Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 344(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Kyr had wanted to laugh and groan at the irony of her question even as he managed to say with a straight face, I guess you could say that.
Worry in her voice, she had then asked, Is there anything I can do to help you? Make you feel better?
Yes. His tone had been unequivocal.
How? Hers had been eager.
He had replied bluntly, Allow me to be a playboy.
Her face had paled, her mouth opening and closing several times. Thinking he had been too forceful, he had been about to tell her to forget it when he heard her say almost inaudibly, ‘Maybe...just now?’
The words had been the greatest and most pleasant shock of his life. Are you sure? His voice had been thick with lust, his mind already going on overdrive.
Only if you promise...it’s just now. Here. Where no one will see. Her voice, on the other hand, had been very much breathless, with a tiny thread of fear that, instead of making him feel remorseful, had only served to heighten his desire for her.
I promise.
His answer had made her draw her breath hard, and her voice shook when she had asked, ‘What do I have to do?’
He had answered by cupping her face, and she had responded by giving him his favorite blowfish look. It had made his lips curve in amusement, but it hadn’t succeeded in deterring him from his objective.
‘Close your eyes,’ he had advised and without waiting for her to answer, he slowly bent down to kiss her. He caught a glimpse of panic in her eyes before her lids drifted shut the same moment his lips touched hers.
It had been the softest, most tender contact, and yet it had also been hot and electrifying, the chemistry between them off the charts that it had her gasping in shock and Kyr almost shuddering.
After, he had cupped her face and deepened the kiss, Kyr barely in control of himself. He had tried to be gentle the first few moments, using only his lips to nip hers and coax Pollyanna out of her inhibitions. And when she had finally melted against him, kissing him back, all hell had broken loose. Kyr had driven his tongue inside her mouth, exploring every inch before prompting her tongue to dance with his. He had sucked on her tongue, her lower lip, and when it still hadn’t felt enough, he had ran his mouth down the slender column of her neck and sucked hungrily on her wildly beating pulse.
When he had reluctantly ended the kiss and released her, she had almost fallen to the ground, her knees giving out. He had caught her with a hoarse laugh, asking, Seriously?
It was my first kiss, she had answered, sounding awkward and defensive at the same time.
A part of him had expected it of course, but even so, hearing her confirm it with her own words was another thing, and Kyr had drawn the most incredible sense of satisfaction from the reality.
He was her first kiss, and it had made Pollyanna lose her balance.
It was a heady thought, especially for someone like him. No one would ever make Kyr admit it, but when Ana had left him so publicly, it had significantly dented his belief in himself. After Ana, Kyr had begun to believe that women were only interested in him for the shallowest reasons, and that none of them would stay with him once the going got tough.
Or at least no one except for his Pollyanna, Kyr had thought while rappelling out of the tree house, a still weak-kneed Pollyanna secure in his arms.
And now it was the seventh day.
Would he be able to convince her to let him be a playboy again?
A playboy, to have fun with, but not a lover or potential boyfriend, Kyr thought. He hoped she knew why he was always keen to make the distinction. He wanted her to be clear that a playboy was all he could be with her or anyone else.
Did she understand that?
He heard footsteps behind him, and he turned.
What he saw seemed to portend the answer to his question.
It was Dinah, and by the look on her face, she knew exactly what had been going on between him and her goddaughter.
Chapter Four
For ten minutes, Kyrillos Gazis exchanged small talk with the woman who had almost been his mother-in-law. She was seated on a boulder a few feet away from the first row of bushes, looking exactly like she always had except for her eyes, which were a lot warier than they used to be.
As for Kyr, he remained on his feet, his elegance in no way dimmed even though his time working at the fields had left him dirty and sweaty.
Looking at him was more than enough to hurtle Dinah back into the past. And what a humiliating past it was, for everyone, she thought sadly. So far, the billionaire had allowed Dinah to take the lead in the conversation, but she knew there was more to it than a mere sign of respect. No, she knew him better than that, knew it was only the younger man patiently biding his time and using it to study his opponent, as was his wont.