He had once been an exemplary legionnaire, a master of himself physically, and impatience had never been one of his weaknesses. Still, it had been a long time since he’d been with a woman, and he couldn’t deny a certain...hunger.
A strange thrill wound through him, and he realised with a start that it was anticipation. He’d been looking forward to this. When had that last happened? He couldn’t remember.
Yes, you do. Going home after a day on the mountains and seeing Naya.
But that had been years ago, and Naya was long dead. He’d had a terrible lesson in the dangers of allowing his emotions to blind him, and he’d learned it. Love was the weakness. Love had exacerbated the flaws in his pride and his arrogance, making him think that as a descendent of Hercules, nothing could touch him. But he’d been wrong.
He was just a man and not a particularly good one at that.
Moving over to the big glass doors that had been pushed back to allow the breeze to flow into the house, Ares stepped out into the pool area. He walked silently over to the sun lounger where she lay and stopped beside it, glancing down at her.
She didn’t stir.
The last time he’d seen her, she’d been in that black dress with her hair in a bun. Now, though, she wore only the bikini, and the curves that had only been hinted at by her dress were on full display. And yes, they were as spectacular as he’d thought they would be. Full, rounded breasts and generous hips and thighs, elegant back, small waist, shapely rear...
Her golden skin gleamed and lust kicked hard inside him. He caught his breath, conscious that he hadn’t felt so intensely about anything for years, let alone a woman. He even had the oddest need to run a finger lightly down her spine, see how warm her skin felt, how silky and smooth. Touch her purely for the sensuality of it.
You felt this way about Naya, remember?
Oh, he remembered. He’d seen her that night in a crowded bar in Athens, getting hassled by some lowlife. Dark eyes, dark hair, a glowingly beautiful face. She’d been gracious and polite, but the man bothering her was not and Ares had had to teach him a few lessons in courtesy. Afterwards, Ares had bought her a drink and been captivated instantly and so had she with him. Their physical attraction had been so powerful they’d ended up in her hotel room only an hour later...
He wasn’t that young man, completely at the mercy of his body’s needs, not any more. The years in the Legion, concentrating on nothing but honing his physical skills and obeying orders, had been well spent. No passing fancy or rogue emotion escaped his control nowadays.
So, he ignored the heat that burned inside him. Ignored the urge to touch her. Physical desire was no match for his will. He’d already decided how this first week would go and it did not include any physical closeness.
For now, he’d let her know he was here, inform her they’d be having dinner together and then he’d retire to his office for the afternoon. That was all.
‘Good afternoon, Rose,’ he said, his voice a heavy rasp in the peaceful silence.
She jerked, her head lifting sharply, her eyes meeting his.
He remembered those eyes, large and golden. He remembered her heart-shaped face and her small, precise features. The feline tilt of her golden brows, the soft little rosebud of her mouth.
She was beautiful and he hadn’t fully comprehended that until now.
Perhaps that was why the lust inside him kicked harder, deeper. Why his fingers curled unconsciously in the pockets of his trousers, clenching tight, as if to stop from reaching for her.
Nothing else would explain this ridiculous reaction to a woman he barely knew. One look at her beauty and a decade of celibacy that hadn’t weighed on him at all now felt heavier than an entire planet.
Her eyes had widened, taking him in, shock rippling over her face. Then the shock disappeared as quickly as it had come, her expression becoming as guarded and wary as he remembered.
Slowly, she sat up, treating him to a view of full, pretty breasts almost spilling over the cups of her red bikini, and much to his intense annoyance, the more disobedient parts of himself began to harden.
Theos, what was happening? He wasn’t fifteen any more. The mere sight of a woman’s breasts in a small bikini top should not make him hard. He’d decided nothing would be happening between them and so nothing would, regardless of what his baser parts were urging.
Clearly noticing the direction of his gaze, she coloured and reached for the sarong, quickly wrapping the material around herself.
He made no comment. There was no point drawing attention to his own interest or her modesty. If she wanted to remain his wife after this year had passed, then they could have that discussion, but that time wasn’t now.
‘Good afternoon...uh...’ she said, her soft, husky voice trailing off uncertainly. ‘Mr Aristiades?’ Her damp hair had fallen around her shoulders in thick waves, vivid gold glinting in among the strands of blue.
‘My name is Ares,’ he said, more tersely than he’d intended. ‘I am your husband, remember?’
The pink in her cheeks deepened into red, a flash of temper glinting in her eyes. ‘I hadn’t forgotten. That’s why I’m here. Which I have been, for an entire week.’
Intriguing. It seemed she was annoyed with him. He hadn’t thought she’d care that he hadn’t been here when she’d arrived. He’d even thought she’d enjoy having a week to herself. Yet was that not the case?
‘I had business to attend to,’ he said. ‘As I’m sure my staff informed you.’