Hot Picks: His Bride Of Consequence

CHAPTER EIGHT

‘YOU look tired.’

‘Thanks,’ Kallie replied dryly, noting that he looked vibrant, vital and more alive than anyone she’d ever known. They were sitting at a wrought-iron table, covered with a white linen tablecloth, on the back terrace. The French doors to the salon inside had been thrown open. Thea had insisted on serving dinner out here, more, Kallie was sure, for Alexandros’s pleasure than hers. But Kallie had to admit that it was magical. Chinese lanterns threw shapes on the ground at their feet, she could just make out the glimmer of water from the pool on the next level down and the glinting, twinkling lights of Athens and the Acropolis in the distance were mesmerising.

‘I’d forgotten how breathtaking this view is.’

‘Yes. It is.’

The tension was giving Kallie a headache. Their conversation over dinner had been stilted and forced. And Kallie dreaded to think what Alexandros might expect that night. She stood up, her chair sounding harsh on the stone.

‘I’m going to turn in. It’s been a long day.’ Her voice sounded too forced. He looked up at her and Kallie knew that if he was to stand up and take her in his arms, she’d be lost. He just nodded and she felt an irrational surge of disappointment. She went to walk past him and just when she was nearly clear, he grabbed her wrist in a loose yet firm grip. Her heart skidded to a halt. She looked at him warily, eyes glinting green and blue in the light.

His voice was silky. ‘Kallie, that door will be open. Don’t forget.’

Kallie jerked her hand out of his grip and fled. As much as she perversely wanted him to make a move, she knew she couldn’t. Not yet.

Alexandros swallowed the last of his wine with almost a savage movement. This evening had been purgatory, sitting opposite Kallie with the lanterns and moonlight bathing her skin in a warm milky glow. It had looked so smooth, so silky that it had taken all the strength he’d possessed not to reach out and touch her. But she’d caught him off guard again. Every time he’d moved, she’d flinched slightly and looked at him with those huge wary eyes. Even though he’d seen the blatant desire in their depths.

She’d come down to dinner dressed in loose trousers and a long flowing cardigan, its low neckline hinting at the naked body beneath. Her hair had been soft and loose over her shoulders. Why did he have to desire her so much? It was quite possible that he could have met her with her uncle, not found her attractive and let it go at that. He knew that the lust for revenge had been born out of that fierce desire he’d felt on first sight, before he’d recognised who she was…

The view became a blur. She certainly wasn’t like any other woman he knew or had been with. With them things were easy, it was like a dance he knew well. With Kallie…He shook his head abruptly. Enough! It was their common links, shared history, that was all. Being back here in Athens. He hadn’t been here for a long time and now to be back here with Kallie, it was only natural his thoughts would turn inward. Making him think about the past and things he hadn’t thought of for a long time.

He stood with a brusque movement and finally went inside, doing his best to shut down the wayward thoughts that made him nervous. He wondered if he was a complete fool to let her dictate when she’d be in his bed. He comforted himself with the thought that it wouldn’t be long. She had as little desire for this marriage as he did. And apart from that, their desire, unchecked, would soon burst into flames.

The following morning when she woke up, Kallie had a quick shower and dressed. Choosing a plain skirt and vest top and sticking her feet into flip-flops, she headed downstairs and found herself in the kitchen. It brought back so many good memories that she was lost in a dream and jumped when Thea surprised her. A terse greeting. Kallie sighed and went into the dining room, as it was obvious she wasn’t welcome in the kitchen. When Thea came to clear the plates after breakfast, Kallie asked casually about Alexandros, who she still hadn’t seen that morning. Thea told her he’d gone to Athens to his office for the day.

Kallie’s insides plummeted. A whole day alone in the villa, being frozen out by Thea. She felt something rise up and told herself fiercely that she wouldn’t miss Alexandros’s company.

Oh, be honest with yourself. When he’s near you your whole body comes to life, your brain clicks into high gear and you’ve never felt so aware…or stimulated…

With the mocking voice in her head, Kallie explored the Kouros villa from top to bottom again. Although she studiously avoided going anywhere near the patio, as her heart started to thump erratically when she passed near it. She couldn’t bear the thought of seeing it again, the place of her original humiliation.

And though she knew she could get a key from Thea and go next door to see her grandmother’s house, she knew it wasn’t time. She was feeling far too vulnerable. Afraid of what it might spark off within her, what feelings she might be forced to face.

That evening when Alexandros returned he felt hot and sticky and cross with himself for having gone into Athens. A visit to his mother hadn’t helped his mood. She was as cold and wrapped up in herself as ever. He didn’t need to remind himself that she hadn’t even been bothered coming to the wedding. His own family had been in woefully short supply. After making sure she had everything she needed, he’d left. Which she’d barely noticed.

When he’d been born, as an unplanned late arrival, ten years after the youngest daughter, his parents had only been happy for the fact that they’d finally had a boy, and a proper heir. Their own interests always had been in themselves, not their children, and Alexandros’s sisters had all been married by the time he’d been in his early teens. He’d long ago shut himself off from the pain of his family’s indifference.

Climbing up the hill to the villa in his four-wheel-drive he found his thoughts straying in an annoyingly familiar direction. Kallie. Wondering what she would have done that day. He’d needed space, had gone into Athens primarily for that…and yet bizarrely he felt slightly guilty. He frowned at his capricious emotions.

It was quiet when he entered, the coolness inside bathing and soothing him. Soothing his frayed edges. He walked from room to room. There was no sign of Thea or Kallie, and he finally descended down the levels until he came out by the pool. At first the setting sun dazzled him and he had to put on his sunglasses, then he saw her. His body tightened and his breathing quickened in an entirely involuntary response. She was dressed in tracksuit bottoms and a tight vest top and was doing a series of movements facing the sun. He knew what she was doing, yet even though he knew it was yoga, it seemed like something more mysterious, reverential.

Without the cover of layers, he could see her body in all its supple glory. It wasn’t stick thin and muscly, which he usually associated with the yoga physique, she had curves and a soft belly and full breasts. Her movements were controlled and so graceful that it almost hurt to watch. Holding his breath without even realising, he stared transfixed as she came to a standing halt and pressed her hands together at the centre of her chest and bowed her head in the universal symbol of prayer and thanks. She looked so serene and peaceful that Alexandros felt a twinge of jealousy. And then she turned and saw him. ‘Oh…’

He could see her chest rise and fall after the exertion and was glad of the dark glasses that shaded his eyes. That hid what he knew would be an almost feral gleam, as she brought that instinct out in him. A need to possess…to devour.

She picked up the towel that she’d been using as a mat and drew it across her chest as if to try and hide behind it.

‘Alexandros.’ Her voice came out cool and yet slightly breathy, making fine hairs stand up all over his body in reaction.

He strolled towards her, hands in pockets, devastating eyes hidden. How much had he seen? She hated the thought that he had been witness to what was a very private thing for her. He was enjoying her discomfort.

His hands, deep in the pockets, stretched the fabric across his pelvis. Kallie’s eyes dropped in a reflex and hurriedly she lifted them again, her cheeks scorching with mortification when she registered the bulge.

‘Yoga?’ He lifted a mocking brow. ‘Not something I would have associated with you—the ultimate party girl.’

‘Why?’ asked Kallie sweetly, burning up under his shaded look. ‘Doesn’t it fit with your view of me as a heartless seductress?’

His big body went very still and Kallie almost took a step back. She should have known by now not to provoke him. He stepped very close, but she stood her ground.

An X-rated image raced into his head at that moment and had him clench his jaw in reaction to what it might be like to see Kallie, her strong supple body naked, under his, legs wrapped around his back as he sank in…deeper and deeper…

‘Not at all. Quite the contrary, in fact. It’s certainly going to make our time in the bedroom more…enjoyable.’ His gaze dropped down her body and she knew her nipples had peaked and were pushing against the thin fabric of her top. She clutched the towel even tighter to her body and felt a drop of sweat roll down between her breasts and wondered perversely if he’d seen it.

After long moments Alexandros stepped back and indicated for Kallie to precede him back into the house. Her spine straight, back stiff, she walked in. She fought the urge to run and just then remembered his other comment. She whirled around.

‘And what’s that supposed to mean—party girl?’

He stopped short, surprised by her question. ‘Just that. I looked you up, Kallie. Never out of the society pages. In fact, I’m surprised we haven’t bumped into one another long before now as you seem to hit every night spot with alarming regularity.’

Kallie simmered when she thought of the long hours, the back-breaking work she had put in to get her business off the ground. Invariably on those nights that he had talked about, she’d been up the next morning to go back to work at six a.m., and certainly not sleeping off the rigours of a mad night out. Especially when she didn’t even drink!

‘I’m surprised, Alexandros. For someone with a seemingly insatiable desire to take over the world, that you don’t recognise another workaholic when you see one.’ She shrugged. ‘Think what you will, though, I really couldn’t care less.’

Liar…

Her words caught at him, tugged him into a memory from long ago, and he felt an immediate need to justify…something. And how could she claim to be a workaholic? If that work included being out among the B-list and C-list celebrities till dawn every morning? He’d always had a scathing disregard for her profession and only used his own PR in a very calculating way. Unfortunately, the way the media worked today, as he knew all too well, his need for such a company was imperative. He strode on ahead of her, taciturn and dark.

‘We’re eating out tonight.’

Kallie’s rage dissipated like lightning. Her mouth dried up. And then…?

‘OK,’ she blurted out. Anything to avoid being alone with him in the villa, being wound up, suited her just fine. In fact, it’d be easier if she didn’t have to look at him at all. She hurried after him. ‘You know we don’t have to eat out together. If you want, you could go out. I don’t mind staying in.’

He ignored her, not even looking back. ‘We’ll go out in a couple of hours.’

She stuck out her tongue in a ridiculously childish gesture at his back and curiously it actually did make her feel a little better. She followed her autocratic husband into the villa.

Alexandros sat sprawled in a chair in the hall waiting for Kallie to come downstairs that evening. His body had a satisfyingly tired ache. After their little exchange, he’d gone back to the pool and swum lengths to try and forget the fact that he wanted Kallie more than he’d ever wanted another woman. And that he was very much afraid that he’d be the one to go through the door first. The fact that she could arouse him to the point that he couldn’t even control his impulses made him seethe.

She appeared at the top of the stairs at that moment and the mere sight of her made a complete waste of his punishing physical exertion in the pool. As if he’d just received an injection of pure adrenalin, Alexandros shot to his feet. What killed him about watching her come down the stairs was that she wasn’t even dressed to impress. She was wearing jeans and a white shirt. Hair loosely tumbled over her shoulders. With barely any make-up and a fresh, light scent pervading the air around her lightly, she came to a halt in front of him. She smiled tightly but even that rocked his foundations.

‘Good. I’m glad we’re not dressing up.’

He was transfixed by her eyes, her mouth. ‘What?’

She indicated his clothes. He was dressed casually like her, in jeans and a shirt. He thought to himself that if he could hardly handle her dressed like this, how would he even begin to control himself around her if she was dressed to impress, to seduce? Before she could read anything on his face, he ushered her out and into his vehicle. The ever-present bodyguards followed in another one and Kallie shivered at the knowledge of how important Alexandros was. Somehow, in the intensity of the ongoing battle between them, she’d forgotten that.

She couldn’t help the fizz of excitement at the thought of going into the city, she’d always loved the hustle and bustle of Athens. At least, that’s what she told herself was causing the fizz of excitement, not the man beside her.

‘Where are we going? It’s been so long since I’ve been here I’m sure things have changed quite a bit.’

When Alexandros shot her a quick glance, she saw that he was avoiding her eye. ‘There’s a new place just opened in Kolonaki I’d like to try out.’

As if he’d even care for her opinion on the matter…

‘Is that still the exclusive area?’ she asked idly, determined not to be bothered by him.

‘Yes, but it’s fast being taken over by areas like Gazi which are becoming the in place to be.’

Kallie shook her head. ‘That place was just full of derelict buildings…don’t tell me, some bright spark converted an old industrial works building into some kind of an art space and now it’s become a home to all sorts of bohemians and trendy restaurants.’

She saw his mouth quirk, and was transfixed by the sudden lightness that seemed to surround them.

Alexandros was amused at the way she’d assessed the situation in one.

‘Yes, those damned bright-spark shipping magnates have a habit of regenerating dead areas.’

Kallie gasped and looked at him. ‘You?’

He nodded and shrugged. ‘With a few others. Well, it was better than letting it crumble. Now there’s galleries, restaurants, clubs…’ His mouth tightened for an instant. ‘Constantine Stakis had taken control of the area and it took years to clean it up. It was becoming a haven for the black market, cheap, dangerous housing, prostitutes…you name it, he had it there and made a killing from it.’

She turned to face Alexandros fully, unaware of the natural glow on her face that was lit up with sudden enthusiasm. ‘Could we go there instead? Please? I’d love to see what you’ve done to the area. I always thought it had great potential.’

Alexandros felt an uncustomary punch to his gut, a burst of pride. He just answered with a shrug and turned the vehicle in the other direction. It had been so long, if ever, since he’d felt shared pleasure in the accomplishment of something that it kept him silent for the rest of the journey.

CHAPTER NINE

KALLIE loved it. The area he’d invested in had become her dream of what was possible. She turned to look at him outside one tiny gallery that had prints in the window, smiling. Alexandros had the irrational thought, If she keeps smiling at me like this, I’m not going to last…

‘You’ve done an amazing job. You must feel so proud to come here and know that you’ve helped the city in this way.’

His face was closed as he looked down at her and she could see his pulse jump at his temple. She wanted to reach up and touch it but she rapidly wiped the smile off her face. What was wrong with her? A few hours back in Greece and she was already falling back into the hole she’d dug herself seven years ago. She was beyond pathetic and hadn’t even learnt one lesson. He had blackmailed her into marriage, for God’s sake! Was planning on bedding her in a completely cold-blooded fashion. Her lips clamped together as Alexandros answered her, his eyes, as always, intent, assessing.

‘I love it, too. Like you, I always used to see this area as…more than it was.’

Among the myriad, swirling emotions that threatened to rise up and strangle her completely, Kallie had to admit uncomfortably that her first impression that he had sold out to the rat race was undergoing a bit of a bashing. For a long moment they just looked at each other and then it was broken when an amorous couple who weren’t looking where they were going bumped into them. Alexandros welcomed it.

‘There’s a restaurant around the corner. It’s owned by a friend, one of the partners who redeveloped the area.’

Only trusting herself to nod, Kallie could feel herself starting to open up, despite her best efforts. She had to fight the shifting sands around her feet, around her feelings. She knew that Alexandros had a much more powerful weapon at his disposal for revenge. She knew she could not be hurt the same way again. Because this time she wouldn’t survive.

Kallie looked around the restaurant again. Holding her back so straight, being on her guard was exhausting. Like her see-sawing emotions. One minute she’d feel herself start to open, like a flower turning towards the sun, the next she’d remember and close up. Alexandros was so much harder to handle when he was…Kallie had been about to say nice to herself, but he wasn’t even being particularly nice, he was being polite, civil and she was like a pathetic mouse, picking up crumbs.

The dinner had been exquisite, the surroundings beautiful. They’d been treated like royalty since they’d arrived. But this see-sawing wouldn’t stop. As if a force bigger than her was playing with her like a puppet on a string. What made it even harder was that their conversation hadn’t strayed into any danger areas and she’d found herself genuinely enjoying talking to him. She felt herself relaxing, ever so slightly. Laughing even, albeit briefly, at one point and it felt so good after the weeks of tension and pressure.

Dessert had just been delivered. Kallie took a spoonful of ice cream and savoured the way it slipped down her throat. For some reason she’d never felt the experience of eating ice cream before as sensual but, sitting opposite Alexandros, she had to concede that she’d never ever been so aware of everything.

He brought her back to earth and showed her how he patently wasn’t half as affected as her when he asked, ‘You mentioned that your father took your mother’s life in the crash?’

She put down her spoon and nodded warily. She had? Why had he remembered that? She looked at him for a long moment, focused on his eyes. There was no apparent malice there.

She shrugged lightly. ‘You remember what he was like…always the bon vivant.’ She avoided his eye now, playing with her spoon. ‘After ya ya died, things got worse with the company. He never had time to go back to Athens and he just started drinking more and more.’

She sighed deeply, the grief not far from the surface as she remembered. ‘That day…that day he’d accepted the fact that he had to get help. But he wanted one more drink…and he wouldn’t let Mum drive…’ Her mouth thinned when she thought of her father’s typical macho Greek bluster. ‘So she went, too, not wanting him to be alone.’

She finally lifted slightly defiant eyes to Alexandros and he was surprised. What had he expected? That she’d be looking for sympathy? He found himself responding from somewhere instinctive. ‘I’m sorry, Kallie. I had no idea.’

She shrugged again, awkwardly. ‘Well, you wouldn’t would you…not after…’

‘No,’ he agreed. They both knew she didn’t need to finish that sentence.

Kallie wanted to get the focus off her. ‘What about your mother? Why wasn’t she at the wedding?’

The change was stunning and immediate. His face shuttered, his eyes black pools. Kallie thought he wasn’t going to answer until finally he said, ‘She’s never been one for travelling. She’s happy as long as she knows that Kouros Shipping is making enough money to keep her in comfort.’

His voice was so cold and detached that Kallie sucked in a breath. She wasn’t fooled. He spoke as though he didn’t care but she could sense his pain, having been through intense grief herself, and could feel it as clear as day in him. But she knew he wouldn’t appreciate her sympathy. She couldn’t believe the well of emotion that rose up within her, making her want to go and take him in her arms. When she put down the spoon her hand was trembling and it clattered against the plate, making her start.

She excused herself to go to the ladies before he could read something in her expression and only came back when she felt composed. Coffee was waiting for her. She looked over. ‘Thanks…but I didn’t order coffee…’

‘It’s on the house…a treat from my friend Theo.’

She shrugged. ‘OK…’

A silence stretched between them. Alexandros seemed to be brooding. They’d obviously used up the little conversation they had. Kallie’s thoughts strayed as she sipped the coffee. Very soon they’d be back in the villa. Alone. Would he leave the door open tonight? Would he ask her to sleep with him? Would he kiss her into submission? Force her? He wouldn’t have to…

Kallie’s heart speeded up as she took a bigger gulp of coffee. She couldn’t look across the table. She took some more coffee. Anything to distract her thoughts. It had a slightly funny taste that made her wrinkle her nose.

Half idly, belying the turmoil of her thoughts, she asked, ‘What’s in this coffee? It tastes different.’

Alexandros looked over, his hooded eyes making her pulse speed up, again.

‘Some liqueur, I think the waiter said.’

Immediately Kallie could feel something slam into her. She hadn’t touched alcohol in years. Seven years. And suddenly the only thing she could smell, or taste, or feel with a nauseous swimming in her head was the alcohol. And with shocking vividness, she was back there on the patio, her head swimming, feeling the acute mortification all over again. As if it were yesterday. Terror gripped her, squeezing around her heart, and she lifted a hand to her chest.

It was all hitting her at once. She was in Athens again. Greece. With Alexandros, who was looking over at her. She could see him frowning…was she looking funny? Kallie felt very strange…and she knew that for some reason she’d stopped breathing.