Chapter Eight #2
‘Pretty much, neh ,’ he purred. ‘But perhaps it will have another benefit, and the marriage will put an end to the endless speculation about why I have never taken a bride. Every interview I’ve ever given always starts off with that same damned question and it drives me mad.
’ He tilted her chin with his finger and his deep voice grew smoky.
‘So why not enjoy our remarkable chemistry until it burns itself out?’
‘And is that…inevitable?’ she questioned carefully. ‘That it will burn itself out?’
‘Always. Attraction is like oil. A finite source.’ He shrugged again, as if the death of desire were of no consequence.
‘So what’s in it for me, Odysseus?’ she asked, qualifying her question when she saw the outraged expression on his face. ‘Oh, I get that most women would probably bite your hand off to be your wife, but you’ve hardly bombarded me with inducements, have you?’
‘Then why don’t I spell it out for you in more favourable terms?
’ he suggested softly. ‘As my wife, you will receive an allowance that will more than cover the cost of your grandmother’s care and, when we divorce, you will walk away with a generous settlement.
Which means you don’t have to go and work for someone like Contarini ever again.
’ A note of something implacable entered his voice.
‘You can do whatever you want to do. Use your degree. Become a linguist. Travel the world. I’m setting you free, Grace. ’
‘But why?’ she asked bluntly. ‘Why would you do that?’
There was a pause, and as he shrugged he was the personification of cool, male arrogance. ‘Because I can.’
Grace was breathing rapidly as he studied her expectantly because his suggestion was completely bonkers and yet…
She swallowed. The thought of not having to worry about the ever-escalating cost of Nana’s care was hugely tempting, but so too was the thought of living a normal life and doing normal things.
Because lately the miserable nature of her job had become ever more apparent—like the slow drip of a tap which gradually became a big puddle—and for the first time ever, she allowed herself to consider an alternative.
No more rising at the crack of dawn and going out in all weathers to procure the only cornetto in the city which her boss would contemplate eating for breakfast. No more cancelling stuff at the last minute because Vincenzo had some trifling complaint.
No more sitting in that big, dark house most evenings while the clock ticked away the hours and her life.
But that life was the only one she had ever really known, locked into a situation which was highly unusual for a woman of her age.
Restrictive, yes but undoubtedly safe—and sometimes the outside world seemed a little…
daunting . Because Odysseus was only talking temporary.
She wouldn’t have him by her side for long.
What if she took a leap and everything came crashing down around her ears? ‘And if I said yes, what would happen?’
‘You collect your things and fly to my island home in Greece. We’ll get married there. Don’t expect romance, because I am not a romantic man. No fuss. No frills.’ His sapphire eyes glinted with mockery. ‘So I hope you weren’t holding out for a big dress on your wedding day.’
Ignoring his sarcasm, she bit her lip because she had far more immediate concerns on her mind. ‘And what if Vincenzo tries to stop me?’
Suddenly all that mockery and humour was gone. ‘ Kalós theós epifónima , Grace,’ he bit out. ‘He’s your employer, not your damned jailer! But just to reassure you, I will ensure that a bodyguard will be at your side at all times.’
And then she asked him, because she had to ask him, ‘Why…why do you hate him so much?’
The silence which followed seemed endless as he seemed to weigh up whether or not he could trust her.
‘Because he rejected my mother,’ he said at last, his words harsh and bitter.
‘He kicked her out when she was pregnant and she…’ He shook his head.
‘The rest doesn’t matter. That’s all history.
Vincenzo Contarini is history,’ he ground out.
‘And I forbid you to worry about him any more, do you understand?’
Forbid was a powerful word, but right then it was making Grace feel protected. As if he were warding off the unsavoury elements of her life and rescuing her from all the drudgery, and she was too caught up in the violent swirl of her emotions to recognise just how dangerous a concept this was.
And she wanted him, that was the thing. The single element which dominated everything else.
She wanted him with a hunger she’d never experienced before.
He had awoken her senses. Made her feel like a woman.
Made her feel as if this was the person she was always meant to be.
How could she contemplate going back to that miserable existence and saying goodbye to him, knowing that this unlikely relationship could never work as an affair?
But she could only say yes if she accepted his boundaries and, really, there was only one which mattered.
She mustn’t ever fall in love with him.
No matter what the provocation, nor how great the sex.
‘Okay, then,’ she said carelessly, not wanting to scare him off by sounding too eager. ‘I’ll marry you.’