Page 26

Athanasios

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“Beautiful?” I ask, stepping closer to her from behind as she leans on the yacht’s railing.

Brooklyn nods, still facing away from me. “I’ve always loved the sea, but I’ve never been here before. We used to go to the beach in New Jersey with Eleanor.”

I place an arm on either side of her body, careful not to let our skin touch—yet. “Did you live there your whole life?”

“I can’t think straight with you whispering in my ear.” She turns to face me, and barefoot, dressed only in shorts and a sweater, Brooklyn is stunning—delicate, like a doll.

I went into the water earlier to play with the babies because they’re endlessly entertaining. But when she stepped out of the house wearing nothing but a t-shirt and a bikini, I silently congratulated myself for already being in the pool—otherwise, I might have embarrassed myself in front of everyone.

Brooklyn has a body of soft, balanced curves. Slim but with wide hips that make me crave grabbing her and lifting her by her ass so she can wrap her legs around my waist.

Her breasts are full, and from what her bikini revealed earlier, her nipples are large.

Desire swept through me like molten lava, and it’s that same desire that makes me want to take her to one of the yacht’s bedrooms right now and devour her completely.

“I don’t make you nervous. It’s lust. We ignite that in each other.”

I focus on her face—it’s safer to concentrate on her angelic beauty than on how badly I want to fuck her.

Her wide blue eyes stare at me, and I know it’s not fear I see in them—it’s desire.

Her naturally red lips are parted, and her cheeks have a rosy hue that, I’m sure, has nothing to do with the sun she caught earlier.

Brooklyn is aroused. There’s no doubt in my mind that if I slipped my fingers between her legs, I’d find her wet for me.

She should run, move away—because the hunger she stirs in me is almost frightening—but instead, she stands there, holding my gaze. Maybe she doesn’t even realize what she’s silently asking for.

Brooklyn unravels me like no other woman ever has, and I wonder if that’s the right quality for a wife of convenience. Someone with whom I’d build a family and enjoy great sex.

Nothing involving love, but maybe passion would be acceptable.

“Am I wrong?”

She lowers her gaze and shakes her head.

That’s not how I want her—I want the wild girl I can see just beneath the surface.

I take a step back. “Are you hungry?”

“What?” She looks back at me, confused.

“The chef prepared a meal for us. We can eat while we watch the sunset.”

“Do you do this often?”

“Eat? Always.”

She smiles, lighting up her entire face.

Damn. The woman is beautiful.

“I meant coming here, dining while the sun sets.” She crosses her arms in front of her chest, pushing her breasts up, making them even more tempting. “That’s the second joke you’ve made, Dr. Athanasios.”

“I never joke.”

This time, she steps closer.

That’s it, Brooklyn. Show me who you really are. I know there’s a naughty girl beneath that angelic face.

“You said you never lie. Or omit.”

“I’m not lying. And as for omissions—trust me, you’re not ready to hear what I’m thinking right now.”

“Try me,” she teases.

I search her face to make sure she knows what she’s asking.

I place my hand on her waist, under her sweater, and pull her closer. My lips brush her earlobe. “I don’t want to wait to have you. I’m holding back out of respect for what you’ve been through, and because of your age. But if I followed my instincts, Brooklyn, we’d already be in my suite downstairs. I want you naked and open. I want to taste you and hear you scream when you come on my tongue. I’ll make you beg for more.”

She’s trembling now, her hands gripping my forearms tightly. “More what? What will I beg for?” Her voice is hoarse, needy, and my cock hardens painfully.

“Deeper. Harder.”

“I don’t?—”

I don’t let her finish. I turn her back toward the sea, pressing my body against hers this time, tilting slightly to nestle my thick, swollen length between the cheeks of her ass.

“Oh, you will. You’ll scream as you come and beg for more. I’ll take you so many times that you won’t remember how it felt before I filled you completely.”

Her hand clutches the arm I have around her waist, her short nails digging into my skin.

I grind against her like some horny teenager, desperate to feel any part of her against me. Her hips push back, and I groan into her ear. “I see you, Brooklyn. You’re as hungry for me as I am to devour you. But nothing will happen until you admit what you need.”

“And what do I need?”

“My control. You want me to fuck you, but you also want me to take control in bed. You want to submit but are afraid to admit it.”

She continues to grind softly against my erection. “Only in bed? Is that all being with you means?”

“You already know the answer. I’m the same man in and out of bed. Now, just admit it.”

I lift her hair and nip her neck. She moans loudly, but at that exact moment, we hear footsteps.

“Dr. Athanasios, sorry to interrupt, but whenever you’re ready, dinner is prepared,” my chef, Juneau, announces.

I turn her in my arms. “What do you want?”

“Let’s eat and watch the sunset,” she says.

I should be frustrated by her evasive answer, but her stubbornness to admit what she desires only excites me more.

“You can serve us, Juneau,” I tell my chef, my eyes never leaving hers. “Miss Foster is famished, even if she doesn’t know it yet.”