a façade wasn’t difficult. She did it every day of her life. Professionally. Emotionally.
‘Let’s get this over with, shall we?’
‘Why not finish your meal first?’ Nicos countered silkily.
Katrina picked at her salad, then discarded it. ‘I’ve lost my appetite.’
‘Some more wine?’
‘No. Thanks,’ she added politely. The need for a clear head was essential.
Dammit, why did he have to be so blatantly male? He savoured his food as he savoured a woman. With care, enjoyment, and satisfaction.
There was something incredibly sensual about the movement of his hands, and she had only to look at his mouth to imagine how it felt on her own. The devastation it could wreak as he pleasured her. He had the touch, the knowledge, to drive a woman wild.
Focus, she chided silently. This isn’t about you. Or Nicos. It’s about claiming a right to Macbride.
‘We need to decide whose residence we’ll share,’ she began firmly.
He forked a succulent piece of fish, and followed it with a portion of salad. ‘Naturally you’d prefer your apartment.’
It couldn’t be this easy. ‘Yes.’
He cast her a measured look. ‘The Point Piper house is large. It would be more convenient for you to move in there.’
It surprised her that he hadn’t sold the luxurious mansion they’d occupied for the few brief months of their ill-fated marriage. An architectural masterpiece built against sloping rock-face, it encompassed three levels of modern living, with terraced grounds, ornamental gardens, a swimming pool, and a magnificent harbour view.
It also housed too many memories. ‘No, it wouldn’t.’
Nicos replaced his cutlery and settled back comfortably in his chair. ‘Afraid, Katrina?’
She looked at him carefully, noting his steady gaze, the seemingly relaxed expression. Deceptive to the unwary, she acknowledged silently, for Nicos Kasoulis possessed a razor-sharp mind and a killer instinct. Qualities that had gained him immense respect from both friend and foe. In the business arena, and among the socially élite.
It had been this ruthless streak that had appealed so much to Kevin Macbride, who’d seen in Nicos what he’d himself possessed: someone who knew what he wanted and went after it regardless of anything or anyone who stood in his way.
‘Have I reason to be?’
His smile held a certain wryness. ‘You must know I have your welfare at heart.’
‘If that were so, you’d have stood down as executor of Kevin’s will.’
‘I gave him my word.’
‘And that is everything.’
‘Cynicism doesn’t suit you.’
Katrina picked up her glass, and took a leisurely sip of wine. ‘Forgive me,’ she said without any hint of apology. ‘I learned it at any early age.’
‘Why not try a dessert?’ Nicos queried blandly, and saw the fire bank beneath those brilliant green eyes.
She took a deep breath and sought to retain a semblance of calm. ‘We need to arrive at some sort of compromise.’
Nicos slid a hand into the inside pocket of his jacket, extracted a bulky envelope, and tossed it down onto the table in front of her.
Katrina viewed it with suspicion. ‘What’s this?’
‘A remote for the front gates, and keys to my home.’
He was far too sure of himself. ‘Presumptuous, aren’t you?’
‘Practical,’ he corrected.
‘Arrogant,’ she attested. ‘What if I insist you move into my apartment?’ she queried heatedly, hating him at that moment.
‘Do you really want me in the next bedroom to yours?’ Nicos queried mildly. ‘Sharing the same living quarters, the same kitchen? In an apartment more suited to one person than two?’
‘You know nothing about my apartment,’ she retaliated, and saw the slight lift of his eyebrow.
‘I was responsible for the gutting and rebuilding of the original homestead.’
She cast him a scathing look. ‘Next you’ll tell me you own it.’
Nicos inclined his head. ‘Guilty.’
If she’d known, she’d never have bought it. Her eyes narrowed. Come to think of it, it had been her father who’d first drawn her attention to the penthouse apartment in the large, modernised, tri-level home. Less than a month after she’d walked out on Nicos.
Nicos watched the fleeting emotions chase across her expressive features before she successfully masked them.
‘Mythos Investments is one of my companies.’
Of course. The name alone should have alerted her, but at the time she hadn’t given much thought to anything other than finding a solitary haven of her own.
Suspicion ignited, and demanded answer. ‘Did you employ a private detective to monitor my every move?’ Katrina queried tightly.
An ex-military whose instructions were to observe, protect if necessary, and be unobtrusive at all times. A successful operation, Nicos acknowledged, for which the man had received a handsome remuneration.
His silence was more eloquent than mere words, and Katrina’s mouth thinned. ‘I see.’
Nicos’s gaze speared hers. ‘What do you see, pedhi mou?’ His voice was dangerously quiet.
Too quiet. Like the calm before a storm. Something she chose to ignore.
‘Two men bent on manipulating my life,’ she retaliated fiercely. ‘My father during his lifetime, and now you.’ She picked up her water glass and momentarily toyed with the idea of throwing its contents in his face.
‘Don’t,’ Nicos warned softly.
She was caught on the brink of violence. Aware of the acute satisfaction of such an action, and the folly of carrying it through. ‘You read minds?’
‘Yours.’
She took in a deep breath and released it slowly. ‘The activity reports would have been incredibly repetitive,’ she began tightly.
Work, social activities. A few male partners, none of whom had stayed overnight.
‘How dare you?’ The anger bubbled over. ‘It was an invasion of privacy. Harassment. I should file charges against you!’
His gaze didn’t waver. ‘It was protection.’
