A Diamond Deal With the Greek

Rebel read the buttons on the panel. ‘There are seven levels?’

He nodded, then pushed her back against the lift wall, his hand bracketing her. ‘Guess what’s on the seventh level?’ he murmured, his lips brushing her temple.

It felt like the most natural thing in the world to slide her hands around his tight, trim waist. ‘Umm... Draco the Dragon’s lair?’

His mouth twitched. ‘Close. I look forward to showing you.’

The lift stopped and they stepped out onto a wraparound terrace wide enough to fit her Chelsea flat four times over. Her breath caught as she saw the view for the first time. The Aegean glistened like a moving jewelled tapestry, meeting a sky of unmarred blue. Perfectly framing it was the white beach below and the red cliffs that formed the foundations of Draco’s villa.

‘It’s so beautiful.’

He smiled and nodded as he guided her across the vast terrace to stone steps that meandered out of view. ‘This is where I come to get away from the world. I had it built seven years ago.’

‘Before your accident?’

He trotted down the stairs and she followed. ‘Yes. I wanted a private place to train when I didn’t need to be on the sports sites. This was the perfect place. When I became an agent, this part of the property became a good place to decompress. The other side of the villa is where I entertain.’

‘How big is the island?’

He reached the bottom of the stairs and stretched. While he waited for her to do the same, he adjusted the timer on his watch. ‘Four kilometres across. Which you will run twice with three minutes shaved off your usual average. Go.’

He set off through an archway of trellised bougainvillea, disappearing out of sight before she’d taken the first step. She caught up and managed to keep up by the skin of her teeth. Sweat poured off her body by the time they finished the second course, the sun hot on her face as she rehydrated. Her gaze caught Draco’s as she swallowed the last drop, and she almost choked at the heat that blazed from his eyes.

‘Let’s get you inside,’ was all he said as he took the bottle from her and disposed of it.

The seventh level was just as she’d suspected. A vast area, twice the size of a basketball court, held gleaming exercise machines in all shapes and sizes. There was even a boxing ring tucked into one corner.

Rebel turned a full circle. ‘I was wrong. This is more like Dante’s seventh circle of hell.’

He smiled and led her to an exercise mat. ‘Hell is good. It helps you appreciate heaven more.’

She found out just how much he relished putting her through hell over the next three hours. He upped her regime by thirty per cent, then grunted with satisfaction each time she achieved her target.

Pride burned in her chest as she pushed her body to the limit. And just for the hell of it, when he called time, she did another ten vertical jumps more than he’d instructed her to.

‘Fine, you’ve made your point. Don’t get cocky,’ he growled.

She laughed and swiped at the sweat pouring off her temples. ‘Yes, Drill Sergeant.’

Turning, she braced her foot against the wall and stretched her arches. She was about to step back when she sensed him behind her. All through training she’d seen the banked hunger in his eyes. Even without looking at him now, Rebel knew he’d finally released the tight grip on his restraint.

‘Keep your hands on the wall.’ His voice was a deep, primitive rumble that took complete control of every nerve in her body. She shook just from the power of it.

She felt him drop into a squat behind her. A moment later, he grasped one ankle and took her trainer and sock off, then did the same to the other. Standing, he slipped his hands into the waistband of her shorts and peeled them down her legs.

‘Draco,’ she murmured hesitantly as he widened her stance.

‘Yes?’

She shut her eyes with a tiny grimace. ‘I’m sweaty.’

‘Yes, you are,’ he agreed with a decadent relish that tightened her skin and increased the tempo beating at her core.

His hands slid up to her breasts and he lowered the front zip of her top. Leaving it hanging open, he cupped her breasts on a deep groan.

She shuddered as he tweaked her nipples, her whole body a receptive vessel eagerly absorbing the expert attention being lavished on it. Several mindless minutes later, she felt him drop low again.

Rebel wasn’t prepared for the sensation that blazed through her next.

‘Draco!’ Her eyes flew open and she glanced down to see the source of her pleasure. Molten eyes met hers as his tongue lapped at her nether lips. The view alone was enough to send her into orbit. He grounded her with a firm hand on one thigh, then parted her flesh with his other hand to reach the bundle of nerves that ripped a scream from her the moment he flicked his tongue against it.