“Now look,” Kizzy announced and waved her hand in the air. “I’ve gone and spoiled our lovely breakfast.”
“Not at all.” He put the spoon down with a profound click, and a muscle worked in his jaw as he stared at the table. “Planning for the future is natural and sensible. Your hopes and wishes just go to show that you’re a normal human being. It’s a good job one of us is.”
Before Kizzy could ask him what he meant by that odd comment, the frantic rasping sound of a horn outside made her jump.
“What the—?”
“That’ll be Orfeas with our luggage. He always was a noisy little beggar and I’m sure he makes such a racket just to annoy me!” Andreas abruptly stood and raised a hand to stop Kizzy joining him. “Wait here while I sort him out.”
It was an order, not a request, Kizzy realized, as he strode quickly off through a tunnel of bougainvillea.
She let out a long sigh as she refocused her attention on the endless, sparkling blue of the sea instead of the broad shoulders she longed to cling to. She’d gone too far, stepped over an invisible line as far as their relationship was concerned.
Relationship.
It was laughable; they’d met only a short while ago, fallen into bed almost straightaway, and here she was, daring to use the word “relationship” in the privacy of her head. No wonder Andreas had been so keen to distance himself from her suppressed desires—he’d leaped up at the first opportunity and disappeared quicker than a scalded cat. This was supposed to be an exciting affair, a week of sizzling, passionate sex—not a depressing rerun of her inadequate childhood.
She had a lot to learn, especially about when to keep quiet.
But it was done now, she’d blurted out her secret wants and desires to him, and there was nothing more to say on the matter. She just needed to remember not to do anything so stupid again, and then maybe they’d be able to enjoy this luxurious time together—if it wasn’t already too late.
…
Andreas stood with his hands on his hips in the middle of Kizzy’s bedroom and stared silently at the boutique boxes that Orfeas had piled up on the floor and stripped bed.
Andreas had quickly taken the crumpled bed linen that had been left in one corner and hidden it in the bathroom before Orfeas could notice. The bare mattress had taken him by surprise when he’d first gone in; the room looked like a bomb had hit it and blown everything toward the edges of the room. Something dramatic had clearly been going on in her head when all this had happened.
Had she been angry, keen to remove all traces of their lovemaking? Was she ashamed of what they’d done?
Yet he too had hidden the sheets in case Orfeas saw them. Why had he felt the need to do that?
So many questions he didn’t have answers to. He shook his head to chase the thoughts away.
Bundling the washing against his chest, he nudged open the bedroom door with one foot and marched down toward the utility room. He hadn’t stepped foot in the annex since the building had been renovated, and now looked irritably around for the washing machine. Having located the top-of-the-line appliance and shoved in the linen, he paused for a moment to study the buttons, dials, and digital display on its control panel and frowned.
He rasped a large hand across his chin and felt a growl of frustration building up inside him—he didn’t have a clue how to work the damn thing.
It was his house, his bloody laundry room, and he was at a complete loss as to what to do next. It was ridiculous; any normal adult would be able to deal with it—he was sure Kizzy would know how to work this washing machine.
The way he had started to analyze his behavior and lifestyle in the last few days was becoming draining—taking him emotionally to places he would rather not be. He didn’t have answers for all the questions in his head, and it unnerved him, and Kizzy wasn’t reacting toward him in the way she should, in the way he had anticipated.
He couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t just let him look after her, give her a carefree life. One part of her wanted stability and security and another craved wild and reckless freedom—she didn’t know what she wanted, it seemed to him. But it had also come as little surprise that precious jewels and expensive holidays weren’t on her list of priorities; life had been very hard and very cruel to this woman so far.
He forced his brain away from thoughts of Kizzy and back into practical mode. He’d leave a note for Orfeas’s wife to sort out all the laundry and unpacking later, and he would concentrate on sorting out Kizzy. He’d make her see sense.
Andreas glared at the washing machine once more before he left the room. Its large, round drum almost seemed to be laughing at him.
…
“You’ll be pleased to hear we’re staying for the week,” Andreas announced to Kizzy’s back as she stared across the infinity pool toward the glittering ocean.
“Pardon?” She turned to face him with a look of surprise.
“Yes,” he continued and rolled his shoulders enthusiastically. “I’ve cancelled everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yes.”
“So what about the contract, your diplomatic missions next week, and all the other stuff that’s made you so desperate to get your minions moving?”
“Cancelled. Well, not exactly. It’s time my senior executives started pulling their weight and earning their salaries. I have delegated all my commitments to them for the next seven days.”
“But, Andreas, you made me come here because of your ridiculous gag order. You can’t just cancel it!”
“Things have changed.”
Kizzy crossly placed her hand on her hips and cocked her head to one side. “Because we’re lovers now?”
“Yes,” he agreed stiffly. “With regard to the contract—it’s not something I feel necessary any more.”
“Well, that’s all right then.”
“I said that I don’t feel it’s necessary but if you do, of course, then you can name your terms and it will be done.”
“I never wanted it in the first place, remember? It’s unnecessary.”
“So you trust me?”
“I’ve already said I do.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Andreas replied softly, and an unusual feeling of light-headedness washed over him. “Your swimwear is on your bed—get into it and join me back here. It’s time both of us had the opportunity to behave normally again. Do you realize how long it’s been since I swam in the Aegean?”