‘Nice to have met you.’ Christos bestowed another charming smile on Serena and moved on in his mission to circulate.
Nikos inhaled slowly. He had to regain control of his emotions. He was more distracted than he’d ever been by Serena, and wondered how long he’d be able to keep up the pretence of being a caring fiancé when all he wanted was to claim her as his in every sense.
‘That went well.’
Serena’s feisty remark cut off all thought and he turned his attention back to her, taking the glass of untouched champagne from her and placing it on a nearby table.
‘Was that your way of covering up the truth?’
‘If I wanted to cover up the truth, as you put it, I would adopt a very different tactic—one that would leave nobody in any doubt about the irresistible passion that has brought you back to Greece.’
‘And that would be what?’
‘I’d kiss you deeply and passionately, right here, for all to see.’
His blood heated as she glared up at him, her lips parted, almost daring him to carry out his threat. It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms and kiss her—deeply and passionately.
Her brows rose and a teasing smile lit up her eyes. ‘You wouldn’t dare...’
‘You’re playing a dangerous game, Serena.’ The thud of desire quickened, and without thinking of where they were he stepped closer to her. ‘Is that what you want me to do? Kiss you?’
‘No, I don’t.’
Her firm words pulled him back, then he laughed softly.
Did she think playing such games in public would force him to show there was more to their marriage than an accidental pregnancy?
‘I know you don’t really want me. You just want your child—but without any scandal. I can see that now. And for the record,’ she said flippantly, her eyes flashing with provocation, ‘you wouldn’t dare kiss me here. At least not in the way you’re threatening.’
‘Don’t challenge me, Serena,’ he whispered, and he lowered his head closer to hers.
He heard her sharp intake of breath. Satisfaction rushed through him. It didn’t matter what she led him to believe—she was far from indifferent to him. For whatever reason she’d put up a barrier, and was intent on keeping him on the outside, but he wasn’t going to allow that.
She placed her hand on his arm, the heat of her touch scorching him through his jacket and shirt. And as she pushed him gently back away from her she lifted her chin, bringing her lips tantalisingly close to his...
A sudden burst of applause crashed into his stirred-up senses so spectacularly he stepped back, momentarily unsure of what was happening.
* * *
Serena took in a deep breath when he drew back, as if she was surfacing from the sea. Her pulse raced wildly and the lingering scent of his spicy aftershave was doing untold things to her already unbalanced body. She’d never been so bold or so daring before. Ever.
She glanced up at Nikos, who seemed completely unruffled and totally composed as he turned his attention to the announcements being made. They were all in Greek, and she amused herself by observing the world Nikos inhabited. It was so far from the world she’d thought he lived in it was surreal.
Women so glamorous they might have stepped off the front of any celebrity magazine glittered with jewels. Serena found herself wondering, who, if any of these women, had been at such an event before on Nikos’s arm. The array of images she’d seen on the internet that morning proved he was anything but the ordinary fisherman she’d thought he was. He was powerful, wealthy and if the array of beautiful women he’d dated was anything to go by very much a playboy.
As the speeches and applause went on Serena’s mind slipped back to the first time she’d seen him. Nothing about that tanned, handsome fisherman had suggested he was anything else. But he’d been a cunning liar.
He’d smiled at her as she’d sat on the beach, enjoying the early evening sunshine, then a short time later she’d walked past the local fishing boats and had seen him again. He’d talked to her, telling her things about fishing and the local restaurants he supplied that would be useful for her article.
The attraction between them had sparked and from then on they had spent every moment they could together. Soon hot, passionate nights had followed. He’d been the man she’d been waiting for—the man she’d wanted to lose her virginity to and the man she’d thought she would be able to go on loving. She’d believed they had a future—until that last night on the beach, when his harsh words had shattered that illusion.
‘Daydreaming?’
Nikos’s gentle accented voice broke through her thoughts, rushing her back to the fundraising event and the glamorous reality of his life.
When she looked into his handsome face she could almost see the Nikos she’d first met and it tugged at her heartstrings. Which was the real Nikos?
‘I was just wondering how you came from a small island fishing village to this.’ She gestured around her at the no-expense-spared glamour of the party, at the guests moving to the sides of the room as the lights dimmed and music began.
‘It’s a long story,’ he said, his face sombre, his eyes strangely hollow and lacking emotion.
Deep inside her she recognised pain, but before she could say anything he took her in his arms, moving them onto the dance floor as other couples began dancing around them.
She wanted to ask him more—to find out about the man she was now engaged to—but the sensation of being held close against his body as music filled the room was too much. Every move he made sent shockwaves through her and she lowered her face, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on his shoulder, not wanting him to see the flush of desire that must be evident on her cheeks.
She closed her eyes against the urge to reach up and kiss him, to indulge her fantasy of being loved by him. She couldn’t let him know that was all she needed, all she wanted—not when he’d lied to her, believing she was looking only to further her career and her position in life.
The music changed, the tempo becoming faster, and she pulled back from him, thankful of the excuse to do so. The darkness of his eyes as they met hers was so consuming she drew in a sharp and ragged breath.
He took her hand in his and led her away from the bustle of dancing. Doors opened out onto a balcony, lit with an array of coloured lights that reminded her of Christmas. She glanced around to see they were alone. The music floated out on the warm evening air, and laughter could be heard, but it was just the two of them here and her heartbeat joined in with the sway of the music.
‘Nikos...’ she whispered, aware he was holding back from her. ‘Your story—it’s one I need to hear if we are going to make any kind of future together.’
A smile of satisfaction spread across his lips, drawing her gaze briefly away from the blue of his eyes. ‘So you are considering a future with me?’
His brittle words reminded her that they were not in love—that this was a deal, one brokered in the interest of their child. The mood changed, killing any romantic notions the dance had allowed to slip into her head.
‘We are having a child, Nikos, and as much as I can’t bear the idea of a marriage for that reason, or the hideous terms you’ve attached to it like a business deal, I don’t want my child not to know his or her parents.’