Illicit Night with the Greek

by Susanna Carr

  Jodie reached out and caressed his chest. He didn’t turn away. Stergios needed her soothing touch tonight. The short strokes, back and forth, were surprisingly calming.

  “It doesn’t matter how I found out about the baby,” he eventually said as he stared at the ceiling. “The nightmares would have happened, anyway.”

  “What do you dream about?” Jodie paused as if she didn’t want to encourage more memories. “The kidnappers? The wilderness?”

  Exhaustion pulled at his heavy eyelids. “Oxi,” he said in a husky voice. “I dream about the day I was rescued.”

  Jodie’s fingers pulled at his curly chest hair. “Why is that a nightmare? Wouldn’t that have been a special occasion?”

  “It was at first. I was reunited with my family. But my father wasn’t there. I had only seen a glimpse of him when I arrived at the police station. And that’s when I found out he was the one behind the kidnapping.” His voice trailed off as he remembered the overwhelming sense of betrayal.

  She continued to stroke his chest. The pattern was hypnotic and the tension binding his ribs relaxed. He found he could breathe easier.

  “He had been arrested and gave up the information as part of a deal,” Stergios said bitterly. “He would not tell them anything unless he got something out of it. If he hadn’t, I don’t know how long I would have been missing.”

  “And you keep having that bad dream since you discovered you’re becoming a father,” she murmured. “Have you been dreaming the same thing every night?”

  He shook his head. But he had awoken from enough nightmares lately that he was having trouble sleeping. It angered him that he was getting the bad dreams. He thought he was over them, that he had moved to the next level of healing and could get on with his life. Instead, it was as if he had a setback once he’d found out that he was going to be a father.

  “Tonight was different,” he confessed. Stergios clasped Jodie’s hand against his chest. “When I dreamed I had seen a glimpse of him, it wasn’t his face. It was mine.”

  Her fingers flexed, her nails scratching his skin as the surprise rolled through her. “You are not going to turn out like your father,” she whispered.

  “You don’t know that.” He had inherited many traits from Elias Pagonis. He was ruthless and ambitious just like his father.

  “I know what kind of man you are, Stergios. I’m well aware of your flaws but you don’t have an ounce of evil in you.”

  A hardened smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t be too sure.”

  “I am sure,” she retorted. “I’m also certain that your father had made some choices that took him down a path you wouldn’t take. Elias Pagonis had to have made some questionable decisions before the kidnapping.”

  “He was a cheat and a fraud.” He had forgotten about Pagonis’s other sins. The kidnapping eclipsed everything. With Jodie’s prompting, he remembered some of the actions his father had taken. It was as though he’d been building up to kidnapping and extortion. “There were a lot of questions about his finances.”

  “You are not your father.”

  At times he was worse. Stergios let go of Jodie’s hand. Elias Pagonis had not been the worst man he’d faced. The more power he had accumulated, the more monsters came crawling out, determined to tear him to pieces.

  “Your father was a danger to your family,” she pointed out, “but you protect them from the likes of Pagonis.”

  “You don’t know my methods.” At times he was just as terrifying as the monsters he battled when it meant keeping his loved ones safe.

  “You take care of those who are most vulnerable,” she continued, stroking the side of his neck. “You will never allow anyone to harm a child.”

  And it would destroy him if something happened to their child. Or worse, if he shared more than Pagonis’s blood. “I can’t do this without you,” he said gruffly. “You need to let me know if I’m becoming my father.”

  Her hands froze. “Stergios, it’s not going to happen.”

  “Promise me, Jodie,” he pleaded, his voice raw at the edges. He knew he could trust her. She had the courage to tell him when he was wrong and she was the only person who would care about their child as much as he did.

  “I promise,” she said with great reluctance. “But you’re asking too much of me. I couldn’t hurt you like that.”

  “I’d rather you hurt me than...” The memories started to crowd his mind and he turned away from Jodie. “I can’t fail my child.”

  She pressed her hand against his shoulder. “And that, Stergios,” she said softly, “is why you will never be like your father.”

  * * *

  Jodie murmured and sighed with contentment as she gradually stirred from her sleep. She was surrounded by heat and wiggled closer. She frowned when she felt Stergios’s big hands grasp her arms as the delicious heat faded.

  Stergios carefully held her away. “You could tempt a saint, Jodie.”

  Her eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice groggy from sleep. The bedroom was dark but she saw the first streaks of dawn filter through the curtains.

  “You’re too close.” He growled in her ear. “I knew this would happen if we shared a bed.”

  Too close? She blinked a few times and discovered that instead of keeping a safe distance, she was clinging onto Stergios. Her head rested against his bare chest as she listened to the solid beat of his heart. She had draped her arms around him in a loose embrace and her hips were flush with his.

  At some point in the night she had gravitated to his warmth and strength. She had turned to Stergios in her sleep because she couldn’t stay away. Jodie didn’t want to hold back anymore. She knew now that Stergios Antoniou wasn’t going to hurt her. He cared for her and for the baby.

  Jodie unhooked her bare leg from his muscular thigh. His pajama bottoms hung low on his hips and the thin cotton couldn’t hide his thick erection. Heat flashed through her pelvis, her core tightening, as she remembered the masculine power he demonstrated when he had thrust inside her.

  “Do you want me to go sleep on the sofa?” Her voice sounded strangled as she rolled back onto her side of the bed.

  He flung his arm out and caged her. “Try and I’ll bring you back here.”

  “Careful, Stergios,” she teased. “You’re on my side of the bed.”

  “This is not a laughing matter, pethi mou. Get any closer and I’m going to touch you.” His voice thickened. “Take you. And nothing is going to stop me.”

  “I’ll take my chances,” she said in a husky purr.

  “You didn’t want to share a bed, remember?” She shivered when she heard the shaky restraint in his low, masculine voice. “Because we don’t have a relationship, you said.”

  That had been weeks ago when all they shared was the knowledge that they were going to be parents. She had wanted more from Stergios. Some indication that she was more to him than the mother of his child. Now they were taking the first steps together toward a new life.

  “But if you think we’re going to have a sexless marriage,” he said in a rough tone, “then you are out of your mind.”

  She felt the flicker of a smile on her mouth. “I thought your interest was fading because I wasn’t going to be an easy conquest and just tumble into your bed.”

  “Fading?” He repeated the word in a choked voice. “Every day I want you more but I don’t trust myself around you. I have been in agony all these weeks.”

  “You hide it well.” She curled into him and pressed her mouth against his throat.

  She felt him swallow hard as the tension vibrated from his clenched muscles. “Jodie, if I touch you, I won’t be gentle.”

  “The doctors have said it was safe,” she reminded him as she curled the tip of her ton
gue against his skin. “You heard them yourself.”

  “They don’t know how I am around you.” His voice wavered.

  “But I know you will keep me safe.” She arched her spine, pressing her breasts against him. “You will make me ache, Stergios, and you will take me to the edge of pleasure. You will make me surrender until I scream your name, but you will never hurt me.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  THE ATMOSPHERE CRACKLED between them and Jodie thought he would pounce. That was what she wanted. She needed to feel the lust that was coursing through his veins and colliding with the hard masculine aggression. But Stergios took her by surprise when he claimed her lips with a slow, wet kiss. She moaned as he explored her mouth with the wicked flick of his tongue.

  Jodie couldn’t contain the growing need pulsating inside her. She caressed his strong body, her touch urgent and greedy. She liked how Stergios’s muscles bunched as her fingers swept along his washboard abs. He hissed as her nails raked along his bare back. It was only when she slid her fingertips beneath his waistband that Stergios broke the deeply seductive kiss. She watched the sinful glow of his eyes as she clenched his buttocks.

  Stergios’s movements were lightning-fast as he grasped her wrists. He held her hands above her head, her fingers knocking against the wood headboard. Excitement tore at her chest as Stergios pinned her to the mattress.

  His grasp was firm as he hovered above her. She lifted her head to kiss him but he would not allow it. She whimpered with frustration as she struggled to break free.

  “Patience, pethi mou,” he said with the twist of his lips.

  Patience? She had not shared his bed for months. Her lips stung and her skin tingled for his touch. Her breasts felt heavy and full as she began to pant. She rocked her hips to alleviate the insistent throb. Couldn’t Stergios sense her raging need? Of course he could.

  “Is this payback?” she asked in a stuttering breath as he licked a path to her cleavage. “Because I made you wait?”

  She felt his smile against her breast. “Would I do something like that?” he purred.

  “Yes!” she said through clenched teeth.

  He nipped her skin with his teeth. “I want to bury myself deep into you,” he grounded out. “Hard and fast but I won’t. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  His words made her shiver with anticipation. She would break his restraint, she decided as she wrested for control. The straps of her slip fell down her shoulders, revealing her breasts, as she tried to pull her wrists from his strong hold. But Stergios would not let go. From the determined gleam in his eye, she knew he would not surrender to the lust stampeding inside him.

  Stergios dipped his head and captured her tight nipple with his mouth. Jodie closed her eyes and tipped her head back as she mewled with pleasure. Desire flooded her as he continued this sensual torment. She bucked against Stergios, begging for more.

  He readjusted his grip on her wrists and glided one hand along the length of her body. When he cupped her sex she almost came undone at his possessive touch. “Open your eyes.” His voice was rough with desire.

  Jodie followed his command and her gaze connected with his. He stroked the wet folds of her sex before he dipped his finger inside. Her flesh gripped him tightly. He watched the pleasure chase across her face as he teased her, his eyes darkening with uncontrollable lust when she held nothing back.

  He suddenly let go of her wrists and slid down her trembling body. Stergios draped her legs over his shoulders and pleasured her with his mouth. A keening cry escaped her throat as she clenched her thighs against Stergios. Her fingers dug into his hair as she encouraged him closer. His husky moans and her shallow gasps echoed in the room. Jodie went rigid as the ferocious climax stole her breath. Her body shook as the heat scorched through her.

  She lay limp beneath Stergios, her lungs aching as she tried to catch her breath. Through heavy eyelids she watched him shove off his pajama bottoms. He gathered Jodie in his arms, his chest hot and damp to the touch, before he rolled over.

  Jodie straddled his hips. Anticipation pulsed through her body when she felt his throbbing erection against her. She slowly sat up, dragging her hands down his broad chest.

  She smiled when she saw the hungry glitter in Stergios’s hooded gaze. His angular features were drawn tight as a ruddy color stained his high cheekbones. He could no longer control the pace.

  Jodie reached for the hem of her slip and slowly removed it, inch by inch. His fingers flexed on her thighs as she stretched and rolled her hips. She barely heard Stergios’s ragged breath over her pounding heart as she tossed her slip to the side.

  Stergios reached up and roughly caressed her body, molding her curves. She grasped his erection and he bucked against her. She stroked him and his growl was low in his throat as he dug his fingers against her hips.

  Jodie guided him inside her. She smiled, her heart overflowing, as she felt his shaky restraint. Heat poured from her as he stretched and filled her. She rocked her hips, the pleasure coiling tight inside her. Her rhythm increased as she watched Stergios’s face. Words spilled from her mouth unheeded as she rode him harder. Faster.

  She cried out when the hot coil of need burst wildly and pleasure radiated from her core, streaming through her body. Stergios sat up and clasped her against him. Her nipples rubbed against his hairy chest as he held her in a tight embrace.

  Love poured through her and she whispered against his ear, chanting his name. Stergios went still before he thrust wildly. She laid her head against his shoulder and clung to him before she surrendered completely.

  * * *

  Later that morning Jodie stood on the beach and stared at the ocean. She stuffed her hands in her coat and hunched her shoulders as the wind whipped her hair. She felt the cold through her jeans but she didn’t dare go back inside.

  What had she said to Stergios? Jodie nervously bit her lip. So many thoughts had chased through her mind. She had felt loved and cherished. She hadn’t felt that way before and the sensations had overwhelmed her. But had she said those words out loud? Her stomach twisted with dread. Had she declared her love for Stergios?

  She didn’t hear him approach until he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Jodie jumped and gave a shriek.

  “Don’t,” he told her as she tried to break free from his embrace.

  “Don’t what?”

  “It has taken me weeks to get you back into my bed.” His voice rumbled in her ear. “Don’t find an excuse to leave it.”

  She stood stiffly in his arms. “I’m not.”

  “You revealed yourself to me, pethi mou.” Stergios pressed his mouth against the back of her neck. “And now you need to hide.”

  Jodie clenched her teeth and gathered her courage before she turned to face him. Heat unfurled inside her when she saw his sexy rumpled state. The dark sweater skimmed his lean body and the faded jeans clung to his powerful thighs. The shadow of a beard covering his jaw gave him a rakish edge. But it was his enigmatic brown eyes that made her want to take a step back.

  She thrust out her chin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He captured her gaze and wouldn’t let go. “You told me that you love me.”

  Embarrassment pricked at her skin. Jodie felt the muscles twitching in her face as she tried to maintain an impassive expression. She had almost convinced herself that she hadn’t said it out loud because Stergios had shown no reaction. But he had responded. He had gone completely still before he claimed her with a savage wildness.

  His restraint had cracked because he knew he had won. He had complete power over her body and her heart. Jodie felt the flush creep up her throat and Stergios watched with a knowing smile as the color flooded her cheeks. She had bared her soul to him and had declared her love. How did she recover from that?

 
“It doesn’t count when you say it while having sex,” she said waspishly. “Everyone knows that.”

  “It counts when you say it.”

  He knew her very well but that didn’t make her feel safe. She felt exposed and she had to get out of there. Jodie turned and trudged through the sand, wanting to get back to the house and get a few walls and doors between them. “Coming here was a mistake. We should return to Athens.”

  “Why? You weren’t happy there,” he called out to her. “That’s my fault.”

  She stopped and turned around. “No, it’s not. Why would you think that?”

  “I thought that since I had included you in the family, everyone would accept you. I had underestimated how my relatives would react.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she insisted. “I can’t seem to get along with your family. When I try, it just gets worse.”

  He splayed out his hands. “Why do you keep trying?”

  “I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “I always felt like the odd man out. I thought I would eventually win them over. It was a waste of time. It was always going to be me against them.”

  Stergios strode over to her. “I will always be on your side, Jodie.”

  Shock ripped through her. “Why?” It didn’t make sense. He was an Antoniou. The leader of the family. “What if I’m in the wrong?”

  “I’m going to take your side.” He stood in front of her. “And you will take mine.”

  “Oh, now I see the catch.” Jodie rolled her eyes and made a face. “But will you take my side when I don’t marry you?”

  “We’re getting married.” Satisfaction permeated his voice. “The sooner the better.”

  She drew her head back. “I haven’t agreed to that. I won’t.”

  “You said you wouldn’t marry without love.” His lips tilted into a smile that made her heart skip a beat. “You love me.”

  Jodie clenched her hands at her sides as she fought the urge to wipe that smile off his face. “For the last time—”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Are you saying you don’t love me? Tell me the truth,” he warned softly.