All his senses were on full alert as he opened the message. He read and re-read it, unable to believe what had been written. His brother would be coming to the island in a couple of days and wanted to discuss his business plans, his relationship with Susan, and his marriage.
Even after Susan hadn’t turned up as planned, Spiros still wanted to marry her?
Alex rubbed his temples.
Think!
He recalled his earlier thoughts. Spiros wouldn’t listen to him. Whatever Alex said, his brother would probably do the exact opposite. Telling his brother that Susan was unsuitable for him wasn’t enough. Alex needed to show his brother just how unsuitable Susan was. He needed to reveal her true colours.
He didn’t think the incriminating photos of Susan would do that on their own. It would be too easy for her to say that she’d changed. He needed something current, something beyond any doubt that’d open his brother’s eyes to her real motivation and leave no room for possible reconciliation.
Slowly he began to formulate a plan. If it was successful, he’d be able to put a permanent end to the relationship between his brother and Susan.
Chapter 7
Leah had to avoid Alex. Every time she was with him, he overwhelmed her. He exuded more sex appeal than any other male she’d encountered, and that made him dangerous.
She cringed, embarrassed in the knowledge she’d returned kisses that were meant for her famous sister. How would this powerful man react when he discovered her true identity? He’d probably be disgusted.
Despite missing dinner the previous night, she wasn’t hungry. Forcing down another mouthful of yoghurt, she acknowledged that there was no denying she was attracted to Alex, yet even if they’d met under different circumstances, it was unlikely he’d feel the same way about her. Pain ate away at her like acid — Leah just didn’t stand out in the crowd.
She wasn’t Susie and didn’t have her sister’s confidence or flamboyant personality. Kyle had betrayed her, and Alex was way out of her former boyfriend’s league. This Greek billionaire was probably used to dating supermodels. She was kidding herself if she thought she could ever hope to catch his attention.
Tears welled in her eyes; a giant fist squeezed around her heart. It was pointless tormenting herself with hopeless fantasies. The fact was, even without the conflict of their siblings between them and the unforgivable masquerade she’d maintained, she and Alex were worlds apart.
Susie’s arrival with Spiros would expose her deception. Alex would find out. A volcano would erupt, and she’d be trapped directly in the pathway of the molten lava that would pour out. There would be nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. He’d hate her.
There was a firm knock at her door. She put down her spoon, stood up, and pulled her dressing gown tighter around her. As she went to the door, her heartbeat accelerated. Her reaction addled her brain: One moment she wanted to avoid Alex, the next she was hoping he was the person at her door.
Taking a few deep breaths, she slowly opened the door. As it swung to, Alex’s frame was revealed, filling the doorway. Wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and light tan drill pants, he looked sexier than any man had a right to.
Her blood heated in her veins. ‘What do you want, Alex?’
‘To speak with you.’
She wanted that too. As much as she wanted to have him present, she had to deny her need. He was getting too close to the truth.
‘I think we’ve said all we have to say to each other,’ she said, beginning to close the door.
‘Susan.’ His voice was a low growl of warning.
She opened the door and stood aside. He would not be stopped — not by her. She braced herself for another confrontation. Tensed at the knowledge she’d probably have to tell more lies or at least invent half-truths.
Alex walked into the room and closed the door. ‘I’ve been thinking over what you said last night.’
‘You have?’
‘You were right. Spiros and I, well…our relationship hasn’t exactly been smooth.’
She was speechless. Why was he conceding the argument to her?
‘I was wrong to lay all the blame at your door.’
‘Are you serious? I can’t believe what I’m hearing.’
‘Spiros’s happiness is my main concern. Perhaps I have,’ he hesitated, seeming to choose his words with care before going on, ‘misjudged the situation.’
‘What are you saying Alex?’
His eyes narrowed a fraction before he went on. ‘I’m not sure what sort of bond you have with your parents. You resent that I’ve interfered in your relationship with my brother, but you should understand that it’s the Greek way. We do what we can to protect our loved ones.’
Not just the Greek way — she’d done all she could to protect Susie and her unborn baby. And to protect her parents from scandal and conflict. That was the only reason she was in her current predicament. She hoped he’d remember the importance of family love and loyalty when her deception was exposed.
‘If you have any experience of family closeness, you’ll understand why I wish to keep you here until I’m satisfied Spiros isn’t rushing into making a decision on marriage. I need to know he’s making the right choice.’
‘Are you telling me you’re not going to interfere in Spiros’s relationship with’ — she stopped herself short of saying her sister’s name — ‘me?’
‘I think Spiros should spend more time planning his future.’
‘And you’d allow him to contemplate a future with me? You’d give up on your chance to have a family alliance with Elena’s father?’
She watched him grit his teeth together. ‘I’ve told you, and I’ll tell you again. Spiros’s happiness is more important to me than any real or imagined business dealings.’
‘Still, you think Elena is a more suitable partner for Spiros,’ she pressed.
He inclined his head slightly. ‘Yes, at this stage, I do.’
‘I can understand why you disapprove of…me, but loving someone doesn’t give you the right to play God,’ she told him. ‘Each of us is entitled to make our own decisions, and we’re all capable of change.’
‘Are you capable of change?’
‘Yes,’ she responded unequivocally. Susie had to be capable of change. ‘Are you capable of letting go of your prejudices?’ she challenged.
He lifted his hand to his chin and rubbed his jaw line, seeming to consider her question. ‘Perhaps,’ he conceded.
‘By interfering, you’re just signalling to Spiros that you don’t respect his ability to make decisions,’ she continued. ‘You’re undermining his self-confidence.’
‘I’m not going to sit back and watch Spiros make the biggest mistake of his life, but I acknowledge you seem to be making changes to your lifestyle.’
She eyed him with suspicion. That was a huge admission. Was he sincere?
‘You’re planning to marry my brother,’ he continued. ‘If you did, you’d become family.’
He was acknowledging marriage between Susie and Spiros was a possibility —something he’d never accepted before. She shook her head, trying to work out what he was up to. Her responses to him last night provided him with ammunition to question her love for his brother, so why the about-face now?
‘Do you plan to continue your career if you and Spiros marry?’
‘I don’t see what that has to do with anything.’ More to the point, she didn’t really know what Susie’s plans were in that direction.
‘I’m wondering how much time you’ll be able to spend working on your relationship, if you spend a lot of time touring.’
‘I have a current contract to honour.’
‘I see.’
‘Alex,’ she asked in disbelief, ‘are you really saying that you’ll give the marriage your blessing if you consider that our love is genuine?’
‘I wouldn’t try to prevent my brother’s marriage if I believed he was truly in love, and those feelings were genuinely reciproca
ted.’
‘In other words, you don’t think that’s the case, so you’ll never give Spiros your blessing to marry me.’
‘I —’
‘He doesn’t need your approval, Alex. He’s a man.’
‘Stop interrupting me and listen!’
‘No,’ she said, frustrated beyond reason. ‘I know there’s nothing I could ever do to prove that my love for Spiros is real. But I don’t need to prove it to you — just to Spiros.’
‘Be reasonable. If you marry with my blessing, it’ll ease your way into the family.’
‘If there’s family friction, it’ll be of your own making.’
‘I’m offering you a truce here. Will you accept it?’
She didn’t trust him for a second, but it seemed childish to not at least accept the offer.
‘Accepted,’ she told him, after a few moments of consideration.
When he unleashed the full force of his charm, smiling warmly, she felt the heat of it stretch from her fingertips to her toes.
‘Good.’ He extended his hand to her, offering her a handshake to seal the truce.
As she accepted his hand, the warmth of his smile turned into a blaze of heat. The simplest touch from him turned her skin to fire. This time he seemed oblivious to it.
‘I’m finished my business in Athens,’ he said, releasing her hand. ‘There are ruins of an ancient temple here on the island. Would you like to come with me to see them?’
Do I ever! He couldn’t know how much that idea appealed to her. How much more interesting her teaching would be for her students if she could actually relate some of her own personal experiences from travelling in Greece. Coming to this country had long been on her agenda, but she hadn’t wanted to use her sister’s income to make her dream a reality and hadn’t yet managed to save enough of her own money.
‘I’d love to.’ She couldn’t suppress her enthusiasm.
Her conscience pricked. She was making excuses. What she really wanted was to spend time with him — it didn’t matter to her how that time was spent. She doubted she’d be any less enthusiastic if he’d offered to show her paint drying on a wall.
Her heart battled with her head. She wanted to be with him, but felt vulnerable in his radius. The danger came from a very unexpected place. From within. She tried to analyse that emotion, but he spoke again, breaking into her thoughts.
‘When can you be ready?’ he asked casually.
‘Half an hour?’ she suggested.
He nodded. ‘See you downstairs.’
Alex left Susan’s room feeling satisfied. It wasn’t the thought of visiting ancient architecture that created her look of excited anticipation. He couldn’t imagine for a second that she would be interested in looking at a pile of stone rubble and crumbling columns. The interest she’d shown had stemmed from her eagerness to spend time alone with him. He was certain of it.
Susan might think everything was starting to turn her way, but she was wrong. Without even realising it, by accepting his invitation she was falling right into his trap. By the time she realised she was caught up in the silken web he was beginning to weave around her, it would be far too late.
Guilt stabbed him. Honesty was a quality he valued most. He prided himself on his reputation for fairness in his business dealings, but now he felt a mixture of shame and anger that his usually high moral code was being compromised. Susan was to blame. She’d forced him to do this. She’d backed him into this corner. If he was going to win the fight for his brother — for his family and Elena’s — there was no choice. He had to fight dirty. He suppressed his guilt and excused his culpability. This plan was the only way.
‘Wow!’ Leah stopped in her tracks as they rounded a corner, and the temple ruins came into sight.
‘There it is — the Temple of Helios,’ Alex announced.
It was set atop a hill, overlooking the Aegean.
‘It’s fantastic,’ Leah commented with appreciation. ‘There are still so many columns standing.’
She picked up her pace. She couldn’t wait to reach the temple. To stand among the ruins.
‘The temple faces east, so the pagans could greet the sun god, Helios, each morning,’ he explained.
As she wandered through the ruins, she touched the pillars in awe, and with reverence.
‘You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?’ There was surprise in his voice.
It was impossible to suppress her happiness. ‘Ancient history’s always interested me.’ Her eyes fell on a well-preserved statue, and she walked to it. ‘Who’s this?’
‘Circe. She was the daughter of Helios. A powerful witch who poisoned her husband, king of the Sarmatians, then fled to the island of Aeaea.’
He came over and stood close behind her. The rich timbre of his voice disturbed her equilibrium. His words vibrated through her and struck a chord of sensuality deep within. The distinct male scent of his cologne carried to her on the light breeze, and she inhaled deeper.
Desire licked through her. Again the forceful pull of magnetic attraction made her want to lean back against him, to feel the solid warmth of his chest supporting her back. How wonderful it would be to have his arms wrap around her in a gesture of possessiveness and to stand together in this ancient place, admiring all that was around them. How easy it would be then, to turn in the circle of his arms. To pull his head down and press her lips against his.
She struggled to distract herself from the hypnotic effect of his closeness.
‘I remember Homer wrote about Circe in his poem, The Odyssey,’ she recalled. She needed to focus on something other than his nearness. ‘Odysseus landed on Aeaea on his way home from Troy. Circe’s magic potion turned his men into swine. He also accepted her invitation to drink from her magic cup, but he didn’t succumb to her spell.’ She reached out and touched the statue. ‘He was forewarned about the potion by the messenger god Hermes, and took an antidote herb.’
She felt his hands on her shoulders, and a surge of high voltage electricity jolted through her. He spun her around to face him, disbelief and confusion evident in his expression.
‘How do you know that?’ Alex demanded.
She panicked. She’d forgotten she was supposed to be Susie. Her sister wouldn’t have heard of Homer, let alone Circe.
‘Answer me,’ he insisted.
She shrugged her shoulders, loosening his hold on them. ‘I’ve read both The Iliad and The Odyssey.’
‘No,’ he denied, shaking his head. ‘I can’t believe that.’
Released from his grip, she lifted her chin and allowed her scorn to spread across her features. ‘Just because I sing pop music, you expect me to be ignorant of classical literature? That’s pretty narrow-minded of you.’
‘When did you read Homer?’ he asked, the hint of challenge evident in his voice.
‘When I was at school.’
‘You left school early.’
‘Oh, for pity’s sake Alex, if you’re so sure I didn’t read Homer, then how do you think I knew about Odysseus and Circe?’ she attacked. ‘Anyway, why is it such a big deal? I am literate, and I didn’t steal any of Homer’s books from the Greek National Antiquities Museum, so what’s your problem?’
‘You,’ he told her with a directness that stunned her. ‘You are my problem.’ He raised a hand to her head and threaded his fingers through her hair. ‘You’re as bewitching as Circe. A temptress, just as she was.’
Each breath came much harder at that moment than it had after she’d climbed the steep hill to the temple. The intensity in his eyes was almost frightening, yet full of energy.
‘I wouldn’t have thought it possible. I was never tempted by you at any time we met over the years, but I am now. Something about you has changed.’
Hope swelled in her heart. He wasn’t attracted to Susie. He was starting to be attracted to her — to Leah. Was he seeing something special about her that no other man had identified? Something that she overlooked in herself?
&
nbsp; His words were an open admission he felt the same special magnetic field that energised her whenever she was with him. Was it something that existed uniquely between them? Did she dare to dream? To hope?
He brushed his lips against her temple. ‘I’m finding it increasingly difficult to resist your enticement.’
She angled her head up at him. Offering him her lips. She didn’t want him to resist.
His lips made brief, light contact against hers. It wasn’t enough. She wanted his fervent kisses. If she didn’t get them, she’d just shrivel up and die at his feet.
‘You’re a puzzle I mean to solve.’ His words were warm against her mouth, then his lips brushed over hers again.
‘I’m not such a puzzle Alex,’ she told him huskily. She wished she could tell him the truth but feared his reaction. Whatever it was that was growing between them was so fragile that her confession could kill it before it had a chance to blossom. If he came to understand her, could he forgive her for her deception? Could he want her?
‘What are you thinking about?’ His words were gentle.
Her eyes flew up to his. ‘I…’ Emotions in turmoil, she couldn’t even think of what it was she had been going to say.
His hands caressed her as they traced the shape of her body. ‘Were you thinking about this?’
The feel of his hands as they moved up to the swell of her breasts, found her sensitised nipples and began teasing them, made her suck in a sharp breath. Agonising need speared through her. Liquid pooled deep at the juncture of her thighs, and she pressed her hips more insistently against him. The jut of his hard arousal thrilled her. She ached to remove the barriers of their clothing, longed for him to thrust into her, to show her how satisfying it could be between them.
Oh God — how she wanted him!
‘Alex —’
‘Ssh, there’s no hurry. Don’t talk, just feel.’
Feel? How could she not feel? All the stimulation from his hands and his mouth made every nerve cell fire in response to him. His every touch raced at lightning speed along the nerve pathways to her brain. As each touch was registered, it overloaded her senses, and threatened to cause an internal meltdown.
Mistaken Identity Page 10
