The Greek's Stolen Bride by Kate Hewitt Read Free Book Online

vehement, yet also scared. Theo smiled. He was a patient man.
    "Let me show you your room," he said, and turned to go back up the stairs.
     
    Ariana's heart thudded so hard it hurt as she followed Theo up the stairs and down an airy corridor. Her lips burned from his kiss... the second kiss she'd ever had, both with Theo. By Theo.
    Was he toying with her? Amusing himself in a whole new and far more frightening way? Her heart pounded harder. She might be free, but she didn't feel free. She felt imprisoned by her own contrary thoughts.
    By her own desire.
    Taking a deep, calming breath, Ariana followed Theo into a spacious bedroom. A king-sized bed with a sand-colored duvet and half a dozen throw pillows in various shades of blue and green occupied the center of the room. Windows overlooked the cove, their shutters thrown wide open. A door led to a spacious ensuite bathroom, the black marble glimmering in the sunlight.
    "It's lovely," Ariana said and Theo smiled.
    "Make yourself at home."
    He showed her how the shower worked, gestured to several shopping bags by the bed, and then left her alone. As soon as the door had closed behind him Ariana sank onto the bed and let her head fall into her hands.
    The events of the day--the escape, the boat ride, the kiss --were catching up with her, and she felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and inexplicably near tears.
    Straightening, she took another breath and headed to the shower. She would not indulge in theatrics or any emotion at all. She would not think about that kiss, and how Theo's lips had felt both soft and hard, how they had demanded and entreated at the same time. She needed to keep a clear head to get through the next few days--and weeks, months--until she was established, safe. Until her father--or no other man--could hurt her or control her.
    Her mouth now in a compressed line, Ariana turned on the taps, stripped off her clothes, and stepped into the shower.
    Twenty minutes later she was showered and dressed, having changed into a pair of pale blue capris and a silk mauve tee-shirt. Theo's trusty assistant had provided a full range of toiletries as well as clothes, so she felt thankfully clean and fresh as she headed downstairs.
    She found Theo in the kitchen, its granite and stainless steel work surfaces open to the living/dining area. He'd showered too, and his hair was damp, curling a bit on his neck. His eyes looked even greener and more vivid in his tanned face, and he dressed simply in a tee-shirt and faded jeans, both which hugged the lean yet muscular planes of his body. He paused, his hands flat on the counter top, as he watched her enter the kitchen area.
    "You look a bit more refreshed."
    "I feel it."
    "And relaxed."
    She lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug. She didn't feel relaxed.
    "Do you want some lunch?"
    "Okay." She slid onto one of the chrome bar stool by the breakfast bar. "Do you cook?"
    "A little."
    She watched as he took a lump of feta cheese wrapped in waxed paper out of the fridge, plucked a few plump tomatoes from a bowl on the counter. "Your assistant went food shopping as well, I suppose? Or do you live here most of the time?"
    "I don't come here as often as I'd like," Theo said as he set about dicing the tomatoes. "And yes, my assistant got the food."
    "Who is this paragon?"
    "A friend of mine from a long time ago. He's worked for me since I started my own firm."
    She was absurdly glad the assistant was a he, and not some siren in a short skirt and kitten heels. Ridiculous even to care, and yet in that moment Ariana could not keep herself from feeling a fierce dart of satisfaction.
    "I don't really know anything about you," she said, propping her chin on her hands. Theo slid her a speculative look from under his lashes.
    "And I don't know anything about you."
    "There isn't really anything to know."
    "I don't believe that."
    She shrugged. "I've lived my life in a convent and on my father's private island. I haven't had many opportunities for