Alexi led Aimee down the balcony stairs. As they reached the bottom, the sound of the side gate opening reached their ears. Alexi moved back against the building, pulling her close against his side. Kassi came through the gate.
“What is she doing?” Aimee whispered.
Alexi wondered the same thing. He stepped out of the shadows, still holding Aimee’s hand. “Kassi?”
Kassi spun around. Her hand went to her throat and her eyes widened. “Alexi! Aimee, is that you?” Her face was blotchy and it looked like she’d been crying.
Aimee moved forward. “Yes. We were just going for a swim.”
Kassi looked up at the balcony. “Who is watching Damien?”
“One of the downstairs maids,” Aimee assured her. “I thought you had a date?”
Kassi nodded, eyeing her cousin warily. “I did.”
“And you could not arrive home via the front door?” Alexi studied her attire. Who had she been meeting to go out dressed like that? She wore a glitzy, body-hugging sheath of a dress that barely covered the curve of her ass, and impossibly tall heels. She had too much makeup on and the smell of smoke clung to her person. Most worrying of all was the fact she came in the back gate. This sneaky behavior wasn’t something the Kassi he’d known before would participate in. What’s going on with you, little cousin?
Kassi’s eyes darted to the side. Her reply was barely audible. “I wasn’t ready to turn in yet and thought I’d take a walk in the gardens.”
Alexi raised an eyebrow in question, but rather than grill her while she was obviously out of sorts, simply nodded. “Don’t let us stop you. We are, as Aimee said before, headed down to the pool. We shall see you at breakfast?”
“At breakfast. Goodnight.” Kassi skirted around them and headed for the far side of the building.
“Has she been crying?” Aimee’s frown increased as she saw Kassi’s destination. “I thought she was heading for the gardens?”
Alexi watched his cousin until she disappeared from view and then let out his breath. “That was a quick cover up. Something is going on with her.”
“She kept getting these text messages earlier today. They seemed to upset her but she wouldn’t tell me who she was talking with.”
Alexi nodded thoughtfully. “I will speak with her in the morning. Ready to swim?” I’ll also be asking Piotr to find out what’s going on with her.
Aimee looked back at the direction Kassi had gone and then turned to him. “I am.”
Alexi led her to the pool, directing her to the pool house. “Change in there while I turn the lights on.”
“Do you have to? Turn the lights on, I mean?” Aimee asked him. “I kind of like it just like this.”
Alexi looked up. There was a full moon overhead, and the pool area wasn’t completely in the shadows. He smiled indulgently at her. “I will leave the lights off, then.”
*****
Aimee ducked into the pool house, quickly putting her swimsuit on. She paused before the long mirror, wishing she’d brought her one piece down. She’d grabbed her bikini, the same one she’d been wearing since her arrival, but now she worried it was too revealing.
She made a face at her reflection. “This is as good as it’s going to get tonight. Once you’re in the water it won’t matter anyway. Besides, you might have the hots for Alexi but he’s dangerous. If you give in to the lust you feel for him, what then? How will you ever be content with another man after having someone like Alexi?”
Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of a bed. Immediately she flushed, as the thought of lying on it, wrapped in Alexi’s embrace, jumped into her mind. Was that on purpose? Did Alexi think...? Aimee swallowed. He’d made no secret of his attraction to her—or that he’d noticed the way her body responded to him...
“Remember, he’s just playing you. You’ve seen it numerous times. They say the right thing, wine and dine you, pretend to be your friend, when all they want is another notch on their bedposts.”
She pointed at her reflection for emphasis. “Take a nice friendly swim and then go to bed. Alone. You wanted to be strong and independent, here’s your chance. Show Alexi you’re not interested. Don’t blow it!” Her courage and resolve bolstered, she grabbed a towel from the stack by the door and stepped out onto the flagstone deck.
Alexi was already in the water, his muscles bunching across his shoulders as he swam across the pool. She stood transfixed for a long minute, watching as he stopped at the far edge and shook the water and hair from his eyes. When he saw her, he beckoned her forward. “Come on in. The water is very nice.”
Aimee took a deep breath, resisting the urge to adjust her bikini. She walked to the closest lounge chair. She turned her back, dropped the towel on the chair and then spun around. She was planning to dive into the pool as quickly as possible, but Alexi had moved and was now resting his forearms on the pool’s edge, watching her. The expression in his eyes sent shivers racing across her body.
“I was right before.”
“About what?” She neared the pool’s edge slowly.
“You are very beautiful. Get in before you get chilled.” He held out his hand.
Aimee’s pulse sped up. She could see the heat in his gaze. His voice had a rough edge to it that set her nerves tingling, while the control in his voice had heat pooling between her legs. When she placed her palm against his, tendrils of electricity raced up her arm. She lowered herself to the edge of the pool as gracefully as possible and then slid into the warm water. She let herself sink below the surface, but Alexi still had hold of her hand and pulled her back up.
She resurfaced only a few inches from his body. Her determination to keep her distance from him wavered. His free hand reached beneath the water, holding her waist and moving her closer to his own body.
She searched his eyes. “Does your head still hurt?”
Alexi’s mouth turned up on one side. “It’s not my head I’m thinking about right now. I had forgotten how nice having a beautiful woman in my arms felt.”
Aimee smirked at his implied meaning. “You weren’t shipwrecked that long.”
“Ah, but you forget the self-isolation I had imposed upon myself even before that. I haven’t actively dated anyone since long before I met Gemma.”
Aimee was shocked. “But that was over two years ago.”
Alexi nodded. “Yes. I’m not saying I’ve been a monk since that time, but I’ve not allowed myself to develop any sort of relationship with a woman in years.”
“Because of the threats?” Aimee grabbed his shoulders to steady herself, as he moved them into deeper water.
“Partly. But even before coming to the States I had decided I would be content with short-term affairs. Men in my position are not often liked for themselves, but for what they bring to the table. I got tired of being treated like a commodity.”
“And so you should have.” Aimee mulled over his words, getting a small glimpse of Alexi’s life. She was forced to confront her own assumptions. Alexi sounded like isolation and being taken advantage of were a normal part of his life. I guess being poor and being wealthy both have their own crosses to bear.
She met his eyes, looking at him in a new light, her belief that all wealthy men were scum severely challenged. Alexi had every right to be angry with the women who had treated him like a thing instead of a man with feelings.
“Thank you for your support. So, what about you? No jealous boyfriend is going to appear from the shadows?”
Aimee shook her head. “I’m like you, I haven’t really done relationships in a while. Maybe it was the guys I was dating, but they were either looking for a mother figure or someone they could treat like a doll they took out of the closet to play with once in a while.”
“You have no desire to take care of the man you are dating?” Alexi tilted his head.
“It’s not even that, I just don’t want to feel like I’m responsible for whether or not he gets up for work on time, or remembers his mother’s birthday.”
“Ah, I see! And the other type of men, the ones who want a doll to play with?”
“I don’t want someone telling me what I can and can’t do. I’ve been making my own decisions for a long time now and while they may not always be the right ones, at least they were mine, as were the consequences. Allowing someone else to call the shots is a way of showing weakness that gets you taken advantage of. Something I can’t afford.”
Alexi pulled her close, pressing her body firmly against his own as he walked them into water that just covered his shoulders. “You like to make up your own mind.”
Aimee nodded, having trouble focusing on his words when her body tingled everywhere they touched. His hands moved up and down her back. Then he reached for her thigh, bringing it up and pressing her leg around his hips. When he did the same with her other leg, Aimee gasped at the sensations that flooded her body.
“Alexi?”
“Shush, Aimee. Relax.”
“What are we doing?” Her voice was hushed. Somehow the moment seemed to require it.
Alexi looked into her eyes, their faces mere inches apart. “What does it feel like we’re doing?”
Aimee turned one side of her mouth up. “Getting ourselves into trouble.” The lust he’d stirred up earlier in her rooms rose up, her body readying itself for the culmination it longed for.
Alexi brushed his lips along her jawline and then whispered in her ear. “I find I like that idea. A lot.” His hands pressed her hips against his own, bringing her intimately into contact with his groin.
Aimee gasped and arched her back. “This is insane.” Alexi’s lips travelled over her neck. He returned to her lips, taking her mouth in a kiss so carnal, she was surprised the water around them didn’t starting boiling.
He didn’t break the kiss until they were both struggling to breathe, and then he quickly maneuvered her to shallower water. “Se thelo.” He moved his lips along her jawline. “It means I want you,” he whispered when he reached her ear.
“I want you too. I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t think I’ve ever been this turned on by someone.”
Alexi’s eyes smoldered as he reached for the ties of her bikini top. He made short work of pulling it from her body, using one hand to mold and toy with her breasts while she gasped in pleasure.
She returned the caresses, using her hands and fingertips to trace his chest muscles. She ran her fingers through his hair, marveling at how tight his shoulders were. “You are gorgeous.” She licked a droplet of water from his cheek before it could fall back into the pool.
Alexi groaned and then pulled her legs from around his waist. “Come with me.” He pulled her up the steps of the pool and back to the pool house. Heading for the bed. Aimee swallowed. She knew what he intended, but she couldn’t walk away. Worse, she no longer wanted to.
He grabbed a towel and briskly dried them both off, before pulling her towards the bed. His hands and lips never once stopped their inspection of her person. By the time he laid her down upon the soft mattress, she burned for more of his touch.
Alexi shimmied out of his wet swim trunks. Aimee stared in fascination. He was more than ready for her, and the sight of his erection only made her more desperate to feel him. When he reached for the bikini bottoms, she lifted her hips, eager to help him with his task.
He spread her legs and then levered himself between her thighs, using one arm to keep his weight off of her. “I need you. Now.”
She nodded, needing him to finish what they’d started before she completely went up in flames. She pulled on his shoulders until he settled his weight on her body, fitting himself to her center and slowly making them one. Aimee closed her eyes as sensation flooded her senses.
Alexi wanted more from her. “Look at me, agapiménos. Let me see your eyes when you fly to paradise.”
Aimee opened her eyes, locking them on Alexi’s. She moved her body in time with his as the sensations within her built to a crescendo. This was the stuff her fantasies had been made of, and yet, this was reality and so much more than she had ever imagined.
Alexi tossed his head back, his muscles straining as he neared his completion, the force of his thrusts increasing in both tempo and intensity. “I can’t hold back much longer. Fly with me, ómorfi.”
Aimee had never felt so in touch with another human being, especially not a man. She arched her back and dug her fingernails into his shoulders, racing towards the finish line with him. With a hoarse shout, she felt her body tighten as pleasure so intense it bordered on pain swept through her body.
She heard Alexi’s cry, and then his body weight sagged against her own. She kept her arms and legs wrapped around him, wanting to hold onto this luscious feeling for as long as possible. Reality would intrude soon enough, but for this moment in time, life was perfect. She’d deal with the aftermath in a few minutes. Or hours. Or never.