Xena squealed again and Rio looked at her friend. She was ecstatic. ‘This is perfect,’ Xena said, clapping her hands together despite the cast on her wrist. ‘It’s exactly what I’ve always hoped for.’
Rio’s heart sank. She was trapped. Not only by the expectant look on Lysandros’s handsome face but by Xena’s—and even their mother’s—excitement. If she turned Lysandros down, said no, wouldn’t it upset Xena? Stress her in a way the doctor had warned against doing?
But if she said yes? She would be engaged to Lysandros. It would be more than just acting as if they were still dating. Far more. Could she really do that? For Xena? Could she become engaged to Lysandros, the man she’d once wanted—and still did, if she was truly honest with herself? Could she say yes? Just for now?
She looked at Lysandros. Did he really mean it or was he doing this for Xena? Had he also realised his sister had high hopes for them as a couple? Her throat felt tight, as if she couldn’t speak, and she pressed her lips together, desperate to keep the answer she was considering—purely for Xena’s benefit.
Rio was acutely aware of Xena’s building excitement—of her happiness. Had Lysandros planned to do this all along? Even at the hospital? Was that why he’d been so insistent she go to Greece with Xena? He could have warned her. Could have discussed it with her. Anger simmered through her and she looked into his eyes, desperate to find some way out, a way to say no that wouldn’t plunge Xena back into misery. But there wasn’t one. Not now he’d done this.
‘Rio?’ Lysandros questioned softly. So softly it was as if he really did care. ‘Say something.’
He drew her closer, still holding her hand, the heat of his touch scalding her. His increasing nearness made rational thought almost impossible as, despite everything, tingles of awareness sparked over her.
‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘Yes, of course you know,’ Xena burst out. ‘You say yes.’
‘That would be the preferred option.’ Even though Lysandros was smiling and his touch on her fingers was light and gentle, there was a gleam of determination in his dark eyes and she knew there was only one answer he wanted her to give.
‘I don’t know.’ Could she really do this? Become engaged, even as part of a sudden plan to help Xena? Could she say yes to the man she’d never believed would become her fiancé? It was such a cruel twist of fate after all she’d been through.
‘Rio, you have to say yes,’ Xena said, her words finally breaking through Rio’s thoughts. The roller coaster Rio was hurtling along on was getting faster and scarier with each passing second. She wanted it to stop. Wanted to get off. ‘You and Lysandros are made for each other and planning an engagement party and then a wedding will be so much fun. Maybe it will even help me remember again.’
Rio looked back up at Lysandros, her heart pounding as nerves surged through her. Then he smiled. A smile that had self-satisfaction stamped all over it. Damn the man. He knew she wouldn’t be able to refuse Xena. He knew he’d won. Got what he wanted.
‘What do you think, Rio?’ He brushed her hair from her face in a caring and loving gesture, forcing Rio to fight against the flurry of butterflies in her tummy. Xena cooed over the gesture. ‘Shall we get engaged? Give Xena something that could help her remember?’
‘How can I not say yes?’ She forced a happy smile to her face as his gaze held hers, hoping he noticed the annoyance in her eyes. Behind her, she was aware of his mother and Xena talking rapidly in Greek. Probably already making plans, if she knew Xena.
‘That is exactly what I’d hoped you would say.’ Was that relief as his shoulders visibly relaxed? Had he thought she’d go back on the one thing she’d agreed to—anything to help his sister?
Rio dragged in a ragged deep breath. The look in his eyes, the intensity and desire, almost fooled her that this moment was real. That he loved her, wanted her in his life. Xena jumped for joy like a kitten after twine, hugging her mother, making her realise it was real. But not in the way it should be. She might have just agreed to an engagement with a man she had once loved, but she knew he didn’t want commitment. That this wasn’t in any way real for him. Now, more than ever, she had to guard her heart, protect herself and bury all she’d once felt for him.
‘We need champagne,’ Xena said as she came and hugged Rio before turning to her mother. ‘Let’s go and find some. Leave these two alone for a moment.’
‘I can’t believe you just did that.’ Rio’s shocked words were little more than a whisper as she watched his mother and Xena leaving, talking rapidly in Greek. What had just happened? The roller coaster she desperately wanted to get off looped violently. She touched the ring on her left hand. She was engaged. To Lysandros.
‘You heard Xena. It will give her something to focus on, maybe even help her regain her memory.’ Lysandros spoke softly and quietly, standing far too close. Her heart raced, and even though her head was warning caution, her body began responding to that nearness in a way that terrified and excited her. He’d decided how this fake engagement was going to play out and that was that. She had no choice but to go with it or risk Xena’s chance of recovering her memory.
She looked into his eyes, the darkness full of warmth, and her stomach, along with her heart, flipped over. Was he doing this, making her feel like this, purposely? She refused to think about that, refused to be anything but detached from this whole situation. She couldn’t let her heart get involved in his scheme. All she had to do was go along with it for now, string the engagement out for as long as possible and, above all, remember she was doing this for Xena.
‘Champagne,’ Xena called, as she returned carrying a bottle, her mother following with a tray of glasses.
‘Perfect,’ Rio said, trying to put some enthusiasm into her voice, trying to make this whole charade seem real. For her sake as much as Xena’s.
‘Now we really do have something to celebrate. I’m going to be busy planning an engagement party.’ The pitch of Xena’s voice rose to a crescendo in her excitement and for some bizarre reason Rio found this amusing and laughed. The whole situation was so far removed from reality it didn’t seem possible.
Lysandros let go of her hand, putting his arm around her, drawing her even closer to him. The shock of his body against hers silenced the laughter, probably exactly the effect he’d wanted. ‘There will be no need for fuss. Rio and I only want to celebrate our engagement with those closest to us.’
The reality of what she was doing finally filtered through like a mountain stream over the rocks. ‘Nothing big.’ Rio began to realise the implications of their engagement. It would be almost as binding as marriage.
‘Only a small family gathering,’ reassured his mother as she patted Rio’s arm gently, a big smile on her face and happiness sparkling in her eyes. ‘Here on the island.’
Rio’s heart sank. Yet more guilt to carry. Had Lysandros even thought this through? The pretence of an engagement was a lie that had far-reaching effects. The happiness on his mother’s face already chastised her, ratcheting up her guilt.
‘My mother will ensure Xena doesn’t get carried away while we are away.’ Lysandros turned her to face him, lifting her chin upwards with his thumb and forefinger. A gesture that was so intimate all she could do was swallow down her nerves.
‘Away?’ Panic raced through her.
‘Now I have officially proposed, we can spend some time together, making up for the weeks we have been apart.’
Rio’s cheeks burned with embarrassment at what he was insinuating. Did he have no shame? To say such things in front of his mother and sister? She nodded, unable to break eye contact with him, becoming more unaware of what was going on around her with every passing second. As if they were already totally alone.
‘That would be perfect,’ she said softly, looking into his eyes, playing the role of adoring fiancée to the full. She might well be dragging the
m further into this charade, but she wanted him to feel the same way she had when he’d sprung his proposal on her.
‘My yacht is ready to leave immediately. We will spend the weekend together.’ He smiled at her, his thumb lightly brushing to and fro on her chin, causing sensations she had no right to be feeling.
‘How romantic,’ said Xena with a sigh, reminding them both they were certainly not alone right now. ‘I always knew you two would be perfect for one another.’
Lysandros laughed. A deep sexy sound, adding to her current torture, and she was thankful for Xena’s interruption, for the reminder they weren’t alone, that this wasn’t real. ‘In that case, you would have no objection to me whisking my brand-new fiancée away right now.’
‘Just go.’ Xena laughed, the sound so light and carefree, so like the girl she’d been before the accident, it intensified Rio’s guilt, adding weight to Lysandros’s unspoken argument that getting engaged—temporarily—was the right thing to do. For Xena at least.
* * *
Lysandros took Rio’s hand in his once more and led her away from the villa. Away from his mother and sister’s scrutiny. He wrapped his hand tightly around hers, taking a deep breath as he felt the stone of the engagement ring pressing into his fingers. The shock at what he’d just done combined with a slowly intensifying desire for a woman who had turned him down, forming a heady cocktail.
‘Xena looked pleased.’ Rio’s voice was hard and accusing, dousing the rising desire in him. He let her hand go, unable to bear the warmth of her skin on his, heightening his body’s response to her.
‘You told me you’d do anything to help Xena.’ He couldn’t keep the irritation from his voice, the growl reminiscent of one of the island’s many wild cats when cornered. And right now that was exactly how he felt. Cornered by the hope in his mother’s eyes. Cornered by Xena’s excitement. But like any animal in that situation, he refused to show his weakness or his doubt. He had to remain strong and in control.
He could still see his sister, smiling. Could still see his mother, hope lighting her eyes, leaving him in no doubt she expected so much from him, from the marriage proposal. He saw again Rio looking up at him, the unspoken attraction between them clear in her eyes, felt the powerful passion she could so easily induce. He had to remember why they were really doing this, and that it was the right thing to do. Already there was a big difference in Xena.
‘You took the idea of a fake relationship to a completely different level.’ She hurled the words at him as they made their way to his speedboat, which would take them to his yacht anchored at sea. ‘You’re the one who suggested we stage a romance, and then, if that wasn’t enough, you took the elaborate charade one step further by proposing.’ She glared at him. ‘What was that all about?’
Her voice had risen with each word, anger mixing with panic in her eyes as she turned to look at him. The sudden urge to pull her against him was too intense. He wanted to hold her tightly, kiss her until every drop of anger melted into the sort of passion he knew she would be capable of. Her outward appearance of innocence didn’t fool him. Beneath that indifferent exterior was a passionate woman. He’d tasted it in her kiss after the recital.
‘What was it all about?’ He threw her question back at her, fighting hard to ignore his increasing need for her, drawing instead on exasperation that she was unaware of what he’d been doing. ‘It was all about making our relationship convincing.’
‘Convincing?’ Anger slipped quickly from her voice, which had become a husky whisper of confusion.
She was giving in. He was going to get exactly what he wanted out of this arrangement. Their engagement had become far more than not stressing his sister. He now had Rio to himself and could finally get to the bottom of why she’d abruptly ended their relationship. A relationship that, despite not getting further than passionate kisses, had held the promise in each and every one of so much more, and not just physically. For the first time since Kyra, he’d wanted that.
‘What happens when we split up? Because we can’t remain engaged. What is Xena going to do then?’ Rio’s harsh words struck a chord. ‘Or worse, what happens when she regains her memory?’
The image of his mother’s face and the hope in her eyes flashed before him, reminding him of the one thing, as the only son, he had failed her in—settling down and having a family.
‘I assume your reckless plan involves us splitting up as soon as that happens?’
‘When the time is right, we will do exactly that.’ That time would be once he’d found out everything he needed to know. In the meantime he’d enjoy being in Rio’s company.
‘I still can’t believe you did that—and without a word of warning to me.’
‘Engagement is the only way to convince Xena this is real.’
‘But engagement?’ she blurted out. ‘That’s so final. So permanent.’
‘Not as permanent as marriage.’ The truth of that hit him as he looked into Rio’s eyes. ‘Think of this engagement as a deal.’
‘A deal?’ Her eyes widened in shock. ‘And what will this deal entail?’
‘We will allow Xena to plan an engagement party, but once Xena’s memory returns, we can call off the deal, end the engagement. Unless you can fill in the blanks for Xena—and me?’
She gasped and looked at him, her brows pulling together in an angry line. ‘You are ruthless.’
She turned from him as if she was about to walk away. ‘Yes, I am, Rio, and I always get what I want.’ And right now he wanted her.
She swung back to face him. ‘Is this really the way to help Xena?’
‘It is the only way to help Xena. You and I will be engaged and we will remain so for as long as it takes for Xena to regain her health.’
‘Then what?’ she snapped at him.
‘Then you can return to England.’
‘You are quite something, Lysandros Drakakis.’ The disbelief in her voice chipped at his conscience, dented his protective armour, rekindling the emotions she’d stirred in him before ending things between them.
‘Your compliment is well received,’ he taunted her, liking the flush of anger on her pale cheeks.
‘What happens when Xena expects us to get married, when she—?’ she began, but he cut across her before she had any notions of anything else.
‘As I have just said, it’s to help Xena. Once her memory has returned there will be no need for such a course of action. We can simply call off the engagement.’
She inhaled deeply as if trying to calm herself, and he smothered a smile of amusement. She certainly had hidden fire within her. ‘And what will we do while we are engaged to make it convincing?’
‘Give the outward appearance of a couple in love—madly and passionately in love.’
The sound of the clear waters of the sea against his boat as they stood on the jetty infiltrated his thoughts. He looked beyond Rio, to his mother’s villa in the distance, and saw Xena and his mother standing on the terrace. He looked back at Rio.
‘Xena and my mother are watching us right now, so if you meant what you said in the hospital, that you would do anything to help Xena, even make her believe our engagement is real, you will now put your arms around my neck and kiss me.’
‘I will do no such thing.’
‘Does that mean you lied to me, Rio?’ He moved a little closer, so that Xena and his mother would think it an intimate gesture. Heated desire surged through him, catching him off guard. Just being that close to her was a temptation, making his voice fiercer than he intended. ‘I don’t like lies, Rio.’
If he wasn’t mistaken, she actually gulped. Had she been lying? And if so, what else was she lying about?
‘We don’t need to go that far. We don’t need to kiss.’ Her voice wavered but his determination to do the right thing for his sister didn’t.
‘This is a deal, Rio,
a deal between the two of us to help Xena overcome the effects of the accident. All you need to do is play out a romantic engagement, act the part of being in love and kiss me.’
She shook her head slowly, but her eyes still held his, her full lips parted slightly, igniting his desire once more. ‘You really expect me to kiss you? Now? Here?’
‘Neither Xena or my mother will be convinced by anything less than seeing us not only engaged but as lovers.’
Rio paled so rapidly he wondered if she was going to pass out. ‘I can’t believe I’ve agreed to this.’
‘Think of it as sealing our contract.’ He kept his voice low and gentle, her resistance beginning to dwindle. ‘Remember how happy Xena was just now. All we need to do is provide the illusion of romance between us—for a couple of weeks at least.’
‘I can’t kiss you.’ Her voice was a breathy whisper, sending shivers of passion all over him.
‘You’ve kissed me before,’ he said, watching the turmoil in her eyes. ‘Do you really dislike me that much now?’
‘Don’t.’ She looked down and he wanted to lift her chin, make her look at him, make her see the desire in his eyes.
‘Kiss me, Rio.’ His voice had become a hoarse whisper. ‘The desire hasn’t gone away, has it?’
‘No, but things have changed.’ She looked up at him, urgency in her gaze. ‘I’ve changed.’
‘Then perhaps you should tell me.’ He brushed his fingers over her cheek, wanting to understand, wanting to know.
She shook her head rapidly. ‘I can’t—not yet.’
‘But you will tell me? Soon?’ he whispered, trying to keep the annoyance from his voice. Yet again she was backing out of giving him the answers he needed. Patience was what he needed—and charm. He’d seduce the answers from her, slowly and subtly.
She nodded and looked up at him. ‘I will, Lysandros, I promise.’
‘Then for now I will wait. Time alone will help. A long romantic weekend on my yacht to relax with one another will be just that. It’s also the sort of thing Xena would expect me to do and will reinforce our engagement.’
Seducing His Convenient Innocent Page 6
