Her Greek Romance aka Greek Encounter (12 page)

“Whatever you say.” Stefano shrugged. “If you want to leave, I’ll be the one driving you,” he added in a voice that brooked no arguments and stirred a wild rage inside her.

“Is that so, Mister Kostapoulos?”

In two steps, he was beside her, his firm—and way too warm—fingers enveloping her wrist.

“No,” she protested, snatching her arm away. With the brusque movement, the glass flew from her fingers. “Oh dear.”

 “Ash...ley.” Stefano caught the glass as it struck his stomach and jerked back. Cold white liquid drizzled over his shirt and pants.

“Oh God.” Her shaking hand flattened on her mouth. Eyes wide, she stared at his pristine white shirt now plastered to his chest. “I...I’m—” She swallowed her apology. Damn it, he deserved it.

Her gaze lowered to his crotch highlighted by a wet halo. A giggle started low in her throat and threatened to burst out in the horrified silence of the room. She stuffed a nervous fist between her teeth to stifle an inappropriate hilarity. To think she’d been wanting to do just that a moment ago. “It’s your fault,” she muttered through quivering lips. “You grabbed my arm.” Lifting her chin, she returned scowl for scowl.

“Aw,” the guests mumbled.

Armed with napkins, Ireny and Sophia rushed to dab the wetness on Stefano’s pants with eager pats, while Ted and Anton hardly suppressed amused grins.

“Enough.” His voice menacing, Stefano snatched the napkins and flapped them in the air.

“We are just helping you,” Ireny explained with a nervous laugh.

In spite of herself, Ashley chuckled, and then controlled her expression. “Maybe you should use a hair dryer. It’ll work better and faster.”

“Ashley.” Stefano narrowed his eyes.

Not ready to be intimidated, she shrugged and walked to the door. “Anyway, I have to leave now.”

“Don’t you dare,” Stefano called after her.

Ignoring the exclamations of protest, she slammed the door behind her, and strode toward the elevator. The office door opened again.

“Ashley, I said I’m going to drive you.” Stefano’s authoritative tone brought back the morning scene.

“Go to hell, Mr. Kostapoulos.” She stepped inside the elevator.

“What? Ashley—” The closing doors cut off the rest of his sentence. When the elevator stopped in the lobby, she found Stefano waiting for her. His arms crossed over his chest, his legs apart, he blocked her way. “We have to talk. Now.”

She raised her palm to stall him and shook her head. “You’re wet. Don’t you want to change?”

 “Wet or not, I will say my piece.” He cupped her elbow. “Come.”

“Let me go.” She jerked her arm to free herself. To no avail. “Let me go or else—”

“You don’t have a drink in hand to throw at me.”

“That was your fault.”

“Fine, but now you can scream all you want. You can try to hit me, or scratch, or bite, but you will listen to what I have to say.”

She released a long sigh and hissed. “Don’t think I’ll forgive you after you sweet talk me.”

He smiled. “I won’t sweet talk you. All I ask is the chance to present my case, Counselor Sheppard.”

She didn’t smile but glanced at her elbow still incased in his firm grip. “Are you going to walk in the street with those wet clothes?” With a tilt of her head, she pointed at his crotch. “People may think—”

“The hell with what people think. We’re going to talk now.”

“You won’t let go.”

“Ashley, you have the right to be upset, but all I ask is a few minutes of your time. Is that too much to ask?” The dark glimmer in his eyes sent a tingle of awareness right down to her toes.

Obviously, there was no easy way to get rid of Stefano Kostapoulos when he wanted something. She’d rather talk than spend another minute trapped by his gaze.

“Fine, walk me to my hotel and say what you have to say. Quickly.” She tugged at his arm. He let her go and followed her out of the building.

“Ashley—” He started, but she shrugged.

“Do you expect me to believe more lies?”

“Would you like to put me under oath, Counselor?” Frustration oozed from the tight set of his jaws. “Here, I swear to tell the truth.”

“All the truth and nothing but the truth?” Slung by its straps over her shoulder, her purse bounced at the same rate as her crisp steps.

“Yes, satisfied?” With a groan of exasperation, Stefano nodded.   

“You’re the one who asked for this.” Chin high, eyes staring straight ahead, she strode the sidewalk. “Did you or did you not already know I was your enemy’s granddaughter when you invited me to your yacht?”

“But—”

 “Remember, you’re under oath.” Energy surged through her. She’d give him a demonstration of her cross examination technique he wouldn’t forget easily.

 “Yes, I knew who you were but—”

“Did you or did you not want to delay me and prevent me from attending the hearing?”

“Yes, but—”

“Did you or did you not abstain from giving me your phone number for fear I would recognize your name?”

“Yes, yes, but—”

“Did you or did you not already know you’d be in the courtroom when you said you’d wait for me outside after the hearing?”          
            “Ashley, stop it. I didn’t ask for an interrogation. I want to clarify some facts. You promised to listen.”

“Go ahead.” He could talk until dawn without convincing her. The sharp look she cast him challenged more than words.

“Yes, I knew your identity. And yes, I had my own agenda when I invited you to my yacht, but all that fell apart when I saw you on the deck taking pictures, so lovely and determined to help your grandfather. I forgot the villa and the project. All I wanted was to get to know you as a woman. Not as the enemy. When I held you in my arms, I hated the Pink Villa that stood like the Peloponnese between us.” He paused, obviously waiting for an answer or a reaction to his heart-felt declaration.

Ashley kept her lips tight and navigated her way through the crowd bustling away from the downtown square toward the beaches. Of all the places to share an intense conversation on such a touching subject, the busiest street in the heart of Mykonos was the worst, but she wouldn’t allow him to trap her in a secluded place. The throng elbowing them every step of the way offered her the best protection against her unreliable emotions. 

“I didn’t plan to attend the hearing. Ted was more than capable of representing me. Knowing that you’d be there made me change my mind.”

Her stomach lurched with sadness. She spun to face him. “Why? To watch my humiliation?”

“No, to tell you the truth, to protect you from hurt.”

A snort escaped her.

“I came for you, Ashley. I couldn’t stand the idea of you learning my identity from someone else.”

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were on your yacht?”

“Before we made love, you’d have run away and insisted I brought you back to shore. There was chemistry between us, a chemistry I didn’t want to destroy. I promised myself I would tell you the truth in the morning.”

Tears stung at his words, and she averted her head. He’d just soiled her most beautiful memories.

“After I held you in my arms all night, I just couldn’t spoil our beautiful time together. Please understand.”

Understand? That he’d ruined everything, anyway. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

“I understand perfectly.” Swallowing her frustration and inappropriate tears, she blinked several times.

“Later, I tried to fix things for your grandfather. Not for him. But for you.”

“Thank you. I’m flattered.” They’d almost reached her hotel. She’d rather not hear anymore of his sweet words.

“Honestly, Ashley, I was attracted to you from the minute I saw you on the beach. Before I even knew who you were.”

She stopped in her tracks and spun to face him. “When did you see me on the beach? You weren’t even there.”

He chuckled. “I was on my boat playing with my binoculars when I saw a beautiful redhead come out of the Pink Villa and settle under an umbrella. Then I asked Ted to find out about you.”

 “Oh my God, you spied on me through your binoculars when I was…” Good God, he saw her remove her bra. She fisted her hand ready to punch him. “You dirty Peeping Tom. You thought I was an easy…”

Of all the humiliations of the day, this was the worst. “Go to hell, Mr. Kostapoulos.” Good thing the hotel entrance was only a hundred feet away. She took off at a run, her heart echoing the clanking of her heels on the sidewalk.

As she reached the revolving door, an arm coiled around her waist, dragged her back against a strong chest, and propelled her to the sidewall of the hotel building.

She flinched and gasped. “Stefano. Stop it. I don’t want to hear more explanations.” She squirmed against him to free herself. To no avail. His hold tightened. The feel of his body heat penetrated the fabric of her shirt and scorched her skin.

“Sweetheart, I’m a man of action. We’re done with explanations and words.” He muttered against her ear, and then turned her to face him.

“Let go of me this instant.” She shoved at his chest with both hands, wanting to slap the smug smile off his face.

Pinning her against the wall, he didn’t budge. “Not on your life,
kookla mou
.” His blue eyes bore into hers, dark, intense, and unnerving.

Before she had time to utter another word, warm lips covered hers and his tongue slid past her teeth, tangled with her own, and robbed her will-power.

The world reeled around her. She stopped pushing, clutched fistfuls of his shirt between her trembling fingers, and concentrated on the intoxicating taste of him.

One more kiss. One last time.

His palm cradled her nape, tilted her head, and deepened his kiss. Their mouths welded and their tongues waltzed a happy dance. Out of breath, she moaned. His lips slipped to her cheek and trailed warm kisses along her jaw and down her throat.

“Ashley,” he groaned. “I won’t let you go.”

But I have to let you go
. The thought doused her passion like a bucket of icy water. Too many women gravitated to him. She wouldn’t be one of the many he tempted with his kisses and discarded when the next beauty came along.

Recalling her tattered poise, she drew in her breath and met his gaze. “Stefano, what exactly do you want?” Her frigid tone should convince him she’d recovered her wits. “We can flirt together, or we can work together, but not do both at the same time. It’s against my work ethics.” She offered him a thin-lipped smile.
Lord, give me the strength to continue this act
.

 His eyes narrowed. He released her. “You wouldn’t mind flirting?” Anger laced his tone.

Still plastered against the wall, she tried not to flinch under his unyielding gaze. “For a few days, no. But then, I will leave. I’d hate to waste more time on pleasant but pointless games when so much work awaits me in Boston.”

“Is that so?” Controlled fury replaced his laidback arrogance. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped back. “We are meeting at 9:00 am in my office tomorrow morning.” Turning around, he stomped off along the sidewalk.

Her arms folded against her chest, she watched his proud back disappear around the corner, and then she entered the hotel. Pain knifed through her heart and deflated her fake calm. His kiss had been so passionate, so tender. Did she have to hate him to protect herself?

CHAPTER EIGHT

An almost sleepless night gifted Ashley with a splitting headache. Awake at six, but too tired to get up, she rehashed the events of the previous day and mentally repeated every word exchanged in court and later.

 From the legal point of view, the outcome of the hearing sounded like a victory—at least for her grandfather, but Stefano had claimed he’d accommodated his former enemy only because of her. Sure, because he wanted her back in his bed. No other reason. He couldn’t have any other reason. They’d just met two days ago. A successful businessman and playboy of his caliber who collected beauties, the likes of Sophia and Ireny, didn’t fall for a woman so fast. She was the one who’d lost her head like a teenager at her first dance.
Disgusting
.