development.
The headache, for which she’d taken painkillers mid-morning and mid-afternoon, settled into a throbbing ache that left her feeling physically depleted.
It was almost six when she garaged her car and entered the house. All she wanted to do was indulge in a leisurely spa bath, take more painkillers, pull the shutters closed in her room, slip beneath the cool percale sheets, and shut out the rest of the world for as long as it took to lose the headache and regain her composure.
She almost made it. Would have, if she hadn’t had to go downstairs to search for more painkillers, as all she had left was an empty blister pack.
Nicos found her in the kitchen, looking a whiter shade of pale, her slender form wrapped in a towelling robe, and her hair tumbling down her back.
‘What in hell—?’
The words were barely audible, and quickly checked as he subjected her to an encompassing appraisal.
Katrina closed her eyes against the sight of him. The last thing she needed was a verbal inquisition.
‘Hell works for me,’ she said wearily. ‘Where do you keep your supply of painkillers?’
He crossed to an expanse of inbuilt cupboards, opened one, and extracted a packet, then he filled a glass with water and handed both to her.
‘Headache?’
‘Yes.’ She freed two tablets and swallowed them down with water.
She was hardly aware that he had moved to hook out a chair until he gently pushed her into it.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Bed, all she wanted was to lie down and wait for the pain to go away.
He ignored her protest as he discarded his jacket, loosened his tie, and turned back the cuffs of his shirt.
‘Be quiet, and relax.’
She opened her mouth, then closed it again as his hands began working the tense muscles at her neck, then her shoulders.
Oh, dear heaven, that felt good. So good. She let her lashes drift down, and just went with the flow as his fingers worked their magic.
No one had been this kind to her in a while. Not hands-on kind. Not since Kevin had fallen ill.
Unbidden, withheld emotions rose to the surface, and the tears welled then trickled silently down each cheek.
Nicos felt a plop of warm moisture hit his fingers as he used both thumbs to massage her neck, and he swore softly, then with simple expediency he lifted her from the chair and pulled her close in against him.
If he had said one word, she’d have jerked free, but the comfort he offered was too great, and for the first time since Kevin’s death she quietly sobbed her heart out.
She was hardly aware that he rested his cheek against the top of her head, or that her arms crept round his waist as she held onto him.
After a while he swept an arm beneath her knees and carried her upstairs to her room. He turned back the covers, then lay down on the bed with her, all too aware that any minute she’d realise where she was and who was with her, and push him away.
Except she didn’t. The shudders shaking her slender frame gradually lessened, and she fell still. Her breathing evened out and slipped to a steady beat as she slid into sleep.
Holding her reawakened a host of memories, each of them a torture to his libido, and after a while he attempted to slowly ease himself away, only to have her murmur in protest.
So he stayed. Aware he was all kinds of a fool. For enjoying the feel of her in his arms, her scent, the soft silkiness of her hair beneath his lips.
The evening air cooled, and he toed off his shoes, pulled up the covers, and eventually slept.
Katrina surfaced through the layers of wakefulness to an awareness that, while she was definitely in bed, she wasn’t alone.
Not only not alone, but her head was cushioned against a male chest, a muscular arm kept her there, and her own arm lay linked around his waist.
Nicos. Realisation hit, and her first instinct was to scramble out of the bed and away from him.
Then several things registered. She was in her own room, Nicos was fully dressed, and she had instant memory recall.
Maybe if she slowly removed her arm… She attempted to dislodge it, only to have Nicos tighten his hold.
He slept like a cat, aware of her slightest move, and he’d sensed the moment she’d woken, had felt the change in her breathing, the instant tension. He could almost hear her thinking.
What he wanted was to lean forward and brush his lips to her temple, to slip a hand beneath the gaping folds of her robe and caress her breasts. Nuzzle the vulnerable hollow at the edge of her neck, then trail lower to tease one tender peak as he let the fingers of one hand brush a path to the apex of her thighs.
Early morning lovemaking, he reflected, made for a wonderful way to begin the day.
Maybe… No, he dismissed. Not here, not now. When the time was right, there would be no hesitation. But he wanted her to need him, and for that he required time. Something, thanks to the terms of Kevin’s will, he had plenty of. Wasn’t there an analogy that those who waited got what they deserved? He thought grimly of his aroused body, the desire, and banked it down.
Half an hour in the gym, followed by a shower and breakfast, then he’d channel his energy into the corporate day ahead.
But first he’d indulge himself a little.
‘Headache gone?’
Katrina’s body tensed at the sound of his husky voice, and she cautiously lifted her head. ‘Yes.’ All her instincts screamed a warning to put some distance between them, fast.
‘You slept well.’
It didn’t appear that she’d moved much through the night. Or perhaps he hadn’t allowed her to. For a moment she struggled with the need to thank him for offering support. A wave of embarrassment encompassed her body at the thought of the tears she’d shed in the comfort of his arms.
She slowly rose to a sitting position, caught his amused gleam, looked hurriedly down at her gaping robe, then quickly pulled the edges together.
With an easy, fluid movement Nicos swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood to his feet. His dark hair was slightly ruffled, and he combed his fingers through it, then he bent down to collect his shoes.
‘Breakfast on the terrace at eight?’ he slanted, enjoying her confusion. Without waiting for her to respond he moved towards the door, and Katrina was left gazing at the empty aperture.
For a few seconds she stood in stunned silence, then she quickly turned back the bed covers, gathered up fresh underwear and headed for the en suite.
Half an hour later she collected her briefcase and moved quickly down the stairs. She’d just set foot in the lobby when
