The Greek Boss’s Bride
Mills & Boon Modern Romance
January 2007
ISBN: 0263852875
Harlequin Presents
May 2007
ISBN: 037312631X
Will she fill the vacancy of the Greek boss’s bride?
Kezia Trevellyn is in love with her brooding boss, Greek tycoon Nik Niarchou. But romance won’t happen – he sees Kezia as no more than his efficient, pleasant PA.
But, when she accompanies Nik on a luxury cruise, Kezia’s dreams become reality and a powerful and passionate affair erupts. Wined and dined in glamorous cities, and seduced by Nik during long Mediterranean nights, Kezia revels in pure pleasure and almost forgets the one secret reason why their relationship can’t last – until Nik proposes…
…‘You have a body to die for Kezia,’ he groaned, his voice velvet soft as he rolled each syllable of her name on his tongue.
He trailed a line of kisses down her neck and then lower still, following the neckline of her dress to the valley between her breasts. Kezia held her breath as he cupped one soft mound in his hand, took the weight of it and gently kneaded her flesh through the barrier of her dress. She wanted more, wanted to feel his hands on her skin, and she released her breath on a low moan of pleasure when he eased his fingers beneath the material to caress her. Her nipple had hardened to a tight bud that throbbed unbearably when he brushed his thumb pad across it. Heat coursed through her so that she strained closer to him, no thought in her mind but her desperate need for him to continue his sensual magic.
She felt bereft when he released her breast, and muttered her disproval against his mouth. But he smiled as he slid his hand down to caress her bottom with slow circular movements that forced her thighs in close contact with the hard proof of his arousal. It should have shocked her but instead she felt a surge of triumph that he wanted her so badly, and clung to him as he rocked his hips against her.
‘Desperate as I am to make love to you, I’m not sure that your kitchen table is big enough for what I have in mind - or sturdy enough,’ he murmured in her ear, his voice tinged with a hint of amusement that brought her skidding to a halt. ‘I’m sure we’ll be a lot more comfortable in your bedroom.’
What in heavens name was she doing? Her lashes flew upwards, and she stared at him in a mixture of bewilderment and growing shame. His eyes were hooded, but nothing could hide the gleam of fierce desire in their depths. Nik was hungry for her, and for a few scandalous seconds she was tempted to blank out the whispered warning in her head and lead the way to her bedroom. She wanted to feel him skin on skin, to glory in the touch of his hands on her naked body and enjoy the exquisite pleasure of his mouth caressing every inch of her.
So much for her vow to ignore her overwhelming attraction for him, she thought derisively. She had melted at the first touch of his lips on hers, and even now her body was trembling with the urgent desire to remain in his arms. Fortunately her brain outvoted her body as she struggled to make sense of her uninhibited response to him and she jerked clumsily out of his grasp, dismayed to see how eagerly her breasts were straining against the silky material of her dress.
He was watching her silently, like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike but he made no move to prevent her from stepping away from him. Kezia gripped the edge of the worktop and forced oxygen into her lungs.
‘Nik we can’t…this was…’
‘A mistake?’ he suggested softly, ‘the result of too much champagne?’ You can do better than that, pedhaki mou. We both know this has been brewing since the first time we met. But -’ he shrugged indolently, his mouth curving into a smile that was wickedly sensual - ‘I agree, it’s too much, too soon. We have plenty of time.’ He seemed wholly satisfied at the thought and his confidence shook her.
Plenty of time for what, exactly? she wondered as panic swamped her. Nik plainly assumed that she was his for the taking, and her response to him tonight had surely added fuel to that belief, she acknowledged grimly. How could she convince him that she had no intention of ever sharing his bed? How could she convince herself?
She sensed rather than saw him move, and her muscles tensed as she prepared to reject him. But he made no attempt to touch her, and instead reached into his jacket.
‘This is for you,’ he said, as he took a plastic card from the selection in his wallet. ‘I’ve taken it out in your name so that you can go on a shopping spree in preparation for the cruise.’
Kezia stared at him blankly while her brain assimilated his words. ‘I can afford to buy my own clothes, thank you,’ she replied stiffly.
‘Of course.’ He gave a careless shrug. ‘But the trip requires more than your usual choice of workwear and I don’t expect you to have to foot the bill for designer evening dresses.’ He held out the card and frowned when she made no move to take it from his fingers. ‘Enjoy it, Kezia,’ he murmured indolently. ‘It’s not everyday that you’re given the opportunity to shop in Bond Street. I’m looking forward to seeing you in clothes that show off your gorgeous figure. Choose outfits to please me…hmm, agape mou?’
‘I am not your lover,’ she choked, outrage and blinding fury filling her in equal measures. Her grasp of Greek was limited but there was no mistaking the meaning of his words. His eyes slid over her in insolent appraisal, as if he was mentally stripping her, and she felt sick with shame. Her role in his life was purely on a professional level, and she would not allow him to treat her as a sultan would his favourite concubine, clothing her in fine silks for his delectation.
‘I’m your personal assistant, Nik. Not your whore,’ she snapped icily. ‘I’m afraid you’re mistaken if you think that what happened tonight was a prelude to three weeks of sun, sea and sex while we’re stuck on your damn ship. You said it was a working trip,’ she reminded him, when he said nothing, just stared at her in stunned silence - although the glitter in his eyes warned of his anger. ‘I’ll be accompanying you as your PA, nothing more. My working hours are nine to five, and just because we’ll happen to be in the middle of the Mediterranean, I see no reason why that should change. I certainly won’t be swanning around in designer gowns, playing the role of your mistress.’…