Carole Mortimer - Irresistible Greeks - Defiance and Desire

It was unacceptable to a man who totally rejected any and all hint of emotional vulnerability, and instead preferred to remain detached and in control at all times. Wanting to push a woman up against a wall and make unbridled love to her couldn’t be called either of those things!

No, it was better by far if Drakon never saw or spoke to her again. And after this evening there was absolutely no reason why he should ever need to do so…

‘Very well.’ He nodded stiffly. ‘But I will come outside with you and see you safely into a taxi.’

Gemini could have argued that she had lived in London all her life and as such was perfectly capable of seeing herself into a taxi, thank you very much! But no doubt Drakon would then argue the point, and delay her departure by doing so. Which she certainly didn’t want when she so desperately needed to get away from him.

It wasn’t in the least apparent from Drakon’s cool and controlled expression as he looked down the length of his arrogant nose at her that only minutes ago he had almost made love to her with a fire and intimacy no other man ever had. But she was only too well aware of it. Her breasts still ached with sensitivity, and she could feel that telltale dampness between her thighs…

As was to be expected, there was no scarcity of available taxis when Drakon Lyonedes needed one, and he had no trouble flagging down one of London’s black cabs almost immediately they stepped to the edge of the pavement; he was the type of man for whom life always ran the way in which he wanted it to.

Unlike Gemini, who had no choice but to accept that Bartholomew House was now totally beyond her reach.

She felt numbed and slightly hollow as she climbed into the back of the taxi, only half listening as Drakon leant in to give the driver the address of her apartment.

‘I can be contacted through my cousin Markos if you ever have need of me.’

Gemini blinked up at Drakon from the back seat of the taxi. Why would he suppose she might ever have need of him? ‘Managing to speak to one of the Lyonedes family didn’t work out too well for me last time,’ she reminded him pointedly, just wanting to be on her way so that she could lick her wounds in private.

All her wounds. Losing Bartholomew House and responding so uninhibitedly to this grim-faced man’s earlier passion. At the moment she wasn’t sure which of those things was going to be the more difficult to understand, let alone accept.

Drakon’s mouth was set firmly. ‘I will leave instructions that you are to be allowed to make an appointment to see either Markos or myself at any time.’

Gemini’s eyes widened. ‘Why on earth would you want to do that?’

A good question. And one that he wasn’t sure he had a logical answer to. Except to say that his Greek upbringing did not find it acceptable that Gemini had effectively been left completely alone in the world since her father died.

‘The instruction will be given,’ he reiterated firmly. ‘You may please yourself as to whether or not you ever choose to use the privilege.’

She sat back against the seat. ‘I’m pretty sure that I won’t.’

He had asked for that response, Drakon acknowledged ruefully, knowing that his present attitude was less than gracious. But this young woman had become like a burr under his skin—a discomfort he couldn’t seem to ignore.

‘I hope you do not have to work too hard tomorrow.’ He stepped back and closed the door, leaving a pale-faced Gemini bathed only in moonlight as the taxi drew away from the kerb.

Drakon stood on the pavement and watched the taxi until its tail lights disappeared amongst the other London evening traffic, then turned sharply on his heel and went back into Lyonedes Tower, knowing—well, hoping—he had seen the last of Gemini Bartholomew…

‘We may have a problem.’

Drakon looked up from where he had been packing the last of his papers into his briefcase in preparation for his flight back to New York early this evening, frowning as he saw the unhappy expression on Markos’s face as his cousin came into the study of the penthouse apartment at the top of Lyonedes Tower.

‘What sort of a problem?’ Having spent a quiet weekend in the apartment in preparation for two days of lengthy negotiation with Thompson Oil—which had, of course, been concluded to Lyonedes Enterprises’ advantage—Drakon wasn’t in the mood to deal with any hiccups that might now have occurred in the finalising of that contract. Nothing which could threaten his return to New York today. He had been away from his own office for long enough.

Markos grimaced. ‘Mrs Bartholomew came to see me this afternoon—’

‘ Miss Bartholomew,’ Drakon corrected, wondering why, when he hadn’t yet left the country, Gemini had chosen to make an appointment with Markos rather than himself. And for what reason…‘Gemini is not married.’

‘If I’d meant Gemini then I would have said Gemini,’ Markos reasoned impatiently.

Drakon eyed his cousin guardedly as he slowly stepped away from the desk. ‘So it was her stepmother who came to see you today?’

His cousin nodded. ‘Well, I had the distinct impression she would have preferred it to have been you, but as you weren’t available this afternoon she settled for seeing me instead.’

Drakon had spent the past four days trying not to think about Gemini. Not too successfully, admittedly. Several times he had found himself lost in thoughts of making love with her, and usually at the most inappropriate of times. The last thing he had been expecting was a visit to Lyonedes Tower by her stepmother.

‘What did she want?’

‘You. Or, alternatively, me.’ Markos gave a disgusted snort.

He shook his head. ‘Is there some problem with our purchase of the Bartholomew property?’ Such as a more recent Miles Bartholomew will making a sudden and unexpected appearance? That would certainly solve all Gemini’s problems—whilst at the same time opening up a legal nightmare for Lyonedes Enterprises!

‘Not that I’m aware.’ Markos immediately dismissed that possibility. ‘Angela Bartholomew’s interest in the Lyonedes family appeared to be completely personal,’ he added, with a contemptuous curl of his top lip. ‘She invited me out to dinner this evening,’ he expanded when Drakon still looked nonplussed. ‘And she left me in no doubt that dinner would very swiftly be followed by bed.’

It was so much in keeping with the things Gemini had implied if not said about her stepmother that Drakon found it difficult to hold his smile in check. ‘And did you accept the invitation?’

‘Don’t be so damned stupid! Have you ever met the woman?’ His cousin glared at Drakon’s obvious amusement. ‘She’s a barracuda wrapped in designer-label silk!’

Drakon bit his top lip to stop his smile from deepening. ‘I have had the…pleasure of meeting her once, yes. When the contracts were signed.’

‘And?’

‘She’s a barracuda wrapped in designer-label silk,’ he agreed.

‘This isn’t funny, Drakon.’ Markos scowled. ‘I thought it was a business meeting, and I was so surprised by the obvious sexual intent in her invitation that I’m afraid I was less than my usual discreet self.’

Drakon’s humour instantly faded. ‘What did you do?’

His cousin looked annoyed. ‘I merely commented what a charming stepdaughter she has—at which she asked very sweetly when and how I had met her stepdaughter.’

‘Did you tell her?’ Drakon rasped sharply.

‘At the time I didn’t think there was any reason not to.’

‘Exactly what did you tell her, Markos?’ Drakon demanded.

‘I said we had both met her when she came here last week to talk to you. That was when that sweetness completely disappeared and I saw the true nature of the woman.’ Markos winced at the memory. ‘I’ve never seen such a change in anyone. She was muttering something about killing her as she left.’