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Her heart plummeted as she took in what he’d said. ‘I have no inclination to put it to the test.’ So he didn’t even want her any more—the sight of Eleni had killed his desire stone-dead. But even knowing that, she was aware too that she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep if he stayed in there with her. She would be longing for his possession, fighting every instinct she possessed to throw back the sheet and give him entry to her bed and body.
‘Is that really necessary?’ she demanded. ‘There must be other bedrooms.’ Including Eleni’s, she thought with sick dismay.
His mouth tightened. ‘Indeed there are. But I do not intend our marital spats to become public knowledge—not yet, in any case. There will be time enough for that. Marina and Eleni leave tomorrow morning. We can leave any decisions until then.’
So that was that, she thought, with a dull, empty ache in her heart. It was over. Eleni was his for the taking, and he wanted her now. And tomorrow he would release Jade from this farce of a marriage in order to pursue her.
Had that been the purpose behind his bizarre proposal in the first place? she wondered suddenly. Had she served her purpose by being brought here as his wife? Because perhaps Eleni was one of those women who were motivated by possessiveness— perhaps she hadn’t realised how much she had wanted Constantine for herself, until she’d thought that someone else had him.
He glanced at his watch. ‘You have only two hours before we are due to dine. I am sure that you could fill them most productively.’ His eyes mocked her startled expression. ‘Oh, don’t worry, agape mou—you won’t have to fend off my advances. I’m going for a walk. Be ready by eight.’
‘I’m not very hungry.’
‘I don’t care. Just be there.’
‘You can’t make me!’ she challenged.
‘No?’ he said softly, and she quickly turned away, rage and desire filling her veins with a pounding fire.
The bastard! The cold-hearted, cynical bastard! Even knowing that it was over, he still couldn’t resist anyopportunity to demonstrate his power over her.
She turned her back on him. ‘I’d like to use the shower now,’ she said coldly.
His response was equally cold. ‘But of course.’ And he slammed his way out of the room.
The bathroom was adjoined to their room, and Jade was surprised to see the luxuriously appointed fittings, not expecting such mod-cons in a place which was, to all intents and purposes, in the middle of nowhere.
She showered and changed into a short vampy dress of black satin, against which the pale fall of her hair stood out in startling contrast. If she was going out, she had decided in the shower, she was going to do it in style! She was just applying some blood-coloured lipstick in front of the mirror when Constantine returned. His face was set, and looked, she thought as she caught his reflection in the mirror, infinitely weary. She wondered whether he had in fact been out walking, or whether he had gone to Eleni, to seek solace in her arms, to make plans with her for their future.
He raised his eyebrows as he took in the amount of thigh she was showing, but gave her no greeting other than a short nod, then walked straight through to the bathroom.
She heard the sound of the shower running, and the hand which was applying mascara to her eye- lashes began to tremble as her mind began reluc- tantly to conjure up images of Constantine naked; his statuesque and magnificent golden body standing under the streaming jets of water. An image which stubbornly refused to disappear, and just the thought of it played absolute havoc with her already tightly stretched nerves.
But that was nothing to the effect he had on her when he walked back in the room, gleaming drop- lets of water still clinging to the dark olive of his skin and the dark hair which shadowed it. He was wearing nothing but the skimpiest of white towels slung low on his narrow hips.
Sweat broke out in beads on Jade’s forehead, but she doggedly continued to apply her mascara, splodging on far more than she’d intended, and wondering whether his mocking smile meant that he’d noticed.
Dinner was the longest meal she’d ever had to endure, and anything less like a celebration she couldn’t have imagined. The food was excellent, and so were the wines, and the table set out on the scented terrace under the light of the moon and the candles was simply breathtaking. But Eleni was clearly in a sniping mood, and Constantine ob- viously on edge.
Marina retired early, immediately after the coffee had been served, but Eleni looked set for the night, and after two cups of coffee Jade rose wearily to her feet.
‘I’m going to turn in now,’ she said. ‘Please excuse me.’
Eleni nodded, then turned to Constantine. ‘Stay and have a brandy with me,’ she urged him. ‘It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.’
Jade’s whole world hung on his answer, then came crashing around her ears as he nodded his dark head.
‘Very well,’ he concurred. ‘Just the one, but first I must take my wife to her room.’
Feeling sick at heart, Jade stared at him in hor- ror, wondering what kind of a hypocrite he must be if he could actually use the word ‘wife’ so inap- propriately. She shook her head, so that her long hair swayed in a pale cloud around her head, the long diamante earrings she wore flashing starry light around her neck. ‘It doesn’t matter, Constantine. I know the way. Please don’t bother.’
His mouth twisted. ‘Very well.’
‘Goodnight, Jade,’ said Eleni, and Jade couldn’t miss the brief note of triumph which hovered in her voice. ‘It has been a delight to meet you.’
‘Likewise,’ said Jade evenly, then, before she gave it all away, she turned quickly on her heel and away to her room.
She had thought that sleep would elude her, that she would stay awake all night in an agonised state, listening for the sounds of betrayal—the muffled giggles in the corridor, the deadened footsteps, even, she thought in horror—the creaking of the bed in another room. But perhaps she was wearier than she’d thought—perhaps in times like this nature could be almost kind and help her blot it all out until tomorrow, or perhaps she’d done so much thinking that her head simply couldn’t take any more. Because, whatever the reason, she found herself drifting into the warm and numbing em- brace of sleep, and when she opened her eyes again she blinked at the ceiling in bewilderment, at the patterns of sunlight which danced there, for a moment not remembering where she was.
