The Greek Wedding She Never Had, page 9
Jace was standing with the mayor, who was to conduct the wedding ceremony. But Eleanor only saw the enigmatic man she was about to marry, and her pulse quickened when she recognised the gleam of desire in his eyes as he watched her approach him. Jace looked impossibly handsome in a navy-blue suit that screamed designer. The superbly tailored jacket emphasised the width of his shoulders and Eleanor’s breath left her in a rush as she pictured his naked, muscular chest beneath his white silk shirt.
Trying to ignore the voice in her head that whispered, If only this was real, she stood beside Jace while the mayor spoke the words of the civil ceremony, which was much shorter than a traditional Greek church wedding. Before she could blink, it seemed, the mayor pronounced them husband and wife.
Eleanor stared down at the gold band Jace had slipped onto her finger and tensed at the realisation of what the wedding ring represented. She was legally bound to him for the next few months. She glanced over at his mother, who seemed to grow frailer every day. Iliana was smiling and clearly delighted to see her son finally married.
But then Jace lowered his head and every thought flew from Eleanor’s mind when he brushed his lips across hers. There had barely been any physical contact between them since he’d kissed her on the night of the storm, more than a month ago. A few times his arm had brushed against hers when they had been walking next to each other and once, when she had been chatting to his mother, Jace had sat down on the sofa beside her and casually looped his arm around her shoulders. She had been excruciatingly aware of the hardness of his thigh pressed up against her.
Now Eleanor’s heart pounded as he dipped his tongue into her mouth and the kiss became intensely sensual. Her senses went haywire when she smelled his spicy cologne and heard his low groan as her lips parted beneath his passionate onslaught. She clutched his jacket and felt the warmth of his body through the material. The taste of him lingered on her lips when he eventually lifted his head, and the predatory gleam in his dark eyes sent a quiver of longing through her.
But then he stepped away from her and she snatched her hand from his chest, her cheeks reddening when Jace said softly, ‘I’m looking forward to being alone with you later, omorfiá mou, but first we have to get through the reception.’
A marquee in the garden at his house provided seating for the fifty guests, most of whom Eleanor had not met before. A few were business colleagues. Many of Jace’s friends were entrepreneurs like him, successful men who worked and played hard. Some had glamorous wives and others, like Takis Samaras, were lone wolves who had no desire to settle down.
Jace had been the leader of the wolf pack, Eleanor surmised. During the wedding dinner she was aware that several women sent him overt or even quite blatant glances. The idea that the sophisticated socialites were his ex-mistresses, or they were candidates for the position, evoked a corrosive burn in the pit of her stomach which she assured herself was not jealousy. She discovered that drinking a glass of champagne made her feel less tense, and by her third, or possibly her fourth glass, she really didn’t care if Jace had a different mistress for every day of the week.
When dusk fell the garden was illuminated by hundreds of fairy lights that danced in the faint breeze like golden fireflies. The air was filled with the scents of jasmine and orange blossom and fragrant roses that had been twined around the supporting pillars of the marquee.
The wedding was everything Eleanor had dreamed of when she had been in love with Jace, but it was all fake and she was suddenly tired of trying to keep up the pretence. Her jaw ached from smiling, she had a thumping headache and she was desperately thirsty. But when she beckoned to a waiter and reached for another glass of champagne from the tray, darkly tanned fingers closed around her wrist and pulled her hand down.
‘I think you have had enough alcohol.’ Jace’s gravelly voice made Eleanor’s stomach muscles tighten. He sent the waiter to bring her a glass of water. When they were alone she glared at him.
‘Have you been keeping tabs on how much champagne I’ve drunk?’
‘No, but I noticed you didn’t eat much at dinner, and it’s never a good idea to drink on an empty stomach.’
‘You’re not my keeper.’ She hugged her arms around her, fighting an urge to wrap them around his waist and rest her head on his big chest. Guests were starting to leave at the end of the reception and soon she and Jace would be alone. She felt vulnerable and out of her depth.
‘I am your husband.’ The possessiveness in his voice made her temper flare.
‘That doesn’t mean you can tell me how to live my life. Or were you planning to keep me barefoot and pregnant during our temporary marriage?’ she asked sarcastically.
His eyes narrowed. ‘If you were to conceive my baby, our marriage would not be temporary. I believe strongly that a child deserves to grow up with both its parents.’
Eleanor was startled by the intensity in his voice. ‘Fortunately, there’s not a chance that I’ll fall pregnant by you,’ she muttered, glad of the darkness that hid her hot cheeks as she thought of the contraceptive pills she’d been prescribed by her GP before she’d left Oxford. It wasn’t that she planned to sleep with Jace, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Eleanor heard her sister calling her name and was thankful for the excuse to hurry away from Jace. In truth, she did feel a bit light-headed and it was probably a good thing she hadn’t drunk another glass of champagne, but she resented him treating her like a child. Inexplicably, tears stung her eyes. Her wedding day was over, and she was on her way up to bed on her own. She would have to ask Lissa to unbutton her dress with the excuse that she wanted to change into the sexy nightgown her sister had persuaded her to buy.
‘I just wanted to say goodbye and good luck,’ Lissa said when Eleanor met her on the terrace. ‘I’ve managed to persuade Takis to give me a lift to the Pangalos. It turns out that he is staying at the hotel too.’ She glanced over at the devilishly attractive man with jet-black hair and an unsmiling face. ‘So far, he hasn’t reacted to my subtle hints that I fancy him, but it’s a two-hour drive to Sithonia and, fingers crossed, he’ll stop playing hard to get.’ She hugged Eleanor. ‘I’ve got to go.’
‘Just a minute...’ Eleanor began, then sighed as she watched her sister scoot after Takis. She continued into the house and at the top of the stairs she walked along the corridor to the room she had been given when she’d arrived from England. It was connected to the master bedroom but the door between the rooms could be bolted from her side. Jace had said that for their marriage to be believable they must appear to sleep together.
Ten minutes later, her arms aching from reaching behind her back to try and undo the fiddly buttons on her dress, Eleanor conceded defeat. She spun round when the connecting door opened and Jace lounged in the doorway.
‘I thought the door was locked,’ she said in a breathless voice quite unlike her own. ‘I usually check it, but I forgot tonight.’
‘Perhaps one of the staff unlocked it. Or perhaps you left it unlocked on purpose,’ he drawled.
‘I assure you I didn’t.’
He strolled further into her room. ‘So you say, but your body is sending out a different message, pouláki mou.’
‘Don’t call me that. It’s unflattering.’
‘It’s not meant to be.’
‘You think I am a drab sparrow.’ She took a step backwards and banged her hip on the corner of the dressing table.
Jace shook his head as he came closer. He had discarded his jacket and tie and the sleeves of his shirt were pushed up to his elbows. Wiry black chest hairs and an expanse of olive-tanned skin were visible where the top of his shirt was open. Eleanor hated how her heart leapt when his mouth curved upwards in a meltingly sexy smile.
‘I think you are beautiful. When I saw you in your wedding dress you blew my mind,’ he said gruffly.
‘Stop right there.’ Eleanor held out her hand to ward him off. She had been down this path once before, and she was determined not to fall for his husky voice and the seductive gleam in his dark eyes. ‘You said you wouldn’t force me to sleep with you.’
‘Theé mou!’ he exploded. ‘Of course not. Do you really think that of me?’ His jaw clenched. ‘No, don’t answer. I have a feeling I won’t like your reply.’
He raked his hand through his hair. ‘I wanted to thank you for marrying me and making my mother the happiest I can remember seeing her. She learned a few days ago that the treatment for her cancer has been unsuccessful, and there are no more options. It’s simply a matter of time now.’
‘I’m so sorry to hear that.’ Eleanor bit her lip. ‘But I feel terrible for lying to your mother, and my sister, and everyone who came to our wedding and wished us well, unaware that our marriage is a...a farce.’
‘Is it?’ Jace murmured. Somehow, he had moved without her realising and he was too close and yet not close enough.
‘What else can it be?’ she asked helplessly, mesmerised by his potent masculinity.
‘Whatever we want it to be.’ He slipped his hand beneath her chin and tilted her face. She felt as if she were drowning in his liquid gaze and her lips parted of their own volition when he brushed his mouth over hers in a featherlight caress. He kissed her again, taking little sips of her lips, tantalising, teasing. Not enough.
‘This is not a lie. Our desire for each other is real and we are both enslaved by it,’ he growled, his warm breath grazing her cheek before he kissed his way down her neck to the edge of her wedding dress.
CHAPTER SIX
JACE TURNED HER in his arms so that he was standing behind her and pushed her hair aside to gently nip her earlobe with his teeth, sending starbursts of sensation shooting through her. His chest rumbled as he made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a groan. ‘That’s a lot of buttons. I’ll try to be patient while I undo them.’
His words chilled Eleanor’s blood. If he unfastened her dress he would see her scar. His hands moved from her shoulders and she felt him release the top button. ‘No.’ She was galvanised to action and jerked away from him. ‘I don’t want you...’
He stared at her and sounded puzzled rather than frustrated by her apparent change of heart. ‘I would never do anything you did not want. But I know you want me, Eleanor.’ His Greek accent was thick when he spoke her name.
She shook her head and the room whirled alarmingly. ‘I don’t... I don’t feel very well.’ Her stomach churned, and she gasped and fled into the en suite bathroom, just managing to turn the key in the lock before she leaned over the basin and was horribly sick.
When she’d finished and had brushed her teeth, Eleanor grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was as white as her wedding dress and her mascara was smudged, making her look like a panda. But she couldn’t stay in the bathroom all night. As she stepped into the bedroom Jace came towards her carrying a glass of water and a plate.
‘I had one of the staff bring you a sandwich.’ He frowned when she shuddered. ‘You need to eat something. How many glasses of champagne did you drink today?’
‘I lost count,’ she admitted. ‘I didn’t notice its effect while I was talking to the guests, but now I feel terrible.’
‘I should have realised,’ Jace said shortly. ‘You are my wife and I am responsible for your welfare.’
His words sparked Eleanor’s temper. ‘I don’t want to be a responsibility. I’m not a child.’
‘You act like one sometimes. Why did you run away in Paris instead of talking to me and having an adult discussion about what you had overheard me say on the phone?’
‘You told Takis that your engagement to me was not a love match. What was there to discuss?’ Hurt throbbed in her voice. She lifted her hand to her pounding head. ‘Why is the room spinning?’
‘You feel dizzy because too much alcohol in your blood can affect your balance. The best thing will be to go to bed, but you can’t sleep in your dress. If you don’t want me to take it off, I’ll call a maid to come and help you.’
Eleanor was tempted to take the coward’s way out. To delay the inevitable. She was sure that when Jace saw her scar his desire for her would cool rapidly from fiery hot to cold ashes. But perhaps it was better this way. He had said she was beautiful, but he would discover the truth and then they could continue with their marriage as planned—a business arrangement, nothing more.
‘Let’s get this over with,’ she muttered, turning around so that she was facing the dressing table.
‘I’ve had more encouraging invitations,’ he said drily.
‘I don’t doubt it.’ She remembered a stunning brunette at the wedding who had introduced herself as a member of Jace’s finance team. Angeliki had made it clear she hoped for a more personal role in his life.
‘Hold your hair up.’ Jace’s breath felt warm on her neck when she obeyed. She felt his fingers at the top of her dress as he worked on the buttons. Lower and lower he went, and now she was aware of the two sides of the bodice separating to reveal...
His breath hissed between his teeth. He did not say a word, but she saw his shocked expression in the mirror. Tears welled in Eleanor’s eyes, but she forced herself to stand unmoving while he continued to open her dress down to her waist.
‘Now you know,’ she choked. ‘I’m hideous.’
‘No...’
‘Yes!’ She jerked away from him. ‘You don’t have to pretend that you’re not horrified by my scar. I saw your face in the mirror. You think I’m repulsive.’ Tears streamed down her face and her shoulders shook with the force of her sobs. This was the moment she had dreaded. Jace’s shocked silence hurt.
‘You can have any woman you want. Beautiful, perfect women with unblemished bodies. Why on earth would you want me?’ She gulped air into her lungs. Her close-fitting wedding dress was constricting, and its beauty mocked her. ‘Go away, Jace,’ she whispered brokenly.
* * *
‘I’m not going anywhere, matia mou.’ Jace kept his voice unemotional, recognising that Eleanor’s emotions were on a knife-edge. He could not deny he’d been shocked when he had uncovered her scar. But repulsed? Never. His insides twisted as he remembered the pain in her voice when she’d insisted that her scar made her ugly.
He had been rendered breathless by her loveliness at his first sight of her wearing her bridal gown. In the run up to the wedding he had been constantly aware of her. She had obviously followed his advice that she would need a new wardrobe for when they were married, although she’d refused to allow him to pay for her clothes. But seeing her in sexy outfits which showed off her fantastic figure had ratcheted up his desire.
The nights had been worse, knowing that she was in bed in the room adjoining his. Knowing too that the desire that made his body ache was mutual. Chemistry had simmered between them and his libido had been eagerly anticipating their wedding night.
Jace hadn’t realised that Eleanor had drunk way too much champagne at the reception, and he guessed she was unused to drinking a lot of alcohol. He felt a tug in his chest as he stared at her tear-stained face. ‘You can barely stand upright,’ he said softly. ‘Let’s get you into bed. Where do you keep your nightwear?’
She pointed to a drawer and he opened it and pulled out a wisp of black silk. Colour stormed into her face when he held up the seductive negligee. ‘Not that one, obviously,’ she muttered.
‘Why obviously?’
‘A sexy nightdress won’t change what I am.’
‘And what do you think you are?’
‘Disfigured. That’s what a boyfriend called me when he saw my back.’ She rubbed her hand across her face. ‘Tony was in the sixth form at school. I’d fancied him for ages, and I couldn’t believe it when he asked me out. We went on a couple of dates and he seemed to really like me.’
Her voice dropped so low that Jace had to strain to hear her. ‘We went to a pool party at another friend’s house. I felt nervous about wearing a bikini, but everyone was having fun in the pool...so I took my shirt off. When Tony saw my scar, he said it...it was disgusting. In front of all my friends he told me to put my shirt back on because my scar was repulsive.’
Jace swore. ‘The guy was a crass idiot. I assume you broke off your relationship after he was so insensitive?’
‘He dumped me right there at the party,’ she said flatly. ‘I felt so embarrassed. But he was right. My scar is an ugly disfigurement, which is why I keep it covered up.’
A red mist obliterated every thought in Jace’s head as rage pumped through him and he clenched his fists. The one and only time he’d resorted to physical violence to defend his best friend had resulted in him being sent to prison. But he would willingly serve a life sentence if he could spend five minutes with the young punk who had cruelly destroyed Eleanor’s self-confidence. Jace was taken aback by a feeling of protectiveness that he had never experienced before.
‘You wore a high-neck swimming costume on the cruise around the northern islands.’ He remembered she had looked wistfully at some colourful bikinis in a street market on Lemnos, but she’d refused his offer to buy one for her.
She nodded. ‘I was flattered by your attention. You made me feel attractive, but I was afraid you would be put off by my scar.’
It was little wonder that Eleanor had fled from his hotel room in Paris after she’d overheard him tell Takis why he had asked her to be his wife, Jace acknowledged grimly. She had already suffered with low self-esteem and his behaviour must have felt like a betrayal. Guilt left a bitter taste in his mouth. He looked away from her vulnerable expression and took an oversized tee shirt out of the drawer.
She held out her hand for the shirt. ‘Will you please turn around?’
Jace forbore from mentioning that he had seen her naked breasts before. He crossed the room and drew back the bedcovers, ready for Eleanor to climb into bed. She groaned as she lay back against the pillows.
