One Night...Nine-Month Scandal

A smile touched the corner of his mouth, that same shockingly sensual mouth that knew how to drive a woman from wild to crazy. ‘She is not paid to chat. She’s paid to make sure you have whatever you need.’

‘I needed a chat.’

Alekos breathed deeply. ‘I will make sure someone speaks to her about being more, er, chatty.’

‘No, don’t do that; I don’t want to get her into trouble or anything, I’m just saying it wasn’t as much fun as I thought it would be. There’s not a lot of point travelling in a private jet if there isn’t anyone to laugh about it with, is there?’

A look of incredulity crossed his handsome features and it was clear he’d never given the matter consideration before. ‘The point,’ he drawled, ‘is that you have the space and privacy to do whatever you want to do.’

‘But no one to do it with.’ Realising that she probably sounded really ungrateful, Kelly tried to retrieve the situation. ‘But it was great not having to queue through customs, and brilliant to be able to lie flat on the sofa.’

‘You lay flat?’

‘So I didn’t crease my dress.’ Kelly smoothed the fabric, wondering why something so simple as a dress could make you feel good. ‘It’s linen, and I didn’t want to arrive looking as though I’d jumped out the laundry basket. The clothes are great, by the way; thanks. How did you know I had nothing to wear?’

‘I didn’t. It was a guess.’

Kelly gave an awkward laugh. ‘Good guess. My wardrobe is full of stuff that doesn’t fit me any more, but I refuse to throw it away because one day I’m going to be a size zero.’

His gaze slid down her body and lingered on her breasts. ‘I sincerely hope not.’

That look was all it took. Her breasts tingled and her nipples pressed against the fabric of her dress, defying all her attempts to control her reaction. Not wanting to look down at herself and risk drawing attention to what was happening, Kelly fumbled with the clasp of her purse and pulled out the ring. ‘Here. This is yours. This must be the most expensive delivery-service ever, but here you go.’ She held out the enormous diamond, frowning when he made no move to take it. ‘Well? Go on—it’s yours.’

‘I gave it to you.’

‘Not exactly. I mean, you did, but it was supposed to come with a wedding. And, anyway, you bought it back from me,’ Kelly reminded him. ‘For four-million dollars. And, if you’re waiting for me to say I’d rather have the ring than the money, forget it. I’ve already given away a big chunk of it to pay for the new playground. I can’t give you the money back, so you have to take the ring. A better person than me probably wouldn’t have taken the ring or the money, but I’ve discovered I’m not a better person. Exposure to wealth has obviously warped me.’

Alekos studied her, a curious look in his intense dark eyes, a smile flickering around his sensual mouth. ‘You suddenly find yourself with four-million dollars and you spend the money on a new playground? I think you might need some lessons on the true motivation of the gold-digger, agape mou.’

Even though she hated to admit it, the endea

rment made her heart flutter. Or maybe it was his voice—deep, sexy and chocolate-smooth. This whole thing would be easier, Kelly thought desperately, if she wasn’t so drawn to him. It was difficult to push something away when you wanted it more than anything.

The tips of her fingers tingled with the desire to touch, and she linked her hands behind her back to be on the safe side. ‘I didn’t spend all the money, obviously. What use is a gold-plated playground? But I found this brilliant climbing-frame—massive—and it comes with this bit that’s like a tree house…’ Nervous and unsettled, she faltered. Don’t bore him, Kelly. ‘Never mind. Take it from me, it’s a good one. And we’re having this special surface put down over the summer holidays so that if the kids fall they shouldn’t break anything…’ Her voice tailed off and she shrugged self-consciously. ‘Don’t say anything to them. I pretended I was an anonymous benefactor.’

‘They don’t know the money came from you?’

‘No.’ A grin spread across her face as she remembered the staff meeting. ‘They were all guessing. It feels good giving money away to good causes, doesn’t it? It makes you go all warm and fuzzy inside. I guess you get that feeling all the time when you give stuff away.’

‘I don’t give anything away personally. Charitable donations are managed by the Zagorakis Foundation.’

Kelly digested that information with astonishment. ‘You mean you have a whole company that gives away your money?’

‘That’s right. It was set up for that purpose. We donate a proportion of income, and they analyse all the applications and make a decision—with my input.’

‘But you don’t actually get to meet the people you help?’

‘Sometimes. Not usually.’

‘But don’t you feel warm and fuzzy when you know you’ve helped someone?’

Alekos studied her through heavy-lidded dark eyes. ‘I can’t honestly say that “warm and fuzzy” features large in my emotional repertoire.’

‘Oh. Well, it should, because you’ve obviously helped loads of people so you should feel good about that.’ It was confusing, thinking about that side of him. Or maybe it was just the man himself who was confusing. Experience was telling her to be wary, but instinct was telling her to throw herself into his arms. It was probably because he was standing so close. He smelt fantastic, Kelly thought weakly, thrusting the ring towards him again.

‘Are you going to take this? It sort of freaks me out, holding it, knowing how much it is worth. It’s a good job I didn’t know it was that valuable when I owned it. I never would have left the house.’

‘Put it on your finger.’