The Mediterranean's Wife by Contract. Kathryn Ross

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СКАЧАТЬ they’d grown up together in the same foster home. She knew that Jo pretended to be tough but had a heart as kind and as soft as you could get.

      As they approached Carrie thought her friend had never looked lovelier. She was wearing a black fitted dress that did great things for her slender figure, and her skin was glowing, her long blonde curls softly tousled around her face. ‘I’m so sorry we’re late,’ she murmured, looking from one to the other of them searchingly.

      ‘It was entirely my fault.’ Theo cut in as he reached to kiss Carrie on both cheeks. ‘Nice to see you again, Carrie, and I’m really sorry, time just ran away with us. But we knew you two would be hitting it off.’

      Carrie wished she hadn’t met Andreas’s eyes across the table just at that moment.

      He looked lazily amused, which irritated Carrie considerably.

      ‘Don’t worry about it,’ he said nonchalantly as he got to his feet to greet them. ‘Carrie and I have enjoyed meeting.’

      ‘Oh, good!’ Jo looked at Carrie with an ‘I told you so’ glint in her eyes and Carrie tried her utmost to look unfazed. Was Jo so blinded by love that she failed to notice Andreas’s obvious reluctance to be here?

      ‘So, is everything OK?’ Jo asked in an undertone as she took the seat beside her.

      ‘Absolutely.’ Carrie was distracted for a moment as she watched Andreas greet his younger brother. She noticed how alike they were, both tall and dark, but Theo’s features were open, pleasant, less challenging than Andreas’s, who had a powerful, hard intensity about his good looks.

      It was immediately apparent that the men were not just brothers, but that they were also good friends. They talked together for a moment about Theo’s business, Theo asking Andreas’s opinion on some new equipment that he wanted.

      ‘They would talk for ever about business.’ Jo grinned at Carrie.

      ‘Hey, I need all the advice I can get,’ Theo cut in goodnaturedly. ‘Especially from a brother who has a brilliant mind for business—I don’t know what I’d do without him.’

      ‘You’d do very well, Theo. Your business is flourishing,’ Andreas told him staunchly.

      ‘Not without your help.’ Theo glanced around for the waiter. ‘Shall we grab some menus? I don’t know about everyone else but I am very hungry.’

      ‘Unfortunately I’m not going to be able to stay.’ Andreas glanced at his watch. ‘I have to head off to Athens—I have a meeting early tomorrow.’

      ‘Oh, no! But surely you can stay a little longer?’ Jo couldn’t contain her disappointment.

      ‘Afraid not.’ Andreas glanced over at Carrie. ‘But it has been really lovely meeting you, Carrie.’

      The urbane civility of the words made Carrie cringe. ‘Yes—likewise.’ She smiled politely back at him.

      Their eyes held for a moment.

      Andreas noticed how she tilted her head up, an almost rebellious fiery light in her eyes. Obviously she’d been as uncomfortable with this situation as he had.

      She was stunningly beautiful—Theo hadn’t been embellishing. But there was also an unusual fragility about her, and a reserve that fascinated him. Most young women flirted openly with him, but she hadn’t even tried to capture his interest, there had been no coy smiles, or false joviality. Just that proud tilt of her head as she looked across at him and when she smiled—really smiled, not in that polite way she was now—it blew him away.

      But he didn’t have time for such things, he reminded himself firmly. He was in the midst of difficult business negotiations and now was not a good time for a dalliance. Besides, this situation could be a minefield. Theo was deeply involved with Carrie’s best friend and by contrast Andreas wasn’t looking for anything serious and never would be, so it was probably best to steer clear of muddying these waters.

      ‘I’ll leave you to enjoy your evening.’ He rose smoothly to his feet.

      ‘Damn!’ Jo muttered the word angrily under her breath as they watched him walk away. ‘I’m so sorry, Carrie…I really thought you two would hit it off!’

      ‘We did. We enjoyed a very pleasant drink together,’ Carrie hastily reassured her friend. ‘Don’t waste your time worrying about it!’

      ‘Andreas really is in the middle of a most gruelling takeover deal,’ Theo inserted quickly. ‘He’s just sold his publishing house and now he’s buying out shares in a newspaper company—playing for very high stakes. If his meeting is early in the morning he will have to take the late ferry to Athens tonight and stay at his apartment there.’

      ‘Theo, you don’t need to explain.’ Carrie was discomfited by how upset they both were and also touched by their staunch regard of her feelings. ‘Andreas and I had a lovely time chatting as we waited for you. I thoroughly enjoyed his company. But we both agreed that you two need time on your own, and to be honest I’m really glad of the opportunity to go back to the apartment and have an early night.’

      ‘You are not going anywhere!’ Jo said with a raised eyebrow. ‘You are having dinner with us—we insist!’

      ‘But honestly, Jo—’

      ‘I wouldn’t argue if I were you,’ Theo told her with a grin. ‘Because you won’t win.’

      CHAPTER TWO

      CARRIE was sipping water as she lounged on the sunbed reading her book. This was quite blissful, she thought as she stretched lazily to put her glass down. But in a moment she was going to have to work up the energy to move into the shade.

      London felt like another planet away. There were only a few people around the apartment-complex pool—and the tranquillity of the setting amidst green manicured gardens was very relaxing.

      Jo had just left to go and have a coffee with Theo at the dive shop. She’d asked Carrie to accompany her but after the embarrassment of meeting Andreas last night she definitely preferred to be alone. That had to be the most uncomfortable half hour of her life.

      However, he had been incredibly good-looking. For a second she remembered the dark, searing intensity of his eyes, remembered the craziness of her thoughts—the weird feelings of longing. She was twenty-two years of age and no man had ever stirred that kind of reaction in her before.

      In fact, men had chased her, flirted with her, even kissed her and hadn’t awoken that kind of response. She’d started to wonder if perhaps she didn’t have it in her to feel passion, because she always thought things through—analysed relationships to the utmost degree.

      Jo had told her she had a trust problem when it came to men, and she knew deep down that her friend was probably right, that it was probably because her father had walked out on her when she’d been young. She’d even started to accept that about herself—accept the fact that maybe she would never allow herself to let go and just be swept away by emotions. And yet last night all Andreas had done was look at her and she had felt more alive—more turned on—than she ever had before!

      Too much sun combined with holiday madness, she told herself swiftly as she switched her attention СКАЧАТЬ