He shrugged dismissively. ‘Why would I want to?’
And then people approached them, breaking the spell.
The rest of the evening passed in a haze.
Lauranne was barely aware of the film. All her senses were concentrated on the man lounging in the seat next to her. She felt the brush of his arm in the semi-darkness, the press of his knee against hers, heard the faint sound of his breathing.
She felt the connection between them so strongly that she longed to reach out and touch him but her fingers stayed still in her lap. She wasn’t allowed to touch. They didn’t have that sort of relationship. What they shared wasn’t gentleness and giving. It was fire and flame. Heat and passion. Man and woman.
But she knew that Zander was capable of gentleness. She’d seen it in the way he’d acted towards her, felt it in the way he’d made love to her, but it was as if he resisted that side of his nature. And there had been nothing gentle about the way he’d ended their relationship.
Cold and ruthless—maybe. But what exactly had made him that way?
She sat, protected by the crowds and the darkness, contemplating what might have turned him into the man he was. He had wealth and success, and maybe that only came to men who held themselves in isolation—who had the confidence to take risks and act without the counsel of others.
Or maybe it was something more than that.
Lost in thought, Lauranne was barely aware of the film, or of the conversation at the party afterwards. But she was very aware of Zander, standing tall and powerful by her side, cool and self-assured as he talked with various high-profile people who swarmed around him, seeking his attention.
In a room full of beautiful, powerful people Zander still dominated.
And after tonight she wouldn’t see him again.
The thought was surprisingly unsettling. She should have been pleased that he was returning to Greece. Should have been relieved that the past two weeks were over.
So it came as an unpleasant shock to discover that she wasn’t pleased at all.
The past two weeks had shown her that living without Zander was like existing in a power cut. She’d been stumbling round in darkness until he’d restored light to her life with a casual flick of a switch to which only he seemed to have access.
Despite everything that he’d done to her, to them, he’d never left her life. He’d always been there, lurking in the shadows of her mind, influencing her feelings and her decisions. The way she led her life.
Finally he slid a possessive arm around her and led her towards the waiting car.
A few hovering photographers rushed towards them but this time Zander didn’t break his stride, keeping her hand clasped firmly in his as he flashed them a charismatic smile and tossed them a remark that brought instant laughter.
There wasn’t a person he couldn’t charm if he wanted to, she reflected helplessly as she allowed herself to be bustled into the car. He used his charm like a weapon, to be turned on when necessary.
‘So—’ he loosened his tie and relaxed back in his seat ‘—did you enjoy the film?’
For a moment she just stared at him blankly, mesmerised by the wicked smile playing around his firm mouth. She hadn’t watched any of the film and he knew it.
‘I—’ She searched her brain for a suitably neutral answer. ‘It was beautifully filmed.’
‘Unbelievably tense, didn’t you think?’ His voice was suddenly soft and her heart started to thud.
‘Y-yes.’
‘And exciting—’ His eyes dropped to her mouth and she knew for sure that he wasn’t talking about the film.
‘Zander—’
His gaze was curiously intent as he studied her mouth. ‘And finally the time has come for us to stop playing games, agape mou.’
‘Games?’
He dragged shimmering dark eyes up to hers. ‘There is only so much foreplay that a guy can stand,’ he said huskily, his voice impossibly sexy, ‘and after the past two weeks I’m reaching that limit.’
So was she.