The Greek Billionaire's Innocent Rrincess(47)

CHAPTER TEN


THEcharity gala was being held at an exclusive five-star hotel in the heart of Athens. As the car

drew up outside the front steps and Kitty glanced out of the window at the blinding flashbulbs

from the paparazzi’s cameras she felt the familiar sick dread in the pit of her stomach. Some of

her tension must have shown on her face because Nikos frowned as he leaned towards her.



‘Relax, agape . You look as though you are about to be thrown to the lions rather than attend a party where you are the star guest.’



‘I’d rather be thrown into a lions’ den,’ Kitty muttered.



‘You’re not still worried about your dress, are you?’ Now there was an edge of impatience in

Nikos’s voice. ‘I told you, you look stunning, and all eyes will be on you.’



‘I don’t want everyone to notice me. I’ve always been hopeless at socialising,’ Kitty admitted miserably.



‘But you must have regularly attended parties and functions at the palace.’



‘Yes, but I never enjoyed it. Liss was always the party girl, and she has the looks and confidence

to walk into a room full of strangers. I just get tongue-tied and never know what to say to people.

I’m afraid you’re going to find me a big disappointment, Nikos,’ she finished gloomily.



‘I did not realise you found socialising such an ordeal,’ he murmured, taken aback by her

revelation. ‘But I assure you I will not find you a disappointment, Kitty. And I will be by your

side constantly to introduce you to people. Have you ever thought that they might be nervous

about meeting you?’ he queried.



‘Why would anyone feel nervous about meeting me?’ Kitty demanded, startled.



‘Because you are a princess. I think a lot of people could feel overawed by your royal status, not

to mention the fact that you are intelligent and highly educated. Think about it,’ Nikos murmured

as Stavros opened the car door and he stepped out, turning back to assist Kitty in alighting from

the car.



She was so shocked by the idea that people might be unnerved by meeting her that she barely

noticed the press pack jostling around them, and she gave a shocked gasp when Nikos put his

arm around her waist and dipped his head to kiss her full on the mouth. His lips were warm and

firm and she responded to him without conscious thought, her eyes wide with confusion when he

broke the kiss after a disappointingly short time.



‘Why did you do that?’ she mumbled as he drew her hand through his arm and escorted her up

the steps and into the hotel.



‘We are newly-weds, Kitty mou ,’ he reminded her, his eyes gleaming with amusement and

something else that made her stomach dip. ‘I thought it was about time we gave the paparazzi

something to photograph.’



The moment they walked into the ballroom, they were the centre of attention—Athens’s most

famous billionaire shipping magnate and his princess bride. Glancing around at the female guests

in their couture gowns and spectacular jewellery, Kitty reluctantly had to admit that she would

have stuck out like a sore thumb in her drab black dress. But there was no chance of her slinking

into a quiet corner in the daring red gown, and Nikos stayed true to his word and did not leave

her side. Instead he moved seamlessly from one group of guests to the next, introducing Kitty,

and initiating conversation on topics he knew she was interested in so that she had something to

say.



To her utter amazement she realised that Nikos had been right and that many of the people she

met were not actually stiff and unfriendly as she had thought, but that they felt awkward in the

presence of royalty and did not know quite how to treat her. Anxious to put them at their ease,

she forgot her shyness and chatted to them, and to her surprise she discovered halfway through

the evening that she was enjoying herself.



This really wasn’t so bad, she mused later as she strolled over to the bar and asked the waiter for

a fruit juice. Seeing that her confidence had soared, Nikos had left her for a few minutes to go

and talk to one of his business associates, but Kitty was not alone for long.



‘Princess Katarina? My name is Darius Christakis. I’m a lecturer at the university of Athens.’



She had noticed the man looking at her several times during the evening, and now, as he held

out his hand to her, Kitty smiled and returned his greeting.



‘Mr Christakis.’



He was very good-looking, she mused, and he was attracting interested glances from several

women around the room. But he appeared to only have eyes for her, and she was startled when