Page 11 of Greek's Temporary Cinderella

He drained his glass of wine and went on eating, as did she. For all its non-gourmet status, the food was good, and he ate with a will now. He didn’t say anything more—he’d let Eliana think over what he’d offered her.

When they’d both finished eating, he settled the bill, then got to his feet.

Leandros was guiding her outside, into the warm air. The seafront stretched along the wide bay. City-dwellers were making their evening volta, strolling along—a familiar scene at this hour of the day along every seafront in Greece.

‘Let’s walk a bit,’ he said to her.

Passively, she fell into step beside him. She was still in a daze, unable to believe what was happening. That Leandros had reappeared like this—and what he’d said to her.

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable that he should have said it—or thought she might agree.

Suddenly, he spoke.

‘We used to do this every evening—do you remember? In Chania, walking along the curve of the harbour that time when we went to Crete?’

Eliana felt her heart catch. How could she not remember her hand being held fast in his, as if he would never let her go?

But it was me who let him go—went to another man.

Pain—so familiar, so impossible to relinquish—stabbed at her for what she’d done.

‘That was a good holiday...’

Leandros was speaking again. There was reminiscence in his voice, but then it changed to hold wry humour.

‘You insisted on separate bedrooms.’

Suddenly, he stopped, stepping in front of Eliana. His hands closed over her shoulders. Stilling her. Freezing her. He looked down at her, his face stark in the street light.

‘Had...had we not had separate bedrooms all the time back then...’

He drew a breath. She heard it—heard the intensity in his voice when he spoke again.

‘You would not would have left me.’

There was something in his voice—something that was like a stab of pain. Then it was gone, replaced by hardness.

He dropped his hands away.

‘No—stupid to think that. With or without sex, you’d still have walked out on me, wouldn’t you, Eliana? Because I wasn’t going to be able to give you what you wanted. Not me...not even sex with me.’

The twist in his voice now was ugly, and she flinched.

‘Just money. That was all you wanted from a man. Any man. Did that hapless fool Damian know that? Know that if his father had done what mine did, and threatened to disinherit him, you’d have dumped him as ruthlessly as you dumped me?’

He quickened his pace and she was forced to do likewise. Emotions were smashing around inside her, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Oh, dear God, why had Leandros turned up like this? Wasn’t her life now grim enough as it was, without him twisting the knife that had been in her heart since what she had done to him?

‘You don’t answer?’ Leandros said now, cynicism in his voice. ‘Well, what does it matter? Damian knew the risk of marrying a woman who’d just dumped the man she’d been keen to marry until his money vanished.’

And something else entered his voice now—something that made it seem to Eliana that he was trying to convince himself.

‘I know the risk I’m taking.’ Now his voice had hardened, conviction made. ‘Which is why I’m keeping my offer strictly limited. I’ll lift you back out of the gutter you’ve fallen into, but on my terms, Eliana—my terms only. Be very clear on that. This is the finish of something old—not the start of something new.’

She didn’t answer—there was no point. Instead, she stopped walking.

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