AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I am sure the hotel’s reputation would have grown just as well if Bampás had remained in charge,’ Jace said loyally. It was not the first time his mother had hinted that Dimitri had lacked the flair to run a successful business. His father had been a kindly man, but he’d been no match for Kostas’s ruthlessness.
Jace exhaled heavily. He’d felt on edge since he and Eleanor had returned to Greece two days ago from their honeymoon in Africa that he had arranged at the last minute. It had been unlike him to act impulsively, but her vulnerability on their wedding night had made him feel guilty that he’d forced her into marrying him.
Could he say that he was any better than her grandfather? he asked himself grimly. His ultimate goal had been to take full control of the hotel. It had seemed so simple. Kostas had destroyed his father, and so he would destroy Kostas’s legacy. But Jace had come to realise that he did not want to hurt Eleanor more than he already had. She had innocently been caught up in the feud between their families, but now they both owned fifty per cent of the Pangalos and it was time to forget about the past.
He frowned, thinking of how Eleanor had insisted that she wanted to live at the Pangalos resort rather than at his house in Thessaloniki.
‘It makes sense for the manager of the hotel to live on the resort so that I can deal with any problems that arise immediately,’ she’d argued. ‘It’s a couple of hour’s drive to your office in Thessaloniki. I’m sure you will want to focus your attention mainly on Zagorakis Estates, so why don’t you base yourself in the city during the week and spend the weekends at the Pangalos?’
‘You are my wife,’ he’d reminded her tersely. ‘Our marriage will not seem convincing if we live apart most of the time.’
Jace told himself it was a good sign that Eleanor did not expect the honeymoon to continue now they were back in the real world. The two weeks they had spent in Africa had been great if he was honest. It was the first time since he had started his property development company a decade ago that his life had not been dominated by work. Sure, he’d allowed himself time to socialise, but every successful entrepreneur knew that more business deals were made through networking at parties than in the boardroom. He’d had mistresses, but he had never spent time with them away from the bedroom.
Eleanor had been a virgin until their marriage, but she’d proved to be a delightfully willing pupil and sex with her had left him feeling satisfied in a way he had never felt with his previous lovers. He’d assumed she enjoyed their lovemaking as much as he did, and he was rattled that she’d suggested they live apart. He was glad that she wasn’t a clinging vine, but the Eleanor he had wooed sixteen months ago had been eager to please him, unlike now, when she was irritatingly independent and stubborn. But he had not really known her the first time he’d asked her to be his wife, Jace acknowledged. And having hurt her deeply once, he could not blame her for putting up barriers.
Jace was becoming familiar with the uncomfortable stab of his conscience where his wife was concerned. He forced his mind back to the present. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come and live in the apartment here in the hotel which used to be our home?’ he asked his mother.
She shook her head. ‘I was happy living here with your father, but since he died there are too many sad memories.’
Through the window Jace could see the cliff that he had scrambled down when he’d heard his father’s faint cry from far below. He’d cut his hands on the jagged rocks in his haste to reach the bottom of the cliff. The sight that had met him would be etched on his memory for ever. His father’s body twisted at an unnatural angle, blood pouring from a wound on his head. Instinctively, Jace had known there was no time to get help. Dimitri’s breaths had been laboured and he’d been barely conscious. But he had roused himself when Jace had knelt beside him.
‘Promise me you will destroy Kostas as he destroyed our family. Take back the hotel any way you can for your mother’s sake. It is too late...for me...’
‘Jace?’ His mother’s voice pulled him from the dark place in his mind. ‘Will you and Eleanor live in the apartment?’
‘No,’ he said abruptly. ‘We have moved into one of the private villas by the beach. I thought that if you lived here, I would be nearby to take care of you.’
‘Anna is a good nurse. And you will want to spend as much time as possible with your beautiful wife.’ Iliana’s eyes twinkled. ‘Perhaps there will be good news before long. A baby,’ she said when Jace looked puzzled.
‘Ah! We are not planning anything like that at the moment,’ he muttered, relieved that he had started to push his mother’s wheelchair and she could not see his face.
‘Don’t leave trying for a family too long. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you have settled down. Eleanor is the perfect wife for you.’
Jace pictured his wife when he’d left her asleep at the villa where they were now living. They had enjoyed each other twice last night, and he’d woken before dawn to find her pert derrière pressed up against his hip. The invitation had been irresistible, and he’d eased his erection between her thighs while he’d slid his hands around her to play with her breasts. The sex had been leisurely at first and then urgent as passion built to a crescendo and he’d climaxed seconds after her.
Give it a few weeks and his fascination with Eleanor would turn to boredom, Jace assured himself. No woman had ever held his interest for long. He helped his mother into the car and felt a pang when she leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. The signs of her illness were evident on her lined face. He wished he had been able to bring her back to the hotel sooner. It was ironic that his mother seemed more pleased about his marriage than the fact that his name was now included on the deeds of the Pangalos.
The car drove away, taking Iliana and her nurse back to Thessaloniki. Jace hesitated on the steps of the hotel, tempted to return to the villa and Eleanor. When they were together he forgot about why he had married her. But that was a dangerous path to take. There was no future to their marriage, and he did not want there to be. He had decided a long time ago that he was better off alone.
He walked across the opulent lobby and opened the door into the office he had decided would be his. And stopped dead. Eleanor was sitting behind the desk—hisdesk. His eyes roamed over her scarlet jacket, which was buttoned low down and revealed a tantalising glimpse of the deep vee between her breasts. She seemed to have forgotten to wear a blouse, Jace noted furiously. It was something that Takis Samaras appeared to be well aware of, from the way he was staring at Eleanor’s cleavage as he leaned over her, resting his hip against the desk.
His wife and his closest friend were laughing, their heads bent towards each other as they shared a private joke. Jace felt a sensation like corrosive acid fizzing in the pit of his stomach. He had never experienced jealousy before, but the sight ofhis wifesmiling flirtatiously at another man made him want to rip Takis’s head off.
Eleanor glanced over at him and Jace convinced himself it was a guilty blush that spread across her face. ‘We have a visitor,’ she said unnecessarily. ‘Takis was telling me such a funny story.’
Jace gritted his teeth, aware that his friend could lay on the charm when he chose to. ‘Was he?’ he said curtly.
Takis straightened up and strolled across the room. Amusement gleamed in his eyes as he murmured, ‘Good to see you, Jace. I thought I’d come and check out your new acquisition. The Pangalos,’ he added drily when Jace’s gaze flew to Eleanor. ‘So, you finally took control of the hotel, as you always planned to do.’
After Takis had walked out of the office, saying that he wanted to take a look at the pool and spa, Eleanor glared at Jace. ‘What’s got into you? You’ve got an expression like you’ve been sucking on a lemon. I thought you would be pleased to see Takis.’
‘Evidently you were pleased,’ he said curtly. He raked a hand through his hair, perplexed by the wild emotions storming through him. He did not do emotions. But the possessiveness he felt for Eleanor made a mockery of his belief that he would find it easy to walk away from her when their marriage ended. The likelihood was that they would be able to divorce in a matter of months. His mother’s health was failing, and when she was no longer here there would be no reason for him to continue with his fake marriage. Except that it had not felt fake when they had been on their honeymoon. He had enjoyed being with Eleanor, and not only in bed.
He forced his mind away from his confused thoughts when he realised that she was speaking.
‘What did Takis mean when he congratulated you on taking control of the Pangalos? I agreed to give you a fifty per cent share. All decisions about the hotel will be made by both of us.’
Jace shrugged. ‘I guess Takis made a slip of the tongue.’ He watched Eleanor stand up and walk around the desk. His body clenched with desire as he ran his eyes over her slender legs beneath her short scarlet skirt. Her stiletto heel shoes made her legs seem even longer.
