Niko's Stolen Bride (19 page)

“Umm. So am I.”

“For food.” She couldn’t help the laughter that shaded the words.

“Liar,” he murmured against her breasts.

She couldn’t deny it. His small kisses were compelling, driving away all thoughts of their dinner plans. Her fingers clenched in the hair over his ears, her thumbs following the widow’s peak that defined his temples. He was so close to the ultra-sensitive skin of her nipple that she could feel his breath warming it. She wanted to pull aside the dress and the bra and expose herself to his eyes, his mouth and his fingers.

“You were going to show me off in the casino, remember?” She was breathing shakily, her cheek pressed to the softness of his hair. Thunder growled low and persistent, a potent reminder of the lightning that had been shooting sparklers off to the east for the last hour. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll get caught in the rain.”

“Changed my mind,” he said between kisses. “Too jealous.” He tugged gently on one strap of her dress, sliding it over her shoulder. “How about room service?”

The thrill that shot through her at the idea that he might be jealous was hazardous to her emotional health. It was also short-lived. He didn’t mean anything by it, she was sure. Just standard male talk, staking her out as his temporary possession.

With his lips forging a path across her chest, she was having trouble stringing together coherent thoughts, but his words finally permeated her slowly frying brain cells. “Uh, ship, Niko. Not a hotel room. I don’t think they deliver meals to the marina.”

“Yes, they do,” he murmured against her collarbone. “We have a room card with the ship’s name and slip instead of a room number.” His enticing lips moved up a couple of inches to brush against the skin just under her jaw line. “I’ve ordered my favorite.”

“Filet mignon?” she supplied.

He straightened and drew back slightly, surprise arching his eyebrows. “You remembered.”

An involuntary shiver shook her as she raised her arms to bring his face down to hers. She doubted she’d ever be able to eat filet mignon again without longing for a repeat of the afternoon’s treat, the hottest sex she’d ever had on a cold kitchen counter. Make that the only sex she’d ever had in the kitchen. He’d mentioned his favorite food while teasing her, but it was doubtful she’d ever forget a single word he’d spoken or the caring way he made love. Tears blurred her vision, but she blinked them away rapidly, hoping he wouldn’t see.

If he noticed the moisture gathered in her eyes, he didn’t comment. With gentle strokes, he teased her mouth, moving his lips back and forth on hers with a slow, dragging motion that made her long for the deeper penetration of his tongue.

“I owe you a fantasy,” he murmured. “Your turn.”

“Wait.” She leaned against his hold, tilting her chin to look into his smoky eyes. “You said you ordered your favorite. Past tense.”

The slow smile that curved his lips was breathtaking. Had he practiced it in a mirror as a teenager, perfecting it until he could make a girl melt with just that one move?

“Guilty as charged. No rush though.” He checked his watch. “It won’t arrive for another forty-five minutes.”

It was no surprise that he didn’t look at all repentant. The man was used to getting what he wanted. “I got dressed up to stay on the yacht?” She frowned. It was as if she and Niko were on their honeymoon trip, staying on the ship, totally wrapped up in each other. It was an unexpected discordant note, but the way he was looking at her made it worth every extra minute she’d taken to do her hair and makeup. He misread the frown as displeasure.

“We can go out later, if you want. The casinos will still be open.”

“I see. And just what did you order for me?”

This time, the wicked glint in his eyes was apparent. His voice dropped an octave as he replied. “Oysters.”

“I don’t like oysters,” she pointed out, trying to control the twitch of her lips.

“Then you can skip the appetizer and go straight for the main course.” As he spoke, one hand slid down the curve of her hip to the hem of her dress and slipped under it while his other arm pulled her snug against his lower body. His long, fabulous fingers skimmed across the roundness of her cheeks to find the strap of the lacy thong he’d selected to match the push-up bra. “You can have it any way you like. It’s your choice.”

With the hard length of his erection pressing into her hip and his fingers sliding into the soft folds of her damp core, she could barely breath, much less think. “What did you say you ordered for my main course?”

“I didn’t say,” he said, his voice low, knowing.

She arched her back as his questing fingers found what he sought, her moan lost in the first scattering of raindrops against the sun shield over their heads. Grasping the lapels of his jacket, she pulled him toward her. “Tell me,” she demanded against the strong column of his throat where his shirt collar was unbuttoned.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like tonight, but I’m beginning to get a pretty good idea.” His breathing seemed to deepen as she began to unfasten the buttons on his shirt.

The soft purr of her dress’s zipper releasing was loud. The draft of cool air along her spine was followed by his warm hands against her back.

“Focus, Niko,” she said gently as the rain began in earnest, drumming against the canvas covering, drawing around them like a fluid gray curtain, shielding them from prying eyes. “The food?”

“Umm, yes. I, umm, requested a second steak and oriental stir-fry. Whichever you don’t eat, we’ll have as a midnight snack.”

The thought that they’d still be awake at midnight sent the blood throbbing through her veins. The man was incredible. Every sexy, sultry dream she’d ever had come true. “What comes after the main course?”

He lifted his arms away from her for mere seconds to allow her space to pull his shirt from the band of his slacks then his hands were back, hard and urgent, sliding the straps of her dress down so that it pooled in a shining puddle at her feet. Lightning flashed, illuminated his face for a brief moment, exposing his need that seemed as natural and uncontrolled as the elements that surrounded them. “Chocolate cake.”

She skimmed her palms around his bare torso, pulling him with her as she tipped backward onto the padded sun-bathing recliner. He caught himself on his elbows, shifting so that he could cradle her face with a tenderness that made the tears lingering in the back of her throat threaten again. She sighed against his mouth as she opened to his kiss. “Perfect.”

* * *

Days passed in a blur of activity by day and Niko by night. During the day, he was a charming companion, anxious to show her the islands. They didn’t take the yacht out because they were short on crew, but borrowed jet skis from the resort and wave-jumped until Kara’s arms ached from holding on to the handles. Lunch was a picnic on the beach or hamburgers cooked by staff members on grills located next to the swimming pools. In the huge water park, they floated lazily in rafts on the man-made river. At night, they tried their luck in the casino, although Kara admitted to being more impressed with its stunning glass artwork than interested in games of chance. When they were alone, Niko was warm, considerate and always temptingly passionate.

As the week progressed, however, there was something in his expression that disturbed her. Some bleak undertone to his words and actions that left her feeling that he was gripped in the memory of a recurring nightmare. At times, she’d catch him watching her with that smoked blue gaze shuttered by his lashes and wonder what made him look so desolate. Finally, she’d had enough. “You need to talk to me.”

It was mid-afternoon and the heat was rising in lazy waves from the black hull of the yacht. The air was crystal clear, the sky cloudless as it had been all day. They were lying side by side on one of the huge recliners under the shelter of the sun canopy on the fly deck, hoping to catch a stray breeze or two to alleviate the intense temperature. She rolled to her side, propped on one elbow and surveyed him from behind dark sunglasses. He lay on his back, dressed only in a pair of navy swim shorts.

“I’ve done nothing but talk for days,” he said, his tone drowsy. “You know more about me than my mother.”

She made an unattractive sound in her throat then placed one palm carefully against his chest to gain his attention. Leaning over him, her breasts pressed against the hardness of his ribs, she saw her reflection in the silvered lenses of his sunglasses. “Movies, favorite foods, but not the important things. I want to know what makes you sad.”

His lips pursed for a moment as if he were considering the question. “Homeless puppies, not getting what I want for Christmas and running out of coffee beans for my favorite espresso.”

Kara slapped him playfully on the chest. “No, really.”

When he didn’t respond, she prompted him again. “Is it because the Defense Force delivered our passports this morning?” The investigation had concluded. They’d said the culprits were impossible to locate at this time. In case any of the suspected pirates were ever picked up for another reason, they’d kept the security camera’s tapes as evidence. Kara had shuddered at the thought of ever viewing the tapes again or being asked to testify at some future court hearing.

Silence stretched between them. She felt his chest expand in a deep inhalation. He released it then spoke. “The new sliding doors have arrived.”

Her teeth clenched down on an automatic protest. It was nearly the end of the week, yes, and she was expected back at work on Monday. Still, she’d thought they would have the weekend together. A slow trip back to Sanibel, sweet good-bye kisses.

Her father and Elaina were still there, as they had planned to spend a few days alone on the island after the other guests left. They were flying home together on Sunday.

“Eduardo has gone to meet with the contractor who will install the doors. They’ve picked the boxes up at the airport and will mount them this afternoon.”

“Then we leave.”

It wasn’t a question. He had obligations, a family company that he helped to run. He’d shielded her from his work, but there had been calls on his cell phone that he’d had to take and a meeting he’d attended by video conference, using the hotel facilities.

He nodded his agreement. “The ship will depart this evening, as soon as the repairs are completed.”

“You should have told me.” She could have mentally prepared herself to tell him good-bye. Perhaps then, she wouldn’t feel this deep ache that had started in the middle of her chest and threatened to spread to every cell in her body. It hurt so much that she had trouble taking a breath.

He shrugged, that casual flick of the shoulders that she now knew could mean anything. A lack of care, agreement or disagreement, but without the need to argue. “I’m sorry, Kara, but you knew it had to end.”

“Yes, yes, I suppose it does.” The words were soft and tentative.

* * *Niko pulled her hand from his chest and kissed each finger slowly, memorizing the feel of her skin with his lips. Not that he thought he’d ever forget. He kept a loose clasp on her hand as he lowered it back to his chest. “You know it does. My home is in Greece and you live in New York. We can’t change that.”

When she started to speak, he reached with his other hand to place a gentle finger against her lips. “And you will not want to, once you get home and things are back to normal. This will be just a memory, a pleasant little holiday that you once had.”

She pushed his finger away. “How can you be sure?”

“It is the way these things work. You and I are no different than thousands of other couples who met on a cruise ship or at a resort this week. The real world has its claws in deep and is dragging us back to reality, whether we want to go or not.”

She rolled to her back, staring up at the sun screen over their head. For a moment, he thought she was going to give in quietly, admit he was right, but there was a strength inside her that wouldn’t allow it. Sitting up, she turned to face him, her legs crossed under her. She reached to pull her long hair over one shoulder to cool her neck. He couldn’t see her eyes for the dark glasses, but he recognized the determined tilt of her chin. “Tell me about her.”

His heart began to thump heavily in his chest. He didn’t talk about Jessica. Not ever. He pretended to misunderstand, simply quirking an eyebrow in inquiry.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Niko.” Her voice was hard, but with a frayed edge that tore at his heartstrings. “What happened? You made plans to meet after you got home and she never showed?”

He sighed, raising his hands in supplication to the heavens for help before he let them fall back to his sides. The deities would not aid him in dealing with this woman. Most likely, they’d sent her to cause him grief. And enormous pleasure. Letting her go was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He was only glad that memories of her would be tied to the yacht and Nassau, not to his apartment in Athens. There he could survive without smelling her lingering perfume, sensing her presence, enduring the crushing disappointment when he turned and she wasn’t there. “It wasn’t like that.”

She poked him in the chest with one sharp fingernail. “Admit it. There was another woman and you’re using what happened with her to judge me. I won’t have it. I am not like that woman.”

“Yes, you are.” His tone was sharp, much firmer than he’d intended.