His Forbidden Bride (16 page)

talk about?'

'About you,
matia mou
—what else?' , Her laugh cracked in the middle. 'Not

a very interesting subject.'

'Ah,' he said. 'But I disagree. You see, Zoe
mou
, you intrigue me. So, I wish to know exactly what brought you here to Thania. And this time I want the

truth.'

Zoe sat bolt upright, and stared at Andreas. He was lying propped up on one

elbow, very much at his ease, the dark eyes slightly narrowed, the firm

mouth cool and unsmiling, as he looked back at her.

The silence seemed to echo between them. The whisper of the sea only a

few yards away seemed suddenly like muted thunder to her heightened

senses. Her skin tingled under his unwavering gaze.

He said, 'I am waiting for you to answer,
pedhi mou
.'

She swal owed. 'I—I don't know what you're talking about.'

'You disappoint me.'

She spread her hands defensively. 'I came here on holiday. So do a lot of

other people.'

'Not that many,' he said. 'Compared with other islands. And they come in

couples, or family groups.' He paused. 'There are few beautiful girls

travel ing alone.' His faint smile did not reach his eyes. 'So, you must see

you are something of an enigma, Zoe
mou
.'

'I don't see why.' She lifted her chin. 'It was a spur of the moment booking.

My friends had already made their travel plans. And I—I needed a break. I

told you why.'

'Yes,' he said. 'You have known great sadness, and I am sorry. Al the more

reason, I would have thought, to seek company.'

'I'l try and remember that,' she said. 'Next time.'

'But I ask again,' he went on. 'Why this island of al others? And what

brought you to the Vil a Danaë? You understand why I am intrigued.'

'No,' she said. 'I don't' She touched the tip of her tongue to her dry lips. 'I'm

surprised you don't set up some special immigration desk where the ferry

docks. Interrogate everyone who comes here about their background and

motivation. Or would that dent the Greek reputation for hospitality?'

Andreas shrugged a shoulder. 'Most of the people who come here are just

looking for a quiet holiday in the sun. There is no need to question them. But

from the first, Zoe
mou
, you have made me wonder. You are a mystery I

have yet to solve.'

'And what about yourself?' She flung back her head, deliberately

confrontational. 'You're hardly the simple man of the soil you claim to be.

Not when you stride about, putting the fear of God into people, like the

uncrowned king of the island,' she added hotly.

'Not quite king,' Andreas drawled. 'Heir to the throne, maybe.'

In the sudden deafening silence, Zoe heard herself swallow. She said with

control ed calm, 'I—see. Then I don't suppose you're even cal ed Andreas

Stephanos—are you?'

'Those are my names,' he said softly. 'But there is another. My last name is

Dragos.'

'Of course it is.' She tried to smile. To conceal the fact that anguish had

settled like a stone in the pit of her stomach. 'Brother—cousin—nephew of

Steve Dragos the shipping tycoon by any chance?'

His mouth tightened. 'His son.' He paused. 'And, like yourself, Zoe
mou
, an only child.'

'You mean we actual y have something in common?' Her laugh cracked in

the middle. 'But that's the only similarity. Nobody jumps when I walk into a

place. Or ever wil .'

She shook her head, almost wonderingly. 'Sherry wanted to warn me, I see

that now, but her husband wouldn't al ow it. After all, the young master must

be allowed to have his fun.' She gave him a burning look. 'What a fool I've

been.'

'Ah, no,' Andreas said quietly. 'I have never, from the first moment we met,

thought you were a fool,
pedhi mou
. But I must ask you not to treat me like one, either,' he added level y.

'I think,' she said. 'The less I have to do with you, Mr Dragos, the better.' She

reached for her shirt, angrily aware that her hands were shaking. 'I'd like to

go back to my hotel, now, please.'

'Thania is only a smal island,' he said musingly. 'But to walk such a distance

in this heat? I don't think you would make it.'

'You mean you're not prepared to drive me back?' Her voice quivered with

outrage.

'Certainly,' he said. 'But later. After we have spent some time together, Zoe

mou
, without fear of interruption. And when you have answered my

questions,' he added softly. 'Because something tel s me you are stil not

being completely honest.'

'You dare to say that?' Zoe almost choked on the words. 'After the way you

pretended to be a gardener?'

'There was no pretence. I enjoy gardening. And, if you recal , I said I had

other duties.' He shrugged again. 'If you had asked me, I would have

described them to you.'

'Yes,' she said smoulderingly. 'Just like you told me your name—with the

salient bit held back.'

'Wel , perhaps.' He had the gal to grin at her. 'It was good, for once, to be

with a woman who did not know who I was, and did not care. Someone who

did not even wish me to pay her attention. But the game is over now.'

He sat up. Moved slightly so that he was closer. Close enough to touch, she

realised, dry-mouthed.

'So, what salient bits are you holding back,
matia mou
?' he asked softly.

'What is your interest in the Vil a Danaë— which, you must acknowledge,

you could not afford to rent or buy?'

'I—saw a picture of it once,' she said. 'A water colour, painted by an artist

I—knew. A view of the terrace.' She shrugged. 'I wanted to see if the real

thing matched the image.'

'I could almost ask the same of you, Zoe
mou
.'

She bit her lip. 'That's—not fair.'

'You think not?' There was a faint note of derision in his voice. 'You truly

expect me to believe that a picture brought you here? I did not know such a

thing existed.'

'You don't think the Vil a Danaë is worth painting?'

'Every island in Greece has its share of artists,' Andreas said slowly. 'But

usual y they try to capture the light—the colour of the sea. And most would

choose an ancient temple to paint rather than a modern house.'

'So, it's a one-off,' Zoe said steadily. 'Maybe that's why it caught my

imagination.'

'I would also be interested to know how this artist gained access,' he said,

with a touch of grimness. 'I must tel my father that our security should be

overhauled.'

'Why bother him with it? It was al a long time ago, and it won't happen

again.' She encountered an ironic look, and flushed. 'Wel , I certainly shan't

be going bade. You're right—the house is out of my league.'
And not just the

house
...

There was a pain inside her like an iron fist clenching, and she drew a deep

breath, 'But I hated seeing it empty, so I let myself dream for a while.'
So

many dreams
…

She paused. 'Now I'm only sorry I ever went within a mile of the place,' she

added in a small wintry voice. 'So can you call off the inquisition, please?'

'But if I am not al owed to ask questions, how can I learn all the things I wish

to discover about you, Zoe
mou
?'

He spoke gently, with a hint of laughter in his voice. The sudden change of

tack caught her completely off guard, and brought a swift warmth to her face

that owed nothing to the sun. Because this was no confrontation over a

house. This was simply a man and a woman alone together. A situation as

old as time and as compel ing.

She said, stumbling a little, 'What do you want to know?'

'Everything.' His eyes met hers. Held them. Making her aware of the smile in

their dark depths. And the smoulder of heat, control ed but palpable.

Somehow, he seemed to have moved even nearer, and she realised that if

she did no more than turn carelessly her skin would brush his.

'Rather a crowded agenda for an afternoon on the beach.' She managed to

speak lightly, in spite of the hectic plunge of her heart against her ribs.

'I learn quickly. And besides, you have al my attention,
matia mou
.'

Was that supposed to make her feel any better? Zoe wondered

breathlessly. She looked away, picking up a handful of sand, and letting it

drift through her fingers.

'Actually, there isn't al that much to tel . I had a very ordinary, happy

childhood, did reasonably wel at school, and got a decent degree

afterwards.' She forced a smile. 'Pretty dull, real y.'

'On the contrary, Zoe
mou
. A happy childhood is a gift from the gods.' There was an odd, almost bitter note in his voice.

She glanced at him quickly, noting the taut line of his mouth. 'You can't have

lacked for much.'

'Material y, no, as you would expect,' he admitted flatly. 'But—in other

ways…' He paused, then said with an effort, 'Unlike you, I saw little of my

parents. My father was always busy—never in the same place for more than

a few days at a time. And my mother was rarely wel enough to be with me.

She spent a lot of her life in hospitals and clinics, or searching for new

treatments in Europe and America.'

'I'm—sorry.' Zoe hesitated. 'What was the matter with her?'

'I do not believe she was ever strong.' His tone was sombre. 'She found

pregnancy an ordeal, and giving birth to me a nightmare. It was certainly a

trauma that always seemed to stay with her throughout her life. She had

constant problems with depression, and she suffered various physical

symptoms over the years, too. Endless tests were carried out, but they

always proved inconclusive.'

His mouth twisted. 'With hindsight, I suspect she was simply al ergic to

marriage—especial y to marriage with a strong, demanding man like my

father,' he added wryly. 'Someone who wanted a woman to stand at his side,

and give him a whole nursery fall of children.'

He sighed. 'I wonder sometimes which of them was the most unhappy.' He

sent her a dry look. 'So you see,
pedhi mou
, I had everything I could

want—except what I real y wanted.'

Zoe stared at him, seeing not the cool, sexy man who'd imposed himself on

her life with such casual assurance, but the boy he'd once been, existing in

some bewildered, lonely vacuum.

She heard herself say his name. Put out a hand, and touched his bare

shoulder, letting her palm linger on its smooth warmth. She felt the strong

muscles tense beneath her touch, then Andreas captured her fingers with

his own, and carried them to the faint roughness of his cheek, before

brushing them swiftly with his lips.

She was lanced, almost torn apart with the sudden force of her need. She

looked down at the lean, brown fingers clasping hers, and imagined them

cupping her breasts, or gliding down to part her thighs. Discovering every

sweet, intimate secret she had to offer. She thought of his mouth on hers.

Their bodies locked together in mutual possession.

She felt her nipples blossom to heated peaks against the confines of her

bikini top, and almost before she knew what she was doing her free hand

was searching for the clip, and releasing it, allowing the tiny garment to fall

away from her body, revealing the beauty of her small round breasts.

Her eyes met his in mute offering. She was burning, melting with the desire

to be in his arms at last. To know the caress of his hands—his mouth.

She heard his harsh, indrawn breath as he looked at her. Saw the swift flare

in the dark eyes.

Only to find, in the next instant, her hand released, and Andreas suddenly

turning away—deliberately distancing himself, she realised with shock and

disbelief.

'What's wrong?' Her voice was a stranger's, small and husky, stumbling

over the words it was forming. 'Don't— don't you—want me?'

He said, over his shoulder, 'You are temptation itself,
pedhi mou
. But this is not the time or the place. So be good enough to cover yourself.'

For a moment, she knelt beside him, stricken, staring at the long line of his

bare back. But even as she tried to make her fumbling fingers obey him,

anger began to build in place of the agonised wrench of humiliation at his

rejection of her.

She removed her top completely, and dropped it onto the sand in a gesture

of total bravado.

'Isn't it time you joined the twenty-first century, Mr Dragos?' She managed

mockery, edged with contempt. 'After all, I saw plenty of girls sunbathing

topless on the town beach the other day. Don't you think your reaction is just

a tad extreme?'

'The women you refer to make their own choices.' His tone bit. He did not

look at her. 'They are not, however, alone with me here.'

'No,' she said. 'And how fortunate for them.' She got to her feet, grabbing

her towel and bag. 'But as we seem to be stuck with each other, all I can do

is remove myself from your immediate vicinity.'

She stalked off, down the beach, making for Odysseus' rock, her head held

high. The slab of stone scorched the soles of her feet as she spread out her

towel, but she refused to al ow her discomfort to show, certain that Andreas