you’re a nice person, although right now …’ Selene suppressed a yawn. ‘Right now, I wish you weren’t.’
‘Stop talking, Selene. Whenever a thought comes into your head, just trap it there. Don’t let it out.’
‘That’s what I’ve been doing all my life. If my brain is a computer then my hard drive is definitely full.’ She gave a gasp as he scooped her off her feet and strode across the sand.
Mouth tight with disapproval, he carried her up a flight of illuminated steps to a private part of the villa. Brightly coloured bougainvillaea tumbled over whitewashed walls and he strode past the small pool she’d noticed earlier outside the doors of the master suite.
‘This place is so romantic. Just in case you don’t have the energy to make it to the beach, you can leap in here on the way.’ Selene gazed at the smooth, floodlit surface of the water, thinking it was the most tranquil place she’d ever seen. Lush exotic plants clustered around the edge of a beautiful pool and the tantalising sound of water came from two elaborate water features. ‘How long have you owned this place?’
‘A long time.’ His voice was terse. ‘Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?’
‘I definitely want you to carry me. I really like it.’ Selene tightened her arms around his neck. ‘I want you to carry me straight to bed, and teach me everything I don’t know about seduction. We can call it market research.’
‘The state you’re in, you won’t remember any of it in the morning.’
‘If it makes you feel better, I’ll make notes. I promise to concentrate and learn quickly. You won’t have to tell me anything twice.’
‘The first thing you should learn is that you should never, ever drink again. The next time you are given a choice of drink or no drink, choose no drink.’ Casting her a look of undiluted exasperation, Stefan deposited her in the centre of the huge bed and turned to the woman who had just entered the room. He spoke in rapid Greek as Selene flopped onto her side.
‘You’re always giving out orders. Does anyone ever say no to you?’
‘They work for me. They’re paid to say yes. I ordered you a pot of coffee.’
‘I can’t drink coffee this late. It will keep me awake. Do you give orders in the bedroom?’ She sat up and rested her chin on her knees as she watched him. ‘Remove your clothes—lie like this—’ Her voice was sultry and she saw that his powerful body was simmering with barely suppressed tension.
‘Stop talking,’ Stefan advised in a thickened tone.
Selene watched him hungrily, admiring the sleek, powerful lines of his body. ‘Can I ask you something?’
‘No.’
‘Have you ever been in love?’
‘Stop talking, Selene. Snap that pretty mouth of yours shut and keep it shut.’ He wrenched off his jacket and slung it on the nearest chair.
‘I’ll take that as a no.’ Her head spinning, Selene flopped back against the soft pile of pillows that adorned the bed. ‘I want to be in love. I really, really want to be in love. As long as he loves me back. I would never, ever be with someone who doesn’t care for me. That’s one of my rules.’
‘Does this conversation have a point?’
‘I’m just telling you more about me.’
‘I don’t need to know more about you. I already know all I need to know.’
‘So you’re a man who doesn’t believe in love? I bet as far as you’re concerned it’s a myth right up there with the Minotaur and the legend of Atlantis.’
‘You should definitely stop talking.’ Stefan removed his bow tie with an impatient flick of his long fingers. ‘Go into the bathroom and turn the shower to cold. It might help you. It would definitely help me.’
She rolled onto her stomach and leaned her chin in her palm. ‘Do you know what this room needs? Scented candles. Studies have shown that nine out of ten men are more likely to get laid if there is a scented candle in the room.’
His mouth tightened. ‘You know nothing about getting laid.’
‘I’m doing my best but you’re not being very accommodating.’ Trying to distract herself from the spinning, Selene beckoned to him. ‘Kiss me. And this time don’t stop.’
He stilled, his eyes a dark, dangerous black. ‘You are playing with fire.’
‘I’d so much rather be playing with you …’ Registering the exasperation on his face, she giggled. ‘For a sophisticated man of the world with a shocking reputation, you’re very restrained.’
‘A drunk woman telling me she wants love tends to do that to me.’ Unbelievably tense, Stefan dropped his tie onto a vacant chair and undid the top button of his shirt, his eyes never leaving her face.
‘I am definitely not drunk and I absolutely don’t want love from you. I just want sex,’ Selene said firmly. ‘Really steamy sex. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I won’t hurt you. And you can walk away afterwards and neither of us will mention it again. It will be our little secret.’
The atmosphere shifted in an instant. For a moment she thought he was going to walk out of the room but instead he stared at her for a long time, as if he were making a decision about something.
Just when she’d given up on him taking it any further, he walked towards her with a purposeful stride.
As he approached her tummy tumbled and she felt a wild flicker of delicious, terrifying anticipation.
Her eyes collided with his and she struggled to sit up. ‘Say something—’
‘You’ve said more than enough already. It’s time to stop talking.’ His tone raw, he undid the buttons on his shirt with sure, strong fingers and her mouth dried.
Her stunned gaze rested on his wide shoulders and slid slowly down to his flat abdomen.
‘I—I—’
‘You issued an invitation, Selene. I’m here to take it up.’
As her eyes fixed on his he shrugged the shirt off his shoulders revealing a bare, bronzed torso that would have been the pride of any gladiator.
‘That’s what you want, isn’t it?’
Still looking at her, he reached for the button at the top of his trousers …
STEFAN lay with his hands hooked behind his head, watching as dawn sent beams of light across the bedroom. He could see a tiny bird dipping itself in the pool, playing innocently, blissfully unaware of the possibility of danger.
It reminded him of Selene.
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