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Because cure herself she must. No other possibility was acceptable. She had to cure herself so that she could look at Nikos Theakis and see him as Tina saw him—as nothing more than a ridiculously handsome male who could turn female heads for miles around, but not hers. Her he left cold—quite, quite cold.
Except that cold was not the sensation flushing through her now. Not in the slightest.
It was heat beating up through her, invading her skin, her body cells, her mind, her brain.
Taking her over.
‘Ah, Ann, my dear—there you are.’ As ever, it was Sophia Theakis’ placid voice that made her surface, made her brain work again, made her drag her eyes from the man who had magnetised them with his presence.
Another presence helped distract her as well. A little figure came running across to her.
‘Uncle Nikki is back! And Dr Sam is coming too! And I am staying up, and I am not going to fall asleep and go splat into my dinner, like Uncle Nikki says!’
Ann stooped to catch up Ari and return his hug. His presence at dinner was a godsend, and so was Sam’s. He arrived shortly, escorted in by Tina, who was looking very fetching in a blush-pink dress that suited her dusky curls. They made a striking couple, and Ann felt a strange pang go through her as they stood together, so obviously a pair, Tina’s hand hooked into Sam’s arm, and their shoulders brushing.
Lucky Tina, came the thought again. But she put it aside, knowing she had to focus only on getting through this meal without looking anywhere near Nikos.
Somehow she did, and it was mostly thanks to Ari, who held centre stage, having both his uncle and a clearly amused Sam to entertain with his chatter. As the lengthy meal drew to a close, however, despite his assurance that he would not fall asleep, Ann could see Ari getting sleepier and sleepier. It gave her just the opportunity she needed to murmur to Tina that she should stay with Sam while she put Ari to bed. Scooping up the nearly somnolent infant, she bore him off, smiling her goodnights to everyone round the table except the man at the head of it. He, with her blessing, could fall off a cliff for all she cared.
At least, she thought darkly, Nikos was ignoring her as much as she was ignoring him. And with Tina’s parents and immediate family arriving the next day, surely there should be people enough to make it possible for her to go on avoiding him?
But her hopes were dashed the very next morning.
‘My dear,’ said Mrs Theakis to her during breakfast, at which Ann was doing her best to continue her policy of ignoring Nikos, even though his presence was about as easy to ignore as a jackal’s at a watering hole. ‘It would afford me a great pleasure to be allowed to make you a present of a new gown to wear for Tina’s wedding reception evening party.’
Immediately Ann demurred. ‘Oh, no, really—it’s very kind of you, but I brought an evening gown with me, just in case.’
Mrs Theakis gave an airy wave of her beringed hand. ‘I am sure that a new one would be far more fun for you.’ She smiled.
‘No—really. The one I have is fine, I promise you,’ insisted Ann. Not only did she not want Ari’s grandmother spending money on her, she was also painfully conscious of what would obviously be Nikos’s caustic disapproval of her getting yet more out of the Theakis family.
The next moment she was even more grateful that she had refused.
‘Nikos is going to Athens today—he could take you with him and help you choose a new dress,’ said Mrs Theakis encouragingly.
Ann’s expression was a study. ‘No—please—really,’ she stammered out.
To her intense relief Mrs Theakis dropped the subject, but as Ann headed back to her room after breakfast to brush her teeth, she was intercepted at her bedroom door.
‘Show me this dress of yours,’ said a brusque, terse voice behind her. She turned sharply. Nikos was bearing down on her. ‘My mother is clearly too tactful to say that she would like you to wear something appropriate for Tina’s reception. If I can’t reassure her, then—like it or not—I’ll have to let her splash out on a new one for you,’ he said, with evident disapproval.
Ann’s eyes snapped. ‘It’s a perfectly respectable evening gown, thank you very much!’
‘I’ll be the judge of that,’ said Nikos darkly, and pushed past her into the room.
It was hard to see him there again, dominating the space as he dominated every space. He had not been inside since the night he’d walked in for a bit of sex on the side…
The last thing she wanted was to see him there again, but if it meant that she could evade the unthinkable prospect of going to Athens with him to buy a new dress she would endure it. Stiffly, Ann marched to the wardrobe and leafed through her clothes, taking out the evening gown she had brought with her from London. It was a beautiful gown—in deep turquoise layered chiffon, with one shoulder bare and the other a broad pleat of material. The bodice was a little too low cut for her liking, but she had made a tuck in the shoulder strap to hoist the bodice higher, reducing her décolletage. Originally, too, the long skirt had been split to the thigh, but Ann had painstakingly sewn up the two sections to make it much less revealing.
A sudden oath sounded behind her, startling her. Before she could stop him, Nikos had snatched the dress from her.
‘Where did you get this?’ he snarled.
Ann looked askance at his incomprehensible anger. Then, before she could gather an answer, he provided one himself.
‘Don’t bother to answer with a lie! I recognised it immediately!’ His voice was harsh and grating. ‘Your sister wore it the night she got her avaricious claws into my brother!’
Ann could only stare. Shock and fury etched her face. Anger flashed again in Nikos’ eyes. He threw the dress to the floor, and Ann, giving a little cry, made an instinctive movement to pick it up from where it lay crumpled in a heap. But hard hands came around her elbows, pinning her immobile.
