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Antique tables, exquisitely crafted chairs, wall sconces, paintings, graced an area whose focal point was a sweeping double marble staircase featuring ornate wrought-iron balustrades leading to an upper floor balcony that divided into two separate galleried wings showcased by matching ornate wrought-iron balustrades.
‘Come through to the lounge,’ Loukas directed with ease. ‘Everything is set up there.’
Alesha moved on autopilot, so acutely conscious of his presence at her side that she barely noticed the beautiful sofas and chairs, the amazingly high ceilings.
Instead she focused on the small table with its exquisite lace-edged linen cloth, the votive candle, a delicate spray of cream orchids, and a leather-bound Bible.
Introductions complete, the celebrant conferred with the lawyer, exchanged small talk, then she opted to begin the ceremony.
You can do this.
As an affirmation, it didn’t begin to scratch the surface!
Almost as if he knew, Loukas captured her hand and held it loosely within his own.
To prevent her sudden need to escape? It was a moot point!
Alesha heard the solemn beautifully spoken words, and on some level she took them in, and managed to recite the vows that united her with Loukas in matrimony … aware his vows held a calm solemnity that was lacking in her own.
He slid a wide diamond-studded ring onto her finger, surprised her by lifting her hand and brushing the ring with his lips, before offering a ring for her to slip onto his finger.
He was prepared to wear a wedding ring?
Her fingers shook a little as she slid it on, and his hand covered hers as he used a little pressure to slide it home.
‘It gives me great pleasure to pronounce you husband and wife.’ The celebrant bestowed the gathered foursome a pleasant smile. ‘And introduce Alesha and Loukas Andreou.’ Loukas lifted both hands and cradled Alesha’s head, then he covered her mouth with his own in a fleeting sensual caress.
Oh, my. There had to be some explanation for the slow curl of sensation unfurling deep within her. Almost as if her body was at variance with the dictates of her mind.
How could she even begin to think what it would be like to have him invite a more intimate touch, to feel his hands on her body, his lips tasting an evocative trail, teasing, encouraging her response.
The question had to be could he succeed? When she’d left Seth she’d locked the door to her emotional heart and thrown away the key. And vowed never to allow another man to get close.
Alesha became conscious of Lacey’s laughter as she was enveloped in a hug; the voiced congratulations from the lawyer, the celebrant; Loukas’ hand resting against the back of her waist before he released her to open the champagne cooling in an ice bucket.
Smile, a silent voice prompted. You’re supposed to be happy. The future of Karsouli is secure, and your future is safe … if safe could be attributed to the man whose ring she now wore.
So play the game expected of you. Pretend. Haven’t the past few years provided plenty of practice?
Consequently she accepted a flute of champagne, smiled at the toast Lacey proposed to happiness and a blessed future, and managed to nibble a proffered canapé from a silver platter presented by Loukas’ housekeeper, Eloise.
The celebrant took her leave, and conversation flowed with ease for a while until the lawyer indicated a pressing engagement and Lacey followed suit as she pressed a light kiss to Alesha’s cheek before turning to Loukas.
‘Take good care of her.’
‘I intend to do so.’
Together they moved through the foyer to the main entrance where Loukas opened the door.
‘Drive carefully.’
‘Always.’
There was the sound of heels tapping along the driveway, the beep of a security remote, followed by the solid clunk of a car door closing and the purr of an engine as Lacey drove away.
Alesha watched as the car eased down the driveway, saw the accented red of brake lights as Lacey slowed at the gates, then the car disappeared from sight.
She was extremely conscious of the man who stood at her side, his easy movements as he closed both doors and activated the security system.
The house … mansion, she corrected, seemed incredibly large, not to mention an unknown entity, for, although she assumed the bedroom suites were situated upstairs, she had no idea precisely which wing contained the master suite.
Loukas indicated the curved staircase. ‘Eloise will have transferred your bag upstairs.’
‘Is this the part where you give me a guided tour?’
‘You’d prefer to explore on your own?’
She crossed to the staircase and began ascending the wide marble stairs, aware he joined her. ‘I might get lost.’
‘It’s quite simple. Personal suites and home office situated to the left, guest suites to the right. Ground floor, formal and informal lounge and dining rooms, media, home theatre, kitchen, utilities. Lower floor, gym, entertainment room, indoor pool. Outdoor pool. Self-contained flat for staff over detached garages.’
They reached the gallery and turned to the left. ‘It’s a large home for one man.’ An observation that incurred his steady appraisal.
‘A man who has very recently acquired a wife,’ he reminded silkily.
Loukas opened a set of double-panelled doors to reveal a spacious master bedroom, containing two king-size beds.
So he’d kept his word.
She told herself she should be relieved … and she was. Except sharing the same room implied a certain intimacy with which she felt distinctly uncomfortable. There were two separate en suites, two dressing rooms and a recessed alcove furnished with two comfortable chairs and standard lamps.
It was, she had to admit, incredible. Luxurious, with spectacular views over the harbour to the cityscape. Magic at nightfall when the city was lit up and varied coloured neon flashed with advertisements atop many of the inner-city buildings.
He shrugged out of suit jacket, dispensed with his tie and loosened the top button of his shirt.
For a moment she caught her breath at his intention, and he glimpsed the fleeting apprehension evident before it was quickly masked.
‘You might want to change into something less formal.’
She reminded him of a skittish foal in an unfamiliar environment … one who had experienced fear, possibly damage, with every reason to mistrust.
‘Eloise has unpacked your bag.’ Loukas indicated the dressing room she would use. ‘Tomorrow we’ll shift the remainder of your belongings.’
‘I can manage on my own.’
‘You won’t need to.’
So give up the independent streak, accept two pairs of hands are better than one, and some masculine strength for the bag-carrying is a good thing.
Slipping into something more comfortable depended on what items of clothing Lacey packed, and she crossed into her allocated dressing room to check the meagre assortment.
Jeans didn’t cut it, but tailored trousers with a cotton top would do.
Minutes later she emerged to find Loukas standing close to the wide expanse of glass taking in the panoramic scene.
The white shirt accentuated the impressive breadth of his shoulders, and his shirt cuffs had been folded back to rest midway up his forearms, lending a casual air.
Deceptive, she knew, for he could move with the silent stealth of a primitive cat and reduce an adversary to speechlessness with a few sententious words.
She watched as he turned towards her, and the breath caught in her throat.
He was someone she’d known for a number of years, as the son of Dimitri’s closest friend, a man whose company she’d shared with her parents’ friends and business associates on a few occasions at various social events. Instinctively aware, even then, that when he played, he played to win … in business, and with women.
Through circumstance he’d won Karsouli … together with her as part of the package.
‘Shall we go eat?’
Food wasn’t foremost on her mind, although she sipped excellent vintage wine, sampled succulent morsels from no less than three courses, while engaging in meaningless conversation.
The economic state of the nation and the world’s foremost leaders made for interesting debate and carried the hour with relative ease. Something for which she was immensely grateful.
‘Do you still have regular contact with Lacey?’
Alesha wondered if Loukas’ query related to genuine interest, or merely a shift to the more personal.
‘Regularly,’ she answered lightly. ‘We share dinner each week, occasionally take in a movie. Go shopping together.’
‘I seem to recall you were a keen advocate of tennis. Do you still play?’
‘Not as often as I used to.’ She took an appreciative sip of fine wine. ‘Do you still travel extensively?’
‘My father prefers to remain in Greece these days.’ He affected a slight shrug. ‘Andreou has offices in London, Milan and New York, and I alternate between each of them while overseeing the main office in Athens.’
‘And now you’ve added Sydney to the equation.’
One eyebrow lifted in sardonic query. ‘That still bothers you?’
‘I have no alternative but to accept it.’
‘It’s a little late to change your mind.’
‘How are your parents? Your sister Lexi?’
‘They’re well. My mother is on various committees, which consume some of her time. Lexi designs handcrafted jewellery and has a studio in the Pláka.’
‘And your Aunt Daria?’ It was a polite query and resulted in a musing smile.
‘She remains a force to be reckoned with.’
Plain-spoken to the point of bluntness, Alesha remembered as she recalled a visit to Athens with her parents several years ago when they’d spent time with Angelina and Constantine Andreou.
‘That appears to take care of family and friends,’ Alesha managed lightly. ‘Should we move on to the more personal? The master breeding plan, perhaps? I trust you’re aware the male sperm determine the sex of the child?’ She spared him a pseudo-intelligent look. ‘I refuse to bear any blame if we produce only girls.’
Alesha glimpsed his faint smile. ‘Why, when their mother is a fine example of what women can achieve?’
‘An attempt to soften me up for the inevitable consummation?’ She was heading down a dangerous path, and she silently damned her runaway tongue.
‘The chemistry we share bothers you?’
Bother was too tame a description!
‘And chemistry is an automatic guarantee for satisfaction between the sheets?’
What is the matter with you? a silent voice screamed inside her head. Are you insane?
‘Did your ex gift you that?’
She silently damned herself for metaphorically opening a vein. ‘You expect me to answer such a question?’
He was silent for several seconds … seconds during which she found it difficult to hold his gaze. ‘You just did.’
It would be so easy to tell him to go to hell, and she almost did. Except sanity ruled her tongue and she maintained a dignified silence. He had depth of character, a silent strength that had been lacking in Seth … although she hadn’t seen it at the time.
Blinded by what she imagined to be love, Alesha decided with cynicism. Seth had played his part well … as she’d soon discovered.
This, her second wedding night, was so vastly different from that of her first wedding when she’d been surrounded by family and friends, and filled with love for her new husband and barely containing a breathless excitement for the night when she and Seth were alone.
A faint bubble of cynical amusement rose in her throat to remain unuttered.
She’d thought being in love resolved everything, except it hadn’t. The magical wedding night she’d imagined didn’t happen due to her new husband imbibing vintage champagne a little too freely. And the sex had been … less than she’d imagined it would be. Afterwards, when she had refused to give in to his demands that they upgrade their home and lifestyle, and allow him an unlimited expense account, the sex had become a punishment she had endeavoured to avoid … to her cost. And she’d walked away, vowing never to be taken in by another man in her lifetime.
Yet here she was, a few hours into a second marriage she didn’t want to the man of her father’s choice. Sharing the same room in separate beds … for how long? One night … two?
After all, in the dark of night, sex was just … sex. No big deal. Right?
So why did she feel like a cat treading hot bricks?
Because instinct warned she was way out of her depth with a man of Loukas’ calibre. There was something about him, an intrinsic, almost raw sexuality that bordered on the primitive.
Intoxicating, brazen, shameless.
A part of her ached for the experience, while sanity cautioned she might not survive with her emotions intact.
It was almost a relief when Eloise entered the dining room to clear the table, and Alesha elected tea in preference to the strong espresso Loukas favoured.
How soon could she conceivably offer an excuse and retire to bed? Another hour or two? Did Loukas have anything planned?
A tiny bubble of laughter rose in her throat. Sure … like they’d settle comfortably in the media room and watch a movie on DVD?
Resorting to cynical humour was a defence mechanism she chose to employ against an increasing onset of nervous tension.
‘I have a few international calls to make.’ Loukas studied her expressive features, and it was almost as if he knew the pattern of her thoughts. ‘Maybe an hour or two ahead of me on the computer as the business day begins in Europe.’
Her relief was palpable, and she only hoped it wasn’t evident. ‘Sure. Go for it.’ She stood and moved away from the table, aware he did the same, and she preceded him from the room, then headed for the upper level.
Tomorrow she’d familiarize herself with the house and its several levels … but for now she ascended the curved staircase and made her way along the gallery to their suite.
Her choices numbered many: a leisurely soak in the spa-bath; slipping into bed with a book—if she could locate one. Sliding between the covers of one of the two beds and attempting to sleep.
As if she’d be able to do that, when every nerve in her body would be alert and tuned into Loukas’ appearance.
Two beds … would he sleep alone, or choose to share her own?
Hell. She didn’t even know which bed was his.
What if she selected the wrong bed and he took it as an invitation to share?
Dammit, since when had she become so ambivalent?
Since her separation and divorce from Seth, she’d regained her independence, healed, and forged a reputation as a confident savvy young businesswoman who’d earned her rightful position as Dimitri Karsouli’s colleague.
Very little, if anything, fazed her. Certainly not a man of any calibre … except Loukas.
She’d stayed away from him, careful not to show so much as a glimmer more than mere friendship. Aware, even from the first moment she’d met him that he was more than she could handle.
Light and dark, mesmeric … possessed of a sensual power that electrified and frightened. Because she instinctively knew he’d want it all … the heart of a woman, her body, her soul.
And she couldn’t be that woman. Didn’t want to be absorbed so totally that there was nothing left except him.
Now, she didn’t know. So much had changed. She had changed.
No longer did she believe in love. At least, not the happy-ever-after enduring kind that lasted a lifetime.
Nor did she intend to place her trust in any man.
Once burned by flame, it was the height of foolishness to toy with it again.
For timeless minutes she stood taking in the superb furnishings in the spacious suite. Despite the luxurious accoutrements there was an underlying air of comfort that held appeal. The muted colours aided relaxation, and she wondered if they’d been a deliberate choice by the interior decorator responsible for creating the refurbishment.
Decisiveness had to be a plus, she perceived as she collected sleepwear and moved into the en suite where the spa-bath beckoned invitingly.
Mellow, she coveted the slow slide into the kind of relaxation that aided an easy sleep. Hopefully way before Loukas entered the room, so she wouldn’t be aware of his presence until morning … and maybe not even then, if he rose early to make use of the downstairs gym.
Heaven, Alesha breathed as she sank into the warm bubbling water and positioned her head against the cushioned rest.
Ten minutes, she allowed … then she’d switch off the jets, release the water, dry off, and slip into bed.
It was almost midnight when Loukas closed down the laptop and muted the desk lamp. He’d spoken to Constantine in the Athens office, liaised with two colleagues in Paris, another in Rome. There’d been data to peruse to which he added his input, and the stock markets.
He lifted his arms and stretched, easing out the kinks in his shoulders, then he sat in contemplative silence for several long minutes before rising to his feet.
In the kitchen he filled a glass with chilled water, drank it down, then he checked the security system and moved quietly upstairs.
The master bedroom suite bore the softened light from muted lamps, and it took only a brief glance to determine both beds were empty.
A slight frown creased his forehead as he crossed to the en suite, knocked quietly, and when there was no answer he opened the door.
For a moment he stood taking in the scene … the soft pulsing jets in the spa-bath, the slender feminine form whose facial features in repose looked peaceful, almost childlike and bare of artificial enhancements.
Her soft, slightly parted mouth almost begged the touch of his own. Fine, almost porcelain skin moulded delicate bone structure, a perfect nose, and long natural eyelashes fanned out from petal-like eyelids.
He moved quietly towards the bath and switched off the jets, then he collected one of several large folded bath-towels and spoke her name.
There was no sign she heard him, and his gaze skimmed over her slender curves, the soft swell of her breasts with their tender peaks, the delicate waist, flat stomach with its slim gold pin with a strategically placed diamond attached to her navel. A cheeky jewellery accessory that winked and gleamed beneath the water’s surface.
He felt the stirring of arousal, and banked it down.
‘Alesha.’ His voice was firm, and he caught the faint flutter of her eyelashes. ‘Wake up.’
He saw the moment his words penetrated her subconscious, the sudden upwards sweep of her lashes as she came awake, and the stark mix of startled surprise and fear in the depths of her eyes the instant before she recognized him and gained the reality of her surroundings.
‘It’s after midnight,’ he said quietly. ‘You fell asleep.’
Loukas glimpsed her attempt to control the fleeting expressions chasing her features, saw the embarrassment change to indignation as she automatically used her hands to shield the vulnerable parts of her body.
‘Leave the towel and go … please.’
He was tempted to release the water, scoop her out and wrap her in the towel, then carry her to bed. His.
Except when he took her, it would be because she wanted him, not an act she conceded out of duty or mere compliance.
He might be many things, and he’d been called on several … but he stood by his word.
So he did as she requested and closed the door behind him, then he shed his clothes, took a cool shower, and slid between the sheets to lie with his arms crossed behind his head.
He watched idly as she emerged into the bedroom attired in cotton sleep trousers and a singlet top, looking impossibly young.
A slight smile widened his generous mouth as she avoided meeting his gaze, and he waited until she slipped beneath the covers before closing the lamps.
‘Goodnight.’ His voice was an indolent drawl in the darkness, and he only just heard her muffled response.
CHAPTER FIVE
ALESHA woke to light filtering through partly closed shutters along the wall of glass facing east.
For a brief moment she felt slightly disorientated by her unfamiliar surroundings, then memory surfaced as she cautiously examined the spacious room.
Specifically the large bed next to the one she’d occupied through the night … and she experienced a sense of relief to find it empty.
She brushed a hand through her hair and checked the time, saw it was almost eight, and hurriedly slid from the bed before gathering up fresh clothes and disappearing into the en suite to complete her morning routine and dress.
Jeans and a stylish tee sufficed, and she caught her hair in a ponytail, added gloss to her lips, then she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.
Coffee would be good, breakfast even better, and she entered the spacious, beautifully appointed kitchen to discover Eloise stacking the dishwasher, with no sign of Loukas in sight.
‘Good morning.’ Alesha kept it light and offered a warm smile, which the housekeeper returned in kind.
‘It’s a lovely day,’ Eloise added. ‘What can I get you for breakfast?’
‘If it’s okay with you, I’ll make coffee, and just grab some cereal and fruit, and take it out onto the terrace.’
‘I can easily prepare a cooked breakfast if you’d prefer.’
‘Thanks, but cereal is fine.’
There was something infinitely relaxing in looking out over the harbour. Small and large craft sprinkled the sparkling Port Jackson waters; tugboats guided a massive tanker towards the wharves, while ferries cruised the distance between the city and Manly.
The cityscape bore tall modern high-rise buildings in varying architectural designs, their plate-glass windows glinting as the sun rose in the sky.
No matter where she’d travelled, Sydney was home. The place of her birth and education. It held familiarity for her. Memories, all of them good … until Seth. And just as she emerged whole and healed, she was flung into the unknown again by her father’s hand.
‘Finish your coffee, then we’ll collect the rest of your belongings from the apartment.’
Loukas had the silent tread of a cat, and she replaced her cup down onto its saucer with care before she turned to meet his gaze.
Attired in jeans and a chambray shirt, he bore a deceptively casual air that was the antithesis of the man he’d proven himself to be.
It was the eyes, Alesha perceived. Dark silken depths that were too perceptive for anyone’s peace of mind … especially hers.
Oh, why not admit it? He unsettled her, increasing her vulnerability to a point where she felt constantly on edge in his presence.
‘I can manage to do that on my own.’
‘You don’t need to.’
‘What if I prefer to?’
‘Give it up, Alesha.’
She tilted her head and held his gaze with equanimity. ‘I was unaware taking your name meant alienating my freedom of choice.’
He rested a hip against the edge of the table and leant towards her, not exactly crowding her in, but close … too close.
‘You prefer the difficult route to a simple one?’ He waited a beat as her eyes darkened at his proximity. ‘Or do you merely enjoy debating me?’
She resembled a startled foal whenever he encroached on her personal space, and his gaze narrowed fractionally as the pulse at the base of her throat began to visibly thud.
‘You lucked out if you want a subservient wife who will agree with your every word.’
‘It should make for an interesting life.’
Her smile was deliberate. ‘You think?’
Loukas stood to his feet. ‘Collect your keys, then we’ll leave. Presumably you’ve forgotten one of Dimitri’s charitable causes is hosting an event this evening and our presence is expected?’