The Mediterranean's Wife by Contract. Kathryn Ross
a virgin.’ It was more statement than question. Then he said something in Greek softly under his breath as he pulled her shirt down to cover her body again.
‘Andreas?’ She looked up at him questioningly, and as she saw him moving back from her it was as if icy cold water were suddenly flooding through her veins.
‘Carrie…this…changes things.’ He said the words slowly as he tried to get his brain to operate without the almost violent intervention of the desire he still felt for her.
She frowned. She didn’t want this conversation; all she wanted was for him to take her back into his arms. ‘Does it?’
‘Of course it does!’ He raked a hand through the darkness of his hair. ‘You’re young and beautiful, and obviously a virgin by choice.’
‘Well…yes…’ She frowned, not understanding where he was going with the conversation.
‘Which means you don’t do casual relationships—and that’s all I have to offer.’
He watched how her skin coloured. ‘Carrie, I don’t want to hurt you,’ he added gently.
‘No, of course not…and you’re right, this would be a bad mistake!’ Her voice came out in a rush as reality swooped in. She couldn’t believe what she had so nearly done! Obviously this would be nothing more than casual sex. Something she had always avoided.
Hell—from as far back as she could remember she’d always promised herself that she would be in control of relationships. She’d witnessed at first hand the devastating consequences of loving the wrong person.
She swallowed hard as she looked over at him, her pride stinging. ‘But I’d no intention of going further—I was just enjoying a bit of light-hearted fooling around.’
‘Were you now?’ His voice held amusement and she felt her skin scorch with sudden wild heat as she remembered how eagerly she had returned his advances.
‘I don’t know what I was thinking,’ she admitted.
‘Well…I know what I was thinking.’ His voice was husky, his eyes on her lips. He reached out and stroked a stray strand of her hair back from her face.
‘Don’t, Andreas.’ She flinched away from him. ‘Let’s just put this down to a little bit of madness, and forget it, OK.’
Andreas frowned. He didn’t want to forget it—but nor could he proceed…not now…not with any conscience.
‘Anyway, we said we’d head back to land now, didn’t we?’ she said quickly.
‘Yes, dry land and sanity.’ He turned away from her and headed up to the bridge. She was off limits, he told himself firmly. And that was the end of it.
Carrie picked up one of the towels that Andreas had left out for her earlier and wrapped it around her slender figure. She was trembling with cold—yet the sun was blazing down on her. It was the strangest feeling.
CHAPTER THREE
CARRIE was sure there would be a strained silence between them in the car on the way home, except that as soon as Andreas switched on his phone and put it into hands-free mode it kept ringing. He took one call after another as he drove slowly back along the coast road.
Carrie couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but it was obviously all to do with business because he dealt with each call in the same serious, crisply concise voice.
‘My apologies, Carrie. I employ a team of accountants and yet they still need me to hold their hands,’ he muttered in annoyance as he started to say something to her and the phone rang again.
‘That’s OK.’ She shrugged and looked away from him. In truth she was glad. She couldn’t wait to get away from him, pretend that this afternoon hadn’t happened.
He finished his call just as the gates to her apartment complex loomed and as soon as he pulled up outside she reached quickly for the door handle.
‘Well, I hope your takeover deal goes well for you.’ She smiled at him. ‘And I’ll see you around some time.’ She’d been practising the goodbye line for the last few miles and she was pleased that it sounded casual enough.
She hadn’t intended waiting for his reply, but his voice held her back as she turned away.
‘Haven’t you forgotten something?’
‘Have I?’ She looked back at him with a frown.
‘An invitation for coffee would be good.’
Her heart rate increased. She didn’t really know how to handle this situation. Part of her was desperately pleased he wanted to come in with her and the other side of her was telling her fiercely to walk away now and not prolong the agony of wanting him…
‘I don’t think it’s a good idea.’ She lifted her chin a little.
‘I think it’s a very civilized idea.’ He smiled. ‘Let’s not be awkward around each other, Carrie. I’m thirty-four and a man of the world. You’re twenty-two and a virgin and I respect you for that.’
Her face flamed with colour.
‘Besides, I’d like my shirt back.’ His eyes flicked with wry amusement to the garment he’d given her to wear. It drowned her slender frame, yet she still managed to look sexy in it…How was that?
‘I’ll wash it and give it to Theo for you.’ She tipped her chin up a little higher.
‘No need, just give it back to me now.’ Why did he love teasing her so much? he wondered as he watched the consternation and the fire in her beautiful eyes.
She turned away and got out of the car. ‘I suppose you’d better come in, then.’
The grudging invitation made him smile and he reached for his phone and followed her.
The inside of the apartment was basic but pleasantly decorated. From his seat at the breakfast bar Andreas could see into a bedroom that contained two single beds.
He switched his attention back to Carrie as she flicked the kettle on. Her hair had dried in long flowing curls; she looked like a girl from a Pre-Raphaelite painting, young and yet somehow incredibly fragile as she looked over at him.
‘I’ll just change out of this shirt.’
He nodded and watched as she disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door. He would leave as soon as he’d had a coffee and she’d returned the shirt, he vowed. He had no business pursuing a virgin. Happily ever after wasn’t for him, never would be. And something told him that innocent Carrie wouldn’t really want to settle for less.
A few minutes later she reappeared wearing a blue fitted T-shirt over jeans and put his shirt down on the table beside him. ‘Thank you.’ Her voice was stiffly polite.
‘My pleasure,’ he replied and smiled to himself as she turned hurriedly to make the coffee.
She looked great in the jeans, they curved over her bottom, emphasizing how pert and toned she was.
He still wanted her. What the hell was the matter with him? he wondered angrily. He knew a million women with great figures—so what was he doing here? He should be heading back to his office. There was a mountain of paperwork waiting for his attention.
Yet still he sat on. Because he was more intrigued by Carrie than ever.
She put the coffee down in front of him just as his phone rang and he answered it impatiently.
‘Now you know why I suggested going out to sea today,’ he told her with a smile as he ended the call a few moments later.
‘Theo told me that you never stopped thinking about business,’ she said as she took the seat opposite him. ‘I take it you enjoy it.’
He