Page 12 of Virgin's Night with the Greek

‘Does it bother you?’

‘Not in the slightest. If everyone went round behaving like she does, with zero respect for the rules of society, civilisation would collapse.’

That seemed like an overly dramatic assessment of the situation, but what did she know? ‘You look like her.’

‘There’s nothing I can do about that,’ he muttered. ‘All Icando is not act like her.’

‘Is that something you struggle with?’

‘Absolutely not,’ he replied with a sharpness that suggested the opposite, which she found unexpectedly intriguing.

‘Shall I tell you what I think?’

‘I’d rather you didn’t.’

‘Whether or not you kill a good time and whether or not you’re an ice-cold robot—her words, not mine—I think you’re just a man who loves his siblings and would do anything to protect them.’

His eyes bore into hers, a muscle pounding in his cheek. ‘You don’t know me.’

‘I know more than you think.’

‘Do you know how many people challenge me?’

‘No.’

‘None.’

‘Well, that’s not healthy.’

‘Even fewer attempt to negotiate with me the way you did.’

‘Maybe they don’t have anything to lose.’

He tilted his head and regarded her thoughtfully. ‘Are you evenslightlyintimidated by me?’

By the effect he had on her, she was, a bit. But by him? ‘No. But I can see why people would be. With your height and breadth and your glowering sternness, you’re physically imposing. You’re head of a multibillion-euro business. You exude authority and power, even when dripping wet, and you’re used to your every instruction being obeyed without question. But here’s the thing,’ she said, leaning forwards an inch and lowering her voice. ‘Remember how I told you that your mother liked to talk?’

Wariness flickered across his handsome face. ‘Yes.’

‘She told me that as a kid you threw tantrums. You used to have nightmares that made you cry.’

His jaw tightened and a fascinating flush hit his cheekbones. ‘I’m surprised she noticed.’

‘She heard it from your nanny.’

‘Of course she did.’

‘She said that as you got older you were reckless and wild and took risks that sometimes landed you in hospital. Apparently, you once deliberately dashed a boat on the rocks.’

‘Sheischatty,’ he said, a spark of irritation lighting the dark depths of his eyes.

‘You don’t like being talked about.’

‘I do not,’ he said with a minute shake of his head. ‘Unlike some, I value my privacy.’

‘So is it true? About the boat?’

‘Yes.’

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