The Greek’s terms?

She must wear his diamond!

Lysandros Drakakis always gets what he wants, and he’s never stopped wanting beautiful pianist Rio Armstrong! A fake engagement to please his family is the perfect opportunity to uncover why she walked away from their powerful connection...and indulge their still-sizzling desire under the Mediterranean sun. But Rio’s heartbreaking revelation changes the stakes—he’s given her his ring, yet now Lysandros finds himself wanting to give Rio everything...

Enjoy this dramatic fake engagement romance!

RACHAEL THOMAS has always loved reading romance, and is thrilled to be a Mills & Boon author. She lives and works on a farm in Wales—a far cry from the glamour of a Modern Romance story, but that makes slipping into her characters’ worlds all the more appealing. When she’s not writing, or working on the farm, she enjoys photography and visiting historical castles and grand houses. Visit her at rachaelthomas.co.uk.

Also by Rachael Thomas

From One Night to Wife

New Year at the Boss’s Bidding

To Blackmail a Di Sione

The Sheikh’s Last Mistress

A Child Claimed by Gold

Di Marcello’s Secret Son

Married for the Italian’s Heir

Hired to Wear the Sheikh’s Ring

A Ring to Claim His Legacy

Convenient Christmas Brides miniseries

Valdez’s Bartered Bride

Martinez’s Pregnant Wife

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Seducing His Convenient Innocent

Rachael Thomas

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08754-4

SEDUCING HIS CONVENIENT INNOCENT

© 2019 Rachael Thomas

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

PROLOGUE
Spring in London

LYSANDROS DRAKAKIS WATCHED Rio Armstrong, the woman he wanted above all others, as she took her seat at the piano. An expectant hush fell over the room as everyone waited for the recital he’d arranged for his business clients at one of London’s top hotels to begin.

Rio was beautiful. Her tall, slender body was full of poise and elegance and as she sat at the piano all eyes were on her. Everyone else in the room was waiting for her to play but all Lysandros could do was imagine her in his arms, kissing him with an unrestrained passion she’d so far resisted. Every time they’d kissed the hints of desire had lingered on her lips, tormenting him.

His younger sister, Xena, had introduced them, claiming them to be perfect for one another, and for the last two months he’d been the personification of a gentleman with this alluring beauty. He’d also been patient, allowing their relationship to unfold at Rio’s pace. Not at all his usual style, but this was the first time since his disastrous engagement to Kyra ten years ago that he wanted to consider more than just physical gratification.

That uncharacteristic restraint since he and Rio had started dating was having serious side effects. Not having done anything more than kiss her, his mind was constantly filled with the image of their naked bodies entwined with desire, and as Rio’s fingers began to caress the first notes of her performance from the piano, he closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm his ardour, try to halt the thoughts of her touching him, caressing him.

Rio had warned him, from the first moment he’d made his interest in her known, of her concert commitments, the need to put in hours of daily practice, and more recently had used those commitments as the reason she wasn’t ready to take their romance further. But with summer approaching and the concert season ending, Lysandros was determined to whisk her away to his home in Greece. Once there he wanted to allow the attraction between them to bloom like the flowers on his island retreat.

A ripple of applause swayed around the room, dragging his thoughts back to the present. How long had he been wrapped in heated thoughts of making Rio his? Rio stood and took a bow, smiling at the audience’s appreciation of her playing. She was a rising star in the world of classical music and small performances like this were her way of bringing the joy of the genre to new listeners.

As the audience slowly dwindled away, heading to the hotel restaurant or bar, he walked towards the large black grand piano where Rio was gathering up her music. She glanced up, smiling at him, and he could almost believe that she could be, as Xena had more than hinted at, the woman to overthrow all the disbelief in love with which his ex-fiancée Kyra had filled him.

‘Excellent entertainment, Lysandros.’ The gruff voice of Samuel Andrews, a man with whom he’d just signed a lucrative deal to supply his company with ten luxury yachts, invaded the moment.

‘Indeed.’ He glanced at the older man before looking over at Rio, who was almost ready to leave. He couldn’t let her go without telling her how wonderfully she’d played—and arranging dinner tonight. ‘If you will excuse me.’

He didn’t wait for a response. The only thing that mattered now was being with Rio. In just a few days he would return to Greece, where he had a full schedule of meetings for the next few weeks, and it shocked him to realise how much he would miss Rio during that time. This was all such new territory for a man who’d done nothing but play the field for the last ten years.

Rio looked up at him, that sensual but shy smile on her lips convincing him further, if he needed it, that time together in Greece with this woman was exactly what he wanted.

‘You were wonderful,’ he said as he stood in the curve of the piano, its lid lifted. ‘You play so beautifully.’ He watched her, admiring her grace and elegance in the long black dress she wore, one shoulder bare, as the silky fabric swept across her breasts, a frill of black silk over her other shoulder. Her hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck in a tousled chignon he found so very sexy as he imagined setting it free during the passion of sex.

She gathered the last of her music up and clutched it to her, the softness of her brown eyes filled with happiness. ‘Thank you.’ Her voice was light and teasing, the sparkle in her eyes flirtatious. Finally, he was breaking through her reserve. Soon this innocent beauty would be his in the most intimate way. That thought intensified the heated lust already raging inside him after his imaginings while she’d played. ‘Does that mean you will take me to dinner tonight?’

He stepped closer to her, not able to resist touching her, and brushed back a stray piece of hair, lifting her chin gently with his thumb and finger. His eyes held hers briefly, and then he brushed his lips over hers before answering. ‘It most certainly does, especially as I have to return to Greece at the end of the week.’

‘Next week?’ Her voice was husky, proving she wanted him as much as he wanted her. ‘So soon?’

‘Yes, agape mou, so soon.’ He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until that infernal barrier she hid behind came crashing down.

‘I have to meet with Hans now, the conductor. He wants to go over some of the pieces with me, but afterwards I’ll be free.’ She paused. ‘Free to make the most of the last few nights together.’

‘Last few nights?’ He couldn’t miss the blush that had crept over her face or the sudden shyness that made her look at him from lowered lashes. He swallowed hard against the need to crush his mouth to hers, to kiss her until passion consumed them both, until desire doused them in flames.

‘Yes, Lysandros.’ Her whisper was husky and so very sexy. She moved closer to him, her gaze locked with his, the fire of their attraction almost crackling in the air around them. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? How she was tormenting him? ‘I want to be with you tonight. All night.’

He looked into her eyes, desire filling them, darkening the soft brown until they were almost black. ‘Are you sure?’ he asked softly, wanting her to know that he was willing to wait, that he understood this wasn’t something she did lightly. He wanted her to know he was prepared to take things as slowly as she wanted to.

‘Absolutely.’ The certainty in her voice was all the reassurance he needed. Tonight, this beautiful woman, with an aura of innocence, would be his.

He kissed her gently, allowing her to taste his passion, his desire for her, and when she responded with as much need for him, he had to force himself to step back from her as the crazy need for her threatened to overcome him. ‘I will make tonight very special for you, agape mou.’

‘Just being with you will do that.’ She blushed and hugged her music sheets tighter. ‘But first I must sort this out.’ She allowed the sheets of music to fall forward, as if providing the evidence for what she had to do. ‘You know how hard Hans works us. And, besides, you need to mingle with your guests.’

He watched as she walked away, turning to look back at him, smiling, her step light with happiness. The same happiness that had made him feel a different man since he’d been dating Rio, sparking off conversations about engagement with his sister. Xena had been convinced that, ever since that first date with her friend, an engagement would be a question of when, not if.

* * *

Rio felt crazy and reckless with the anticipation of all that tonight would hold. Tonight she would give herself, give her virginity to a man who was everything she wanted. He might be her best friend’s brother, might have already been engaged once, but he was the man who made her feel alive. Even though she knew he wasn’t looking for any kind of long-term, emotional commitment, he was the man she wanted to be with above all others.

She pushed open the door of the grand room where practices were held and crossed the wooden floor to the piano, her heels echoing in the vastness of the room. Hans had insisted they go over some of her pieces for the final concerts of the season. She was early, so there was time to enjoy just playing, for no other reason than she wanted to.

She hadn’t wasted time changing from her black gown. She’d wanted to get the meeting over and done with and back to Lysandros. For the first time in her life, she was irritated by the need to do such things, annoyed by the fact that it meant she couldn’t be somewhere else, doing something else. Something else she was finally ready for. Even knowing Lysandros was only interested in her physically, she wanted to be with him, wanted to know the pleasure of a night in his bed.

As she sat at the piano she thought of Lysandros, of the way he’d kissed her before she’d left. Even if he hadn’t promised her tonight would be special, it had been there in his kiss. Her heart fluttered with anticipation as she began playing, losing herself in the romance of the piece, letting all her emotion pour out through her fingers as she played.

As she ended the piece her whole body was humming with need for Lysandros. She closed her eyes and sat, hands lying on her lap as she savoured the moment.

‘Now, that was beautiful.’ Hans’s voice came from behind her. Very close behind her.

She gasped and turned around, annoyed that he’d invaded her private moment. She felt vulnerable. Exposed. He’d watched her as she’d given free rein to her emotions, as she’d allowed all the desire she felt for Lysandros to pour into the music.

‘You should have said you were there.’ She couldn’t keep the irritation from her voice.

‘And ruin such a moment?’ He looked at her, his gaze sweeping down her body. ‘You looked so beautiful. So passionate.’

He stepped closer to her as he spoke and for the first time ever Rio felt threatened by a man’s presence. The smell of alcohol hung around him and she didn’t like the way he looked at her, the way he’d wiped away the purity of her feelings for Lysandros. Mentally she shook herself. She was overreacting. Embarrassed at being caught off guard.

‘Shall we go through what you wanted to discuss?’ Desperately she tried to get the practice session back on track.

‘Play something for me.’ He seemed to be goading her. As if he’d known she’d been playing for someone else. For Lysandros.

She swallowed down her nerves, sure her embarrassment must be making her see things that weren’t there. As she turned on the piano stool and sorted her music, she was aware of him moving even closer. She glanced over the grand piano towards the big bay window and the parkland beyond, which was coming to life now with spring. In the summer it would be full of people enjoying the sunshine. Now it was empty.

‘That one,’ he said as he leant over her shoulder, moving one piece of music to the front.

Play, she told herself. Just play and he will step back.

She took a breath and placed her fingers lightly on the keys. After a few seconds’ pause, she began to play. At first it was stilted, emotionless as the uncertainty of the moment took over. He hadn’t moved at all. Was she just being panicky? Gradually, even though he remained behind her, she began to relax, and the music flowed more naturally round the vastness of the domed room.

She finished the piece and sat looking at the keys, not daring to look up at him. When his hand rested on her bare shoulder she stiffened, her eyes wide. What was he doing?

She turned and looked at his hand, unable to move any other part of her body. She should get up, should step away, but she couldn’t. Paralysed by fear, she dragged in a ragged breath.

As if her stillness had given consent, his hand moved lower, down over her chest, and she gasped, moving backwards on the stool, only to come against the firmness of his body.

‘Don’t,’ she said, snatching at his hand as it slipped alarmingly lower. Inside the fabric of her gown. Instinctively she curled herself inwards, hoping the movement would prevent what he was trying to do, but the fabric slackened, enabling him to fully grasp her breast.

‘What are you doing?’ she shouted.

The room echoed with the sound as she tried to avoid him, but his grasp tightened painfully on her breast and she was trapped between his body and his arm. How could this be happening?

‘I’m giving you what you want.’ His voice had changed, become hard and menacing. His face was so close to hers now she could smell stale alcohol on his breath.

‘No. No. This isn’t what I want.’ She struggled again and his grip on her tightened, his free hand now pressing down on her other shoulder.

‘Don’t be shy, Rio. I know you want it.’ He groped at her breast. Pain shot through it. Sickness filled her. She had to stop this. Had to get away.

She pushed against the piano with a discordant jangle of keys. Her heels making it difficult, she scrambled to her feet. Finally, she was free of him, but so shocked by what had just happened she stood there, panting wildly as she looked at him.

Too late she realised her mistake. She should have run when she’d had the chance. He moved quickly, his body pressing hers against the keys, his mouth claiming hers in a cruel kiss. He roughly pulled her dress up, his hand grasping at her thigh as his body pushed her even harder against the piano.

The sound of her dress ripping galvanised her into action and she pushed against him. ‘Get off.’

He was too strong for her. ‘I like it rough,’ he said as he tried to kiss her neck, his stubble scratching her skin, his foul breath making her retch.

‘No,’ she screamed as panic tore through her. He couldn’t do this to her. He couldn’t. She fought harder, screamed louder. ‘No. Stop it.’

‘What the hell?’ Another voice mingled with her scream and Hans let her go. She sagged in relief as his weight suddenly moved away from her. Anger took over and she watched Hans being manhandled off her by two other members of the orchestra. Then shock set in. The whole thing had lasted only minutes, but it had felt like hours. Rio slithered to the floor, her arms clutching the piano stool as if she’d been cast into the sea and it was all she had to hold on to.

She rested her head on her arms, not wanting to watch now as the scuffle continued amidst Hans’s angry accusations. How could he accuse her of leading him on? How could he say she had been up for it?

Tears slipped from her eyes. What had just happened?

‘Are you hurt?’ A woman’s voice, gentle but filled with anger, made her lift her face. Rio glanced around the room like a scared rabbit. ‘He’s gone.’

‘Thank goodness.’ She shivered, the shock of her ordeal really taking effect now. ‘God knows what he would have done if you hadn’t shown up.’

‘Evil bastard,’ the woman snapped. ‘Thank heavens the room was double-booked and that I had Philip and Josh with me.’

‘Double-booked?’ She looked up in confusion, not really knowing where she was any more. Nothing seemed to make sense.

The older woman placed her jacket round Rio’s shoulders, which, instead of comforting her, only made her shiver even more. ‘Don’t worry about that now. Just be safe in the knowledge that as soon as the police get here he will be locked up and will never be able to do this to you or anyone else again.’

‘What do you mean?’ Her eyes were wide with fear and shock, tears threatening once again.

‘The police will need your statement, as soon as you are able to, that is.’

‘The police?’

‘Yes. I called them whilst Philip and Josh wrestled him off you.’ There was a hint of humour in the older woman’s voice now and Rio gave a weak smile, finally realising who the woman was. Judith Jones, one of the company’s newest members, a fabulous conductor and now her saviour.

Rio tried to stand, the ripped front of her dress falling away. She gasped in shock. Had he done that to her? Hans? ‘My dress.’

Judith hugged her. ‘The dress isn’t important, Rio. All that matters is that we found you in time.’

Rio sniffed as the reality of Judith’s words sank in. ‘If you hadn’t come along...’ The implication hung in the air.

‘But we did,’ she soothed. ‘And you can give your statement to the police.’

‘Yes,’ Rio said shakily.

‘After you have done that, you will come to my home. I will personally take care of you tonight—unless there is someone else you’d rather be with, because you shouldn’t be alone.’

‘No,’ Rio whispered sadly. How could she go to Lysandros now? After all she’d just promised him? She couldn’t spend the night with him now. How could she even see Lysandros, let alone begin to tell him what had happened? Xena was busy this evening, and there was no way she could tell her yet either. ‘No, no one is home tonight.’

‘That’s settled, then. You will stay with me,’ Judith said firmly.

Rio smiled weakly. She should be with Lysandros tonight, should finally be discovering the joy of giving herself to a man. But how could she do that now? How could she allow any man to touch her again? Even the man she was beginning to fall in love with?

CHAPTER ONE

IT HAD BEEN six weeks since Rio had seen Lysandros. Six weeks since she’d said to him with her new-found flirty confidence that she wanted to spend all night with him. And six weeks since her world had been torn apart, destroying that confidence, ending her fragile hope that she and Lysandros could be beginning something special.

That life-changing moment after the recital had left her no option but to stand up the man she’d lost her heart to, the man she’d been ready to give everything to. She’d ended things between them, refusing to see or speak to Lysandros. That afternoon had been the last time she’d played the piano, the events that had unfolded as Hans had arrived in the practice room now making it impossible for her to go near a piano, let alone play.

Now another life-changing event meant that at any moment Lysandros would come striding into the hospital room where his younger sister—her best friend, Xena—lay sleeping, looking battered and bruised from the car accident late last night.

‘Xena.’ Lysandros’s voice snapped Rio from her thoughts as he surged through the door of the dimly lit private hospital room, his focus completely on the sleeping form of his sister.

Rio’s heart pounded hard as she watched, almost in slow motion, Lysandros walk back into her life. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t make her presence in the large comfortable chair in the corner known. Instead she watched as he stood on the other side of Xena’s bed, looking down at his sister. His stubble-covered jaw clenched, giving away the hurry in which he must have left Athens. He spread a hand over his chin as if he was trying to gain control, trying to work out what to say, what to do. He still hadn’t even realised she was there.

With a sense of desolation more profound than she could have ever dreamed possible, Rio sat silently, watching the man to whom she’d lost her heart. As if that very thought made her presence felt, he turned to look at her, the emptiness in his eyes breaking her heart.

‘Rio?’ For a moment he seemed speechless, unable to say anything. ‘When did you get here?’

‘Early this morning.’ She didn’t know what to say to him. The way he searched her face, looking into her eyes for the answers she couldn’t give him—answers about more than what had happened to Xena—almost tore her heart in two.

‘How much longer is she likely to sleep?’ His voice was firmer now, his shock at seeing her gone, as he walked to the bottom of his sister’s bed. His height dominated the room, crowding her thoughts. The dark grey suit he wore only emphasised his muscular physique, reminding her how it had felt against her body when he’d kissed her. It had felt good. Right. But that had been before. That had been when she’d been a different person.

Aware that he was waiting for an answer, she dragged her thoughts back in line and resisted the urge to stand up and try to match his height. Instead she remained seated, hoping it would give off the message that she was as totally unaffected by him as she’d claimed when she had broken things off.

‘When she first came round, she was very distressed. She couldn’t remember anything, so the doctors gave her a sedative.’ Rio focused her attention on Xena. She couldn’t look at Lysandros. Not into those coal-black eyes. She didn’t want to see the questions. The accusations. ‘They said she will be sleepy for some time and are worried the knock on her head has affected her memory.’

‘Her memory?’ She had his full attention now. And the full force of his scrutiny.

‘She doesn’t recall the accident, or any other recent events, but as she knows who she is, the doctors are saying it’s her way of coping. She is blocking it out.’ Rio gulped back a wave of emotion. She had to be strong, had to focus on what Xena needed. Right now, nothing else mattered, not even her and Lysandros.

‘What happened?’ The question was firm, but by the look on his face she knew he was struggling to comprehend his sister’s injuries, intensifying her own guilt at what she’d done to him. She didn’t know how she was going to answer that and keep Xena’s recent relationship from him. A relationship that was now over. It might be the reason why Xena was here in hospital, but it was no longer of any importance or relevance. Just as all she and Lysandros had shared was no longer of importance.

Last night, when Rio had arrived at Casualty, Xena hadn’t recalled the promise she’d extracted from Rio. The promise not to tell Lysandros about her romance with Ricardo, a married man. A promise she’d never envisaged being brought into play, but last night Xena had been confused and distressed, unable to piece together recent events—or even Ricardo. The doctors had assured her it was almost certainly temporary, but it still upset Rio to see her friend like that and she knew she would do anything to make it better for her. Even keep the truth from her powerful and commanding brother. Just as she’d keep her true reason for ending their relationship from him.

Rio fought frustration and guilt as it welled up inside her. If only she’d been able to convince Xena that her married lover had ended the affair in order to make his marriage work. That he wouldn’t leave his wife. Then maybe the accident would never have happened. Xena wouldn’t be here now. But she hadn’t been able to convince her. She and Xena had fallen out over it and Xena had slipped out after Rio had gone to bed and now Rio blamed herself for being too hard on her friend.

‘What happened?’ Lysandros demanded again, his tone more insistent this time, dragging her back to the present.

‘A car ran the lights. It hit her car hard. Spun it round.’ As she thought of it, of the distress Xena must have felt, she closed her eyes, pressing her fingers to her temples. She was tired. Upset. Seeing Lysandros again was too much on top of Xena’s accident.

‘Are you okay?’ Lysandros’s voice was so close it made her jump.

She opened her eyes to see him crouched before her, his hands holding the arms of the chair either side of her. Trapping her. Instantly all she could think about was the moment Hans had trapped her against the piano. No, she couldn’t allow that moment to rule her. Not ever. She just needed time to get over it.

‘Rio?’ Lysandros laid his palm on her lap, genuine concern in his voice. The heat of his hand grounded her, making her feel peculiarly safe.

She looked at him, almost bereft when he withdrew his hand, but this wasn’t a time to focus on her or what she wanted or even needed. The only thing she had to do now was be there for Xena, doing and saying whatever she needed her to say.

‘It’s Xena who needs your concern, not me.’ Even to her own ears, her voice sounded cold and emotionless.

He stood up, his long legs making him intimidatingly tall as he towered over her. She looked up at him, straight into the black depths of his eyes. She couldn’t look away. Couldn’t help herself wondering. Did the desire that had once filled them lie beneath their lacklustre darkness?

She forced her attention back to Xena’s sleeping form, desperate to focus her emotions. She looked up at Lysandros again, the man she could have been so happy with if other things hadn’t got in the way. ‘I have spoken to the doctor. She should start to come round soon. Her broken arm and fractured wrist are expected to heal, although her injuries will mean she won’t be able to play the violin for some considerable time.’

If only he knew the full truth of it all. Playing the violin would not be what Xena worried about as she recovered. It would be the loss of the man she loved that would fill her mind, her heart. If she remembered him. Tears sprang to Rio’s eyes and she blinked rapidly to hold them back. Jumping up, she went to the window, looking out over the city bathed in glorious spring sunshine as the day began. Anything to get away from his scrutiny.

‘Why?’ He glanced at Xena, sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing around her. She’d promised Xena her secret would be exactly that until she was ready to tell anyone. With a clarity and determination she’d never felt before, Rio knew she would do whatever she had to for Xena. That was what friends did and she knew without a doubt that Xena would do the same for her.

She looked at Lysandros and refused to quake at the power that radiated from him, refused to bow to his superior command. This wasn’t a business transaction—this was his sister’s life. Xena’s future. All Rio wanted was to be there for her.

‘Even without the amnesia, the injuries Xena has sustained will require time to heal. She may not even be able to play when the new season starts in the autumn.’

Rio calmly laid the foundations, which, although true, was not the reason why Xena wouldn’t want to rejoin the orchestra. Ricardo was part of the stage crew and amidst a torrent of tears Xena had clung to Rio before they’d fallen out, saying there was no way she could be part of the orchestra now. Rio’s heart still broke to remember the pain in her friend’s voice, knowing it came from losing the man she loved. A pain she also knew—because if she was truthful with herself, she had loved Lysandros.

‘Then the best option is for Xena to return to Greece.’ Lysandros looked at his sister, then back at her. The firm tone of his voice left her in no doubt that he did not expect his decision to be challenged—by anyone.

Rio had no intention of challenging him or his superiority. Relief flooded through her. If Xena left London and went to her island villa to recover, then any chances of gossip about her and Ricardo would be lessened. Ricardo certainly wouldn’t be the one to say anything. He was a married man and stood to lose everything. Xena would be able to recover in peace, and although the thought of saying goodbye to her friend at such a time hurt, it was the best solution.

‘Yes, I think that would be exactly what she needs in the circumstances.’ Rio’s voice had lost that determined edge, but she was acutely aware of Lysandros’s scrutiny.

He moved back to the window, looking out over London for a moment before turning to face her. Like an animal trapped in the beams of car headlights at night, she froze to the spot. Was he going to demand an explanation? From her? Was he now about to demand to know why she’d stood him up that night?

‘And what about you?’ He spoke gently and she swallowed down her guilt. She didn’t deserve his concern. She might not have been directly involved in the accident, but she blamed herself. ‘I can see this is affecting you too.’

He moved closer to her, his handsome face softened by the kind of concern she guessed those he did business with rarely saw. She wanted to back away, wanted to keep as much distance between herself and this man as possible. But she couldn’t. He mesmerised her, made her want things she couldn’t have now.

‘I will stay in London.’ Her voice was barely more than a whisper. He reached out and pushed the stray strands of her hair back from her face, just as he’d done the last time he’d seen her. Before he’d kissed her.

She caught her breath. Her pulse raced so fast she couldn’t say anything. All she could do was look into his hypnotically sexy black eyes.

‘You have had a shock too. You shouldn’t be alone.’ His words were heavy with his Greek accent, making her body’s reaction to him, to his nearness, even more intense.

She stepped back from him, away from the strange power he had over her. ‘I will be fine here.’

‘I am sure Xena wouldn’t want that,’ he insisted, his eyes dark and watchful, as if he was trying to tell her he wanted her there.

‘No, I should stay here.’

* * *

Lysandros took in Rio’s face, unusually bare of make-up, and along with the casual jeans she wore with a sweater, she had an air of complete innocence. What was it about this woman? Why did she affect him like this? Why did he want to take on the challenge she’d unwittingly issued when she’d stood him up and then told him it was over? Her response to his kiss after the piano recital had promised him so much. So what had changed that?

Xena stirred and he forced his mind from those questions. Instantly Rio was at his sister’s side, her attention focused completely on her friend. He should be giving Xena the same attention, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off Rio. Her hair, loosely pulled back, looked tousled, giving away the haste in which she’d obviously left her bed early this morning. She might well have been here for hours, but she looked beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful. His heart wrenched.

‘Lysandros is here,’ Rio said softly as Xena opened her eyes, a look of bewilderment on her pale face.

Xena winced as she tried to slide up the partially elevated bed. Rio fussed with her pillows, going to great lengths to make them right. Anything, it seemed, to avoid looking at him. Anything to avoid that sizzle of attraction that still sparked between them, despite the current situation.

‘Lysandros?’ Xena asked shakily as she turned to look up at him.

‘I came as soon as I heard,’ he said, taking her hand in his. He knew Rio was watching him. Every nerve in his body was tuned in to her.

‘But you only just returned to Greece,’ Xena said weakly as she looked at him, then at Rio. Lysandros’s heart sank. He’d been in Athens for the past six weeks. Xena obviously didn’t remember much at all.

‘Do you think I would stay there when I had just been told by Mother that you had been involved in an accident?’ He glanced up at Rio.

‘I was in an accident?’ The panic-laced question confirmed all Rio had just told him about Xena’s memory loss.

‘Yes,’ Rio added gently, and Xena looked at her. ‘A car accident.’

‘I don’t remember.’ Xena shook her head. Then her eyes widened. ‘I don’t remember anything.’

‘Don’t panic,’ Rio soothed, and Lysandros marvelled at her command in the face of Xena’s fear. ‘You’ve had a bump on the head. I’m sure it’s perfectly normal not to remember things straight away. I’ll go and find the doctor now, get him to come and reassure you.’

‘Don’t go yet,’ Xena pleaded, and Rio hesitated. ‘There is something else wrong, isn’t there? Something is wrong between you two. I can feel it.’

‘Don’t worry about us,’ Rio said soothingly, again fussing with the bedsheets.

Xena laughed softly. It was such an unexpected sound that Lysandros looked at his sister, not sure what was coming next. Tears maybe, as the shock of the accident set in.

‘Well, I hope you two haven’t fallen out.’ Xena rested her head back against the pillow, her face as pale as the white sheets. ‘Because you do realise you were meant for each other?’

Lysandros didn’t dare look at Rio. It wasn’t just the accident Xena didn’t remember; she didn’t remember he and Rio were no longer dating. ‘Of course we haven’t fallen out. Far from it.’

He looked at Rio across the bed, shocked to find how near they now were. Their concern for Xena had drawn them physically so close he only needed to lean forward a little to kiss Rio. And he wanted to. She still had that effect on him, still raised the desire in his blood until it almost boiled.

‘Fallen out?’ Rio frowned, her gaze locked with his, and he saw the moment she realised what he was doing, that he didn’t want to panic Xena or worry her by explaining they had done exactly that six weeks ago. He let out a breath of relief when she laughed softly, looking at Xena, apparently happy to conspire with him. ‘Of course we haven’t.’

Lysandros straightened away from the temptation of kissing Rio once more and looked at her. ‘You will, of course, come to Greece with Xena. I’m sure it’s what she will need to aid her recovery.’

Rio’s eyes snapped to his. ‘I don’t think that is necessary,’ she said firmly, a clear challenge in her voice.

Lysandros should be worried about Xena, should be anxious about her amnesia, but all he could think about was getting Rio to his Greek island. Getting her alone. Then he could convince her that what they’d had before she’d stood him up had been good, worth continuing. He wanted Rio. Couldn’t get her out of his mind. It was not just because she was the only woman to have stood him up. It was more than that. He couldn’t make sense of his reaction to her. All he knew was that this might be the only opportunity to discover the pleasure of making her his.

Rio took a step away from the bed, away from him. As if she sensed his ulterior motives. As if she knew the reason he wanted her in Greece was because he couldn’t accept that she didn’t want him.

He damn well couldn’t.

Not when desire had sparked within every smile she’d bestowed on him. Not when she had seductively let him know she was ready to take their relationship to a different level.

Even now, in the hospital, with his sister’s suspected amnesia looking ever more likely, the air was filled with sexual tension, pulling him and Rio together, invalidating her claim they were over. How could he turn his back on something so powerful, something that had promised to be amazing? The disaster of his engagement had loomed over him for ten years, but whatever it was between him and Rio, this was the first time that shadow had been eclipsed.

‘Xena, do you want Rio with you in Greece?’

‘Most definitely,’ Xena said, her voice still wobbly as she looked from one to the other, as if she couldn’t make out what was happening.

‘Then I will make arrangements immediately for you both to travel to Greece.’ He turned to leave. He couldn’t stand this close to Rio and not touch her, not try to convince her with a kiss that they needed to explore the attraction between them. They needed to extinguish the fire of desire and he knew exactly how. ‘I will speak to a doctor right now.’

He strode out of the room, not expecting Rio to follow him, but he knew she had. He sensed it with every taut muscle in his body. He continued to walk briskly down the hospital corridor, wanting to be completely out of Xena’s hearing before he turned to face the onslaught of Rio’s anger. Anger that radiated up the corridor after him.

‘Lysandros, will you wait?’ She was angry all right. He turned slowly to face her, keeping his expression devoid of emotion. ‘Why are you allowing Xena to think we are still together?’

‘Because I don’t wish to upset her.’

‘I can’t just go to Greece and pretend everything is right between us.’ The defiant tilt of her chin should have annoyed him, but instead it set light to the fuse of lust once more. Why did this woman drive him so wild with desire? Her lack of experience with men had been evident from the first day Xena had introduced them. So why did he want her so much when he’d always preferred experienced women? The kind of woman who wouldn’t demand anything more than a night of exquisite pleasure? No questions, no longing for happy endings, just hot, passionate nights until the desire cooled.

‘Rio.’ He’d always liked the feel of her name on his lips and moved closer to her. ‘Xena needs you. You are her closest friend.’

She folded her arms across her slender body, adding to the aura of defiance—and the spark of lust in him.

‘I should be playing the piano each day, even though the season is over.’ He didn’t believe the hostile glint in her eyes for one minute. Just as he didn’t believe that excuse. There was an emptiness in it that warned him she was hiding something.

He smiled at her weak excuse. Was she afraid of what was between them? Afraid of its power? ‘Xena has a grand piano in her villa, which I am sure she would love you to play.’

He didn’t go on to say that he also had a piano in his Athens apartment. That would deter her further, but the thought of her playing it—just for him—fired his lust higher.

She shook her head. ‘No. I need to stay in London.’

He moved closer still, putting temptation in his path once more. He couldn’t allow that to distract him, not when he knew Xena would want her friend with her if she had to return to Greece. If she had to face the reality of not only her loss of memory but being unable to play her violin while her wrist and arm healed, she would need Rio.

He would need Rio there too. As hard as it was to admit, he found it difficult to emotionally connect with anyone, even Xena. Angered that his flaw had surfaced, that maybe it had chased Rio away, he drew on the few facts he knew about the accident.

‘Why was Xena out alone when she wasn’t familiar with driving in a big city at night?’

Rio’s eyes sparked with anger, her soft lips pressing into a firm line. For a moment he thought she wasn’t going to answer. ‘I had no idea she’d gone. We’d...had words.’

‘Was she meeting someone?’ He might still want Rio in a way that unnerved him, but right now she was the only person who could help him understand what had happened last night.

‘I think so.’ He heard the pain in her voice and a twinge of guilt spiralled through him until he reminded himself he was doing this for Xena. She would have been furious with him for upsetting her friend, but he needed to know and right now Xena was unable to talk for herself.

He gentled his tone. ‘Who?’

‘Just a friend.’

‘And what were you doing at this time?’ He hated himself for needing to know just where Rio had been that night. Xena had assured him Rio hadn’t dated anyone else since their split and he’d accepted that, had given Rio the space she’d asked for. Maybe now he’d get the answers he wanted, maybe even continue where they’d left off.

‘I went to bed, assuming Xena had too.’ Rio looked boldly at him, daring him to challenge her explanation. And he would. He hadn’t got where he was now in business by not taking risks. His world-renowned luxury yacht company had pushed him to the limits and beyond as he’d fought to bring his father’s declining shipping company into the twenty-first century and expand it. There was no way he was going to allow Rio to undermine him. He wouldn’t allow her to keep him from the truth about last night—or any other night, for that matter.

‘You said you’d had words. What about?’ His usually all-too-effective charm slipped into his voice and he watched as a flurry of emotions crossed her face.

‘It doesn’t matter now.’

He hadn’t expected that. ‘And why would that be?’

She inhaled deeply then moved a pace towards him. A valiant attempt at bravado.

‘It was nothing; you don’t need to concern yourself.’ He hadn’t anticipated the innocent and somewhat shy Rio Armstrong to have such a sting in her tail.

‘My sister is lying in a hospital bed, unable to recall the accident and obviously other things too. I have every right to concern myself.’ He looked back up the corridor to where Xena’s private room was, giving weight to his argument.

‘We were talking about a man.’ She paused as if contemplating her next words carefully. ‘That’s all you need to know.’

So Rio had spurned him, only to move on to a new lover. ‘And this man is the reason you stood me up?’ He waited for her answer, the unexpected turn in the conversation working in his favour.

‘That’s not important now.’ Rio skilfully avoided the issue, but he wasn’t going to let her get away with not answering him that easily.

‘Why did you stand me up, Rio?’ The need to know surged forward, pushing all other thoughts to one side. ‘Because you kissed me? Told me you wanted to spend the entire night with me?’ He taunted her mercilessly.

She gasped, her gaze meeting his, indignation in her eyes. ‘No.’

‘Why did you change your mind?’ If only she could admit there was something between them. ‘What are you afraid of, Rio?’

‘I’m not afraid of anything. I simply don’t want a man in my life—any man.’ Sparks of anger filled her words, but he refused to allow them to penetrate his armour. He’d do precisely what he’d done for the last six weeks and wait for the right moment. This was a conversation to have later, in Greece, on the island, when she would have no option but to talk to him.

‘Xena would want you to come to Greece and help her through this difficult time.’ He pushed home his point, satisfied when he saw her conflicted expression. ‘The last thing Xena needs right now is to think you and I have fallen out. Whatever has happened between us, we owe it to her to be there for her in Greece—as a couple.’

* * *

Rio wanted to crumple to the floor. She was ensnared in a trap of her own making. Damn Lysandros. He’d led her right to it and she’d obliged, stepping in. Yet despite all this she knew he was right. Xena would need her, and if that meant going to Greece and pretending she and Lysandros were still together, then that was exactly what she would do. Not because Lysandros had asked her but because of the bond of friendship between her and Xena.

Lysandros had a business to run and she knew he preferred to spend his time in Athens, where he notoriously played as hard as he worked. Surely he would return to that life once Xena was settled into her island villa? Surely he wouldn’t pursue her or the promise she’d once made. Not when he could have any woman he wanted.

‘That’s unfair,’ she defended herself as he regarded her from dark and unyielding eyes. If only he wasn’t so striking, so handsome. If only he didn’t make her heart flutter so wildly. If only she didn’t find him so attractive and hadn’t almost given herself so completely to him. ‘I’d do anything for Xena.’

His brows rose in disbelief. ‘Except come to Greece and spend the summer with her—because of me.’

‘You really are very arrogant.’ She grappled with the way he made her body tingle as he moved closer. He searched her face, his eyes darkening, reminding her of the moment she’d told him she’d wanted to spend the entire night with him.

Her pulse leapt wildly as that moment clashed with this, confusing her after his annoyance. She wanted to turn away, wanted to conceal the attraction she had for him, but she couldn’t. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t fight the way he made her feel.

‘Right now, all that matters is that Xena gets well and regains her memory.’ Rio forced herself to look away from the handsome Greek who was wrong for her on so many levels. She couldn’t allow herself to fall for him all over again. She didn’t want that kind of power held over her.

‘As soon as the doctor tells me she is well enough to travel, we will go.’ His deep and sexy accent sent ripples of awareness over Rio, but she refused to feel them, refused to react.

‘What if I agree—just for a while?’ She was torn between what Xena needed and protecting her fragile heart.

‘Not for a while, Rio. For the entire summer,’ Lysandros added with icy calmness. ‘That is what Xena will want—and need.’ He knew she wouldn’t refuse to give Xena what she needed. Damn him.

‘No, I can’t.’

‘But you will come, won’t you, Rio? Because you will do anything to help your friend.’ Rio couldn’t believe how he was manipulating the situation—or the way her body reacted just from having him near her. Had she been too hasty in ending it all after what Hans had done? Would Lysandros have understood if she’d told him?

The questions chased each other through her mind. There was no way she could have told him, not when their relationship had been nothing more than just another affair to him. She’d never been foolish enough to believe otherwise.

‘Very well. I will, but not because you have asked, or should I say bullied, me to do so, but because I want to be there for Xena.’

The look he gave her made Rio realise that everything she’d ever been afraid of happening if she saw him again was happening. She was still attracted to him. Still wanted to be with him, but things had changed. Things he didn’t know about—couldn’t know about.

‘And because we have things to sort out?’ The question sounded casual, but the look in his eyes was far from that.

‘We don’t have anything to sort out. We won’t even need to see one another.’ Rio folded her arms, desperate to stand her ground, prevent her body from betraying her.

‘Xena believes we are together. I don’t think making her worry about us will help her recovery, Rio, and we will be seeing each other, of that you can be sure.’

CHAPTER TWO

FOR TWO DAYS, Xena’s Greek island retreat had been a haven of tranquillity for both Rio and Xena. Now Lysandros was due to arrive from Athens and Rio’s nerves were threatening to get the better of her. He’d be disappointed his sister’s memory of the accident and previous weeks hadn’t yet returned.

Rio glanced at Xena, compassion for her friend’s predicament filling her. Xena didn’t recall anything that had happened in the weeks leading up to the accident. She had blocked out everything bad. Ricardo’s rejection of her. The assault Hans had attempted on Rio. The break-up between Rio and Lysandros. Even blocked the accident itself. Xena lived under the illusion that none of those things had happened.

‘It’s so frustrating,’ Xena said as she looked up at Rio. ‘Why can’t I remember anything?’

Rio sat down beside Xena. ‘It will come. The doctor said you just need time—and rest.’

‘I can remember that Lysandros will be back from Athens today and we are all going to visit my mother,’ Xena said brightly, recalling the arrangement that had been made as they’d arrived on the island.

Rio, too, could remember that Lysandros was due to return to the island today, but for very different reasons.

‘Maybe you could play a little,’ Xena said, pulling Rio from her thoughts. ‘It might help me remember something.’

Rio looked at the grand piano, forlorn and abandoned since they’d arrived. ‘Later, perhaps,’ she soothed, trying hard not to let her fear of even going near it show.

‘I am rather tired.’ Xena stifled a yawn. ‘I think I will go and have a lie-down before we visit my mother. Gather my strength again.’

Rio watched her friend go with a heavy heart. If only there was something more she could do to help. She missed the confident and bubbly girl Xena really was.

For the past two days, while Lysandros had been in Athens, it had been easy to allow Xena to think that she and her brother were still a couple. But once he was here, it wouldn’t be so easy. She was still far too attracted to him, still longed for the dream of happiness she’d glimpsed before it had been cruelly snatched away by Hans.

With a sigh of frustration she turned and walked to the large glass doors that opened up onto the terrace with a view of the sea. As she looked out over the sparkling waters she saw the sleek white speedboat slowing and moving towards the island. She pushed her thoughts aside, watching as Lysandros stepped onto the jetty. Her heart leapt as he looked towards the villa and she quickly moved out of view. She didn’t know if she could do this, even though deep down she wanted nothing more than to go back to that moment after the recital.

Footsteps sounded on the marble floor as Lysandros entered his sister’s villa. Rio forced brightness into her voice that didn’t echo in her body despite the idyllic Greek island setting and the early summer sunshine.

‘Hello, Lysandros.’ She kept her voice firm, refusing to allow her nerves to show in any way. Whatever Xena believed about them, she needed to keep him at a distance and he had to know that.

‘Hello, Rio.’ The cool edge to his voice contrasted sharply with the darkening of his eyes as his gaze swept over her, creating a trail of tingles almost impossible to ignore.

Power radiated from him and despite his relaxed attire she knew he was anything but. The hard line of his clean-shaven jaw gave so much away. The courage she’d managed to summon up during the first days on the island began to slip away like the retreating tide. How could she be around him and be indifferent to him?

‘How is Xena?’ He moved a little closer, convincing Rio he knew she was still attracted to him.

‘She has gone for a lie-down.’ Rio let out a slow breath of relief as he walked away from her, giving her some much-needed physical distance between them.

‘Has she remembered anything yet?’

Rio shook her head. ‘Nothing.’

‘Nothing?’ She heard the despair in his voice. Despair that matched her own.

‘She sounded so frustrated when we talked on the phone,’ he said as he walked towards the baby grand piano. Did he have to bring it so starkly to her attention?

‘It is frustrating for her.’ Rio watched Lysandros, the man who still held her heart if only she was brave enough to give it to him, as he turned and frowned at her.

‘I understand that.’ He spoke again, snagging her attention back to him. ‘But it’s just as frustrating for me to know how much this is worrying her.’

‘This is a big ordeal for Xena,’ Rio said, watching Lysandros as he stood by the piano looking out towards the sparkling sea beyond the garden of the villa. He resembled a predatory wild cat, intent on luring its prey ever closer. Or was she imagining him drawing her in? ‘She’s lost some of her memory, maybe even her career, and she can’t even pick up her violin and seek solace in playing.’

‘Xena tells me you don’t play either, even though you claimed daily practice was essential.’ The sound of waves rushing onto the soft sand beyond the villa punctured the silence as she met the suspicion in his eyes. He was throwing her reason for not wanting to leave London back at her.

As he looked at her the hot sultry air suddenly crackled with undeniable tension between them. That strong attraction she had to ignore but was finding it ever more difficult to. He knew it too. He was far too astute, far too in control to be easily fooled.

‘It’s true. I should be practising every day.’ She paused as she thought of Hans, of what he’d believed she’d wanted. Hans had been so adamant she had been leading him on, giving him the come-on. She hadn’t been able to touch the keys, let alone play, since then. The piano and that moment were far too painfully linked. Even though she knew she’d done nothing to encourage him, she couldn’t bring herself to sit at the piano, let alone play it.

Neither was she ready to tell Lysandros why she’d stood him up, why she’d coldly ended their relationship when it had been so good, so right. Xena didn’t recall how she’d consoled Rio, how she’d tried to persuade her to tell Lysandros, and right now that suited Rio. She needed to avoid that painful conversation for as long as possible.

‘So why are you not practising, Rio? Xena loves to hear you play. As do I.’ He began to walk towards her, stopping when she backed away.

‘I... I...’ she faltered, not knowing what to say without telling him exactly why she didn’t want to go near the piano.

‘At least you can still physically play the piano—if you choose to.’

His accusation hit home and she dragged in a breath. Did he have to make her feel worse? Play on the guilt she felt about the night of the accident? About him? Them?

‘This isn’t about me. This is about Xena.’ Desperately she pushed back her pain, her raw emotions, trying to bring the conversation back to Xena.

He took another step towards her, bringing him so close she could smell the citrus tang of his aftershave, and it made the memory of their last kiss collide with the guilt for all Xena was going through, as well as her own fear. She tried not to recall how light-headed Lysandros had made her feel when he’d smiled at her, reminding herself he was well versed in the art of charming women.

Yet he’d been prepared to take things slowly with her. At first, she’d thought it was simply because of her friendship with Xena, but soon she’d wondered if it was more than that. He’d respected her. He’d showed patience and kindness totally in contrast to the playboy past Xena had told her about. He’d treated her as if she was special.

‘Is it, Rio?’ His voice had deepened, become so sensually soft he could be seducing her.

‘Of course it is. I’m here for Xena, not myself—or us. Not that there is an us any more.’

‘What happened after the recital, Rio? What are you keeping from me?’ His question hung in the air and she hated the way he made her feel, the way she wanted to confide in him, tell him what had happened. But she couldn’t. It was over between them and there was no point in going over that night now. She was here only for Xena.

‘There is nothing to tell,’ she said quickly, hoping he wouldn’t keep asking, be able to tell she had been doing exactly that.

‘Let’s take a walk on the beach while Xena is resting.’ He changed the subject so fast Rio felt dazed.

‘Xena and I are due to visit your mother today.’ She grasped at that. ‘Maybe we should wake Xena now.’

‘As I am the one charged with the task of getting you both there, we can spend a while walking on the beach first.’ He paused and looked at her, the intensity in his eyes changing, making her pulse leap with awareness she wasn’t sure she was ready to acknowledge yet.

‘I ought to leave Xena a note. In case she wakes.’ Rio began to write a quick note and Lysandros stood over her, so close her body began to tremble, not with fear, as she’d expected, but with anticipation. Need. For him.

‘Make sure you mention you and I are together.’ His voice had dropped to almost a whisper and was so sexy she had to close her eyes against the tingle that rushed up her spine.

She put the pen down and turned, her gaze locking with his, holding it.

* * *

Lysandros knew Rio was keeping something from him. He’d known it since he’d first arrived at the hospital after the accident. He’d seen it in her eyes. Sensed nervousness in every move she’d made. Now that Rio was here with Xena, he was going to get to the bottom of what had happened the night she’d left him waiting alone at a romantic and secluded table for two.

The sunshine was gaining in strength as he stepped out of the villa, across the terrace and onto the sand. Beside him Rio adjusted her hat, and while he accepted it was necessary to protect her pale complexion from the sun, he sensed it was much more about erecting a physical barrier between them. He put on his shades. If the way his body was reacting to her nearness was anything to go by, the more barriers between them the better. For now at least.

‘What really happened the night of the accident?’ He plunged right in as swiftly as if he’d just dived into the cool waters from his yacht.

‘I told you. A car ran a red light and hit Xena’s.’ The defensive tone of those short, sharp sentences gave so much away, but that wasn’t what he wanted to know.

‘I know the details of the accident itself.’ He couldn’t keep the impatience from his voice. He had to know just why his sister had been driving around London alone so late at night.

‘So why ask?’ He sensed her looking at him, but he kept his focus ahead, sure that if he didn’t put her under the spotlight she would tell him the finer details of that treacherous night.

‘Because I’m Xena’s brother and I want to know what happened before the accident.’

Her pace faltered and she stopped, forcing him to do the same, but she didn’t look at him. Instead she stared out to sea. Yet another avoidance tactic. ‘There is nothing more to tell.’

‘Are you sure, Rio?’ The question caught her attention and she turned to face him. He wished she didn’t have her sunglasses on, wished he could see the expression and emotion in her soft caramel-brown eyes.

She sighed and he watched the smooth, pale skin of her throat move as she swallowed. At least he could now be certain he was finally near the truth. ‘You might be able to manipulate others into doing what you command, but it won’t work with me.’

The passion in her voice was intense and she moved away, holding her hat in place against the playful, warm wind. Her long limbs were outlined as the wind flattened the blue sundress against her, testing his resolve far too much. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted by the attraction she still had for him. Not yet. Xena had to come first.

‘Manipulate?’

‘Yes, you try and control everything. Everyone. Even Xena.’

‘I resent that accusation. What I do for Xena I do out of love.’

‘Love?’ She abandoned her attempts to hold her hat in place and took it off, exposing her subtly highlighted hair, which had been pulled back into a rough ponytail. The wind whipped stray strands of hair across her face and he scrunched his hands against the urge to push them back from her lovely and beguilingly innocent face.

Whatever it was that had changed things for Rio after the recital, he sensed she was fighting hard against her attraction to him. An attraction he still felt, still wanted to explore. Patience was all he needed.

‘I don’t think a man such as the mighty Lysandros Drakakis, CEO of Drakakis Shipping and Luxury Yachts, does anything for love, does he?’

Her taunt had the desired effect but he resisted the urge to respond with anger. He was well aware of his inability to emotionally connect with his sister or mother, let alone with another woman. Rio might have challenged that on so many levels, but he wasn’t going to allow her to know it right now. ‘Love for my family is an entirely different thing from passionate love. That kind of love is built on sexual attraction and heated desire.’

She blushed and looked away. He smiled at the sense of satisfaction that ruffling her feathers had brought him. That sexual chemistry was still there. Buried but alive. ‘For you maybe.’

‘So you are holding out for true love, are you? Is that why you stood me up so spectacularly? So publicly?’

He could still taste her rejection, something he wasn’t at all used to. If he wanted a woman it was usually only a question of when, not if. Rio had refused point-blank to see him after that night, cementing her status as the first woman to turn him down. The only woman to wound his male pride since his early twenties, when his first taste of love had been soured by deceit.

‘Yes, I am holding out for true love and you would hardly be the perfect candidate. Not with a string of broken hearts behind you.’ She smiled in that so there kind of way the English were so good at. ‘But I’m not here for us. In case you have forgotten, I’m here for Xena.’

‘And what we had isn’t of consequence?’

Rio looked uncomfortable and a heavy sense of seriousness filled the warm air around them. ‘My friendship with Xena is more important than anything else. I don’t want us to get in the way of that.’

She looked as though she was holding her breath, as though she was waiting for him to piece together whatever it was in her mind, but the mention of his sister served only to direct his thoughts back to his original purpose of bringing her out here to talk alone.

‘I don’t think going over the accident will help anyone right now. She has blocked out everything from the last two months. It’s as if she is stuck at a happy point in her life.’

‘I agree on that. That is why I believe it will reassure Xena if she thinks that we are in love.’

‘In love? You and me?’ She stumbled over the words, her fingers fidgeting with the hat she clasped as if it were a lifeline. ‘Is that really necessary?’

His mind raced. All his sister had ever wanted was for him to meet someone and fall in love, and the attraction between him and Rio had been so obvious, so intense he’d allowed Xena to revel in her role as matchmaker. Allowed her to believe there was a future for him and Rio. She’d even suggested that this time he should use their grandmother’s engagement ring, saying that Rio wouldn’t want the flashy diamonds Kyra had demanded.

He should have told Xena there and then that he didn’t want any kind of commitment, but he hadn’t wanted to destroy her happiness then, just as he didn’t want to now. ‘It would be what Xena has always wanted for us and maybe it could actually help Xena to feel more emotionally secure, which might enable her to remember things again.’

* * *

Rio’s heart raced. How could she pretend to be in love with Lysandros when just being around him sent her pulse racing?

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