Greek's Pride: The Stephanos Marriage / A Passionate Surrender / The Greek Bridegroom. HELEN BIANCHIN
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Название: Greek's Pride: The Stephanos Marriage / A Passionate Surrender / The Greek Bridegroom
Автор: HELEN BIANCHIN
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
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‘Enough, Alyse.’ His voice was hard and inflexible, and she looked at him with stormy eyes, ready to do further battle given the slightest opportunity.
‘Can’t you see I want to be alone?’ It was a cry from the heart, and to her horror she felt her lower lip tremble with damnable reaction. She was physically and emotionally spent, and there was the very real threat of tears as she determined not to let him see the extent of her fragility.
Eyes that were dark and impossibly slumbrous held her own captive in mesmerised fascination, and helpless frustration welled up inside her as her chin tilted at an angry angle. ‘Must you look at me like that?’
‘We just made love,’ he drawled with latent humour. ‘How would you have me look at you?’
‘I hated it!’ Alyse flung incautiously.
One eyebrow rose with sardonic cynicism. ‘You hated the fact that it was I who awakened you to the power of your own sensuality.’ His lips moved to form a twisted smile. ‘And you hate yourself for achieving sexual pleasure with someone you profess to dislike.’
The truth of his words was something she refused to concede. ‘You behaved like a barbaric—animal!’
‘Who took his own pleasure without any concern for yours?’ he demanded with undisguised mockery.
Colour stained her cheeks, and her lashes fluttered down to form a protective veil against his discerning scrutiny. ‘I’ll never forgive you,’ she declared with quiet vehemence. ‘Never.’
‘Spoken like an innocent,’ Aleksi declared with sardonic amusement, and her eyes flew open to reveal shards of brilliant sapphire.
‘Not any more, thanks to you!’
Lifting a hand, he brushed his fingers along the edge of her jaw. ‘I’m almost inclined to query why.’
Alyse reared back from that light teasing touch as if it was flame, wanting to scream and rage against his deliberate seduction, the sheer force of his sensual expertise. Except she was damned if she’d give him the satisfaction. Instead, she said bitterly, ‘I would have preferred a less brutal initiation.’
‘Yet after the pain came pleasure, did it not?’
Her eyes glittered in angry rejection. ‘Never having experienced anything to compare it with, I can’t comment.’
His soft husky laughter was almost her undoing, and she stood to her feet, reached for a towel, then stepped quickly out of the bath, uncaring that he followed her actions.
It was then she saw the long scratches scoring his ribcage, and she turned away, feeling sickened that she could have inflicted such physical injury.
In the bedroom she collected her nightgown and donned it, then turned hesitantly as Aleksi entered the room.
‘You’ll sleep here with me, Alyse. And don’t argue,’ he added with quiet emphasis as her lips parted to form a protest.
Before she had the opportunity to move more than a few steps towards the sitting-room he had reached her side, and her struggles were ineffectual as he calmly lifted her into his arms and carried her to the large bed.
‘I don’t want to sleep with you,’ she said fiercely, pushing against him as he slid in between the covers.
‘Maybe not,’ he drawled, settling her easily into the curve of his body. ‘But I insist you do.’
‘You damned dictatorial tyrant!’
‘My dear Alyse, I can think of a far more pleasurable way to deploy your energy than by merely wasting it in fighting me.’
She froze at his unmistakable implication. ‘I won’t be used and abused whenever you—’
‘Feel the urge?’ he completed sardonically. ‘I have a twelve-hour day ahead of me, and right now all I have in mind is a few hours’ sleep. Unless you have other ideas, which I’ll gladly oblige, I suggest you simply relax.’
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