Chapter 4
Tallia dawdled in her room as long as she could. She didn't want to go out with Costa Eustakhios, not sight seeing or for any other reason. She was still burning with embarrassment over her bizarre reaction to him when he came out to join her on the balcony.
For some reason she could not fathom, he had a strange effect on her. Yesterday she dismissed the queer agitation she experienced when he was near as nerves, and the breathless sensation she felt when he looked at her as the effects of exhaustion. But today she knew she had been deluding herself. Humbling though it was, she seemed to be attracted to the man, even though she knew he didn't like her!
Her attraction to Costa confused her, since he was the complete opposite of the type of men she usually found attractive. Costa was too big, too dark and much, much too forceful. He didn't smile, barely spoke, and did little other than glower at her. Yet when he was near, she felt the strangest things. It was a cliché, but she really did feel as if there were butterflies in her stomach when he was around!
When he came to stand beside her on the deck, he took her completely by surprise. Then he touched her! Tallia shivered at the memory. She felt her face burn, and a fresh wave of humiliation swept over her as she thought of how she turned to jelly at one touch of his finger to her cheek. It had been the most innocent gesture, barely a whisper of contact, yet fire had seemed to leap from his finger and course straight through her body, shooting into her stomach to pool shamefully in a place just south of her belly button.
I must be losing my mind, Tallia told herself. There is no way I can be attracted to Fidelio's brother. The guy is dark and dangerous and from the way he keeps glaring its obvious he doesn’t like me- at all!
"Ready?"
Jumping with fright, Tallia slapped a hand over her madly beating heart as she turned around to find the man in question standing in the open doorway of her bedroom, leaning casually against the frame. Costa filled the doorway- hell- he filled the room with his presence. His light, impassive gaze giving away nothing of his thoughts and feelings as they skimmed over her.
Tallia blushed furiously, feeling like a fool for reacting so violently to him when it was apparent he did not share the feeling. His unsmiling mouth suggested he was tolerating her and she felt not only like an unwelcome trespasser in his home, but a bothersome one since he had been saddled with the task of showing her around the island.
"You know we don't have to do this," she hastened to tell him, clearing her throat when her voice came out low and husky. "I realize you must be very busy-"
"Never let it be said I am too busy to spare a few hours for a beautiful woman," he returned, the words devoid of charm as they were spoken in a bland monotone.
Tallia almost insisted since his manner screamed resentment towards her. But as he shifted his gaze from her to survey the room, she felt she had lost his interest entirely. His eyes settled on the tiny bedside table and even though his expression did not alter, she sensed a shift in him, a sudden tension.
Glancing at the table, Tallia saw the prescription bottles she had neatly laid out yesterday, so she wouldn't forget to take any of the host of meds she was required to ingest throughout the day. Yet again she felt her face go up in flame with embarrassment.
"I'm ready," she said, grabbing her hat and marching resolutely to the door, positioning herself between him and the bedside table. She didn't want to have to explain what she had to take, not after having to do so half a dozen times yesterday while passing through repeated customs and security checks.
It was bad enough being eye-balled like a drug addict when people saw the sack of little orange canisters with their safety lids, but the sympathetic looks she got once she explained why she was under so much medication, were almost as aggravating. After all her health problems, Tallia didn't want pity or censure. All she wanted was to be whole and healthy again and able to enjoy a normal life.
Costa gave her a quick, narrow-eyed look that she could have sworn was dripping with contempt, but his thick black lashes came down before she could be certain. He stepped aside, waving for her to precede him. Tallia stiffened, taken aback by his reaction and uncomfortable as he left her barely enough room to slip past him.
As it was, her shoulder brushed his chest as she slid through the doorway and she felt his presence like a great black shadow as she hurried down the corridor with him hard on her heels. Of course, that did nothing to stop the tiny shiver of awareness that coursed down her spine at his proximity. Thankfully, even that small, involuntary motion set off flares of pain up and down her damaged nerve endings, helping to clear her head and bring her back down to reality.
Making her way swiftly down the stairs to the front door, Tallia found it standing wide open and went out onto the low steps that led to a brick paved driveway. Her feet, shod in thin-soled sandals, came skidding to a stop on the marble steps when she saw the vehicle crouching in wait a few feet away. It was low and sleek, resembling nothing so much as a gleaming shark and was just as nightmarish to her. Tallia was so distraught at the sight of the sports car he obviously intended for them to use, that she didn’t even feel Costa's hand at the small of her back.
"W-where's the truck?" she asked weakly.
"In the garage," he replied in a tone of voice that suggested she was a simpleton. His hand pressed into the small of her back firmly, but she hardly noticed as she remained rooted to the spot.
"Do we have to take that, can't we… can't we just walk?" she suggested hopefully.
"Yes, we must," he bit out. "The island may look small from the water, but it is not, and in a few hours the temperature will make it prohibitive for us to walk, especially you in those jeans," he added.
"I could change," Tallia suggested, wishing she had worn a pair of shorts or a skirt, but it had been cool out this morning and she hadn't thought she would be leaving the house.
"Let's go Tallia," he said coldly, his fingers digging into her spine.
Biting her lip, she considered refusing, but then realized she was acting stupid. They were on a tiny island. It wasn't as if there was any traffic to contend with. The roads were probably small and few, so he wouldn't be able to go very fast. She stoically ignored the little voice in her head. It told her she was being wishful… no one owns a car like his, a car built for speed, if they don't intend to drive it, and to drive it fast. Costa hardly struck her as the sort of man who felt the need to show off and certainly not for someone like her, whom he did not even like, by driving a posh car.
With grave reluctance she let him steer her down the steps and open the passenger door for her. She had to crouch down just to get in the car, and her back began to ache immediately as she settled into the deep, bucket seat. Taking a slow breath to steady herself, Tallia searched for the seat controls and calmly adjusted the back of the chair until she was more comfortable, telling herself not to be silly and to relax so her muscles wouldn't cramp.
Though the car made her nervous, she watched Costa walk around the bonnet to get in on the drivers side, his stride slow and muscular like a stalking tiger. She had to admit he looked supremely competent, as if he could handle anything life threw him. Certainly a high-powered sports car would pose no challenge to a man like him.
Costa watched Tallia discreetly through the windscreen as he went around the hood of his jet black Lamborghini. It was his favorite of the cars he kept on the island, because it was the fastest. He had to suppress a smile as he noticed how nervous she looked. He might have felt sorry for her if he didn’t want her to be nervous. It suited his purpose to keep her on edge and off balance.
He was in control. He would make the rules and decide how things went from here on out between them. The quicker she understood that the easier it would be for her. He could be a very generous man when he got what he wanted, so he refused to feel any pity towards her. She would not get exactly what she wanted on her Greek holiday, but once he was through with her, she would not go back to England enti
rely empty handed.
Sliding a pair of sunglasses on his nose, he climbed into the car and shut the door gently, treating his prized baby with the care she deserved. Anticipation flowed through his blood, for both the drive ahead and the prospect of having Tallia in his bed.
Glancing at her, he felt a wealth of satisfaction at the idea of possessing her, an indecent thrill, he privately admitted to himself. He was already half aroused just at the thought of screwing her, and the dark blue jeans that clung to her long legs sent his temperature spiking.
He still found her painfully thin, yet not in the least unattractive. Every inch of her was perfectly formed, and her extreme slenderness only emphasized her sheer perfection. Her top was unremarkable, a thin white t-shirt that draped off her wide, frail shoulders. She had the body of a model, dainty collarbones and narrow hips, but he found he didn’t mind such slenderness in her case.
Costa wasn't into models; he considered them far beneath him, preferring to restrict his liaisons to older, more mature women who knew their place and how to be discreet. He sometimes kept a mistress in Athens, but the last one had worn out her welcome a few weeks ago when she professed her undying love during a bout of heated sex. Costa had immediately dropped her cold.
With no outlet for his fierce sexuality he was acutely feeling the need for a woman, which was surely the reason he responded so strongly to Tallia. Oh, she is beautiful, he had to admit that much, but Tallia was not in the least his type. For one she’s a drug addict, he thought caustically. Though he knew what really bothered him was her youth and the knowledge that she was probably totally inexperienced in the ways of conducting a civilized liaison between adults.
She was a quiet thing though, so there was hope that she was not the emotional sort who clung to fairy-tales of love and happily ever after, nor would she insist on sappy romantic displays and feign shows of adoration. He did not do drama and conducted his relationships with women as he did his business dealing, prizing logic, reason, and mutual satisfaction over all else. Costa couldn't help but think he would enjoy teaching Tallia a thing or two about the world.
Like a man contemplating an object he was considering purchasing, he let his eyes slide down to her breasts and admired their shape without much effort since she didn't appear to be wearing a bra. He could make out the straps of a camisole, though with breasts as tiny as hers he wasn't surprised she opted out of a bra.
Costa generally liked his women a little more top heavy, but the small, pointy mounds that tented the front of her shirt were so perky he didn't think he would mind the difference. Tallia was breathing so hard there was plenty of jiggle to hold his attention, and he actually licked his lips as he imagined how easy it would be to take an entire breast right into his mouth.
Once again his gaze snagged on her tiny, blue tipped toes, and his groin tightened painfully. Costa never fancied himself a foot man, yet there was something about her feet that drew his eye. He realized then that everything about her appealed to him, and the attraction was growing.
Suddenly he was impatient to get this over with, so he could have her. He wished he could just reach out and run a proprietary hand over her, but knew it would be outrageous, even if she were a mercenary little tart. There were rules to every game, especially when sex was involved, and he knew the wait would only make the moment when he had her under him, completely subjugated to his will, all the sweeter.
Noticing that she had not fastened her safety belt he grinned, taking it as an invitation. Leaning over her, he grabbed the tongue of the belt and drew the strap across her upper body. He took his time, bringing his face in close to hers, so close there were only a few scant inches between their mouths. Tallia jerked back with surprise, and he watched her pupils dilate wildly at his proximity. Giving her a broad, predatory smile, Costa let his eyes wander all over her face as he slid the metal tongue of the belt into the buckle ever so slowly, appreciating the sexual innuendo in the act for the first time.
"Relax Agapate, trust me, you're in good hands. I'll take care of you," he promised softly as his eyes traced her elegant mouth.
Tallia shivered visibly, and Costa brought his face a little closer still, sorely tempted to have a taste. He wondered if she was really that responsive or if it was all an act. He sure as hell hoped it wasn't an act because he wanted to feel her trembling just this way when he slid inside her. He wanted her to buck and grind against him like a wild thing, when he made her his. The thought made his stomach flip and his dick turn into a rigid truncheon that jutted uncomfortably against the zip of his jeans.
He felt momentarily stunned by the force of his desire and the strange drowning sensation that came over him as he looked deep into her eyes. Tearing his gaze from hers he laughed faintly, dismissing the curious feeling as the product of sexual deprivation.
Deciding it was best they got going, he sat back and fastened his own safety belt with one hand as he twisted the key in the ignition with the other. The powerful engine turned over and growled like a pack of snarling wolves. Around them, the car began to vibrate and the deep, throbbing rhythm was undeniably arousing.
Revving the engine, he turned to flash a smile of pure delight at Tallia, but she was still staring fixedly through the windscreen as if she had been turned to stone. Without thinking, Costa reached over and slapped her leg, letting his hand linger for a moment so his fingers caressed her long, slim inner thigh. Heat flashed through him and he stomped on the gas like a dilettante. The car shot forward as if it were a stray bullet, and he was forced to put both hands on the wheel to keep the Lamborghini from flying off into the scenery. Beside him, Tallia gasped loudly, and Costa laughed again with more confidence, feeling gloriously alive as he drove the car through the first sharp turn onto the road at lightening speed.
"So Tallia," he asked, almost amicably, "how long have you known my brother?”