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He stopped short, surprised by her question. ‘Just that. I looked you up, Kallie. Never out of the society pages. In fact, I’m surprised we haven’t bumped into one another long before now as you seem to hit every night spot with alarming regularity.’
Kallie simmered when she thought of the long hours, the back-breaking work she had put in to get her business off the ground. Invariably on those nights that he had talked about, she’d been up the next morning to go back to work at six a.m., and certainly not sleeping off the rigours of a mad night out. Especially when she didn’t even drink!
‘I’m surprised, Alexandros. For someone with a seemingly insatiable desire to take over the world, that you don’t recognise another workaholic when you see one.’ She shrugged. ‘Think what you will, though, I really couldn’t care less.’
Liar…
Her words caught at him, tugged him into a memory from long ago, and he felt an immediate need to justify…something. And how could she claim to be a workaholic? If that work included being out among the B-list and C-list celebrities till dawn every morning? He’d always had a scathing disregard for her profession and only used his own PR in a very calculating way. Unfortunately, the way the media worked today, as he knew all too well, his need for such a company was imperative. He strode on ahead of her, taciturn and dark.
‘We’re eating out tonight.’
Kallie’s rage dissipated like lightning. Her mouth dried up. And then…?
‘OK,’ she blurted out. Anything to avoid being alone with him in the villa, being wound up, suited her just fine. In fact, it’d be easier if she didn’t have to look at him at all. She hurried after him.
‘You know we don’t have to eat out together. If you want, you could go out. I don’t mind staying in.’
He ignored her, not even looking back. ‘We’ll go out in a couple of hours.’
She stuck out her tongue in a ridiculously childish gesture at his back and curiously it actually did make her feel a little better. She followed her autocratic husband into the villa.
Alexandros sat sprawled in a chair in the hall waiting for Kallie to come downstairs that evening. His body had a satisfyingly tired ache. After their little exchange, he’d gone back to the pool and swum lengths to try and forget the fact that he wanted Kallie more than he’d ever wanted another woman. And that he was very much afraid that he’d be the one to go through the door first. The fact that she could arouse him to the point that he couldn’t even control his impulses made him seethe.
She appeared at the top of the stairs at that moment and the mere sight of her made a complete waste of his punishing physical exertion in the pool. As if he’d just received an injection of pure adrenalin, Alexandros shot to his feet. What killed him about watching her come down the stairs was that she wasn’t even dressed to impress. She was wearing jeans and a white shirt. Hair loosely tumbled over her shoulders. With barely any make-up and a fresh, light scent pervading the air around her lightly, she came to a halt in front of him. She smiled tightly but even that rocked his foundations.
‘Good. I’m glad we’re not dressing up.’
He was transfixed by her eyes, her mouth. ‘What?’
She indicated his clothes. He was dressed casually like her, in jeans and a shirt. He thought to himself that if he could hardly handle her dressed like this, how would he even begin to control himself around her if she was dressed to impress, to seduce? Before she could read anything on his face, he ushered her out and into his vehicle. The ever-present bodyguards followed in another one and Kallie shivered at the knowledge of how important Alexandros was. Somehow, in the intensity of the ongoing battle between them, she’d forgotten that.
She couldn’t help the fizz of excitement at the thought of going into the city, she’d always loved the hustle and bustle of Athens. At least, that’s what she told herself was causing the fizz of excitement, not the man beside her.
‘Where are we going? It’s been so long since I’ve been here I’m sure things have changed quite a bit.’
When Alexandros shot her a quick glance, she saw that he was avoiding her eye. ‘There’s a new place just opened in Kolonaki I’d like to try out.’
As if he’d even care for her opinion on the matter…
‘Is that still the exclusive area?’ she asked idly, determined not to be bothered by him.
‘Yes, but it’s fast being taken over by areas like Gazi which are becoming the in place to be.’
Kallie shook her head. ‘That place was just full of derelict buildings…don’t tell me, some bright spark converted an old industrial works building into some kind of an art space and now it’s become a home to all sorts of bohemians and trendy restaurants.’
She saw his mouth quirk, and was transfixed by the sudden lightness that seemed to surround them.
Alexandros was amused at the way she’d assessed the situation in one.
‘Yes, those damned bright-spark shipping magnates have a habit of regenerating dead areas.’
Kallie gasped and looked at him. ‘You?’
He nodded and shrugged. ‘With a few others. Well, it was better than letting it crumble. Now there’s galleries, restaurants, clubs…’ His mouth tightened for an instant. ‘Constantine Stakis had taken control of the area and it took years to clean it up. It was becoming a haven for the black market, cheap, dangerous housing, prostitutes…you name it, he had it there and made a killing from it.’
She turned to face Alexandros fully, unaware of the natural glow on her face that was lit up with sudden enthusiasm. ‘Could we go there instead? Please? I’d love to see what you’ve done to the area. I always thought it had great potential.’
Alexandros felt an uncustomary punch to his gut, a burst of pride. He just answered with a shrug and turned the vehicle in the other direction. It had been so long, if ever, since he’d felt shared pleasure in the accomplishment of something that it kept him silent for the rest of the journey.
