Her Greek Romance aka Greek Encounter Read online

  “Temptress,” Stefano muttered. “Enough.” He pulled her head away from him and crushed her mouth with a blazing kiss.

  A ball of fire erupted in her belly. The flames slithered between her legs and her moans mingled with his. She pulled back to catch her breath.

  “I’m still too hot.” He tilted his head toward his waist.

  “Ah, your shorts.”

  “Yes, they have to go. Quickly.”

  “You bet.” With a crisp movement, she grabbed the elastic waist and pulled down his shorts. They dropped to his ankles and he stepped aside. His cock sprang free, gloriously naked.

  She stared at her Greek god, Apollo in rippling muscles. And swallowed hard. “Oh dear, you don’t wear—” The air whooshed out of her lungs in a gasp.

  “Do I pass inspection?” His devilish grin brought her back to earth.

  Unable to utter a single word, she nodded several times, hoping he wouldn’t hear her heart thump against her ribs.

  “That’s exactly how you affect me.” He extended a hand. “Come to me, Cardia mou, my little heart. Let me love you.”

  Without hesitation, she put her hand in his and he pulled her to the bed.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Propped on his elbow, Stefano contemplated the exquisite face he had just lavished with kisses and caresses. The delicate fragrance of her perfume lingered. Her coppery golden mane spread on his satin pillow provided the perfect frame for her loveliness. Long eyelashes arched over high cheekbones. Was she dozing? The slender legs he’d covered with his thigh squirmed, stroking his muscles in a deliciously enticing way.

  “Stefano,” she murmured, answering his silence question.

  “Yes, Aghapie mou.”

  Her eyes popped opened. “You called me your love?”

  “Haven’t I proven to you how dear you are to me?”

  A pink hue brightened her face. “That you did. Oh, Stefano, it was wonderful. I can swear I saw fireworks.”

  He couldn’t stifle the smugness in his smile and he leaned to brush her lips with his. Instantly hard again, he slid an avid finger down her throat to her breast and tickled her nipple. “We were too enthusiastic, too quick. How about a slow-motion repeat performance?”

  Her gasp chimed against his ear. “If you want.”

  “With you, I’ll always want. But what about you?” His fingers played with her nipple and gently rubbed it.

  The side of her mouth curved in a sheepish smile. “I’m afraid I’ll always want, too.”

  He burst out laughing. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard today. The night is young and we should enjoy it. Tomorrow—”

  A frown started on her forehead. “Please, no depressing thoughts.”

  “Yes, you’re right.”

  Tomorrow meant arguments in court and maybe a disappointment about her grandfather’s house. His gut tightened in an unpleasant spasm and he sobered.

  Tomorrow, he might break her heart. He would break her heart for sure.

  Tomorrow, she would lose her illusions about Greek men. She would hate him, curse him, and wish she’d never set eyes on such vermin.

  His gut tightened in an unpleasant spasm and he sobered. How could she have become so dear to him in just a few hours? How had she changed from the granddaughter of an execrable enemy to the woman of his dreams, his most precious treasure?

  For weeks before meeting her, he’d rehearsed the arguments he’d present to the American attorney—a middle aged, experienced and successful, cold and calculating lawyer. Never in his wildest imagination had he envisioned he’d have to deal with the passionate young woman who rested, all naked in his arms, after a thorough lovemaking.

  He hugged her fiercely, suddenly afraid of losing her forever, before he even got the chance to show her how much she meant to him. “These few hours are ours. And you are mine, tonight,” he whispered in her hair, determined to taste every inch of her lovely body.

  Was he a rotten sleazy ass? Most definitely, but he’d give her more fireworks to take away.

  If he told her the truth and identified himself, she might jump overboard and never look at him again. Now was not the time to break her heart. Now was the time to make love, to show his passion.

  Tomorrow, before she left to go to court, he would confess the horrible truth.

  “And are you mine, Stefano?” she asked with her heart in her eyes.

  “Yes, my darling. All yours. Truly yours.”

  “How often have you said these words to pretty women?”

  “I never said these words to any woman.”

  “Never?” She arched well-defined brows and curled her lips in a doubtful pout. “I must be crazy, but I believe you. Even when you’re speaking nonsense.”

  Their eyes met. Hers seeking the truth. His begging her to trust him, even though he didn’t deserve any trust. “I am not the type who distributes sweet words liberally.”

  She cradled his face and gave him a luminous smile. “In that case I’m yours, Stefano, for tonight. But don’t think I make it a practice to sleep with my dates on the first night. Or the second or the third,” she added with a sudden frown.

  He chuckled. “Thank you for reassuring me that I’m special to you.” Suddenly disturbed by a sharp nudge from his conscience, he stifled a scowl. She was special to him too. The secret war he waged against her grandfather had no reason to interfere with their present bliss. Any unwelcome reminder of what might separate them should remain in the closet. Tonight was for pleasure, his and hers.

  With a single-minded resolve, he captured her mouth, fondled her breast and invaded her intimate folds. Her moan of pleasure reassured him she shared his desire. Her nails raked his hair and trailed to his nape, as she fused herself against his frame. A frenzied need jolted him above her. After protecting himself, he parted her legs, and covered her with his body, his manhood seeking the way in her moist entrance. “I wanted to go slow,” he managed to mutter, “but—”

  “Don’t,” she ordered in a hiccup. “Now. Again.”

  Her monosyllables convinced him she was ready. He slid into her welcoming haven, withdrew, plunged again, stroking her pleasure button while she raised herself against him. Her arms wound around his neck, her legs wrapped around his waist as she rocked against him.

  “Stefano, my Greek God,” she said against his lips as she stiffened under him.

  Mouths joined, tongues entangled, they shuddered together and climaxed.

  He dragged his mouth away to breathe. “Aghapie mou.” His heart drummed and hers echoed. Slowly, he eased to her side.

  “I wanted to take my time and slowly savor every inch of your beautiful body. Sorry, I went too fast again.” He stared at her and caressed her temples and cheeks.

  “No, it was fantastic. Just the way I wanted it.”

  “Fireworks?”

  “Oh yes, with sparkling stars and rainbows.” Her lovely smile dazzled him.

  “I saw them too,” he murmured. “With a moss-green background, the color of your eyes.”

  She chuckled softly, nestled in the curve of his shoulder and drifted off. His arms around her, he wanted to keep her warm and secure, to love her and protect her forever.

  Damn, how could he protect her from her enemy?

  From himself?

  In a few hours she’d wake up and hate him if he told her the truth. Or she’d hate him more if he didn’t tell her.

  Yaya, help me, he prayed to his grandmother. I felt like you’ve sent her to me. But for the wrong reason. What a mess.

  To think he’d brought her to his boat to delay her, to prevent her from appearing in court, to have her miss the hearing and lose their argument by default. Disgust roiled in his stomach. Yaya would have never sanctioned his despicable plot to deceive a young woman—even if that woman morphed into a formidable opponent in court.

  With gentle ease, he slid his arm from under her head and disengaged himself. Careful not to disturb her sleep, he got out of bed and pulled on
his shorts. Before leaving the room, he turned around and covered her with a warm gaze. Her long legs jerked and hiked the sheets up her thighs to drape her hips. She sighed, tossed around and tucked her arms under her head. Her breasts jutted upward. He sucked his breath at their tantalizing perfection.

  Against his own will he took a few steps and approached the bed. “You’re so beautiful, kookla mou.” He bent and brushed her mouth with a kiss. When she moaned and a hint of a smile danced on her lips, he couldn’t resist the sweet temptation, and deposited a few kisses on her rosy nipples.

  “Love you,” she whispered in a sleepy moan, her eyes still closed, her chin hitched toward him.

  The sweet words wrenched his heart and jolted him into awareness. He pulled back and shook his head. “No, please,” he mouthed.

  With regret, he glanced at her exquisite face one last time and rushed out of the room. Climbing the stairs two steps at a time, he reached the pilot house.

  “Rev the engines,” he ordered Mikhali. A moment later, they sped toward the marina where Stefano usually moored his yacht. He’d get her back in time for her court appearance.

  While the boat raced through the calm waters, he went to the bar and poured himself a glass of ouzo on the rocks, and walked to the bow deck.

  As they passed by the Pink Villa, he cast a look of hatred at the decrepit building that had caused his Yaya so much suffering and would now cost him the only woman he could have loved. He cursed and swallowed the fiery liquid. “To hell with the Pink Villa.”

  Soon the dawn scattered purplish rays at the horizon and the sun started its slow ascent from the sea.

  “Stefano, good morning.”

  He stiffened at her soft sleepy voice and scowled. In a few minutes, he’d identify himself and she would hate him forever. He turned toward her. “Good morning.” She was such a lovely sight, wrapped in the satin sheets with her hair mussed over her shoulders, he couldn’t help smiling. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Very well, thank you. But you don’t look like you did.”

  “I did for a short while. But I had to make sure we’d sail fast enough to get you on time for your work as I promised.”

  “You’re so nice. Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. The sheet bunched between them and slipped to the floor.

  How could a man resist such a sweet temptation? Stefano stifled a curse and claimed her mouth for a searing kiss.

  She pulled out to breathe and gathered the sheet around her. “When will we dock?”

  “Soon enough. Around seven.”

  “It’s only six-thirty. Why don’t you come downstairs and rest with me for a while?”

  He chuckled and then frowned. “Maybe we should have a cup of coffee and talk?”

  “We’ll have coffee later. Come. You need your rest too.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the stairwell. He sighed but didn’t protest.

  In the cabin, she lay on the bed and patted the space next to her. “Make yourself at home,” she said with laughter in her voice.

  “I want to explain something.” Damn, how was he to phrase the truth without hurting her? “When we dock, you will be leaving to do your… Whatever... I hope I’ll see you later, even if things aren’t—”

  “Of course, you’ll see me. Let me be honest. I have to appear in court to fight a lousy bastard. Forgive my language, but this is the nicest word I can find to describe him. It’s going to be nasty today. I hope I’ll win and then I’ll be free of that responsibility.”

  “Do you really need to go through that? As you said, these hearings aren’t easy.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’m a lawyer and I’ve seen my share of dirty situations. In this case, it’s a bit more personal because it involves a place dear to my grandfather. He told me so many stories about the Pink Villa and the woman he loved.”

  Stefano gritted his teeth, to keep from voicing his contempt for the man he abhorred. Ashley would jump overboard and swim for shore if she heard his opinion about her dear grandfather.

  “Kiss me, Stefano. Before I appear in court, I need some positive stimulus to fight my enemy.”

  “Sure.” He smiled at the irony of the situation, but didn’t mind giving her the stimulus she wanted to fight...him. Lying beside her, he gathered her in his arms. “We have time for a quickie only.”

  “Quickie it is.” She chuckled and yanked the sheet away. “I don’t have patience for foreplay.”

  He slid off his shorts, protected himself, and rolled her on top of him. “Come, my impatient darling.” He cupped her hips and raised her to straddle him. She spread her legs to accommodate his jutting manhood and gasped when he caught a nipple between his lips and sucked on it. With a moan, she sheathed him with her thrust and collapsed upon him. He let go of her breast and fastened his mouth to hers as he pumped into her and shuddered in a climax.

  It’d been too quick, like a raging volcano erupting out of control. Around her, he would never be able to slow down. He’d tried twice before, with no success. She inflamed him with her kisses and he combusted right away.

  “Ashley, I’ll never let you go,” he swore savagely against her hair. “Never. Say that you are mine,” he ordered in a heavy breath.

  “Oh, Stefano, I’m yours.”

  “I promise I won’t let you go. Ever. Can you promise the same to me?” He didn’t care if his request was unfair. He wanted to bind her to him, to make sure he won’t lose her when the truth came out.

  “Yes, yes. I promise, my love.”

  He claimed her mouth, branding her with a passionate kiss. And then he let her go and captured her gaze. “Ashley, I am…I am not... You’re so dear to me.”

  The words of truth wouldn’t pass his clogged throat.

  “You too, my Stefano.”

  Let her enjoy their last minutes together. Let his yacht be a happy memory for her.

  “I think we have to get ready to leave.” She sighed and eased off him. He let her go. She gathered her clothes and entered the bathroom.

  Damn. He punched the bed, frustration boiling in his heart.

  “Yaya, I’m cursed, like you.”

  ****

  Satiated and refreshed, Ashley emerged from the shower and hummed softly. To think of it, she should be grateful to her grandfather’s enemy. If it wasn’t for his refusal to respect Grandpa’s wishes she wouldn’t have come to Greece, she wouldn’t have met Stefano.

  An inner peace filled her heart as she surveyed the bed, rumpled with lovely memories, and smiled. “Wicked. I think I’m in love.” Nina would probably change the sheets, but Ashley plumped the pillows and quickly rearranged the bedspread to make the room look neat. After she stuffed her clothes in her bag, she crossed the empty living room and climbed up the stairs to the pilot house. Stefano stood at the helm, a ferocious look on his face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  His scowl instantly faded. “We docked. I’ll help Mikhali tie up the boat to the pilings. Meanwhile, you can have a cup of coffee.” He left her and strode to the lower deck.

  What had upset him? She sighed, walked out to the area where they had dinner the previous evening. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee greeted her. She poured herself a cup. On the lower deck, Stefano bunched his muscles and threw the thick rope to Mikhali who’d jumped on the dock and now wrapped it around the piling. The surrounding docks harbored luxurious yachts similar to Stefano’s. A couple of men busied themselves washing and waxing their boats, but the place was otherwise deserted at that early hour.

  When Stefano turned around and walked to the stairs, she waved. “The coffee is delicious.”

  He climbed up and sat next to her. She glanced at him and poured him a cup of coffee. “How do you take it?”

  “With heavy cream and two spoons of sugar.”

  Amazing, she knew his body intimately, had caressed his muscled chest and corded neck, and tasted his delicious mouth, and yet she didn’t know anything about th
e man who now meant the world to her. She handed him his cup. He took it quietly and kept staring at the island.

  “Stefano?”

  His lips curled at the side as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to smile. “I am a lousy host this morning. We have croissants here.” He presented her the basket.

  “Delicious.” She ate one and reached for a second. “You’re not eating?”

  “I’ll eat later. I’m not very hungry now.”

  Something was definitely on his mind. I hope it’s not about me or our night together.

  His cell phone chimed. “Yassou,” he said with a curt tone. “Occhi. No, I said, no,” he repeated several times as he strode the width of the deck.

  He shut his phone and stood next to her, considering her with his impenetrable gaze.

  She covered his hand and squeezed it. “Do you have regrets?”

  He brought her hard against him and wrapped her in his arms. “No, Ashley. My only regret is that we came back here, and I have to let you go for now.”

  Her heart filled with joy. He wasn’t afraid to acknowledge their attraction although they had just met the day before. “I’ll be back. Right after the hearing.”

  He nodded and kissed the tip of her nose.

  “That reminds me. Can you give me your mobile number? I’ll call you as soon as I’m over.”

  He turned his head toward the dock. “You won’t have to call me. I’ll be waiting for you at the door of the courthouse.”

  “You sure? I don’t want to waste your time.”

  “Positive. You’re too dear to me, Cardia mou.” He glanced at his gold wrist watch and grabbed her hand. “It’s seven thirty. We can’t procrastinate any longer.”

  He walked her out of the yacht and called a taxi. “Where are you staying?”

  “Poseidon Hotel.”

  He slid into the back seat behind her and gave the cabby his orders. Without saying another word, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her tight against him, not uttering a single sound during the short drive.

  As the taxi approached the hotel and slowed, Stefano cradled her face and gazed into her eyes. “Aghapie mou,” he said in a husky voice. “Last night was the most beautiful night of my life. Remember that. No matter what happens.” Before she could answer and reassure him that it was the most beautiful night of her life too, he crushed her mouth with a searing kiss.