Greek Mavericks: His Christmas Conquest. Cathy Williams

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СКАЧАТЬ and stared at him crossly.

      ‘Okay!’ He held up his hands and smiled crookedly at her. ‘But think about it, Sophie. Promise me you’ll think about it…’ At the door, he paused and turned to look at her. ‘I just think we’re both ready for a committed relationship. I know I am and, in a way, your financial situation just seems like fate putting us together. I could help you out and we could have a great life together.’

      ‘Robert…’

      He placed one finger over his mouth, willing her to be silent. ‘I’m going to be away for the next couple of weeks, anyway. Dad’s not very well, so I’m going to go up to give Mum a hand. I was going to leave it till the beginning of next week, but I’ll go tomorrow, give you time on your own to think about what I’ve asked…You know, Mum would love you…She’s desperate for some grandchildren. But, anyway, when I get back, maybe we could go out? Discuss things…?’

      He didn’t really give her time to answer that, which was just as well since Sophie, stunned into silence, couldn’t think of anything to say.

      She wondered how she could have missed all those signs that Theo seemed to have picked up after a couple of minutes. Robert’s mum wasn’t desperate—he was!

      She would have spent the rest of the evening worrying about that. Instead, paying a visit to Theo seemed less of a nightmare and more of a distraction from having to think about what Robert had said. She found herself heading directly to the cottage shortly after Robert had gone and she had locked up for the night.

      It was only when she glimpsed the glow of the lights that had been switched on that she faltered. Well, of course he was going to be in! Where else would he be likely to be? Now that she was here, the sickening thought, which she had conveniently sidelined, rose to the surface with monstrous ease—how was he going to react when he saw her? She hoped that he would follow her lead and pretend that nothing had happened, but what if he slammed the door in her face?

      Sophie knew with unerring instinct that she was not physically Theo’s type. She didn’t know why he had kissed her; maybe isolation had generated an irresistible urge and she had just happened to be around at the time. He had known that she would respond because what woman wouldn’t? The man was gorgeous. But he had realised his mistake almost as soon as he had committed it. Because she was no sex siren. She was just average Sophie Scott. Should she be grateful for Robert’s proposal? It had taken her unawares, but should she at least consider going out with him on a date? A real date? With possible commitment at the end of the road? Robert might not set her ablaze but at least he wouldn’t reject her with obvious insulting distaste after one kiss.

      From the small study, where Theo had been staring at his computer screen, willing it to work its usual magic and suck him in, he glanced up at the sound of the doorbell.

      The study was in an advantageous position. Since the house was very old, it was highly doubtful whether it had been specifically designed for the purpose, but the study permitted an unobscured angled view of the front door. From where Theo was sitting, and with the porch light shining directly down on to her, he could easily make out Sophie’s thoughtful expression.

      Instead of getting to his feet, Theo pushed himself back from the desk and continued to look at her, fingers steepled under his chin.

      He had known that she would come back. Sooner or later. If she hadn’t, then he would have sought her out under some pretext or other, but he was pleased that the necessity to do that hadn’t arisen. Active pursuit would not have sat quite right with him.

      But now…

      He wondered what she would think if she knew what was going through his head right now. After his performance a couple of days ago, chances were high that she would belt him. He had, he admitted, not behaved in a very gentlemanly manner. In fact, he had committed the ultimate sin as far as a woman was concerned—he had succumbed to a physical situation only to reel away in disgust, and Sophie would not have known that his disgust had been aimed at himself. She would have felt insulted and mortified. Especially as she had responded so eagerly to him.

      The doorbell rang again and he saw her stare upwards impatiently, one foot tapping, hands thrust into her coat pockets.

      With a little sigh, Theo stood up and headed out towards the front door.

      He took his time, giving himself an opportunity to talk himself out of his decision. The past three days had not been good for Theo. In fact, dealing with the long months of grieving had almost been easier. At least grief was a known quantity, an emotion he could understand and deal with accordingly. He could lose himself in reckless abandonment on the ski slopes and twice against the unforgiving face of a perpendicular cliff face. He could take financial risks and savour the illusion it gave him of being alive. Of course, in the end, he had always returned to his silent mourning but even that, he now acknowledged, had a quality of predictability about it.

      But succumbing to ten seconds of physical connection with another human being had catapulted Theo into a state of unacceptable confusion.

      For three days he hadn’t been able to concentrate. The dull background noise of his computer, once such a comforting sound, had thrown him into a mindless reverie in which he’d dwelled on the way her lips had felt as they had touched his, the feel of her soft skin crushed against his hard body, the sensation of his own body flaring out of control.

      It wasn’t going to do. Nor did he intend to dwell on it as a problem which had landed on his doorstep and lacked a solution. Every problem had a solution and every situation could be dealt with.

      He had dealt with Elena’s death and he could certainly deal with the sudden war raging now between his body and his brain.

      Theo had looked at the situation with the cold detachment of someone intent on analysing and staring down a dilemma.

      He had responded to the woman and he wasn’t a fool. He knew why. Removed from his normal environment, indeed from the routine of his life, he had behaved in a manner that was extraordinary given the iron control he had maintained over himself over the past year and a half. Without the eyes of the world upon him, he had broken away from his normal pattern of behaviour. This was excusable.

      But facing the reality of his motivation had done very little to staunch the surge of inappropriate lust he had felt every time he thought about her.

      That was something he was less certain about. Why her? There had been many a more enticing woman beckoning before and he had managed to ignore them all. Indeed, they had irritated the hell out of him. So why finally crack with someone like his landlady? A woman who was annoying, abrasive and not particularly headturning at that?

      Again he arrived at the conclusion that it was all to do with the circumstance in which he now found himself, far removed from the reality of London and his working life and with no links to anyone he personally knew. Freedom to behave how he wanted with the comforting blanket of anonymity around his shoulders.

      He was feeling for the first time in well over a year and Theo, recognising that with dispassionate honesty, treated the unforeseen situation in much the same way as he had dealt with the horror of Elena’s unpredictable death. He was a man of action and he would take action. If his body was telling him that it was finally stirring into life, then he would obey the demands of his body. The fact that the unlikely recipient of his awakening was a woman he would never have looked at twice before was in itself a good thing. There was no risk of entanglement. They were physically attracted to one another but beyond that there was nothing. She might even dislike him, strange though the concept СКАЧАТЬ