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‘What point?’ she muttered. ‘And...how would Ben even know any of this?’
He allowed himself a tense smile. ‘He’ll know.’
Her head tilted and she dropped her hand. ‘Let me guess—another of your contingencies?’ she whispered.
He told himself he needed to get on with more important things. And yet he couldn’t move. ‘It’s best if you don’t know every small detail.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I want your reactions to be natural, organic. Anything less than that and he’ll guess it’s a ruse.’
She stepped to the side, removing herself from his reach. Xandro balled his hands to stop himself from seizing her once more. She walked further into the living room and dropped her purse on the nearest sofa. ‘This is insane.’
He held up his hand to pre-empt her. ‘No. This is the most time-efficient way to bring things to a satisfactory end for both of us.’
‘Surely you can’t expect me to...perform at the drop of a hat?’
His gaze rested on her mouth. Her slightly swollen, infinitely kissable mouth. ‘I’ve just kissed you and your response was...acceptable. Besides, isn’t playacting what you do when you dance?’
Her tongue darted over her lower lip and he suppressed a groan. ‘That’s different.’
He turned away before the urge to touch her again grew too hard to handle. ‘I’m confident you’ll adapt. I have to go out now. There’s a private butler who services my suite. He’ll be here in a minute to show you to your room. If you need anything after that, his number is on the phone.’
She blinked then looked around her, as if noticing for the first time exactly where she was.
Since this penthouse suite was his own space, he’d added paintings and art from his private collection, one of which was a Cycladic tapestry sourced from a small village artist in Skiathos. It depicted a red-haired female form reclining on a sandy beach, her gaze riveted on an orange sunset. He had priceless pieces in his homes and hotels all around the world, but this was one of his favourites.
Which was probably why he paused to watch her inspect the painting instead of heading downstairs to the meeting he risked being late for.
‘Oh...that’s beautiful,’ she murmured.
Xandro didn’t know he was holding his breath until he exhaled. He needed to leave rather than stand there, comparing her russet hair to the woman’s in the painting, and suddenly finding the painting wanting. He needed to go before the urge to taste her again grew too much to resist.
After several moments her gaze, like that of most people who found themselves with this aerial view of the city, turned towards the imposing beauty of the Acropolis. Again she gasped, her feet moving towards the floor-to-ceiling windows that took up an entire wall.
He took a beat to see it through her eyes, and felt a wonder and pride in his motherland. But on its heels the bitterness that was never far away when he returned to Greece rose to poison the waters of his pride. Somewhere in this city was the man whose blood ran through his veins. The father whose actions could’ve easily ensured Xandro had never been born.
The reminder that he had enemies in this world and that Sage, through her brother, was one of them, eroded a little of the carnal edge gripping him.
‘I’ll return in a few hours. Be ready to go out to dinner tonight.’
She looked over her shoulder. Whatever response she’d been about to give dried up because, he suspected, of the grim look on his face.
‘Okay,’ was all she said.
And as he walked away Xandro prayed, for her sake, that it was the beginning of the end of her resistance.
* * *
The little black dress she’d thrown into her suitcase at the last minute didn’t need ironing. It was one of the many small things Sage was thankful for when she emerged from the most spectacular bathroom she’d ever seen, mainly because every single brain cell seemed to be hooked on the kiss she’d shared with Xandro.
Although shared was probably not an accurate description.
He’d conquered her lips. Branded every inch inside and out and left her with a hunger that even now, four hours later, was as acute as ever. Many times after he’d walked away, she’d found her fingers tracing her mouth, a little stunned at the tingling that still lingered.
She knew that he’d picked her as a pawn against her brother. And yet she’d fallen into his kiss at the first opportunity, despite every precaution she’d taken.
But...dear heaven, that kiss had been something else.
