Page 4 of Her Greek Inheritance
She bit her lip and watched him, trying to think of something witty to say. She’d never felt such an instant attraction to someone before. Her libido urged her to not let this man out of her sight. “Are you here for the paintings?” She caught sight of his I.D. tag but could only make out the first name before he shifted and it disappeared from her view.Alex? Or was it Alexi? No, it was Alex.Her brain was a muddled mess swimming in too many glasses of champagne.
The man answered her question with a non-committal nod, as his eyes continued to scan her. His gaze came to rest on the goosebumps on her arms. “You’re cold?”
Gemma shook her head, but that didn’t stop him from removing his tuxedo jacket and slipping it around her shoulders. He pulled the neck together over her collarbones and kept it closed with his hand. “You should allow me to escort you back inside.”
“I should?” His scent and his nearness befuddled her brain in a way she couldn’t explain or escape. He was much too close for someone she just met, but she didn’t want him to step away. In fact, she had to restrain herself from bending towards him.
“You should. In fact, if you’re quite through looking at the paintings, we could go in search of some dinner.”
Gemma nodded slightly, “I haven’t had dinner.” Her words were only slightly slurred and she forced herself to stand up a bit taller. She reached up to remove his hand, but he held firm.
“We shall fix that then. Come with me,gatáki.”
Another of those sexy words… I wonder what language he’s speaking.Gemma didn’t balk at his commandeering of her person, nor did she argue with him when he escorted her from the exhibition halls and onto a private elevator. He’d released hold of his jacket and taken her elbow instead, almost as if he were afraid she would vanish if he let go.
Her feet weren’t working as well as normal. She stumbled as she stepped into the elevator, finding herself held tightly against a strong chest. “Sorry. Too much champagne.”
The man, who was yet to identify himself grinned, “I was right in calling you agatáki—a kitten. You need a keeper. How much is too much?”
Gemma closed her eyes briefly and counted in her head. Twice. Then she opened her eyes and smiled up into his eyes. The thought of removing herself from where she reclined against his chest never occurred to her. “Three?”
“On an empty stomach? You are reckless.”
Gemma shook her head. “Never. Just a day that needed forgetting…er, well, the last part of the day needed forgetting. The first part was fine…” She broke off and bit her lip. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”
*****
Leo Moustakas looked down at the beautiful young woman half lying against him as the elevator bore them up towards the penthouse.I must have her.She was ripe for the picking and he was a willing farmer ready to bring in the harvest.
“Not at all. So, my almost-drunkgatáki, do you have a name?” Leo watched as she contemplated her answer. When she hesitated, he decided it really didn’t matter to him. He was only in Paris because of his brother’s promise to their father.
His mother’s birthday was coming up and his father had decided to add one of the recently discovered art pieces to his mother’s collection. As their father rarely travelled anymore, Alexi was tasked with selecting the painting, but he’d been summoned to the Middle East to close a lucrative shipping deal on behalf of the family company, Moustakas Shipping. Alexi was all about the company and increasing the family empire, while Leo was content to leave all of that to his father and his brother. He was having too much fun and saw no reason to change that dynamic.
Alexi had already secured the proper I.D. badge and approval to bid at the auction. Knowing Leo was in Monte Carlo at a car race, he’d asked his brother to fly to Paris to buy one of the paintings. Leo was bored and decided to attend the auction, use his brother’s I.D. and assume his brother’s identity for a day or two. Finding a lovely female in need of his companionship was a definite bonus.
Leo had watched her from a distance. When she’d stepped out onto the veranda alone, he’d known he couldn’t leave her that way. He had to have her in his bed, tonight—and possibly tomorrow night as well. Leo liked women and was never without a bedmate. He was incredibly spoiled, never once being denied female companionship. He attributed that to his good looks, charm and extreme wealth.
He brushed another stray piece of hair back behind the young woman’s ear and smiled down into her bright green eyes. “You’re very beautiful.Polý ómorfi.”
She smiled up at him. “So are you.” When she realized she’d spoken aloud, she blushed.
Leo was even more taken with her. He found her shyness strangely intoxicating. Before he could stop himself, he lowered his lips to her own and tasted her for the first time. She didn’t pull away. Leo deepened the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his torso.
She sighed into the kiss, melting in his arms. He had a moment’s doubt in regard to her sobriety, but the sexual chemistry between them caused him to relax. It was obvious from her responses that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. Not one to deny himself carnal pleasure so freely offered, he took full advantage of their situation. As the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, he swept her up into his arms and carried her through to the bedroom beyond. He still didn’t know her name, but in the heat of the moment, that didn’t matter.
They quickly divested themselves of their clothing, falling upon the bed in a tangle of arms and legs and sighs of passion. Their joining was intense and repeated throughout the night. Leo finally fell into a heavy sleep around four o’clock in the morning, his arms wrapped around the young woman whose name remained a mystery.
As the light of morning peaked through the window coverings, he roused himself. He rolled over, intending to once again sate his body in the beautiful young woman from the night before. But his arms encountered the coolness of sheets that had been vacated some time earlier. He pushed himself to a sitting position and scrubbed a hand over his face, listening for sounds from the bathroom.Nothing.
He slipped from the bed and pushed the bathroom door open. Empty. He pulled on a robe, heading out of the bedroom in search of the young woman.
He checked the other rooms of the penthouse. Her clothes and purse were gone, just as she was. Finally he realised she’d left him without a trace. Skipped out in the wee hours of the morning without leaving him any way to contact her.
Leo slammed his fist against the wall. For several minutes, he struggled against his anger. Drawing a breath, he repeated his well-rehearsed mantra.No commitments. There are plenty of other women out there to spend your time with. No need to send down for an expensive trinket or piece of jewelry. This one’s already gone her own way.
He left the auction house later that morning with the business card of an art restoration expert in his hand, a receipt for the badly damaged Monet, and the memory of an auburn-haired, green-eyed woman who’d rocked his world.I’ve never had such an intense sexual encounter before.It still stung that they’d missed the chance to indulge in one more round again this morning.
Leo shook himself.Her disappearance was fortuitous.They’d both gotten what they wanted from the brief affair and life went on. Their night of passion was only a memory now—a memory he planned to quickly replace with his next sexual encounter. He glanced back at the hotel.How long it will take to forget her eyes glazed over in passion?