Greek's Marriage Bargain (5 page)

Angelo shook his head. “No,
Kyria
.
Kyrios
Andrakis hired a company from Athens to design the layouts. I maintain what they have done.” He grinned, displaying even white teeth against his deeply tanned skin. “It is big work, but I keep doing it busy.”

“It keeps you busy?” At his nod, she asked, “Do you have staff?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “When needed, I will give my little brothers help to me.”

She licked her lips, torn between her desire to dig into the deep, rich soil and the definite class distinctions between them. Of course, she was once the servant’s child too, though Dmitri had regarded Miles as a friend, not servant.

It had been years since she’d really gardened, and the longing filled her. Leah knew to her core that Nikos would disapprove of what she was about to do, which made it a little more fun—and more dangerous. She would have to keep her activities secret from him.

With a deep breath, Leah said, “I’d be happy to help.” At his shocked expression, she prepared herself for the imminent task of convincing the young man to let the wife of Nikos Andrakis dig in the dirt and follow his commands. She almost giggled with giddiness, feeling lighter than she had since arriving on Trini Island.

Eventually, she had worn down Angelo’s resistance and persuaded him she could be useful. Leah spent the next several days immersed in landscaping. Sometimes, she worked alongside Angelo in companionable silence, and other times he gave her a task to perform solo. He seemed as enchanted with the dirt and plants as she did, preferring to work quietly, though he chatted gregariously during breaks, even attempting to teach her some Greek.

The pleasant days still didn’t get her through the awkward evenings. Nikos was much too attentive, and his determination to seduce her apparently hadn’t faltered. She had tried every way she could think of to dissuade him, to no avail. Leah was just relieved he hadn’t resorted to more than a few lingering touches, or her will power might fade away.

It annoyed her that she spent many nights tossing and turning, her body aching for his, before finally falling into a restless sleep where he haunted her dreams. She was determined to resist the impulse to sleep with her husband, no matter how difficult he made it.

Several days after beginning her new routine of gardening during the day and dodging her husband in the evenings, Leah entered the master suite after a long day of gardening, dirt under her fingernails and on her nose. She grimaced to see Nikos sitting at the desk, typing on his laptop. He was engrossed, and she managed to wipe the dirt off her nose before he looked up.

Leah stuffed her filthy hands into her shorts pockets and tried to look nonchalant. Nikos gazed at her with narrowed eyes. She smiled and took a step toward the bathroom. She made two more before he spoke her name in the deep, husky way that sent shivers up her spine. Keeping her hands in her pockets, she turned. “Yes?”

“We have plans tonight.”

She pulled a face, irked that he hadn’t bothered to consult her. Of course, that had been their pattern for years. Leah responded to his summonses and followed his orders for managing social affairs just as professionally as any of the staff he employed. Why should that change just because he’d suddenly decided to indulge in a holiday fling with her? “Where?”

“Caesar and Calista Kakos invited us to a small dinner party on their new yacht.”

She sighed with relief, doubting Calista had invited Maia. She hadn’t seemed to care for Nikos’s ex-fiancée. “That sounds enjoyable.”

He arched a brow, perhaps surprised by her bland tone. “I am pleased you will enjoy it. They plan to take a little cruise around the Aegean after dinner. I cannot recall if you suffer seasickness?”

Leah shook her head. “Not that I know of.” She hadn’t been on many boats or yachts, but had never experienced sickness during her limited sailing experiences.

“Good.” He glanced at the understated gold Rolex on his wrist. “We are due there in three hours. Will you have sufficient time to prepare?”

“Of course. I’m not one of those women who take hours to get dressed,” she said with exasperation.

He made a sound low in his throat. “And how long does it take to get you undressed,
agape
mou
?”

Teeth clenched, Leah strode into the bathroom, getting a small bit of satisfaction from slamming the door and blocking out his hearty chuckle. The man was insufferable. He was also stubborn, pursuing what he was convinced he wanted with single-minded devotion. The thought made her tremble, but she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or anticipation.

The wind blew through her hair, picking up strands and tossing them about into utter disarray as she leaned against the railing of the Kakos’ yacht. The elaborate hairstyle she’d spent twenty minutes pinning up was completely ruined, but the night breeze was refreshing.

She turned her head as Nikos joined her, withdrawing from his close stance. Leah didn’t speak, and he didn’t either, to her surprise. He put his hand on the rail next to hers, their skin barely touching. She waited for him to try more, but he seemed content with just reminding her that he was within arm’s reach.

“Dance with me.”

For the first time, Leah realized the band she’d seen setting up before dinner was now playing. Several couples danced close together on the deck, eschewing traditional Greek dances in favor of more intimate Western dancing. She shook her head, trying to dig in her heels when he took her hand.

“Come on, Leah. It’s just a dance.”

Leah considered protesting, mainly because she wanted to dance with him, which frightened her. A second thought dismissed the idea, and she decided one dance couldn’t hurt. It might test her resolve, but she was in no danger of surrendering to him in a crowd of fellow dancers.

Nikos stopped at the edge of the makeshift dance area, drawing her into his arms. He maintained a respectable distance between them, and she didn’t like that it made her disgruntled.

At first, she held herself stiffly, but the posture was uncomfortable. As they swayed to the soft music, with its occasional sharp metallic twang from the bouzouki, Leah relaxed, letting herself move a little closer.

“That’s better,” said Nikos.

She tried to move away, but he held her closer. “Relax, Leah. Pretend my touch doesn’t annoy you.” He ran his hand down her back, making her shudder. Nikos chuckled. “Or perhaps I should say stop pretending that it does?”

“I’m done dancing,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Pity that I am not.” His arms enfolded her, molding their bodies together.

Leah glared at him. “Do you want me to make a scene?”

He quirked a brow, as though considering the notion. “Maybe so. Anger would be an improvement from the cold disdain which you have displayed the past few days.”

Leah tried to appear calm when she said, “I’m not disdainful toward you, Nikos; just apathetic.”

He made a scoffing sound low in his throat. “You might hate me, or you might desire me—maybe both—but you are not indifferent,
agape mou
.”

It was dangerous to provoke him. She knew that, but couldn’t seem to keep from replying. “Believe what you will, Nikos. I don’t care.”

His lips curled into a slight smile. “Of course you don’t. You do not care if I put my hand here,” he rested it just above her buttocks, “Or if I put my lips here.” Nikos lowered his head to place a light kiss at the bend of her neck. “You certainly don’t care if I do this,” he whispered against her skin, as his other hand roamed from her hip to just under her breast, his fingers grazing the mound.

Leah tried to hide any hint of a reaction, but failed miserably when he sucked at the delicate flesh of her neck, drawing it into his mouth and exhaling. Gooseflesh rose on her arms, and she shivered, though the night wasn’t cold.

“Yes, I can see you are completely unaffected,” he said with heavy irony before easing away, back to a normal dance position.

She didn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer. Through sheer determination, Leah made it through the rest of the dance, tearing herself from his arms the moment the song ended. She hurried away from the deck, opening the first door she came to, and flicked on the light. It wasn’t a powder room, as she had hoped, but a small room with a table and chairs that could be used for multiple purposes. She closed the door, leaning against it.

Her heart hammered in her ears, and Leah took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. It was daunting to face returning to the deck, and Nikos, but she couldn’t hide in here all night. As it was, she had embarrassed herself by fleeing from him, along with revealing more of her emotions than she had planned.

With another deep breath, Leah straightened and turned, grasping the doorknob to turn it. As the door opened, she gasped to find Nikos standing on the other side. She had the childish urge to slam the door in his face but resisted. “Excuse me,” she said with what she hoped could pass for cool indifference. “I thought this was the restroom.”

He put a palm against the door, pushing it toward her. Leah tried to hold it, but he was stronger and soon slipped inside. A wave of dread washed over her when he closed the door with a soft click. “I need the powder room. Please move out of my way.”

The corner of his mouth curled upward. “I know what you need, Leah, and it isn’t escape to the powder room.”

She sniffed. “You really don’t know anything about me, so how could you know what I need?” Leah reached past him, for the knob, but ended up much too close.

He chuckled. “You know what you need too.”

Leah looked up, meeting his gaze. “I don’t need a fling that will complicate things, Nikos.”

He took her hand, folding it in his to press against his chest. “It doesn’t have to be a fling,
agape mou
.”

She shook her head, denying his words and her own urges. “Let me go, Nikos.”

He seemed a little sad. “I can’t.” Nikos drew her into his arms.

She could have stepped back, or tried to resist, but it was impossible to deny what they both wanted. With a small sigh of defeat, she melted into his arms, pressing her ear to his chest. His heart thumped as quickly as hers, and she moved her hand on his chest to his waist, smiling slightly when a light stroke made his heartbeat increase even more.

Nikos cupped her face in his hands, tilting her head back as his descended. His lips coaxed hers to open with light, feathery kisses. Leah moaned into his mouth as he swept his tongue inside hers. As he deepened the kiss, she strained to get closer, pushing her hands under his jacket to knead his flesh through the linen shirt. He wore no tie, so the buttons of his shirt yielded easily, with no impediment.

His breath hissed through his teeth when she undid the first few buttons and plunged her hand inside. His skin was hot, with a light dusting of hair that tickled her fingers. Leah stroked him, moving her hand lower. He exhaled sharply when she raked her nails lightly over his nipple.

“Leah.” Her name was more a harsh exhalation than a true sound. He lifted her into his arms, making her cry out with surprise, and carried her to the table. The table was hard under her bottom, but not as hard as the sleek muscles rippling under her husband’s skin. She found his responses fascinating as she continued caressing him. Each time he twitched or shuddered, she smiled. It was exhilarating to have so much power over Nikos, when he usually left her feeling inept and weak, no matter how well she hid it.

“Why did I wait so long?” Nikos asked against her lips, before claiming them in a hungry kiss that allowed no reply to his question.

Leah surrendered to his masterful kisses, her thoughts growing fuzzier the more they kissed. She squirmed against him when he cupped her breast, thumbing the nipple through the thin layer of silk.  She threaded her other hand through his hair, tangling her fingers in the glossy black strands, while his heart continued to beat rapidly under her palm.

Nikos’s hands moved over her body with blatant possessiveness, but she didn’t mind. His touch was intoxicating, and his kisses drugged her into a state of limpid compliance. For the first time ever, Leah experienced true desire. She wanted him to hold her naked body against his and to grasp his waist as she guided him inside her.

There were so many sensations swamping her that it was difficult to separate the sources until Nikos moved his hand up her thigh, under the hem of her dress. She froze, eyes wide open, as he hesitated, fingers hovering over the scrap of silk and lace shielding her most intimate place. He lifted his mouth from hers, and their gazes locked. “Leah?”

The rational part of her screamed at her to push his hand away and leave the room before their interlude led them to an irrevocable decision. The other, more primitive part of her yearned to feel his fingers against her. She bowed her head, pressing her forehead against his shoulder, letting him decide.

She bit her lower lip when he stroked her through the panties, simultaneously wanting him to stop and to push aside the material to touch her directly. As though he’d read her thoughts, Nikos slipped a finger inside her panties, touching her wet heat. Leah cried out, lying back as he guided her, his fingers moving restlessly between her thighs.