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If he could turn on the charm now—even though she knew for sure that his feelings towards her were the complete opposite of those he was portraying—how could she know he’d ever been genuine? Had he ever really cared—or had she been nothing more than a suitably undemanding, biddable candidate who was willing to travel with him, to be at his beck and call for his personal convenience?
That thought felt like a slap in the face.
This evening showed that he was a master of deception. There was no way of knowing if he had ever been true to her—if his affection had ever been anything more than an act.
She stared at him across the table, unable to keep her expression neutral. After everything—what was she doing here with him?
She thought about Lucas. It made her chest ache, she missed him so much. She’d never been away from him overnight. By now Bridget would already have put him down to sleep. Had he settled quickly? Or had he cried because he missed his mother?
‘Kerry?’ Theo’s voice cut into her thoughts, and she realised he had spoken to her more than once before she’d heard. ‘Our host is saying goodnight.’
She quickly turned to Drakon, noticing how tired and drawn he was looking.
‘That was a delicious meal,’ she said quickly, hoping he hadn’t noticed how distracted she’d become towards the end.
‘Don’t have the stamina I once had,’ Drakon muttered as he heaved himself up on unsteady legs.
‘Let me help,’ Kerry said, rushing over to support him.
‘I don’t mind accepting help from a pretty young woman,’ he replied.
She could tell he was trying to make his voice sound light, but the strain that he was trying to hide was clearly visible in his face. She helped him halfway across the room, then his assistant appeared with a wheelchair, which he gratefully sank into.
‘Didn’t want you to see this,’ he mumbled. ‘Don’t really need it, but…’
‘Thank you for a lovely evening,’ she said, bending down to kiss him lightly on the cheek before his assistant wheeled him away.
She straightened her shoulders, already feeling Theo’s eyes on her. For a moment she didn’t want to turn and face him—but there was nothing else she could do.
‘Alone at last.’
Theo’s deep voice oozed with intent, and the sexual message in his tone tingled down her spine like a dark promise.
Kerry’s feet felt as if they were glued to the floor, but she made herself turn on the spot until she was facing Theo. Their eyes met with a snap, and she felt a surge of emotion rush through her. It had been so easy for him to play the attentive lover that evening—but she knew he was just playing a role for the sake of their elderly host. Had it been that way all the time they were together?
‘Was it always just an act?’ she demanded.
CHAPTER FIVE
A GLIMMER of surprise flashed across Theo’s face, but it was gone in an instant, to be replaced by a hard, shuttered expression. It was clear that he didn’t intend to get into the discussion that she wanted—at least not in Drakon’s dining room.
‘I’m not sure I understand your meaning.’ His voice sounded smooth and unhurried, but he closed the distance between them with a few rapid strides and wrapped his arm snugly around her. Although to an onlooker the gesture might have appeared affectionate, Kerry knew that was far from the truth. ‘Let’s go to our room, where we can talk quietly.’
‘You know exactly what I mean,’ she said curtly, attempting to pull away from him. But he tightened his hold on her and started walking out of the dining room. She had no choice but to go with him—not if she didn’t wish to make a scene.
Reluctantly, she let him guide her back to their bedroom, clamped to his side by his powerful arm. She was acutely conscious of his firm, masculine body moving beside her. With every step they took she could feel his legs brushing against hers, feel his muscles working, feel the heat passing from his body to hers. It was as if there was a current flowing from him into her, making her more and more sensitive to him.
Her pulse-rate was rising and she was starting to feel slightly breathless. But it wasn’t because of the strong emotions that had flared within her. Something else was building inside her now.
She tried desperately to ignore the way she was feeling physically—to call back the anger that had sparked in the dining room. But her mind and emotions were clouded simply from being so close to Theo.
‘Let’s not talk,’ he said as he closed the door quietly behind them. He turned and pulled her towards him, face to face. ‘I can think of things I’d far rather be doing with you.’
‘No.’ Kerry lifted her hands and pressed her palms flat against his chest to hold him away from her, although he was drawing her closer and closer with every second that passed. ‘I want answers. I want to know if everything was always just an act. Did you never care for me at all?’
‘An act?’ Theo looked deep into her eyes in a way that sent a quiver of heat running right to her centre. ‘You know this isn’t an act. No one
could fake sexual chemistry like this.’
