‘I had no idea,’ Rio whispered, her face paling with shock.
‘That’s why I don’t want emotion. Why I don’t want love in my life. Why I can’t love anyone.’
And you almost changed that, but I can’t let you.
Rio placed her hand on his arm, her head tilting to one side, her eyes looking beseechingly into his. She might have held back important facts, but he knew she could never lie, knew she was a woman he could trust, allow into his heart. He wanted to. What he felt for her was deeper than mere passion. Last night had been about more than just sex; that was why it had been so different for him. Yet the past clung, like a web spun in the moonlight, and only the brightest sunshine could free him.
‘Kyra treated you terribly,’ she whispered, making shame rush over him as he thought about all she’d been through. She’d survived the ordeal of being not only physically violated but emotionally too. ‘And your father, I’m sorry.’
‘I’m sure Xena has told you I haven’t had a serious relationship in many years,’ he said lightly, wanting to downplay the heaviness of the conversation, needing to extinguish that hope in Rio’s eyes.
‘She has, yes.’ She smiled, her lips parting in that inviting way, sending the hum of lust hurtling around him once more. ‘She had hoped we would start a long-term romance.’
There was laughter in her voice, and despite himself, he couldn’t help but smile. ‘And that is why she believed our engagement.’
Sadness filled Rio’s eyes. He’d achieved his aim. ‘But she will remember soon.’
‘She will, yes,’ he said as he drew her closer to him. ‘But for now let’s enjoy tonight.’
He brushed his lips over hers, smothering the soft sigh of pleasure. Instantly the lust in his body increased and he wanted to sweep her into his arms, carry her from the roof terrace, back to bed.
‘Our last night in Athens,’ she whispered between kisses.
He’d never spoken his mind like that since the disaster of his first engagement, had never allowed a woman close enough to scale the defence he’d always had around him. His instinct was to deflect her from the truth of those words as well as prevent himself from analysing them. Instead he allowed desire to carry him out of the shadows of the past, making him realise he needed more nights with Rio, more passion, more desire. ‘But not our last night ever.’
* * *
The hope that had started to grow within Rio burst open like a flower in the morning sunshine as the full impact of his words washed over her. He might not have said anything about loving her, but he still wanted her, wanted this moment. He believed whatever it was that had sparked to life between them was a good thing—for now at least.
‘You want more nights like this?’ she asked shyly, conscious of his body against hers, the way he caressed her face and the heavy look of desire in his eyes. There was no mistaking that there would be many amazing nights of passion ahead of them in this convenient engagement. Maybe it could one day lead somewhere else, perhaps be the beginning of much deeper and more meaningful things.
‘We have something good, Rio. It proves that the misguided sentiment of love is not needed between us.’
‘It’s not?’ She knew the smile had slipped from her face, even before she saw his frown.
‘We are attracted to one another and the chemistry between us is nothing short of hot. Love would only complicate that.’ That last sentence was said with conviction and the flame of hope within her heart spluttered slightly, as if a big gust of wind had raced across the roof terrace.
‘Love always complicates things,’ she said, quashing down any notion that one day he might love her as she now loved him. ‘It will be different when we are back on the island with Xena.’
‘In that case, we need to make the most of our last night here in Athens—alone.’
‘Just what do you have in mind?’ She was determined to do exactly that, to lose herself in the dream of love for one more night. Power raced through her as she teased him and, emboldened, she moved against him.
‘Temptress,’ he growled, his lips claiming hers in a kiss far more demanding and forceful than any of last night. She’d done this to him, pushed his legendary control to the limit, and that knowledge filled her with power, with excitement. ‘What is it you want, Rio?’
Rio looked at him, her heart beating so loudly she was sure it echoed around them. His dark eyes watched her intently, waiting for her to say something.
‘Another night with you,’ she whispered huskily.
‘Then you leave me no option,’ he said, whisking her off her feet before striding across the roof terrace.
She feigned resistance, wriggling in his arms and laughing at the same time. She’d never been so happy, so carefree. She was going to make the most of this final night, allow herself to believe he loved her one final time.
As that thought lingered temptingly, she lay on the bed as his body covered hers, his kiss intoxicating and demanding. She met his passion head-on, losing herself in this bubble of happiness in which she now found herself. It didn’t matter what happened tomorrow, next week or next year. All that mattered right now was that she was in the arms of the man she loved. She might not be able to tell him she loved him, but her body could—and tonight she intended to do exactly that.
CHAPTER TEN
ON THEIR RETURN to the island Rio had found it easier than before to create the illusion she and Lysandros were in love. Xena still hadn’t recovered any memories but fully bought into the romance of their engagement. Once Lysandros had left for Athens Rio had faced a barrage of questions from Xena, but, not wanting to say exactly what had happened between them after the charity ball, she had been evasive in her details of the weekend away. Xena’s satisfied expression proved she knew it had been a weekend for lovers. Were her deepening feelings of love for Lysandros that obvious?
In just two days Lysandros was due to return to his sister’s villa for the family engagement party Xena had been planning. Rio was nervous. How should she act around him in front of his family? Would his desire for her have run its course or would he want more nights with her?
‘You miss him, don’t you?’ Xena’s voice interrupted her doubts and questions. She pushed them aside, focusing instead on Lysandros’s impending return. Just knowing she would see him again very soon filled her tummy with butterflies, making her heart flutter.
‘We have just got engaged.’ Rio tried valiantly to answer Xena’s question without admitting the truth. ‘Of course I miss him.’
She missed what they’d shared for those couple of nights in Athens. Not just the intimacy and the passion of their lovemaking but the gentleness he’d shown her, the way he’d cared about her, his concern for her as they’d arrived at his apartment. That night, as she’d touched the piano and met his gaze, it had been as if he’d known, even before she’d told him the truth, exactly how hard it had been to do that, let alone play.
‘You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you? Really fallen for him.’ Xena laughed, a sound so in contrast to her thoughts it made Rio feel even more anxious.
‘Isn’t that what people do when they get engaged?’ Rio kept her voice light, determined not to show the depth of her feelings—her love.
‘I knew all along you two were so right for each other.’ Xena grinned, smug satisfaction on her face, her dark eyes sparkling, so like her brother’s on the rare occasion he let his guard down. ‘When did you make up, by the way?’
‘Make up?’ Rio feigned ignorance, despite the implications of that question.
‘I can’t recall why,’ Xena began again. ‘Not yet at least, but I do remember you had broken it off with him.’
‘You remember something?’ Rio was so pleased. Xena was recovering and her smile was full of excitement. ‘Do you remember anything else?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Xena replied. ‘But now i
t’s started to come back, I’m sure I will begin to remember other things. That’s not important now, Rio. You and Lysandros are. When did you get back together?’
‘At the hospital. After your accident,’ Rio said cautiously. ‘It was the first time we had seen each other.’ It was in part true. She and Lysandros had shared something special before Hans had spoilt it. Rio said nothing else, knowing it would be all too easy to give away the truth of their reconciliation, expose the fake engagement. If Xena’s memory was slowly coming back, she didn’t want to risk upsetting that, even though she would soon know the truth.
‘There’s something,’ Xena said, a frown on her face. ‘I can’t quite recall it.’
‘What is it about? The accident? Do you remember something new?’
As soon as she’d asked the questions, seen Xena’s expression change, Rio worried she would remember everything. What Hans had done. The argument with Ricardo. The accident.
When she’d returned from Athens it had been to find Xena was much more the woman she’d been before she’d fallen for Ricardo. Before the time she’d admitted he was married. A time that had almost torn apart their friendship as Rio had tried to warn her friend that getting involved with a married man could only mean heartache and disaster. She’d never anticipated the scale of that heartache and had no idea why Lysandros shouldn’t know anything about Ricardo.
Should she tell Xena he now knew? No. She wasn’t even sure if Xena recalled her relationship with Ricardo.
Xena sighed wistfully. ‘Everything that has happened, the accident, my loss of memory, will be worth it when you and Lysandros finally set the date. It’s what I’d always hoped for.’
‘Xena Drakakis, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that you had planned this.’ Rio laughed at the mock wounded expression on her friend’s face.
‘Yes, I had always wanted you two together.’ Her tone changed, and she looked down guiltily. ‘But now I am starting to recall things.’
If Xena’s memory returned fully, it would end the engagement. Lysandros had made that all too clear. She would lose the man she loved. Rio’s heart was tearing apart—for herself and for Xena.
‘Xena?’ Rio questioned gently.
‘I can remember other things, Rio. I can remember why you ended the relationship.’
‘You can?’ Rio tentatively asked.
‘Yes, I can. It was what Hans did, wasn’t it? The attack? That’s why you ended things with Lysandros.’
Rio gulped, unable to say anything. It was all over now. Xena’s memory was returning. The fog her friend had lived in since the accident was lifting.
‘It was.’ Rio finally spoke.
Xena shook her head, disappointment clear on her face. ‘I didn’t tell him why, but I do remember telling him to give you the space you needed. I warned him not to contact you. So, what happened? Are you really engaged to him? Did you two get back together, get engaged, purely to help me regain my memory?’
Rio was sure her mouth must be gaping open in shock. Xena had guessed their plan, had guessed she and her brother were acting out a fake engagement. What was she supposed to do now? Tell Xena the truth? How could she do that when all along her friend had wanted to see her brother happily married, and now that he’d told her about the marriage he’d almost made, she could understand where Xena’s desire for that had come from. But did Xena realise he didn’t want love in his life? That he couldn’t love her, couldn’t love anyone?
There was only one thing for it. Tell Xena the truth. ‘I’m sorry, Xena; we thought if you were surrounded by happiness, it would help you recover—from the accident and the amnesia.’
‘It did.’ Xena looked so vulnerable Rio’s heart went out to her. ‘But you must feel something for him to get engaged?’
She owed Xena the truth. Owed herself the truth.
‘I had been falling for Lysandros before I ended it. So much so that I couldn’t face him after what had happened.’
‘Hans?’ Xena said sharply, making Rio look at her. She couldn’t verbally acknowledge that so just nodded. ‘And now? Do you love Lysandros now?’
‘I do, yes.’ She wouldn’t tell Xena that Lysandros had said he could never love anyone again. That heartbreaking bit of information was something she didn’t want Xena knowing.
‘It’s hard, isn’t it?’ Xena said softly, looking down at the floor, unable to meet Rio’s gaze, but when she did, tears filled her eyes. ‘I love Ricardo. I should never have run out on him like I did the night of the accident. He wanted time. He and his wife were separating; their marriage had fallen apart long before he first took me out. She even knows about me.’
Rio was stunned. Xena remembered everything.
‘What do you want to do about Ricardo?’ Rio asked gently, relieved the attention had slipped away from her and Lysandros. She sat next to Xena, who was making a brave attempt at holding back tears. Maybe she did need to cry. Maybe she did need to let out the pain of her broken heart.
Xena looked at her with big, wide, tearful eyes. ‘I spoke to him yesterday.’
She’d contacted him? Yesterday? ‘Did that help?’
‘He and his wife have filed for divorce. He wants to see me, Rio.’ The hope echoing in Xena’s voice was the same hope Rio had clung to as she’d lain in Lysandros’s arms after they’d made love the first time—and each time afterwards.
‘If it’s what you want, Xena, I will do whatever I can to make it happen for you.’
Rio knew the pain of loving someone so much it hurt. She recognised that pain in Xena’s eyes.
‘Thank you,’ Xena whispered, sitting taller as if finding strength from somewhere. ‘But first we have an engagement to celebrate.’
‘You just told me you know none of it is real.’ Rio’s mind whirled. How could Xena possibly want her and Lysandros to continue with the engagement now?
‘He is besotted with you, Rio. He watches every move you make. I’ve seen him doing it. There is no way I’m going to allow you two to go your separate ways again.’ A new determination filled Xena’s voice, but surely she realised there were some things even Xena couldn’t make happen?
‘We can’t stay engaged, Xena. Not now.’ The declaration was out before she could stop it.
‘Of course you can. Everything is planned. Family invited. You are engaged, Rio. To be married—to my brother.’ The enthusiasm in Xena’s voice couldn’t quell the anxiety bubbling inside her.
‘It’s not possible, Xena.’ Desperation filled Rio’s voice and she wondered if she was trying to convince herself or Xena.
‘You just told me you love him.’ Xena spoke softly, her hand reaching out, touching Rio’s arm in a reassuring gesture, her expression brighter now she was smiling once again. ‘That’s what you said, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, I did.’ Rio couldn’t keep it in. ‘I love Lysandros.’
‘Then there is nothing more to discuss. In two days’ time we will officially celebrate your engagement and I’ll be making sure he sets the date. Nothing would make me happier than for you to be my sister-in-law.’
* * *
Impatient to see Rio again, Lysandros had left the office at an unusually early hour, making his assistant smile as he’d claimed to be testing out another of his yachts. Were his feelings for Rio that transparent?
He’d arrived far earlier than planned after enjoying the freedom of the sea. As he’d neared the villa he’d heard, through the open doors onto the terrace, his sister and Rio talking, but he hadn’t been able to make out exactly what they were saying. By the time he reached the terrace their words had become clearer.
‘You just told me you love him.’
Rio loved him?
He stood on the terrace of the villa, trying to take in what he’d just heard Xena say, what he’d just heard Rio reply.
‘Yes, I did. I love Lysandro
s.’
He’d thought himself hardened, immune to such emotions, but replayed again and again those words inside his head. Rio loved him? He had tried to convince Rio what he felt for her was just desire. Heated lust borne out of several nights of passion. Now he needed to convince himself. He didn’t want it to be something stronger—something far more destructive.
He didn’t want to fall in love with his convenient and temporary fiancée. The woman who was now playing out the role to perfection, claiming how much she loved him so that Xena wouldn’t question their fake engagement.
Of course, that was it. She hadn’t meant it at all. She didn’t love him. It had been for Xena’s benefit.
Relief surged through him. He could never be that vulnerable again. He didn’t want to love anyone. He didn’t want to lower the barriers he’d strategically built around himself, open himself to the kind of hurt and pain he’d known more than once in the past. He didn’t want to risk that pain again, that rejection and devastation of trust.
Should he turn and go? The thought hung in the air as Xena laughed in delight and he could almost imagine her hugging Rio. ‘You will be my sister.’
He didn’t turn and go. Instead he walked into the villa, Rio and Xena springing apart, Rio’s face ashen white.
‘She would also be my wife,’ he said as he moved into the room to stand by the large grand piano occupying the centre of the vast space. His voice was brusque, but Xena grinned up at him. She really was invested in their engagement. He’d have to make out he and Rio wanted a long engagement if Xena didn’t start recovering her memory soon. The problem would then be that being around Rio for much longer would test him—test his vow never to become emotionally involved again. But he’d do it for Xena.
In a bid to release the tension suddenly in the air, he ruffled his sister’s hair, knowing full well she hated it, and when she squealed in protest, he laughed. At that exact moment he made eye contact with Rio and it happened all over again. The spark ignited. The strong pull of attraction, so intense he had no option but to go to her. The sensation his heart was overflowing with the kind of emotion he’d never wanted tore through him again.
Seducing His Convenient Innocent Page 13
