Greek Bachelors: Paying The Price: What the Greek's Money Can't Buy / What the Greek Can't Resist / What The Greek Wants Most

Contemplated and abandoned the idea. Instead, she mimicked him and went to the well-stocked fridge for a bottle of water. ‘How did the rest of the board meeting go?’ she asked to fill the heavy silence.

Sakis tossed the empty bottle in the recycle bin, pulled his tie free, rolled it up and stuffed it in his trouser pocket. ‘I had no doubt we would find the relevant weak points. Everyone has skeletons in their closets, Moneypenny. Things they don’t want anyone else to discover. Growing up as a Pantelides taught me that.’ His voice was pure steel, but she caught the underlying thread of pain beneath it.

She wanted to offer comforting words but the mention of skeletons sliced her with apprehension, tightening her insides so she could barely breathe. ‘What sort of skeletons?’

‘The usual. In this case, less than stellar financial record-keeping; one or two shady dealings that deserve closer scrutiny.’

‘Are...are we talking about Landers Petroleum?’ She held her breath.

‘No.’ He dismissed them with a wave of his hand. ‘They’re small fry compared to Moorecroft Oil and were probably hitching their wagon to the big boys in hopes of a large pay-day. For now, I’m more interested in Moorecroft. They’re the ones who started this, but they should’ve cleaned up their own backyard before attempting to sully mine. Tomorrow morning, their CEO, Richard Moorecroft, will be receiving a call from the Financial Conduct Authority. He’ll need to answer a few hairy questions.’

She told herself it was too early to hope this was over but she allowed herself a tiny breath of relief. ‘And...you think that’s the end of it?’

His hand went to the next unopened button and slid it free. ‘If they know what’s good for them. If they don’t and they keep sabre-rattling, things will just get decidedly...dirtier.’

‘You mean you’ll dig deeper,’ she murmured, unable to take her gaze off the hands slowly revealing more and more of his mouth-watering torso. ‘What are you doing?’ she gasped, her fist tightening around the plastic bottle as another bolt of heat drilled through her belly. It cracked under the force of her fist, echoing loudly through the room.

‘Taking a leaf out of your book.’ He shrugged out of his shirt, balled it up and threw it into the corner.

‘I... But...’

He paused, his hand on his belt. ‘Does my body make you uncomfortable, Moneypenny?’

Her tongue threatened to not work. ‘You’ve undressed in front of me many times.’

‘That wasn’t what I asked you.’ The belt slid free.

Arousal roared to life, tightening her nipples into deliciously painful points, weakening her knees, shooting fiery sensation between her legs. ‘W...what does it matter? I’m invisible, remember? You’ve never seen me in the past.’

He came forward, his long legs eating up the short distance between them until he stood in front of her.

‘Only because I’ve trained myself not to look...not to betray the slightest interest. Not since...’ He paused, lips pursed. Then, shaking off whatever thought he’d had, he shrugged. ‘You’re not invisible to me now. I see you. All of you.’ His gaze slid down, paused and caressed the valley between her breasts, before reaching out to boldly stroke the hard, pointed crests. Her needy gasp made him caress her more intimately, rolling her nipple between his fingers until she had to bite her lip hard to keep from crying out. ‘And just like I knew you would be like...a potent wine, promising intoxication even before the first sip.’

Reason tried to surge forth through the miasma of sensation shaking her very foundations. But her body had a mind of its own. It swayed towards him but she managed to stop herself from taking the fatal step.

‘I wouldn’t really know. I...I don’t drink.’ Another ruthless stance she’d taken since Greg. That last night before the police had crashed in and carted her away, he’d plied her with vintage champagne and caviar. She’d been so drunk she’d been barely coherent when her life had taken a nosedive into hell.

‘My, what a virtuous life you lead, Moneypenny. Do you have any vices at all? Apart from your pancakes, that is?’

‘None that I wish to divulge,’ she responded before she managed to stop herself.

Sakis gave a low, rich laugh that soaked into her senses before fizzing pleasure along her nerve endings. ‘I find that infinitely intriguing.’ His gaze dropped to her mouth in a blatant, heated caress. His lips parted and a slow rush of breath hissed through them. Slowly, almost leisurely, he stepped closer, bringing his body heat within singeing distance.

Move, Brianna!

Her feet finally heeded the frenzied warning fired by her brain but she’d barely taken a step when Sakis reached out. He caught her around the waist and brought her flush against him.

The contact fired through her, so powerful and potent, she lost her footing. One strong hand cupped her chin and raised her head to his merciless gaze. In his eyes, she read dangerous intent that made her stomach hollow with anticipation and feverish need, even as the last functioning brain cells shrieked for her to fight against the dangerous sensations.

‘I’m going to kiss you now, Moneypenny,’ Sakis breathed. ‘It’s not wise and it probably won’t be safe.’

‘Then you shouldn’t do it...’ She half-pleaded but already wet heat oozed between her thighs.

He gave a half-pained groan. ‘I can’t seem to stop myself.’

‘Mr Pantelides—’

‘Sakis. Say it. Say my name.’

She shook her head.

His head dropped another fraction. ‘You’re doing it again.’

‘D-doing what?’

‘Refusing to obey me.’

‘We’re no longer in the office.’

‘Which is all the more reason why we should drop formalities. Say my name, Brianna.’

The way he said her name, the soft stresses on the vowels, made her insides clench hard. She tried desperately to fight against the overwhelming sensation. ‘No.’

He walked her back until he had her pinned between the gym wall and the solid column of his hot body. The hard muscles of his bare chest were torture against her heavy breasts but it was the firm, unmistakeable imprint of his erection against her belly that made her stop breathing.

‘Luckily for you, the need to taste you overwhelms the need to command your obedience.’ His lips brushed hers in the fleetest of caresses. ‘But I will hear you say it before very long.’

Eyelids too heavy to sustain fluttered downwards. Drowsy with lust, she fought to answer him. ‘Don’t count on it. I have a few rules of my own. This is one of them.’

The very tip of his tongue traced her lower lip, again with the fleetest of touches, and the fiery blaze of need raged through her. ‘What’s another?’

‘Not to get involved with the boss.’

‘Hmm, that’s one I agree with.’

‘Then...what are you doing?’ she asked plaintively.

‘Proving that this isn’t more than temporary insanity.’ His voice reflected the dazed confusion she felt.

‘Won’t walking away prove the same thing? As you said, this might not be exactly wise.’

‘Or this is nothing but a no-big-deal kiss. It’ll only become a big deal if we aren’t able to handle what happens afterwards.’

No big deal. Was it really? And would it hurt to experience just a kiss? They were both clothed...well, he was technically only half-clothed...but she could put the brakes on this any time she wanted...couldn’t she?

‘Afterwards?’ she blurted.

‘Yes, when we go back to what we are. You’ll continue to be the aficionado who runs my business life and I’ll be the boss who demands too much of you.’

‘Or we could stop this right now. Pretend it never happened?’

A hard gleam entered his eyes. ‘Pretence has never been my style. I leave that to people who wish to hide their true colours; who want the world to perceive them as something other than what they are. I detest people like that, Moneypenny.’ His mouth dropped another centimetre closer, his hands tightening around her waist as his eyes darkened with hot promise. ‘It’s why I won’t pretend that the thought of kissing you, of being inside you, hasn’t been eating me alive these past few days. It’s also why I know neither of us will misconstrue this. Because you’re above pretence. You’re exactly who you say you are. Which is why I appreciate you so much.’

He kissed her then, his mouth devouring hers with a hunger so wild, so ferocious, it melted every single thought from her head.

Which was fortunate. Because otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself from showing her reaction to his stark words; from blurting out that she was not even remotely who he thought she was.

CHAPTER SIX

SAKIS FELT HER moan of desire shudder through her sexy body and groaned in return. Theos, he’d been so determined not to be seen by another woman in the work environment in the way that Giselle had portrayed him in court and in the media that he’d deliberately blinded himself to just how sexy, how utterly feminine and incredibly gorgeous, Brianna was. Now he let his reeling senses register her attributes—the hands’ span soft but firm curve of her bare waist underneath his fingers; the saucy shape of her bottom and the way the supple globes felt in his hands.

And Theos, her mouth! Delicious and silky soft, it was pure torture just imagining it around the hard, stiff part of his anatomy. Sure enough, the image slammed into his brain, firing the mother lode of all sex bombs straight to his groin.

He wanted her with a depth that seriously disturbed him. He wanted her spread underneath him, naked and needy, in endless positions...

She gave a hitched cry as his tongue breached her sweet plump lips and mercilessly plunged in. He was being too rough. His brain fired at him to slow down but he couldn’t pull back. He’d had a taste of her but somehow that first taste had demanded a second, a third...

He pressed down harder, demanding more of her. His hips ground into her lower body until he was fully cradled between her thighs but even that wasn’t enough. His hands cupped her breasts and another shudder raked through her as his fingers tweaked her nipples. Blood roared through his ears at the thought of tasting them, of suckling them, tugging on them with his teeth.

When her hands finally rose to clutch his bare shoulders, when her nails dug into his skin, the rush of lust was so potent he feared he’d pass out there and then.

What the hell was happening here?

He’d never been this swept away by lust, even when he’d been in the clutches of his hormones as a young adult. Sex was great. He was a healthy, virile male who was rich and powerful enough to command the best female attention whether he wanted it or not. When he wanted it, he went all in for the enjoyment of it.

But never had he experienced this urgency, this slightly crazed need that threatened to take him out at the knees.

And they hadn’t even left first base yet!

Brianna opened her mouth wider to accommodate his rough demand. One hand left his shoulder and plunged into his hair, scraping his scalp as her fingers tightened.

He welcomed the mild pain with a glee that seriously worried him.

He’d never gone for kinky but with every scrape of her fingers his erection grew harder, more painful. God, he was so turned on, he couldn’t see straight.

Which was why it took a full minute to realise the fingers in his hair were pulling him back, not egging him on; that the hand on his shoulder was pushing him away with more than a little desperation.

‘No!’ The force of his kiss smothered the word but it finally penetrated his lust-engorged senses.

With a shocked groan, he lifted his head and staggered back.

Brianna stared up at him, her ragged breath rushing through lips swollen with the force of his kisses. But it was the expression in her turquoise eyes that froze his insides. Besides the shock mingled with arousal, the apprehension was back again.

Self-loathing ripped through him like a tornado. He might not have understood why she’d been terrified the first time, but this time he knew the blame lay squarely with him. He’d fallen on her like a horny barbarian.

He clenched his fists and took another step back. His chest rose and fell like a felon in the heat of pursuit and he dimly registered that he hadn’t bothered to breathe since he’d first tasted her.

‘I...think this has gone far enough,’ she said, her eyes darkening as they fell to his chest and skittered away.

Sakis wanted to refute that, to growl that it hadn’t gone far enough. But he would be speaking from the depths of whatever insanity gripped him.

Insanity...

Was that what he’d scornfully professed he wanted to test?

Well, now he knew. His gaze dropped to her mouth again and fresh need slammed into him.

Damn it...He knew, and yet he wanted more. Of course, ‘more’ was out of the question. Brianna held far more value to him as his assistant than she would as his lover.

Potential lovers were a dime a dozen. He only had to scroll through his diary...

The thought of doing just that for the sake of slaking the lust-monkey riding him made his mouth curl with distaste. He wasn’t his father, taking and discarding women with barely a thought between incidents, not caring about who bore the brunt of his actions.

Sucking in another breath, he forced a nod.

‘Ne, you’re right.’ He licked his lower lip, tasted her again and nearly groaned. He clawed a hand through his hair and fought to regain the control that had been all but non-existent since he walked into the gym, fully intent on a mind-clearing workout, only to find her contorted in a highly suggestive stretch that had fried his brain cells. ‘Let’s chalk it down to the pressure of the past seventy-two hours.’

A look passed through her eyes before her lids lowered. ‘Is this how you normally deal with a crisis?’

He gave another tight smile, whirled away and came face to face with his image.

Theos, no wonder she was frightened.

He looked like a crazed animal, a monster with wild eyes burning with stark hunger and a raging hard-on. He kept his back to her then forced himself to answer evenly.

‘No, I normally fly down to the lake and take a scull out on the water. Or I come here to the gym and use the rowing machine. Physical labour helps me work things through.’ Unfortunately, the physical he had in mind now involved Brianna beneath him, her thighs spread out in response to his hard, demanding thrusts.

‘Um...okay. I guess I was in your way, then. Shall I...let you get on with it?’ The slight question in her tone demanded reassurance.

Sakis had none to give. He remained exactly where he was, his back to her as he willed his body under control.

‘Mr Pantelides?’

He winced at the rigid formality in those two words. Gritting his teeth, he turned to face her. ‘Don’t worry, Moneypenny. Nothing’s changed. You tasted sweet enough but this was nothing to lose my head over. Our little experiment is over. The board is reconvening at eight. I’ll see you in the office at seven-thirty.’

A gym workout was now out of the question. Brianna’s scent lingered in the air and threatened to mess with his mind.

‘Okay. I’ll see you in the morning, then. Goodnight, Mr—’

‘Kali nichta, Moneypenny.’ He cut her off before she could trot out his title again.

Sakis scooped up his shirt, thought about putting it back on and discarded the idea. Since he couldn’t stay here, a two-— no, make that three-—mile swim in his pool was the next best option.

He was still staring at his shirt when she walked past him smelling of crushed lilies, rampant sex and sweat. God, what a combination. Against his will, his gaze tracked her sleek form. The taut, bare skin of her waist taunted him, as did the tight curve of her ass as she swayed her way out. With each sexy stride, the fire sweeping through his groin threatened to rage out of control.

It took a full minute after she’d left to realise he was still standing in the middle of the gym, clutching his shirt, gazing at the space where she’d been. With his fist tightening around the creased cotton, Sakis forced himself to admit that things indeed were about to get way worse before they got better.

And not just with his company.

* * *

‘You tasted sweet enough but this was nothing to lose my head over...’ Brianna forced herself to dwell on the relief rather than the sharp hurt burrowing inside her. The dangerous theory had been tested, the fire had been breached and they’d come out unscathed.

Are you sure? Brianna kicked off her leotard with more force than was necessary. ‘Yes, I’m sure,’ she said out loud. ‘One-hundred per cent sure,’ she added for good measure.

Her top followed and she strode into the lavish cream-and-gold decorated bathroom. Turning on the shower, she stepped beneath the spray. Hot rivulets coursed over her face, over the mouth Sakis had devoured less than five minutes ago, and a fresh wave of desire rushed over her.

‘No!’ Her hands shook as she reached for the shower gel and spread it over her body. This wasn’t happening. But it was... It had...

She’d let Sakis kiss her, had fallen into his hands like a ripe peach at harvest. She’d chosen to test the waters and had almost drowned in the process.

Because that kiss had rocked her to the depths of her soul. He’d kissed her like she was the last tangible thing in his universe, like he wanted to devour her. Aside from the pleasure of it, she’d felt his need as keenly as the need she’d fought so hard to suppress.

She didn’t want to need. For as long as she could remember, needing had only brought her disaster. As a child, her needs had come last for a mother who was only interested in her next drug fix. As a grown woman, she’d let her need for affection blind her into believing Greg’s lies.

Nothing would make her return to that dark, needful place.

Her fingers drifted once again to her tattoo.

Whatever it was Sakis needed, he could find it elsewhere.

* * *

Sakis was already in the office when she arrived just before seven. He was on the phone but cool, green eyes skated over her as she entered. Replaying the pep talk she’d given herself before she’d come downstairs, she indicated his half-finished espresso cup and he nodded. The gaze that met hers as she stepped forward to pick up his cup was all ruthless business. There was no hint of the gritty, desire-ravaged man from the gym last night.

Sakis Pantelides, suave CEO and master of his world, was back in residence.

Brianna forced herself to emulate his expression as she walked out on decidedly shaky legs towards the state-of-the-art coffee machine in the little alcove just behind her office. Setting the cup beneath the stainless silver spouts, she pressed the button.

Last night’s lurid dreams, which had kept her tossing and turning in heated agitation, needed to be swept under the carpet of professionalism where they belonged. It was obvious Sakis had consigned the gym incident to ‘done and forgotten’. She needed to do the same or risk—

‘Is the machine delivering something other than coffee this morning? The daily horoscope, perhaps?’ he drawled.

She whirled around. Sakis stood directly behind her, his powerful and overwhelming physique shrinking the space to even smaller proportions. ‘I...sorry?’

His gaze flicked to the freshly made espresso and back to her face. ‘The coffee is ready and yet you’re staring at the machine as if you’re expecting a crystal ball to materialise alongside the beverage.’

‘Of course I wasn’t. I was just...’ She stopped, then with pursed lips picked up his cup and handed it to him. ‘I wasn’t that long, Mr Pantelides.’

His lips pursed at the use of his name but, now they were back in the work environment and back to being professional, he couldn’t exactly object.

Expecting him to move, her heartbeat escalated when he stayed put, blocking her escape back to her office. ‘Was there something else?’

His gaze dropped to her lips as he took a sip of his espresso. ‘Did you sleep well?’

Unwanted flames licked at the muscles clenching in her belly. She wanted to tell him that how she slept was none of his business. But she figured answering him would make him get out of her way faster. ‘I did. Thank you for asking.’

She waited. He didn’t move. ‘I didn’t,’ he rasped. ‘Last night was the worst night’s sleep I’ve had in a very long time.’

‘Oh... Um...’ She started to lick her lips, thought better of it and blew out a short breath instead. Seriously, she had to find a way to douse these supremely inconvenient flames that leapt inside her whenever he was near. ‘It’s been a stressful few days. It was bound to affect you in some way sooner or later.’

One corner of his mouth lifted. ‘Ne, I’m sure you’re right.’ Once again his gaze dragged over her mouth. The tingling of her lips almost made her rub her fingers over them, to do something to make it stop.

She clamped her hands round her middle instead. ‘Was there something else you needed?’

He threw back the rest of the hot espresso and placed the cup on the counter. Several seconds passed in silence then he heaved a sigh. ‘I’m...sorry if I frightened you last night. I didn’t mean to get so carried away.’

Brianna’s breath caught. ‘I wasn’t... You didn’t...’ She stopped speaking, her senses clamouring a warning as he stepped closer.

‘Then why did you look so scared? Has someone hurt you in the past?’

She meant to say no, to diffuse the highly inquisitive gleam in his eyes before it got out of hand. But... ‘Haven’t we all been hurt at some point by someone we trusted? Someone we thought loved us?’ Her stark answer hung in the air between them.

He paled a little, the lines bracketing his mouth deepening. ‘I hope I didn’t remind you of this person.’

‘Not any more than I reminded you of your father.’

Her breath caught in her chest as anguish etched into his face. Until two days ago, she’d only known him to display the utmost control when it came to matters of business. Except this wasn’t business. This was intensely private and intensely painful. Witnessing his raw pain made the ice surrounding her heart crack. Before she knew it, her hands were loosening and she was reaching for his arm. She stopped herself just in time. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up.’

His smile was grim as his fingers clawed through his hair. ‘Unfortunately, memories once resurrected aren’t easy to dismiss, no matter how inconvenient the timing.’

‘Is there ever a convenient time to dredge up past hurt?’ Pain ripped through her question.

He heard it and froze. Green eyes speared hers in a look so intense her heart stuttered. ‘Who hurt you, Brianna?’ he asked again softly.

Feeling herself floundering, she sagged against the counter for support. ‘I...this isn’t really a topic for the office.’

‘Who?’ he insisted.

‘You had problems with your father. Mine was with my mother.’ Her voice sounded reedy, fraught with the anguish raking through her.

His smile held no mirth. ‘Look at us: a pair of hopeless cases with mummy and daddy issues. Think what a field day psychologists would have with us.’

Not once in the past eighteen months had she believed she had anything in common with Sakis. But hearing his words brought a curious balm to her pain.

‘Maybe we should ask for a group discount?’ She attempted her own smile.

His eyes darkened then the pain slowly faded, to be replaced by another look, one she was becoming intimately familiar with. ‘Was there a reason you came looking for me?’ she asked a third time.

Sakis’s jaw tightened. ‘The investigators have confirmed there’s a connection between the crash and the takeover.’

‘Really?’

He nodded. ‘It’s highly suspect that a day after my tanker crashes Moorecroft Oil and Landers Petroleum make a bid for my company.’ He turned and headed back into his office. ‘Their timing was a little too precise for it to be opportunistic.’