have to leave him with me. I have no problem with that—but I’m surprised you are willing to abandon him. It doesn’t add up with the dedication that you’ve always claimed you have for him.’
‘I would never abandon Danny,’ Carrie said, feeling her blood run cold at the thought of leaving Danny behind. She knew if she did that she might never see him again.
‘Then you must agree to marry me.’ He towered over her, making her shrink back against the door.
How had she managed to get in so deep with Nikos Kristallis? There was no way out that she could think of. He was so rich and powerful that she didn’t stand a chance against him.
‘I don’t understand why we have to be married,’ Carrie said, stalling for time. Maybe if she went along with him, made him trust her, she would be able to find a way to get Danny away from him. ‘We hardly know each other. It wouldn’t be a real marriage.’
‘It will be real.’ His blue eyes bored deep into her, starting a trembling at the very core of her body. ‘Make no mistake that it will be a proper marriage in every sense and you will be expected to do everything a proper wife would do.’
‘But why…?’ Carrie faltered, pressing her teeth into her lower lip as she stared up at him with stormy green eyes.
Nik looked at her, watching the shifting emotions play across her beautiful features. She’d be no good at poker—everything she felt was always written on her face.
‘Because it’s best for my nephew,’ he said, satisfied that he was finally getting her where he wanted.
‘But what about my job?’ Carrie asked in desperation.
‘You won’t need one once you are my wife,’ Nik replied. ‘I have more than enough to keep you and Danny in a comfortable lifestyle.’