‘Force you?’ He gave a cruel kind of smile. ‘You little hypocrite! We both know that I wouldn’t have to force you—erotic persuasion can be so much more effective, don’t you think? But do not worry, Jade—I have no inclination to put it to the test. You can have the bed. I shall sleep in the chair—’ His dark head indicated the roomy- looking but none the less unforgiving wicker chair which stood on the other side of the large room.
Her heart plummeted as she took in what he’d said. ‘I have no inclination to put it to the test.’ So he didn’t even want her any more—the sight of Eleni had killed his desire stone-dead. But even knowing that, she was aware too that she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep if he stayed in there with her. She would be longing for his possession, fighting every instinct she possessed to throw back the sheet and give him entry to her bed and body.
‘Is that really necessary?’ she demanded. ‘There must be other bedrooms.’ Including Eleni’s, she thought with sick dismay.
His mouth tightened. ‘Indeed there are. But I do not intend our marital spats to become public knowledge—not yet, in any case. There will be time enough for that. Marina and Eleni leave tomorrow morning. We can leave any decisions until then.’
So that was that, she thought, with a dull, empty ache in her heart. It was over. Eleni was his for the taking, and he wanted her now. And tomorrow he would release Jade from this farce of a marriage in order to pursue her.
Had that been the purpose behind his bizarre proposal in the first place? she wondered suddenly. Had she served her purpose by being brought here as his wife? Because perhaps Eleni was one of those women who were motivated by possessiveness— perhaps she hadn’t realised how much she had wanted Constantine for herself, until she’d thought that someone else had him.
He glanced at his watch. ‘You have only two hours before we are due to dine. I am sure that you could fill them most productively.’ His eyes mocked her startled expression. ‘Oh, don’t worry, agape mou—you won’t have to fend off my advances. I’m going for a walk. Be ready by eight.’
‘I’m not very hungry.’
‘I don’t care. Just be there.’
‘You can’t make me!’ she challenged.
‘No?’ he said softly, and she quickly turned away, rage and desire filling her veins with a pounding fire.
The bastard! The cold-hearted, cynical bastard! Even knowing that it was over, he still couldn’t resist anyopportunity to demonstrate his power over her.
She turned her back on him. ‘I’d like to use the shower now,’ she said coldly.
His response was equally cold. ‘But of course.’ And he slammed his way out of the room.
The bathroom was adjoined to their room, and Jade was surprised to see the luxuriously appointed fittings, not expecting such mod-cons in a place which was, to all intents and purposes, in the middle of nowhere.
She showered and changed into a short vampy dress of black satin, against which the pale fall of her hair stood out in startling contrast. If she was going out, she had decided in the shower, she was going to do it in style! She was just applying some blood-coloured lipstick in front of the mirror when Constantine returned. His face was set, and looked, she thought as she caught his reflection in the mirror, infinitely weary. She wondered whether he had in fact been out walking, or whether he had gone to Eleni, to seek solace in her arms, to make plans with her for their future.
He raised his eyebrows as he took in the amount of thigh she was showing, but gave her no greeting other than a short nod, then walked straight through to the bathroom.
She heard the sound of the shower running, and the hand which was applying mascara to her eye- lashes began to tremble as her mind began reluc- tantly to conjure up images of Constantine naked; his statuesque and magnificent golden body standing under the streaming jets of water. An image which stubbornly refused to disappear, and just the thought of it played absolute havoc with her already tightly stretched nerves.
But that was nothing to the effect he had on her when he walked back in the room, gleaming drop- lets of water still clinging to the dark olive of his skin and the dark hair which shadowed it. He was wearing nothing but the skimpiest of white towels slung low on his narrow hips.
Sweat broke out in beads on Jade’s forehead, but she doggedly continued to apply her mascara, splodging on far more than she’d intended, and wondering whether his mocking smile meant that he’d noticed.
Dinner was the longest meal she’d ever had to endure, and anything less like a celebration she couldn’t have imagined. The food was excellent, and so were the wines, and the table set out on the scented terrace under the light of the moon and the candles was simply breathtaking. But Eleni was clearly in a sniping mood, and Constantine ob- viously on edge.
Marina retired early, immediately after the coffee had been served, but Eleni looked set for the night, and after two cups of coffee Jade rose wearily to her feet.
‘I’m going to turn in now,’ she said. ‘Please excuse me.’
Eleni nodded, then turned to Constantine. ‘Stay and have a brandy with me,’ she urged him. ‘It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.’
Jade’s whole world hung on his answer, then came crashing around her ears as he nodded his dark head.
‘Very well,’ he concurred. ‘Just the one, but first I must take my wife to her room.’
Feeling sick at heart, Jade stared at him in hor- ror, wondering what kind of a hypocrite he must be if he could actually use the word ‘wife’ so inap- propriately. She shook her head, so that her long hair swayed in a pale cloud around her head, the long diamante earrings she wore flashing starry light around her neck. ‘It doesn’t matter, Constantine. I know the way. Please don’t bother.’
His mouth twisted. ‘Very well.’
‘Goodnight, Jade,’ said Eleni, and Jade couldn’t miss the brief note of triumph which hovered in her voice. ‘It has been a delight to meet you.’
‘Likewise,’ said Jade evenly, then, before she gave it all away, she turned quickly on her heel and away to her room.
She had thought that sleep would elude her, that she would stay awake all night in an agonised state, listening for the sounds of betrayal—the muffled giggles in the corridor, the deadened footsteps, even, she thought in horror—the creaking of the bed in another room. But perhaps she was wearier than she’d thought—perhaps in times like this nature could be almost kind and help her blot it all out until tomorrow, or perhaps she’d done so much thinking that her head simply couldn’t take any more. Because, whatever the reason, she found herself drifting into the warm and numbing em- brace of sleep, and when she opened her eyes again she blinked at the ceiling in bewilderment, at the patterns of sunlight which danced there, for a moment not remembering where she was.
And then it all came back, and she turned her head, expecting to find the room empty, but there sat Constantine in the wicker chair, his black eyes resting thoughtfully on her. He was, she registered dully, still in the suit he’d worn down to dinner last night. His face was etched with lines as though he hadn’t slept, and that, together with the crumpled suit, seemed to bring her to her senses and she sat up in bed, her blonde hair tumbling in wild dis- array all over the thin straps of her ice-pink camisole. She saw his eyes darken, and protectively reached out for the matching wrap and pulled it on.
‘Jade—’ he began, and she raised her hand to halt him, because she knew that she could not bear to hear him say it. She wasn’t going to break down in front of him. Let him have Eleni if he wanted, but let him not say it.
‘I want to go home,’ she told him, and saw the corners of his eyes crease in bewilderment.
‘Home?’ he echoed.
‘Yes. Home. I’ll get dressed, and then I’d like to leave as soon as possible. Please say goodbye to Eleni and her mother for me. And Sophie. I’d prefer not to see anyone, if you don’t mind.’
‘They’ve gone,’ he said flatly.
Now it was her turn to e
cho. ‘Gone?’
He shifted his position in the chair and loosened his tie. ‘Yes, gone. Leaving us alone. At last. Be- cause it’s high time that you and I had a talk.’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘You don’t? Well, I do.’
And then she realised what had probably hap- pened. Eleni had gone because it would be more diplomatic if Constantine terminated the marriage without his lover around. Perhaps there was that touch of kindness in him which Stavros claimed he had. Either that, or pity, or simply a dread of any scenes which might ensue. But Jade had her dignity; and she didn’t want his kindness or his pity.
‘It’s all right, Constantine,’ she said quietly, marvelling that her voice should hold no giveaway tremor. ‘I know perfectly well what you want to say to me.’
His eyebrows rose to become lost in the blackness of his hair. ‘You do?’
‘Sure,’ she said flippantly. ‘You’ve made a mistake. You thought you wanted me and for a while you probably did. But now that Eleni is free- well, I want you to know that I understand. I’m releasing you from our marriage.’
A pulse began to beat insistently in the hollow beneath one cheekbone. ‘Just what the hell are you talking about?’ he demanded, from between gritted teeth.
‘You know darned well what I’m talking about! You want her, not me—and she wants you. She wants you so badly, you can feel it in the air. You don’t have to pretend any more. You spent the night with her, OK, I understand, but now I just want to get out of here, and as far away from you as possible.’
‘I spent the night,’ he repeated ominously. ‘With Eleni?’
She’d had enough, flimsy nightdress or not, she jumped out of the bed and ran for the bathroom. ’You know you did!’ she sobbed, and wrenched the door open, but he had waylaid her, pulling her vi- olently into his arms, and she recoiled from the fury on his face, the contempt she read in his eyes.
‘You think I’m that kind of man?’ he thundered. ’That I could make love to a woman while my wife lay in the next room?’
‘But I’m not your wife, am I?’ she shouted back. Wives were loved, cherished. ‘Not really! Not properly!’
‘Then why don’t you start being my wife?’ he ground out, and he pushed her down on to the bed.
‘No!’ she screamed out, as she felt the sinewy weight of him on top of her, so hard against the softness of her body, and her hands reached out to grip convulsively at his shoulders, supposedly, she thought, to push him away, but suddenly she wasn’t doing any pushing. ‘No,’ she pleaded on a broken whisper. ‘Not like this.’
‘How then?’ And his lips brushed softly against hers. ‘Like this?’
For answer she gave a great sob in his arms, and then he cradled her to his chest, murmuring words in Greek which she did not understand, but which soothed and calmed her. When she’d stopped, he opened each eyelid with a gentle finger.
‘Do you really think I wanted Eleni here?’ he quizzed.
‘You asked her to stay for as long as she liked!’
‘Because she is my stepsister, and because we Greeks show respect and hospitality to our family. I don’t love Eleni,’ he said.
‘But she loves you.’
He sighed. ‘Yes,’ he admitted. ‘Or rather she thinks she does. She is a spoilt child who wants to take everything she sees—she always has been. She imagines that no man can resist her if she puts her mind to it. And last night, after dinner, I was not, as you imagined, making love to Eleni—instead I was telling her that I intended settling down to a happy and, I hope, a very long life, with you, my wife—if you can bring yourself to forgive me.’
Tears shimmered in her eyes at his cruelty. ‘Don’t lie!’ she husked. ‘Don’t tell me any of your lies!’
He shook his head. ‘I’m not lying. I speak from the heart—and I love you, Jade.’
The time for pussyfooting, she decided, was long past. ‘You don’t love me! You don’t even trust me! You think that I’m a heartless journalist who’d do anything for a scoop—even selling her own secrets. You think that I’m a seasoned seductress who pre- tended to be a virgin—’
‘I think none of those things,’ he said quietly. ‘I think that I have been an arrogant and blind fool and nearly lost what is most dear in all the world to me.’
‘No, you don’t,’ she sniffed.
‘Listen to me,’ he said. ‘You knew that I fell in love with you when we first met?’
‘So you said.’
‘Don’t you?’
Jade moved restlessly, refusing to make it easier for him, aware as she did so, that he still held her closely.
His eyes glittered with some satanic fire as he spoke the soft, husky words. ‘For years women had told me I was cold, arrogant, unfeeling; and maybe I was. And in my heart of hearts I suspected that I was one of those men who never can fall in love. Perhaps the death of my mother made me equate love with loss. But even knowing that, logically, changed nothing. I did not seem able to feel emotion for a woman other than liking, and, oc- casionally—desire. But then I saw you, and it was like…’ He shrugged, a rueful smile temporarily smoothing out the lines on his face. ‘How can I explain what it was like? I don’t think the words exist in either of our languages which could ad- equately describe it.
‘An explosion, if you like. Or implosion. I was dizzy with it. Crazy. It was something to which no logic could be applied—overpowering—this need to be with you. I saw you and I fell in love with you. And then, when I met you—you were every- thing I dreamed you would be, only more. Intelli- gent, questioning, funny, sexy.’ He gave a deep sigh. ‘When you left the island I went half mad with wanting you. And that frightened me. For the first time in my life I felt no longer in control, and I found the experience disturbing. Profoundly dis- turbing. When I went back to work I found that I was restless, deferring decisions because I could not think straight and the only thing which occupied my thoughts, was you. Always you. I couldn’t get you out of my mind.
‘So I forced the rational side of my nature to try and analyse things—I told myself that I knew nothing about you. That it had all happened so quickly, on a magically beautiful island, that when faced with the stresses of everyday life the relationship would probably die a natural death. That I had kept my true identity secret, and that perhaps you would not care to be the wife of a very rich man—you who seemed content with the simple life we lived those few days.
‘And then, when I found out who you were and what you did for a living, after my initial rush of anger I was almost glad to learn what I’d dis- covered about you.’
‘Glad?’ Jade echoed, totally confused.
‘Yes, glad. Believing you to have lied to me and betrayed me, meant that I now no longer had any reason to love you, and consequently I felt back in control.’
‘So you seduced me ruthlessly,’ she accused him bitterly, trying to wriggle out from beneath him, but his hips made her firmly their prey and she was made achingly aware of the fact that he was turned on.
‘Yes, I seduced you,’ he agreed grimly. ‘Which is not something I should be proud of, and yet it proved to be my undoing. Even believing myself to be hating you, I fell completely under your spell again. I’d never experienced lovemaking like that in my life—it blew my head off. I tried to convince myself that it was just a physical ache, that I could exorcise my desire for you by making love to you over and over and over again.’ The corners of his mouth turned down in self-deprecating mockery. ’But I was trapped, enmeshed by you. The more I was with you, the more I grew to like you. As well as love you. My little virgin,’ he added gently.
Jade’s head was spinning. She wanted to believe him, oh, how she wanted to believe him. ‘You told me I was no virgin. You said—’ Her cheeks became stained scarlet as she remembered his cruel gibes, but she forced herself to repeat them. ‘You said that if I was pretending to be a virgin, then I shouldn’t…’ But she couldn’t finish the sentence.
His face became
grave, and his voice was filled with anger, that even she could tell was directed inwards. ‘Because, my darling, my feelings were in complete turmoil; that’s why I lashed out at you the way I did. I felt honoured, humbled to be the man to whom you should offer the great gift of your virginity. And yet I was sick with remorse at the manner in which I took that gift. I should have wooed you quite gently in our marital bed, not taken you like that—so swiftly and so savagely. And then’ He hesitated. ‘I was wary, too.’
‘Wary?’
He gave a self-deprecating smile. ‘Indeed, since I recognised that my days as a single man were numbered. Because you see, I had discovered during that quite blissful interlude on the sofa that it was not going to be easy to give you up; indeed, I sus- pected that it was going to be damn nigh impossible.’
He reached his hand out to stroke one finger gently down her cheek.
She let him.
‘So you bought up the newspaper?’ she quizzed. ’A bit over the top, wouldn’t you say, Constantine?’
He didn’t look in the least bit abashed. ‘The situ- ation called for dramatic measures.’
‘Like forcing me to marry you by bribery?’
He shrugged. ‘What else could I do? When you walked into your boss’s office and gave me such a look of withering contempt, I knew that you would never agree to see me willingly again. I had to have you, and I was prepared to go to any lengths to do so.’ He stared down at her, the ebony eyes boring bright fire into her soul.
‘But you were so distant towards me, the morning after you made love to me at the Granchester.’
He gave a small sound of disapproval. ‘Because I was furious with myself. I had seduced you that first time, almost brutally—’
‘Not really brutally,’ she corrected, being per- fectly honest, because even if the intentions had been brutal the act itself had been bliss.
‘Single-mindedly, then. I used my experience quite ruthlessly to get you to capitulate. After that I wanted to show you how sweet seduction could be, but I wanted to do that after we were married, to make amends for my behaviour, if you like. That night, when you turned to me, I felt so close to you, and I wanted to show you that closeness didn’t necessarily have to culminate in making love. But you persuaded me to stay. And once again, I dem- onstrated that around you, all my self-control amounted to nothing.’
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