The Greek's Unknown Bride

He brought a hand to her shoulder and with excruciating slowness pulled the strap of her swimsuit down. Anticipation prickled across her skin in goosebumps.

He dragged down the top of the swimsuit, baring her breast. He looked at it for a long moment before cupping it in his hand, a thumb rubbing her nipple, making her gasp.

And then he bent his head and his mouth surrounded her nipple in hot, wet heat. The same kind of heat she could feel between her legs. She tried to push them together to stem the tide, but Apollo was between them, his mouth on her breast and his hand moving down to cup her bottom, hitching her against him.

Apollo had gone past the point of restraint. Past the point of his last shred of control. He rolled the taut bud of Sasha’s nipple in his mouth, feeling it swell and harden even more against his tongue. He nipped at her flesh gently with his teeth and then laved her with his tongue again.

Her body was quivering against him, like a taut bowstring. He dragged the rest of her swimsuit down and lavished attention on her other breast. When he pulled back both peaks were pink and wet. She was lying back, panting, her hair spreading in long skeins of red-gold in the water. She was like a sea nymph. A siren. Luring him to his downfall. But right now he didn’t care about any of that.

He was throbbing with need—seeking a fulfilment he’d thought couldn’t possibly be as earth-shattering as he remembered. But tasting her skin, feeling her shudder against him in response, he knew it hadn’t been a one-off.

He looked down into unfocused blue eyes. Dark with desire. Bee-stung lips. A distant sane part of his mind couldn’t believe he was capitulating like this but he was only human and he couldn’t resist...

‘I want you, Sasha.’

Sasha looked up at Apollo. He eclipsed the sun and the sky. She’d never felt so attuned to someone else. The words he spoke resonated through her entire body.

‘I want you too...’

His gaze dropped down over her body and he pulled her swimsuit up over her breasts, the wet material chafing against her sensitive breasts. She shivered slightly and he looked at her. ‘Okay?’

She nodded, hands gripping his arms. ‘Please... Apollo.’ She wasn’t even sure what she was asking for, just knew that she needed to be with this man in the most elemental way. Now.

He muttered something in Greek and gathered her into his arms, standing up from the water. But just as he was about to walk towards the villa he stopped.

Sasha was about to ask, What is it? when she heard the noise. The distinct thwack-thwack of a helicopter’s blades. Apollo tensed. He cursed. Then Sasha saw it—the black spider shape of the machine, coming closer to the island.

Apollo walked over to the loungers, carrying her as easily as if she weighed no more than a bag of sugar. He put her down on her feet and she had to lock her knees to keep upright. He handed her the kaftan and said, ‘Put this on.’

The sensual desperation that had been so urgent between them only moments ago now seemed like a mirage. Apollo looked grim. Sasha pulled on the kaftan, feeling the need to hide herself a little. Especially when she thought of how needy she’d just felt.

Still felt.

‘What is it?’

Apollo looked at her and ran a hand through his hair. ‘I forgot. The party in Santorini tonight. I arranged with the pilot to transport us to the party and back later.’

‘Us?’

‘Yes.’ There was a burning intensity in his dark green gaze that made Sasha shiver all over again. He reached out and tipped up her chin with a finger, just as the whining roar of the helicopter’s blades died down in the distance.

‘You’re coming with me. I know what you did and I can never forgive you for that, but, God help me, I want you, agapi mou. We will finish what we just started.’

Sasha jerked her chin free, his arrogant words setting something alight inside her. ‘Maybe I don’t want to finish what we started. Why would I allow someone who doesn’t even like me to make love to me?’

She realised she was feeling hurt. And that was humiliating.

Apollo was shaking his head. ‘This goes way beyond like. This is pure chemistry and I don’t think either one of us is strong enough to resist it.’

Sasha felt conflicted. Torn between wanting to throw caution to the wind and acquiesce to his arrogant assertion that they would finish this, and wanting to pull back and defend herself against his mistrust.

There was a sound and Sasha tore her gaze from his to see Olympia appear. The woman said something in Greek to Apollo. He answered and then said to Sasha, ‘Go with Olympia, she will help you to get ready.’

After a moment when she felt ridiculously like a petulant teenager wanting to stamp her foot, Sasha followed the woman back into the villa. Who was she kidding? Apollo was right. There was a force of nature between them powerful enough to make her feel awed.

She felt an awful sense of futility because she knew that even in spite of Apollo’s mistrust and all that had happened, if he so much as touched her again, she wouldn’t have the strength or will to deny him. Or herself.

CHAPTER SEVEN