Chapter Four #2
That part she’d prepared for, braced herself for. They’d kissed hundreds of times, so she knew what kissing him felt like.
At least, she thought she did.
But when this Theo swept her into his arms, holding her body tight against his, and dropped his head, the whole world began to spin way too fast. He smelled so good and felt so strong, his presence was overwhelming, right down to a cellular level.
She simply parted her lips and then he was kissing her, his mouth not gentle, not brief, but rather, possessive and dominating, his lips parting her mouth wider, his tongue clashing with hers, his body shifting her slightly to shield them from the view of the audience, for the most part.
It was not a long kiss—perhaps five seconds at most, but it was earth-shattering, regardless.
When he lifted his head, she stared up at him, dazed, in a fog of need that he’d stirred so easily.
It was such a different kiss to before. Almost as though back then he’d treated her like she was young and innocent.
As though he hadn’t wanted to break her, when now, Annie realised, she wanted that.
She wanted rough and hard and flooded with passion—it felt appropriate, in their vitriolic new relationship.
‘If there were not five hundred people staring at us, you would be naked by now,’ he muttered, eyes dragging from hers to her mouth, to her breasts, which had peaked nipples and were flooded with tingling awareness.
‘That’s a little presumptuous, isn’t it?’ she said huskily.
His laugh was hoarse and mocking. ‘No. Nice try, though.’
He shifted them so they were once more in full view of the assembled guests, and that was it. They were married.
After the wedding came the party, and though it was filled with loud revellers and good wishes, Annie knew barely anyone and found she didn’t want to speak to many people.
It surprised her that Theo had invited such a large number of guests.
Then again, his business interests were enormous—he employed tens of thousands of people around the globe, so within those ranks, presumably he had large executive teams. No doubt they’d all received an invitation.
From what she could tell, none of the guests were particularly close friends with Theo.
She watched him work the room though, the way he spoke to almost everyone, from what she could tell, his body language relaxed, his manner charming.
She’d never seen this side of him before: she was surprised he possessed it.
So debonair and sophisticated, you could easily imagine he’d been born to this sort of wealth and privilege. Perhaps that was the point.
She knew he guarded the truth of his upbringing with care; he probably preferred to interact with people who simply presumed he was every bit as entitled as they were.
At almost midnight, he circled back to Annie, who’d been having a mind-numbing conversation about childcare with two of her high school friends who were married with small children.
They were debating the merits of their nannies, comparing the duties each performed, and Annie had to keep biting back a yawn.
‘You look exhausted,’ Theo murmured in her ear from behind, surprising her with his approach.
She startled, as his warm breath caressed her cheek. ‘Thank you so much. That’s just what every bride wants to hear on her wedding day.’
He shrugged insolently. ‘It is a point of fact.’ His eyes raked her face. ‘Shall we?’
‘Shall we what?’
‘Leave.’
She looked around. ‘Can we do that?’
‘Yes, Annie. It’s time.’ And from the way his eyes held hers, she guessed there was a double meaning to his statement. Her stomach twisted in knots as he reached down and laced their fingers together, guiding her from the wedding ballroom, and out into the night.
‘Honeymoon?’ Annie repeated drowsily, as his car pulled up—not, as she’d expected, to his Athens home—but rather at a small private airport. She’d fallen asleep almost as soon as they’d left the hotel, and it was only Theo’s words, ‘it’s time for our honeymoon’, that had wakened her. ‘But why?’
‘Is it not what usually follows a wedding?’
‘Yes, but this isn’t a real wedding,’ she said, as though she were talking to someone very dimwitted.
‘Tsk, tsk,’ he murmured, reaching over and unbuckling her seatbelt, then leaving his hand to hover on her hip a moment. ‘Remember that we agreed it would be real, in every way?’
A shiver of anticipation brushed through her. ‘Yes, but…’
‘This is not up for negotiation. The arrangements have been made.’ He pulled back and opened his car door, leaving her staring, frowning, at the black leather seat across from her. He then opened her car door, and stared down at her. ‘I will carry you, Annie, if you do not walk yourself.’
She stared at him, half tempted to act belligerently and remain in the car, just to feel his big strong arms wrap around her again. But what kind of stupid was that? Where was the dignity?
She clamped her lips together and glared at him as she stepped out, shivering for a different reason now. Despite the warmth of the day, the night had turned cool, and her slip of a dress was hardly adequate protection.
Theo immediately slipped out of his tuxedo jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. If she hadn’t known for herself how unfeeling he was, she might have experienced a sense of warmth at his thoughtfulness.
‘I’m fine,’ she said dismissively, starting to shake out of it.
But his strong hands pressed to her shoulders, keeping the jacket in place. ‘Wear it, Annie. It’s not going to kill you.’
She made a noise of skepticism, but chose not to fight with him.
A private jet was just across from them, and going by the ‘Leonidas’ on the tail, it clearly belonged to Theo.
It was not a small jet, either, but rather the size of a commercial airliner.
Curiosity propelled her forward, then up the stairs, and when she reached the top and stepped inside her eyes almost popped out of her head.
For there she was confronted with the most incredible space she’d ever seen.
It was more six-star hotel than plane, from the plush lounge suite at the front, to a full dining table, an enormous flat screen TV on the back wall.
She presumed there would be a bedroom and bathroom beyond that, and who knew what else?
‘Jeez, Theo, this is…’ She waved a hand in the air, searching for the right word.
He glanced from her to the plane, waiting without speaking.
‘This is a lot.’
‘Yes.’
She ran her hand over the back of one of the leather lounge chairs, moving deeper into the plane. ‘Did you have this when we dated?’
‘No.’
She nodded, wondering why he’d bought it, and when.
She moved past the dining table, which she supposed he might use for boardroom meetings, and past more comfortable chairs that were angled to face the cinema screen.
A partition with a timber-looking door was beyond the screen.
She turned to face Theo, only to find he was almost on top of her, so when she stopped walking, his chest brushed against hers, and warmth licked her every cell.
‘Can I keep going?’
His eyes flared again, in that way he had. A brief flicker of flame, of passion, before he could control it. Fascinating.
He dipped his head in acknowledgement, and Annie turned away again, glad for the reprieve of looking right at him. She opened the door, and stepped right into an enormous bedroom. It took up almost the whole back of the plane, with its king-sized bed, sofa and another huge screen.
Just looking at the bed made her mouth go dry.
She twisted the enormous engagement ring on her finger, the huge diamond something she’d strangely gotten used to over the preceding four weeks despite her initial disdain for it.
To distract herself from the bed, she pointed to two other doors. ‘What’s through there?’
‘The gym,’ he murmured, close enough that she could feel his breath on the top of her head. ‘And the bathroom. There’s time to freshen up and change before take-off, if you’d like.’
Her heart twisted at the simple courtesy. It had been a long day, and the thought of a hot shower and fresh clothes was suddenly instantly appealing.
‘My bag?’ she asked.
‘Stowed, but there are clothes in there for you.’
‘Oh.’
He really had thought of everything. Then again, it probably wasn’t the first time he’d ‘entertained’ on his luxury plane. The thought drained the warmth from her body, leaving her ice-cold.
‘I won’t be long,’ she said, turning from him easily now, and wrenching open the door to the en suite.
As she might have come to expect, given the rest of the plane’s fit-out, it was also the kind of room that would be more at home in a mansion than a plane, with white tiles, gold fittings and a shower that was big enough for two.
Yes, definitely a flying bachelor pad, she thought with distaste, as she slid the dress from her body, then her silky white briefs.
The water came out warm and with good pressure, so she stepped under it and just stood there for several minutes, before reaching for the body wash and lathering herself all over, ignoring the way even her own touch sent sparks of need through her over-sensitised nervous system.
She hated that he could so easily do this to her, and yet…anticipation was a flickering flame in the pit of her stomach.
This marriage was a necessary evil, so far as Annie was concerned, except in one way. There was no denying their physical connection, and even though Annie barely recognised the man he’d become—so filled with hate and rage—she knew better than to lie to herself.
She wanted him, just as much as she always had. It was a need that defied logic and explanation—it was simply a part of her.