hair, revealing the gold loop at his earlobe. The proud tilt of his head was so uniquely his and so masculine it had her heart thudding.
The man was too darn attractive, oozing a sexual magnetism that could snare her emotionally and physically if she wasn’t on guard.
“I-I have something that might do.” She sucked in a breath, and the wardrobe samples slipped from her fingers, pooling on the floor.
“Gotta go.” He cast her a censuring look, grabbed her wrist and dragged her with him out to the chopper. “Behave yourself.”
Raucous laughter pierced her thoughts, and Nina blinked at the woman who’d flung her the burning question.Sensing monster-size envy from her and her circle, she followed their line of vision back to…Cade.
Cade dressed in black trousers and matching evening jacket with his half-open white shirt offsetting the humid night, stood head and shoulders above the other men. A modern swashbuckling pirate, and she could imagine the fantasies zipping through the female faction, because she had her own x-rated fantasies about the man she married. A sigh struggled from deep within her. And that’s what they had to remain. Fantasies.
At that moment, the
Bouzouki
band in the main salon struck up another melody, and the crowd applauded the folk dancers. “
Opa! Bravo!
”
Nina smiled. The party was in full swing. Waiters scurried in and out of the open glass doors, the aroma of lamb roasting on the outdoor rotisseries filled the air and made her mouth water. In the hotel foyer, a champagne waterfall cascaded over ice crystals, misting orchids floating upon the golden pool and charging the ambiance to full throttle.
A couple whirled their way onto the terrace to dance beneath the star-studded sky, spotlighted by the crescent moon hanging low on the horizon. In the distance, Limassol Harbor glittered and a sea breeze sailed in like a lover’s caress.
Nina gulped down a sigh. It’d be so easy to cast her cares to the wind and fall in with the romantic fervor. So easy to yield to him. But if she did, she’d be lost; her heart, her career and her chances of extricating her father from those who ruined him.
The champagne bubbles fizzed, and she stared deep into her glass, her shoulders drooping at the monumental task ahead. But she had no recourse. She’d come too close to turn back now. She’d have to return to the village
kafeneo
; but how to do it with Cade and his honchos watching her every move?
She lowered her lashes, keeping Cade point-blank center of her narrowed focus. He bent his head to listen to his uncle’s query, and then tightened his fingers around the glass of ouzo, a traditional anise flavored liqueur.Deep lines etched his face. He tossed the drink back in one gulp, and slammed the glass on a sideboard beneath a mirror on the wall. He turned and clashed with her gaze, his eyes glittering with fury.
She flicked a strand of hair off her shoulder, the motion making her earrings jangle, and purposely batted her eyelashes.
Of course that infuriated him more.
Oblivious to the undertow between Cade and herself, the women at the party munched on
bourekia
—fried dough canapés stuffed with cheese or meat, and swallowed wine like it was water. They jostled her along, their laughter a shrill sound across the crowded room.
Toying with the stem of her glass, Nina glanced about for an escape route and stepped toward the patio. At the same moment, someone touched her arm, and she twisted around. Fear darted through her, but at his reassuring nod, she flashed him a smile and fell into his arms.
Cade frowned, and barely caught the last of his uncle’s words.
“…caught the culprit?”
“Closing in.”
“Perhaps I can help?”
“I don’t need your kind of help.” Cade shot him a lethal look and refastened his sights on Nina. But in that split second shift, he’d glimpsed both regret and censure in his uncle’s eyes that hurled him back ten years to their explosive
The man was too darn attractive, oozing a sexual magnetism that could snare her emotionally and physically if she wasn’t on guard.
“I-I have something that might do.” She sucked in a breath, and the wardrobe samples slipped from her fingers, pooling on the floor.
“Gotta go.” He cast her a censuring look, grabbed her wrist and dragged her with him out to the chopper. “Behave yourself.”
Raucous laughter pierced her thoughts, and Nina blinked at the woman who’d flung her the burning question.Sensing monster-size envy from her and her circle, she followed their line of vision back to…Cade.
Cade dressed in black trousers and matching evening jacket with his half-open white shirt offsetting the humid night, stood head and shoulders above the other men. A modern swashbuckling pirate, and she could imagine the fantasies zipping through the female faction, because she had her own x-rated fantasies about the man she married. A sigh struggled from deep within her. And that’s what they had to remain. Fantasies.
At that moment, the
Bouzouki
band in the main salon struck up another melody, and the crowd applauded the folk dancers. “
Opa! Bravo!
”
Nina smiled. The party was in full swing. Waiters scurried in and out of the open glass doors, the aroma of lamb roasting on the outdoor rotisseries filled the air and made her mouth water. In the hotel foyer, a champagne waterfall cascaded over ice crystals, misting orchids floating upon the golden pool and charging the ambiance to full throttle.
A couple whirled their way onto the terrace to dance beneath the star-studded sky, spotlighted by the crescent moon hanging low on the horizon. In the distance, Limassol Harbor glittered and a sea breeze sailed in like a lover’s caress.
Nina gulped down a sigh. It’d be so easy to cast her cares to the wind and fall in with the romantic fervor. So easy to yield to him. But if she did, she’d be lost; her heart, her career and her chances of extricating her father from those who ruined him.
The champagne bubbles fizzed, and she stared deep into her glass, her shoulders drooping at the monumental task ahead. But she had no recourse. She’d come too close to turn back now. She’d have to return to the village
kafeneo
; but how to do it with Cade and his honchos watching her every move?
She lowered her lashes, keeping Cade point-blank center of her narrowed focus. He bent his head to listen to his uncle’s query, and then tightened his fingers around the glass of ouzo, a traditional anise flavored liqueur.Deep lines etched his face. He tossed the drink back in one gulp, and slammed the glass on a sideboard beneath a mirror on the wall. He turned and clashed with her gaze, his eyes glittering with fury.
She flicked a strand of hair off her shoulder, the motion making her earrings jangle, and purposely batted her eyelashes.
Of course that infuriated him more.
Oblivious to the undertow between Cade and herself, the women at the party munched on
bourekia
—fried dough canapés stuffed with cheese or meat, and swallowed wine like it was water. They jostled her along, their laughter a shrill sound across the crowded room.
Toying with the stem of her glass, Nina glanced about for an escape route and stepped toward the patio. At the same moment, someone touched her arm, and she twisted around. Fear darted through her, but at his reassuring nod, she flashed him a smile and fell into his arms.
Cade frowned, and barely caught the last of his uncle’s words.
“…caught the culprit?”
“Closing in.”
“Perhaps I can help?”
“I don’t need your kind of help.” Cade shot him a lethal look and refastened his sights on Nina. But in that split second shift, he’d glimpsed both regret and censure in his uncle’s eyes that hurled him back ten years to their explosive
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