Mediterranean Seduction. Кэрол Мортимер

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       CHAPTER TEN

      MAYBE she was just being ridiculous, Charlotte told herself as they strolled back to the villa. Perhaps Iannis just liked nice things. Perhaps he had come into money. Perhaps the expensive accessories she had seen lying around were gifts from a grateful lover.

      The last thought made her so angry she had to stop thinking altogether for a few moments.

      She told herself that her suspicions were the product of an overactive imagination. Yes, he could be warm, and witty, and he had a breadth of knowledge she found stimulating—but there was a library on Iskos, as well as television and radio, and doubtless the village school was very good.

      The deserted villa was all in darkness, and rose like a milky-white spectre amidst a gathering circle of trees. Could he really leave her alone in such a place?

      Iannis was already answering his own question as his keen gaze raked the shadows.

      Had he lost his appetite for revenge? he mused, steadying Charlotte as she stumbled in the darkness. He wanted to believe she was misguided rather than bad. Surely the fallout from her invasion into his privacy could be dealt with? And, not only that, she would be out of his life for good in a couple of days.

      When she gave a soft cry and stumbled again, with a sound of impatience he swung her into his arms.

      ‘I’m perfectly capable of walking—’

      ‘I’m sure you are. But this is easier. I have to be at work early in the morning, so I need to get to bed. I’ve no time for detours to the hospital if you twist your ankle.’

      ‘You’re too kind,’ Charlotte commented wryly.

      ‘Aren’t I?’ Iannis countered, matching her provocative tone.

      When they reached the door he set her down and held out his hand for the key. Opening the door, he stood back to let her pass and then followed her inside.

      ‘Are you sure you don’t get nervous when you’re here on your own?’ he said, his voice echoing around the empty hall.

      ‘Not really,’ Charlotte admitted as she went ahead of him to switch on the lights. ‘Staying on my own at the villa has been good for me. Sometimes it’s important to have time on your own—thinking time. Do you know what I mean?’

      Iannis refrained from answering, just eased his shoulders in a shrug as he leaned back against the door.

      ‘Come in. Close the door,’ Charlotte said. ‘I just have to check something—do you mind?’

      And what if I do? Iannis thought, irritation rising inside him as he guessed what she was about to do.

      Charlotte glanced towards the kitchen door, knowing her responsibilities lay behind it. She was keen to log on, to see if there had been any reaction yet to the first draft of her article. She would offer him a drink—distract him…

      Iannis watched her head straight for the scrubbed pine table where she had left her laptop. His gaze mapped out everything—the Internet connection leading from the telephone box on the wall, her notepad, and the neat stack of printed sheets.

      ‘I won’t be long,’ Charlotte said as she flashed him a smile.

      ‘No problem—why don’t I wait for you outside on the veranda?’ Something held him back from staying close by. Let her have enough rope to hang herself, Iannis thought bitterly as he moved towards the outer doors.

      ‘I’ll bring a nightcap outside for us when I’ve finished,’ Charlotte called after him. ‘I’ll only be a couple of minutes.’

      ‘No hurry,’ Iannis murmured. How true. He was in no hurry to read her eyes and see what the reaction had been to the work she had completed.

      He could have predicted that it would be foremost in her mind when she got back, he realised, making himself comfortable on one of the outdoor chairs. And yet, he had delayed his departure in order to have one last night with her. Their relationship was beginning to show some unfortunate similarities to a tawdry series of farewell tours.

      A muscle flexed in his jaw and he looked back into the villa to watch Charlotte leaning over the computer as she read from СКАЧАТЬ