Alex’s fingers on her back began to run up and down her spine, sending answering darts of awareness shooting through her whole body. “Sophie, are you going to lie to me?”
“To lie to you?” She repeated softly, lifting a hand to her throat and toying with the necklace she always wore.
“Mmm,” he urged her forward and she fell into step beside him. “You are going to lie and pretend you don’t want to be here with me?”
“I …” She was anguished. Had she been so obvious?
“Are you going to lie and say you have not been thinking about me and wondering? Are you going to say you do not feel this same tug of attraction that warms my body when you are near?”
He was being direct. So direct. And with good purpose. He could not afford to delay. Not when his sister’s marriage was likely at stake.
He turned the corner and she followed. It was a beautiful, private square lined with elegant Georgian houses. One in the corner had darkly tinted windows and geraniums in the window boxes.
“Well?” His voice was almost a growl.
“Well,” she shaped her mouth around the same word, her eyes lifting to his. It was as though she had been singed. There was something so powerfully, ferociously hot in his look, and Sophie wasn’t sure she was equal to it.
“You are not going to lie to me after all?”
Sophie was lurching uncertainly. She had limited experience with the opposite sex, and absolutely zero clue with a man like Alex. “I … don’t know what you want me to say.”
His laugh was a soft, teasing sound. He ran a thumb over her lower lip, and his eyes chased after it. His body was close to hers. So close she could feel his warmth and smell his intoxicating fragrance.
“I hardly know you,” she whispered desperately.
“So?” He dropped his hand to the collar of her shirt and traced the stitching. When his fingers moved close to the dip of her breasts, she drew in a shuddering breath.
“Alessandros.” Step back! She needed to put some distance between them. Only her hips swayed forward and her eyes fluttered closed.
They were long lashes, dark and curled. Alex stared at her face, and felt a swift jab of compunction for her youth. But this woman could not continue in his sister’s home if she harboured feelings for Eric. It was unacceptable.
And it was Alex’s job, as had been divined by birth and circumstance, to make sure Helena was kept from harm.
“I will not kiss you here, agape mou, for I do not trust that I can control myself to stop.”
Sophie’s heart turned over in her chest. How she wanted him to kiss her! The very idea was terrifying, and sobering. She could not get involved with a man such as this. Oh, for so many reasons, it would be wrong, wrong, wrong. He was her boss’s brother! And a well known womaniser to boot. It would muddy the waters terribly if she allowed herself this indulgence.
But what an indulgence it would be.
She almost groaned when she imagined what it would be like to be kissed by him. For he was strong and confident and most definitely knew how to please a woman.
“That’s probably a good idea,” she said, relief in her voice that he, at least, was going to be strong enough for both of them.
“Oh, I’m going to kiss you.”
Her eyes flared and her stomach rolled.
“Not here though.” He put his hand around her shoulders and pulled her gently with him. His walk was faster now, and she had to stride quickly to keep up. It was not far to go though; he paused just outside the house at the corner.
“This is yours?” She asked in surprise.
He nodded. “I bought it when they married.”
“To be close to Helena?” She guessed, remembering Eric’s assessment that Alex was a meddlesome, overbearing brother.
“Of course to be close to her. And to give her somewhere to stay if it didn’t work out.”
Sophie slanted a curious gaze up at him, but he was pushing the door inwards.