The Billionaire's Bodyguard Bride (11 page)

“Not in the sexual sense, no. I said I won’t pressure you, and I’m a man of my word. The sofa, however, is not an option. If Chuck suspects our marriage was just a ruse to get in his good graces, I’ll be out of contention to bid for his publication. Certainly we’re both adult enough to share a king-size bed without making an issue out of it.”

If it weren’t for the fact that she needed to remain close to him to protect his sorry—albeit handsome—hide, she’d press the issue.

“Fine,” she agreed, her temper doing a slow boil. Confident that Rafe was secure on the well-guarded estate, she decided to put some space between them before she gave in to the urge to throttle him. “I’m going to take a walk around the grounds. I want to take some pictures of the gardens.”

“I’ll join you.”

Grrrr
. The man was impossible. “I’d like a little me time, if you don’t mind.”

“Me time doesn’t feature in the vocabulary of besotted newlyweds. They’re joined at the hip.”

It was pointless to argue, so she grabbed her digital camera and headed for the door. He could tag along if he wanted to.

Lauren tried to block out Rafe’s presence as she walked the gardens, surreptitiously double checking the estate’s security. Satisfied it was airtight and that Chuck Fullerton’s security staff appeared to be on top of things, she gave herself permission to focus her attention and her camera lens on a brilliant display of hyacinth blossoms.

The gardens were a feast of color with a myriad of various perennials in full bloom. The dazzling display attracted butterflies and hummingbirds, and she captured some close-ups of them as they feasted on the blossoms.

A vibrantly iridescent hummingbird paused in midflight to hover over a daylily blossom, his wings a blur of motion. “Beautiful,” she whispered.

“Yes,” Rafe agreed huskily, reaching out to brush a stray tendril of hair away from her face. “Beautiful.”

Turning to face him, she found it wasn’t the bird that held his attention. It was her. Overwhelmed by the passion in his captivating blue eyes, she forgot to breathe for a moment.

Rafe’s intent was written all over his handsome features. Awareness buzzed between them, and she knew the prudent thing to do would be to step back. She hesitated a second too long. He took advantage of her indecision, pressing her up against a nearby tree and laying siege to her mouth.

The coarse bark of the tree trunk scraped the backs of her thighs, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but this.

Rafe’s tongue delved past her lips and she eagerly drank in the taste of him, savoring every nuance of his sensual artistry. His tongue flirted with hers, teasing, enticing, and she pressed closer. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she murmured greedy sounds of encouragement. Swept up in a sensual vortex, she wasn’t aware he’d deftly released the front buttons of her blouse and unclasped her bra until she felt the cool breeze caressing her skin.

He was cupping the fullness of her breasts, his dark head bending to taste her, when the sound of gravel crunching under approaching footsteps brought her hurtling back to reality.

Her face flamed at the realization that Rafe had made her completely lose sight of where she was and why she was here. Though the estate was secure, there was always the chance someone could attempt an attack. How could she have let down her guard like that? She’d agreed to pose as his wife to protect him, not to take pleasure in the moment.

Pulling out of his embrace, she fought her way out of the sensual web he’d woven. Her fingers were clumsy as she fumbled to hastily refasten her clothing.

She managed to pull herself back together before the couple who had intruded on their intimate moment stopped beside them. Attired in coordinating tennis outfits and with every hair on their matching blond heads perfectly in place, the pair shared an unnerving fashion-doll flawlessness. The woman’s expertly made-up eyes swept her briefly before just as quickly dismissing her to focus her full attention on Rafe.

“Dimitriou,” the man nodded.

“Payne,” Rafe greeted him dryly.

So this was Milton Payne
, Lauren thought. The man’s hard eyes raked over her, subjecting her to a thorough appraisal.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your companion, Dimitriou?” the man inquired, flashing a brilliant saccharin smile.

“Of course. This is my wife, Lauren. Lauren, I’d like you to meet Milton and Melanie Payne.”

Rafe’s business rival paled visibly at the announcement of their wedded status, obviously dismayed to learn that the bidding-war playing field had been leveled.

He wasn’t the only one displeased with the news. Melanie wasn’t able to hide the surprise and disdain that flashed in her eyes. “Your wife,” she repeated incredulously. “You didn’t mention you were engaged when I saw you in Paris last month.”

Rafe pulled Lauren to his side, squeezing her hand reassuringly. “That’s because I wasn’t. But when Lauren came back into my life, I moved quickly. I’d foolishly let her slip away once. I wasn’t about to let her get away again.”

Melanie’s mouth pursed in a pouty little moue.
If looks could kill
, Lauren mused,
she would be in dire straits
.

It was Milton who broke the uncomfortable lull in the conversation, having recovered enough to employ a different tactic. “We were about to head over to the tennis courts. Why don’t you join us? We can catch up.”

“We already have plans for the afternoon,” Rafe declined. “Lauren is a photographer. We’re going to explore the grounds so she can take pictures of the gardens.”

“The flowers aren’t going anywhere,” Milton replied. “The Fullertons have a top-rate tennis court. It seems a shame not to make use of it on such a beautiful day. How about it, Lauren?”

The grin he sent her was his version of charming, but Lauren saw through it. Everything about the man screamed pure, unadulterated smarminess. “My game’s rusty. I haven’t been on a court in years.”

“That’s okay, we’ll go easy on you,” Milton countered smoothly.

Lauren knew he would be relentless until they agreed to play. “If Rafe wants to play, I guess we have time for a quick match.”

“Milton will partner with you, Lauren,” Melanie chimed in, looking like a cat about to feast on a saucer of cream. “He plays at the pro level, so it will balance things out. I’ll partner with Rafe.”

“Thanks for the offer, but Lauren and I are a team,” Rafe refuted succinctly, annihilating her plan. “We’ll get our tennis gear and meet you at the court.”

His ex‒business partner certainly hadn’t changed, Rafe thought, as he and Lauren headed back to the main house to swap their street clothes for tennis apparel. Milton hadn’t allowed them to bow out from his invitation, obviously having decided he could use the time to his advantage. If Milton thought he’d find a weakness he could exploit, he was going to be disappointed.

Lauren had remained cool and composed when they’d run into his nemesis. He had to admit he’d been happy to have her at his side. A shame that meant exposing her to his ex-fiancée’s cattiness. It was time, he determined, to clue Lauren in to his history with Milton’s wife. Melanie would certainly seize the first opportunity that presented itself to lash out at his new bride. Lauren deserved to know why.

Beyond the explanation, he owed Lauren an apology, too. He should have exercised more restraint earlier. He’d promised he wouldn’t pressure her, and then he’d practically stripped her naked in the garden.

His expression was somber as he closed the door to their suite. “I need to apologize.”

“For what? It’s not your fault the Paynes happened along,” Lauren dismissed offhandedly.

“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it. I promised you could trust me, and then I demonstrated all the self-control of a randy teenager. I lost my head and overstepped the boundaries.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I was a willing participant. Let’s chalk it up to a moment of weakness for both of us. We can just forget it ever happened.”

Rafe was amazed at how composed she sounded as she excused his behavior. She made it all sound so simple. Forgave him so easily.

But it wasn’t simple for him. Not when he wanted nothing more than to haul her back into his arms and finish what he’d started.

He sighed and shook his head before plunging ahead. “I also owe you an explanation. The other day when you asked about my history with Milton, I wasn’t entirely truthful with you. You were right, the animosity between us goes beyond business. It’s personal.”

“Just how personal?”

“Milton helped himself to my fiancée.”

“You were engaged to Melanie? No wonder animosity was radiating off her in waves when you introduced me as your wife.”

“I’m not proud to admit I came close to marrying her.” He’d already made up his mind to call off the engagement when his father had confronted him with evidence of Melanie’s deceitfulness. The irrefutable evidence the private investigator had gathered proving his fiancée was having an affair with his ex‒business partner had only reinforced his decision.

“Can I ask you something?” Lauren inquired.

“Sure.”

“I’m curious about what drew you to Melanie. She’s gorgeous, that part I get. But I know you’re not that superficial, so there had to be something more to make you want to marry her.”

“There was. At least I thought so. Thankfully I awoke to my mistake before it was too late. I realized the woman I’d fallen for didn’t really exist. Melanie’s smoke-and-mirrors act fooled me for a while, but it wasn’t long before I caught on to the fact that she wasn’t in love with me, only the lifestyle I could provide her with. She deliberately set out to create a persona she knew I’d fall for.”

“How sad.”

“Actually, I consider it a lucky escape.”

And he’d vowed never to be played like that again. But Lauren had deftly wormed her way past his defenses. That made the two women birds of a feather, didn’t it? So why was his gut screaming that Lauren was nothing like Melanie?

“Thanks for telling me about your past with Melanie. I’ll be on the lookout for misdirected tennis balls. Speaking of which, we’d better get ready.”

Lauren emerged from the ensuite bath after changing into a white tennis skirt and matching tank top to find Rafe waiting for her. If her rusty playing skills weren’t enough of a handicap, now she’d have to try to focus on her game while facing the very sexy distraction Rafe presented in a white polo shirt and shorts.

Rafe in competitive mode on a tennis court was a sight to behold. Beautifully honed muscles flexed as he attacked hard. His skill on the court more than made up for her deficit, but she was pleasantly surprised to find she could still hold her own.

It didn’t take her long to get into the rhythm of the game, and they soon had the Paynes on the defensive. As the points racked up in their favor, the Paynes’ game turned dirty. Lauren found herself the target of a brutal backhand Melanie fired her way.

So that was the way she wanted to play it, hmmm
, Lauren fumed, sending the ball whizzing back across the net. She could give as good as she got, and she did just that. She wasn’t about to let the fashion-plate blonde best her.

“Great shot,
agapi mou
,” Rafe complimented with a wink in her direction that made her heart leap. It wasn’t long before they easily won the match.

“Nicely played, Mrs. Dimitriou,” Rafe murmured before rewarding her with a passionate kiss.

The for-appearances’-sake kiss was the antithesis to the chaste one he’d marked their marriage with. Her toes curled with the intensity of it. When he finally broke away, her heart was racing faster than it had been when she was pursuing Melanie’s volleys.

“Good game, Payne,” Rafe offered, shaking the other man’s hand.

Sweaty and flustered, Milton let his smooth veneer slip for an instant. An angry scowl creased his face, revealing the ugliness beneath. “Obviously Lauren could give Melanie some pointers. My wife’s game was pathetically lacking today.”

“How could I concentrate when I broke a nail?” Melanie whined.

Milton ignored her, swinging his racket in agitation. “There’s plenty of time for a rematch before dinner. Let’s switch partners and play another set.”