grimaced as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her passion-killer pyjamas had been designed for comfort and when Giannis saw them she was sure he would have no trouble keeping to his side of the bed. Which was what she wanted—wasn’t it?
She pictured him the previous night at the hotel in London, his sleek, honed body poised above her before he’d slowly lowered himself onto her as he’d entered her with one hard thrust. Why not enjoy what he was offering for the next month? whispered a voice of temptation. Sex without strings and no possibility of her getting hurt because—unlike in a normal relationship—she had no expectations that a brief affair with Giannis might lead to something more meaningful. Their engagement was a deception but he had been totally honest with her. Maybe it was time to be honest with herself and admit that she wanted him.
Before she could chicken out, she pulled off her pyjamas and slipped on the black negligee. It was practically see-through, dotted with a few strategically placed lace flowers, and it was the sexiest item of clothing she had ever worn. She walked into the bedroom and the feral sound Giannis made as he stared at her tugged deep in her pelvis.
‘I hope you realise that the likelihood of me remaining on my side of the bolsters is zero. You look incredible, omorfiá mou.’
There was no doubt that his appreciation was genuine. His arousal was unmissable, jutting beneath the sheet, but more surprising was the flush of dark colour on his cheekbones. Ava’s self-confidence rose with every step she took across the room towards him. The light from the bedside lamp sparked off the pink sapphire on her finger as she looked down at the engagement ring, watching its iridescent gleam.
‘You can keep the ring after our engagement ends,’ Giannis told her.
‘No!’ She shook her head. ‘I am giving you a month of my life but you haven’t bought me. I will wear your ring and pretend to be your fiancée in public. But when we are alone—’ she pulled off the ring and put it down on the bedside table ‘—whatever I do, however I behave, is my choice.’
His eyes narrowed as she untied the ribbon at the front of her negligée so that the two sides fell open, exposing her firm breasts and betrayingly hard nipples. ‘And what do you choose to do?’ he said thickly.
‘This.’ She whipped the sheet away to reveal his naked, aroused body and climbed on top of him so that she was straddling his hips. ‘And this,’ she murmured as she leaned forwards and covered his mouth with hers.
For a heart-stopping second he did not respond and she wondered if she had misunderstood, that he didn’t want her. But then his arms came around her like iron bands and held her so tightly that she could not escape. He opened his mouth to the fierce demands of her kiss and kissed her back with a barely leashed hunger that made her heart race.
‘So you want to take charge, do you?’ he murmured as she traced her lips over the prickly black stubble on his jaw. His indulgent tone set an alarm bell off in her head. Clearly, Giannis believed that he was the one in control, and he was simply allowing her to take the dominant role while it suited him.
‘You had better believe it,’ she told him sweetly. Still astride him, she sat upright and ran her hands over his chest. Her smile was pure innocence as she bent her head and closed her mouth around one male nipple, scraping her teeth over the hard nub.
‘Theos...’ His body jerked beneath her and he swore when she moved her mouth across to his other nipple and bit him, hard. ‘You little vixen.’ He tried to grab her hair but she shook it back over her shoulders and moved down his body, pressing hot kisses over his stomach and following the line of dark hairs down lower. Very lightly, she ran her fingertips up and down his shaft and he tensed.
‘Not this time, angel,’ he muttered. ‘I want you too badly.’
She flicked her tongue along the swollen length of him and gave a husky laugh of feminine triumph when he groaned. ‘I’m in charge and don’t you forget it,’ Ava told him. ‘I’m not your puppet, so don’t think you can control me.’
‘You are so fierce.’ He laughed but there was something in his voice that sounded like respect. And when he moved suddenly and rolled her beneath him he stared into her eyes for what seemed like eternity, as if he wanted to read her mind. ‘You fascinate me. No other woman has done that before,’ he admitted.
He slipped his hand between her legs and discovered that she was as turned-on as he was. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he eased his fingers inside her until she moaned. ‘Who is in charge now, angel?’ he teased softly. But Ava no longer cared if she won or lost the power struggle. She reached down between their bodies and curled her hand around him, making him groan. Maybe they were both winners, she thought. ‘You are ready for me, Ava mou.’ He swiftly donned a condom before he moved over her and entered her with a slow, deep thrust that delighted her body and touched her soul. With a flash of insight that shook her, she acknowledged that she would always be ready for him. She guessed that Giannis had made a slip of his tongue when he’d called her my Ava.
* * *
They flew to Greece the next day, and in the evening attended a party held at reputedly Athens’ most chic rooftop bar where the cosmopolitan clientele included several international celebrities. The paparazzi swarmed in the street outside the venue and there was a flurry of flashlights as Giannis Gekas and his English fiancée posed for the cameras.
From the rooftop bar the views of the sunset over the city were amazing. But Giannis only had eyes for Ava. She looked stunning in a scarlet cocktail dress that showed off her gorgeous curves, and he was impatient for the party to finish so that he could take her back to his penthouse apartment and reacquaint himself with her delectable body. Their sexual chemistry was hotter than anything he’d experienced with his previous mistresses.
He smiled to himself as he imagined Ava’s reaction if he was ever foolish enough to refer to her as his mistress. No doubt she would reply with a scathing comment designed to put him in his place. He enjoyed her fiery nature, and never more so than when they had sex and she became a wildcat with sharp claws. He bore the marks from where she had raked her fingernails down his back when they’d reached a climax together last night. Afterwards, she had reminded him of a contented kitten, warm and soft as she snuggled up to him and flicked her tongue over her lips like a satisfied cat after drinking a bowl of cream.
Giannis had intended to ease his arm from beneath her and move her across to the other side of the bed. But he’d felt reluctant to disturb her and he must have fallen asleep because when he’d next opened his eyes his head had been pillowed on Ava’s breasts, and he’d been so aroused that he ached. He had kissed her awake and ignored her protests that had quickly become moans of pleasure when he’d nudged her legs apart with his shoulders and pressed his mouth against her feminine core to feast on her sweetness.
With an effort Giannis dragged his mind from his erotic memories when he realised that he had not been listening to the conversation going on around him. The group of guests he was standing with were looking at him, clearly waiting for him to say something. He glanced at Ava for help.
‘I was just explaining that we haven’t set a date for our wedding yet,’ she said drily. ‘We are not in a rush.’
‘On the contrary, agápi mou, I am impatient to make you my wife as soon as possible.’ He slipped his arm around her waist and smiled with his customary effortless charm at the other guests. ‘I hope you will forgive me for selfishly wanting to have my beautiful bride-to-be to myself,’ he murmured before he led Ava away.
‘Why
