It’s dangerous—’
‘I’m not elderly or infirm. First taste of water I got would’ve wakened me!’ Elvi told him with spirit. ‘Tell me, do you always imagine the worst possible consequences from every event?’
‘Pretty much.’ Xan was studying her, noting the porcelain fairness of her skin below the lights, remembering how soft she had felt under him, the little sounds she had made, the dreamy look on her face when she climaxed. Hunger throbbed through him like a powerful drug, seriously disturbing him.
‘Thought so,’ Elvi confided cheerfully, finished combing and reaching for the dryer on the wall.
‘There’s something we have to discuss,’ Xan told her tautly then.
‘And what’s that?’ Elvi pressed, her hand falling back from the dryer.
‘I failed to use a condom with you today—’
‘What?’ Elvi gasped in disbelief as she twisted around to look directly at him, heavy wet strands of hair snaking across her bare shoulders. ‘You mean...we had unprotected sex?’
Lean, strong features set hard, Xan jerked his chin in confirmation.
‘Are you crazy?’ Elvi framed in horror. ‘Why didn’t you—?’
‘I lost control... I forgot. I made a mistake. It’s that simple,’ Xan interposed in a tone of curt finality. ‘Obviously I’m furious with myself, but I have regular health checks and there is no danger of—’
‘But what if you’ve got me pregnant?’ Elvi interrupted, her anxiety on that score overpowering her usual need to avoid any kind of intimate discussion.
‘I think there is very little danger of that after one sexual encounter,’ Xan informed her with impressive confidence, and some of her tension drained away because his unwavering assurance did have a soothing effect on her. ‘It’s most unlikely. I apologise, though, for causing the scare.’
‘No, I should’ve thought about the risk too,’ Elvi muttered uncomfortably, striving to be reasonable. ‘I should’ve checked but I didn’t even think about that...er...aspect.’
In the bedroom, Xan undressed for a shower, automatically putting everything in its designated space. Busy drying her mane of hair, Elvi didn’t appear to notice him entering or leaving the shower and he slid into bed first, achingly aroused and knowing there was no possibility of relief. With a groan he turned over and punched a pillow, catching sight of her rustling through a drawer, emptying half of it in pursuit of what she wanted and then piling what remained back in and actually forcing the drawer closed on it. He tried to imagine living with that kind of disorder and almost shuddered, while covertly watching below his cloaking lashes as she crossed the room clad in the pyjamas from hell, which covered her from head and toe. She switched out the light on the far side of the bed and clambered in.
The bedding smelt vaguely of Xan, Elvi conceded sleepily, and it was an oddly comforting scent. She refused to lie awake fretting about the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy, dimly deciding that Xan probably knew the odds better than her. If it happened, that would be time enough to worry, she told herself. There was no advantage to agonising in advance, and in any case she would have the confirmation one way or another within a very short time.
He had given her something more to think about than the reality that she was sharing a bed with a man for the first time ever overnight, while she hoped he had got the message via the pyjamas that she was unavailable for anything more entertaining than sleep. Of course she knew there were other things that could be done that did not entail the final act that had left her body aching, but she was impossibly tired from all the stress of recent days.
‘Night, Xan,’ she mumbled, as if he were her roommate, and minutes later she was sound asleep.
Xan lay awake marvelling at her seeming indifference to his presence. Random thoughts bombarded him like shrapnel. Was it an act aimed at challenging him? He really didn’t think so because there was nothing inviting or even slightly tantalising about those pyjamas. Obviously, she didn’t like her new wardrobe and he would have to try harder in that department. He had never actually spent the whole night with a woman before but did Elvi know that? Did she even care?
And what had happened to wanting to get to know him? D for effort, Elvi, he mused, hugely irritated.
* * *
Elvi slept like a log and woke up in a surprisingly good mood. After all, yesterday she had crossed the sex bridge and now that apprehension was overcome, she reminded herself with determination. In addition, her mother and her brother were safe from prosecution and would soon be starting a new chapter in Oxford. Buoyant at how the worst of her fears had been vanquished, she bestowed a faint smile on Xan as he strolled out of the bathroom, immaculately dressed in his usual formal suit and looking spectacular as usual.
‘I haven’t even packed,’ she exclaimed in sudden dismay.
It was the very first time she had smiled at him. Xan immediately forgave her for sleeping like the dead in his bed. ‘It’s very warm in Greece,’ he pointed out. ‘You’ll need different clothing and I’ve taken care of it—’
‘Oh, not more clothes!’ Elvi complained in dismay, her nose wrinkling. ‘I don’t need anything more. Honestly, I can make do fine with what I’ve already got—’
‘I will not be seen in public with a woman who is making do,’ Xan declared with perceptible distaste.
‘Of course, if you’re going to be snobbish about it—’
‘I’m not snobbish,’ Xan asserted in a roughened undertone. ‘But I do not wish you to be embarrassed by being inappropriately dressed.’
Elvi got out of bed, as inappropriately dressed as any woman Xan had ever seen and she exhibited zero embarrassment over that reality. The pyjamas were downright ugly, baggy and shapeless on her small form as she breezed past him into the bathroom. Having Elvi for the night hadn’t proved much different from having one of his five-year-old nieces sleeping over. It was clean and innocent, not something that had much appeal for him. Belatedly he reminded himself that her stay and the trip were supposed to be all about her and not about him. He needed to ease his conscience and rise above the guilt and regret she had roused in him the day before. But there was no pressure on him to enjoy the process...
Having established that it was barely six in the morning—no, Xan had not been joking about that early start—Elvi dressed in haste and joined him for breakfast in the elegant dining room. She was unsettled by the realisation that she was excited about travelling abroad for the very first time. Xan, however, seemed rather downbeat and prone to wincing when she spoke, necessarily dragging his attention from the newspaper he was reading. ‘Aren’t you pleased that you’re going to see your family today?’ she pressed.
His high cheekbones pulled taut below his stunning amber eyes, his beautifully moulded mouth compressing. ‘I’m not particularly close to my siblings.’
‘But you’re the eldest,’ she said in surprise, adding a third spoon of sugar to her coffee beneath Xan’s frowning gaze. ‘Don’t they turn to you for advice? I know Daniel does with me—’
‘They do,’ Xan confirmed. ‘I look after them. That’s my duty but that doesn’t mean they’re my best
