Cassia woke with the first tentative light of dawn streaming into the room. She was on her side, facing Calix. Just a hair’s breadth away from touching, they were so close that if she sucked in a deep breath, her breasts would touch his chest. She looked at his face, which looked so much younger and vulnerable in repose. None of the phenomenally successful businessmen were in evidence, and it reminded her so much of the young man she’d known that a lump formed in her throat. A completely unbidden, monumental wave of tenderness and something else washed over her, and she went stiff with instant panic. No, she couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow it to rise. She knew if she did that, she would be admitting something that would have the potential to devastate her life even beyond what she already knew to be possible.She reasoned with herself that it was completely understandable that all these feelings would be emerging. How many people got to realize their dreams and long-held fantasies? And what a
Calix said nothing for a while on the drive to wherever he was taking her. Cassia was wary. She’d made her getaway from the bedroom that morning as an act of self-protection. Could he be angry because she hadn’t been there when he’d woken up? But surely that’s all he’d wanted? Sex. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d expected her to go back to her own room afterwards, to come to him only as some kind of concubine. And then she coloured as she remembered how tired she’d been afterwards, how she hadn’t been able to move another muscle…She looked over. His profile was grim. His jaw was stern. She felt like reaching across and kissing that jaw, making him relax and teasing him into a smile; like the one she’d seen earlier, which had been for Thea, not her. He hated her. She knew he did. Despite what he’d said, he had to. She represented such an awful time in his life, when everything had conspired against him and he’d been totally alone against them all. She had to turn and look away again
When he probed, she sighed; his tongue touched the seam of her lips, and she opened a little more. But still he didn’t enter. Her nerve ends tingled, and her blood hummed. She lifted her hands to his shoulders, trying to tell him silently that she was giving in, acquiescing, and then she knew exactly what he wanted. Tentatively at first, she darted her tongue forward in an erotically innocent foray, touched his mouth, traced his lips... and then delved into that dark moistness of his mouth, feeling emboldened and heady when his tongue finally met and tangled with hers.She felt a hand under her loose top cup on one breast, a thumb pad running back and forth over her nipple. Her tongue thrust harder, and she arched her back, pressing her breast into his palm. And then, as if a light switch had gone on, he pulled back, put his hands on her shoulders, and looked deeply into her shocked, glazed eyes.‘See? That’s all we need to worry about…for as long as it lasts, we’re going to be marrie
Despite her best efforts, she knew she was close to tears again, and she turned away again. Even though they were in a park in the middle of Athens, the city lay somewhere beneath them, silent. She willed him away, willed him not to touch her, and he must have felt it because he didn’t. She found herself speaking quietly and quickly.‘After Mum and Dad died, I had no interest in the business. I never had. You know that. Even if you say you didn’t. I gave my uncle those shares. I didn’t sell them. I couldn’t.’ She turned around again and as he was closer than she’d anticipated, she backed away another step. ‘What kind of person do you think I am?’Stupid question, Cassia...He felt at a loss, amazed at her passionate reaction. Her expressive eyes shining blue and green. And I thought, "The kind of person most of us would be in that situation, who would demand every penny of their inheritance..."‘Cassia—’"I'd already gotten a loan, and Rastus only gave me enough to cover the interest.
His hand smoothed its way down her collar-bone to the space between her breasts where her heart was beating steadily, and speeding up when he shifted them subtly and a leg came over hers, nudging them apart. The frisson of awareness, the hunger and need after a night of love-making scared her with its intensity. Today they were going back to Paris. Back to reality, back to the cruel, harsh world of media and photographers and reminders that all was not what it seemed.She turned her head and opened her eyes. Her pain was buried deep and hidden inside her. He pressed a kiss to her lips, long and lingering, and drew her up on top of him so that her breasts were crushed against his chest. His hands spanned her waist and moved her up and then down slightly, where she could feel the powerful thrust of his erection.She was already wet and ready for him. She slid her legs on either side of his hips and rocked back gently, coming up slightly, and sucked in a deep breath when she felt him thr
She’d closed her eyes briefly. The more time they spent together, the sooner he’d want to get rid of her. Maybe it was the best solution.‘I’ll only do it out of respect for my area, for this building. I can’t afford to be thrown out because I’m causing a disturbance.’Cassia walked over to the window of his palatial living room and looked out. They were between the Ritz Hotel and the Jardin des Tuileries. A truly spectacular address And she couldn't have given a damn.She could have been in the gritty suburbs for all she cared, as long as she was away from him. She sighed deeply. because she knew that wasn’t true.Calix watched her back from the door. It was ramrod straight, her hands stuck into the back pockets of her jeans. Her cashmere cardigan buttoned down the back, making his fingers itch to go and unbutton it, run his hands around to her front and up to cup her breasts. He could feel their warmth and weight in his hands.She was getting him hard just looking at her back!She wa
Cassia’s feet ached. She had visions of buckets of hot water and Epsom salts. She smiled and greeted the umpteenth person coming in through the heavily decorated damask-covered doors. The memorial for Pierre Baudat was a celebration of his life’s work. A-listers from all over the world were there. This was the biggest event she’d been given so far, and she’d been working night and day to get it organized. She hadn’t failed to notice how Calix’s bemusement over recent days had turned to irritation pretty quickly. No doubt, she thought bitterly, this wasn’t part of the game plan. A wife who worked."Well, tough," she told herself. and knew that she’d probably put in more hours than necessary. As far as avoidance tactics went, she was a master of the game. Extreme self-protection. Keep busy to avoid the pain of seeing Calix every day. She was sure it’d only be a matter of time now before she’d receive divorce papers, and then she could start to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. Bec
‘Cassia.’ His face darkened. "Would you prefer if I told people how we came to be married?" that you betrayed me and I took advantage of meeting you again to take a convenient wife?She shook her head miserably. An ache formed in her throat as he put two hands on her arms and pulled her close again.She hated herself for reacting, even now. Her head felt heavy as she looked up.He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek. ‘We do have a real marriage, Cassia. As real as it can be in this day and age. We have great sex—’His words tore at her. "Yes, but that’s all." If we didn’t, you would have divorced me as soon as you could after the wedding, and I wish you had, believe me.Two bright spots had appeared on her cheeks, and Calix could feel her chest heaving against his.Cassia couldn’t tear her gaze away from his. The room had disappeared, they could have been anywhere. Heat coiled in her belly like a live wire, her breasts tingled and pushed against the fabric of her dress. Cali