Alexandra came to lunch on the back deck, which was shaded, wearing shorts that showcased her long legs and a thin T-shirt that clearly showed the bikini top she wore underneath. She also wore the golden anklet he’d given he for Christmas when she was sixteen.

Fixing his eyes on the table, he tried to focus on the food. Dolmas, pita bread, olives, fruit—a good Greek meal. Dammit, he needed to get control of himself.

“Where’s Eva?” he asked.

Alexandra waved a hand. “She’s not hungry. She said she’d see us at dinner. She’s got her sketch pad out and she’s doing portraits of the crew—I think they adore her already.”

Dareios stood and held out Alexandra’s chair to seat her. He poured her a lemonade and ouzo for himself. Staring at her over the top of his glass, he said, “This trip was supposed to be a chance for you to get over your infatuation.”

She rolled her eyes and started to pick fruit from the bowl. “No, it’s supposed to give us a chance to get the attraction between us out of our systems. Although how we can do that with you running away—

“I’m not—”

“And avoiding me.” Alexandra glanced at him and bit into a strawberry. Red juice trickled onto her lower lip and her tongue flickered out to catch it. Dareios couldn’t help but stare, and Alexandra smiled. “I know how I feel when I’m with you. No other man has ever made me feel this way. That means something to me—as in we should have a brief, torrid affair and we can be friends again.”

He sipped his ouzo. The anise liquor went down hot and warm. “What if we can’t be friends? What if it changes everything?”

She shook her head. “I’m not that shallow.”

“Do you think this is going to lead to us getting married and settling down with a houseful of kids? Do you really think I would be a good husband? A man who can’t keep his hands off other women? Don’t you know the reputation my father has? That I have?”

She tipped her head to the side. “Maybe you should be answering the same questions. What do you see when you see me? You’re the one who keeps bringing up marriage—is that what you think must happen between us?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to settle with one woman. The men in my family aren’t—aren’t good at that.”

“But your parents still want grandchildren—don’t they always? Grandbabies for them to spoil. And you need a wife for that. But maybe you want a wife who doesn’t care if you sleep around.”

He threw back his drink and slapped the glass onto the table. “Look, I would love nothing more than to damn the consequences and sleep with you, but I can’t.”

She twirled the end of her braid around one finger. “Why do there have to be consequences? Why can’t we just be two people who are attracted to each other and like each other? Why can’t I be just another girl you romance?”

“Alexandra, you know there are always consequences.”

She shook her head and ate a slice of watermelon. “Not with me. Not from me. All I want is a wild affair. I don’t want a ring. I don’t want promises. And I don’t want Antonio to even have to know about it. This is just between us.”

She bit into another strawberry, and Dareios wanted to lunge across the table and seal his lips over hers. He didn’t want lunch—he wanted her. He wanted to dine on her, and feast on her lips, her breasts—everything. He’d been hard for two days, and masturbating in the shower wasn’t helping—not when he ended up imagining Alexandra’s wet body and how she looked after she came out of the water.

He propped his elbows on the table. “I don’t want you to have any regrets, and I especially don’t want you to end up hating me.”

Alexandra looked into his eyes and leaned forward. She licked her lips. “Why would I ever hate you?”

Reaching across the table, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to him. He kissed her—hard. She tasted of strawberries and lemonade. She tasted of coconut from her tanning lotion. She tasted of heaven. He let go and sat back in his chair. Red stained her cheeks. He smiled. “There need to be some ground rules here.”

“Ground rules?” The words came out hoarse and stuttered. She nodded and sipped her lemonade.

Dareios nodded. “You will behave yourself in public. We’re not going to give the tabloids photos that Antonio is going to see.”

She frowned, but she nodded. “And after we reach Methoni?”

Dareios smiled. It was about time that Alexandra learned this was not a child’s game. If she wanted a fling, he was going to give her that. But first he was going to use every trick he knew to scare her out of wanting a seduction—it was time she learned what it was like to play with fire.