‘It’s nothing. Nothing. I like it damp. Please,’ she added with a heartfelt tug at his sleeve.
At last the guy took the hint, though unhappily, and edged away, casting uncomfortable looks back at her over his shoulder. The sheer irony of it, she kept thinking. Fate was so unfair. After her extensive experience in the grand restaurants of Europe, to appear now in her own country in front of the most unpleasant man she’d ever met as a gauche, clumsy fool was too much.
As soon as the waiter was out of earshot and she’d recovered some of her poise, Sebastian Nikosto drawled, ‘Celebrating?’
She gave him a withering glance. There was an unnerving glimmer in his dark eyes, while that suspicion of a smile still lurked at the corners of his sexy mouth. He might not have personally upset the glass, but in her heart she blamed him. It was his fault for flustering her.
‘That’s none of your concern.’
At least her dress was black, she reflected. No one else had to know how uncomfortable she felt sitting with a wet tablecloth in her lap.
He leaned back in his chair and stretched with luxurious ease. ‘Are you usually this snotty and touchy, Ms Giorgias?’
She drew a sharp breath and retorted, ‘Are you usually this rude and annoying?’
He lifted his brows. ‘Now, how fair is that? Here I am, a harmless guy, rejected by my date and forced to a lonely dinner, when by the most astonishing coincidence…’
She leaned forward. ‘ Is it a coincidence?’
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. ‘You know, just what I was wondering. I don’t usually believe in coincidences. When you showed up here I was—have to admit it—gobsmacked. I have to wonder how it was arranged. It looks like a set-up to me.’He made a sweeping gesture around at the setting. ‘Here we are, in our own little intimate space, night-lights out there on the harbour, soft music, the terrace…’
She gasped. ‘What are you implying? That I set this up?’ She glared at his solemn face. ‘That’s ridiculous. I didn’t know you were here. Why would I?’
He shrugged, shaking his head. ‘Can’t work it out. Unless you followed me because you felt—ashamed.’
‘Oh, what ?’she said incredulously. She rolled her eyes. ‘ I should feel ashamed!’ She glowered at him, remembering the way he’d behaved at their first meeting, even if he had made an apology since. ‘Anyway, it wasn’t a date.’ She leaned forward again and added softly and distinctly, ‘For your information, I wouldn’t go anywhere with a man who had to use a business deal to catch a wife.’
His eyes glinted. ‘Wouldn’t you? But you’d come halfway across the world to meet him.’
The silky insinuation jabbed her and she retorted hotly, ‘No, I would not, not if I had any—’
She pulled herself up in the nick of time. For all that her aunt and uncle had hurt and betrayed her into getting on that plane with their cruel trick, they were still her family. Still all the people she had in the world, though she could never forgive them. There was no way she could admit to Sebastian how cheaply they must have held her in their hearts all these years, even though she’d never before questioned their unconditional love for her.
His eyes sharpened. ‘Not if you had any what?’
For the thousandth time that day she felt tears prick at the backs of her eyes. Blinking fast, she lowered them and turned away and pretended to look for something in her purse until the danger passed.
When she looked up Sebastian Nikosto’s alert, intelligent gaze was still fixed interrogatively on her face. ‘You were saying…?’
‘Nothing,’ she said huskily, grateful that food waiters chose that moment to swish up to each of their tables to take their orders.
Relieved that Sebastian’s attention was diverted from her for the moment, she turned her attention to the menu and the efficient young waitress.
Since during her perusal she hadn’t managed to take in a word of
At last the guy took the hint, though unhappily, and edged away, casting uncomfortable looks back at her over his shoulder. The sheer irony of it, she kept thinking. Fate was so unfair. After her extensive experience in the grand restaurants of Europe, to appear now in her own country in front of the most unpleasant man she’d ever met as a gauche, clumsy fool was too much.
As soon as the waiter was out of earshot and she’d recovered some of her poise, Sebastian Nikosto drawled, ‘Celebrating?’
She gave him a withering glance. There was an unnerving glimmer in his dark eyes, while that suspicion of a smile still lurked at the corners of his sexy mouth. He might not have personally upset the glass, but in her heart she blamed him. It was his fault for flustering her.
‘That’s none of your concern.’
At least her dress was black, she reflected. No one else had to know how uncomfortable she felt sitting with a wet tablecloth in her lap.
He leaned back in his chair and stretched with luxurious ease. ‘Are you usually this snotty and touchy, Ms Giorgias?’
She drew a sharp breath and retorted, ‘Are you usually this rude and annoying?’
He lifted his brows. ‘Now, how fair is that? Here I am, a harmless guy, rejected by my date and forced to a lonely dinner, when by the most astonishing coincidence…’
She leaned forward. ‘ Is it a coincidence?’
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. ‘You know, just what I was wondering. I don’t usually believe in coincidences. When you showed up here I was—have to admit it—gobsmacked. I have to wonder how it was arranged. It looks like a set-up to me.’He made a sweeping gesture around at the setting. ‘Here we are, in our own little intimate space, night-lights out there on the harbour, soft music, the terrace…’
She gasped. ‘What are you implying? That I set this up?’ She glared at his solemn face. ‘That’s ridiculous. I didn’t know you were here. Why would I?’
He shrugged, shaking his head. ‘Can’t work it out. Unless you followed me because you felt—ashamed.’
‘Oh, what ?’she said incredulously. She rolled her eyes. ‘ I should feel ashamed!’ She glowered at him, remembering the way he’d behaved at their first meeting, even if he had made an apology since. ‘Anyway, it wasn’t a date.’ She leaned forward again and added softly and distinctly, ‘For your information, I wouldn’t go anywhere with a man who had to use a business deal to catch a wife.’
His eyes glinted. ‘Wouldn’t you? But you’d come halfway across the world to meet him.’
The silky insinuation jabbed her and she retorted hotly, ‘No, I would not, not if I had any—’
She pulled herself up in the nick of time. For all that her aunt and uncle had hurt and betrayed her into getting on that plane with their cruel trick, they were still her family. Still all the people she had in the world, though she could never forgive them. There was no way she could admit to Sebastian how cheaply they must have held her in their hearts all these years, even though she’d never before questioned their unconditional love for her.
His eyes sharpened. ‘Not if you had any what?’
For the thousandth time that day she felt tears prick at the backs of her eyes. Blinking fast, she lowered them and turned away and pretended to look for something in her purse until the danger passed.
When she looked up Sebastian Nikosto’s alert, intelligent gaze was still fixed interrogatively on her face. ‘You were saying…?’
‘Nothing,’ she said huskily, grateful that food waiters chose that moment to swish up to each of their tables to take their orders.
Relieved that Sebastian’s attention was diverted from her for the moment, she turned her attention to the menu and the efficient young waitress.
Since during her perusal she hadn’t managed to take in a word of
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