It was primal, primitive and impossibly intimate and she lay there struggling for breath, the palm of her hand pressed against his sleek, damp skin, her legs brushing against the hard muscle of his.
It was ages before either of them moved.
Finally, Nikos lifted his head, his breathing still uneven as he looked down at her. ‘If you weren’t already having my baby,’ he said huskily, ‘then you would be now.’
Her heart was still pounding. ‘That’s a really Greek male remark.’
‘How many Greek males have you known?’ His tone was rough but his eyes teased her. ‘It is fortunate for you that I know you were very inexperienced when I met you.’
Frustrated by the effect he had on her, Ella stiffened defensively. ‘I had boyfriends—’ The rest of her sentence was cut off as he touched her mouth with his fingers.
‘I don’t want to know.’
‘Another really Greek male remark.’
A faint gleam of mockery in his eyes, he rested his hand low on her stomach. ‘Your body is changing.’
‘You mean I’m fat.’ She tried to keep her tone light but he was too experienced a doctor not to detect the thread of insecurity running through her glib comment.
‘I am responsible for those changes…’ his mouth brushed against hers ‘…and I love them.’
‘Trust you to take it as a personal achievement.’ Ella held her breath, desperately hoping that he might say something more than that in this cosy, intimate moment. Something that might make her believe that this wasn’t only about the baby.
But he didn’t. Instead, he angled his dark head as if he was listening to something outside.
‘What? What have you heard?’ She realised that it was only his presence that was preventing her from having another panic attack.
‘I was just thinking of the poor foxes,’ he drawled softly, amusement in his eyes as he rolled onto his back and snuggled her against him. ‘I can imagine the baby foxes saying to the mummy fox, “What are those noises?” And she will reply, “It’s just humans.”
Ella giggled, but she was slightly shocked by the response he’d drawn from her. ‘Do you think anyone heard us?’
‘I sincerely hope not.’ Nikos yawned and tightened his hold on her. ‘Because if they did, it means that they are outside, listening, and you’ve done enough running around with a saucepan for one night. Relax. I am here. I won’t let anything or anyone touch you or the baby.’ With that arrogant assurance, he slid his hand down her body again, a wicked look in his eyes. ‘Apart from me…’
Her body melted in instant response and she forgot about the world outside as he brought his mouth down on hers.
Ella woke to find herself wrapped around Nikos’s bronzed, powerful frame.
Rain was thundering onto the roof of the boat and the ring was back on her finger.
She stared at the winking diamond in numb, disbelieving silence as she remembered all the things they’d done in the protective darkness of the night.
Dear God, she’d fallen into his arms like a terrified animal and he’d taken it from there, ruthlessly taking advantage of her vulnerability.
Swamped with horror and self-loathing, she sat upright and he opened his eyes, a question shimmering in those dark depths.
‘Spider or daddy-long-legs?’
‘Neither. It’s you.’ Clutching the sheet to her breasts, she slid away from him, averting her eyes from his mouthwatering body. ‘You took advantage of me.’
‘Did I?’ He raised a dark brow. ‘In what way did I take advantage of you?’
‘I was scared and you—you…’
‘I gave you the reassurance you needed.’ He reached out a strong hand and pulled her back down beside him. ‘Don’t do this, agape mou. Don’t start pretending that last night should never have happened. Just accept that it did. It was always going to happen. You wanted it and so did I.’
‘No. No, I didn’t.’ She tried to pull away but he held her fast, moulding her body against his.
‘Ella, you are having my child.’ His hand was in her hair, his mouth a breath away from hers. ‘Stop fighting me because you know I will fight you back and I will win.’
This close, she couldn’t think straight—she couldn’t remember any of the reasons that this was a bad idea. She wanted him to kiss her again—she wanted that so badly. ‘You’re a bully.’ But the words held no conviction and she watched helplessly as his sensual mouth curved into a slow smile.