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His casual question threw her in mid-sentence and she broke off and gaped at him. Why was it a mistake?
Because he hadn’t loved her.
She stuffed her hands in her shorts and wondered how they ever managed to last five minutes without killing each other. ‘What we shared was sex, Zander. Not a great basis for marriage.’
She swallowed, forced to acknowledge again the gulf between their emotions. For her their relationship had been everything, a fierce, tempestuous rightness that she knew she’d never find with another man. For him it had been great sex.
He was looking at her, a strange expression in his eyes. ‘It’s not just sex. You excite me more than any woman I’ve ever met but I also get a kick out of the rest of our relationship. You’re sparky and sharp and interesting to be around.’
‘You mean I’m the only person who isn’t afraid to say no to you.’
He laughed, genuinely amused. ‘Plenty of people say no to me, Anni. I’m not quite the tyrant you believe me to be.’
She caught her breath, transfixed by the charm of his smile and the light in his eyes. ‘I don’t think you’re a tyrant.’
She remembered the people she’d interviewed in his company, all of whom had spoken of Zander with a respect bordering on the reverential.
Their eyes locked and he gave a low groan. ‘Don’t look at me like that. I have to meet Kouropoulos in less than half an hour.’ He rose to his feet and held out a hand. ‘I want you to come with me.’
She stared at him. ‘You do?’
‘Absolutely.’
She swallowed. ‘But Marina—’
‘Surely you’re not afraid of Marina,’ he said softly, his eyes challenging her. ‘You flash sparks and anger for me whenever I put one foot out of line. What’s stopping you doing the same with her?’
She hesitated. ‘Because she’s evil. And clever. I can’t prove what she did. It’s all circumstantial.’
He shrugged. ‘So we make her confess.’
She gave a laugh. ‘Thumbscrews and torture chambers, Zander?’
‘Now there’s a thought.’ His eyes gleamed wickedly and she blushed.
‘Don’t.’ She felt the heat rise inside her under his steady gaze. How could it be possible to want a man this much? ‘It isn’t a joke. She wants you, Zander.’
His eyes narrowed, his gaze blatantly sexual. ‘But I’m taken.’
Of course. The sudden reminder of exactly why she was here struck Lauranne like a physical blow.
Her role was to convince Kouropoulos that she and Zander were in love.
None of it was real.
Bu
t then she remembered his promise to his grandmother and she lifted her chin and smiled. ‘Then let’s go to this meeting and remind them both of that.’
CHAPTER NINE
THEO Kouropoulos scanned through the papers in front of him.
Lauranne stared at the table, terrified that her face might reveal something it shouldn’t. She wasn’t used to playing these elaborate business games. Zander wanted the island. She knew he wanted the island, but his body language said that he was totally indifferent to the outcome of the meeting.
He sprawled in a chair on the other side of the table looking thoroughly relaxed and slightly bored.
He was the master of negotiation, outsmarting his opponent at every turn.
