The Kyriakos Virgin Bride / The Billionaire's Bidding: The Kyriakos Virgin Bride

Katy patted her hand. “You looked so unhappy when you came in—don’t let anyone spoil what you and my brother have.”

Instantly reality came crashing back. What did they have? At worst, a sham of a marriage based on a pack of lies. At best, it was an illusion built on her naive assumption that Zac loved her.

What good would running do? She needed to find Zac. To get to the bottom of what she’d heard. To find out whether he’d married her because he loved her or because he needed a convenient virgin bride.

“No,” Pandora said slowly. “I won’t let anyone spoil what we have.” But she couldn’t help thinking it had been spoiled…ruined…already. By Zac’s Academy Award-deserving deception.

The study was empty. Pandora found Zac in the elegant sitting room, reclining in the leather armchair positioned under the Chagall painting she’d admired when she’d first seen this room. With one knee crossed over the other, Zac perused the morning paper. Her heart started to thump.

“I need to talk to you.”

He glanced up and a lazy, intimate smile softened his strong features. “Good morning, wife.”

“Is it? A good morning?” She raised her brows and gave him a pointed little smile.

His mouth curved wider until white teeth flashed irresistibly against his tanned olive skin. Masculine satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. “You tell me.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“You’re not sure? Come here, I’ll show you. Last night…” His voice trailed away as he leaned over and caught her behind the knees and swept her onto his lap. “Last night didn’t convince you? I’ll have to do something about that.”

In his arms, Pandora turned to marshmallow. The sexy, suggestive timbre of his voice in her ear, the hard-muscled chest pressing against her side were almost enough to convince her to abandon the answers she sought. Almost.

“You are so beautiful.” He pressed a kiss against her cheek and hugged her closer. “A good-morning kiss will have to do for now. We don’t have enough time to make it to the bedroom, not with my family due to arrive any minute for lunch. Come closer, let me adore you with my lips, let me—”

“Stop it, Zac!” She turned her head away just before his lips landed on her mouth. “There’s no need for such reverence.”

He stilled. “What do you mean?”

She sat straight, no easy feat given that she sprawled across his lap, her colourful sundress bunched around his legs. “I know, Zac.”

His eyes suddenly wary, he asked. “What do you know?”

Gauging his response, she peered at him from behind her fringe. “I know everything.”

“Everything?”

“I know about the prophecy, about your need to marry a virgin bride.”

“And?” He prompted, his astute eyes suddenly hooded. “What else do you know? Surely that can’t be all.”

She took a deep breath. “I know you don’t love me.”

He flicked her a quick upward glance. “And why do you think that?”

“Because you never told me. And I never realized…”

“But I—”

“Let me finish.” She brushed her bangs back and glared at him. “You did such a great job of it that I never even realized you’d never told me you loved me. Jeez, I’ve been stupid.”

“I told you—”

“Yes, let’s revisit exactly what you told me. You’re so beautiful, Pandora. I love your hair. The pale gold reminds me of—”

“Sea sand.” Zac stretched out a hand and brushed the strands away from her face. “It does. It’s so soft, so pale.”

Pandora pushed his caressing hand away and stood. “Then what about I love your energy—like quicksilver, huh?”

“You never stop moving, it’s intriguing. Your hands are so small, so fine-boned, yet they move so swiftly, even when you talk. Even now when you’re mad.”

She clenched her fists and put them behind her back. “And you love my laughter, too, huh?”

He nodded slowly, his eyes watchful. “A sense of humour is important in a marriage.”

“And then there was I love the way you make me feel.”

“Definitely.”

“But you know what? You never said I love you, Pandora. And given all these things you told me, I never thought anything of it.” Until now. “It never crossed my mind that it was a clever way of getting out of—”

“Hey, wait a moment…” Zac straightened and pushed his hands through his hair. She’d never seen him look anything but coolly and good-humouredly in control. Now his hair stood up in all directions and a frown snaked across his forehead as he perched on the edge of the armchair.

“So say it, Zac.”

He looked at her in disbelief. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“I’m not kidding. I’m waiting, Zac.”

He gave a short, unamused laugh and shrugged. “This is about three little words?”

“I overheard you talking. I heard that you need to marry a virgin. Right now I need those three little words.”

“What the hell do they matter?” He stood, towering over her. “We’re married. We’re compatible. On every level. Do you know how rare that is? You understand my world—something that’s very important to me. We share interests, a sense of humour. And as for sex…well—” he blew out “—that’s better than I ever hoped for.”

“Lucky you! Because I feel like I’ve been cheated.” At her angry words, his head went back and his eyes flashed. “So when were you planning to tell me, Zac?”

His gaze dropped away.

“You weren’t, were you? You were planning to let me live in the clouds, to think this was the love match of the century.” She turned away, not wanting him to see what the realisation had cost her.

“Wait—”

“Wait?” She gave an angry laugh and spun to face him. “Why? For you to make a fool of me all over again?”

Zac stared into her furious countenance. Underneath the tight-lipped anger he thought he caught a glimpse of hurt in her stunning pale eyes. Those eyes that had held him entranced since the first moment he’d seen her.

She wanted him to say that he loved her.