AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I’ve offended you, haven’t I?’
‘Hristo!’ Demetri swore. ‘Why should it matter to you if I’m offended? You’ll probably never see me again.’
‘But I wouldn’t like your father to think I’d been rude to his son.’
‘Oh, right.’ Demetri gave a short laugh. ‘That’s what all this is about, is it? You’re afraid my father will take his custom elsewhere.’
Her shoulders lifted. ‘I’m just an employee here, Mr Souvakis.’
‘Well, don’t worry.’ Demetri grunted. ‘My father would probably applaud your success in putting me in my place. He thinks I’m far too—what would you say?—arrogant as it is.’
Her lips twitched. ‘You are.’
Demetri grimaced. ‘Your humility didn’t last long.’
She smiled. ‘Perhaps that’s because I like you better this way.’
‘Making a fool of myself, you mean?’
She caught her breath. ‘You couldn’t make a fool of yourself if you tried.’
‘No?’
‘No.’
‘Not even if I told you I wanted to kiss you right this minute?’
She stepped back from him. ‘You wouldn’t.’
Demetri shook his head and bent to pick up the box containing the sculpture. ‘No, I guess this is where we go our separate ways.’ He straightened, pulling a face at the weight of the package. ‘D’you want to open the door for me? My car’s just outside.’
‘Oh—sure.’ She hurried ahead of him through the darkened gallery and pulled open the glass door. ‘You’ll probably find a parking ticket on your windscreen. The attendants are pretty sharp around here.’
‘I’ll survive,’ he remarked drily, turning sideways to negotiate the door and going down the steps to where a huge fourwheel-drive vehicle was parked at the kerb. ‘Yeah, you’re right.’
‘Oh…’ Jane followed him down the steps, going round the car to pull the pink slip from under the wipers. She looked at it impatiently. ‘I’ll ask Olga to handle this.’
Demetri had the boot open now and was pushing the heavy box inside, but he turned to say, ‘Forget it. I will.’
‘But you can’t—’
‘Want to bet?’
Jane bit her lip. ‘This might not have happened if you hadn’t helped me to carry those bags out and then—and then me cutting my finger…’ She shook her head as he slammed the boot closed and came round the car to where she was standing. ‘It’s really my fault.’
‘Eh, then pirazi. It doesn’t matter.’ He snatched the slip of paper out of her hand, screwed it up and tossed it into the nearest refuse bin. ‘Oristeh. I’ve dealt with it.’
She looked amazed. ‘Is that what you do with all your parking tickets?’
‘No. Only those I get by helping beautiful women,’ he said mockingly, making her laugh. ‘Don’t worry about it.’
‘You’re—so—so—’
‘Bad?’ he suggested, checking the boot was locked and coming back to her. ‘Yes, I know.’
‘I wasn’t going to say that,’ she protested. ‘I don’t think you’re bad!’
‘But you don’t like me.’
A look of confusion crossed her face and he realised she wasn’t half as confident as she’d like to appear. And it would be so easy to take advantage of her here. The tree-lined avenue where the gallery was situated was quiet and shady, the sun rapidly sinking behind the buildings across the street.
But that wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t about to destroy the fragile understanding that seemed to be developing between them and he was totally stunned when she suddenly put her hands on his shoulders and reached up to brush her mouth against his. ‘I didn’t say I didn’t like you,’ she said huskily, and Demetri could only slump back against the side of the car, too astonished to do anything else.
The kiss was brief, almost impersonal, but he knew she’d shocked herself, too. A look of consternation crossed her face and, although she hadn’t yet turned to seek refuge in the gallery, he knew it was only a matter of time before she did so. Her eyes sought his in mute denial of what had just happened and Demetri arched an enquiring brow.
‘I guess I did something right at last,’ he remarked lazily, and she took a shuddering breath.
‘I don’t know what came over me,’ she murmured and Demetri knew a kinder man might allow her to get away with that.
But he’d spent the last hour in a state of semi-arousal and her innocent appeal was the last straw. What did she think he was made of? Ice? Leaning towards her, he put his hands on her hips and pulled her against him. ‘I do,’ he told her, his voice thickening. ‘Let me show you.’
