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Ariane flicked a hand in the direction of one of the sleek white buildings. ‘There’s a bathroom in there—first on the left. You can’t miss it.’
As Marnie began to walk across the sunlit patio, Leon couldn’t tear his gaze away from her because right now she seemed like the personification of his perfect dream.
Or his perfect nightmare.
He was having difficulty breathing. Difficulty thinking of anything other than the way she had wrapped her legs around his back last night while he had thrust deep into her virgin tightness. Had he thought he would never run into her again? Yes—and a million times yes. Because that was for the best. He was all wrong for her and she was definitely all wrong for him. Not just because she was unsophisticated and innocent and would never have fitted into his world—nor he into hers—but because he didn’t recognise the man he had become in her company.
Wild—tick. Reckless—another tick. But it had been the way he had lost control which had so disturbed him. Or rather, the realisation that someone else had the power to take that control away from him which had bothered him most. As a child he had been manipulated by the subterfuge of his mother and the widespread influence of his father and at times had felt powerless. That was the feeling he’d been determined never to revisit but, last night, he had done just that—and it had scared him. He, who despised fear almost as much as he despised lies.
Which was why, when he had dropped Marnie off, he had resisted the urge to kiss her—despite the red-hot invitation of her lips. Just as he hadn’t taken her back to her room and made love to her again, even though powerful desire had raged inside his body. He had forced himself to listen to the voice of reason and had said nothing but a terse goodnight as she slid from the back of his bike.
But now she was here and he knew he had to get her alone, though he didn’t stop to ask himself why. Putting his glass down on a nearby table, he began to follow her into the shady interior of the villa. He could hear the sound of running water and there, in the open doorway of a bathroom, stood Marnie, bending over a sink. He saw her shoulders stiffening and her head jerking up, as if she’d sensed someone was behind her and that it was him. Was she as acutely aware of his presence as he was of hers, he wondered distractedly, even from this distance? But no, she was actually looking at him in the mirror and her furious expression was reflected back at him.
‘Go away,’ she snapped.
‘I need to talk to you.’
‘To say what?’ Holding her little container of water, she turned to face him and her anger was far more intense when witnessed face-on, rather than through the cool barrier of the glass. ‘To explain how you got invited to a fancy party like this? They don’t look like the kind of people who would be hobnobbing with their builder, unless society is a lot more equal here than I thought it was. What happened, Leon—did you decide to leave your trowel and cement behind, or did I arrive too late to see you scaling up a ladder? Because you’re not a builder at all, are you?’
‘In a way, I am—’
‘Please don’t insult my intelligence by playing with words! You know exactly what I mean.’
Leon’s mouth flattened. Her fury was delectable enough to make him want to smile, but he sensed the embarrassment behind the words she flung at him. ‘There’s a reason I didn’t tell you.’
‘I’m sure there is. And what might that be, I wonder?’ Her gaze raked over his body, but it was a cold and damning assessment and nothing like the hungry gaze she had subjected him to over dinner last night. ‘You’re obviously a very rich man, Leon. I guess you need to hide that fact away from casual hook-ups, in case they start making demands on your wealth!’
‘But I don’t do casual hook-ups!’
‘Really? So did I just dream what happened last night? Was it all a figment of my imagination?’ There was the faintest, telltale wobble of her lips before she looked over his shoulder and her angry expression quickly morphed into a brisk and professional smile. ‘Kyria Paparizou!’ she gushed. ‘I’m so sorry to have kept you—I was just running the water to get it to exactly the right temperature for your nails. Certainly. Yes, of course! I’ll be right there!’
Leon was so taken aback by the unwanted interruption that he stepped aside to let her pass, tantalisingly aware of her scent before reluctantly turning and wondering how the persistent Ariane Paparizou was going to react when she saw hi
m talking to the manicurist.
Until he realised that the Greek heiress was nowhere to be seen! Only Marnie herself, sashaying across the brilliant patio, with the white material of her uniform stretched alluringly over her buttocks and her hair a million different shades of gold. His body tensed. So, it had been nothing but a ruse to get her away from him—and he had fallen for it! He wasn’t used to being wrong-footed and for a moment he just stood there, watching her retreat.
Suddenly she turned and flashed him a triumphant look—as if she was enjoying having outsmarted him—and Leon felt the corresponding stir of hunger in his blood. As she sat down on the stool to start working on Ariane’s nails, he walked out onto the terrace.
A waiter handed him a drink and he knew he ought to join one of the small clusters of people who were laughing and drinking beneath the shade of big white umbrellas. But all he wanted to do was to stare at Marnie and drink in the way the sunlight was gleaming on her bare legs. Last night he had been determined he wasn’t going to see her again—but in the bright light of day, that suddenly didn’t seem like such a good idea.
‘So, Leon. This is where you’re hiding.’
A male voice shattered his contemplation and Leon glanced across at the man who had joined him—Xenon Zafiris, heir to a massive shipping line. The two men had moved in similar circles when they’d been teenagers but had never really been friends.
He flicked Xenon a cool smile. ‘As you see, I’m in plain sight.’
‘So you are. How was America?’
‘Oh, you know. Big.’
‘And England?’
‘Pretty small.’
‘I hear you’ve been doing stuff in Northern Greece.’ Xenon raised his eyebrows. ‘Drilling for wells, on a no-profit basis.’
‘That’s right.’ Leon’s voice became thoughtful. ‘The land up there badly needs water. There’s no limit to the possibilities for future farming, if we just get the irrigation right.’
