stock market can wait; this can’t. Give me the balm now,’ Iannis insisted brusquely.
As their gazes clashed, Charlotte looked away.
‘What have you done?’ he said, and his voice had gentled, as if he was asking about so much more than just the damage to her legs.
Charlotte bit back tears and didn’t even try to answer as Iannis got to work. Having applied the cooling balm to the worst of the scratches, he got to his feet and stood looking down at her. She had forgotten how tall he was.
Charlotte met his gaze steadily. ‘We should look at your share prices and—’ She stopped, seeing his lips had tugged up in a crooked smile.
‘Only you,’ he murmured, cupping her chin in one hand. As he traced the line of her cheekbone with one fingertip he added softly, ‘It could have been so different between us.’
‘Believe me, Iannis, if I had known any of this would happen… I’m so sorry…’
He made a sound with his lips that insisted she stop. ‘And I’m sorry I drove you to the point where you felt the only way to leave Iskos was to tie me up and run away to sea.’
There was something approaching humour in his ebony gaze, but more regret than anything. ‘It wasn’t quite like that,’ Charlotte protested softly. ‘I shouldn’t have left you tied up—anything might have happened to you—’
‘Indeed,’ he agreed, cutting across her. ‘And would you have cared?’
‘Of course I’d care,’ Charlotte admitted in a whisper. She watched as one of his sweeping ebony brows lifted in enquiry.
‘Why?’ Iannis demanded softly.
Charlotte mashed her lips together, but the words refused to be stopped. ‘Because I’m in love with you, I suppose.’
‘You only suppose?’
‘Because I love you,’ she said in a louder voice, knowing she had nothing to lose. ‘And now I’ve ruined everything with this.’ She gestured helplessly at the laptop screen. Before he could say anything in reply she walked away to stare blindly out of the window. ‘Let me know when you have the site you’re looking for on screen,’ she murmured, bracing herself for the worst.
‘I HAVE something to say too, Charlotte,’ Iannis said evenly. ‘Please show me the courtesy I have afforded you by turning around and listening to me.’
There was a quiet authority in his voice that made Charlotte turn to face him.
Iannis indicated the seat to one side of the hearth. ‘I will put some more of Marianna’s cream on your sunburn while we talk. Come and lie down over here. Come,’ he insisted, holding out a hand towards her.
Considering the damage she had done, bringing his empire crashing down, the least she could do was listen to what he had to say, Charlotte conceded. Walking over to the sofa, she lay down carefully on her stomach, not wanting to get the cream he had already applied to her legs on the fabric.
The balm was soothing, his touch intoxicating, but Charlotte knew he was only tending her wounds and wished it could be something more. ‘I can’t do this, Iannis,’ she said, suddenly trying to pull away.
‘Can’t do what?’ he demanded softly, resting his hand on the swell of her buttocks.
‘I can’t let you do this.’ It’s too intimate, and I can’t bear that when I know it’s all over for us.
‘Someone has to,’ he pointed out, lifting his hand away.
‘No, I mean it, Iannis. All I can think about is how much damage will be done by those articles in the newspaper.’
‘It’s too late to think of that now,’ he said bluntly. ‘I shall just have to wait and see how bad it gets and then deal with it.’
‘Don’t make light of it. Too much has gone wrong. Too many people are involved. There’s too much history between us—’
‘Less than a week.’
Was that really all it was? ‘And now so many people are going to suffer because of my stupid mistake.’
‘No one who works for me will be allowed to suffer because of your article,’ Iannis said evenly. ‘I will not allow it.’
‘Then you lied?’ Charlotte said, her voice rising.
‘Not about the repercussions if I am ridiculed,’ he said. ‘The world’s money markets are merciless forums. If any of the big players show the slightest weakness, the rest of the pack pounce.’
Hearing Iannis describe himself in such unemotional terms told Charlotte he was not exaggerating. ‘So?’
‘I have always taken care of the people who work for me, and nothing has changed there,’ he said. ‘We just have to wait until the markets open and then I can see what I’m dealing with.’
‘I’ve no intention of running away,’ Charlotte assured him.
‘Not this time?’ Iannis murmured.
‘We’ll see it through together,’ Charlotte informed him, stubbornly avoiding his gaze.
‘That suits me just fine.’
He actually meant it, Charlotte realised with a rush of emotion.
Before he had a chance to change the screen his mobile rang. ‘My office,’ Iannis mouthed.
Charlotte waited tensely, watching his face grow serious. Maybe it was even worse than she had imagined. What had she done? Charlotte’s imagination slipped into overdrive as she pictured a catastrophe that even Iannis would find beyond his powers to contain.
He didn’t speak right away. Looking thoughtful, he turned to put the mobile down on the table. Sensing the turmoil he must be going through, Charlotte felt lonelier than she had ever done in her life.
Without saying a word to her, Iannis settled himself down in front of his laptop and began to key in the address for the site he wanted to view. ‘Come and join me,’ he said as images began to fill the screen.
Charlotte drew a deep, steadying breath. She had promised to share this with him.
‘It seems you have touched a nerve here,’ Iannis remarked dryly.
Charlotte tensed in readiness to read the screen and discover the extent of the damage she had done.
The financial press had already picked up the story. She exhaled raggedly as her eye skimmed the columns. Iannis Kiriakos—the man who’s got it all…the man who’s got it right…balance is good for business—as proved by rocketing Kiriakos share price… Charlotte blinked in bewilderment. It was the absolute opposite to everything she had been dreading. The fact
