Greek Mavericks: For The Greek's Revenge. Tara Pammi

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СКАЧАТЬ spending more money on me!”

      Darius held up a twenty-carat diamond necklace with a critical eye. “You’re going to be my wife. Of course you need clothes.”

      “Those are diamonds.”

      He grinned. “Hard, sparkling clothes.”

      She harrumphed. “You’re wasting your money.”

      “So let me waste it. What do you care?” Lifting his eyebrow, he said mildly, “I seem to recall your saying you hate me. So why not make me suffer?”

      Why not indeed? Put that way, it didn’t sound so unreasonable. “You do have it coming.”

      Setting the necklace down, he looked at her with a heavily lidded gaze.

      “And I intend to take it.” Turning back to the jeweler, he nodded toward the diamond necklace. “Starting with that.”

      But though Darius insisted on buying her an entire wardrobe of fancy clothes, he was never satisfied by any of the ball gowns she tried on. Truth be told, even Letty thought most of them hideous. A hoop skirt on a baby bump? She looked like a cartoon hippo.

      In spite of Letty’s misgivings, the afternoon flew by in an irresistible whirlwind of small pleasures. Her new wardrobe wasn’t comprised of minimalist black and gray clothes as he had originally suggested, currently popular with chic society women, nor were they the plain, sensible, washing-machine-ready clothes she’d worn for the last ten years. No.

      Darius had watched her carefully as she’d tried on each outfit, and he seemed to notice the colors that made her face light up with joy. Bright, vivid jewel tones—emerald green, cerulean blue, fuchsia, ruby red—in impractical sensual fabrics like silk.

      “We’ll take it,” he would say immediately.

      Letty felt guilty revealing her own pleasure, but she couldn’t help herself. For so long, survival had been her only goal. She couldn’t remember the last time that her happiness had mattered to anyone, least of all her.

      But Darius treated her as if her happiness was actually the main goal.

      Because I carry his baby inside me, she told herself, as she changed her clothes yet again in a private dressing room.

      But his hot dark gaze had told her it was more than that. He didn’t just want custody over their baby.

      He wanted to possess Letty, too.

      You will sleep in my bed. Naked. Every single night.

      She shivered, then tried on yet another formal gown, this one made of a slinky knit fabric in a delicious shade of hot pink, her favorite color.

      The dress fell softly over her body. Reaching back, she couldn’t quite zip it all the way. She looked at herself in the mirror.

      The long stretchy gown fit perfectly over her pregnant body, curving over her full breasts and huge belly. She liked it, but weren’t pregnant women supposed to wear tent dresses?

      “I want to see,” Darius’s voice commanded outside the dressing room. She took a deep breath, then came out, her cheeks hot.

      “What do you think?” she said timidly.

      His expression said everything. He walked slowly around her, looking up and down her body in a way that made her shiver inside.

      “That,” he said softly, “is the dress.”

      She bit her lip. “I’m afraid it’s too formfitting...”

      “It’s perfect.”

      “I couldn’t zip it all the way up...”

      Drawing close, he wrapped his arms around her. She felt his arms brush against her body as he pulled on the zipper. His eyes never left hers as he towered over her, so close. He made her breathless.

      A hint of a smile lifted the edges of his cruel, sensual mouth. He cupped her cheek, then stroked down her throat. “The necklace will be perfect here. Against your skin.”

      Looking down, she realized how low cut the gown was. Her cheeks went redder. “I shouldn’t wear this.”

      “Why?”

      “It’s too revealing. Everyone will stare.”

      “They will stare regardless.”

      “Because I’m the daughter of a criminal.”

      “Because you’re an incredibly beautiful woman.”

      At his soft words, Letty’s throat suddenly hurt. “You don’t realize how much they hate me.” Her eyes stung as she pushed away. “When they see me...it’ll be like dropping raw meat in a shark tank. And the more they notice me, the more they’ll rip me apart.” She took a deep breath, tried to smile. “I sound like I’m complaining. I’m not. I can handle it. I’m used to it. But...”

      “But what?”

      She looked down at the floor.

      “Letty?”

      She said in a small voice, “I don’t want them to say rude things about you at your own party. And they will if I’m your date.”

      Reaching out, he lifted her chin. “I can take care of myself, agape mou,” he said in a low voice. “When will you learn that?”

      His dark gaze fell to her mouth, and Letty’s whole body tightened as, for a moment, she wondered if he was going to kiss her, right there in the luxurious store. For a wild moment, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

      He turned to the nearest salesgirl. “We’ll take this dress. Wrap it up. We need shoes to match.”

      Letty tried on ten pairs before she found stiletto heels that made her gasp at their outrageous beauty.

      “Those,” Darius said, looking at Letty’s face.

      “No, I couldn’t possibly. They’re too impractical. I’ll never wear them again!” She looked doubtfully at her feet, wobbling in the high heels. “I’m not even sure I can wear them now.”

      But even as she protested, she couldn’t look away from the beautiful shoes, which were encrusted with glittery pink crystals and had a red sole.

      “We’ll take them,” he told the salesgirl firmly.

      Though they pinched Letty’s toes and made her wobble ever so slightly, she was filled with joy as she sat down and handed the precious pink crystal stilettos to the salesgirl. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had anything so outrageous, just because of their beauty. And their cost! She was trying not to think about owning shoes worth three months’ rent. And when would she ever wear them again? Working as a waitress? Going to the grocery store?

      It was wicked, letting him buy her these shoes. Letting him buy her so many things, when after tonight, he’d likely never want to see her again.

      She СКАЧАТЬ