to get too close. If she hadn’t left him alone that morning when he’d come to take her to the beach he might never have seen those sheets of paper, never read the notes she had written about him. But they were emblazoned on his mind, Iannis realised, feeling his anger mounting as Charlotte continued to tap on the keyboard, apparently oblivious to his existence.
It seemed certain that her work was all she cared about. He was nothing but a vehicle through which she could boost her annual salary. It was a new angle, he allowed, struggling to contain his scorn, and it would be interesting to see just how far she was prepared to go with the deception.
He studied her face keenly. The intense concentration, the slight smile tugging at her lips only served to fuel his resentment. She had clearly received good news from her editor.
He made a harsh sound of contempt. How could anyone not appreciate her theme? The idyllic existence of a simple Greek fisherman compared to the stressful life of the reader. Even he could see it was a winner. But she would pay for the insult. No one abused a member of the Kiriakos clan and got away with it.
Use her and lose her? Iannis ground his jaw in frustration. It should have been so easy, if only he hadn’t allowed feelings to get in the way. If he had been a headstrong youth this foolhardy affair might have been defensible, but he was a thirty-five year old man, with no excuse for falling deeply and passionately in love with the one woman on earth who had chosen to betray him.
His eyes narrowed as he recalled the damning words she had used. According to Charlotte’s article he, Iannis Kiriakos, had found the meaning of life here on Iskos! Once pictures of him unguarded and relaxed were flashed around the world he would be a laughing stock. He winced as he remembered how she had mocked—what was it?—his ‘homely joys, and destiny obscure’? He only hoped he never had occasion to remind Charlotte of those words, for if he did—
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, coming towards him through the double doors onto the veranda. ‘I didn’t expect to take so long.’
Iannis lifted his shoulders in a shrug. ‘Keeping in touch with things back home?’ he said mildly, pretending unconcern. But inside he was seething. He had delayed his departure from the island for her—and for what? So she could finesse the article that held him up for ridicule?
As Iannis looked at Charlotte his passion flared. He had a stark choice to make: confront her now and end the relationship—or enjoy her one last time.
‘That’s right,’ Charlotte agreed, a smile hovering uncertainly on her lips as she tried to interpret the look on Iannis’s face. ‘Work,’ she explained with an apologetic shrug, ‘it just won’t go away—’ She gasped as he caught hold of her arms and dragged her to him, his eyes blazing with passion.
He was going to miss her, Charlotte reasoned, feeling her heart soar. And then he started kissing her and she knew it would be all right.
Reaching up when he drew back, she meshed her fingers through his hair and then cupped his face between her hands to bring him close and kiss his lips longingly, lovingly. Closing her eyes, she rested against his encircling arm, sighing with delicious anticipation as Iannis slipped her dress off. Swinging her onto his lap on the reclining chair, he suckled one extended nipple through the fine mesh of her bra.
It all felt so right, as Charlotte turned her attention to Iannis’s clothing. He was an incredible lover—passionate and demanding, but tender and considerate too. He had restored her self-esteem; he had shown her how lovemaking could be…should be. She moaned softly, struggling to keep her brain waves in order as he turned his attention to the neglected nipple, taking that between his lips and suckling whilst he subjected the other to some delicious torture between his thumb and forefinger.
And there was the article, Charlotte remembered, just before she sank beneath a wave of sensation. Nothing she had ever written had been so well received—she had Iannis to thank for that too.
Throwing her head back, she gasped as he began to stroke her stomach with firm downward caresses. The fire smouldering inside her flared into life again. But even as she melted beneath his touch Charlotte remembered how little time was left for them. The thought of how she might start to live without him sent a chill rippling down her spine. But then he eased her thighs apart and she could think of nothing but the pleasure to come.
‘Stand up and take your bra off.’
His voice sounded harsh, and in her groggy state Charlotte blinked at him like a wary owl.
‘Do it slowly,’ he added, in a slightly gentler tone.
Meeting his gaze, Charlotte felt reassured. Iannis liked playing games, and she liked playing the games he taught her. She sucked in a soft, eager breath and he inclined his head as an indication to begin.
She met his gaze steadily, relishing her female power when she saw the look of frank appreciation in his eyes. Freeing her breasts from their lacy constraint, she cast the flimsy piece of lingerie aside.
‘I think you know what I want you to do,’ Iannis murmured, gazing at her.
Cupping her breasts in her hands, Charlotte brought them up so that he could decide between the taut pink nipples. As he took one between his lips and laved it with his tongue his hands moved to control her hips. Slipping one hand between her legs, he started stroking her there rhythmically, until she threw back her head and cried out uncontrollably. He brought her easily to the edge, and as her legs weakened he took her waist in a firm hold and brought her astride him.
He wanted this…he needed this, Iannis realised, even though his mind was in an agony of confusion. He wanted Charlotte more than any other woman; wanted her in a way that his pride had no power to subdue. She touched his senses, his heart, his soul; she drew something from the very core of him. But she had betrayed him, he remembered, thrusting deep, and he must never forget that.
As he controlled her movements Iannis longed to draw Charlotte into his arms, to hold her and to kiss her. He wanted to reassure her, tell her it would always be like this—that he would make it so. But that would be a lie, he thought grimly, watching her face flush pink at the onset of her climax, and he never lied—which only made the pain of her deception all the harder to bear.
He held her steady until the last violent spasms of release left her limp, and then stroked her silky hair to soothe her down. It was his misfortune to love a woman who wished him only harm, and the only defence in his armoury was to harden his heart against her.
But when, still breathing raggedly, Charlotte smiled contentedly into his eyes, he felt his soul reach out and curl around her. Was she a madness that had possessed him—a folly from which he would never recover? The only answer was to make a clean break. And that break would take place in just a few short hours. He had until dawn to have his fill of her, and then it was over—Charlotte Clare would be out of his life for good.
He led her by the hand to the bathroom, where they enjoyed a languid soak in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
Completely relaxed, Charlotte leaned back against Iannis, enclosed by his muscular legs. The water was silky-soft, fragrant with the scent of lavender. Peace after the storm of lovemaking, she reflected, feeling calm and sated. It was impossible not to draw up a thousand reasons for delaying her departure from the island. They seemed to have reached a point where anything was possible…
‘Warm enough?’ Iannis murmured, when he had lifted her out of the bath and wrapped her in a soft towel.
His breath on her head was like a caress,
