For Love or Money Bundle (Harlequin Presents)

by Sarah Morgan

  ‘Dimitrios knows nothing about duty and he never gives away money,’ her mother said with quiet dignity. ‘And he doesn’t know the meaning of family.’

  Something dark and dangerous flickered in Sebastien’s eyes. ‘Then it’s time he was educated on that subject,’ he said grimly, straightening to his full height, dominating the small hospital room with his powerful presence. ‘And I can assure you that he will be a willing pupil. He will live up to his responsibilities.’

  Charlotte Rawlings closed her eyes wearily. ‘No. I want no contact with that man. I never want to hear the names Philipos or Fiorukis again.’

  Alesia froze in horror. Although her mother obviously recognized Sebastien as the man who’d rescued her from the explosion, she clearly didn’t know his identity. What would her mother say when she realized that her daughter had married a Fiorukis? And that she’d approached her grandfather for money?

  Sebastien gave a calm, reassuring smile. ‘I want you to rest and stop worrying,’ he instructed firmly, ‘and I will bring Alesia back tomorrow.’

  Her mother opened her eyes and smiled. ‘You can stay another day?’ Her eyes brightened. ‘When do you have to go back?’

  Sebastien frowned. ‘She can stay as long as she needs to,’ he said roughly and then walked out of the room.

  Alesia gave her mother a hug and then hurried after him, virtually running so that she could match his long stride.

  ‘Sebastien, wait!’ Breathless, she caught his arm, forcing him to stop. ‘Please don’t just walk off. I know you’re still angry with me but we have to talk. You saved my life. I can’t believe it was you.’

  Burning dark eyes collided with hers and he caught her arms and backed her against the nearest wall, his whole body throbbing with barely contained fury. ‘And we would have discovered that fact a whole lot sooner if you’d been honest with me. When will you learn to trust me and tell me the truth?’ he demanded in a raw undertone, his strong fingers biting into her soft flesh as he kept her pinned against the wall. ‘On a daily basis I learn something new about my wife and the process is exhausting. Each time the phone rings I wonder what amazing fact I am about to discover that you have kept hidden. Until I met you I thought that I had an incredibly effective intelligence network. Suddenly I discover that I know nothing.’

  ‘You probably weren’t looking in the right place,’ Alesia muttered awkwardly, realizing that for a man accustomed to being in control all these revelations must be difficult to cope with. ‘You didn’t know my mother was alive.’

  ‘That’s right, I didn’t.’ He stared at her with naked exasperation. ‘Why did you hide that fact from me? And the fact that you were on the boat too?’

  She lifted a hand to her throbbing forehead, desperate to make him understand. ‘Because if I’d told you the truth you would have known that we were anything but a happy family. And if you’d known that my grandfather despised me, then you would have known that his desire for a union between us was driven by a desire for revenge, not grandchildren to bounce on his knee. I was too scared to tell you the truth.’ She swallowed hard, breathlessly aware of every inch of his hard body pressed against hers. She’d missed him so much. ‘And then you wouldn’t have married me. And I needed you to marry me. It was the only way I could see to get the money for my mother’s operation. It’s a really new procedure and the NHS wouldn’t fund it. I was desperate.’

  She’d been totally out of her depth.

  ‘I should have picked up the signals at that first meeting,’ Sebastien growled, his brows locked in an ominous frown as he listened to her. ‘You were so clearly afraid of him but my father was longing to have the company returned to him and I was distracted by certain other matters. Otherwise I would have realized that something wasn’t right.’

  Wondering what other matters had distracted him, Alesia gave a tired smile. ‘Well, you know it all now,’ she said, her head swimming as his familiar male scent wrapped itself around her brain and teased her senses. When he stood this close she couldn’t concentrate. ‘I did marry you for the money but I wanted the money for my mother. There was no other way. My grandfather has refused to acknowledge her existence since the day she married my father.’

  ‘Your grandfather has a great deal to answer for,’ Sebastien said grimly, inhaling deeply as he struggled for control. Aware that several nurses were glancing in their direction, he released her. ‘This is not the place to have the discussion we need to have. Let’s get out of here.’

  He closed long, strong fingers around her wrist and virtually dragged her towards the nearest lift. With disbelief he scanned the ancient lift and instead opted for the stairs. ‘If that thing breaks down we’ll be in it for ever,’ he growled. ‘And what is this hospital? It looks as though it is about to fall down.’

  ‘It is a very old building,’ Alesia agreed breathlessly, wishing she had legs as long as his, ‘but the surgeon here has an amazing reputation and he wanted to try something that had never been tried before. That’s how I spent your money.’

  ‘Your money,’ he corrected her, a strange expression in his eyes as he shouldered open the door and held it for her to pass through. ‘It was your money. And finally I understand why you didn’t go shopping. You didn’t have any left to buy anything for yourself.’

  She blushed. ‘I didn’t need anything. And the hospital is very expensive—’

  He looked around with an ironic gleam in his eyes. ‘I can’t understand why,’ he drawled, leading her across the foyer and straight into his car, which was parked directly outside. ‘It looks as though it should have been demolished years ago.’

  ‘How did you know where to find me?’

  ‘You were followed,’ he told her grimly, leaning across to fasten her seat belt. ‘My security team were under strict instructions not to let you out of their sight.’

  She gazed at him in astonishment. ‘Why?’

  ‘Because you are a Fiorukis now,’ he reminded her in a dry tone, the exasperated gleam in his dark gaze revealing just how naïve he found her question, ‘and there are plenty of people willing to cash in on that.’

  Her eyes widened. ‘You think someone might kidnap me?’

  ‘The possibility is always there but you needn’t worry too much,’ he drawled with a faint smile. ‘They would release you soon enough when they discover how much you eat.’

  She bit her lip as she studied his tense expression. ‘Are you very angry with me?’

  ‘You have driven me to the extreme of emotion since the day we met, so this is nothing new,’ he murmured huskily. ‘And, for future reference, the next time you wish to fly, use my plane. Like it or not, you are my wife and I won’t have my wife taking a commercial flight.’

  A warm feeling spread through her. She should have felt angry that he was giving orders again but after a lifetime of making her own decisions it felt wonderful for someone else to take charge. Part of her loved the fact that he was so possessive. And she basked in his determination to take care of her, even though she knew that it was only driven by his sense of responsibility towards her.

  Cocooned in the luxury of Sebastien’s car, Alesia stared out of the window, watching the sights of London pass by. ‘Oh, look! There’s the Monument. It was built to commemorate the Great Fire of London.’ She gazed upwards to the viewing area. ‘I remember my mother taking me there on one of her rare periods out of the hospital. I climbed all the way up to the top, all three hundred and eleven steps, while she waited in the street and waved.’

  Slightly choked by the memory, she met Sebastien’s eye and gave a wobbly smile.

  He hesitated and then reached out and took her hand in his. ‘You must have missed her dreadfully.’

  She gave a tiny shrug. ‘To be honest, I was so young when it all happened that I just grew up with it all. I just accepted that my mum wasn’t like other people’s—that our lives were different.’

  ‘How did the press never discover that your mother was alive?�
�� he demanded with blatant incredulity. ‘How did they never find out about you? You are the only living relatives of one of the richest men on the planet and yet everyone seems unaware of your existence.’

  ‘Like you, they weren’t looking,’ Alesia said simply. ‘We returned to London. My grandfather insisted that my mother reverted to her maiden name and I used the same name. We were called Rawlings. And that was that.’

  The beginning of years of hardship that she couldn’t even begin to describe.

  ‘That explains why you didn’t respond when I addressed you as Philipos at our first meeting,’ Sebastien mused. ‘Presumably you took that name at your grandfather’s insistence?’

  Alesia couldn’t hide her distaste. ‘I hated using his name but it was all part of my grandfather’s plan to make me seem part of his family,’ she said bleakly. ‘When you called me Miss Philipos, it used to take me a while to realize that you were talking to me. All my life I’d been Rawlings.’

  ‘Your mother is a brave woman.’

  ‘Don’t tell her.’ Alesia snatched her hand away from his, her expression urgent. She had to make him understand. ‘All her life she has blamed the feud between our two families. We can’t tell her I married a Fiorukis; it would kill her.’

  His expression didn’t alter by so much as a flicker. ‘I want you to stop worrying,’ he commanded, lounging back in his seat with a complete lack of concern. ‘You are looking very pale. You need to rest.’

  Alesia wished she could be half as relaxed. Her mind was racing through all the possibilities and none of them seemed attractive. ‘I can’t rest until we decide what we’re going to say to her,’ she said breathlessly, her brow lined with worry. ‘I didn’t know what to say to explain my absence so I told her that I’d taken a job in Greece and—’

  He leaned forward in a swift movement, his dark eyes clashing with hers. ‘Stop worrying,’ he instructed firmly. ‘I will take over from here.’

  She chewed on her lower lip. ‘But—’

  ‘Rest assured that I will do nothing to hurt your mother further,’ he said quietly and she stared at him for a long moment.

  ‘Why would you do that?’

  His gaze was suddenly hooded. ‘All sorts of reasons, agape mou. Trust me,’ he said quietly. ‘And because I have already had ample opportunity to tell your mother the truth.’

  It was true. He could have told her mother everything. Instead he’d been calm and reassuring and had revealed nothing that would have caused further upset.

  She relaxed back in her seat and closed her eyes. ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be.’ His voice was gruff. ‘I understand that you have had to make nothing but difficult decisions from an age when most children were interested in nothing but toys. But you are no longer alone in this, Alesia. The problem is mine. I will deal with it.’

  For a moment she felt as though an enormous burden had been lifted from her and then she remembered that he was only doing it because he felt responsible for what had happened. Because the explosion had taken place on his family’s boat.

  She opened her eyes and glanced at him and then looked away quickly to hide the naked longing that she knew must be visible in her face. Her whole body just burned for him. ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘My suite at the Dorchester,’ he replied tightly, ‘where we won’t be interrupted. We have rather a lot to talk about, agape mou.’

  She didn’t want to talk.

  Wondering how she’d managed to develop into a person who thought about nothing but sex, Alesia crossed her legs to try and relieve the throbbing heat building between her thighs.

  ‘A hotel?’ Trying to lighten the tense atmosphere, she managed a smile as she glanced in his direction. ‘I’ve always wanted to order room service. Is it a smart hotel?’

  His eyes gleamed with amusement. ‘Very,’ he replied in his dark drawl. ‘It will be another new experience for you. And a new experience for their room service, I suspect. They’ve probably never come across anyone with an appetite the size of yours.’

  ‘It’s just so nice not to have to economize on food. But I’m actually not that hungry at the moment.’ Alesia wondered how anyone could feel sick and starving hungry at the same time.

  His sharp gaze was suddenly searching. ‘You are still feeling ill? You do look very pale—’

  She gave a self-conscious smile. ‘It’s been a tough day—seeing her lying there in that bed and then you turning up—’

  He inhaled deeply. ‘I can’t believe the sacrifices you made for your mother—’

  ‘She’s my only family,’ Alesia said simply, turning back to look out of the window again, ‘and she made huge sacrifices for me too. She would have preferred me to stay with her but she sent me to boarding school because she thought that would give me my best chance.’

  ‘Your grandfather has a great deal to answer for,’ Sebastien said in driven tones and she shrugged helplessly.

  ‘It’s just the man he is. He’ll never change.’

  Sebastien’s hard mouth tightened. ‘We’ll see.’

  Their car stopped outside a back entrance to the hotel and within minutes they were inside Sebastien’s suite.

  Alesia flopped on to one of the beautiful cream sofas in the living area and glanced around her in awe. ‘It’s amazing—’

  ‘Up until now I’ve just considered it somewhere to stay when I’m in London,’ Sebastien confessed, gesturing towards a phone with a sardonic gleam in his dark eyes. ‘Feel free to contact room service. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the challenge.’

  Her sense of fun flickering to life, Alesia gave a giggle. ‘Can I order anything I like?’

  ‘Of course.’ He shrugged off his jacket and removed his tie and their eyes locked, the tension that had been simmering between them suddenly flaring to life.

  She could see the hint of dark body hair visible at his throat and the breath jammed in her lungs. ‘Sebastien—’

  ‘I promised myself I was going to stay away from you,’ he groaned thickly, dragging her to her feet and framing her face with strong hands.

  ‘I don’t want you to stay away—’ Her heart was thudding against her chest and she gazed into his eyes with something approaching awe. ‘I still can’t believe it was you. You saved my life.’

  ‘A good move on my part,’ he murmured, delivering her a sexy smile as he lowered his dark head.

  Without lifting his mouth from hers, he stripped her in a few economical movements and lifted her in his arms.

  ‘I can walk—’

  ‘I like to carry you,’ he said huskily, his dark head buried in her soft throat as he strode through to the bedroom.

  ‘You mean you like to dominate me,’ she teased, gasping as he dropped her on to the bed and came down over her with the arrogant assurance of a man who knew he was irresistible.

  ‘I love the fact that I am the only man who has ever done this to you—’ He kissed his way down her helplessly writhing body and proceeded to control her so completely that she lost her ability to think straight.

  ‘Sebastien, please, now—’

  He slid a searching, clever finger deep inside her and she arched in shock at his erotic touch.

  ‘You are so hot,’ he groaned and she whimpered and shifted on the bed in mute desperation.

  He continued to drive her wild, to ignore her tiny sobs and moans, subjecting her to almost impossible intimacies until she was totally at the whim of her body.

  And when she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer he lifted her and sheathed himself deep inside her with an earthy groan.

  Her eyes flew wide and her breathing stopped but then he flashed her a dangerously sexual smile and started to move. With each forceful thrust he drove her higher, capturing her soft gasps with his mouth, urging her forward until she wasn’t aware of anything except the explosive excitement building within her own body and his. When her climax hit it was so shockingly good that she clung to him, riding a tidal w
ave of delicious sensation so powerful that it threatened to engulf her.

  He rolled on to his back and took her with him, smoothing her blonde hair away from her face with a gentle hand.

  ‘That was amazing—’ he muttered hoarsely. ‘The best sex ever.’

  Alesia closed her eyes and tried to convince herself that it didn’t matter that he didn’t love her as long as he wanted her.

  Sebastien curved her body against his and then gave a soft curse as his mobile phone rang. ‘I left instructions that we were not to be disturbed.’

  With barely concealed irritation he reached out a hand and picked up the phone, ending the shrill tone with an impatient stab of his finger.

  He listened for several seconds and then said a few words in Greek before severing the connection and inhaling deeply.

  ‘We have to return to the hospital,’ he said grimly. ‘Apparently your grandfather has decided to pay your mother a visit.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  WHITE-FACED and anguished, Alesia would have run the length of the corridor that led to her mother’s room had Sebastien not caught her arm in a vice-like grip.

  ‘No.’ His tone was firm and decisive. ‘I know you’re worried but I want you to leave this to me.’

  Panic in her eyes, Alesia tried to yank her arm away from him. ‘You don’t understand what he’s like. I have to go to her—’

  ‘I understand exactly what he’s like,’ Sebastien said harshly. ‘Trust me when I say that I am better equipped to deal with his particular brand of ruthlessness than you are.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Theos mou, what do I have to do to get you to trust me?’ Sebastien growled, jerking her against his hard, muscular body. ‘How many times do I have to tell you that I will not hurt your mother. But the longer we argue about it, the more damage will be done.’

  Alesia felt tears threaten and closed her eyes. ‘I didn’t know he’d come here,’ she whispered and Sebastien’s mouth tightened.

  ‘I’m glad he did. It saves me having to go to him although, given the choice, I would have spared your mother this additional stress.’ He relaxed his grip on her arm and gave her a smile as breathtakingly sexy as it was unexpected. ‘Courage. You have been so brave this far, you can be brave a little longer. And whatever I say, Alesia, I want you to agree with me. Is that clear?’