His gaze darkened. “I came to realize that Dimos wanted you and it was only a matter of time before he made his claim. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“It was never going to happen because I had no interest in him.” She remembered what Stergios had said about that night. That wasn’t the only reason I stopped Dimos. Jodie’s heart began to race as she made the connection. “You weren’t protecting Dimos or the merger that night. You were protecting your property.”
Stergios remained silent as a ruddy color stained his high cheekbones. She saw the possessive gleam in his eyes and something wicked and primal flared deep inside her.
“I did not belong to you!” she insisted. “I belong to no man!”
“Oxi, you belonged to hundreds.”
She flinched from his cold statement. “You couldn’t bear to look at me after we had sex. And what? I was supposed to wait around in case you changed your mind and wanted to bed me again?” She shook her head when she realized that was exactly what he had expected. “I moved on, Stergios, just like you did. Just because you were my first doesn’t mean you own me.”
Stergios clenched his jaw and she felt the anger pulse from him. The tense silence plucked at her nerves and all she could hear was the crackle of the fire. She knew she was getting into dangerous territory.
Jodie cleared her throat. “I don’t think the pilot is coming for a while and I’m getting hungry.” She bolted from her seat and hurried to the kitchen.
She felt Stergios was right behind her. It was as if she was being pursued. Cornered. Her skin tingled as her stomach clenched. Why wasn’t he giving her space? Why didn’t he stay in his separate corner now, when she needed some distance?
“You gave your virginity to me?” he asked hoarsely. “Why would you do that?”
She turned around suddenly and collided into his hard, muscular chest. Jodie jumped back and crossed her arms against her chest. It was a flimsy barrier against such a man.
“I shouldn’t have put it that way,” she said. “It makes it sound like it was a gift. Like there is some obligation or responsibility attached to it.”
“There is,” he said roughly.
She didn’t agree with his outdated view but she knew it was useless to argue. “If that’s how you felt about it, why did you give up looking for me? Why didn’t you ask me to marry you?”
“Would you have accepted?” he shot back.
“It’s hard to say.” Jodie fought for an inscrutable expression. She would have accepted. Without question or hesitation. She wouldn’t have cared that he didn’t respect her or love her. Knowing that, it was a good thing he had stopped looking for her. “You didn’t answer my question,” she said huskily.
She watched the muscles twitch in his cheek. “Any marriage with you would have been disaster!”
“You weren’t thinking about our compatibility,” she said as the hurt bled through her. “You thought you deserved a woman better than me. You weren’t going to settle for me when you wanted a woman who shared your heritage and your status.”
“My marriage will be a strategic alliance,” Stergios said with no apology. “It will give my family and me unlimited power and influence. And when that happens, nothing and no one could ever harm us again.”
“So it doesn’t matter what kind of woman you marry?” She didn’t believe it. Stergios would want a “good girl” for a bride. Someone sweet and obedient.
“I need a wife who doesn’t cause trouble,” he said harshly. “A woman who can create a peaceful—”
The lights flickered and extinguished, plunging them into complete darkness.
Jodie gave a startled jump. She automatically reached out and curled her hand against his forearm. She felt his soaring tension under her fingertips. “Stergios?”
“The generator should kick on,” he said in a strained voice.
She waited a few moments but the darkness remained. The wind howled outside and she heard Stergio’s labored breathing. “I don’t think it will,” Jodie whispered.
“It has to.”
He said it as a prayer. Her fingers clenched against his arm. “Or what?”
The beat of silence stretched before Stergios responded. “You don’t want to know.”
CHAPTER SIX
HE WAS INSTANTLY transported to the time he had been held captive. It was dark and he was shivering. The metal cuffs chafed at his wrists. Blood trickled from his mouth as fear pulsed inside him.
Jodie’s fingers flexed against his arm. “Uh...Stergios?” Her voice sounded far away. “I have a confession to make. I...um... I don’t do well in the dark.”