Chapter Eight
HAD HE WILLED her to come to him telepathically?
Draco wondered dimly. He’d chosen the space closest to Athena consciously because positioning himself further up the aisle away from her would only add a layer to the torture of this insanity he’d fallen into.
Here, he was as close to her as he could be with only the thin walls of their respective privacy screens separating them. And she knew it too.
He wouldn’t go to her, not after the way she’d backed away when he’d thoughtlessly asked her to invite him into her apartment, before she’d kissed him, that sweet, sweet kiss, and delivered those enigmatic words.
But he’d hoped she’d come to him. Hoped without any expectation.
The spiking of her drink had made Athena vulnerable, and for him to knock on her privacy door without explicit invitation would put her in an invidious position. The first move had to come from her.
The bed was so narrow there was barely space for him on it, but, as silent as a ghost, she laid on her side and snuggled into him. His chest swelling, he covered her with the duvet and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close in a tangle of limbs.
It didn’t need saying that nothing could happen. It didn’t matter that the plane’s engine made an ambient background noise; the three closest members of his workforce were only feet away from them.
But knowing something intellectually and feeling it were two very different things, and as much as he willed his body to behave itself, he was only human and this was Athena in his arms, pressed so tightly against him, her breasts crushed against his chest, her thigh slipped between his.
Her soft fragrance he was breathing in with each inhalation.
She shifted slightly and his arousal pressed into her abdomen. She sucked in a breath.
‘Ignore it,’ he commanded softly, kissing the top of her head.
Athena wrapped her arms tighter around him and sighed shakily into his throat.
Though she was half-draped on top of him, it felt as if she was cocooned in Draco.
So many feelings and emotions were careering through her, feelings and emotions she’d spent her life avoiding and hiding from, but here, cocooned in Draco, the fear that had always driven her had fallen silent.
The beep of his watch woke Draco from the light sleep he’d fallen into. He hadn’t expected even that, not when sharing such a tight, intimate space with the woman who’d taken over his mind and for whom desire coiled in the very essence of his being.
With a deep sigh, he stroked Athena’s back, knowing he should wake her.
There was a routine to the long flights to California, sleep kept to a few hours due to the ten-hour time difference.
Soon, the cabin crew would serve the human fuel needed to power them through the last three hours of the flight.
When they landed it would be six in the morning in Athens but evening in California.
Knowing he should wake her and wanting to wake her were two very different things. The only thing that could improve this awakening would be if they were both naked and he could roll her over and…
He cut his thoughts off sharply. He needed the brain in his head functioning, not the brain between his legs.
Just as he was telling himself he had to wake her, she lifted her head from his chest and smiled sleepily. ‘I should go.’
His chest tightened then swelled. Spearing his fingers through her hair, he nodded. God, she was so beautiful it hurt to look at her.
Her smile widening, she carefully levered herself up and pressed the softest of kisses to his mouth.
At the privacy wall door, she turned for one more look before slipping out with the same silent grace she’d slipped in.
As they were heading straight to the hotel from the airport, Athena donned a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a heavy bright pink poncho.
She’d been to California in January before and had not liked the coolness of the weather.
Greece was sunny all year round, and yes, temperatures in the winter months dipped, especially at night, but California felt much colder on her sun-loving skin.
For extra weather protection, she donned a pink woolly hat and pink leather gloves before disembarking, matching it all with funky high-heeled, multi-coloured ankle boots and ignoring the amused glances exchanged between the others.
If they wanted to be cold, that was their problem.
There were two cars waiting for them. One was for Draco, who had his own home near Silicon Valley, the other for his entourage. Athena, as part of this entourage, would have headed off with the others if Draco hadn’t caught her eye and beckoned her to his car.
‘I thought I was staying at the hotel,’ she said, confused. There had been a lot of talk over breakfast about the hotel, which was a five-minute walk from Manolis Technology HQ. From the general gist of things, it was the hotel Draco’s entourage always stayed at when they visited California.
Though his eyebrow was raised and his tone playful, his eyes were intent with meaning. ‘Do you really think I’m going to let you loose in a hotel? You’re staying under my watchful eye until the end of your contract, which means you’re staying at my place with me.’
The thrill that raced through her at this was beyond anything.
While it hadn’t actually been stated that she’d be staying at the hotel with the others, there had been no indication that she wouldn’t.
She’d assumed. Sure, her employment was massively different to the others, namely they were employed in proper roles and performed vital tasks, whereas she was there under everyone’s sufferance for a limited time.
But still, she’d assumed, and since leaving Draco’s bed had been mentally preparing herself for their separation, cheering herself up with the long days in the office she had to look forward to with him.
Who’d have thought she’d look forward to long days of working?
But then, who’d have thought she’d feel despondent at the thought of being parted from anyone, let alone a man? Which provoked a whole different kind of emotion: fear. Not of Draco, but his expectations and how she could never meet them.
Athena had allowed her craving for his company override everything else. She’d wanted to experience that feeling of safety in his arms again, and she had, and though she’d slept through most of it, they had been the most magical few hours of her life.
She’d climbed into Draco’s bed knowing nothing physical would happen between them. That it couldn’t. And so she’d been able to switch off her brain and her fears and sink into the safety of her Draco cocoon.
Now it would be just her and Draco. The safety net Grace, Theodore and Stav had provided would be located in a hotel miles away, and Draco would have expectations because she’d fed them by climbing into his bed, and she kept feeding them with every look they exchanged because she was helpless not to.
For the first time in her life, Athena was in lust and it was terrifying for so many reasons she couldn’t begin to count them.
Draco thought he knew her.
He was going to be left bitterly disappointed.
For now, though, all she could do was what she always did and Athena her way through the fears. Tilting her head, she sweetly said, ‘You’re very brave.’
The piercing blue eyes glimmered. ‘I know.’
‘Do you provide an all-you-can-eat buffet for breakfast and room service, and do you have a swimming pool and gym? Because that’s what the others are getting and it strikes me as a bit discriminatory if I’m not going to be provided with those same basic amenities and services.’
Amusement and desire swirled.
‘Athena?’ he said pointedly.
‘Yes, boss?’
‘Get in the car.’
‘Yes, boss.’
Considering she’d only had two hours sleep in the last twenty-four hours, Athena was as alert as she’d ever been when they travelled the sweeping drive leading them to Draco’s Californian home in the small but ultra-exclusive town of Crespi Valley.
Through the thick woods surrounding and encircling them, artfully positioned solar lights revealed lushly manicured grounds, the house itself a distantly lit blob that gradually took shape as they drove closer, revealing itself to be a sprawling one-storey sandstone villa with a graceful loggia at the front and arched doors to the wings at its side.
They circled a dazzling fountain of naked cherubs at play before the car came to a stop. That was when her stomach plummeted and her heart really went into overdrive.
Throughout the short drive to Draco’s home, she’d kept up her perky front by peppering him with questions about his Californian home and the area it was located, terrified that if she stopped talking her tongue would tie itself and she’d be sick from the nerves coiling so tightly inside her.
She knew what she needed to tell him, knew she needed to do it sooner rather than later, but had no idea how to say it.
A giant elephant was sitting between them but only she could see it.
‘Is this where we go in and you start hosting international video calls to prove what a dedicated workaholic you are?’ she said in the same bright voice she’d asked all her questions during their time in the car.
‘I’ve got a nail file with me so I won’t be bored.
I might even look at painting my nails myself—it can’t be that hard, can it?
Although it might be a little tricky doing my right hand as I’m right-handed and not in the least ambidextrous, and… ’
‘Athena?’
She closed her eyes, barely able to comprehend how much she was coming to adore the way he said her name in that stern, pointed tone. Except this time his gruff voice was more soft than stern, and there was a catch in her own voice when she gave her standard, ‘Yes, boss?’
‘Look at me.’
‘Yes, boss.’