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‘To think I was going to turn this down,’ she murmured sideways to Nikos.
He turned his head to glance down at her. ‘Enjoying yourself?’
‘Oh, yes,’ she breathed. ‘You know, I could definitely, definitely get used to this.’
Something flickered across his eyes. ‘Well, enjoy...’ he murmured, and reached for his wine glass.
Mel found she was lifting hers, too. There was a clink as the rims met together.
‘To all my good ideas, Mel,’ he murmured, and his eyes were like dark, melting chocolate.
Except that the melting sensation seemed to be inside her as he spoke.
She took a mouthful of the wine, hoping it would steady her, then got back to focussing on the gourmet food she was eating. That, at least, was a safe thing to do.
Beside her, Nikos’s long lashed eyes rested on her averted face. There was speculation in his gaze. As if he were asking himself a question.
A question that had the dazzling beauty that was Mel Cooper at its heart.
* * *
Mel sighed luxuriously and leant her head back against the soft leather headrest of the car seat. ‘This,’ she announced extravagantly, ‘has been the best evening ever.’
Nikos, sitting beside her in the back of the chauffeur-driven car, turned his head towards her and smiled. ‘I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,’ he replied.
‘Definitely,’ she assured him, turning towards him.
Their eyes met. Mel could see, even in the dim light of the car’s interior as it made its way through the nearly deserted streets of London long after the midnight hour, that there was an expression in them that made half of her want to pull her own gaze away immediately, because that was the most prudent thing to do, and half of her want to go on letting her gaze entwine with his.
For a moment she almost let her gaze slide away—then didn’t. The evening was going to end very soon now, and she was going to make the most of the short time left.
Make the most of Nikos.
He was just too damn gorgeous for her to do anything else.
It was a thought that had been forming all evening and now, with the end fast approaching, cocooned in the privacy of the car, she let herself indulge in the last luxury of gazing at him, drinking him in. She could feel the wine she had drunk with dinner filling her veins, could feel its effects upon her, but she didn’t care. Right now it seemed good—very good—just to enjoy the moment.
‘That’s a pretty definite vote of approval,’ Nikos said. His mouth quirked.
She tilted her head slightly. She must remind herself of just why Nikos had taken her with him this evening. Not for her own sake, but to serve as a foil against another woman’s unwanted attentions. It would be sensible not to forget that. Especially when they were alone together in this confined space, with the driver behind his screen and the anonymous streets beyond.
‘Do you think Fiona will try and pursue you again?’ she asked.
The quirk deepened. ‘Hopefully not.’ The dark eyes were veiled as his long lashes swept down momentarily. ‘Not now you’ve introduced her to Sven.’
Mel gave a gurgle of laughter. ‘He’s not called Sven,’ she remonstrated. ‘He’s called Magnus—and anyway his name doesn’t matter. Only that he’s a Viking hunk and runs some trendy Nordic telecoms company, which means that Fiona can consider him dateable.’
‘Let’s hope he considers her dateable. It was you he was chatting up when you disappeared off to the powder room,’ Nikos retorted.
There was, he realised as he spoke, a discernible bite in his voice. Seeing Mel walk back to their table with the ‘Viking hunk’ at her side had sent a primitive growl through him. Only when she’d made a point of introducing the Viking to Fiona and leaving them to it had the growl subsided.
‘I let him—precisely because I wanted to hand him over to Fiona,’ Mel riposted. ‘I felt genuinely bad, cutting her out—she needed a consolation prize.’
‘Well, I hope Sven keeps her busy—and away from me,’ he replied.
‘Happy to have been of use.’ Mel smiled with exaggerated sweetness.
‘And I’m very grateful to you, I assure you...’
There was a husk in Nikos’s voice as he spoke—she could hear it. Could feel it vibrating deep within her. The humour of a moment ago was gone, and suddenly the breath was tight in Mel’s lungs.
She knew she had to break that gaze holding her motionless like this, making her breathless, but it was impossible to move. Impossible to breathe. Impossible to do anything other than just sit there, her head turned towards Nikos, feeling him so close, so very, very close to her...
