Reunited by the Greek's Vows

With his heart thundering in his chest, Nikos edged closer. Her face was hidden beneath the hat, so he couldn’t see her expression, but he knew she was awake now—he could tell by the quickening of her breath, the way her hands lying at her sides had begun to twitch.

His trembling fingers found the ties at the side of her bikini top and pulled the knots free. He lifted the triangles of fabric to expose her breasts. Ruby nipples peaked hard and he took one in his hot, wet mouth, closing his eyes as sucked strongly, encouraged by a moan of pleasure from Kate. By the time he had turned his attention to the second breast Kate was squirming, arching her back, her hands clawing into the mat beneath her.

So nearly there. There was only one thing Nikos wanted more than to plunge the hard length of himself into the silky wet softness of Kate, and that was for her to command him to do it. He needed to see her face, to see what was going on behind those beautiful deep green eyes.

Reaching forward, Nikos lifted the hat from her face and tossed it to one side. Kate’s eyes were tightly shut, her cheeks flushed, her mouth open.

‘Look at me, Kate.’ His command held all the urgency of a man very, very close to the point of losing his self-control.

Kate did as she was told, her thick, dark lashes lifting tantalisingly slowly, revealing emerald eyes that glittered like the most precious jewels. Nikos stared into them, drinking in their beauty, their infinite depth, registering everything they were telling him.

And that was all he needed. As the tip of her tongue reached out to wet the velvet plumpness of her lips he gave himself permission to let go, bending his head to place his mouth over hers, immediately lost in the power of their kiss.

Turning onto her side, Kate looped her leg over his hip, pressing their bodies together, hot skin against hot skin. Sliding his hand between them, Nikos slipped his hand beneath her bikini bottoms, his fingers finding her soft, sweet core. With a sharp spasm and a gasp of pleasure into his mouth Kate let her tongue tangle with his, hot and wet and wild.

Without breaking the kiss Nikos rolled onto his back, so that Kate was above him, and then, lifting her hips, firmly positioned her over his throbbing groin.

There was no going back now.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

IT WAS EVENING by the time they returned to Villa Levanda, Nikos having skilfully manoeuvred the launch boat into the small mooring at the foot of the cliff, leapt ashore to secure the ropes, then held out a hand to assist Kate. Silence settled over them as they climbed the steep steps leading to the villa, and Kate hung on to the wooden handrail warmed by the sun to help her to the top.

She was exhausted. Mentally and physically spent. Today had been so wonderful, so perfect in every way, but now, as the villa came into view, she knew the day was nearly at an end. Everything was nearly at an end, and the cold fingers of reality started to close around her heart.

Ahead of her, Nikos was juggling cool boxes and bags of beach equipment, but at the top he stopped and put them down, turning to look at Kate. ‘You okay?’

‘Sure.’

It was an automatic response—a word she had probably used tens of thousands of times—but never had it felt less true. Because Kate wasn’t okay. Far from it.

As she joined Nikos at the top and looked back at the panoramic view, darkening around her, she felt emptied out...barren. Like an echoing space that could only ever be filled by one man. Nikos.

‘Come on, you look done in.’ Leaving the bags, Nikos slipped his hand around her waist and guided her towards the villa. ‘You need a shower and a meal and an early night. We both do.’

He turned and gave her a mischievous smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, lighting up his handsome face. Kate thought she was going to cry.

The villa was cool and quiet, and Kate quickly made her way to her room, leaving Nikos no time to say he would join her. Standing under the shower, she let the pounding water cascade over her, watching the rivulets of soap run over her lightly tanned body, the fine grains of sand accumulating at her feet.

Refusing to look at her face in the mirror, afraid of what she might see, Kate towelled herself dry, then pulled on a white kaftan and slipped her feet into a pair of sandals. She had decided she was going to tell Nikos that she didn’t want anything to eat. That she needed an early night. Alone. It was time to put an end to this agonising torture.