Chapter 16
Theo slipped out early the next morning, careful not to wake Tiffany, who was sleeping soundly after he’d heard her tossing and turning for what had felt like most of the night.
He was careful to also not let his gaze linger on the back of a bare thigh and the curve of a gloriously soft ass cheek that had been exposed as she slept.
The urge to bite all the way up that thigh to that cheek then slide his tongue between her legs rode him so hard as he departed, he still had the hard-on ten minutes later as he sipped at the thick cup of Greek coffee he’d made himself at the bar.
At just before six, the sky was soft with pale pink light, but no one was up yet, either on deck or on Hydra, except for a lone fisherman. He waved to Theo as his small tin boat full of nets cut quietly through the harbour on his way out to his secret fishing spot.
Theo yawned and stretched his neck from side to side as he propped his foot on the middle railing.
He’d barely slept last night either, weirdly attuned to every movement coming from the bed.
Of course, the cramped confines of the couch hadn’t helped.
In fact, after several hours he’d given up and thrown his pillow on the plush carpet of the floor, which had been marginally better.
His neck and back bitched at him as he wondered how pissed off they’d be after a second night on the floor.
Maybe it was his divine punishment. For unleashing this facade in the first place. Or for being so grimly determined to deflect her enquiries about his vasectomy.
Her are you never unsure of yourself ate at him now.
Because the truth was, he never had been.
His decisions – both business and personal – always came after a process of deliberate enquiry where all the facts were parsed and all the pros and cons explored.
So he was always absolutely confident of what he had to do to get what he wanted.
And he’d never regretted any of them. Until she’d shown up in his life.
As he’d lain there in the dark after an evening he hadn’t expected to enjoy but had, – thanks to Tiffany – his easy decision to have a vasectomy all those years ago was suddenly cast in doubt.
She’d asked him what would happen if he fell for someone, and for the first time, it was a question that had caused him pause.
It hasn’t so far .
The words had felt awkward coming out of his mouth and had sounded wrong going in his ears.
More than that, he got the feeling that she’d been disappointed in his answer.
And that, along with the uncomfortable conditions, had played on his mind all night because maybe it wasn’t actually true any more.
And if so, what the hell had happened?
His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. Ari. The last time his brother had called before six it had been to tell him that his beloved wife had been killed in a car accident.
Frowning at the screen, Theo stabbed his finger at the answer button.
‘Everything okay?’ he demanded, not bothering with pleasantries. ‘Why are you ringing this early? Is it the baby?’
His gruff concerns were greeted with a chuckle. ‘ Halará , Theo. Everything is fine.’
At his brother’s tone, Theo did as Ari suggested and relaxed, his grip on the coffee cup loosening. ‘Did you wet the bed?’
Another chuckle. ‘No, but I think Dimitri did.’
‘He called you?’
‘Just to let me know that things are going swimmingly. And that he’ll be signing the contract when he gets back to Athens in a few days.’
‘Yeah?’ Theo grinned as a surge of relief took hold. Thank God. Dimitri’s company would be saved and their grandfather would be very happy. ‘That’s fantastic.’
‘Yes. I thought so. I’ll message you when the deal is inked.’
Theo nodded. ‘Excellent.’
‘Dimitri tells me you have a fiancée now?’
Theo rolled his eyes. Great. Trust Dimitri to be an old gossip. ‘Oh. Yes.’ He cleared his throat. ‘That.’
‘Yes,’ Ari repeated. ‘That. Damn it, Theo. I said be on your best behaviour. Not lose your mind.’
Keeping his voice low, Theo scanned for any signs of Dimitri rattling around. ‘You said it was up to me to convince him, and a fiancée was a sure-fire way of doing it. And it’s worked a treat. It was inspired.’
‘To Tiff? Jesus, Theo, Kelsey’s going to be super pissed.’
‘At you?’ He snorted. Fat chance. That woman doted on him. ‘Not my problem.’
‘No, malaka . At you.’
Okay, well, that was different. Just because Kelsey had a soft spot for him didn’t mean he wanted to test it. ‘It made sense. We had a prior… connection and she was already on the Nerida . Plus, she was fine with helping.’
‘Just like that, huh? Just agreed to help you.’ Ari’s voice dripped with sarcasm. ‘With no persuasion or incentive?’
‘Well… I may have offered to give her brother a leg up into the European art world.’
Ari sighed. ‘Of course you did.’
‘What? He’s really good. I wouldn’t have offered otherwise. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with some quid pro quo.’
‘Sure, but I doubt Kelsey will see it that way. If Tiff gets hurt in all this, she’ll probably insist I have you murdered, and I’ll do it because I am an excellent husband.’
Theo rolled his eyes at his brother’s hyperbole and Kelsey thinking Tiffany needed any kind of protection. He’d never met a woman more self-reliant. ‘She’s not going to get hurt. She knows the score here. It’s just for show. Just for Dimitri.’
‘And what about you?’ Ari asked. ‘Do you know the score? Because it seems to me you’re crossing a lot of lines you’ve never crossed before. What if you get hurt?’
Laughter cascaded from Theo’s mouth even if he was touched by his brother’s concern. For all their smack talk, they were close and there wasn’t anything they wouldn’t do for each other. ‘No one’s getting hurt. It’s two days then everything’s back to normal.’
But even as he said the words, his skin itched.
Could things ever truly get back to normal when she had another month on the Nerida and she was back below deck as the second stew?
And he was left with her perfume on his sheets and visions of that sexy ass cheek taunting him as he fell asleep in the bed where she’d lain for two nights?
Another sigh from Ari. ‘If you say so.’ Which, unsurprisingly, wasn’t terribly comforting. ‘What are you going to do about keeping Dimitri quiet?’
Theo laughed. ‘You want me to feed him to the fishes?’
‘I’m being serious, Theo.’
‘You’re overreacting. It’s not like they court the paparazzi or either of them are on social media.’
‘No, but he has a phone. Are you ready to explain to Pappou that you’re engaged?’
Well, fuck. Ari made a good point. That was the last thing he wanted. This fake scenario needed to stay contained to the boat. ‘Fine. I’ll talk with him about keeping it under his hat.’
‘Thank you. And just… be careful, okay? You’re in unchartered waters, brother. Mind the rocks.’
Theo opened his mouth to assure Ari once more, but the phone cut off in his ear. He only wished Ari’s words of warning were as easily cut off. Prior to knowing Tiffany, Theo would have had no problems dismissing them. But they resonated a little too closely now.
And the strangest part? Theo was weirdly unconcerned.
* * *
Over breakfast, Theo managed to extract a promise from Dimitri to keep their news quiet for the moment.
Theo had assured him once they were back from Crete in two weeks they’d work on making a public announcement, but explained that he wanted that time with his new fiancée without becoming the paparazzi’s number one target.
Given Theo’s history with the paparazzi, Dimitri understood that the first pics of the happy couple would be highly coveted and was immediately contrite about spilling the beans to Ari. Helena, frowning at her husband in disapproval, said she would ensure Dimitri kept his mouth shut.
Theo felt slightly guilty knowing that there wouldn’t be an announcement and, with the deal already signed, Dimitri would have no legal recourse. But he’d cross that bridge when he got to it.
After that awkwardness, the day flew by. Between wandering around Hydra and enjoying lunch in a taverna with Dimitri and Helena and some more afternoon cruising followed by an impromptu fishing session during which they’d all caught a fish, it was dinner time before he knew it.
Maria had prepared their freshly caught fish, steaming them gently in lemon and butter so that it melted in their mouths, and they were now playing a friendly game of Biriba.
Tiffany hadn’t heard of the popular Greek card game but, as it was similar to rummy, she picked it up quickly and, with her croupier skills, was soon wiping the floor with them.
‘Theo,’ Dimitri chided him, ‘your fiancée is kicking your ass.’
Theo laughed. She was kicking all their asses and being utterly magnificent in the process. He supposed a less secure man might have found it an insult to his masculinity, but he just found it a huge fucking turn on.
‘It’s not the first time his ass has been kicked by a woman,’ Tiffany said with a smile, side-eyeing him for an exaggerated moment before leaning in a little to address their guests. ‘Do you want to know about the time he was given an old-lady ass-kicking?’
Helena laughed and clapped, winking at Theo as he rolled his eyes. ‘We are all ears.’
She regaled them with the story then, embellishing it even from the version that Hugo had told and, if he didn’t know differently, Theo would have sworn she’d been there as a witness. Or at least been around long enough in his life to have heard it a hundred times.
Which was entirely the point.
She was legitimising their relationship more succinctly than any display of PDA, although there was that as well.
Touching his forearms, sliding her palm onto his thigh, leaning into him as they’d sat together at lunch, using a paper napkin to wipe away a smudge of yoghurt on the side of his mouth.
And he’d returned the favour, touching her often too, until it had felt like the most natural thing to do.
The sizzle wasn’t natural though and even less so as it built with each casual caress.
It was hot and exciting. Electric. His skin alive with the static of her touch, his pulse thready with the echo of it.
And he knew she felt it too, by the hint of huskiness in her breath and the prickle of goosebumps erupting beneath his palm.
By the time their guests finally retired, his entire body was humming with it.
‘You can use the bathroom first,’ he told her as she brushed past him into the suite, the mix of fragrances from her shampoo to her perfume to the champagne forming a heady mix that made him want to push her against the door, bury his face in her neck and inhale.
Striding far away from that temptation, he toed off his shoes and socks near the couch as the door to the bathroom opened and closed.
The linen and pillows from last night had been neatly folded and stacked on the left cushion by Tiffany, he assumed, as he’d told Kelly not to bother servicing the suite whilst his guests were on board.
Reaching for the pile, he sorted through it, ostensibly deciding whether to give the couch another try or go straight for the floor but actually hyperaware of Tiffany shedding her clothes behind closed doors.
Hyperaware of the thick thud of his pulse through his chest, belly and groin.
Of the aching tautness of his cock just about busting through his trousers.
The door opened and he tensed as her, ‘All yours,’ reached him.
The bathroom, kalavaris . The bathroom. Not her.
Without even acknowledging her, Theo dropped whatever the hell he had in his hand and headed for the safety of a locked door, letting out a ragged breath as he stared at himself in the vanity mirror.
He looked as wild as he felt and he knew he had to get himself under control before he went back out there.
Undressing briskly, he thought of the least sexy thing he knew – Ari’s goddamn never-ending spreadsheets – but by the time he was down to his boxer briefs, not even the most boring thing on earth had stood his cock down.
Reaching into his underwear, he gripped the rock-hard shaft, his breath tumbling out of him in a husky rush as he palmed himself, the exquisite torture of it hollowing out his chest. And for a moment, he was tempted to do the one thing he knew would see it gone.
But no. He was not going to do that.
Not with Tiffany a few metres away on the other side of the door. Like he was some horny boy who couldn’t control himself. For damn sure if he did, that load would come steaming out under significant pressure and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to suppress the resultant cry of release.
So… a cold shower it was.
And it helped. Even though the temptation to take himself in hand rode him hard, he resisted and the cold water soon did the trick.
But still, he was glad for the dim-lighting when he strode out of the bathroom, and he snapped the lamp off as soon as he’d tossed everything off the couch and laid himself down.
Not that he could get comfortable. His neck immediately started to twinge and he shifted several times, trying to find a position where it wouldn’t hurt as much. He was about to give up and hit the floor when Tiffany’s voice drifted his way.
‘If you put a shirt on you can share the bed.’
Theo’s heart, which had been a hard drum in his chest, skipped a beat. Then another. Did she have any idea what kind of temptation that would be putting between them? He drew in an unsteady breath. ‘I never sleep with a shirt.’
He was only sleeping in briefs for her benefit.
‘Humour me,’ came her dry response. ‘Or stay there and rub your bloody neck again all day tomorrow.’
‘It’s fine,’ he muttered even as his neck twinged again.
He heard the sheets rustle as she sat up. ‘Theo. We’re both adults. We’ve shared a bed before and this one is huge. I promise not to leap on you.’
Theo hooted out a laugh at the dryness of her tone, pleased to have a release from the tension in his body. ‘And I have a dare to uphold.’
‘Right. So just get in already.’