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‘I came here because...’ He stopped, then clawed a hand through his hair. ‘Hell, I’m not exactly sure why I came here. But I know I didn’t want to be at the penthouse by myself.’ He raked his hand through his hair again. The weariness she’d glimpsed on his face earlier seemed amplified a hundred-fold. The soft place inside her chest that had been expanding since their pancake episode this morning widened even further and she found herself stepping back.
‘I... Would you like to come in?’
Lips pursed, he nodded. Standing to one side in the narrow hallway, she held her breath as he entered her sanctuary.
Immediately, he dwarfed the space. She shut the door and entered the living room to find him pacing the space in short, jerky strides.
‘Can I get you a drink?’ She hadn’t touched the bottle of scotch that had come with her Christmas hamper last year. Now she was grateful for it as she produced the bottle and Sakis nodded.
She took out a glass, poured a healthy measure and passed it to him.
‘Aren’t you having one?’ Despite his question, his gaze was focused on the amber liquid in his hand.
‘I don’t really...’ She stopped. After what she’d been through already tonight, what she sensed was coming, perhaps a small drink wouldn’t hurt. She poured a single shot for herself, took a sip and nearly choked as the liquid burned a fiery path through her chest.
With a grim smile, Sakis tossed his own drink back in one unflinching gulp. He set his glass down on the coffee table and faced her.
‘Why did you leave?’
The reason for returning home blazed at the back of her mind. Although she’d done nothing wrong, guilt clawed through her nevertheless. She licked her lips then froze when his eyes darkened. ‘I haven’t been home in a while. I just wanted to touch base.’
‘And touching base precluded you from answering your phone?’
She glanced at the phone she’d abandoned on the sofa after her call with Greg. Picking it up, she activated it and saw twelve missed calls on the screen.
‘Sorry, I was in the shower.’
His agitated pacing brought him closer. He stopped a couple of feet from her. But the distance meant nothing because she could feel the heat of his body reaching out, caressing her, claiming her. Tendrils of damp hair that had escaped the knot clung to her nape, sending tiny rivulets of water down her back. Supremely conscious that she was naked beneath her gown, she tried to take a step back but her feet were frozen on the carpet.
His gaze traced over her and stopped at the rapid rise and fall of her chest. She watched his fists clench and release as stark hunger transformed his face into a mesmerising mask.
‘I’m sorry to have disturbed you,’ he rasped, but nothing in his tone or his face showed contrition. Instead, his stare intensified, whipping the air around her until a helpless moan escaped her lips.
Abandoning reason, Brianna stepped closer, bringing her body flush against his. Knowing she risked betraying her very soul, but unable to stop herself, she cupped his jaw. ‘You ordered me to stop working. I didn’t think you’d need me tonight.’
Her breath caught as his gaze moved hungrily over her lips.
‘No, Brianna. Far from it. I need you. More now than I’ve ever needed you before. You’re the only one who makes the world make sense to me.’
‘I...I am?’
‘Ne. I didn’t like it when I couldn’t reach you.’ His head dropped a fraction until his forehead touched hers. ‘I can’t function without you by my side.’
‘I’m here now,’ she whispered, her throat clogged with emotions she couldn’t give name to. No, scratch that: it was desire, passion and compassion all rolled into one needful and relentless ache. That visceral need to connect with Sakis that she’d never felt with anyone else, not even her own mother. ‘Whatever you need, I’m here.’
One hand fisted her damp, precariously knotted hair, pulling it back almost roughly so her face was tilted up and exposed to his. ‘Are you?’ he enquired roughly.
She gave a shaky nod. ‘Yes.’
‘Be very sure, glikia mou. Because this time I won’t be able to stop. If you don’t want me to go any further, tell me now.’ His eyes searched her urgently, his need clearly displayed in the harsh whistle of breath that escaped his parted lips.
The hard body plastered to hers made thinking near impossible but Brianna knew one thing—this could be her one chance to be with Sakis. After Friday, she’d be out of a job—one she would be sacked from or have to resign from.
From a purely selfish point of view, this could be her last chance to experience the fervid promise of bliss she’d felt in the gym last night—to be bold enough to reach for something she’d once dared to crave.
‘Brianna?’ His fierce tone held a hint of vulnerability that struck deep.
Sakis needed her. And she...she needed to blank out the heartache the future held.
