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CHAPTER TWELVE
‘FIVEMINUTES!’CALLEDMary as she dashed in from averylast-minute appointment at the salon.
Costa was standing by the glass doors, and not even the Aegean Sea, glittering behind him in all its splendour, could draw her attention, for he was beyond beautiful.
He wore black trousers and a white fitted shirt that showed him off to perfection. He was for the first time clean-shaven, his hair tidy and brushed back to give full access to his stunning features.
Mary had met him first in a high-end restaurant, but that had been just one version of him.
This one she was struggling acutely with.
This potent version of Costa she did not quite know how to handle. Because she was expected to dance with him, and kiss him, as if it was normal for them to do so, and yet all she wanted to do was shed her clothes and run to him.
‘You’ve shaved,’ Mary said, impressed with her only slightly high tone.
‘I’vebeenshaved,’ he corrected.
There was something else, though. It was as if he’d spent the entire day being polished and perfected, when in fact they’d been beyond late getting back to the retreat.
‘You’re ready?’ she asked.
‘Apart from my watch...’
‘You’d better find it, then. I won’t be long.’
‘No rush.’
He poured her a glass of sparkling water and handed it to her. Mary almost didn’t want to take it, for she feared she might spark into flames if he touched her.
‘Thank you,’ Mary said, and took her drink into the bedroom. Except he followed her in and stood in the doorway. He seemed to think they would chat as she selected her underwear.
‘It’s from Leo’s summer range,’ Mary said as she tried to wrestle her body into the tiniest panties. ‘It’s called Hope Dies Tonight! What a dreadful name.’ He said nothing. ‘Apparently,’ she rattled on, as she snapped on her tiny bra, ‘it sounds better in Greek.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ Costa said. ‘It certainly looks better in English.’
Mary looked down. There was clearly no safe flesh-coloured underwear in Leo Arati’s range; this set had a shimmer about it, to cover the most private parts, but it still left a lot exposed through the mesh fabric. Frankly, the Deception range would have been safer!
He watched her wrestle with shoes, and then he took her lovely pale gold dress and held it out for her.
‘Costa...’ It would be easier for her to dress alone than to lean on his shoulder as she stepped into it. Her desire, now discovered and unleashed, should have been pleased to lie quiet for a while and rest, yet it felt as if it was ready to leap into action at the merest whisper of encouragement.
She loved his deep kiss on her stomach as he pulled the dress up, and the way he stared right at her as he tied the halter neck, and the heat of his hands as he reached around to cup her breasts. She wanted him all over again.
‘I can’t believe I’m saying this,’ Mary muttered, ‘but I don’t want to go to the party...’
‘We need to go now.’
He had turned her on to the nth degree and now he wanted them to go to his family party?
He looked at his wrist, where his watch should be but wasn’t. Was he finally relaxing? Finally letting go? But he just collected the card, signed by Mary, and the little present.
She’d make him pay for teasing her like this later!
This time they walked hand in hand through the balmy night, and stopped for a kiss just before they went in. It was sheer bliss.
The second she stepped through the gates she saw thousands of candles almost drowned out by a full moon, the glitter of an ancient pool, and people. People, food and the throb of music. She couldn’t wait to explore.
‘Costa! Mary!’ Yolanda waved them over and greeted them with a smile. ‘You both look stunning.’
