The Helen Bianchin Collection (Mills & Boon E-Book Collections) (125 page)

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Authors: Helen Bianchin

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Erotica, #Collections & Anthologies, #Contemporary Women, #General

BOOK: The Helen Bianchin Collection (Mills & Boon E-Book Collections)
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Afterwards Michelle lay quietly in Nikos' arms, listening to his heart as it beat in unison with her own.
Then when she was sure he slept, she carefully eased herself free and slid from the bed.
She moved quietly into the kitchen, found a glass,
filled it with water, then drank it down in the hope it would lessen the caffeine content of the coffee.
For the life of her she couldn't return to that large bed and pretend to sleep. Without thought she crossed to the lounge and moved the drape a little so she could see the night sky and the ocean.
‘P
ENNY for them?'
Michelle turned her head at the sound of that drawling voice, and her stomach did a backward flip as he linked his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him.
‘It's all worked out well,' she managed evenly. ‘The Bateson-Burrows have relocated, and—'
‘Saska has reevaluated her options, and accepted I'm not one of them,' Nikos drawled as he rested his chin on top of her head.
So where does that leave us?
Fool,
she accorded silently. Where do you think it leaves you? You'll go back to your own apartment. Nikos will remain in his—until he returns to Athens, or settles in France, or any other European city where he has a base.
Sure, he might promise to call, and maybe he will, once or twice. He'll simply take up with any one of several beautiful females, and continue with his life. While you fall into a thousand pieces.
The mere thought of him with another woman made her feel physically ill.
‘I should thank you,' Michelle said quietly. ‘For everything you've done to help protect me from Jeremy.'
The night sky held a sprinkle of stars, pinpricks of
light against dark velvet, and less than a kilometre distant the marina stood highlighted beneath a series of neon arcs.
If I tried really hard, she thought dully, I could count some of the stars. Perhaps I should wish on one of them. Although wishes rarely came true, and belonged to the fable of fairy tales.
‘I consider myself thanked.'
Did she detect a slight edge of mockery in his voice? Dear God, of course she had thanked him. With her body, from the depths of her soul, every time they'd made love.
She was almost willing to swear that their lovemaking had meant something more to him than just a frequent series of wonderfully orgasmic sexual experiences.
Women faked it. But were men capable of faking that ultimate shuddering release?
Nikos possessed control...but he'd lost it on more than one occasion in her arms, just as she'd threshed helplessly in his against an erotic tide so tumultuous she was swept way out of her depth. Only to be brought back to the safety of his embrace.
‘I'll pack and move into my apartment in the morning.'
Was that her voice? It sounded so low, so impossibly husky, it could have belonged to someone else.
‘No.'
Michelle's heart stopped, then accelerated to a rapid beat ‘What do you mean—
no?'
His hands moved up to her shoulders. ‘Do you want to leave?'
Dear heaven, how could he ask such a question?
She was incapable of movement, and he slowly turned her to face him.
‘Michelle?'
‘I—how—' Oh hell, she was incapable of putting two coherent words together. ‘What are you suggesting?' she managed at last.
‘I want you to come with me when I fly out to New York.'
Want
, not
need,
she noted dully.
Did she have any idea how transparent she was? Eyes so clear he glimpsed his reflected image in their depths. A pulse hammered at her temple, and was joined by another at the base of her throat.
Go
, an inner voice urged. Enjoy the
now,
and don't worry what will happen next month, next year. Just...hop on the merry-go-round and enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts.
But what happens when the music winds down and the merry-go-round slows to a stop? Would the break be any easier then, than it is now? Worse, she knew. Much, much worse.
Yet life itself came with no guarantees. If she walked away now, she'd never know what the future might hold.
It was no contest. There could be only one answer.
‘Yes,' Michelle said simply.
Nikos covered her mouth with his own in a kiss so incredibly gentle, she wanted to cry.
‘There's one more thing.'
He pressed his thumb over her lower lip. ‘Marry me,
agape mou
.'
Her eyes widened measurably, and for an instant her whole body stilled, then she became conscious of the loud hammering of her heart and the need to breathe.
‘Yes.'
His smile almost undid her. ‘No qualifications?'
Michelle shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.
‘How do you feel about a Celebrant marrying us in the gardens of your parents' home two weeks from this Saturday?'
She did swift mental calculations. ‘Two days before Christmas?' Dear heaven. ‘My mother will freak.'
He stroked the rapidly beating pulse at the base of her throat. ‘No, she won't.'
Two weeks.
‘Nikos—'
‘I love you,' he said gently. ‘Everything about you. The way you smile, your laughter, the sound of your voice. The contented sigh you breathe when you reach for me in the night.' His mouth settled briefly on hers. ‘I need you to share my life, all the days, the nights. Forever.'
Michelle closed her eyes in an attempt to still the sudden rush of tears. ‘I knew you were trouble the first moment I set eyes on you,' she stated shakily.
‘An arrogant Greek who took control and turned your life upside down, hmm?'
Stifled laughter choked in her throat. ‘Something like that.' Her eyes gleamed with remembered amusement. ‘You were always there, in my face.' Her expression sobered momentarily. ‘Thank God.'
‘Fate,
pedhaki mou.'
He cupped her face and smoothed away the soft trickle of tears with each thumb. ‘It put us both in the same place at the same time.'
Yes, but it had been more than that, she acknowledged silently.
Much more.
‘You never did intend this arrangement to be temporary, did you?'
He dropped a soft kiss onto the tip of her nose.
‘No.'
‘When did you decide?'
‘I walked into the Bateson-Burrows' home that first evening, took one look at you, and knew I wanted to be in your life.'
‘Why?'
He smiled, a self-deprecatory gesture that was endearing in a man of his calibre. ‘Instinct. Then Fate dealt me a wild card.'
‘Which you didn't hesitate to use,' she acknowledged musingly.
‘Do you blame me?'
Michelle lifted her arms and linked her hands at his nape, then she drew his head down to hers. ‘I love you,' she said with quiet sincerely. ‘I always will. For as long as I live.'
‘Come back to bed.'
She couldn't resist teasing him a little. ‘To sleep?'
‘Eventually.' He kissed her with hungry possession. ‘After which we'll rise and face the first of several hectic days.'
 
 
Nikos had been right, Michelle mused as she kissed her mother, then hugged Etienne.
Each day had proven to be more hectic than the last. Yet superb organisation had achieved the impossible by bringing everything together to make their wedding day perfect.
There had been tears and laughter as the Celebrant pronounced them man and wife, and Nikos kissed the bride.
Photographs, the cutting of the cake, and an informal reception had completed the afternoon.
Now it was time to leave in the elegant stretch Cadillac hired to transport them to a Brisbane hotel where they'd stay prior to catching an international flight early the next morning.
‘We made it,' Michelle said jubilantly as the driver eased the long vehicle away from Sovereign Islands towards the arterial road leading to the Pacific Highway. From there, it was a forty-five-minute drive to Brisbane city.
Nikos took hold of her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘Did you think we wouldn't,
agape mou?'
Her smile melted his heart. ‘Not for a moment. You and my mother make a formidable team.'
He kissed the finger which held his rings, and praised his God for the good fortune in finding this woman, his wife.
When he reflected on the circumstance, the chance meeting, and how close he had come to delegating his trip to Australia... It made his blood run cold to think he might never have met her, never experienced
the joy of her love or had the opportunity to share her life.
He had never seen her look as beautiful as she did today. The dress, the veil, they merely enhanced the true beauty of heart and soul that shone from within.
A man could drown in the depths of those brilliant deep green eyes, and be forgiven for thinking he'd died and gone to heaven when those soft lips met his own.
‘Champagne?'
Michelle looked at the man seated close beside her, and gloried m the look of him. There was inherent strength apparent, an indomitability possessed by few men. She wanted to reach out and trace the groove that slashed each cheek, trail the outline of his firm mouth, then have those muscular arms hold her close.
‘No.' She leaned against him and laid her head into the curve of his shoulder.
‘Tired?'
‘A little.'
‘We'll order in room service, and catch an early night.'
She smiled at the delightful vision that encouraged. ‘Sounds good to me.'
Nikos lifted a hand and threaded his fingers through the length of her hair, creating a soothing massage that had a soporific effect.
‘Did I tell you we're spending two weeks in Paris after I've concluded meetings in New York?'
‘Paris?' The Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the ambience that was the soul of France.
‘Paris,' he reiterated. ‘A delayed honeymoon.'
‘Now I know why I fell in love with you.'
‘My undoubted charm?' he mocked lightly, and felt her fingers curl within his.
‘The essence that is Nikos Alessandros, regardless of wealth and possessions.
You,
' she emphasised.
‘There is an analogy that states “'tis woman who maketh the man.”'
‘I think it's reciprocal,' she accorded with wicked amusement.
Michelle lapsed into reflective silence.
Everything had been neatly taken care of. She'd arranged to lease out her apartment; together, she and Emilio had interviewed several people to act as her replacement at the Gallery, and had finally settled on a competent knowledgeable young woman who would, unless Michelle was mistaken, give Emilio a run for his money.
She intended to liaise with Emilio from wherever she happened to be in the world. New York, Paris, Athens, Rome. In this modern technological age, distance was no longer an important factor.
It was almost dark when the Cadillac slid to a halt outside the main entrance to their hotel. Check-in took only minutes, then they rode the lift to their designated suite.
Flowers, champagne on ice, fresh fruit and an assortment of Belgian chocolates were displayed for their enjoyment, and Michelle performed a sedate pirouette and went straight into Nikos' waiting arms.
His kiss was both gentle and possessive, a gift and a statement which she returned twofold.
‘Mmm,' she teased. ‘I could get used to this.'
‘The hotel suite?'
‘You—me. Sharing and working at making a life together. Happiness,
love.'
‘Always,' Nikos vowed. His mouth fastened over hers, and he deepened the kiss, exulting in her response until their clothes were an unbearable restriction.
‘I guess we don't get to eat for a while,' Michelle murmured as she nibbled his ear.
‘Hungry?'
‘Only for you.' Always, only you, she silently reiterated.
Love
. The most precious gift of all, and it was theirs for a lifetime.

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