A Devious Desire

‘No, not tonight. I’m tired enough to go straight to sleep.’ Rising, she touched Saffron’s cheek. ‘You’re a good girl to put up with me, but there is one little thing I would like you to do.’

‘Yes.’ Saffron realised that in the past few weeks she had grown to really care for Anna and, arrogant son apart, she would do anything for her.

‘Please don’t mention to Alex why I wanted a beauty therapist as well as a masseuse. I would hate him to know I can’t even lift my arm high enough to comb my own hair. He is an astute man, and would soon guess there was something more wrong with me than arthritis, and it would only worry him.’

Personally Saffron thought it was about time the globe-trotting swine did worry about his mother, but not by a flicker of an eyelash did she reveal her dislike of the man; instead she promised to say nothing.

Tossing and turning in the luxurious bed, Saffron tried to tell herself that nothing much had changed from this morning. They were still cruising but simply on a private yacht. So why did she have this weird feeling of foreboding? It didn’t make sense. She still had her job, in a week or two she and Anna would return to Anna’s comfortable mews house in the heart of London and Saffron would rarely, if ever, see Alex Statis again. All she had to do was keep her mouth shut and out of his way; that shouldn’t be too hard; she was just the hired help after all…

She closed her eyes and once more tried to sleep, but the vivid image of Alex leaning against the door-frame as she’d walked by him to follow Anna to her cabin seemed to be imprinted on her pupils. Casually elegant, his black hair swept back from his broad forehead, grey wings curling around his ears betraying his thirty-nine years, and a wide, sensual mouth that had hissed cynically as she’d passed him, ‘You can leave now. But I haven’t forgotten I owe you.’ That parting shot lingered threateningly in her mind.

Her eyes flashed open. ‘You can leave now,’ he had said, and something niggled at the back of her brain, a sense of déjà. vu. Had she met him before? No, it wasn’t possible; her mind must be playing tricks, or—perhaps the most likely explanation—she must have seen a photograph of him in his mother’s house. Yes, that was it—of course. And, closing her eyes once more, she finally fell into a troubled sleep where a tall, dark man stalked her dreams…

A knock on the door broke into her restless sleep and, slowly opening her eyes, she yawned widely.

‘Coffee, madam,’ she heard the steward announce, and responded.

‘Come in.’ Hauling herself up into a sitting position, she blinked drowsily, wondering if Anna was awake yet. Then it hit her, the events of the previous evening, and her eyes widened in horror on the approaching man, a gasp of outrage escaping her. ‘You…’

Alex, dressed in a brief white towelling robe belted loosely around his waist, revealing a wide expanse of hair-roughened chest and inordinately long, muscular legs, strolled to the bedside, a tray bearing a coffee-jug and cup on it in his strong hands. ‘Good morning, Saffron.’

‘G-g-get out of my room,’ she stuttered. The man wasn’t conventionally handsome, but he possessed a lethal attraction few women could resist, herself included. His tanned skin, the early morning stubble darkening his jaw gave him the rakish appearance of a swashbuckling pirate.

‘Now is that any way to greet your employer? Especially when he is delivering you sustenance.’

‘You are not my employer,’ she retorted, but his remark had reminded her of her duties. ‘But if you get out of my cabin I can dress and go and see Anna,’ she said, suddenly wide awake, and wary. She had no idea how lovely she looked, her red-gold hair tumbling in disarray around her shoulders, one long strand with a will of its own curving around the fullness of her breast, the skimpy spaghetti-strapped cotton nightie she was wearing barely covering her high, firm breasts.

‘You’re not a morning person…Pity, because you look absolutely delectable.’

How dared he flirt with her? Saffron’s angry eyes flew to his face and she was horrified to realise that his gaze was fixed rather lower on her body. Grabbing the luxurious satin sheet, she pulled it up to her chin. Just in time, as Alex sat down on the side of the bed. He was much too close, the bedroom was much too intimate, and he had no right to be here.

‘Will you get out?’ she cried, her temper rising.

‘Don’t look so terrified. You must have had dozens of men in your bedroom, a girl as beautiful as you.’

She had never had any man in her bedroom, and she was damned sure she wasn’t about to start with this overpoweringly arrogant specimen of the male sex. ‘Out,’ she snapped, indicating the door with her free hand.

‘Don’t flatter yourself, girl,’ Alex drawled cynically, his dark eyes sliding insultingly over her flushed face and rumpled hair. ‘I only want to talk before you see Mama. Why else would I wake you at seven in the morning?’ he asked mockingly.

Saffron could do nothing about the blush that suffused her whole body.

Alex slowly shook his head, one dark brow arching sardonically. ‘What a naughty mind you have, Saffron.’

The man delighted in teasing her, but she had promised to try and get along with him, so, ignoring his comment, she turned to where he had placed the tray on the table beside the bed and filled a cup with coffee. She took her time adding milk, before she dared turn back to face him.

‘Tell me, why Saffron? I always thought it was a spice. Are you spicy?’ he queried, a wicked glint in his dark eyes.

She slanted him a glance from beneath thick lashes then quickly looked down at the cup in her hand and took a long swallow of the hot coffee, before responding curtly, ignoring his innuendo, ‘Saffron is a plant that when dried yields a deep yellow, orangey dye. When I was born my parents took one look at my ginger hair and called me Saffron.’

A large hand reached out and picked up the loose curl that framed her breast. Alex twisted it around his long fingers, his knuckles brushing the tip of her breast. ‘Your hair is not ginger, it is gold, red, blonde, a collection of colours creating a living flame.’

Her breast hardened at the brief touch and embarrassment at her instant reaction brought hot blood to her cheeks. Saffron knew that Alex was aware of her response and suddenly she felt helpless, as if she had lost control of the situation. Yesterday she had been a mature, efficient professional doing her job to the best of her ability. In the past twelve hours her life had quickly become entwined with this sophisticated man and his jet-set lifestyle, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. She pulled her head back, freeing her hair from his far too familiar fingers; and quickly lowered her eyes, afraid of the predatory look on Alex’s harsh face.

But the following view was even more disturbing as her gaze dropped to where his robe fell apart, revealing a tanned muscular leg in stark contrast to the white towelling. A startling erotic image flashed through her mind as he moved slightly, his taut thigh pressing against her leg, only the satin sheet preventing their naked flesh touching: Alex, naked and golden brown all over, reaching for her, his deep brown eyes smouldering with passion…

‘Coffee. Good.’

Horrified at her wayward thoughts, Saffron tore her gaze away from his legs and, shocked by her sexy fantasy, kept her head lowered to hide her blushes. She mumbled, ‘Yes,’ then breathed deeply and exhaled slowly. Her reaction to Alex Statis was getting ridiculous. What on earth was happening to her? She prided herself on her self-control but she had an awful premonition that around this man she would have to fight for every ounce.

‘Cabin OK?’ he asked.

He knew very well it was the height of luxury; he was deliberately goading her, but she would not rise to the bait. ‘What do you want, Mr Statis?’ she demanded firmly, pleased at the even tenor of her voice.

‘It is not so much what I want but what you want, Miss Martin.’ All trace of teasing was gone. His eyes, hard and dark as jet, caught hers. ‘My mother is a wealthy woman. I don’t know who persuaded whom to go on a holiday cruise which was totally unnecessary in the circumstances.’

‘I didn’t…’

‘Maybe you’re telling the truth. Mama can be very devious,’ he said drily.

Anna devious! Well, maybe a little, Saffron admitted honestly, but compared to this man Anna was innocence personified, and she listened in mounting anger as Alex continued.

‘I’ve checked with her doctor and apparently it is all above board. My mother likes you, she tells me you are good at your job, and I know to my cost——’ his lips thinned in a tight grimace ‘—you are more than capable of looking after yourself and her. But what worries me is where you learnt such talent, and why you needed to. So take this as a warning if you have any notion of fleecing my mother, or getting involved with any more of her madcap plans; I advise you to forget it—understand?’ He got to his feet, his dark eyes boring down into hers, a threat explicit in the black depths. ‘I will leave you to enjoy your coffee—oh, yes, and welcome aboard.’

Saffron had never been so insulted. The nerve of the man! Madcap plans indeed! And as if she would cheat an old lady. The temper that went with her red hair exploded, and she threw the half-full cup of coffee straight at him. The cup bounced off his chest, spilling coffee all over him.

‘Why, you…’ Two strong hands caught her upper arms and dragged her off the bed and against his hard body. She was suspended in mid-air, her feet dangling inches from the floor, but she did not have time to dwell on her predicament as a dark head swooped, Alex’s mouth capturing hers in a brutal grinding kiss that drove the breath from her body. She tried to struggle and felt herself falling…

CHAPTER TWO

SAFFRON fell back on the bed and felt the full weight of his huge body follow down on top of her; she tried to lift her knee, but Alex wasn’t the sort of man to be caught twice. His naked thigh pushed firmly between her legs, and as she tried to claw at his face his hands caught hers and pinned them either side of her head.

‘You damned hellcat,’ he swore. ‘Yesterday you got lucky. For the first time in twenty-odd years you caught me off guard. But it was also your last, sweetheart. It is time someone taught you a lesson, and I am just the man to do it.’ His deep brown eyes had darkened to black and the flame leaping in their depths sent fear scudding through Saffron’s body.

‘Says who——?’ Her last word was all but swallowed by his mouth once more closing over hers, his tongue gaining entry to the moist interior with devastating results. Suddenly she was conscious of his naked thigh between her legs, her short nightie rucked up somewhere round her waist; his towelling robe had fallen open and their lower bodies were naked flesh on flesh…Her breasts pressed against his muscular chest, hardened with inexplicable need and straining against the fine cotton of her nightgown.

To Saffron’s dismay, heat fierce and totally unexpected flooded through her veins. Her heartbeat accelerated like a rocket, and the kiss she had fought so furiously turned into a passionate seduction of her senses. She was aware of his powerful, virile body through every pore in her skin. His heavy thighs moved restlessly against her slender limbs, and something else…

Well, I certainly did not injure the man yesterday, she thought wildly, just as Alex’s mouth left hers, and she burst into terrified hysterical laughter.

‘What the hell…?’ His dark head reared back and he looked down into her flushed, laughing face. He let go of her abruptly and stood up.

Whether he recognised that it was fear more than humour that had brought on her hysterical reaction Saffron didn’t know; she only knew that, with a savage glance at where she lay tumbled on the bed, he snarled, ‘Cover yourself, woman; I’m not caught that easily,’ and pulled the sheet up over her.

Caught? What did he mean? She gazed up at the dark figure towering over her, and all trace of hysterical humour left her. He was virtually naked; his robe, hanging loosely off his broad shoulders, hid nothing of his magnificent body, or his obvious state of sexual arousal. Her earlier fantasy was fulfilled. His powerful body was tanned all over, except for a pale strip across his lean hips! Mesmerised by the stark beauty of his virile form, she could not look away…

‘Remember, you’ve been warned,’ Alex said coldly as unselfconsciously he folded the robe over his chest and knotted the belt around his waist. ‘Now I suggest you do what you were supposedly hired for and look after Mother.’ And with that he strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Saffron lay where he had left her, completely shellshocked. Nothing in her life so far had prepared her for such a lightning attack on her senses. Her body still pulsed with unfamiliar heat, her breasts felt heavy, the tips aching for she knew not what, and the lingering scent of Alex hovered in the air around her, seducing her even in his absence.

It was incredible—no, impossible, she told herself. She did not like the man, and yet for an instant she had wanted him in a shockingly sexual way. She who could count the men she had kissed on the fingers of one hand!

Slowly, as her breathing reverted to normal, she justified her reaction. It must have been a mental apparition; her response was not real, just a figment of her imagination. She was twenty-five years old and knew herself well enough to realise she was not a sexual person. Two unfortunate events in her teenage years had quickly squashed any real interest in the male sex.

At the age of ten she had lost her parents in a car crash and, left alone in the world, she’d been placed in an orphanage. It was quite nice, the staff friendly, but it could never make up for the loss of her home in Surrey and her parents. She had been thirteen, her body beginning to develop, when one of the older boys had caught her and forced her to the ground, his hands grabbing at her breasts. But Eve, her friend, had stopped him.

Saffron sighed and swung her legs off the bed. A soft film of moisture glazed her eyes as she stood up, remembering the past. Eve, two years older than Saffron, had been her best friend at the orphanage. Even after she’d left, she’d still called back occasionally to see Saffron. Eve’s untimely death not many months ago had affected Saffron deeply; she still wasn’t over it. She brushed the moisture from her eyes and headed for the en suite.

Memories were best left where they belonged—in the past. She stepped out of her nightie and into the shower; turning the tap on full force, she tossed her head back and let the reviving water wash over her.

The sensible thing to do was to pack in her job as soon as the boat docked and return to England. She would miss Anna, but common sense told her that the older woman would have no problem getting someone else to fill her role, and if she stayed she would have a problem with Alex Statis. He was a powerful, dangerous man, and he made no secret of the fact that he thought she was after something from his mother. It would be difficult; she had given up her room in the apartment she had shared with two others, Tom and Vera, and they had been quite happy to see her go as they had decided to marry, and quite naturally preferred to have the place to themselves. She supposed she could stay in a hotel or hostel until she found somewhere else, but it would certainly cut into her business fund, she realised sadly. Then she recalled once more Eve’s last message to her.

You have it all, Saffron—the looks, the character and the expertise to make it on your own. Not like me. I was born a loser. Promise me, Saffron, you won’t let some bastard of a man get at you. Stick to your dream. Start your own business, be your own boss. Do it for me. You show them.

Squaring her shoulders, a new light of determination in her lovely green eyes, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Wrapping a large fluffy towel around her slender body, she walked back into the bedroom. She would not allow Mr Statis to frighten her out of her job. Anna had employed her. Anna was happy with the arrangement, and in any case once they got back to London she would not have to see the man. But her salary for the next few months would be enough to fulfil her dream. Ten minutes later, neatly dressed in navy shorts and a plain white T-shirt, she opened the door of Anna’s suite.

‘Oh, you’re awake!’ Saffron smiled at her employer, sitting propped up in bed, her glance going to the tray beside her. ‘And already at the coffee, I see,’ she chided gently; if Anna had one weakness it was that she drank far too much coffee.

‘Yes, my dear. I received the same service as you, apparently. Alex delivered it.’

Saffron felt the colour rise in her face. Anna certainly had not been attacked by the great brute as she had! Walking to the dressing-table, she busied herself with the case that contained her oils and other supplies. Trying to hide her blush, she said, ‘Would you like me to order breakfast or would you prefer a shower and massage?’

‘The massage, but make it quick. I have been instructed by Alex to meet him on the deck for breakfast at nine-thirty, and I don’t dare argue. I have already wasted three days of his time, he informed me.’

‘Wasted!’ Saffron’s temper rose at the comment. ‘Surely it’s his own fault? We were perfectly all right on the Pallas Corinthian. This was his idea.’ She flung out an arm, gesturing around the luxurious room.

‘Well, not exactly. I have a confession to make.’

Saffron spun round to stare at her charge.

‘You see, dear, we always cruise in June for a week or so. But with Alex being in Australia and not sure when he was coming back I decided I wanted to cruise on my own…well, with you. The poor boy arrived in London last weekend and didn’t know where I was and so he spent three days tracking us down, instead of working. Ordinarily I would have joined the yacht at the weekend along with Alex and the rest of the relatives.’

‘If that’s so, why are we moving now?’ Saffron glanced out of the window at the vast expanse of clear sunlit water. ‘We could have waited in port for the other guests and your son could have stayed at work.’

‘That’s my fault. I insisted we set sail straight away because I was frightened that with a couple of days in port you might change your mind and go back to England. I know what a pain my son can be, and I didn’t want to lose you. This way you can’t get off the boat and I’ve told Alex he has got to make friends with you.’

‘Why, you conniving lady,’ Saffron opined, with a wry shake of her red head.

‘Yes, but you know my secret. In any case no one can do my hair or make-up as well as you. Not even me when I was fit,’ Anna said with blunt honesty.

An hour later Saffron put the finishing touches to Anna’s hair and then followed her along the passageway down the companionway, through the staterooms and through large glass doors to the poop deck where Alex was waiting for them.

It had been dark last night when they had arrived, but Saffron had been awed by the luxury of the cabins, the elegant main lounge and equally stunning dining-room, but the deck was something else again. Under a plain white awning were arranged three plump-cushioned long sofas covered in William Morris shades of blue and green printed cotton satin, a couple of over-stuffed armchairs and one large low table plus a handful of smaller ones discreetly stacked beside one of the potted vine trees that dotted the area. Beyond the seating area, on the open deck, was a circular swimming-pool. Through the sparkling water Saffron saw the outline of dolphins patterned in the tiles; the effect was as if they were swimming in the pool and completely magical. Around the pool was scattered a dozen sun-loungers, and a few more tables with gaily patterned beach umbrellas in the centre.

How the other half live! Saffron thought, bemused. She had realised Anna was wealthy, but it was slowly dawning on her that Alex Statis must be extremely rich. No wonder he was worried about his mother being ripped off by some unscrupulous companion. But it still gave him no right to suspect her, she thought grimly. He didn’t know her, and was never likely to. She was way below his social circle and she knew it.

Subdued, Saffron sat down in one of the armchairs, avoiding looking at where Alex lounged elegantly on a sofa opposite. But to her surprise breakfast was a pleasant meal. The same steward who had shown her to her cabin the previous evening placed a wide variety of cereals, croissants, bread and accompanying confections on the large table, along with jugs of coffee, tea and various fruit juices, before asking if anyone wanted a hot meal.

The conversation was general. Saffron made an occasional comment but after a while she left mother and son to do most of the talking, content to admire her surroundings. It was early June, and the hot morning sun sparkled and danced on the deep blue sea, dazzling on the brilliant white of the boat. Paradise must be a lot like this, Saffron mused as she spread thick honey on a second warm croissant. Heaven help her weight if she kept eating like this…

‘Is that all right with you, Saffron?’

She jumped at the sound of her name, her glance flashing between the other two. She felt that some comment was expected of her, but hadn’t a clue what had been said.

‘Tell her again, Alex,’ Anna said with a grin.

Saffron reluctantly looked across at Alex. He was lounging casually back on the sofa, with his long legs stretched out in front of him. His hard, dangerously masculine body was briefly clad in a sleeveless black T-shirt that moulded his broad, muscular chest in loving detail. A pair of white shorts exposed his long legs, tanned to a golden bronze and rippling with muscles. He was all male, all-powerful, and he made her head spin…

‘We will be arriving in Mykonos in a couple of hours. Mother wanted to see the island again, but she does not feel up to going ashore in the tender.’ He hesitated and Saffron raised her eyes to his questioningly.

‘She suggested I take you.’ His sensuous mouth curved mockingly, his dark eyes raking suggestively over her slender frame. Saffron felt the colour rise in her face at his double entendre, before he added slowly, deliberately, ‘For a few hours.’

The lazy smile, the long body stretched out only feet from her were having a totally alien effect on her. She opened her mouth to say no, but was horrified at the odd constriction in her throat. She swallowed hard.

‘Yes, of course she will,’ Anna answered for her. ‘Mykonos is not to be missed.’

‘I don’t know,’ Saffron heard herself murmur; she knew intuitively that being alone with Alex Statis represented a danger she was not sure she could handle.

‘Of course you will, dear,’ Anna insisted.

Saffron glanced across at Alex; the amusement in his eyes was obvious; he knew she wanted to say no, and was daring her to…‘Yes, that would be lovely,’ she heard herself gush, and missed the flicker of cynicism in Alex’s dark eyes.

‘Good. Well, if you will excuse me, ladies, I have work to do.’ Rising to his feet, Alex smiled gently at his mother. ‘Round one to you, Mama.’

His austere features relaxed in a genuine smile that took years off his age and, though his comment puzzled Saffron for a brief second, she saw the man behind the ruthless mask. She sucked in her breath, her green eyes wide with wonder; he looked almost beautiful. But as he glanced briefly at her the tenderness vanished, to be replaced by a glittering predatory glow that turned his deep brown eyes almost golden.

‘I’m looking forward to showing you Mykonos. I want to see your reaction to the place.’

A frisson of some nameless emotion slid down her spine. Fear! No. Anticipation of a day out, Saffron told herself sternly, nothing more! She refused to acknowledge her inexplicable violent attraction to Alex. ‘I’m sure it will be delightful,’ she offered with a cool smile, but had to turn her head away to stare at the sea. In her mind’s eye the sight of him standing so tall and broad, scantily clad in shorts and shirt, was doing something very peculiar to her breathing.