The Greek's Forbidden Innocent Read online

  Not only that. Carter remembered Alexei’s admission that since he’d never have a love match, he’d settle for marriage based on respect and common goals. Carter had tried to exploit that. Last week, before his embezzlement was uncovered, he’d suggested Alexei consider marrying his daughter. He’d described her as beautiful, gentle and generous, if impractical at building a career.

  Alexei gritted his teeth. Clearly she wasn’t impractical enough to resist the lure of marriage to a billionaire.

  ‘So, Carissa,’ he drawled. ‘You’re not in favour of marriage without love, but here you are on my private island. Why?’

  She curled her fingers into the arms of her chair, discomfited. Then she shrugged, the movement making those lush breasts jiggle. ‘I didn’t say I’m not in favour of it. But I like to know where I stand, hence my questions.’

  Alexei sat forward. ‘Where do you stand, Carissa? Do you want to marry me and have my babies?’

  Strange how saying it jolted heat through his belly. At the thought of Carissa in his bed. He had no trouble imagining that lissom body beneath his or astride it or against the wall of the shower as he took her with the water streaming over them. As for her pregnant with his baby—Alexei was stunned by the heavy whump of desire that slammed into him.

  Carissa Carter was lovely to look at but far from the most beautiful woman he’d met. She was mouthy and opinionated, avaricious enough to marry a stranger for money. Yet, after knowing her mere hours, Alexei wanted her in his bed.

  Had his wits taken a hike?

  She sat back in her seat, taking time to recross her legs. Was the seat uncomfortable, or was she nervous?

  More likely she was employing the not-so-subtle means of drawing his attention to her stunning legs.

  Did she think he’d be so mesmerised she could manipulate him when they negotiated a prenuptial agreement?

  ‘The jury’s still out, Alexei. Surely you don’t expect me to make up my mind within a couple of hours of meeting you.’

  He applauded her aplomb. Her answer was designed to buy her time, and improve her bargaining position, making him more eager to seal the deal. It worked. Though there was no marriage contract to seal, Alexei felt his interest quicken. He’d always found it hard to resist a challenge.

  ‘What if I don’t want to wait?’

  Her dark eyebrows arched. ‘Then perhaps I’m not the woman you need. I’m happy to return to Paris...’ She let the words hang but shuffled forward in her seat as if ready to get up and go right then and there.

  As if he’d let her go! She was his bargaining chip. The reason Ralph Carter would believe it safe to come out of hiding.

  If Carter baulked at showing himself, there were other possibilities. The man doted on Carissa. All Alexei had to do was suggest he’d make the daughter pay for her father’s sins, in his bed, since she didn’t have money, and Carter would come running to her rescue.

  ‘No. You’ll stay here, where we can get to know each other better.’

  Did he imagine she tensed? Then she shrugged and the illusion vanished. ‘That sounds ideal. I’m sure neither of us want to make a mistake on such a significant...’

  ‘Merger?’

  Fascinated, Alexei watched the faintest tinge of pink colour her cheeks. Was she thinking, as he was, of their bodies merging in the most intimate of ways?

  ‘Decision.’ Carissa’s voice was crisp. She reached out and took a bread stick from the platter, broke it in half and crunched.

  Alexei suppressed a laugh and reached for a piece of Marie’s fried chicken. The delicious aroma made him inhale appreciatively.

  ‘I look forward to getting to know you better, Carissa. And as for the question of starting a family immediately—’ her eyes locked on his ‘—we can negotiate.’

  She inclined her head slightly, the picture of cool condescension.

  Which made Alexei want to ruffle her composure all the more. The urge to reach out to her made his fingers tingle but he refused to follow through. No matter how enjoyable that would be, he needed to keep his eye on the main game.

  It was almost a shame that this was all a front. He’d enjoy negotiating with Carissa over sex. Perhaps he would see if she was interested in an affair when this was over.

  Except by then her father would be ruined and in prison. It was unlikely she’d want anything to do with Alexei after that.

  Reluctantly Alexei decided the best thing for now was to keep things low-key. He’d treat her as a guest rather than a prospective bride. He didn’t need the complications that would follow if he acted on this attraction.

  * * *

  ‘When you’ve finished eating, I’ll show you around.’

  Mina enjoyed Alexei’s voice, she realised. Its deep, suede quality was compelling. Worse, it weakened her, as if he brushed her flesh with plush fur that invited her to arch against it. There was his accent too. His English was crisp enough to prove it wasn’t his first language; he had rich, round vowels, and the occasional soft consonant gave his voice a seductive quality.

  Or perhaps he did that deliberately. He’d been toying with her, occasionally flirting as they spoke.

  To see how she responded? Or because that was the nature of the man?

  All she knew for sure was that Carissa had had a lucky escape. She’d have been miserable with Alexei, a man who viewed finding a wife as a matter of efficiency, and no doubt the woman herself as a possession!

  It would do him good to discover she wasn’t a chattel to be acquired so easily.

  ‘That sounds marvellous. But please, don’t let me keep you from your work. I can find my own way.’

  Mina selected a skewer of tropical fruit and settled further into her seat, taking her time. She wasn’t going to jump to his bidding.

  ‘And neglect you?’ He shook his head and a lock of dark hair tumbled over his brow, making him look more like a beachcomber than a business tycoon.

  Mina’s gaze strayed towards his unbuttoned shirt and the display of taut, packed muscle. She tried not to stare but it became tougher by the second. Why didn’t he do up his shirt? Did he think himself so sexy he had to flaunt himself? That she wouldn’t be able to resist him?

  The idea was laughable. Yet Mina admitted the sight of his powerful frame set tremors running deep inside her.

  She’d seen plenty of men wearing less than he did. She’d drawn nudes, even sculpted them, yet this was different. She felt different as she slanted a look at all that unvarnished masculinity. Not like an artist with an eye for angle and perspective. But like a woman.

  There was a curious buzz in her bloodstream and her breath seemed far too shallow. The feeling was somehow both enervating and exhilarating.

  Mina met his remarkable eyes. Malachite or tourmaline? The green was as deep as a fathomless ocean and just as unreadable. Beautiful yet dangerous. Like ocean depths where an unwary diver might be lured to disaster.

  Setting her jaw, she put down her food and stood up. She reminded herself she was pragmatic, not fanciful, despite her creative nature.

  ‘I’d love a tour, if you have time.’ Anything was better than sitting, trying not to ogle a man she didn’t even like.

  The tour proved fascinating. More so than she’d anticipated. Alexei showed her the main rooms in his sprawling villa. Big, airy spaces that invited you to relax. And despite the presence of some stunning pieces of art that made Mina desperate to return for a longer study, the place didn’t feel ostentatious, like a rich man’s showpiece. It was luxurious but, above all, comfortable. Mina could imagine living here.

  Nor did Alexei insist on a detailed tour of every designer detail. A wave of the arm indicated the cinema. Another incorporated his private wing. Then guest suites, gym and so on. As they passed outside, Alexei swept up two broad-brimmed hats and passed her one.

  ‘It’s easy to get
sunburned.’

  Mina didn’t argue. She had a healthy respect for the power of the sun. In her country everyone covered up to shelter from its rays. Casting him a glance, she realised he looked more like a beachcomber than ever. An incredibly fit, sexy beachcomber who clearly didn’t spend all his time lolling in a hammock with a cold beer.

  They passed through a lush garden, with more sculptures she promised herself she’d come back to. Then they were out on a white sand beach, where small waves shushed ashore with the regularity of a heartbeat. There were no footprints on the sand. No other houses, only water and the birds in the trees and the warmth of the sun on her body.

  It was paradise.

  Mina dragged in a deep breath, rich with the tang of the sea, and sighed. How long had it been since she’d spent time away from crowds and cars? Not since her last visit to Jeirut. There she’d been rejuvenated by the rough majesty of the arid mountains, the sparkling clean air with its unique fragrance and the quality of the light that was unlike anything else.

  ‘This is glorious.’

  ‘I think so. There aren’t many places like it.’

  ‘With no neighbours?’ She scanned the opposite end of the beach, seeing only the rise of a headland covered in a tangle of green forest.

  ‘Partly that. But the island itself is pretty unique. It was never cleared for farming so a lot of the natural forest is left. Its conservation value is tremendous, especially for several species of endangered birds.’

  Mina swung around to discover Alexei surveying her rather than their surroundings. She wasn’t used to being the centre of attention, not since she’d given up her royal duties in Jeirut and disappeared into her life in Paris. Yet it wasn’t just the fact Alexei watched her, it was the intensity of his regard. As if he were the artist and she a model.

  ‘What are your plans for the island?’

  ‘Plans?’

  Mina turned back to the stretch of white sand, imagining it lined with buildings and an oversized marina. ‘Ecotourism or some other sort of development?’

  ‘You assume I’m going to develop it?’ Something in his voice snagged her attention and she looked up at him. His gaze was shadowed by the brim of his hat and unreadable.

  ‘You’re a businessman. Anyone with commercial sense would see it has enormous money-making potential.’

  ‘Is that what you see?’ His voice dipped to a gravelly note that made her skin shiver.

  Mina shook her head and tried to repress regret at the thought of it transformed into a busy holiday resort. ‘I can see it, yes.’

  ‘But you don’t approve.’ Had he read her so easily?

  She shrugged. ‘Not all progress is an improvement.’ Her gaze took in the forest and a flash of bright colour as some small bird curvetted into the blue sky before disappearing again into the green.

  ‘I agree.’

  Mina started and swung back. ‘You do?’

  ‘Why so surprised? Even businessmen can appreciate beauty when they see it.’

  Not all businessmen. Mina had met enough, so wrapped up in building more wealth or power, who never considered the impact of their actions on others or the environment.

  At fifteen she’d had a stand-up argument with her father about a development proposal for the foothills near the capital. The scheme would bring short-term jobs but most profits would go offshore and the environmental damage would be catastrophic. In the end the plan was modified. It was one of the few times her father had been swayed. A local company had won the contract in a compromise between development and conservation. Now that area attracted tourists, drawn by the natural beauty and nearby facilities.

  ‘Carissa?’

  ‘Sorry.’ She blinked and focused, reading the lines around his mouth that spoke of disapproval. ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I asked what you have against businessmen.’

  ‘Nothing.’ Just selfish rich guys who expected others to dance to their tune. Yet the vibe she got now from Alexei was a million miles away from that.

  That intrigued her. Standing with the ocean lapping near their feet and Alexei’s dark gaze heavy as a touch, Mina felt something new shiver through her. More than sexual awareness. More than impatience and indignation. Something that spread warmth and niggled at her protective, no, her combative attitude.

  ‘So you’re not going to change the place?’ It seemed too good to be true.

  ‘Oh, there’ll be changes.’ He waved his hand in an encompassing gesture.

  Disappointment was sour on Mina’s tongue. Why had she allowed herself to think otherwise? ‘Such as?’

  ‘Some cabins near the landing strip for visiting scientists and a small research facility.’ Mina looked up and caught his fleeting smile. ‘That’s all.’

  He’d deliberately led her on, and she’d fallen for it, because she was primed to believe the worst of him. And he’d guessed. Yet instead of taking offence, he was amused.

  She hated to admit it but Alexei Katsaros threw her off balance. He was arrogant and annoying but he was perceptive and had a lighter, warmer side. Plus he valued this pristine environment as it was.

  ‘Truly?’

  ‘Truly. I spent my teens in a crowded city. Believe me, I realise how special this place is.’ A slow smile curled his mouth and Mina felt the same curl etch a scrawl of heat deep inside. ‘Now, how about I show you the spot where the turtles come in to lay their eggs?’

  Silently Mina nodded. Then, following his example, took off her sandals, her feet sinking into fine, damp sand.

  Because of Carissa, Mina and Alexei Katsaros were on opposing sides. When he discovered her deception he’d be livid. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down. Yet spending time learning about him could only be to her advantage and Carissa’s, couldn’t it?

  An inner voice warned Mina she was playing with fire. She should make an excuse and go back to her room.

  But Mina had always been fascinated by fire and playing safe had never seemed so unappealing.

  CHAPTER SIX

  MINA’S HAND MOVED swiftly over the sketchpad, but her thoughts focused on the role she played. She should end this farce now.

  She wouldn’t betray Carissa and leave her prey to Alexei. Yet, with each hour, Mina grew more desperate. After two days on his island, the atmosphere grew thicker, more intense. He’d kept his distance physically but that only accentuated her catastrophic response to him.

  As if it had a mind of its own, her body woke in his presence. The symptoms were depressingly irrefutable. Budding nipples, a surge of heat that threatened to flood her cheeks and flickered like wildfire in her veins. Butterflies the size of circling vultures in her stomach and a heavy, pulsing throb between her legs.

  Sexual interest.

  She could view it clinically. The trouble was that when they were together Mina felt anything but clinical detachment.

  Frowning, she stared at her less-than-impressive sketch, then shoved it over the spiral spine of her drawing book to start afresh.

  To make matters worse was Carissa’s news, received via text. The elopement was delayed. Pierre was still in the USA, finishing negotiations on the tricky deal that he hoped would cement his professional success. Despite Carissa’s pleas he was determined to stick it out, saying their future hinged on it. Mina sympathised. If his family disowned him for making a marriage they didn’t approve, one of the pair needed a steady income. Carissa was talented but only starting her commercial design business.

  Which meant Mina was stuck here for at least a couple more days, pretending to be someone else. Pretending to be impervious to Alexei. The strain was unbearable.

  No other man had got under her skin like this. Just the mellow sound of his rare laugh or the deliberately confrontational twitch of one black eyebrow and her pulse revved out of control. Fortunately he never got close enough to to
uch. Despite those daydreams where he touched her in the most delicious, disturbing ways.

  Mina set her chin and tried to focus on her drawing. She had work to do. An exhibition to prepare for. She couldn’t sit in the Caribbean twiddling her thumbs. She needed...

  Her hand stilled. There was a way out. Why hadn’t she seen it?

  Probably because her head was too skewed by thoughts of Alexei Katsaros.

  Mina had accepted Carissa’s assumption that her father’s job would suffer if the marriage fell through. But surely it must fall through. Once Carissa was married to Pierre there’d be no question of a match with Alexei.

  Besides, though Alexei could be daunting and demanding, the last couple of days had revealed another side to him. His manner with Marie and Henri indicated a man far more approachable and likeable than she’d imagined. A man who didn’t expect to be treated as a superior being because he paid their wages. A man who could be surprisingly considerate.

  He wasn’t the complete ogre Carissa had imagined.

  If Carissa, or, more accurately, Mina, were to say she couldn’t go through with an arranged marriage, he’d have to respect that.

  Mina blinked down at the half-formed sketch as she ran through the scenario in her mind. All she needed to do was say she’d considered but decided against the match. She’d be free to return to Paris, her work and her routine.

  Funny how the thought didn’t fill her with relief or anticipation.

  Instead, Mina felt a pang of regret at the idea of leaving the island. And Alexei.

  Her pencil dropped to roll unchecked across the paper. Mina blinked as it described a half circle on the page.

  Was she serious?

  Alexei Katsaros?

  She huffed out a fierce breath. But it did no good to tell herself she didn’t like big, bold, bossy men whose dark eyes twinkled with amusement just when she was about to explode with indignation.