The Kristallis Baby

She gasped as her body bumped against his, the skimpy dress doing nothing to shield her from the hot-blooded strength of his powerful masculine form. Her heart was beating so loudly it blocked out all other sounds, and her stomach was turning somersaults. What was he going to do now? He couldn’t really mean to kiss her, could he? He didn’t even know her!

Somewhere deep inside her mind a tiny rational thought told her to push him off, to back away and get out of there while she still could. But her body was ignoring the niggle of common sense, overriding her instinct for self-preservation. She simply didn’t want to do the sensible thing.

She stared up at him, unable to speak or move. Then the moment of no return passed and his mouth came down on hers.

The sensual movement of his lips against hers set her body trembling, and she clung to him, utterly lost in the moment.

Her legs felt weak, and her arms seemed to slide around his broad shoulders of their own volition as she felt her body meld itself to his. He placed one strong hand between her shoulder blades to support her, and by leaning forward pushed her back over the desk. A moment later his other hand found her waist and tugged her tightly to him.

Her hips were pressed against his, and her spine was arched back, pushing her breasts upwards. It was an undeniably erotic position, and a rush of sexual excitement stormed through her body, starting an insistent throbbing of desire deep within her. Then, with unexpected abruptness, he pulled back from the kiss.

She stared at him in startled silence. All she could hear was the sound of her own breathing and the rapid beating of her heart. All she could see was his face, his expression intense but unreadable. He still held her close, but not so tightly as before.

‘Carrie?’ A man’s voice coming from behind the stranger broke through into her awareness. ‘I didn’t know you were coming this evening.’

Darren! She’d forgotten all about him. Suddenly she remembered she’d taken his mobile phone—then an instant later realised it was no longer in her hand.

‘Lulu…Lulu asked me to stay for the party,’ she stammered distractedly, hardly able to tear her gaze away from the stranger’s face to glance at Darren.

‘What are you doing in here?’ There was a hint of suspicion colouring his voice as he looked down at his jacket. It was lying rather haphazardly on the chair where Carrie had dropped it. ‘Well, I can see what you’re doing—but why are you doing it in my study?’ he added.

‘I needed a moment alone with Carrie.’ The stranger suddenly spoke, turning his head to look at Darren. From the calm assurance and air of authority he exuded, anyone would think it was his study rather than Darren’s.

Carrie’s eyes opened wide with shock. How did he know her name—was he simply repeating what he’d just heard Darren call her? And why had he said he wanted to be alone with her? An uncomfortable mixture of emotions rattled through her as she stared at his strong profile. Had he simply followed her into the room with the intention of making a pass at her?

‘Nik!’ Darren exclaimed. ‘Long time no see. You didn’t tell me you were coming.’

Carrie frowned in confusion. For some reason she was surprised that Darren knew the stranger, but after all this was his party, and all the people here were his guests. And he’d called the stranger by name—Nik.

‘It was a last-minute decision,’ Nik said. ‘I’ve just come straight from the airport.’

‘I can see you didn’t waste any time getting straight down to business, you old dog!’ Darren laughed, slapping him soundly on the back. The action bumped Nik hard into Carrie, sending shockwaves of desire ricocheting through her sensitised body. ‘And, Carrie,’ he added approvingly, ‘you dark horse!’

With another jolt she realised that she was still almost indecently entwined with the stranger. His muscled leg was pressing intimately between her thighs, pulling the fabric of her dress taut across her hips and causing it to ride up even higher.

‘Well, don’t let me interrupt you, mate.’ Darren spoke to Nik as leant past them to pick up his jacket. ‘I can see you’ve got things to do,’ he added with a knowing grin as he pulled the mobile phone out of the pocket. ‘I’ve got a phone call to make, so I’ll leave you to it. Lock the room if you want,’ he finished, closing the door behind him as he left the study.

Carrie stared after him with her mind spinning, then turned back to look into Nik’s face, which was still only inches from her own. She was confused and embarrassed by her response to his kiss, but she was also angry with him for putting her in that position in the first place.

‘What on earth do you think you were doing?’ she demanded, pushing him away from her. She stood up straight, wobbling slightly on her high heels before she found her balance, but then she planted her hands firmly on her hips and stared at him indignantly.

‘I would have thought it was obvious,’ he drawled, looking completely unmoved as he straightened his tie and tugged at the cuffs of his shirt so that once again he looked immaculate. ‘I was replacing the stolen phone, of course.’

‘Oh!’ Carrie was completely thrown. How could he be so matter-of-fact about what had just happened between them? Had he really only kissed her to provide a distraction while he put the phone back?

The kiss had lasted only moments, but it had had a profound impact on her both physically and mentally. For half a year her identity as an individual with hopes and desires had been locked away. She hadn’t thought of herself as a woman with natural needs and passions. Now she had suddenly let go, in a way that even shocked herself.

She’d been so wrapped up in the kiss that she’d been totally oblivious to what was going on around her. Nik, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected by the experience, and had even been able to concentrate on an entirely different agenda. He’d simply been creating a smokescreen so Darren wouldn’t notice him putting the phone back in his jacket pocket.

‘I thought you’d be grateful,’ he said, his sensual lips curving up in evident amusement at her obvious confusion and discomfort. ‘In fact, I got the impression you rather enjoyed it.’

‘I didn’t enjoy it!’ Carrie felt her cheeks blazing at her barefaced lie. ‘And you certainly didn’t need to kiss me like that!’ she added.

‘It’s what they always do in the movies. I had to bend you back like that to reach the jacket,’ Nik said, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ‘Besides, you looked like a frightened little rabbit. If I’d stuck out my leg and tripped Darren up, I doubt that you would’ve had the wit to use the diversion to put his phone back unnoticed.’

‘I didn’t ask you to help me,’ she said, suddenly riled by Nik’s casual insult, and by the way he was treating the whole thing as a joke. ‘I would have simply explained to Darren that Lulu needed the phone.’

‘I’m not going to apologise for kissing you, if that’s what you’re angling for,’ he said. ‘I did what I thought was necessary at the time, and that’s all there is to it. I wasn’t exactly delighted with the situation myself, but I’m not asking for your apologies.’

‘I’ve got nothing to say sorry for!’ Carrie protested, her emotions see-sawing horribly. She’d found the kiss totally mind-blowing, yet Nik apparently had a very different view of the whole thing. ‘I didn’t ask you to kiss me. It’s not my fault you found it so awful!’

‘I wasn’t talking about the kiss, of course. Why are women always so insecure about these things?’ he asked, with an exaggerated lift of his eyebrows. ‘I meant that I wasn’t thrilled to discover you’re a thief. I’d hoped that you were a reasonable, honest person.’

‘What?’ she gasped, struggling to understand the implication of his words. Why did he care what sort of person she was? Suddenly she remembered him telling Darren that he needed a moment alone with her. Who was he?

‘First impressions count for a lot,’ he continued, letting his gaze drift slowly down her body, lingering meaningfully on the fullness of her breasts before skimming down to her narrow waist.

‘Who are you?’ She held herself straight and refused to fidget under his blatant scrutiny. ‘And what do you want from me?’

He didn’t answer immediately, and, still not making eye contact, rudely let his gaze sweep lower, moving over the swell of her hips and down her long exposed legs to the tips of her toes. She was just about to repeat her question when his eyes snapped up to meet hers.

‘My name is Nikos Kristallis,’ he said coldly. ‘And I have come to discuss arrangements for my nephew.’

CHAPTER TWO

C ARRIE couldn’t speak. She was so shocked she could hardly think.

She simply stared at him. Nikos Kristallis. He was the younger brother of Sophie’s husband, Leonidas. The favoured son of the proud and arrogant Cosmo Kristallis. He was Danny’s uncle.

A nasty sensation of dread settled in her stomach, but she took a deep breath to steady herself. She tried not to think about her distressing encounter with Cosmo Kristallis at the funeral, which suddenly loomed up in the front of her mind. It had been a horrible experience, and her memories of the occasion were inseparable from the soul-wrenching grief for her loved ones.

‘What are you doing here?’ When she finally managed to speak, her voice was no more than a scratchy whisper.

Nik watched the profound impact of his words on Carrie Thomas with a strange sense of satisfaction. The colour drained from her face with startling speed and for a moment she appeared totally stunned.

He was pleased. Not that he liked to inflict pain on people as a general rule, but Carrie Thomas was different. She had taken something that belonged to him, and he would do whatever it took to get it back!

‘I have come to discuss my nephew,’ Nik replied. ‘Now I have identified myself to you, I would have thought that was obvious.’

‘I have nothing to say to you about Danny,’ Carrie said. Her face was very white against her black hair, but the spark was suddenly back in her green eyes. ‘We have nothing to discuss.’ She stalked across to the door and walked out.

Nik made no attempt to stop her leaving.

It suited him to get her away from the crowds at this footballer’s party. It was too public for what he had to do, and there were definitely too many photographers about.

Nik’s eyes narrowed as he watched Carrie weave her way through the crowds of partygoers. She was a gorgeous creature. His investigators had provided him with photos, so he’d known she would be attractive, but those photos had done nothing to reveal the incredible full-blooded impact of her presence.

She was making rapid progress across the room, stepping lightly in her strappy sandals, the extraordinary height of the heels creating a delicious tension in her shapely legs. Every man present was looking at her as she passed. Every man present was picturing those long, long legs wrapped around him. Or maybe it was just Nik. Certainly he couldn’t shake the thought of kissing her again. Kissing her and more, much more.