The Andreou Marriage Arrangement (13 page)

‘Here,' she said simply. ‘Just looking at you.'

He patted the bed. ‘You're too far away.'

‘And incur the nurse's wrath again?'

Her eyes held a wicked gleam that did little to still the heat flooding his groin. ‘Minx.' The edges of his mouth formed a wry smile. ‘Enjoy your feeling of power, hmm?'

A soft laugh emerged from her lips. ‘I am, believe me.'

‘Not for long.' The promise was there, vibrantly alive and tantalising. He watched her eyes coalesce and become dark with a sense of satisfaction. ‘Count on it,' he added gently.

‘I doubt you'll be…' she paused delicately ‘…able to manage the kind of physical activity you have in mind for a while.'

One eyebrow rose in quizzical disbelief. ‘You think not?'

‘Feasible,' she allowed. ‘If I do all the work.'

‘
Agape mou
,' Loukas drawled, ‘that's the plan.'

She pretended to give it consideration. ‘I don't think the hospital staff would be impressed.'

‘You realize I can discharge myself and employ the services of a nurse?'

Alesha deliberately widened her eyes. ‘Why, when you have excellent medical attention here twenty-four/seven?'

He waited a beat. ‘I need to hold you through the night.' His voice held a gentleness that almost undid her. ‘Be there when you wake.'

Her heart yearned to be there with him, cradled close to his side…safe, secure,
loved
as she'd given up hope of being loved, for herself, not as Alesha Karsouli, the favoured daughter of Dimitri Karsouli.

The door swung open to admit a nurse bearing medication. Loukas took it without argument and bore the routine of recorded notations, and accepted the stern dictum that visiting hours were over.

Any privacy was limited, and Alesha crossed to his side, brushed his mouth with her own…or at least that was her intention, except he curved a hand round her nape and held her there for countless seconds as he deepened the kiss before reluctantly releasing her.

He noted the pink colouring her cheeks and smiled. ‘Sleep well,
yineka mou
.'

The driver was waiting for her in the entry lounge, and he escorted her to the car, saw her seated, then he negotiated traffic as he headed to Loukas' Kifissia mansion where Hera greeted her and made anxious enquiries about Loukas' injuries.

‘You have eaten,
kyria
?'

She hadn't, at least not in quite a while, and she gratefully accepted the offer of a light meal before heading upstairs to shower and change.

It was late when she retired for the night, and she read for a while before extinguishing the light.

Sleep should have come easily, except she lay awake addressing events of the day…visualizing in her mind the street demonstration and how a bullet had almost cost her the man she'd learnt to love more than life itself.

Imagining how it went down, the ambulance with its medical team attempting to stem the blood flow, assessing Loukas' injuries, the emergency dash to hospital, the surgery…and the relief on learning he was going to be fine, when she'd feared the worst.

Somehow the scenario slid into her subconscious mind and emerged in a nightmare so dark, so vivid, she woke with tears streaming down her cheeks and his name on her lips.

There was a pressing need to replace that image with another, and she retreated to the en suite to press a cool flannel to her face before collecting an electronic reader from her bag. Then she slid into bed, bunched a few pillows behind her back and settled in to read.

 

Alesha ate a light breakfast and planned the day around hospital visits…with emphasis on the need to keep busy. A shopping expedition, perhaps, with a view to purchasing a few items to gift friends on her return to Sydney? The gorgeous pendant she'd seen displayed in a shop window would be perfect for Lacey…if only she could remember
which
shop and
where
in the city.

She'd ask Cristos to accompany her, and with luck they'd be able to locate it.

Athens held a tremendous sense of history, with aged buildings that held an aura of ancient times and warriors of old. Open-air food and craft markets blended with modern department stores, galleries, and individual stores.

‘Monastiráki and Pláka,' Cristos informed as he sought parking prior to midday.

While strolling the Pláka she visited Lexi's studio and purchased the bracelet she'd admired and matching ear-studs with a view to gifting it to Lacey for Christmas.

Thirty minutes in, Alesha recognized the window display with its dazzling items, and Cristos' mention of the name Andreou resulted in the manager insisting on a private showing.

‘Apparently you possess a certain reputation for purchasing expensive gifts,' she teased Loukas later in the day, and saw the edges of his mouth lift with cynical amusement.

‘It bothers you?'

He had a past that included any number of women. She'd seen the tabloids over the years…slender beautiful women captured by camera clinging to his arm at one function or another.

‘Should it?'

Loukas' eyes darkened as he took in her carefully composed features, her steady gaze, and sensed the faint indecision beneath her query.

‘No.' She had to know there could never be any other woman for him…only her. She was the light of his life.
Theos.
All of it, the very air he breathed. Without her, he'd lose the will to live.

For a brief moment he silently damned being confined.

He wanted out of here, away from hospital routine and its restrictions. Most of all, he wanted
her
…

When it came time for her to leave he kissed her so deeply her eyes widened with momentary surprise.

Intense passion, leashed…and primitive beneath the surface.

Just to look at him made her toes curl…not to mention other parts of her body.

She lifted a hand and placed the palm over his cheek as her mouth formed a tremulous smile. ‘Take care.'

Then she turned and walked from the suite, paused at Reception to text Cristos she was ready to leave the hospital.

‘Where would you like to go,
kyria
?'

She'd done the shopping thing, and didn't feel inclined to wander the boutiques without a purpose.

Loukas' palatial home beckoned. She'd visit the kitchen, make a cup of tea and filch a snack from the refrigerator.

‘Kifissia, Cristos.'

The beautiful mansion seemed large with its high ceilings, marble floors and solid furniture. Alesha's footsteps echoed as she crossed the foyer and ascended the curved staircase to the upper level.

On reaching the master suite, she toed off her stilettos, then she discarded her outer clothes and pulled on comfortable leggings and a loose-knit top whose hemline rested low on her thighs.

Tea, she decided, and chose to forgo the snack. The last day or two had wrought a change in her desire for food, and she sipped her tea, then checked her watch, calculated the time in Sydney and reached for her cellphone, hit Lacey's number on speed dial and heard her friend pick up.

‘Alesha! How are you?
Where
are you? What's happening?'

It was easy to laugh, wonderful to talk, and great to catch up as they exchanged mutual news.

Ten minutes, fifteen…Alesha wasn't sure when a slight sound alerted her attention, and she paused mid-sentence as Loukas entered the room.

Startled disbelief widened her eyes as the words fell from her lips without thought. ‘What are you doing here?'

‘Alesha?' Lacey demanded over the phone. ‘Is everything okay?'

‘I— Yes.' Distracted didn't begin to describe it. ‘You should be in hospital.'

‘Loukas is home?'

Conducting a three-way conversation when attempting to collect one's wits was bound to be…disjointed, to say the least.

‘Lacey?' Loukas queried, and when she nodded he took the phone from her hand. ‘Alesha will call you tomorrow. And, yes, thank you. I'm fine. Take care.'

With that he disconnected the call, tossed the phone onto the sofa, then he caught hold of her hand and drew her to her feet.

‘You shouldn't—'

‘Later,' he said gently.

She opened her mouth, and closed it again as he slid a hand beneath the weight of her hair to cup her nape, then he lowered his head and kissed her with a thoroughness that left her faintly breathless.

‘And that was…because?'

‘You need to ask?'

A delicious smile curved her lips. ‘Uh-huh.'

‘Minx.'

He felt so good. To think—

A hand caught her chin and tilted it. ‘Don't.'

So many emotions…an entire gamut ranging from fear to relief.

And joy. True happiness.

Loukas had gifted her both.

Love.
The most precious gift of all.

Alesha wanted to cry…and laugh…but most of all she needed to offer her touch and savour his own.

To celebrate
life
. Theirs, together…for all time.

The words would come later.

But first, she determined to tease him a little.

‘Discharging yourself against medical advice isn't a wise decision. And don't think you're going to discard that arm-sling any time soon,' she admonished.

His eyes gleamed, dark, liquid, and incredibly sensual. ‘No? I'm sure with care we can work around it.'

She tried for stern remonstrance, and failed miserably. ‘You should rest.'

‘I plan to. In bed. With you.'

‘The emphasis will be
rest
.'

A warm smile curved his generous mouth. ‘Eventually.'

‘Have you eaten?'

‘You want to talk
food
?'

‘I'm thinking of your stamina level,' she managed with a straight face, and felt her nerve-ends curl at the sound of his husky laughter.

His hand slid beneath her top and sought the warm skin, murmuring his appreciation at her lack of a bra, and her body arched into his as he palmed each breast in turn, creating a delicate friction on each tender peak.

A sigh of pleasure escaped from her lips seconds before his mouth closed over hers, and she became lost in the emotional tide he created.

Together they moved upstairs to their suite, undressed each other slowly, she helping him with such gentle care it brought him undone.

Together they savoured each lingering touch…the slide of
a hand, the trail of gentle fingers. Lips seeking and caressing sensitive pulse-points, vulnerable hollows.

Lovemaking in its most sensual form, Alesha accorded as Loukas lay down on the bed, and she moved over him, taking her time to explore him gently with her mouth…finessing each light touch until he groaned and urged possession.

She slid down onto him with care, and her eyes didn't leave his as she began to move with captivating sensuality, exulting in the control, the power as she set the pace.

He growled deep in his throat when she lowered her head and brushed the length of her hair back and forth across his chest, then began tormenting him with her lips as she leaned in and inched her way up to the hollow at the base of his throat, traced it with the tip of her tongue before seeking his mouth in an erotic kiss.

Afterwards she lay curled close against him, her head pillowed into the curve of his shoulder as his hand drifted a soothing pattern over her hip, lingered there, then travelled to settle at her nape.

It was late when they rose, showered together as Alesha encased his injured arm in waterproof plastic, towelled him dry, then helped him into a robe before tending to herself as he re-entered the bedroom.

When she emerged, he handed her a slim jeweller's box. ‘I have something for you.' The warmth of his smile melted her heart. ‘Open it.'

An exquisite diamond necklace lay nestled against a bed of black velvet. Brilliant pink Argyle stones alternated with blue fire in a delicate setting that showcased a beautiful pear-drop pendant. A matching bracelet and ear-studs completed the set.

‘It's beautiful.'

It was the one she'd admired displayed in a jeweller's
window. Cristos must have mentioned her interest…coincidence didn't stretch so far.

‘Thank you.' She swallowed the sudden lump that rose in her throat as she became lost in the gleaming darkness of his eyes. ‘But you've already given me the most precious gift of all.' Her eyes misted, and she blinked hard to dispense the moisture. ‘You. Just you.' Her breath hitched as she sought control of her emotions. ‘Nothing else compares.'

With one exception, Loukas added silently. The fitting conclusion of measures he'd put in place to deprive her ex of every last cent he'd gained from Alesha's ill-fated short-lived marriage. To date, the bank had foreclosed on Seth's home. The Porsche he revered had been sold. It was only a matter of time before he'd be forced to walk away from his business.

 

Several days later the helicopter flew them to the island where the gentle ebb and flow of the water against the sandy cove lent an air of tranquillity.

The days were pleasant with cool temperatures and rain overnight, but they didn't care. For it was there they spent an idyllic few days, made leisurely love, taking time when the rain cleared to wander the beach, pausing every now and then to examine a piece of driftwood, a smooth pebble, to the sound of a keening gull, the excited bark of the golden retriever who called the island home.

Soon, they'd return to the mainland, and within days board a flight to Sydney, where life would settle into its former routine.

With possibly one exception, and she hugged the knowledge close, not wanting to share until the tiny life she was instinctively sure she nurtured could be confirmed.

On the final day they pulled on boots, donned jackets, and took the dog for a late afternoon walk. A breeze caught the
length of Alesha's hair and tossed it into a tumbled mess, and after attempting to confine it she simply laughed and gave up, pausing to look out over the choppy sea.