Pollyanna and the Greek Billionaire (Innocent and Betrayed) (6 page)

It had his body reacting violently, and Kyr had ended up sporting a raging erection up in the air, his cock seemingly unaffected by the fact that there was a yawning cliff right under them, just waiting to give humans a shortcut to hell.

It hadn’t helped at all that by the time they had made it to the halfway point, Pollyanna had been completely glued to him, arms wrapped around his waist and young breasts rubbing against his back with every cautious step she took.

Upon reaching the tree house at the other end, Kyr had only glanced at the service technicians waiting for them and the men had gotten the message. By the time Pollyanna had finished removing the harness, it was only the two of them, causing her to blink in shock as she asked,
Where did everyone go?

They’re waiting for us below,
he had answered tautly. The truth was, he had not wanted anyone to see Pollyanna, who was seemingly unaware of the fact that her pointed nipples were left arousing telltale marks on her shirt.

Instead, her eyes were filled with concern…
for him,
and at his frown, she had asked tentatively,
Did you have a hard time at the bridge, too?

Kyr had wanted to laugh and groan at the irony of her question even as he managed to say with a straight face,
I guess you could say that.

Worry in her voice, she had then asked,
Is there anything I can do to help you? Make you feel better?

Yes.
His tone had been unequivocal.

How?
Hers had been eager.

He had replied bluntly,
Allow me to be a playboy.

Her face had paled, her mouth opening and closing several times. Thinking he had been too forceful, he had been about to tell her to forget it when he heard her say almost inaudibly,
‘Maybe…just now?’

The words had been the greatest and most pleasant shock of his life.
Are you sure?
His voice had been thick with lust, his mind already going on overdrive.

Only if you promise…it’s just now. Here. Where no one will see.
Her voice, on the other hand, had been very much breathless, with a tiny thread of fear that, instead of making him feel remorseful, had only served to heighten his desire for her.

I promise.

His answer had made her draw her breath hard, and her voice shook when she had asked,
‘What do I have to do?’

He had answered by cupping her face, and she had responded by giving him his favorite blowfish look. It had made his lips curve in amusement, but it hadn’t succeeded in deterring him from his objective.

‘Close your eyes,’ he had advised and without waiting for her to answer, he slowly bent down to kiss her. He caught a glimpse of panic in her eyes before her lids drifted shut the same moment his lips touched hers.

It had been the softest, most tender contact, and yet it had also been hot and electrifying, the chemistry between them off the charts that it had her gasping in shock and Kyr almost shuddering.

After, he had cupped her face and deepened the kiss, Kyr barely in control of himself. He had tried to be gentle the first few moments, using only his lips to nip hers and coax Pollyanna out of her inhibitions. And when she had finally melted against him, kissing him back, all hell had broken loose. Kyr had driven his tongue inside her mouth, exploring every inch before prompting her tongue to dance with his. He had sucked on her tongue, her lower lip, and when it still hadn’t felt enough, he had ran his mouth down the slender column of her neck and sucked hungrily on her wildly beating pulse.

When he had reluctantly ended the kiss and released her, she had almost fallen to the ground, her knees giving out. He had caught her with a hoarse laugh, asking,
Seriously?

It was my first kiss,
she had answered, sounding awkward and defensive at the same time.

A part of him had expected it of course, but even so, hearing her confirm it with her own words was another thing, and Kyr had drawn the most incredible sense of satisfaction from the reality.

He was her first kiss, and it had made Pollyanna lose her balance.

It was a heady thought, especially for someone like him. No one would ever make Kyr admit it, but when Ana had left him so publicly, it had significantly dented his belief in himself. After Ana, Kyr had begun to believe that women were only interested in him for the shallowest reasons, and that none of them would stay with him once the going got tough.

Or at least no one except for his Pollyanna,
Kyr had thought while rappelling out of the tree house, a still weak-kneed Pollyanna secure in his arms.
 

And now it was the seventh day
.

 
Would he be able to convince her to let him be a playboy again?
 

A playboy, to have fun with, but not a lover or potential boyfriend,
Kyr thought. He hoped she knew why he was always keen to make the distinction. He wanted her to be clear that a playboy was all he could be with her or anyone else.

Did she understand that?

He heard footsteps behind him, and he turned.

What he saw seemed to portend the answer to his question.

It was Dinah, and by the look on her face, she knew exactly what had been going on between him and her goddaughter.

Chapter Four

For ten minutes, Kyrillos Gazis exchanged small talk with the woman who had almost been his mother-in-law. She was seated on a boulder a few feet away from the first row of bushes, looking exactly like she always had except for her eyes, which were a lot warier than they used to be.

As for Kyr, he remained on his feet, his elegance in no way dimmed even though his time working at the fields had left him dirty and sweaty.
 

Looking at him was more than enough to hurtle Dinah back into the past.
And what a humiliating past it was, for everyone,
she thought sadly. So far, the billionaire had allowed Dinah to take the lead in the conversation, but she knew there was more to it than a mere sign of respect. No, she knew him better than that, knew it was only the younger man patiently biding his time and using it to study his opponent, as was his wont.

Four years
, Dinah couldn’t help thinking even as she continued to babble nonsensically. Four years had passed, and even now, she only had to look at Kyr’s face, see the way it had changed, and the guilt inside her made Dinah want to weep.

How cruel Ana had been,
she thought painfully. To this day, she couldn’t figure out what she and Ezio had done wrong that could cause them to produce a daughter without a heart.

And now, there was Pollyanna,
Dinah thought tiredly. She was the complete opposite of Ana. Had Kyr noticed this, too? And if he had – was it why he had been spending the entire time with the young girl? Was it all an elaborate plan for revenge?

The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, and Dinah said abruptly, “Polly still doesn’t know about you and Ana.”

“I see.” The billionaire spoke with his usual cultured drawl, but his tone was a lot colder than she was used to, and it startled her, made Dinah realize that Kyr had truly changed…maybe even permanently. Her guilt intensified at the thought, Dinah remembering the time when Kyrillos Gazis had once been almost as
nice
as her dear Pollyanna.

She heard herself say then, “I’m still undecided about telling her.”

Kyr raised a brow. “Are your words meant to imply some kind of threat?”

“Of course not!” Dinah was dismayed at how cynical the billionaire had become. The old Kyr would
never
have thought of that of her.
 

“Then what do you mean?” His voice was mocking.

Taking a deep breath, she asked frankly, “What are your intentions towards Polly?”

“
Intentions?”
Kyr’s lip curled. “Isn’t that a little too dated, considering—”

She cut him off, saying sharply, “Not with girls like Polly, and you know what I’m saying is right.”

Kyr’s jaw clenched.
Touché.
He wanted to answer back, but how could he when he knew the older woman was right? Women like Polly were rare, so damn rare that Dinah was to be commended for daring to stand up to him in order to look after her goddaughter.

Which brought them back to her original question
, Kyr thought tautly.
What were his so-called intentions to Pollyanna?

Looking away from him, Dinah said quietly, “Do you know we disowned Ana after what she did to you?”

He tensed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“We regretted it afterwards and tried to contact her, but she…well, she made it clear that she considered us dead to her for taking your side.”

Kyr’s fists clenched.

“Our lives were never the same again after that night, but then Pollyanna came to us, and she made us remember how happy we used to be. I’ll always be grateful to her for that, and that’s why…” Dinah forced herself to face the billionaire. “I know my daughter’s actions are unforgivable, but please don’t…don’t involve Polly if all you have in mind is revenge.”

****

When Pollyanna heard the knock on the door that night, she jumped to her feet and rushed to open it. Earlier, Dinah had told her that she had a nice fun talk with the billionaire, and while Master Kyr had to attend to urgent business and leave without telling her goodbye, he had promised to come back and join them for dinner.

And now he was really her
e, Pollyanna thought, and the sight of him had her feeling giddy and breathless. As always, he was the picture of gorgeous perfection and effortless sophistication, dressed in a V-necked light wool shirt with its sleeves pushed up to his elbows and plaid trousers.
 

“Hi.”

Normally, he would have taken note of her squeaky voice and teased her about having a crush on him because of it.
 

But this time, all he did was smile briefly, asking, “May I come in?”

It was her first inkling that something was very, very wrong and as the night progressed, the feeling only worsened. Dinner was an awkward affair, with Ezio quiet and reserved, Dinah taut, and Kyr cold. It made Pollyanna wonder about the reason he had always refused to come to the house in the past. Had Kyr and her godparents had a fight before?

When dinner was over, she was about to offer to help with the dishes but Dinah waved her away, telling her to have fun and take Kyr out in the patio.
 

“The moon and stars are out,” Ezio added. “The night’s too pretty for young ones like you to waste cooped up inside the house.”

It made sense, but Pollyanna’s instincts begged her to make an excuse so she and Kyr could stay inside the house. “I don’t know about that,” she stammered. “I think it’s too cold outside—”

Her godfather shot her an odd look. “Then grab yourself a shawl if you want.”

And when he used that voice of his with her, she knew there was no arguing with Ezio or even Dinah.
 

She turned to Kyr, saying woodenly, “Shall we?” She wasn’t certain why, but she had a really bad feeling that if she and the billionaire had a private moment to themselves, it would be over.

And she was right.

At the patio, they took their seats on the couch, both of them careful to occupy each end, which left a terrible, gaping space between them.
 

In the corner of her eye, she saw the billionaire take a deep breath, and panic got the better of her. Desperate to forestall whatever he had to say, she began to blab. “Have you ever tried spotting the constellations in the sky? I have, and even without a telescope. It’s possible, really, and I’ve done it. You just need to pick the right time to do it. In fact, it’s kinda easy, too, once you get the—”

“Pollyanna.
”

She paled at the way he called her. It sounded so…formal, like the way people who used to be friends talked to each other.

Kyr saw her lip tremble at his tone, and he swore in his mind.
But what else he could do, dammit?
He did not have revenge in his mind, like Dinah had feared, but even so, he knew Dinah was still right to be concerned.

The longer he stayed in her life, the more hurt he would end up causing her – hurt that she hadn’t done anything to deserve. Among all of them – her godparents, Kyr, and Ana – she, Polly, was the only innocent one. But because of the way he had foolishly handled things, she stood to experience the greatest hurt.