me about who I associate with!’
‘Can’t I?’ He took a step closer. ‘And that still doesn’t answer my question, Alice.’
He was close enough now for her to be able to detect his raw, masculine heat—the shimmering aura of sexuality which always seemed to radiate from his powerful frame. For the first time she noticed the tiny lines which fanned out from the sides of the black eyes. The faint hint of silver at the sides of his thick ebony hair. The deepening of lines around the strong, firm mouth. ‘But I don’t have to answer your question.’
‘Whose party is it?’ he persisted softly, but at that moment there was the clip-clopping of heels on the stairs and a woman wearing a very tight silver catsuit walked into the room.
‘I can’t breathe in this thing!’ she was saying, holding a half-drunk glass of wine and smiling until she saw him, and then she stood stock-still, her face freezing like a cartoon character.
Kyros stared at her in utter disbelief. ‘Who the hell is this?’ he said.
Alice watched as Kirsty began to blink rapidly, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing—completely ignoring the fact that his greeting had been so rude and unwelcoming. It might have been comical if it hadn’t still inexplicably had the power to hurt—the sight of her best friend staring open-mouthed at Kyros as if some kind of god had just materialised.
‘Well, hel-lo,’ said Kirsty. ‘You must be—’
‘This is Kyros. Kyros, this is Kirsty,’ said Alice quickly. ‘You remember, I told you—Kyros and I knew each other at university.’
‘Er, that’s right,’ said Kirsty, her fingers unconsciously moving up to pat at her red hair. ‘But I had no idea that—’
That he was quite so stunning? Or that he was standing there in her parents’ sitting room—legs apart and hands resting arrogantly on his narrow hips as if he owned the place—looking at the two of them as if a couple of aliens had just landed?
‘Do you always go out dressed like this?’ he demanded.
Kirsty giggled. ‘Of course not—but the theme of the party is “Divine Decadence”. Didn’t Alice tell you?’
Black eyes fixed on Alice, sending several conflicting messages sparking at her from their ebony depths. ‘No,’ he said softly. ‘She omitted to mention that fact. I think she found it slightly amusing to allow me to carry on thinking that she enjoyed dressing like a lady of the night, didn’t you, Alice?’
‘I think I did,’ Alice agreed blandly, and smiled. ‘Kyros was just passing by on his way back from a wedding,’ she told Kirsty. ‘And he’s just leaving.’
‘Oh!’ Kirsty pouted. ‘What a pity.’
Kyros’s expression was lazy and complicit as he subjected the redhead to a slow smile. ‘Indeed it is—for I am rarely in this country.’
Alice saw the question coming from a mile off, but it was too late to field it because Kirsty was already asking it.
‘Well, why don’t you come, too?’
‘He can’t. It’s a themed party, remember?’ Alice snapped. ‘And Kyros isn’t dressed for it!’
‘Oh, I don’t know—he looks divinely decadent to me,’ gurgled Kirsty.
‘You think so?’ Kyros’s lips curved into a smile. ‘Well, I should like to come along if you are sure I will not be in the way? If you are sure that your host will not object, ne?’
He was peppering his words with Greek deliberately, thought Alice furiously, knowing damned well the effect they had on women—for hadn’t they once had that same effect on her? Just as he was dazzling Kirsty with one of his rare and brilliant smiles. Either way, her friend was shaking her head as if he had just suggested the most outlandish thing on earth.
‘Object—to you?’ Kirsty gave him a conspiratorial grin. ‘I don’t imagine you ever have much trouble getting into parties, Kyros! Anyway, it’s a pretty casual do. The more the merrier—and single men are always at a premium.’
Especially men like you, her eyes seemed to say and Alice bit her lip, furious now. Kirsty was managing to make them sound like a small pack of man-eating women! The kind who were pushing thirty and were desperate to get their hands on anything with testosterone. How could she?
It was true that she had convincingly told her friend that she’d got over Kyros years ago. But she’d mainly been getting in practice for when she came face-to-face with him herself. Surely Kirsty could have guessed that she didn’t want him anywhere near her?
But at least the party was local—a few short streets away. It would be all too easy to leave unnoticed once it got going—and she could lose herself in the crowd. Why, doubtless Kyros would quickly be surrounded by women and probably wouldn’t even notice her slip away.
‘Yes, you’re very welcome to join us, Kyros,’ Alice agreed indifferently, although her fast-pounding heart told a different story entirely.
Kyros felt the flare of desire mingled with curiosity as she deliberately turned away from him and he observed the stiff set of her back, which was at such odds with the delicious curve of her bottom. Was she really as immune to him as she appeared? Would he have to work very hard to get her into bed tonight?
But the prospect of such a sexual conquest as this thrilled him and it was a long time since a challenge had filled him with quite so much excitement.
CHAPTER TWO
THE party was in a big, old house whose garden spilled down to the river—and clearly no expense had been spared. It was already in full swing when they arrived, as waitresses wearing very little bobbed around with trays of exotic-looking cocktails. Fairy lights were threaded into the branches of the trees, giant torches flared on either side of a specially constructed walkway, and there was a huge marquee with loud music blasting from it.
‘I’m surprised the neighbours haven’t complained about the noise,’ said Alice as they stood at the edge of the marquee’s black and white dance floor and watched people dancing around with varying degrees of skill.
‘That’s because they’ve invited all the neighbours!’ giggled Kirsty. ‘Oh, look—there’s Giles—won’t be a minute, I must say hello!’
Alice could have screamed as she watched Kirsty wiggling her silver bottom before being swallowed up by the crowd. She might have objected to the way that her friend had been fawning over Kyros all the way over here, but the last thing she wanted was to be left alone with him.
Yet she wasn’t alone, she reminded herself—there must be over a hundred people here with more arriving by the minute—and what could possibly happen in full view of everyone, if she didn’t want it to?
‘Some party,’ murmured Kyros, looking around.
‘Yes.’ Alice saw someone she’d been at school with, and waved. ‘The couple holding it are both bankers—they’ve just bought this house and this is their housewarming. Let’s go and find them,’ she suggested.
He
