by Maggie Cox
Damn it all to hell! Why couldn’t he have engineered a simpler existence than the one he’d chosen? Instead of obsessively working himself into the ground and trying to accumulate even more wealth, what he wouldn’t give right now to be wooing the love of his life—as his father had done when he’d met his mother—to be anticipating building a home and family together and perhaps living a good part of the year on Margaritari as he’d once dreamed he would? It hit him how tired he’d grown of the endless travelling that filled most of his year. What he really wanted to do was to spend some proper time with family and friends, to immerse himself again in the simple but solid values that shone like a beacon of goodness and common sense in a world that frequently moved too fast, where people restlessly went from one meaningless pleasure to the next in search of that most elusive goal of all… happiness.
The truth was that, for Ludo, the dog-eat-dog business world that he’d so eagerly embraced had all but lost its appeal since Theo died. He might have sought refuge in it when he’d exiled himself from his parents, but the exercise had failed miserably. All it had shown him was how emotionally barren his life had become. He was just kidding himself that he wanted to keep on travelling down the same soulless path. In truth, Ludo had missed his home and country much more than he’d realised.
Unbidden, a mental vision stole into his mind of Natalie holding out her hand beneath the lemon tree, so that Ludo might demonstrate the ripeness of the fruit. There was a strangely alluring innocence about her that grew more and more compelling every time he saw her. But it was playing merry havoc with his libido. Just thinking about her graceful slender figure, her river of shining hair and big grey eyes, made him feel near desperate to take her between his sheets and passionately seduce her.
Would she ever feel inclined, or indeed brave enough, to invite herself into his room one of these nights, as he’d suggested? Ludo didn’t know why, but despite their almost instantaneous connection he’d intuited that he shouldn’t seduce Natalie just to fulfil his own hungry desire for gratification. He should give her time to realise that her own needs were just as great as his. When she came round to the fact of her own free will, the heat between them would be nothing less than explosive, he was sure.
But it didn’t help to dwell on the tantalising prospect. Kicking at the sand with another frustrated sigh, he found himself ambling towards the seashore.
He wasn’t the only one to be won over by Natalie’s charms. During dinner her genteel manners and ready smile had clearly formed a bond between her and Allena. Given the opportunity, would a similar bond ever be forged between Natalie and his own mother? Irritably reminding himself that their engagement was nothing but a bittersweet ruse, born of a desire to convince his parents to see him in a better light, Ludo emitted a furious curse. Reaching down, he picked up a small jagged rock that was half buried beneath the sand and threw it into the foaming moonlit waves lapping onto the shore.
Natalie had been so tired that she’d fallen asleep on the bed fully dressed. She’d tried hard to wait up for Ludo, but when the evening had worn on and he still hadn’t shown she’d regretfully made her way upstairs to the bedroom.
After staring out at the moonlit sea from the terrace for what seemed like an eternity, thinking how tragic it was that the revered and beloved Theo had perished there beneath the waves, she’d found herself overwhelmed by a sense of sadness she hadn’t been able to dispel easily. Lost in her poignant daydream, she’d experienced a moment of real panic, imagining Ludo walking alone by the seashore, with nothing but sorrow and regret accompanying him. She should have insisted that she join him, even if he’d got angry. It would have been worth the risk to make sure he was all right.
Finally, unable to fight what felt like sheer exhaustion, Natalie had crossed the room to the lavish bed, sat down to remove her sandals and before she knew it, had lain down curled up in a foetal position and fallen fast asleep.
She didn’t have a clue what time it was when she woke the next morning, but the sun beaming in through the open patio doors was glorious. When she sat up and saw that she still wore the pretty orange dress she’d had on last night she shook her head in disbelief. That had never happened before. But then yesterday had been full-on, with all the travelling and its accompanying tension—that tension increasing when Ludo had chosen to go for a moonlit walk on his own last night and she hadn’t seen him return.
Hurriedly stripping off the colourful dress, Natalie headed straight into the bathroom. But not before nervously wondering if Ludo thought her ungracious or rude for not waiting up for him. After all, it was hardly the behaviour of the supposedly devoted fiancée his parents were expecting to meet today, was it? The realisation of what she had pledged to do hit her again like a head-on collision. But the shock that eddied through her also acted as a spur for her to hurry up and present herself to her host. She realised she had a lot of questions to ask about their proposed visit to his family home.
A smiling Allena informed Natalie that Ludo was out on the terrace, waiting for her to join him for breakfast. Drawing in a long, deep breath, she hovered in an arched doorway that was draped with blossom, silently observing him as he lounged in a cane chair with his knees drawn up against his chest and his arms loosely wrapped round them.
His attire today consisted of a casual white linen shirt and rust-coloured chinos. His feet were bare. With the stunning vista of the sparkling ocean glinting in the sun before him, his sun-kissed golden hair and long limbs made him resemble a beautiful dancer in repose, and her heartbeat skittered nervously. She was utterly mesmerised by the breathtaking picture he made.
Turning suddenly, he took her completely by surprise with his greeting. How long had he known she was standing there?
‘Kalimera, Natalie. I trust you slept well?’ he drawled, smiling.
The stunning sapphire eyes that crinkled at the corners when he utilised his smile rendered her temporarily speechless.
Quickly gathering her wits, she replied, ‘I slept like a log, thanks. In fact I was so tired last night that I fell asleep fully clothed and didn’t wake up until about half an hour ago. I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long?’
‘I was expecting you to arrive at any moment—so, no. You didn’t keep me waiting too long. And even if you did it was worth the wait. You look very lovely in that dress.’
The simply-cut cornflower-blue dress that Natalie wore had short sleeves and a pretty sweetheart neckline, embroidered with the tiniest of white daisies, and the folds of the skirt draped softly down to her knees. She loved it because her mother had bought it for her trip to Greece, professing it to be modestly respectable but pretty enough to win her the ‘right’ kind of attention. There was only one man whose attention she wanted to win, Natalie privately acknowledged, and that was the real-life Adonis sitting in front of her.
‘Thanks. My mum bought it for me.’
‘Ahh … Now I see why you chose to wear it today. It’s exactly the kind of dress that a Greek mother would buy for her young and beautiful daughter. A dress she can confidently wear to a family gathering with friends and relations. It is suitably virginal and will definitely make the right impression,’ he teased. ‘Now, why don’t you come to the table and help yourself to some yogurt and honey for breakfast?’
Still reeling from his comment that her dress was ‘suitably virginal’, Natalie hurriedly pulled out a chair opposite him and sat down—anything to stop Ludo seeing that she was blushing painfully. As she scooped some yogurt into a cereal bowl from the generous ceramic dish in front of her she was in no hurry to meet his omniscient gaze.
‘I waited up for you for quite some time last night,’ she told him. ‘What time did you get in?’
‘About one or two in the morning.’ He shrugged. ‘Who knows? I was hardly keeping track of the time.’
‘Did it help to clear your head, going for such a long walk?’
‘Perhaps.’ His reply was painfully non-committal.
‘You are an eternal optimist, I think.’
‘Maybe I am.’ Natalie frowned. ‘But I’d rather believe in hope and resolution than be cynical.’
‘You should try some honey with your yogurt. I am sure you know it is traditional.’
Suddenly his piercing blue eyes were boring into hers and she forgot what she’d been going to say.
‘Here …’
Leaning towards her, he scooped up a teaspoon of the richly golden nectar. Just when Natalie expected him to stir it into her helping of yogurt he touched the spoon to her lips for her to sample it instead. Her body tightened and the tips of her breasts tingled fiercely at the sensual nature of the gesture. Obediently and self-consciously she licked the honey off the spoon. The whole time she was hotly aware that Ludo was staring at her.
‘Hmm,’ she responded, emitting a soft sigh. ‘It’s delicious.’
Her expression was no longer self-conscious but laced with helpless invitation. The man was driving her crazy! Natalie might not be experienced in the art of seduction, but she was getting close to desperate for Ludo to seduce her. In turn, he gave her an amused slow smile that made her want to rip off his shirt, discard the pretty blue dress that he’d declared ‘suitably virginal’ and all but drag him across the table and insist he make love to her …
The thought made her bite her lip to prevent herself from giggling because it was so outrageous. It was also diametrically opposed to anything she’d ever contemplated in her life before.
‘You’re such a goody-two-shoes when it comes to men, Nat,’ a friend had once teased her. ‘Haven’t you ever met a man you simply just had to have?’
Not until she’d set eyes on Ludo Petrakis, she hadn’t …
‘You looked like you were about to laugh. What was so funny?’ Ludo asked, depositing the spoon he’d used for the honey on a saucer.
‘A crazy thought came into my mind, that’s all,’ she admitted warily.
‘Want to share it with me?’
‘No.’ Tucking her hair behind her ear, she shrugged carelessly in a bid to deflect his curiosity. ‘At least not right now. Can you tell me a little bit more about your parents before I meet them? And is it possible to stop off somewhere on the way to buy your mother a gift? I’d really like to get her something. Does she like flowers?’
‘Of course—but she has a large garden full of flowers. You don’t have to worry about getting her a gift. Your presence as my fiancée will be gift enough, Natalie.’
Feeling suddenly deflated, she frowned. Her brow puckered. ‘But I’m not your fiancée, am I? We’re only pretending that I am.’
The muscle that flinched in the side of his smooth tanned cheekbone indicated his annoyance. ‘I know that.’
‘At any rate, it’s polite to take a gift when someone invites you into their home for the first time, isn’t it?’
He sighed. ‘If it means that much to you, angel, then we will stop off at a place I know and purchase a nice vase that she might put her own flowers in. Will that suffice?’
Feeling marginally better, Natalie somehow found a smile. ‘Thank you. It does. Will you tell me a bit about what your mother is like? I’d really like to know.’
Ludo’s expression instantly relaxed, as though the topic couldn’t help but fill him with pleasure.
‘She is a beautiful woman and a wonderful mother and she loves to put people at ease when they visit her. What else can I tell you?’ His blue eyes twinkled in amusement. ‘She is an incredible cook and an accomplished seamstress—she was a dressmaker before she met my father. He utterly relies on her, you know? But he wouldn’t thank me for telling you that. He is a typical “man’s man” and proud of it. Now, can you do something for me before we talk further?’
‘What would that be?’
Her heart jumped a mile high as her gaze fell into his dazzling blue irises. She was still aroused. It was surely an impossible challenge to hold his glance for long and not reveal her desire? With his elbows resting on the table, Ludo leaned in a little closer—so close that she could count every single long golden lash that fringed his eyelids.
‘Can you try not to look so adorable when you smile?’ he asked huskily. ‘It makes me want to wipe the smile clean off your face with a hot, languorous kiss that would very likely lead me into removing that pretty virginal dress your mother bought you and more besides.’
Just in time Natalie suppressed a groan. ‘I don’t think—I mean, I think we should—we should—’
‘Give it a try?’
Swallowing hard, she reached for a white paper napkin and touched it to her lips, lightly dabbing at them. ‘I think we should stay on a safer subject, don’t you?’
‘Even if it’s nearly killing me to have you look at me with those innocent grey eyes and not tell you in graphic detail what I’d like us to do together in bed?’
‘That’s how I make you feel?’ Her voice had dropped to a shocked whisper.
‘You have no idea,’ he growled, then abruptly got to his feet and drove his long fingers through his hair. ‘But no doubt it will keep. We have to make the journey to see my parents very soon, and I suppose we should concentrate on getting ready.’
‘How long will it take us to get there?’
‘About an hour.’
‘Where exactly do they live?’
‘About four kilometres from Lindos, but the area is quite rural in comparison to the town. Thankfully, it’s also close to the beach.’
‘And that’s where you grew up?’
Once again Natalie registered wariness in Ludo’s eyes. He was still apprehensive about seeing his parents, and probably fearing the worst about their reception of him. She wished she knew a way to help put him more at ease.
He turned away to gaze out at the sea. ‘Yes … it is where my brother Theo and I grew up. We had a truly magical childhood, living there. We were so free—which should be the right of all children, in my view. Most days we ran down to the beach to play before school. Then we’d run home in anticipation of our breakfast.’
‘You had breakfast? I know that many Greeks don’t … apart from drinking coffee, I mean.’
‘My mother believed it was important for children to start the day with some food in their bellies.’ With a wryly arched brow, he turned back towards her. ‘She gave us soft cheese spread on sesame-seeded psomi to eat.’
‘I love that bread. My mum still makes it now and then, especially when we have friends to dinner.’
Joining him, Natalie was mindful of not disturbing his poignant and unexpectedly heart-warming train of thought and couldn’t deny the warmth it instigated in her own heart that he would share the memory with her.
‘You will have to tell my mother. She is sure to want to know all about it.’ Lifting his palm, Ludo briefly pressed it to her cheek, as if he didn’t trust himself to let it linger. ‘I think it’s time that we went. If there is anything else you wish to ask me you can ask it on the journey.’
In the next instant he’d moved swiftly away to the open patio doors, and before she could reply he disappeared inside.
CHAPTER NINE
THE TRADITIONALLY BUILT white house that was so familiar to Ludo loomed up before them minutes before the Range Rover reached the end of the rutted undulating track they’d been travelling on. Although the architecture was typical of many homes in the locale, it was unusually tall and imposing. Built on the crest of a hill, it could be seen for miles.
The unmade track was very soon replaced by a smooth driveway lined with fig trees that led directly to the house’s white-stone arched terrace. Behind the dwelling the deceptively calm waters of the Aegean created the most stunning iridescent backdrop, and even though he knew the house and the view well, it still made Lu
do draw breath at the beauty of it.
But he didn’t contemplate the scene for very long. Parking the car, he felt his stomach churn at the prospect of his first encounter with his parents after three long years. Was it possible that they would ever forgive him for his desertion at a time when they’d most needed him … particularly his mother? If they didn’t, then he would simply just have to wish them well and walk away again—even if it broke his heart.
‘Ludo?’
Beside him, Natalie’s soft voice halted his painful reflection, reminding him he wasn’t going to have to do this on his own. He remembered thinking about the possibility of sharing his worries with her last night and the tension in the pit of his belly eased a little.
‘It’s going to be all right.’
She smiled, and he reached out for her small hand and squeezed it in gratitude. It struck him afresh how pretty and innocent she looked today in the simple blue dress her mother had bought her. The conservative sweetheart neckline revealed not the slightest décolletage, yet in his opinion a sexy black cocktail dress couldn’t have been nearly as alluring or beguiling.
‘I’m sure you are right. If anyone has the ability to convince me of that it is you, agapiti mou. Let’s do this, shall we?’ His voice was gruffer than he’d meant it to be, but the relinquishing of his guard had left him feeling curiously vulnerable.
As he stepped down from the Range Rover onto the patterned marble drive he glanced towards the entrance of the house. With his heart beating double time he saw his parents walking towards them. Wearing an elegant blue tunic over white palazzo pants, her dark blonde hair shorter than he’d seen her wear it before, his mother Eva looked as effortlessly elegant as ever, if a little thinner. She was holding on to his father’s strong muscled arm.
Unusually, his father was wearing a suit, as if to instigate some formality into the proceedings and perhaps to remind his errant son that he was a long way from being forgiven and accepted … at least by him.
