Later, Dea wrenched open her bedroom door and entered the main room of the house. She could have stayed in the hot shower all night but the last thing she would do was hide in her room, like the coward she wasn’t. As much as she wanted to avoid Theo, she wasn’t going to make herself invisible.
She tightened the belt around her robe, wishing she had something heavier than the ivory silk one that didn’t reach her knees. With any luck, Theo would be in his room.
Dea took a moment to look around. It wasn’t a surprise that Theo’s island getaway was light, airy, and luxurious. He loved huge spaces and he had always surrounded himself with exquisite beauty.
There were large windows that offered a panoramic view of the ocean. The cathedral ceil
The next morning, Theo stood by the windows as he gripped the satellite phone in his hand. He watched the storm with a sense of resignation as he considered his options. And the truth was… there were no options... He had been caught in his own net. He was being punished for what he had done. Pain throbbed in his head and his eyes felt gritty. It had been so long since he had a hangover and it had been reckless to dull his senses around her. ‘Nice one, Theo Kralidis,’ he scolded himself. ‘Getting drunk and kissing her… Well played…’ Theo tensed when he heard the wheels of Dea’s suitcase drag along the stone floor. He was ready to deal wit
She remembered what Theo had said about that night. ‘That wasn’t the only reason I stopped Alexis.’ Dea’s heart began to race as she made the connection.“That night… You weren’t protecting Alexis or the merger. You were protecting YOUR property.” Theo remained silent as a ruddy color stained his high cheekbones. She saw the possessive gleam in his eyes and something wicked and primal flared deep inside her.“I did not belong to you, Theo Kralidis!” she insisted. “I belong to no man!”“Of course, you did… You belonged to hundreds of men.” She flinched from his cold
He gave her a startled look. Dea understood him too well. His silence had been his way of protecting his family from a disgusting truth.“The less they know, the better.” She stroked his clenched hand.“What happened that made you hate the dark?”“I know the dangers that the night holds.” Theo had overcome every one of them.“But it’s nothing to what the darkness had revealed inside me.”“I… I don’t understand…” The truth pressed against him, ready to break free, but Theo had learned to keep it to himself.“Everything I knew and believed in changed in one night.”&nb
It was a hard, punishing kiss. Dea’s body shuddered as Theo possessed her mouth with all the fierce determination of a warrior claiming his woman. His tongue swept through the damp, silken interior, tasting her, seducing her, as each deep, hot stroke told her again and again that she belonged to him. That no other man can have her… Dea tried to push him away, but she was feeling too weak or maybe, she really didn’t want to deny herself this unique moment… Theo’s hand spanned against her breast while mercilessly kept invading her mouth, claiming it as his… She gasped in his mouth, as her body connected with his and she felt the arousal burning between her thighs. His possessive touch nearly made her faint. Her nipple tightened as Dea imagined his rough hand and his inquisitive tongue roaming against her bare skin.“Oh, Theo… No…” she whispered, but her tone was saying quite the opposite.“Yes, glikia mou… Yes…” he breathed against her mouth.
Holding her to him, Theo turned his fingers into her hair, pulled her head back, and took the taste of her hunger with his lips again. She tasted like a woman who had never been kissed by a man intent on drowning out her deepest hunger. While kissing her, Theo considered for less than a second to seduce her like he had actually imagined doing each night since that one time. He decided against it. He wasn’t her lover, and easy had never been a part of him. Dominance rose inside him. The overwhelming hunger for her sexual submission rushed through him like a tidal wave of epic proportions. He felt his control disintegrated. Only instinct remained. The instinct of a primal animal, determined to fully possess her.“Come here,” he growled and she submitted. Naked and gorgeous, Dea stood in front of him. Her nails pricked at his flesh as Theo arched her closer to him. Damn her! She nearly had his knees trembling
With a heavy heart, Dea stood by the bay of windows and looked out onto the beach. She was waiting for the helicopter to come and take her. It was a cloudy and gray morning. It was cloudy and gray inside her too. But she had to escape this island… she had to escape what happened between her and Theo… She saw her reflection in the window and felt like crying. She was again Aundrea Etheridge, the proper heiress. Her hot-pink dress was prim with its rounded collar and short sleeves. Her white handbag hung from her forearm as she clasped her hands in front of her. Her dark hair was pulled into a tight, high ponytail and she used a slight touch of make-up to cover the dark circles around her eyes. There was nothing left of the passionate, wild, carnal woman from last night. Dea felt her skin go hot as the memories overwhelmed her. During that night, she had reached for Theo, and gave herself to him unconditionally, sho
“What did you just say? I’m not sure I get it right...” His mind lagged behind but the pain had been sharp and swift. There was another man in Dea’s life. And she... she just had sex with him while expecting… No… Dea was joking. A bad joke, yes, but she was playing around. Maybe she wanted to punish him for something he did or said. ‘Pregnant?’ It wasn’t possible… Not after the way she responded to him that night… to his kisses and his caresses… Theo refused to believe it.“I don’t understand…”“Well, it’s simple. Before you, before last night, I had sex with another man and now I’m…” Her voice hitched.“I’m already pregnant.” ‘Pregnant.’ She was expecting a child... Another man’s child. The bitterness cut through Theo like acid. He studied her slim figure in the hot-pink dress.“No… You’re lying…” he said in a whisper. “I don’t believe you.” Dea lifted her chin.“Why would I lie about
Dea wrapped the plaid around her and leaned back in her chair and looked outside the window of her apartment. She had always enjoyed New York City in the autumn but lately, she had struggled to see the beauty. There was a crisp bite to the late October weather and the leaves were turning crimson and gold, but all she wanted to do was stay in her apartment, behind those walls, and just sleep... Once she got back to the States, the first days were excruciating. Dea experienced a level of physical and emotional pain she’s never experienced before. All she could think was Theo’s last words to her… ‘Get the fuck out of my life!’ She kept hearing those harsh words, awake or in her dreams, like a bad kind of mantra or something. Dea kept crying day and night, went from deep anger to desperate sadness… to total numbness… And being numb, Dea knew, was sometimes worse than being sad.“Theo…” she whispered his name and wrapped the plaid around her worn-ou
“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
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
They were having dinner and, as always, Dea was keeping the conversation light. Theo had been in her house for a week now and to her surprise, he was being nice and polite. At this point, Dea said to herself she could do this, allow him to stay in her house without succumbing to his lethal charm. This could definitely work, she thought. While finishing his glass of wine, Theo tilted his head and looked at Dea, his gaze assessing her.“What is it?” he asked.“Nothing… Just thinking…”“I see… About my proposal?” Theo asked and a mischievous light appeared in his eyes. When Dea lifted an eyebrow, he put the empty glass on the table and leaned forward.“As much as I love your apartment, I must say that the bed in the guest room is killing me… Have mercy on me, will you?”“Mercy?”“Let me sleep with you… In your bed…” he added. The silence stretched between them.“I promise I won’t touch you… unless you beg me to…”“What do you have to offer
Theo sat alone in the ornate living room in Dea’s Upper East Side apartment as he waited for her return. He hadn’t seen her in ten days and he had been in quiet agony. His life had been in disorder and Theo wanted his woman back. He wasn’t certain of his welcome. On his flight over, Theo had imagined that she was at home, pining for him, crying for him day and night. But the surprise was on him. Dea had plunged back into her full social life as if she had to make up for lost time. Theo heard the front door open and he sat up straight in his chair. Anticipation beat wildly inside him when he heard Dea’s familiar voice as she spoke on her cell phone.“Yes!” Her laugh made his heart take a tumble.“We definitely should meet up, Jack. It’s been a long time…” ‘Jack’? Who the hell was this Jack? Hot, bitter jealousy rolled through him and Theo clenched the armrest with his fingers. ‘Who was Jack?’ The security t
Dea heard the helicopter descend on the island and her smile widened while her heart started beating fast. ‘Finally! My Theo is home!’ One last look in the mirror then Dea swung the door open and ran lightly on the path. She couldn’t wait to tell him how much the baby had kicked during the day. Maybe tonight Theo would get a chance to feel the baby move.“My love…” she whispered while gazing at him, so proud, so gorgeous. After their first night together as an engaged couple, Dea knew without a shadow of a doubt, she could never love another man as much as she loved Theo. And she also knew he had feelings for her. Even if he called her ‘agapi mou’, even if he held her in his arms the whole night through, Theo wasn’t in love, but he felt for her. Her heart felt as though it was going to burst in her chest as she saw him walk down the steps. He was a commanding force in his pinstripe suit and red tie. She met him with a kiss and drew b
Dea wanted him. She wanted more than simply lying there and taking her pleasure. She wanted to give pleasure. Her head lifted, and her eyes took in the sight of Theo. His eyes were closed, and his tongue was working around her clit with delicious strokes.“I want to touch you.” She struggled against him, the need destroying her.“I want you, too, Theo. I want to touch you, taste you…” His forehead touched her lower belly as he took in a ragged breath, his head shaking slowly, his fingers pausing inside her.“Please.” Dea pushed against his shoulders.“Show me how to touch you… How you like it…”“Dea…” he groaned. “This is all for you… I want to give you pleasure…” She shook her head. She wanted it all. This morning, as the room brightened around them, Dea wanted all of him. His touch, his hunger, even as she touched and hungered. She wanted to spill as much into him as he gave.“No…” she said shaking her head. “Please, Theo. Show me… Te
The morning light filtered through the bedroom curtains. Dea opened her eyes and for a second didn’t know where she was. Well, she was at home. The morning after their engagement party, Theo had brought her to Saint Marie, their getaway island… their nest. Hearing Theo breathing calmly near her was so wonderful and comforting. Since they started to sleep together every night, there were no more nightmares plaguing him as they had in the past. And Dea slept comfortably against Theo’s chest. She was warm, cuddled close against his chest, her leg thrown over one of his as he wrapped himself around her. Protecting her. Lately, the security team around them was much more present, while Theo was with her as much as he could. Something was going on, but she didn’t know what. The day before, Dea heard him talking on the phone with the head of security, demanding to be kept in the loop about some matter, but when Dea approached him, asking what was that a
Theo stood in the entrance hall of the Kralidis estate. He felt the bite of frustration as he looked for Dea. Their engagement party was coming to an end and he was eager to have her to himself. He should have been able to spot her instantly or hear her bold laugh from across the room. Dressed in a purple chiffon gown and wearing the Kralidis yellow diamonds, his fiancée was an intriguing mix of a mischievous fairy and a perfect queen. ‘Fiancée…’ Dea Etheridge, the mother of his baby, said yes and she was about to become Mrs. Kralidis… Finally! There were moments when her stubbornness outmatched his tenacity, but she accepted his proposal. Triumph and pride flared inside Theo along with the unfamiliar sense of satisfaction and… as strange as it might seem… peace. Theo shook his head. Peace was not related to explosive Dea. The woman used to infuriate him. She tested him and pushed him to the
She lay limp beneath Theo, her lungs aching as she tried to catch her breath. Through heavy eyelids, she watched him shove off his pajama bottoms. He gathered Dea in his arms, his chest hot and damp to the touch, before he rolled over. Dea straddled his hips. Anticipation pulsed through her body when she felt his throbbing erection against her. She slowly sat up, dragging her hands down his broad chest. She smiled when she saw the hungry glitter in Theo’s hooded and dark eyes, locked on her face. “Now it’s my turn to control the pace… My turn to make you scream my name…” Dea whispered.“Ride me, Dea,” he panted. “I need you.” Dea reached for the hem of her nightie and slowly removed it, inch by inch. His fingers flexed on her thighs as she stretched and rolled her hips. She barely heard Theo’s ragged breath over her pounding heart as she tossed her nightie to the side.“You’re so damn sexy…” Theo murmured. He reached up and roughly caressed he