The Greek Tycoon's Lover (12 page)

He sat and asked her about her school, her parents, her political beliefs and they argued about several points, Helen laughing when he tried to challenge her on several issues. “I can’t argue with you, Dimitri. You’re too well informed.”

“Then you should just accept my opinion and let’s be done with it,” he said logically but he wasn’t serious.

“You would never respect me in the morning,” she quipped, glad that she was able to keep up with his quick intelligence.

“True, but at least our vote won’t cancel each other out.”

“You vote in Greek elections. I vote in British. There’s no chance of them canceling each other out.”

His only response to that was, “Things change.”

They talked about growing up in the different cultures, Helen being an only child while Dimitri was the oldest of five, all the younger ones girls, each of which were married with at least one child.

Helen had trouble swallowing when he talked about his nieces and nephews. He obviously loved all the times he spent with the younger children, talking about each of their births and their personalities, even the smaller one who is barely one year old now.

“They sound lovely,” she eventually said although her throat constricted around the words, barely able to utter them.

“What are your parents like?” he asked.

This was a much safer subject and Helen was able to relax slightly. She thought about her family and how much she missed them. “Well, my father passed away several years ago, but you already know that.” He nodded, having heard all about how her mother was alone. It was one of the reasons he had stepped in to find the senior citizens home for Helen’s mother, relieving Helen’s mind of the worry about her mother living alone.

“What is your mother like? Is she as pretty as you are?”

“Oh, no,” Helen waved. “My mother is stunning, even at sixty five, she turns heads.”

“She was pretty old when she had you. Why did she wait so long?”

Helen swallowed painfully. “They found each other and married late in life,” she said, as if that explained everything. It didn’t and there was so much more to the story, but she didn’t want to tell him, feeling feminine and wonderful for the first time in a long time. Those feelings would disappear if he knew everything and he’d pull back, horrified at the real story.

Dinner again was amazing, compounded by the fact that Dimitri was either holding her hand or touching her in some way during almost the whole meal. It was more relaxed tonight, the six of them ate out under the stars instead of in the formal dining room. While the others laughed and joked, Dimitri held her hand under the table, his fingers stroking hers and sending shivers along every nerve ending. When the meal was over, Dimitri excused himself as well as Helen, saying they had a bet to settle. The others only smiled politely but Helen was grateful for the cover of darkness as he led her into yet another room on the ship. This one looked like a music room, complete with a baby grand piano and a stereo system that would put a radio station to shame. He turned on soft music and watched her, noting the way her body immediately started swaying with the beat of the music.

“What bet do we have to settle?” she asked, leaning against the wall as he fiddled with some dials and levers. “I don’t remember betting you anything, nor do I think I’d ever be so stupid.”

He laughed and looked over at her, one eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?” he asked as he walked to where she was standing. He took her hands in both of his and pulled her along with him as he walked backwards to the dance floor. Soft lights moved slowly about the walls and ceilings, adding yet another layer of romance to the whole night.

“I mean,” she said, already sensing her mind starting to muddle, “that from what I’ve seen, you don’t gamble. You might use the words ‘bet’ or something similar, but everything you do is perfectly calculated so the odds are unfairly on your side.”

He thought about that for a moment as he pulled her closer, settling her hands on his shoulders. “So you don’t think I take risks?”

She shook her head, inhaling unsteadily. “No. You’re too smart for that.”

Dimitri laughed. “You look very beautiful in that dress, Helen,” he said. “What made you pick this one over the pink one?”

Helen licked her lips and considered lying to him, but she decided against it. “Because one time, about three months ago, you mentioned how much you like me wearing blue. So I chose the blue one tonight.”

His eyes gave her the reaction she had been hoping for and his hand cradled her shoulder gently but firmly. “Good answer,” he said. “And it suits you perfectly.”

“Thank you.” She could barely breathe, her eyes looking at his lips and willing him to kiss her again.

“I’m going to kiss you again,” Dimitri warned her as he swayed gently to the jazz music.

Helen sighed happily. “I know.”

“I might do more than that,” he said, his hand smoothing up her spine.

Helen looked up and into his eyes, her smile still in place as she laughed at his warning. “You don’t give a girl much notice, do you?” she laughed.

Dimitri growled and bent his head to take her lips in his gently. He kissed her softly at first, but then the passion blew out of control. She held onto his shoulders with both hands, her body edging closer to his without her knowing what was happening.

Without warning, Dimitri bent down, not releasing her lips as he swung her legs up in the air, carrying her to the long sofa set against the wall. He sat down, placing her in his lap and then leaned over, his mouth devouring hers the whole time.

Helen held on with all her might, unsure of what to do but assuming that if it felt good to her, it would feel good doing it back to him. So each time he changed the kiss, she mimicked his movements. She heard noises in the back ground, but wasn’t sure what it was, unknowing that it was herself, her voice purring like a kitten as Dimitri’s mouth moved down her neck and his hands explored her hips, back and thighs.

He kissed her for what seemed like hours. By the time he pulled away, she knew her lips would be swollen and raw by the morning. Already they felt bruised and sore. But she didn’t care about any of that. She wanted more.

“We have to stop this, Helen. I don’t think I can stop if we continue,” he said.

“I don’t understand. Am I hurting you?” she asked, instantly pulling back in an effort to put a few inches between their bodies.

Dimitri was having none of that but when he saw the confused look on her face, he reached down and took her hand, guiding it to where his erection stood hard and proud. “You do this to me,” he explained.

She shivered but was too curious. Her fingers felt the boldness and tentatively moved around, exploring. When she saw his shiver and his eyes close, she pulled her hand away. This was all too new, too devastating to her senses. She didn’t know how to control it or him. Much less herself, she thought. She wasn’t sure which was more dangerous or disastrous to her peace of mind. Both, probably. “Yes. Perhaps you’re right. I think I should go to bed,” she said primly and stood up. Deciding caution was the better side of valor, she smoothed her skirt down over her legs, adjusting her top to cover all of the essentials, shocked and secretly thrilled that he’d moved so many of her clothes. She was startled that she wasn’t horrified. For the first time in her life, a man had touched her body and she didn’t feel ashamed.

He watched as she straightened her clothes and almost told her about the lack of lipstick and her hair that was obviously ruffled by his hands. There was nothing she could do to hide what they had been doing. She looked like she’d been properly made love to. He just wished it was truly the case.

Sighing and resigning himself to another frustrating night without her in his bed, his arms wrapped around her delectable body, with just a simple kiss, he pulled back, his body unable to take any more stimulation without release. “Right,” he said, pushing his hands through his hair. “I’ll walk you to your door,” he said and closed the space she’d so carefully put between them, pulling her against his side as he walked.

At her door, she turned to say good night, only to find herself caught up in the explosiveness of his kiss as his lips covered hers, instantly as passionate as they had been down on the dance floor but more devastating since they were so close to a bed and to culmination of their desire. Helen didn’t want to say goodnight. She wanted him to come in to her room and show her what she was missing, what she’d missed all her life, but she didn’t know how to tell him that. Words failed her since she could barely take in a breath when he was touching her. And when he pulled away, running a calloused finger down her cheek in a very sweet, tender caress, she had to bite her lip to stop him from walking away.

“Guess what?” he said when he was halfway down the hallway.

“What?” she asked, still standing where he’d left her.

“We’re going snorkeling tomorrow,” he explained.

Her eyes perked up and she pulled away from the doorway. “Really?” she asked, her face showing her excitement, only a small portion of it coming from the idea of seeing the fish under water.

He chuckled at her expression. “Really. And want to know what’s’ even better?”

“What?”

“You’ll have to wear one of those bathing suits,” he said and waited. He wasn’t disappointed. It took her about three seconds for his words to register. He could only laugh at her shocked expression a moment before disappearing into his own stateroom.

Chapter 7

With his words and laughter echoing in her ears she walked into her own suite and almost fell into her bed, her mind whirling at everything she’d felt and heard from Dimitri today. Could it really be true? Was Dimitri Theopolis, playboy billionaire and one of the most charming, amazing men that God had put on this earth really interested in Helen Miller? His kiss and his hands caressing her body would indicate he really was attracted to her. That was too shocking for someone as desperately in love with a man she’d dreamed about for so long, she thought she might still be in a perpetual state of sleep. Should she pinch herself to find out if this could really be reality? If she was dreaming, did she want to wake up?

Flopping down onto her bed, her eyes stared up at the ceiling and she smiled, her fingers gently touching her lips where he had ravished them. He certainly was a passionate man, she thought and smiled, noting the tenderness on her lips with a shiver of desire. She wished she’d had the nerve to tell him what she’d wanted but even now, she wasn’t exactly sure what that was. She wanted him, definitely. She wanted him to show her how to make love and what to do, what excited him more and less.

She wanted to see his body and discover what the towel had hidden him from her curious eyes yesterday. She’d seen naked men before both in the movies and in real life, having taken an art class where she’d been required to draw the human form. At the time, she’d studied the man curiously, but she remembered not feeling a moment of embarrassment or even curiosity in drawing him so many years ago. That was definitely not the case with Dimitri. She wanted to touch and explore every inch of him, find out what he tasted like and felt like. Her mind whirled at the possibilities.

Sighing, she shook her head and tried to rid it of thoughts that would only keep her awake tonight. And she suspected that she would definitely need sleep tonight. If she was going snorkeling with Dimitri and the rest of the group, she would be hard pressed to keep up with them. They all looked fit and tanned whereas she spent most of her days sitting in front of a computer, only going to the gym after work three or four days a week for cardiovascular exercise.

Snorkeling, eh? Pulling herself upright on the luxurious bed, she thought about what she might need to wear and his last comment struck her. A bikini? Around him? The idea definitely had appeal but she knew it would be difficult for her to fight against her natural shyness. She wasn’t one to walk around in skimpy clothes but what was the alternative? She was in the middle of the ocean and had no idea how to obtain another bathing suit other than the ones hanging in that closet. She didn’t think Marie or Amie would have anything less revealing, knowing that both women were very proud of their figures and showed them off at every opportunity.

She looked into the closet and considered her choices, pulling out the least revealing one and setting it aside. This one was yellow with small charms underneath the bikini top and on the top edge of the bottom. It was still tiny compared to what she was used to but at least she thought this one would cover more of the requisite parts than the two he’d shown her yesterday morning.

Preparing for bed, her eyes were drawn constantly to the bathing suit. Each time her eyes hit upon it, she became more excited, wondering if Dimitri would like the way she looked in it.

As she climbed into bed, she was exhausted, but couldn’t sleep. She knew that her body was still caught up in the feelings Dimitri had stirred within her earlier. She rolled over onto her stomach, willing the ache to go away. But nothing worked. She considered getting up and finding the cinema room to watch a movie, but didn’t want to bother anyone on the ship – most of which were probably asleep.

By dawn, she finally drifted off to sleep, restless and hungry, but not for food. Her body was hungry for Dimitri’s touch and for the feelings she knew he would be able to stir in her body. She was desperate for him and wished she had the courage to walk down the hallway and ask him for what she was craving.