Katie shrugged and let the jacket slip to the ground. ‘Maybe I want to make a foolish gesture.’
‘Now you’re just being ridiculous,’ he gritted, bending to retrieve the garment from the carpeted floor. His colour was heightened when he took his seat; the twist of his sensual lips was overtly contemptuous.
‘That’s your fault,’ she blurted resentfully.
One supremely eloquent dark brow twitched as his expressive eyes swept over her face. ‘This I have to hear,’ he remarked, throwing the jacket casually across one shoulder. ‘You were saying?’
Katie flushed. ‘There’s no point saying anything because no matter what I say you’ll just twist it,’ she announced mutinously.
‘In other words your accusations have no foundation.’ Before she could protest he replaced his jacket over her shoulders and, keeping a grip on each lapel, jerked her gently towards him. Katie was overpoweringly conscious of his strength; she breathed in his warm male scent and felt uncomfortably giddy.
He bent his head towards her. ‘No matter how outrageously unpleasant you become,’ he imparted softly, ‘I am not leaving you alone.’
‘So you’ll just call me an avaricious grasping bitch!’ To her intense dismay Katie felt her eyes fill with weak tears.
Nikos looked into the swimming blue pools, an expression of genuine surprise stamped across his handsome features. ‘I said nothing of the sort!’ he ejaculated.
‘You accused me of wanting to screw you for some nice fat divorce settlement!’ She breathed wrathfully. ‘For your information I wouldn’t take my bus fare off you,’ she added tremulously.
How, she wondered, could you detest someone so much yet find you wanted to lay your head against his chest and cry? Why in the circumstances would anybody in their right mind seek comfort and safety in the arms of their enemy? It was inexplicable and extremely scary, she concluded, staring with a dazed expression at the broad expanse that filled her with the strangest yearning.
As he surveyed her downcast features the harsh lines of Nikos’s face softened. ‘I did not intend to offend you, Katerina. Let us stop arguing, you’re not well.’
‘What’s this—Greek chivalry?’
He picked up on her scorn but reacted with curiosity, not injured pride. ‘You doubt such a thing exists?’
‘After meeting you—yes!’
Surprisingly her acid retort made him laugh, then as his appraisal of her weary, strained features continued his expression sobered once more. ‘Let’s be practical.’
When am I anything else? Katie thought with a spurt of revolt.
‘What actually are your plans?’
Did she have any? She shrugged. ‘Hopefully I won’t be reduced to sleeping on a park bench.’
‘What’s this—British humour?’ Despite her determination to be angry with him, Katie was amused to hear him cleverly use her own format against her. Whatever else was wrong with him, the man did have a quick wit and clever tongue—far too clever, she brooded darkly. A conversation with him had more dips and bends than a roller coaster.
‘You doubt such a thing exists?’ she quipped.
‘What can I say without insulting a person’s cultural heritage?’
Katie flushed at the subtle reprimand, then got even more worried when it occurred to her that he might have imagined there were xenophobic overtones in her earlier gibe. She frowned as she tried to recall whether what she had said could be construed that way.
‘Have you ever actually met any Greeks other than myself?’
‘Yes. As a matter of fact I’ve lived with one.’ She was pleased to see her enigmatic reply disconcert him; if she had been better acquainted with him she would have been even more surprised.
‘Does Tom know about this?’
Katie gave him a sunny, composed smile. ‘Yes, he does.’
‘I suppose this failed relationship explains your antipathy to me.’
‘Did I say I had a failed relationship?’
‘I naturally assumed as you’re not in it any longer…’
‘Well, you assumed wrong,’ she replied, her eyes locked to his. She hadn’t intended to make her reply vague, but now that she thought about it having Nikos imagine she had a colourful past did not seem such a bad idea.
‘As a matter of fact it was a beautiful relationship.’ The taunting tone suddenly died from her voice and her eyes softened. ‘Very beautiful,’ she revealed in a tone of deep, ineffable sadness. ‘I doubt if I’ll ever have a relationship quite like it again.’ Unless she had a daughter of her own one day?
‘Then your antipathy to me…’
‘Is solely due to the fact that you’re an offensive, malicious, detestable man.’
In the thunderous silence that followed her pronouncement Katie started to regret being so mean. I haven’t even asked if he’s all right, she thought, glancing guiltily towards the wound on his forehead. It was barely visible through the heavy swathe of hair that had fallen across his forehead.
‘I didn’t mean to offend you,’ she added when he didn’t respond. ‘Well, I did, but not— Oh, for heaven’s sake, don’t sulk!’ she blurted out in frustration. She waited for the inevitable ice to filter into his expression and wondered if there was a medical condition that could account for what her tongue was doing.
‘Relax, Katerina,’ he advised. ‘I’m not offended.’
She gave a sigh of relief. ‘Good. What did the doctor say?’
‘My chest is clear.’
Your chest is perfect, Katie thought. ‘That’s excellent,’ she said gravely.
‘And the X-ray of my skull was as it should be. They insisted on putting a stitch or two in my head,’ he admitted in a casual manner.
‘One or two?’ Katie echoed doubtfully. ‘It looks more to me…’ Without thinking, she reached out to lift the concealing hair from the wound. Before she touched him long brown fingers curled over her own. A bolt of neat electricity sizzled along her raw nerve endings.
‘Will you not take my word?’ He gave a humourless smile. He seemed a little tense…but then there was a lot of it about, she thought, swallowing a bubble of hysteria. ‘No, of course you won’t.’
‘I only wanted to see if you’re all right.’
Nikos dismissed her concern with a terse shake of his head. ‘The amount of stitches is of no consequence.’
He brought her hand down but didn’t release it immediately; instead he turned it over and ran his
