Page 8 of The Billionaire's Seduction Revenge

Mutiny shaped her facial structure, her expression, making her lips clench and her jaw tight, but Vasilios simply smiled, a slow, relaxed, self-assured smile.

He had never craved the attention of the opposite sex but he was well aware of the power he could command. He knew how women responded to him.

Seducing Emma, he realised with a flash of clarity, would achieve many things at once. If he succeeded, it would allow him to understand her better, to prove to his grandfather that she couldn’t be trusted after all, and yes, there would also be a degree of personal satisfaction, because she was feisty and opinionated and their interaction had been exhilarating, even when it had frustrated the hell out of him.

With little concern for his grandfather—after all, he was largely doing this for the old man’s sake—he put his hands on the back of the chair. “Then again, perhaps work can wait.”

3

“YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE COME.”

As soon as they were out of Costa’s hearing, she hissed the barbed remark in Vasilios’s direction, refusing to look that way herself.

If he was surprised, he didn’t show it. “How come,cara?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? He does.”

“Youare nothim.”

“No, I’m not. Tell me, Emma,” he said her name slowly, mulling over the syllables, so the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, but not from fear nor adrenalin, but rather for other darker, scarier reasons. “Is it only men of a certain age you are attracted to? Is this your fetish?”

Exasperation showed in the roll of her eyes. “Go to hell.”

Something shifted in his features. Briefly, oh so briefly, she was sure she saw something like amusement. But then his jaw locked once more and his eyes flashed to hers, so she was sure she’d imagined it.

“Whydidyou even come? To insult me?”

“I have no interest in insulting you,” he corrected after a small pause, moving his big, masculine body closer to hers, his voice low so that it seemed to caress her ears.

She shivered, suppressing the goosebumps that lifted over her arms.

“Then why?” She demanded, refusing to be shaken from her line of questioning.

“Because I want to understand you.”

“Understand what I’m doing here, working for your grandfather, do you mean?”

“And why you might hesitate to sign your name to a lease.”

She gasped, lifting a hand to her lips before she could quell the tell-tale gesture. But in truth, she hadn’t expected Costa to reveal so much to Vasilios. She knew they were related, but she’d told Costa that in private, in a moment of panic and worry.

The sense of betrayal ran deep.

“I—,” the ground shifted beneath her and Emma stopped walking, her skin paling. She’d come to trust the old man, to rely on him, when events from her other life should have inured her to that temptation.

Trust was not something that came easily to Emma. Not before, and certainly not after. But there’d been a quality to Costa that had worked its way into her heart, made her open up to him, made her truly believe that he would only ever act in her best interest.

And yet, Vasilios had only been back in Puglia for a single night and already Costa had revealed something intensely personal about Emma.

Danger sirens blared and an icy, creeping sense of panic flooded her veins.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Costa was ahead of them, supported by a walking stick, moving slowly, as he always did, eyes trained on the ocean. The ground beneath them was sandy, and the day was warm. At any other time, Emma would have been enjoying herself. She loved the beach, loved the elemental quality of it, and she particularly lovedthisbeach, this private cove, tucked away from the rest of the world, totally removed from prying eyes and the invasion of others. For as long as she lived, Emma would probably crave this sort of solitude. But today, it brought her no comfort. Her insides were churning, her stomach knotted.

“Then tell me.” His voice was a gruff command and a moment later, his hand curled around her wrist, holding her still at first then tugging, pulling her to face him.

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