What The Greek Wants Most(18)

He followed her to the passenger side but, instead of opening the door   for her, he braced his hand on either side of her and leaned in close.   With her front pressed against the door, her bottom was moulded into his   groin in such a way that she couldn't fail to notice his state of   arousal.

Her breathing quickened, but she stayed put. 'What are you doing?'

'Delivering the punishment I promised.'

'Sorry?'

'You called me senhor when we were in the restaurant.'

She tried to turn around but he pressed her more firmly against the car. 'I … don't remember.'

'Of course you do. You also thought I wouldn't act on my promise in full view of other diners, didn't you?'

'No, I wasn't-'

'Maybe you were right. Or maybe we both knew I'd want to do more than just kiss you.'

'You're wrong … '

'Am I?'

'Yes … '

'So you'd prefer I let this one slide?' He rocked his hips against her bottom and her breath hitched. 'You won't think me weak?'

Her shocked laugh heated the air around them. 'Only someone foolish would think you weak.'

'I'm not sure whether there's a compliment in there. Is there?'

Her head fell forward, exposing the seductive line of her neck. 'Am I to pander to your ego too, Theo?'

He laughed. 'How can you appear submissive and yet taunt me at the same time?'

She lifted her head and turned to stare at him. Whatever she saw in his   face made her squirm harder. Provocatively. Her gaze dropped to his   mouth and Theo could no more resist the temptation than he could   breathe.

Fingers sliding beneath her knotted hair to hold her still, he caught   her mouth in a fierce kiss. Every emotion he'd experienced since waking   that morning was delivered in that kiss-passion, arousal, confusion,   anxiety and anger. He pinned her against the car so she couldn't move,   couldn't put those seductive hands on his body.

Although he missed her touch, a part of him was thankful because, had   she had access, he would've lost even more of his mind than he suspected   he was losing.

He registered the brief flashes behind his closed eyelids but didn't   break the kiss. He suspected Inez had no idea what had just happened.   And even if she had, she wouldn't have suspected the true reason behind   the paparazzi shots because she was used to being the darling of the   press.

Well, she was in for a rude awakening …

She started to open her mouth wider, to return his demanding kiss.

He slowly lifted his head. When she made a tiny sound of protest and   tried to recapture his mouth, he forced himself to step away. He'd   achieved one part of what he'd set out to do. The second part was a   short drive away.

Curving his arm around her waist, he peeled her away from the door,   opened it and deposited her inside, all the time trying not to stare   down at her legs and imagine how they would feel wrapped around his   waist.

He swallowed hard as he rounded the hood and slid behind the wheel.

'Time to head to the club before I give in to the urge to deliver more punishment.'

Her eyes dropped to his mouth and he barely suppressed a groan as she licked her lips.

'For your mercy, I will teach you how to samba like a true Brazilian,' she replied huskily.

* * *

Inez lay among the white sheets the next morning, trying hard not to   relive the events of the night before but it was as futile as trying to   stop a tidal wave.

They'd eventually emerged from the nightclub at two in the morning.   She'd been flushed and sweaty from being plastered to Theo's superb body   for three straight hours. But the wild racing of her heart had nothing   to do with her exertions on the dance floor and everything to do with   the man who'd focused on her as if she was the only woman in the whole   club.

And Deus, had he danced like a dream? Far from tutoring him on the   correct steps of her native dance, she'd found herself following his   lead as he'd moved expertly on the dance floor.                       
       
           



       

When he'd caught her to him, her back to his front and replayed the   scene in the car park, but this time to music, she'd seriously feared   her heart would beat itself to expiration.

In that moment, she'd forgotten that there was a sinister purpose to   Theo's plan; that he'd all but admitted she was being used as a pawn in   some deadly game he was playing with her father. When he'd laid his   stubbled jaw against her cheek and hummed the sultry samba music in her   ear, she'd closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to   belong-truly belong-to a man like Theo.

Turning over in bed, she groaned in disbelief at how susceptible she'd   been to his hard body and magnetic charisma. Santa Maria, she'd been all   but putty in his hands.

Luckily, the fresh air and the long drive back had hammered some sense   into her. The moment they'd returned, she'd bidden him a curt boa noite,   left him standing in the hallway and retreated as fast as her sore  feet  would carry her.

And she intended to carry on like that. She might not know what his end   game was, but she refused to be a willing participant in his campaign.

The last thing she wanted to do was to fall for another manipulator like Constantine.

She was here only because she had no choice but she didn't intend to   idle away her time in this house. Theo expected her to stay here for   three months, which meant whatever he had planned was not to be executed   immediately. Perhaps she could convince him to change his mind in that   time.

Yeah, and fairy tales really did come true …

Or she could find out exactly what his intentions were.

She'd seen the look in his eyes when he spoke about her father. Whatever vendetta he'd planned, he intended to see it through.

Helplessly, she rolled over in bed and her eyes lit on the bedside   clock. She jerked upright and threw the sheet aside. She might not have   anywhere to be on this Saturday morning but lazing about in bed past  ten  o'clock wasn't her style.

She jumped into the shower, shampooed her hair and washed her body with   quick, regimented movement ingrained in her from her time at the Swiss   boarding school her father had sent her to just to impress his friends.

Leaving her damp hair to dry naturally, she pulled on an aqua-coloured   sundress and slipped her feet into low-heeled thongs. Smoothing her   favourite sunscreen moisturiser over her face and arms, she left her   room and headed downstairs.

Teresa was crossing the hallway carrying a cafetière of freshly made coffee and indicated for Inez to follow her.

She led her out to the terrace that overlooked the immense square   infinity pool. Light danced off the water but her attention was caught   and held by the man seated at the cast iron oval breakfast table.

His white short-sleeved polo shirt did amazing things to his eyes and   olive-toned skin. And loose green shorts exposed solid thighs and   lightly hair-sprinkled legs that made her mouth dry before flooding with   moisture that threatened to choke her.

'Bom dia, anjo. Are you going to stand there all morning?' he mocked.

She forced her legs to move and took the chair he indicated to his right.

'Coffee?' he asked, his voice deep and low.

'Yes, please.' Her voice had grown husky and emerged barely above a whisper.

He nodded to Teresa who smiled, filled her cup then made herself scarce.

Inez sipped the hot brew just as a delaying tactic so she didn't have to look at him.

So far she'd seen Theo in formal evening wear and smart casual and each   look had threatened to knock her sideways. But seeing him now, with so   much of his vibrant olive skin on show, threatened to topple her   completely. She took another hasty sip and choked as the liquid scalded   her mouth.

Grabbing the napkin to stop herself from dribbling like an idiot, she   looked up and caught his mocking smile. 'You'd rather blister yourself   than converse with me?'

She swallowed and fought to present a passable smile. 'Of course not. I   was just enjoying the … view.' She indicated beyond his shoulder, where   the garden extended beyond the pool and sloped down to the sandy white   beach and sparkling ocean.

With a disbelieving smile, he picked up the paper next to his plate and shook it out. 'If you say so-'                       
       
           



       

Her horrified gasp made him lower the newspaper. 'Something wrong?'

'Is that a picture of us?' she demanded through a severely constricted   throat. The question was redundant because the picture taking up the   whole of the front page was printed in vivid Technicolor.

He'd already seen it, of course, so he didn't bother to glance where her   appalled gaze was riveted. 'Yes. Fresh off the morning press.'