But now, with her seductive, addictive warmth so close, her husky voice seeming to caress him whenever she spoke, he knew resisting this insanity wouldn’t be as easy as he’d thought.
But resist he had to. The guilt that had ridden him from the very moment he’d slept with Perla still resided beneath his chest. It fought savagely with his intense attraction but it never went away...
I remind you of something in your past...
She had no idea how accurate that was.
‘Okay, I’ll honour my contract. But, um...do you think we can get out of here? The valet attendants are beginning to get frantic at the backed-up traffic.’
A quick look in the rear-view mirror confirmed her words. With a twist of the wheel and a foot on the accelerator, he squealed out of his hotel’s driveway and onto the freeway. The sound of the throaty engine drowned out his thoughts for the precious few seconds it took to regain a little bit of his control.
Masculine pleasure at the purr of the powerful engine beneath him soothed his turbulent pulse and he inhaled slowly.
Next to rowing, alone or with his brothers, powerful engines like these were his passion. Except he didn’t get to indulge enough. It was probably why he’d succumbed to temptation—
Stasi! Enough with the excuses. Perla had hit the nail on the head. They’d been weak with temptation and he’d succumbed. Not once but twice. The only way to avoid being no better than his father would be to make sure it didn’t happen again.
‘Ari, could you slow down a little, please?’
A quick glance showed her death grip on the bucket seat. He cursed under his breath and eased off the pedal. ‘My apologies.’
She nodded and her fingers relaxed. ‘What did you want to talk to me about?’ she asked as he signalled off Connecticut Avenue and slid to a stop in front of the Greek restaurant. Perla didn’t know it but it was one of his favourite restaurants outside of his homeland.
As they were led in, he found himself following the line of her body again. The way her black dress hugged her tight behind, the way her black wrap caressed her shoulders and her black heels made her legs go on for ever.
His thoughts screeched to a halt. She was wearing black again. And not just a touch here and there but black from head to toe...as if she was making a statement.
Was she?
‘You’re scowling again.’
They’d reached their table and she was already sitting down, while he stood beside it, arrested by his crazy thoughts. He gritted his teeth, pulled out his chair and sat down.
Business. Focus on business.
‘You asked what I wanted to talk to you about.’
She nodded as he beckoned the sommelier. She ordered a white wine spritzer and he a full-bodied claret. Once they were alone again, he took out his mini tablet and set it on the table between them. A few swipes and he had the page he was looking for.
‘My new resort and casino in Bermuda, set to open in two months.’
Her brow rose. ‘Another one?’ She leaned closer and swiped through the pictures. Slowly her mouth fell open. ‘It’s spectacular.’
He allowed himself a small smile. ‘I worked closely with the architects to achieve the results I wanted—a private resort which caters to extreme water sports lovers without taking anything away from the signature luxury casino.’
‘Water seems to be a major theme for you, doesn’t it? Eighty per cent of your portfolio is built on or around water.’
He was impressed that she’d done her homework. ‘I grew up around water and started rowing from a very early age.’
‘You rowed?’ she asked in surprise.
‘Competitively for six years, four of those with Sakis and two with Theo.’ It had been one of the few ways he and his brothers had coped with their shattered lives.
She played with the beads on her purse. ‘Did you win?’
‘Of course.’
She laughed, the sound so pure and delightful, his stomach clenched. ‘Of course. How many titles?’
‘Five that are worth mentioning. My mother has all my trophies from when I was a child.’
Her head tilted to one side, traces of laughter lingering in her eyes. ‘I can’t quite picture you as a child. You look as if you were born looking like you do now.’
Against his will, his smile widened. ‘For my mother’s sake, I’m glad that wasn’t the case.’
A sudden wave of anguish passed over her face, erasing the laughter. Then it was gone. Reaching out, she took a slice of bread from the basket the waiter had set between them and broke off a piece. ‘Is your mother still around?’