‘But that is nothing. Nothing at all. It was a pleasure to assist in such circumstances.’
‘And it was greatly appreciated.’
The other man beamed.
‘Now we must leave.’ Costas was already ushering Sophie down the hall.
‘What inconvenience?’ she asked as they emerged near the airport entrance.
The muscles in his arm bunched around her as they walked rapidly towards the exit. ‘Holding up your flight.’
‘What?’
‘It was easier to have you and your luggage taken off the plane before it departed than having it turn around.’
She stumbled to a halt and stared up into his face. He wasn’t joking. ‘You’d do that?’
He shrugged and somehow the action pulled her closer to him, close enough to recognise the hard, tantalising strength of his superb body. For his natural scent to tease her nostrils and ignite a flare of forbidden desire in her feminine core.
‘Of course. If it was necessary.’ The commanding tilt of his head, the arrogant line of his nose and the decisive glint in his eyes told her he wasn’t joking. This was a man to whom power was a natural extension of his will. He wouldn’t baulk at using it when it suited his needs.
She’d known he was influential. But would he really be able to have a jet turn around in mid-flight?
‘Ela. Come, Sophie. This is not the place.’
Of course not. Eleni needed them.
‘OK. Let’s go to the hospital.’ She stepped forward, shrugging to remove his hold. For a moment she thought he wouldn’t let her go. His arm clenched tighter round her. Then, to her immense relief, it dropped away. She breathed easier, gl
ad of even this minimal space between them.
Yiorgos was waiting beside the limousine, his face anxious. He broke into a strained smile as they both appeared.
‘The luggage?’ Costas prompted as he ushered her into the spacious back section of the vehicle.
‘Already in the boot, kyrie.’
And within seconds they pulled away, leaving the airport behind. The privacy screen slid up, blocking them off from Yiorgos, emphasising the empty silence in the vehicle. Sophie slid to one corner of the wide back seat, well away from the daunting presence of the man beside her.
Her emotions were a confused jumble. Fear for Sophie. Numb horror that she had to face Costas again after what had passed between them. And, could it be? Yes, relief that she wasn’t leaving Crete just yet.
From the moment Costas had appeared in that bare little room and demanded she accompany him, it had been so unreal. For one cruelly short moment she’d really thought he’d come because he needed her himself. Because he couldn’t bear to let her go. The idea had brought a fizz of searing excitement to her bloodstream.
But she’d known, as soon as he mentioned Eleni, that it was his daughter who needed her. That was why he’d brought her to Greece after all. Her disappointment had been so acute that for an instant she’d even thought of refusing to go with him. But she could never turn her back on Eleni. She loved the little girl. Almost as deeply as she loved Eleni’s father.
Sophie’s heart sank at the idea of an emergency severe enough to recall her from a flight to Athens.
She turned her head towards the window, blindly staring out at the passing scene.
Costas sat back in the opposite corner, watching Sophie. His heart still pounded from the adrenaline in his bloodstream. He’d barely been in time to prevent her departure. It had been so close it scared him.
Now she was here, secure in his car. He waited for the sense of satisfaction to come. After all, he’d got what he wanted. Almost. She’d followed him like a lamb once he mentioned Eleni.
But he felt no lessening of the tension that gripped him in its vice. There were no self-satisfied congratulations.
For Sophie looked miserable, hunched like a prisoner in the corner. Exhaustion etched shadows in the contours of her face and her shoulders slumped heavily. His gaze dropped to her hands, clasped tight in her lap, and he shuddered.
On one arm she wore a wide, beaded bangle. But her other arm was bare and his stomach lurched at the sight of the bruise ringing her delicate wrist. Nausea welled in him.