But they didn’t talk… Not about the massage or their sexual encounter. He was acting like it didn’t even happen. Like it had been just a dream… Maybe he was waiting for her to bring the subject up? And he wasn’t talking about marriage, which was also strange. Theo was a charming companion at the breakfast table and a supportive father-to-be at the doctor’s office. And without insisting too much, he became the perfect escort to social events. Like that evening. In the last two weeks, Theo respected her boundaries and her space. But he was there when she needed him. The man was determined to prove her wrong. He wasn’t leaving, Dea realized. He really was there to stay. Dea tensed as his hands caressed her bare arms while he removed her coat. She flicked her gaze at him, noting how sophisticated and sexy he appeared in his dark suit and tie. At first, she thought it was simply a battle of wills but now that she had put all the p
“My sweet Dea, what a fool I was,” Theo whispered as his lips moved down her neck, kissing, touching, loving her as she whimpered with the lust she couldn’t, wouldn’t even attempt to deny anymore.“Why, my love?” Her neck arched as flares of sensation began to travel from each point that his lips touched, his tongue licked, and his strong teeth raked. With the tips of his fingers, Theo caressed the curve of her breast, refusing to touch her straining nipple as he continued that slow, oh-so-slow, downward course.“Because I’ve wasted so much time… denying what you give me with your love.” His head lifted. Dea looked into his dark eyes. They were an endless sea of emotion as Dea felt her heart swelling, accepting, and giving in return.“It wasn’t the right time… You weren’t ready, my darling,” she whispered, her hand touching his chest, his heart. She could feel it racing beneath her palm, feel the adrenaline and the hunger that raged in the fiery stiff wid
‘Is this a joke?! What the hell is she doing here?’ Tension gripped Theo Kralidis as he stood alone on the balcony that jutted out from his cousin’s luxurious mansion. He completely ignored the iconic view of the Parthenon against the blue September sky as he scowled at the dark-haired woman at the garden party below. ‘Aundrea Etheridge… The American beauty everybody called Dea…’ His worst nightmare… His darkest, most painful secret… His stepsister… Burning hot fury ate away at him as he watched Dea glide through the crowd of Athens’s high society, talking to people like nothing ever happened… Like she was as innocent as an angel and sweet as a baby. But she wasn’t… She was a conniving little bitch and her place was somewhere else, far away from this place and from this gathering. She was like a timebomb ready to explode and wipe away the most important business deal for the Kralidis Family. Theo gave her a look fro
‘God… Some things never change,’ Dea told herself. She flashed a friendly smile at one of the older Kralidis women. But, as expected, the old crow dressed in unrelieved black didn’t reciprocate as she drew the lovely heiress she just talked to earlier, away from the crowd, to the other side of the garden. Well… once a black sheep, always a black sheep. It was as if the Kralidis family believed she could corrupt the young woman with just her mere presence. So narrow-minded, so unbelievably quick to judge. Dea strolled along the garden, sipping from her water glass as if she didn’t feel all eyes on her. As if she didn’t feel the skin on her back burning. She was being paranoid, she knew that. Many of the relatives had been indifferent to her when she had lived in Athens. Yet no one seemed content that she had returned. And, somehow, she knew the reason of their reaction… She sensed a strange undercurrent that hung in the late summer breez
Dea swallowed the gasp of outrage and fought the compelling need to fling the contents of her glass into his face. Damn it! Her new and improved image was already slipping. She was never in control when she was around her stepbrother. She had to get away from Theo or risk making a scene. Making a scene wouldn’t help her gain forgiveness from her father.“Don’t confuse me with the women you associate with, Theo.” Dea turned on her heel.“Running away already, Aundrea?” She whipped around, wobbling to a standstill as she glared at him. Theo had sounded disinterested and bored while she was a jittery mass of nerves. It wasn’t fair.“I don’t run away. I never had and never will. That’s your signature move, stepbrother dear, not mine.” The muscle bunching in his cheek was the only indication that her words had hit the target.“You know how to create a disaster and leave without a trace while everyone else deals with the aftermath. Th
“Aundrea, dear, would you care for some more coffee?” Demitra Kralidis asked.“No, Demitra, thank you very much,” Dea replied as she studied her father and stepmother from across the breakfast table. What should have been an intimate meal was more of an exhausting, unnecessary interview. Well, it wasn’t like she didn’t expect that. After her awful encounter with Theo, she had been prepared for this one too. Dea wished she could spend some time with her father in private but getting him alone was proving extremely difficult. But she was determined to succeed. She was, however, making some small progress, since she was back in the Kralidis ‘fortress’, the Greek family house. She was absolutely stunned by that. Andrea had never considered it a possibility. Yet, two days after she had been invited to Alexis’s housewarming party, she was eating a late breakfast with her father and stepmother while a maid was unpacking her suitcases. How about that?!
Sweat ran down his spine but he didn’t sound out of breath. He placed his hands on his lean hips and stretched. She was mesmerized by the play of muscles and the faint crisscross of scars that ran down his back.“I have a place of my own but I stay here when I’m in Athens.” Dea stepped in front of him, blocking his way. It was irritating that he wouldn’t deign to look at her. She inhaled his scent and felt she was about to faint. It was hot, sweaty, and... so damn manly. A blush crept up her neck and into her face. She didn’t know why it left her flustered.“And how long are you planning to stay here?” Dea asked. His nearness was almost her undoing. Her breasts felt heavy and tight and she crossed her arms against her chest.“For as long as you are, glikia mou, (Greek for ‘sweetheart’)” he replied. “I’m only here to keep an eye on you.”“Excuse me? Oh, I see it now…” Dea’s lips parted as a thought occurred to her. Her intuition had bee
‘She’s good… She’s very good…’ Theo thought later that night. He had underestimated his stepsister. Theo considered what he had seen at the family dinner a few moments ago and scowled. Not only had Dea gained her father’s attention with the mention of an expensive gift for his upcoming birthday, but she had also excelled in the area that had consistently been her downfall. During that dinner, she had been the quintessential companion, delighting the grumpiest of his uncles and making fast friends with the younger wives and fiancées. Reluctantly, Theo kept an eye on her the entire evening, admiring Dea’s strategy. She had approached the outer circle of his family and was slowly gaining allies. But that wasn’t okay with him. He couldn’t have this. Theo leaned against the marble newel post as he watched Dea descend the staircase like she was a queen, born and raised. She had reapplied her bright red lipstick after dinner and some