They lay together in the darkness, their breathing unsteady and audible in the silence.
Now—now when it was over, and his flesh was washed with the cold reality of how quickly he had given in to his need for her—Sander was forced to accept the truth. He could not control the physical desire she aroused in him. It had overwhelmed him, and it would overwhelm him again. That knowledge was a bitter blow to his pride.
Without looking at her, he told her emotionlessly, ‘From now on I am the only man you will have sex with. Is that understood? I will not have my wife shaming me by offering herself to other men. And to ensure that you don’t I shall make it my business to see to it that your eager appetite for sexual pleasure is kept satisfied.’
Sander knew that his words were merely a mask for the reality that he could neither bear the thought of her with another man nor control his own desire for her, no matter how much he despised himself for his weakness.
Ruby could feel her face burning with humiliation. She wanted to tell him that she didn’t understand what happened to her when she was in his arms. She wanted to tell him that other men did not have the same effect on her. She wanted to tell him that he was the only man she had ever had sex with. But she knew that he wouldn’t listen.
Later, alone in his own room, Sander tried to explain to himself why the minute he touched Ruby he became filled with a compulsion to possess her. His desire for her was stronger than his resolve to resist it, and he couldn’t. What she made him feel and want was unique to her, loath as he was to admit that.
CHAPTER SEVEN
GIVEN Sander’s wealth, Ruby had half expected that they might fly first-class to the island—but what she had not expected was that they would be travelling in the unimagined luxury of a private jet, with them the only passengers on board. But that was exactly what had happened, and now, with the boys taken by the steward to sit with the captain for a few minutes, she and Sander were alone in the cabin, with its cream leather upholstery and off-white carpets.
‘The money it must cost to own and run something like this would feed hundreds of poor families,’ Ruby couldn’t stop herself from saying.
Her comment, and the unspoken accusation it held, made Sander frown. He had never once heard his mother express concern for ‘poor families’, and the fact that Ruby had done so felt like a sharp paper cut on the tender skin of his judgement of her—something small and insignificant in one sense, but in another something he could not ignore, no matter how much he might want to do so.
To his own disbelief he found himself defending his position, telling her, ‘I don’t actually own it. I merely belong to a small consortium of businessmen who share and charter it when they need it. As for feeding the poor—on the island we operate a system which ensures that no one goes hungry and that every child has access to an education matched to their skills and abilities. We also have a free health service and a good pension system—the latter two schemes put in place by my father.’
Why on earth did he think he had to justify anything he did to Ruby?
It was dark when their flight finally put down on the island, the darkness obscuring their surroundings apart from what they could see in the blaze of the runway lights as they stepped down from the plane and into the warm velvet embrace of the Mediterranean evening. A soft breeze ruffled the boys’ hair as they clung to Ruby’s sides, suddenly uncertain and unsure of themselves. A golf cart type of vehicle was their transport for the short distance to the arrivals building, where Sander shook hands with the officials waiting to greet him before ushering them outside again to the limousine waiting for them. It was Sander who lifted the sleepy children into it, settling Harry on his lap and then putting his free arm around Freddie, whilst Ruby was left to sit on her own. Her arms felt empty without the twins, and she felt a maternal urge to reach for them, but she resisted it, not wanting to disturb them now that they were asleep.
The headache and subsequent nausea it had caused her had thankfully not returned, although she still didn’t feel one hundred percent.
The car moved swiftly down a straight smooth road before eventually turning off it onto a more winding road, on one side of which Ruby could see the sea glinting in the moonlight. On the other side of them was a steep wall of rock, which eventually gave way to an old fashioned fortress-like city wall, with a gateway in it through which they drove, past tall buildings and then along a narrow street which broadened out into the large formal square Ruby had seen on the internet.
‘This is the main square of the city, with the Royal Palace up ahead of us,’ Sander informed her.
‘Is that where we’ll be living?’ Ruby asked apprehensively.
Sander shook his head.
‘No. The palace is used only for formal occasions now, and as an administrative centre. After my grandfather died I had my own villa built just outside the city. I don’t care for pomp and circumstance. My people’s quality of life is what is important to me, just as it was to my father. I cannot expect to have their respect if I do not give them mine.’
Ruby looked away from him. His comments showed the kind of attitude she admired, but how could she allow herself to admire Sander? It was bad enough that he could arouse her physically without her being vulnerable to him emotionally as well.
‘The city must be very old,’ she said instead.
‘Very,’ Sander agreed.
As always when he returned to the island after an absence, he was torn in opposing directions. He loved the island and its people, but he also had the painful memories of his childhood here to contend with.
In an effort to banish them and concentrate on something else, he told Ruby, ‘The Phoenicians and the Egyptians traded here, just as they did with our nearest neighbour Cyprus. Like Cyprus, we too have large deposits of copper here, and possession of the island was fought over fiercely during the Persian wars. In the end a marriage alliance between the opposing forces brought the fighting to an end. That has traditionally been the way in which territorial disputes have been settled here—’ He broke off to look at her as he heard the small sound Ruby made.
Ruby shivered, unable to stop herself from saying, ‘It must have been dreadful for the poor brides who were forced into marriage.’
‘It is not the exclusive right of your sex to detest a forced marriage.’
Sander’s voice was so harsh that the twins stirred against him in their sleep, focusing Ruby’s attention on her sons, although she was still able to insist defensively, ‘Historically a man has always had more rights within marriage than a woman.’
‘The right to freedom of choice is enshrined in the human psyche of both sexes and should be respected above all other things,’ Sander insisted.
Ruby looked at him in disbelief. ‘How can you say that after the way you have forced me…?’
‘You were the one who insisted on marriage.’