That flush covered her skin and he watched her as she refused to answer. He realised now it was the truth—or at least she thought it was.
‘You don’t feel things that way?’ He framed the question more gently.
For a second he didn’t know whether to believe her or whether this was another game. But then, she hadn’t been playing any game at all, had she? She hadn’t known a thing about Eleni and Damon.
He thought about the doctor who’d asked her for a date this evening. Her refusal had been polite and firm and practised. That nurse had teased her, but she’d stepped in and helped her deflect the guy’s attention as if she’d known it made Kassie uncomfortable. And there’d been a stiffness within her when she’d first met him. Now her lips were still clamped shut, but he could see the trembling of her body.
‘It’s not a challenge.’
Her voice was low and husky and he could feel the mortification emanating from her. She clearly wished like hell she’d not said anything.
‘I don’t take it as one,’ he reassured her. But then he smiled. ‘I don’t need to prove something I already know.’
She looked confused.
‘You felt “that way” when I kissed you.’
She shifted and her skin flooded again with deepened colour. Her gaze dropped from his. ‘Please don’t embarrass yourself.’
His laughter was husky and amused. ‘Kassie...’ He’d heard the nurse call her that—he liked it.
‘Please.’ She closed her eyes. ‘I don’t see why it’s all that amusing.’
‘It’s not that it’s funny. I’m relieved.’ He leaned close. ‘I didn’t want to think I’d hurt you that way. Contrary to your earlier assumption, I don’t get off on forcing my attentions on unwilling women.’
‘I know that. I’m sure they’re all very, very willing.’
She still wouldn’t look at him. But he couldn’t look away from her. ‘Right now I’m only interested in you. And I think you’re willing.’
‘No,’ she denied.
‘Be honest,’ he dared her softly. ‘Sometimes you can’t help who you’re attracted to. Even if you don’t like the person, chemistry can be just chemistry.’
‘But you can choose whether to act on that attraction or not,’ she said crisply.
‘So you admit there’s attraction?’ He smiled. She was thawing fractionally. ‘You’re used to choosing not to act. Maybe you’re used to choosing to avoid. Not because you can’t feel, but because you’re afraid to.’
She shook her head vehemently. ‘You’re wrong.’
‘I don’t think so,’ he said. ‘Aren’t you in the least bit curious?’
She rolled her eyes again, but it lost the desired effect because he could see how her fingers were trembling.
‘It’s not something I need,’ she said.
Didn’t everyone need touch sometimes? Even he did—in the strictly controlled liaisons he occasionally permitted himself. But if she was being honest then Kassiani Marron’s confession had just eliminated her from contention for one of those brief, discreet dalliances.
‘The conversation is only academic,’ he assured her quietly. ‘The last thing I would do is touch you now. Or hurt you.’
‘If you don’t want to hurt me, then let me leave.’
For another fleeting second he questioned whether she was truly as innocent as those wide eyes would lead him to believe. He’d been lied to by a beautiful woman before.
But then he remembered the shocked stillness of her body when he’d been foolish enough to touch her when he shouldn’t have. The frankly inexpert answer of her kiss. And her reaction afterwards—the rapid rise and fall of her breasts as she’d worked to recover her breath, the trembling of her limbs. She’d been more than aroused. She’d been stunned. And she was being honest.
The realisation forced him to shut down all the burning want within his body. He was extremely cautious when selecting a lover and would never have an affair with a woman who was clearly fragile—no matter how beautiful she might be. Kassiani Marron was a risk he was unprepared to subject himself to. Duty forbade it. The past forbade it. And the past had already come back to haunt him.
His sister was now in a position he’d hoped to avoid for her. His interest in Kassie would have to be ignored. This night was nothing more than a moment that she would soon forget.
* * *
Kassie watched as his expression changed from intensely speculative to serious and then to blank. She felt his withdrawal of interest almost as a physical chill—and for once she felt regret at successfully putting a guy off.
‘I’ll ensure you get home safely,’ he said as he stepped away from her.
‘I’m sure your assistant will be very efficient.’ She couldn’t keep the coldness from her own tone.
He turned, catching her gaze with his. ‘You know I’m escorting you myself.’
‘You’re just trying to find out more information.’
His sudden chuckle caught her by surprise.
‘So suspicious,’ he mocked. ‘Are you this wary with everyone?’
‘You’re every bit as defensive as I am.’
‘I think you already know you set me on edge, Ms Marron.’
And he didn’t like it. That eased her own issues with his effect on her. ‘It seems we’re even.’
His laugh encircled her with a warm glow. The tension lifted for the briefest of moments and she couldn’t hold back her answering smile. When he was like this he was the most incredibly attractive man. And now that she could relax a fraction she realised it was a good thing—to find a guy attractive? Go her.
Something flickered in his eyes before he mastered control of himself and became the serious monarch again. ‘It really is time for you to leave.’
‘Freedom. At last,’ she muttered mock-demurely. ‘Thank you, Your Highness.’
She heard a sharp intake of breath but he sai
d nothing. He stalked ahead of her along the long dimly lit corridors, their gold detailing providing a muted gleam in the vast shadows. He was fascinating.
That unsettling feeling deep in her belly stirred again, spreading that strange ache. Once more she replayed that kiss—the shocking heat that had flooded her body surged again. Desire.
She almost stumbled as the need to feel his body against hers again made her stupid muscles weaken.
‘Truly, you don’t need to accompany me.’ She tried to deflect him as they emerged into the night. She might as well have tried pushing a marble slab up an icy slope.
‘It’s my duty to ensure you get home safely.’
‘You don’t trust your own security people?’
‘It’s my responsibility.’
That rebellious feeling flared again. ‘I’m not your responsibility.’
‘Right now, your welfare is.’
The guy had an overblown hero complex, thinking himself responsible for anyone he thought was weaker or less able. He was determined to be the protector.
‘The way your sister is your responsibility?’
He checked his stride, then kept walking. ‘No. Not like that at all.’
He made a small gesture with his hand and the waiting security team by the car melted into the shadows. He held open the rear door and she got into the car. She watched as he walked around the vehicle to get in the other side, next to her.
The driver moved the car forward the moment he’d closed the door. The palace gates slid open and they swiftly glided through the dark, quiet streets. She stared ahead blindly, hyper-aware of his gaze on her.
The silence in the car thickened. The emotions swirling within her were too strong to contain—they leaked out, heating the atmosphere between her and the silent presence beside her. He was lethally powerful, yet she sensed that extreme protectiveness actually masked vulnerability. As arrogant and as privileged as he was, he was exposed because he loved his sister. He wanted what was best for her.
Kassie couldn’t help but respect him for that. Because part of her wished she’d had someone who’d cared like that in her life. Someone who loved her and watched out for her. King Giorgos might be arrogant, but she understood that he wanted what was best for the ones he loved.