AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’d grown up feeling unwanted and unloved—and when she was eighteen years old she’d found out just how true that was. Her grandmother had not wanted to care for her, but had grudgingly become her guardian out of a twisted sense of duty, having refused to accept that her teenage daughter was capable of looking after her own baby.
But it had turned out that Theo hadn’t genuinely valued her company either. She’d made one mistake—and then he couldn’t get rid of her fast enough. Drakon’s mention of love being selfish was just another cruel reminder of how little she’d meant to Theo. He’d never loved her and she knew he never would.
‘I hope that tomorrow you will allow us to view the whole island,’ Theo said to their host, pulling Kerry out of her thoughts.
‘No business talk now.’ Drakon waved away his request and looked at Kerry. ‘My dear, I haven’t seen you for such a long time. I know I don’t leave the island much, but there were a couple of occasions in Athens when I was hoping to meet you again.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Kerry said, feeling a knot of tension tighten in her stomach as she found herself on the spot. She did not want to think about how Theo would react if she failed to convince Drakon that they were still together. ‘Unfortunately I haven’t been able to accompany Theo to every event lately,’ she continued. ‘I’ve been spending a lot of time in London—I’ve had family commitments.’
She pushed her long fringe out of her eyes and thought about Lucas. She was completely and utterly committed to her baby boy, and would do anything for him. Unlike her own mother—who had been too young and too weak when Kerry was born, and had not managed to stand up for herself or her baby.
‘Nothing serious, I hope,’ Drakon said, looking concerned. ‘No one sick?’
‘No, no…’ Kerry’s voice trailed away as a barb of guilt twisted inside her—as if somehow by hiding his existence she was betraying her son. ‘Personal things…nothing important.’
She took a breath and smiled reassuringly at the old man, who still looked worried—all the time feeling like the very worst kind of mother. How could she imply—even though of course she didn’t really mean it—that giving birth to Lucas had not been important?
‘I’m glad to hear that,’ Drakon said, as he pushed his chair back and levered himself up to standing. Theo was on his feet beside him in an instant, but Drakon waved his help aside impatiently. ‘I’m going to rest before dinner. Take a look around the house if you’re interested. Tomorrow you can see the island.’
Kerry stood up too, and waited quietly as Theo held the door into the house open for their elderly host.
‘The door stays open on its own,’ Drakon said tartly as he shuffled past. ‘I don’t need your help.’
A smile flashed across Kerry’s lips as she saw Drakon roll his eyes irritably at Theo. She really did like the old man.
Then she realised Theo was staring at her, and the smile faded from her face as quickly as it had come. A shiver prickled down between her shoulderblades as their eyes met—it felt just as if his dark gaze was boring right into her.
‘Something amusing?’ he asked, closing the distance between them in two long strides.
‘I like Drakon,’ she said, turning away to escape his penetrating gaze. ‘It’s good to see him again.’
She tried to concentrate on the amazing view of the bay below the house—a gorgeous crescent of rocky shoreline, edged by wizened old trees that seemed to lean right out over the azure Aegean Sea. But all the time she was ultra-aware of just how close Theo was standing.
Suddenly his arm slid possessively around her waist from behind, and she couldn’t help drawing in a sharp breath. She tried to ignore the tremor that ran through her as his fingers brushed against her skin, just under the hem of her top.
‘It’s good to see you again,’ he said, letting his hand slip further up inside, so that he was caressing the sensitive skin of her midriff.
‘You’re not looking at me,’ Kerry said, attempting to pull away, but he held her firmly against him.
‘Then it’s good to touch you.’ He eased her closer, so that she was standing with her back pressed against his chest.
‘Touching me wasn’t part of the deal,’ she protested, instinctively pulling in her stomach muscles as his other hand slipped around her waist on the opposite side.
‘We never made any deal.’ His voice was a murmur, so close to her neck that his lips brushed her skin and set off a whole new series of tremors within her. ‘You came because I told you to. And because you wanted to.’
‘No. I—’ Kerry’s voice caught in her throat as Theo pressed his open mouth against her neck and nibbled gently, making exquisite sensations ripple through her.
She couldn’t hide the way her body was suddenly trembling. Maybe it was because it was so long since she had felt Theo’s touch, but suddenly the combination of his tongue moving across her skin and his warm breath feathering her neck felt like the most sensual thing she had ever experienced.
Her breath escaped her in a long, shuddery sigh, and he responded immediately by rocking his hips forward and pressing against her. The feel of his hard erection nudging into the soft curve of her bottom made a torrent of hot arousal cascade through her and her heart started to race.
‘I’ve missed this,’ Theo said. ‘And I can tell you’ve missed it too.’
‘No. I haven’t.’ Kerry’s voice faltered as Theo ran his tongue lightly up the side of her neck and pulled on her earlobe with his lips. Another wave of tremors rolled through her—but she knew she had to put a stop to Theo’s seduction.
If she let herself fall any further under his spell she wouldn’t stand a chance—she knew she would end up in his bed. She could not let that happen. Not after the way he had treated her. And not with the huge secret she was keeping from him.
‘I want to have a look around,’ she said, taking a positive step forward and breaking away from his touch. ‘Drakon said we could. I’m surprised you don’t seem keen to take the opportunity to survey your potential acquisition.’
