course it had all been hearsay as far as she’d been concerned but now that she was actually face to face with one she was beginning to think that there was more than a grain of truth in the accusations.
Quelling the feeling of panic that was rising in her breast, she mustered as much dignity as she could and said frostily, ‘I don’t care how rich or powerful you are, Mr Spirakis. You’ve still no right to be aboard this boat. If you don’t turn us round I’ll do it myself. My schedule means that I won’t be back here for at least a month. I can’t leave my brother stranded. At least I’ll have to find out if anything has happened to him.’
His mouth gave a sardonic quirk. ‘You have my personal assurance that your brother is perfectly safe and unharmed.’ He paused for a moment then added softly, ‘For the time being at least. His ultimate welfare is entirely in your hands.’
The colour drained from her face. ‘What is that supposed to mean? Where is he?’
‘Working in one of our olive groves under the strict supervision of my uncle and cousins. At least it’ll give him time to contemplate the error of his ways.’
Her eyes widened and she felt a chilling knot of fear in her stomach. ‘I…I don’t know what this is all about, Mr Spirakis, but I warn you that if anything happens to Jimmy I…I’ll—’
He dismissed her threat with a snort and his green eyes provoked and taunted her. ‘You’re very fond of your brother, I imagine.’
‘Dammit!’ she flared up at him. ‘What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I’m fond of him. He’s all the family I’ve got.’
His voice turned raw with cold condemnation. ‘So you simply turn a blind eye to his promiscuous way of life because he’s your brother?’
Her mouth dropped open in astonishment then she laughed uncertainly. ‘Jimmy? Promiscuous? You’re mad.’
‘Perhaps you don’t know him as well as you think you do,’ he growled. ‘He is an attractive youth with an easy charm. Most girls would find him irresistible. Do you expect me to believe that he hasn’t exploited those assets to his advantage?’
‘Jimmy isn’t like that,’ she said in heated defence. ‘I’m not saying that he doesn’t go out with girls whenever he has the chance but he would never cause any of them any…any harm.’
He mocked her with a derisive smile. ‘Come, now. A nineteen-year-old boy isn’t likely to boast of his conquests to his older sister, is he?’
That knot of fear was growing larger. She already had some idea what all this was leading up to but she prayed fervently that she was wrong.
For a moment he watched the conflicting emotions on her face then he nodded with quiet satisfaction as if he’d proved a point. Still mocking her, he said, ‘It may be some comfort to you to know that your brother thinks very highly of you. He seems to worship you. At least that’s the impression he gave my uncle, who had a very long and informative talk with him.’
‘We’ve always been close,’ she said stiffly.
‘Good. If it had been otherwise I’d be wasting my time here.’ The green eyes began stripping her again with obvious anticipation. ‘Now let’s talk about you for a change, shall we? Tell me about your boyfriends…your lovers. Does promiscuity run in your family?’
Her cheeks flamed and she clenched her fists. ‘You can go to hell.’
He eyed her in cold silence then shrugged. ‘If I go to hell then so does your brother. As I said before, his fate is entirely in your hands.’
The unmistakable note of menace in his voice sent another shiver down her back and she gulped. ‘I…I’ve only ever had one boyfriend. It was years and years ago.’
He raised an eyebrow in frank disbelief. ‘Do you take me for a fool, Miss Stevens?’
Her cheeks burned again and she gritted her teeth. ‘Look, I don’t give a damn whether you believe it or not. Running this ship has kept me busy. I’ve no time for emotional entanglements of that sort.’
‘No time?’ he mused. ‘Or is it a case of no inclination?’ The green eyes challenged her then he said softly, ‘Now is as good a time as any to find out.’
She tried to jump back but he was too quick for her and she found herself suddenly imprisoned in his arms. Her cry of protest died in a gasp as he crushed her to his chest.
Grinning down at her, he murmured in approval, ‘Such a soft, yielding body. Now we’ll see if your lips are as yielding,’ One of his hands came up to grab her hair and she found herself staring up in fear into the fathomless depths of his sea-green eyes.
She closed her own eyes quickly as his mouth descended on hers and the shock kept her rigid and tight-lipped. Undeterred by her initial refusal to respond, his tongue began teasing and probing and finally forced an entry into the warm, dark sweetness of her mouth. Oh, God, she thought. When was the last time she’d been kissed like this? When had she ever been kissed like this? This was provocation beyond endurance and she could feel her limbs losing their strength.
The warmth of his bare chest and the steady beating of his heart transmitted itself through her thin cotton T-shirt and she cursed herself for not having bothered to put on a bra. Surely he could feel her nipples hardening against his body and that would only inflame him further. The hands she raised in a half-hearted attempt to push him away betrayed her and slid under his arms to clasp his back and the touch of his smooth skin sent an aching tremor through her thighs.
As his tongue continued to explore her mouth she responded, slowly at first, then as desire swelled and swept aside reason her own tongue began replying in erotic abandon. Now every nerve-end in her body began to tingle as she felt his hand slide under her T-shirt and a low moan came from her throat as he caressed her breast. His touch was fire—a scorching heat that would brand her forever.
His knee began forcing itself between her thighs and she fought desperately to cling to the last shreds of her sanity. This had to stop. Here and now. Shocked and ashamed at the demon he’d unleashed inside her, she brought her hands round and pushed hard against his chest. Frantically she tore her mouth from his and gasped, ‘Stop it! Let…let me go, damn you.’
Denied the pleasures of her mouth, his lips found her neck and began to trace a path of incandescent sensuality from her ear to the tender hollow of her throat. As she teetered on the brink of complete and utter surrender, wanting him, needing him to relieve this intolerable aching desire, only one tiny spark of reason shone feebly in the dark maelstrom of her mind and she raised her hands to force his face away.
With a grunt he released her and she staggered back on her heels, her chest heaving.
He touched his cheek and examined the tiny spot of blood on his finger then his lips stretched in a feral grin as he surveyed her with approval. ‘So the fair English rose has a thorn. She’s willing to fight to defend her honour. You’ve no idea how much that pleases me, Carrie.’
The scratch had been unintentional but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Instead, she muttered darkly, ‘If you ever touch me again I won’t use a thorn. I’ll use something heavy and likely to be lethal.’
He dismissed her threat with a cold, derisory smile. ‘Don’t worry, Miss Stevens. I’ve no intention of forcing myself on you again. If it were merely your body I was after you’d be pinned helplessly to the deck right now and I’ve no doubt that you’d be writhing in ecstasy.’
Her breathing was returning to normal and her mind was beginning to function rationally once more. Lowering her eyes, she realised that her threat had been ridiculous. She could see that now. Her puny strength was no match for that of a man of his build and power and if he’d really intended taking her against her will a mere scratch on the cheek wouldn’t have stopped him. There was also the sickening realisation that he was capable of inflaming her passion to such a height. Now she felt nothing but self-disgust at her own weakness and easy arousal.