At His Revenge: Sold to the Enemy / Bartering Her Innocence / Innocent of His Claim

‘Theé mou—’ Jaw tense, he lowered her to her feet and Selene collapsed onto the sand in a dizzy heap.

Shaking her head to try and dispel the swimmy feeling, she pulled her shoes off her feet. ‘The world is spinning. Next time I won’t drink quite as much quite as fast. And if you even mouth the words “I told you so” I will punch you.’

He swore softly under his breath. ‘Do you even realise what could happen to you in this state? You virtually offered yourself to me.’

‘I did offer myself to you, but obviously that was too forward of me because now you’re frowning. Is it because you don’t think a woman has as much right to enjoy sex as a man?’

He sucked air through his teeth. ‘I don’t think that.’

‘Then why are you looking so disapproving? I was relying on you being as bad as everyone says you are.’ She flopped back onto the soft sand and he gave a growl low in his throat.

‘One of my few life rules is never to have sex with a drunk woman. You should be grateful for that. Stand up! I can’t have a conversation with you when you’re lying at my feet like a starfish.’

‘Why do men always compare me to animals? First my father says I’m a giraffe and now you say I’m a starfish. The day a man tells me I’m a whale, I’m killing myself.’

With an exasperated sigh he bent and lifted her and she tumbled against him, her body pressed hard against his. There was a tense, throbbing silence broken only by the soft sound of the sea on the sand and his harsh breathing in her ear.

‘This,’ he breathed, ‘is not turning out the way I planned it.’

‘Tell me about it. I thought amazing things would happen to a girl wearing a dress like this but all I got was lots of anticipation, an incredible kiss and a lecture.’

His grip on her tightened. ‘You should be grateful I’m showing restraint.’

‘Well, I’m not. I hate the fact you’re so controlled. I’d do anything for you to just lose it for a moment and follow your deepest male instincts.’

He muttered something under his breath and then cupped her face in his hands and slanted his mouth over hers. Excitement flashed through her, slid through her limbs and deep into her bones until she felt the strength leaving her. As his tongue traced the seam of her lips and dipped inside Selene felt her tummy tighten and the world spin. His mouth moved slowly, expertly, over hers and she lost track of time and place, of herself.

Just when she’d decided that all her dreams about kissing were still intact, he released her.

The sense of loss was searing.

She stared up at him in the semi-darkness, acutely aware of the contrast between them. He was all raw power and masculinity. Despite her height, in her bare feet she barely reached his shoulder.

Without thinking she stretched out her hand and touched his face and instantly heard his sharp intake of breath.

‘I’m taking you back to the room.’

‘Yes. Take me back to your room so that we can try out your big, beautiful bed. Strip me naked and do unspeakable things to me,’ she murmured, running her fingers over his biceps. ‘You’re very strong.’

‘Strong enough to stop you doing something you’ll regret tomorrow.’

‘You see? You pretend to be bad, but then you’re good. I hate to say I told you so, but I was right all along. Secretly you’re a nice person, although right now …’ Selene suppressed a yawn. ‘Right now, I wish you weren’t.’

‘Stop talking, Selene. Whenever a thought comes into your head, just trap it there. Don’t let it out.’

‘That’s what I’ve been doing all my life. If my brain is a computer then my hard drive is definitely full.’ She gave a gasp as he scooped her off her feet and strode across the sand.

Mouth tight with disapproval, he carried her up a flight of illuminated steps to a private part of the villa. Brightly coloured bougainvillaea tumbled over whitewashed walls and he strode past the small pool she’d noticed earlier outside the doors of the master suite.

‘This place is so romantic. Just in case you don’t have the energy to make it to the beach, you can leap in here on the way.’ Selene gazed at the smooth, floodlit surface of the water, thinking it was the most tranquil place she’d ever seen. Lush exotic plants clustered around the edge of a beautiful pool and the tantalising sound of water came from two elaborate water features. ‘How long have you owned this place?’

‘A long time.’ His voice was terse. ‘Can you walk or do you want me to carry you?’

‘I definitely want you to carry me. I really like it.’ Selene tightened her arms around his neck. ‘I want you to carry me straight to bed, and teach me everything I don’t know about seduction. We can call it market research.’

‘The state you’re in, you won’t remember any of it in the morning.’

‘If it makes you feel better, I’ll make notes. I promise to concentrate and learn quickly. You won’t have to tell me anything twice.’

‘The first thing you should learn is that you should never, ever drink again. The next time you are given a choice of drink or no drink, choose no drink.’ Casting her a look of undiluted exasperation, Stefan deposited her in the centre of the huge bed and turned to the woman who had just entered the room. He spoke in rapid Greek as Selene flopped onto her side.

‘You’re always giving out orders. Does anyone ever say no to you?’

‘They work for me. They’re paid to say yes. I ordered you a pot of coffee.’

‘I can’t drink coffee this late. It will keep me awake. Do you give orders in the bedroom?’ She sat up and rested her chin on her knees as she watched him. ‘Remove your clothes—lie like this—’ Her voice was sultry and she saw that his powerful body was simmering with barely suppressed tension.

‘Stop talking,’ Stefan advised in a thickened tone.

Selene watched him hungrily, admiring the sleek, powerful lines of his body. ‘Can I ask you something?’

‘No.’

‘Have you ever been in love?’

‘Stop talking, Selene. Snap that pretty mouth of yours shut and keep it shut.’ He wrenched off his jacket and slung it on the nearest chair.

‘I’ll take that as a no.’ Her head spinning, Selene flopped back against the soft pile of pillows that adorned the bed. ‘I want to be in love. I really, really want to be in love. As long as he loves me back. I would never, ever be with someone who doesn’t care for me. That’s one of my rules.’

‘Does this conversation have a point?’

‘I’m just telling you more about me.’

‘I don’t need to know more about you. I already know all I need to know.’

‘So you’re a man who doesn’t believe in love? I bet as far as you’re concerned it’s a myth right up there with the Minotaur and the legend of Atlantis.’

‘You should definitely stop talking.’ Stefan removed his bow tie with an impatient flick of his long fingers. ‘Go into the bathroom and turn the shower to cold. It might help you. It would definitely help me.’

She rolled onto her stomach and leaned her chin in her palm. ‘Do you know what this room needs? Scented candles. Studies have shown that nine out of ten men are more likely to get laid if there is a scented candle in the room.’

His mouth tightened. ‘You know nothing about getting laid.’

‘I’m doing my best but you’re not being very accommodating.’ Trying to distract herself from the spinning, Selene beckoned to him. ‘Kiss me. And this time don’t stop.’

He stilled, his eyes a dark, dangerous black. ‘You are playing with fire.’

‘I’d so much rather be playing with you …’ Registering the exasperation on his face, she giggled. ‘For a sophisticated man of the world with a shocking reputation, you’re very restrained.’