 
# Scorned

### Torn Series 4

## Pamela Ann

### Contents

Scorned

Acknowledgments

Playlist

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

31. A month later...

I ♥️ Heart Sexy Reads

Torn Series Order

Also by Pamela Ann

# Scorned

(A Torn Series)
**Copyright © 2013, By Pamela Ann**

**All Rights Reserved.**

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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**Join & subscribe Pamela Ann's newsletter for updates, new releases and more: Newsletter**

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This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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**Editing by**

Kristin and Alizon

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**Interior book design by**

Bob Houston eBook Formatting

# Acknowledgments

To my beta readers, Cami Hesnault, Kimberly Harris, Beck Sewell and Tia Marie, writing this book wouldn't have been the same without all your opinions and awesome discussions. Melissa Gill, you're my life saver—'nuff said.

Kirstie Hicks, Josie Melendez, Ashley Suzanne, you ladies rock!

To the ladies at Chasing Bassphemous, I heart you all.

To my editors, Kristin and Alizon, thank you, ladies.

And to my family, thank you for everything.
**Songs I listened to whilst writing the novel:**

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Enrique Iglesias Ft. Nicole Scherzinger _Heartbeat_

John Mayer _Gravity_

Fiona Apple _First Taste_

Justin Timberlake _What Comes Around_

Michael Bublè _Me and Mrs. Jones_

Lifehouse _Everything_

Mogwai _Take Me Somewhere Nice_

Michael Buble _Always On My Mind_

Leona Lewis _Bleeding Love_

Nelly Furtado FT. James Morrison _Broken Strings_

Maroon 5 _Beautiful Goodbye_

Tricky _Overcome_

Adele _Turning Tables_

All Saints _Never Ever_

Boyce Avenue _Without You_

The Corrs _One Night_

No Doubt _Hella Good_

Pretty Reckless _You Make Me Wanna Die_
"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it."

— Mother Theresa

# Prologue

I wasn't a woman who minced words to soothe another person. Nor was I one to change my mind once I had placed a person in my "trash" bin.

People have described me as bitchy, stuck-up, scary, hot and crazy vindictive. Do I care? Ha. Yeah, right.

Wealth, beauty and all the attention I could ever want were showered on me at a very young age, but one thing was missing; love. Where do I even begin with that complex word?

Love led my father to his demise.

Love made me ache for my mother's non-existent emotion towards us, her family.

Love ruined me for the male species.

It didn't take long, though, to discover the power of beauty and sex. I got my euphoric highs from making men suffer—may it be emotional, mental, physical. Blue balls anyone?

It was all about validation. Needing to prove a point that I held the power, that no one could come close to hurting me any longer. I was excellent at it. I was my own master. What else could be better than that?

Yet, once again, Mister Cupid had a perverse way to scramble my very guarded personal life.

Would I let fate choose for me? Or should I fight it tooth and nail as I'd done in the past?
"If she's amazing, she won't be easy. If she's easy, she won't be amazing. If she's with it, you won't give-up. If you give up, you're not worthy. Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for."

— Bob Marley

# Chapter 1

A Month Ago

Taylor's Party

I was leaning against a tree, gazing at the garden's miniature falls that connected to the fountains, lost in thought... with dread and fear accompanied by damning memories, when I heard someone approach my direction.

"Dance with me, _pookie,_ " someone said behind me.

Brody.

Ever since he found me crying when my nanny, Esmeralda, left, due to her mother being sick, he continued using the pet name she called me. _Pookie_ was an endearment in Spanish.

"You really need to stop calling me that. I'm not six," I nonchalantly voiced out without gazing back at him.

I heard him move close to my back, making me conscious of his body's heat. Persistence thy name was Brody. For all the years I'd known him, he had rarely backed down.

"You're very edgy tonight. Feel like talking about it? I'm all ears."

Like that was going to happen. "I'm fine. I just want to be alone, if you don't mind."

"Why do you always do this the day after you sleep with me? Is that all I'm ever going to be to you? Someone on your speed dial to scratch the itch?" Brody sounded a little angry.

However, I didn't care. _Not tonight_. Knowing the crap was going to rain down on me very soon. "Seriously, Brody, this is not the time nor the place to discuss this." Really. If I could hide here forever, I would.

"For the past year, you've had the same line. You've paraded men right in front of me while I watch in vain, but I've endured all of that because I know, deep down, you love me; you always have. How many times do I have to say I'm sorry? Just tell me how long I have to wait for you, Lindsey."

Was there anyone in this fucking city who didn't know I was in love with him? I studied the man who meant so much to me, knowing that I had no answer for him. This man that was six feet of tightly packed muscles, killer smile and dark eyes with an uncanny resemblance to a young Pierce Brosnan.

Brody, ever since I was a child, had been my idol. I had followed him everywhere, thinking he was God. At ten-years-old, I blurted out that I loved him after he tasted the cookie I made, saying that they were delicious because I made them. Of course, my brother, Carter, spit them in the sink after the first bite, whining that they were too salty and hard. That wasn't the only time I told him that I loved him. Through the years, I would randomly tell him. Each time, he would just give me a smile and tell me, "That's very sweet of you, Lindsey."

That love turned into loathing the second I found out Cece slept with him behind my back during freshmen year. Brody, along with Carter, were very popular with the girls and those two never had any problem getting what they wanted.

Upon learning about this, I ended my friendship with Cece and tried to end my feelings for Brody as well. I should've known it wasn't going to be easy, even after years of trying. Accepting that it was never going to go away, I learned the art of impassiveness instead.

Deep inside, I knew that I was still reeling, but that love was now mixed with hate, affliction and scorn. Still, every time Brody was around, every time he greeted me after learning about Cece, he was still sweet and polite towards me—after my giving him death stares and all—the man still tried.

For the rest of my freshmen year, I did not speak a word to him. Of course, he tried to make amends. He would insert small post-its in my locker with messages like, "Have a good day, pookie", "Miss you, pookie", "I miss seeing your smiles". These messages changed during sophomore year, though. Monday to Friday, for the rest of that year held only one message, "I'm sorry."

I was simply done.

The memory was too ingrained in my mind, the hurt still too fresh. So what did a young, impressionable girl like me do when they're heartbroken? Party, of course.

When junior year came, I spent all that time partying and making out with boys. When senior year rolled in, I changed my wardrobe and used whatever I could for my advantage. I realized that a woman's look could be used as a tool to get what they wanted.

My childhood friend, Amber, provided our fake I.D's. So the three of us, Amber, Trista and me, partied in Hollywood almost every night. I even lost my virginity in the back of Range Rover in the club's parking lot. The man's name I could barely recall. Yep, it took me that long to lose my virginity... because I only wanted Brody to have it. Losing the v-card to a stranger was a major sign of my concealed hatred for him.

I turned into a cold hearted, vindictive, aggressive woman and I loved it that way. I felt in control instead of a slave to my emotions.

This frozen state started to waver when everyone found out that I was sleeping with one of Carter's friends, Cooper, last year. Brody sought me the night he found out, breathing fire as he yelled at me for sleeping with his friend. I didn't know what had happened, but after all the yelling, he ended with kissing me. And, my God, that kiss— _his kiss_ —it was even better than what I had dreamed of all my life. My love for him resurfaced, hate and loathing were nowhere to be found. He basically consumed me on the spot, matching his fire with mine.

I ended up sleeping with him that night, a year ago, leaving his bed the second he knocked out.

Brody has been chasing me ever since.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" I murmured, wondering why he hadn't given up.

"You know why," Brody murmured, pulling me against him as he wrapped his arms around my hips.

_I did know_ , but it wasn't enough anymore. So much had happened. My love for him was tainted. He betrayed that love years ago, knowing quite well what it would do to me.

"Let me hold you. Dance with me?"

Sighing, I finally conceded. I hated and loved when he turned that soft and husky voice on. I always had a hard time resisting him when he used it. "Fine. One dance."

"Thank you." Brody spun me around and gave me a quick kiss before leading me to the swimming pool that was glassed over to use as a dance floor.

Wrapped in Brody's embrace, I was about to say something when a voice interrupted us.

"I finally get to see you again, i̱ gynaíka mou."

I stilled, knowing quite well what that meant. FUCK. Gaining every bitchy fiber in me, I spun around and faced my estranged husband. "Dimitris, do you need something?"

Bright blue eyes pinned me on the spot, awash with anger, amongst other things. "You know damn well that I do. Unless you want to discuss it out here." The Greek raised his ebony brows at me with words that held threat. Those pull-you-in eyes drew me in, feeling beyond nostalgic as memories ran riot in my head.

This man had some sort of power that always made me feel... _off_ , like a switch. When he's around, it high-jacked my existence, but when he wasn't, I was normal again. As I emphasized earlier, I felt that _off_ button ready to shift me into a hapless woman.

The thought of being in that vexing state made me spin around to face Brody, who was still holding my hip quite possessively, before giving him a reassured smile. "I have a quick business chat to attend to. I'll be back."

Brody gave me a chaste kiss before he whispered, "Be safe. I'll be out here if you need me."

"Thanks." I gave him a quick hug before I strutted past Dimitris, straight indoors and inside the room that my friend allotted for me to use tonight. I didn't need to check if the Greek was following me because I just knew he was. I could feel those amazing eyes on me, watching my hips sway, admiring my backside.

Secured in one of the guest rooms, I strode towards the windows, staring out it absentmindedly, not wanting to face him. It took us a good five minutes until someone finally decided to break the silence.

It sure wasn't me.

"I have the divorce papers with me. Tell me your address and I will drop them off tomorrow," Dimitris delivered with ease, not pausing to give me a moment to breathe.

We were all staying here tonight, but with the divorce papers, I couldn't risk anyone seeing them. As far as I was concerned, no one knew about this secret marriage and I wanted to keep it that way. "I'm staying at The Chateau Marmont. You can drop them off there in the morning. How long does it take until we're divorced?"

I could hear him move a little closer to me. "It's Greece, so it can vary, but with my influence, I can probably have it done in six to eight weeks. My lawyers are working overtime to make things possible."

I'm sure they were. A demand from a Kosta was not taken lightly back in his homeland.

My feelings for Brody I could easily control, but when it came to Dimitris, my body took over like it was under a spell and I had a hard time remembering things. _Lust_ , hard-exorbitant-potent lust was what I had with this man. From the first moment I met him, I spent the first night in his bed and never left it until he made me his wife. He was demanding, caring, took care of everything, but most of all, he declared his love for me—which was a refreshing novelty, especially knowing he was a playboy. It was an odd mix, but one I enjoyed very much.

After that first night with him, I was taken aback when I received his hundred percent attention so the next day, I Googled his love life and looked at his dating records. Fair enough, the guy didn't last long in relationships. Since I wasn't ready for any kind of "relationship", I thought Dimitris was a safe bet to have some good fun with while on vacation. After a week, instead of slowing down as I expected it to, he became more attentive, always wanting to be with me.

Shit hit the fan when he proposed to me on the club dance floor while we were both drunk, laughing and making out all night. Since I was deliriously happy, intoxicated and never having felt freer in my life, I accepted, like a moron, without thinking. I have no clue how he pulled it off, but in less than forty-eight hours, I was his wife.

The horror of what I'd truly done didn't settle until a few days before I was bound to go back home. He was talking about me moving to Greece, telling my family, talking to my brother and having a family of our own. Right, like moving to another country was plausible, not. I decided to lay it out for him then, saying that it was over and that I didn't want to be married. I couldn't be sure what I'd told him since things progressed very quickly then, but I knew I aimed to hurt and I thought I had, until he showed up a week later and saw Brody.

My thoughts halted when he moved to my side, studying my face, almost caressing it before his features hardened, cold as ice. "That was the guy in your bed before me?" he questioned, showing no emotions.

Of course he'd remember. Nodding, I answered him, "Yes. That's him."

He arched that ebony brow of his again, eyes radiating with contempt. "You've stayed with him this long, yet you couldn't wait to get away from me a month later? Tell me, were you involved with him when you married me in Greece?"

When a person gets into sticky situations such as these, it usually gives you a second to respond to sound sincere instead of a big fat liar. The urge to lie was on the tip of my tongue, almost spilling out before I took a stance and decided to tell him the truth. "I grew up with Brody. We had a sexual relationship, but I ended it before I left for Greece."

Dimitris snickered, looking like... a good wet dream. "How convenient. Did you also merely happen to slide back into this relationship the second you get off the plane, married to another man and all?"

He was so strikingly beautiful; it was somehow hard to look at him without having a mini heart attack. "We ended things before I left, Dimitris." I tried to stay calm, but it was impossible to achieve that kind of façade. I scolded myself, telling my brain that he was in a relationship with Claudine, but my body seemed to have missed the message.

Something erupted from him. "Damn you! You know well enough that it was far from over, Lindsey! I fucking loved you! _I married you for crying out loud!_ " He inched into my face, roaring his words out.

For the entire time I spent with him, even when I broke things off, I had never seen him this angry. It hurt, I wasn't going to lie; however this was the best for the both of us. "I told you I didn't do love, but you didn't care and went ahead with it."

"You did, _I remember_... but when you're with me..." he paused, looking away, "you looked like you did, though. When you kissed me, it felt like you did. I cannot believe I was wrong all along. I wanted only to see what I needed to see."

This confrontation was killing me inside, but I knew we needed one before we signed those papers. A closure before we put this hellish predicament behind us.

His eyes were on me, possibly waiting for me to deny or declare something, yet I wasn't going to give him anything. I had nothing to give, to him or any man.

" _Are you in love with him?_ " Dimitris spat out with an accusing tone.

You had no idea, did you? My mind mocked. "All my life," I whispered, knowing that this was something I'd accepted.

Dimitris gave a nod, as if understanding it all. "I was just a distraction, sadly." His strong voice from a few minutes ago was gone. He sounded thoughtful, sad. "Thank you for clearing that up. At least, now, I can move forward without doubts holding me back, thinking things like what had I done wrong with you or if there was something I could've done to make you come back. I didn't realize that I had already lost before I had even began."

Not glancing his way, I stared out the window again, hardening my cold, bitchy heart. "I sent you emails and messages about sending me the divorce papers, but you never responded. Why did it take you all this time?"

"I was _busy_." He made a great emphasis on the word "busy", as if not wanting me to miss that innuendo.

I knew, of course I did. He had been busy with women.

We had both moved on. The divorce was both our best interests. It's been a year almost. It really was time.

"Do you know what room number you're in or do you want to meet somewhere else if your boyfriend is staying with you?" the emotionless man asked.

"No. I will be alone, but I haven't checked in yet." Out of nowhere, an idea came through. "Why don't you just drop it off tonight so I can fax it to my lawyers tomorrow? I guess, we both want to be free from this as soon as possible."

He studied me for a second before he spoke, "Very well. Expect me at midnight." He gave me a curt nod and then retreated towards the door, leaving me in the room, not knowing what to do.

I exhaled a long breath, feeling ill. I should've been relieved that this was actually happening, though I wasn't feeling anything close to celebratory. In fact, I was feeling very hollow.

Absentmindedly, I took hold of my phone and dialed the hotel's number to book myself a room for the night. It was only ten-thirty so I still had an hour and a half until I met him.

Coming out of the room, I immediately sought Brody to say goodbye, but when he saw me, he became concerned. "Are you sure you're okay to drive? You don't look okay to me."

"I have a headache. I'll see you soon, 'kay?"

Being around Brody usually made me feel good—though I never said it out loud—but tonight, that effect was nowhere to be found. He pulled me against his hard chest and I found comfort in it. I closed my eyes and basked in his scent. _Brody_. He and the scent I had loved all my life.

Maybe it was high time to think about Brody and me after all. The second I hear that my divorce is final; I was going to think it through and consider it. As scary as that sounded, I had to be brave and give this a try. "Two months, Brody. If you can wait; it's two months."

"Then, I'll be waiting for two months. It's about time we give this love a shot," he assured me, smiling down on me.

Giving him a tight smile, I looked into his face. "I know," I murmured, understanding before I untangled myself from him. "I'll see you soon. I'm going to call it a night. I'll call you tomorrow."

He kissed my forehead before lifting my chin to see straight into his heart. "Make sure you do, pookie. You know how worried I get when you don't."

"Night, Brody."

"I love you."

"I know." He never failed to let me know, not after that night he made love to me. Not once did he fail.

# Chapter 2

At exactly midnight, I heard a knock on my door. I was making my way towards the entrance when I halted my steps, a little shaky. Closing my eyes, I commanded myself to breathe and calm it down a notch before I had a full-blown panic attack. I hadn't had one in over a decade and I'd be damned if I started to have one now. "Focus!" I hissed out loud before I strolled towards the door, opening it.

I caught myself before a loud gasp came out of my mouth when I found Dimitris standing there. He stood, one arm against the doorframe, the other in his pocket while he just stared at me for a few seconds. _Few_ , yes, but it felt like time suspended between us while we drunk each other in. _If he wasn't so irresistible..._ I thought recklessly.

"May I come in?" Dimitris spoke, breaking my thoughts.

Without a word, I motioned for him to come in. He walked past me, striding towards the middle of the living room, taking in the blast from the past surroundings. The design was a retro-chic theme. Funky, fun, upbeat and just what I needed it to be like right-the-hell-now.

"Do you want a glass of wine? Water?" I offered, my eyes straying away from his enticing backside.

He shook his head before spinning around to face me, nonchalant. "No. I don't plan to stay long."

Right. He wanted to get rid of me now; that's why he was advancing on this divorce. Bringing the big weight of his money and his name around, but when it was me who had wanted it, he had simply ignored the request.

I didn't even notice the folder he was holding until he lifted it, pointing towards the couch. "Shall we?" Dimitris politely asked, irritating me like no other.

We sat on opposite sides of the couch before he laid out papers in front of me, explaining where I should read and sign. There were a lot to sign, too.

My rattled mind perked up when he started speaking again. "You didn't sign a pre-nup. So, you're basically entitled to half of what I own, if you so wish it."

Not in this lifetime, I didn't. I left him... _after four days_. The only thing I was entitled to was a bitch-slap. Money-hungry-woman certainly didn't need to be attached to my name. "I don't want your money."

He was looking at me, thoughtful for a moment. "Thought as much. In any case, I'm still giving you a hefty settlement."

Did he not hear me? Where was the angry man from earlier? What the hell happened to that man? I didn't want this complacent Dimitris that everyone liked. I wanted that Alpha Greek; the possessive, magisterial, tempestuous, passionate kind of man. _That_ I could handle, but _this_ sweet looking, understanding yet composed one, I couldn't.

"I said I don't want your money. I have my own."

He hardly gave me a shrug, past acknowledging my wants. "I don't care if you do or don't want it because I'm giving it to you. You were my wife, though the marriage lasted for four days, I'm still giving it to you. Do whatever you want with it. It doesn't matter. I'm closing this part of my life with no speck of doubt in it. This settlement's a part of it. So, let's not argue about that, Lindsey." Dimitris was getting worked up and, for once, I was tempted to see him break that calm façade and see that passionate man which lurked within.

I had enough money of my own from my trust. Besides, I didn't want anything from him. Not only was I undeserving, I had also caused him grief. "I really don't want it, though. Give it to someone else, Dimitris. Heck, give it to your girlfriend. I'm sure she can get more of those massive diamonds that she sports all the fucking time." Okay, that was too much. That simply revealed that I was stalking him online, but hell, Claudine never stepped out without a minimum of ten grand worth of jewels draped on her. Who did that?

_Fuck_ , I thought when those eyes simmered before me. I found myself clenching my vaginal muscles so hard, almost to the point of being out of breath. Those damn, stupid eyes dropped on my breasts then back to my gaze, impaling me. "Lindsey, will you please, for once, stop being so difficult. You were the one who walked out on me, so give me this courtesy, at least, and not hinder every good intention I have."

Was this his way of manipulating my thoughts, _with my body?_ Hell.

I didn't know if I was bailing out because he was such a good man and he deserved so much more or if it was because I couldn't handle being around him any longer. If giving me this settlement would ease his conscience, then so be it. "Fine. Fine. Let's have it your way."

"Good. These are the contacts to give your lawyers to reach mine," he said, placing a business card atop the papers before he stood up, readying to leave.

I tensed as I followed him towards the door. A sharp breath escaped when he was about to open the door, but stopped, spun around and placed a kissed on my cheek.

_Summer_. The word popped into my mind when I first smelled him. His smell reminded me of that great summer we'd had. It was playing havoc with my senses and I had to harness my arousal before I did something shameful.

"Farewell, my dear wife," he murmured into my ear, caressing my soul before parting with it, unlinking the bond.

Dimitris left before I had the chance to say my goodbye. I suppose it was best that I didn't. He was a good man. It was just unfortunate that he had come across a woman like me one summer afternoon.

# Chapter 3

### Approximately A Month Later

**Blasphemous Movie Premier After Party**

I was at my best friend, Emma's, movie premier when I saw him again. Dimitris was one of the main characters in the movie. He once told me that he took up acting to make his parents mad. What he hadn't expected was that he'd end up liking it. Even knowing that sooner or later he'd have to give it up, he still pursued it.

The time to give it up was now upon him. This movie would be his last one before he followed in his father's footsteps and took over the vast empire his forefathers had built across the globe.

From my friend, Amber's, innocent remark about Dimitris's girlfriend, Claudine, looking "gorgeous", to Emma wanting to talk, I was ready to scream and stomp out of here, but of course, I hadn't lost it completely.

So I complied, sliding out of the booth, we both went outside, towards the hotel garden. I barely had time to enjoy my surroundings, let alone breathe the fresh air when Emma came in for the kill.

"I know you're married to him," Emma said when we reached a bench to sit on.

How many people did that jerk tell about this farcical marriage anyway? "What the hell did he tell you?" I demanded, looking away, abashed and embarrassed at my very humungous mishap.

"That you guys are divorcing." Emma paused, giving me time to process things. "Why marry him at all if you didn't plan to stay in it? _Four days_ , Lindsey? That's so unlike you."

Emma, of all people, knew the difficulty of temptation while still loving someone deep down. After all, didn't she have that same thing with my brother while she pined for Bass? "He expected so much out of me. I got scared. I wasn't used to being almost smothered with attention; it was refreshing for a change. I've loved Brody all my life. I don't know what made me say yes when he popped the question. We were both drunk, dancing in a club. I admit, leaving him was fucked up, but I didn't want all the obligations that came with marrying someone like him. It wasn't what I wanted." This was something I would never do again, drunk or whatever I may be. Marriage wasn't a joke and I should've thought more instead of being in a great orgasm haze for the entire time with Dimitris.

"I guess it's a good thing that you realized that in the very beginning before you got pregnant or something." Emma strode over and gave me a comforting hug. "Follow your heart. You'll be surprised what it'll show you."

_Babies?_ Hell, no. I was allergic to them, thank you. I shivered when Emma let go of me. After she went looking for Bass, I was still stuck out here, pondering what she had just told me.

Maybe I should just go home and forget this night ever happened. I was about to stride back inside when a dark form dressed in a black tux with his wavy, dark hair swept back, looking polished and downright lethal to my over-quivering senses, stopped me from going anywhere.

My tongue tingled, as if tasting something delicious, as saliva gathered on my tongue.

"I need to speak to you." Dimitris was in his standoffish, detached-from-any-human-being type of mood.

I was a sad excuse of a horny woman because, though I was eating up the sight of Dimitris like he was a piece of my favorite chocolate, I didn't want to desire him. In fact, I should be feeling the opposite, but the absence of him was making my hormones run riot—remembering how delicious and scrumptious he was.

Collecting my usual sense of calm and indifference, I matched his gaze. "Yeah? What about?"

"My grandfather found out and halted the divorce proceedings."

I could hear a bomb explode somewhere inside of me. Maybe it was my lungs because I was suddenly out of breath and I desperately needed a good supply of air to survive this ordeal that had landed on me. For him to seek me out meant that this was a MAJOR deal. Huge. Colossal.

"Why? Why would he do that?" I whispered, almost screeching even with the quite tone.

Dimitris stepped closer, taking over the small freedom I had from his handsome form. "He demands to meet you _in person_. In fact, grandfather wants to get to know you and have you stay in Greece for a week."

Was his grandfather for real? What if I told him to shove his "demands" and ship them to hell? "I don't do well with demands from my brother; what makes you think I'd do it for a stranger?" I folded my arms underneath my breasts, serious as a heart attack.

"Because this particular _stranger_ holds the power over the both of us about this divorce. This _stranger_ wouldn't have been one if you had allowed me to introduce you to my family." He stopped, looking like he was about to snap before I heard the gnawing sound of his jaw locking together. "This is the first divorce my family has had to deal with. He does not take this lightly. He possibly wants to understand our motives; why we didn't belong together. How hard could it be? Surely you can spare me seven days in exchange for the kind of havoc you'll be causing my family?"

Seven days to pay for my stupidity, I could do that, right? Face an old man and tell him that I wasn't interested in being married to his grandson, who was extra close to his mother for my own liking. "Well, it looks like you're not giving me any choice. Greece it is."

He gave me a curt nod, which made me look at his chin, remembering how I used to kiss it so much.

Dimitris spoke, breaking my nostalgic memories of him., "I leave before dawn. My parents wanted to meet Claudine so you'll be flying out with us."

Hell, fucking shit. You mean it gets better than the bomb he just dropped about his grandfather? Boy, aren't I one lucky woman tonight. " _Does she know about me?_ " The past and the present, all in one place. Karma kill me now, please.

"Yeah, she does. She's okay with it. She's really a great woman. You'll like her," Dimitris assured me as if I was enquiring about her credibility instead of some psycho territorial snatch.

Well, I was sure Claudine would be "okay" with it and I was also sure she was a "great" woman, but hell would freeze over before I exchanged words with that skank—she was my replacement, of course she's one. "How about I fly out commercial? That should save tons of awkwardness. Besides, I really don't want to be around any of you, to be honest."

"Why? It shouldn't matter to you, or should it, Lindsey? Having a change of heart, _omorfia mou_?" My beautiful. "On top of that, my parents can't know about this, not yet."

Not in this lifetime. "No, thanks," I responded, referring to his question about me changing my mind. I gave him a mocking, extra sweet smile. "So you're keeping me as a secret for one week?"

Looking unaffected, he moved closer, testing me. "Not necessarily, but I don't want my parents to learn about everything until the divorce is final."

He was so close that I could see the thick, long curl of his ebony lashes. "Let me get this straight. You want me to fly out with you and your girlfriend in the same plane, share the same car, stay in the same place, like one little happy family?" Claudine was going to share his room, his bed, while I was across the hall? It ought to have been a joke.

I wanted to divorce the man, but I never said I wasn't attracted to him. Knowing that he was bedding his girlfriend a few doors down would push my evil twin—my crazy, bitchy side—to come out and play.

"Claudine will be staying at my parents' villa. They want to get to know her better. You'll be staying with me and my grandfather will see you on a daily basis." He pressed against me, smelling my neck, making me ache from within. "You smell the same."

I was biting my lip, not wanting to answer him. Even though I wanted to move, my legs were rooted to the floor. "What should I say to your grandfather?" I asked, breathless, when I felt the bottom of his lip graze on my skin.

His hand reached behind my back, fingertips stroking my exposed skin. "I don't know. He tells me that he wants to talk to you and that you need to convince him that our divorce is the only answer."

This was the kind of sensual foreplay that I didn't know how to stop. It was like he wanted to take a bite—a sample—but knew he shouldn't. I, on the other hand, was getting wet. I wanted to taste him. It was wrong to want him, but I wanted one more taste before I let him go completely. No matter how much I wanted to, though, Dimitris was with Claudine. Best I knew that, however that didn't mean I couldn't have a little bit of fun with this sexual dance we were participating in. "Why me? Why can't _you_ do that? He's your grandfather, after all."

I let out a moan when he kissed the base of my neck, almost nipping. What came next caught me off guard. "Because he needs to know that I wasn't the one who walked away from it. My grandfather wants to know your reasons. I don't know. You can ask him that yourself."

When he shifted and took his heat off my flushed body, I was distraught at the withdrawal, almost pleading to have it back. "I see," was all I could manage because my body was taking over my life right now and I needed to find a way to control it.

Eyes not leaving my body, he spoke harshly. "If there was another choice, I would've taken that instead of asking this of you. You'll be back to your boyfriend in no time."

Welcome back, Lindsey. You've landed on planet fuckery.

# Chapter 4

At the crack of dawn, I was delivered to the private airstrip by the hired car Dimitris had sent for me.

Apparently, I was the last one to arrive. Rigidly, I climbed up the steel steps of Dimitris's jet, noting that it was not the same one he had used last year—the one he'd used to take me places around Europe when he had felt like it.

There were two Greek, female flight attendants that greeted me when I got inside. Due to my strained circumstances, I barely gave them a glance and a tight smile before heading inside the cabin. I could see Dimitris was sitting on the left side, smiling at something a woman—who could only be Claudia—across from him was saying.

They stopped their nice, cozy discussion when I went past them without acknowledging either of them. The seats next to them were empty so I opted to head all the way to the back, where another set of cream seats sat facing each other, and took the one that kept my back to them. There were two long cream loungers on each side with just enough space and distance to tune the couple out.

I wasn't expecting Dimitris to get up and formally greet me, especially after the way we'd parted last night, but he did so anyway. "Good morning, Lindsey. Do you need something to make you comfortable? We'll be leaving in less than five minutes," he said politely, which irritated me nonetheless.

"I'm okay, thanks," I murmured, giving him a quick glance and a sour face.

I couldn't even release a sigh when he finally left my "area." Yes, it was mine for the whole duration of this blasted flight. If I was to endure the next fifteen hours—give or take—before we get to Athens, I was going to make myself at home and get as comfortable as possible.

An hour later, I was relieved when one of the nice attendants placed a tray full of snacks and refreshments on my table before handing me the pass code for the Internet connection.

Pulling my laptop out, I went on Facebook, trying to check if any of my friends were online. I needed someone to keep me company and the thought of having my friends more accessible made me somewhat less nervous.

Okay, none of them really knew what the hell was going on, except Emma, of course. I wasn't ready to divulge such a sensitive subject just yet. I had to make up some elaborate lie about Emma's make-up artist, Ants—who I became good friends with—inviting me to Europe for this photo shoot he was doing. In truth, Ants did have a photo shoot in the south of France, so it was basically half a lie, somewhat.

Checking my inbox, I found one message from Trista. _Borrowed your basket weave red soles, sweetie! Thanks in advance. Love you!_

My closet was going to get ransacked by my three housemates—best friends, evil sisters from a different vagina. Smiling, I was typing my reply when I heard the dynamic duo get up and seem to be walking towards my end. They became silent when they went past me, heading straight to a door that was located at the very end.

The bedroom, of course. How could I forget that Dimitris liked to have a bed on the plane? We practically spent most of our "air-time" on it. Were they going to have sex while I was close by? Where I could easily hear any banging going on? Fucking hell. They better not or I would be forced to knock some sense into the both of them.

After half an hour, neither surfaced from the room. As the time ticked away, I threw more glances at the damned door. Sighing, I closed my laptop, took off my designer ballet-flats and fixed myself a nice sleep nook with the other soft-cushioned cream leather seat next to me.

I had white leggings on and a white, loose top that had some artsy design on it, but had a braided, exposed, T-shaped back that stopped a little over halfway. It wasn't necessarily daring, but I wanted to push other people's uptight buttons. Say the jerks that haven't left the bedroom yet.

Since last night, I hadn't slept and was practically borderline hallucinating. Therefore, I pulled out my special blankie that my nanny, Esmeralda, made for me. Ever since she had left, I never slept without it. It was the only thing that gave me comfort.

I needed its security more than anything today.

When I opened my eyes some time later, I was surprised—no, I was flabbergasted—to find Dimitris sitting across from me, pretty much waiting on me to wake up.

"I should add the word 'creep' to your list. What the hell do you want?"

"Always bitchy, aren't you? Don't you ever get tired?" he asked, folding his legs with his arms on the armrest, fingers linked together, looking at me with amusement.

"Go to hell!" I spat at him, needing him to scram back to where he came from.

He snickered. "I'm already in it." he stated in a matter-of-fact tone before directing a loaded question to me. "Care to join me, wife?"

_What did that question really mean?_ I wondered, fazed yet curious. "I'm not your wife."

That made him somewhat formidable. "We consummated the marriage, didn't we? If I recall correctly, you rode me three times that day and—"

"That's enough!" I hissed at him, throwing my blankie at his taunting face. No, we weren't going back down memory lane. Not when he probably did the nasty in that bedroom with his girlfriend, leaving her sated and passed out before he came out here to torture me.

"What? Can't take the truth that you couldn't get enough of me? Sex was, after all, what you wanted all along." He gave me a wicked smile before smelling my blanket. "You always were attached to this thing. I found it cute and endearing that someone so catty and feisty twenty-four-seven couldn't sleep without her special blanket."

I licked my lips, not taking my eyes off him, mesmerized at the sight of him smelling my blankie. His eyes flickered to my groin when I pressed my legs together, my body reacting to him like it always did.

"Getting wet, ómorfi gynaíka mou?" His voice was deep and husky, an octave lower than its usual register.

Instead of denying the obvious to the man who knew my body inside out, I handed out my hand, trying to take my blankie back. "Give it back, please."

"Come and get it."

"It's not funny. Give it back to me."

Dimitris was playing the devil, unyielding. "I wasn't aiming to be funny."

Getting up, I yanked my blankie out of his death grip to no avail. The second time I yanked, he pulled me with the use of his arm and I found myself sitting on his lap. A sharp gasp came out of me when I felt his hardness poking my butt cheek. His eyes—the magnetic blues—up this close always were my downfall. My body involuntarily gave a pleasured shudder, making me even more aroused. "Dimitris," I moaned when a finger slowly traced my chin, down to the valley of my breasts. Shit, no! I silently chided myself. I was fighting a delirious battle with my body, but goodness...his pulling power, his dark beauty and his masterly skill of casting a spell over me, was entrancing me to become a libidinous woman, his for the taking.

"Do you want me to touch you?" he rasped out, his voice utterly sexy. I was ready to combust on his lap.

"Yes." I was shameless. I knew I was divorcing him, but damn, I couldn't deny this sexual pull he had over me and my body was more than ready to be his. I want to be possessed by this man, one more time before I said goodbye to him. Once, it's all I asked.

"Where?" he asked, his thumb circling my nipple over my shirt. "Here?" I nodded, arching my back when his thumb reached the cleft of my groin, thumb rubbing against my covered mound. "Or here? Which is it?"

"Everywhere. Anywhere." I let out a moan when his thumb pushed against my folds, rubbing frantically. I wanted his fingers on me, not over my clothes. "Touch me," I pleaded, not caring if his girlfriend was asleep inside the bedroom.

"I don't think your boyfriend will appreciate that, wouldn't you agree?" He murmured in my ear, hot and playful.

What a conniving bastard! As if I was doused with a bucket full of iced water, I came out of my sexual trance, jumping off his lap to seek my own seat.

"I'm just looking out for that lover of yours. He seems to be in love with you. I wish him all the luck." Dimitris got up, his hardened state blatantly evident from the rise of his trousers. "Sleep well, my beautiful wife." Dimitris walked away with my blankie in his hand before he strode inside the confines of the bedroom, joining his girlfriend.

# Chapter 5

Unfortunately, when dinner was served, Dimitris adamantly urged me to join them. I wanted to punch his balls. I wanted to claw his eyes out and stomp on his dick, just so he would know how furious I was with him, however the attendants were around the area and I wouldn't dare lose my bearings right in front of the girlfriend; hell to the no. So, I had to control my irrational reactions.

Past caring about any kind of decency, I followed Dimitris, barefoot and disheveled, to join them for dinner. Claudine, the French, beautiful woman, had a smile on while holding out her perfectly manicured hand to me. "Nice of you to join us, Lindsey." When I didn't take her hand, she withdrew it, acting as if my rejection hadn't happened.

Dimitris almost pushed me to move, making me slide into his vacated seat before he sat next to me. "Excuse Lindsey's dour mood; I did warn you about her attitude, Mon Ange." _My Angel_.

Fucker. I hated him. His angel? Are you kidding me! _That's it!_ I've had enough crap for the day. I decided to ignore them the whole time I munched on whatever my hands could get. If Claudine directed me a question, I ignored her like a choleric child, moody and ill tempered.

After my silent dinner, I headed straight to sleep. The exhaustion and stress of being around Dimitris as well as his _Mon Ange_ were driving me insane. I kept asking myself why the hell I should be jealous, but I didn't have an answer other than "just because".

A quick stop to refuel in London and four hours later, we arrived in the smoldering heat of Athens.

Claudine was ahead of us as we deplaned, speaking vivaciously in French before Dimitris stepped closer to inform me about his plans. "You'll be dropped off at my villa first because I have to take Claudine to my parents' home before joining you."

He had a villa? "Villa? What happened to your building?"

"It's still there," he answered curtly, ready to walk ahead of me.

My curious nature had to know the reason. "Why would you buy a villa then, if you have your home?"

He looked like he was thinking about my question. It took him about a minute to reply, "Because I don't go there any longer. Out with the old, in with the new; isn't that how the saying goes?"

Why did I get the feeling that he was referring to Claudine and me? Ass. I merely gave him a piercing look before he strode to the awaiting car and briefly spoke to a man who was dressed in a business suit, possibly someone who worked for his father. There were two awaiting limos at the tarmac; both had the chauffer standing next to the opened door. Claudine took the first one, still attached to her phone, barely giving the driver a glance.

I was at least happy with the fact that I wouldn't be riding with them. Almost reaching the other limo, assuming that it was meant for me, Dimitris caught up with my strides. "There's dinner prepared at my parents' villa tonight. My grandfather insisted to bring you there. Will you be ready in two hours? I know you must be jet-lagged, but he's very persistent."

Damn, I would barely have the chance to gather my thoughts and get my crap together before I had to face his family. God knows what awaited me. I had heard scary stories about Greek families placing their sons above all, so my apprehension could be a little biased, though. "Am I allowed to say no?" I asked, still looking ahead and giving the best smile I could muster to the driver who smiled back nervously before peeking a frightened look at Dimitris.

I slid inside the cool confines of the limo and was surprised when Dimitris spoke to the driver quickly before joining me inside the car and shutting the door with him.

"Aren't you riding with her?" I asked, snidely.

"I am, but you and I need to talk." He looked at me darkly with his jaw locked together, losing his cool. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't smile so invitingly towards any of my male employees. We haven't officially divorced so you're Mrs. Kosta in my home country. I expect you to act with decorum and not flirt your way around men here." He held up his finger, stopping me from biting his head off. "I know how you work; you're a flirt. We both know that, but you're carrying my name here. You can't simply act like Lindsey Mason. You have to be Lindsey Kosta. I'm hoping this doesn't leak to the media, but if it does, I don't want any news about you being reckless while you were in my country."

"Dimitris!"

"Seven days, Lindsey. One week. It's not that much to ask," he grounded out like the voice of reason.

"Fine. I can't flirt with any man under your payroll. Got it. What else?" I snapped, glaring at him while at the same time wanting to get lost in his eyes. Mad woman. Why, yes, I certainly was one.

"Yes. Wear a damn bra!" he shot out before opening the car door and leaving me more enraged than I already had been.

Like I care! Just because we're in his country, didn't mean he had become my rhyme or reason. I wasn't going to bend over and let a man give me orders about what I wore or couldn't wear. Didn't he know me already? I wasn't to be trifled with because I would do the total opposite.

His villa sat atop a hill with a breathtaking view of the magnificent Acropolis far ahead. It had a massive pool and a beautiful garden with all sorts of roses of different colors. The blossoms' intoxicating fragrance added to the setting. Dimitris's home was grand and beautiful. I stood there, appreciating everything, but couldn't help thinking that he probably had chosen this home for Claudine, or maybe they chose it together.

Thea, the sweet, aged woman who told me she had been Dimitris's nanny since he was a baby, greeted me kindly, but there was something about the way she looked at me that made me uneasy, like she was measuring me up or something. Knowing Dimitris told me that it was only his grandfather that knew about our marriage, I found it odd for Thea to be acting this way. Maybe she liked Claudine and thought I was usurping her? By the way she spoke about Dimitris, or Kýrios to them—the master of the house. It didn't take much to know that she was simply in awe of him.

"Kýrios told me to put you in this bedroom. His is right over there, the last one to the right." Thea pointed out kindly, her accent made me warm to her. She reminded me of those ladies that ran the taverna's along the shores of Aspasia during my summer here last year. They were amazing and loving women.

The room overlooked the garden and I was delighted for the thoughtfulness of Dimitris. Though he may hate me, he still remembered how much I liked the smell of flowers.

"Someone will be here shortly to bring you your things, along with some refreshments." Thea bid me goodbye then, while I stood there, feeling at a loss.

Everything felt different this time in Greece. Last year, everything was new to me and I was very much excited about everything. Now, I really felt like I didn't belong, as if I shouldn't even be here.

Seven days. How hard could it be? I was almost assured that it'd pass by in no time and then I would be back home to live my life as Lindsey Mason, newly divorced and single.

# Chapter 6

I was on the nice settee in the garden, watching the sunset with a glass of chilled white wine when Dimitris found me. He was dressed in white chinos, a polo shirt that matched his eyes and soft-leather Italian loafers.

"Kalispéra," he greeted formally as he joined me, taking the seat next to me prior to pouring himself a glass of wine. He waited until he took his first sip before he started talking to me again. "So, how do you like my new home?"

_Why, you want to rub that you and Claudine are getting serious or what?_ I thought loathingly, looking away. "It's nice," I murmured, not able to help the biting tone it came with before continuing with more bitterness. "I'm sure Claudine loves it."

"I'm sure she will, when she sees it."

That made me look at him, frowning. "She's never been here?"

He looked at me, dead-panned. "No, this is the first time I've brought her back, due to my parents' persistence of wanting to meet her."

Interesting. Mommy and Daddy were getting involved with his love life, big shocker there. I'd bet his mother followed his love life to a T.

"Ready?" he asked, standing up, offering his hand towards me, but I ignored it. Touching him after the incident on the jet was risky business.

Reaching over to the other seat for my purse, I was disconcerted to find him suddenly almost against me, eyes wild.

"Go upstairs and wear a bra, Lindsey!" he hissed. His eyes kept flicking at my breasts then back into my face.

"It's not even that obvious. Stop staring at them because you're making it obvious. Besides, I didn't bring one." I was wearing a silk-chiffon dress that had a slit up the side with triple lining across the breasts, so it was safe to say that I could pass without wearing a bra. Of course, Dimitris was probably hunting down the outline of my nipples. They were harmless; I didn't know why he acted as if they were going to cause an uproar. Seriously.

"We'll remedy that problem very soon." He started walking and I followed silently behind him, uncaring of his foul mood.

I waited until we were inside the limo and stuck in traffic before I confronted him about it. "Quit being such a baby. If they bother you too much, just don't look at them. It's that simple."

He stopped reading his messages on his phone and slid it inside his pocket before facing me. "Do whatever you like. It's not like my needs or wants ever mattered to you anyway. It was always you. ' _Me this. Me that._ ' You're a selfish brat, who grew up not caring about other people. Go ahead and rebel all you like. I can't wait to be rid of you after this week is over."

My twitchy palm smacked across his cheek. My hand was tingly from the impact as we stared each other down. I wasn't going to apologize because he deserved it. He didn't know my life, so how dare he accuse of me being brat. "Don't you dare start with me, Kosta!"

He rubbed the spot where I slapped his skin, burning. "Apologize to me now, Lindsey!"

"Dream away," I shot back, ready to tackle him.

"I will as long as you're not in it because, if you are, it wouldn't be a dream. I would call it a nightmare," he gritted out, eyes flashing icily at me.

"I'm a nightmare? _You're calling me a fucking nightmare?_ How dare you!" I grabbed my purse and smacked his shoulders with it. I knew I was going crazy, out and beyond postal, but I couldn't seem to stop it. Dimitris just kept pushing my buttons and I wasn't going to let him win.

He brashly pushed me against the seat, my head pressing against the door while his hands were holding mine with a death grip.

"You need to learn restraint because—" He was hissing at me before pausing, eyes on my heaving breasts. When I looked down, I was doomed when I saw that my dress shifted, exposing a nipple, attracting his attention. My ears were ringing while my heart accelerated at the sight of Dimitris, knowing that if he touched me, I was done for.

He swore something in Greek before lowering his head to capture it, letting his tongue tease the pebbled form. Encouragingly, I arched my back, letting him have his fill, moaning while his other hand started to push the other cup to the side, exposing my other breast.

It was a maddening case to want a man and yet hate him all at the same. Maybe that's why it was exciting. Maybe that's why I couldn't stop him even if I knew I should. Dimitris felt too good to resist. My body didn't lie. It had missed the Greek's touch.

With my eyes shut, I barely noticed when he hoisted me up, making me straddle him; his lips, tongue and teeth glued to my breasts while my hands raked his hair, pushing his head against it, slowly rocking my hips against his rigid length as it pressed against my crevice. "Dimi..." I trailed off, lost to the world; not even caring that though the windows were tinted and a separator existed between the driver and us, he could still feel the rocking motion I was making.

"More," I demanded, unabashed by my very aroused state.

I was bewildered when Dimitris let go of my breasts, looking around, noting that the car was slowing down. Quickly, he fixed my dress before looking at me, with something close to confusion written across his face. Although, I couldn't pin down exactly why at that hazy moment. "We're almost there," he murmured before I slowly slid off his lap, missing the hard heat of him already.

"What do you want to do about what just happened?" he asked, reaching out for my hand before kissing it and linking it with his.

Weren't we just having fun? Why was he getting all serious about it? "Nothing. Why?"

"Nothing. Nothing really comes to mind," he said, before kissing my hand and delivering it to my thigh, leaving it there.

I glanced at him, giving him a tight smile before looking away.

"Did you call your boyfriend yet? Let him know that you arrived safe?" he asked before I saw the villa come into view, making my stomach drop and turn into knots.

He knew Brody's name and yet he never used it. Nonetheless, it irritated me on certain levels. "Yes, I did make a quick call."

"What an amazing girlfriend you are; thoughtful, _loyal_... _honest_ ," he angrily gritted out.

"You're one to throw accusations. You were with me all the way a few minutes ago. You wanted it just as much as I did. If you're feeling guilty about Claudine, then that's _your_ problem," I finished before the car came to a full stop.

Dimitris moved to open the door, halting halfway before he darted me a cutting look. "I wasn't referring to Claudine. I was referring to you, my biggest mistake in life—marrying you when I shouldn't have because my heart was following a deceptive path, but not any longer. I see you for what you are," he coldly said, opening the door to let us out.

His words hurt. I wanted to explain myself, at least make him understand, but I knew it was too late to even do that. Deep down, Dimitris hated me, just as I despised him. I guess, on that score, we're finally meeting eye to eye.

A butler greeted us, leading us towards the salon where everyone was apparently enjoying an aperitif before dinner was served. I was expecting a formal, stuck-up, pompous type of family, but much to my shock, I found an informal atmosphere. Boisterous laughter was shared between an old man and a middle-aged man, who I'm guessing were the grandfather and Dimitris's father. It didn't take much since, the men sort of looked the same; the signs of aging were the only thing that separated them. They shared the same facial structure, skin coloring and those same glow-in-the-dark eyes. Intimidating didn't cut it for me.

"Kalispéra. This is Lindsey Mason, a friend of Emma and Bass. She's here for a week before the couple comes to get her after their mini vacation at Bass's island is over." He pointed towards an elegant looking woman, full of life as she came over and kissed both of my cheeks.

"Welcome to our home, Lindsey. I'm Maria, my son's gorgeous mother. Can't you tell? Like mother, like son." She reached out and pinched Dimitris's cheek before looking back at me with pure delight. "What can we get you to drink? Is champagne to your liking?" she offered, buoyant, while I was startled by the guilt that was sinking into me, making me feel like a fraud.

Smiling timidly, I responded to her question, "Champagne sounds perfect, thank you."

His father came next, introducing himself as Leonidas before shaking my hand and urging me to sit opposing the composed looking Claudine. The old man who sat next to me on the loveseat, held out his hand, introducing himself, "I'm Elias, but you can call me Pappou."

"Pappou?" I nervously asked before thanking Dimitris when he handed me a champagne flute. He nodded and then sat next to Claudine, kissing her on the cheek.

"Grandfather," Elias said, winking at me then glancing towards the couple who sat across us, noting how Claudine was lit-up like a Christmas tree next to Dimitris.

When a staff member came to announce that dinner was served, I was relieved to escape from the almost-interrogation from Elias. As much as I wanted to ignore Dimitris, I couldn't help noticing how he treated her like he used to treat me last year. He even went and pulled a chair for her before he took the seat next to hers, across from me.

Was I jealous? Yes, and I wanted to murder Dimitris on the spot. Wasn't it less than an hour ago that I was on his lap while he toyed with me? However that had been my fault. I was being a cheap slut, allowing myself to be enslaved by my body's demands instead of seeking what my brain was advising me to do.

Commanding myself to enjoy the delicious meal even though I wanted to throw the lamb chops across the table, I at least took the effort to join the conversation the other adults were having. I was doing okay—no, scratch that, I was managing fine—before Dimitris decided to feed Claudia some delicacy.

"Good, isn't it?" He was smiling down at her while she agreed like an idiot, looking flushed.

Thank goodness, Maria engaged me in conversation before my rage blew like a geyser and God help me if that ever happened.

"Are you in University, Lindsey? How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?" She was so gentle, but she definitely had fire. It was hard not to like her.

"Twenty-one. Yes, I am in school. I wanted to be in the medical field, in research mostly, but now I'm not too sure." Ever since last year, my heart hadn't been in it any longer. Even though I was still getting excellent grades, the passion behind it was gone. I'd been drifting since.

"How impressive. You must be very intelligent. Your boyfriend doesn't get intimidated by that?" Maria was easy to converse with and I was glad that I was talking to someone that distracted me from the show in front of me.

Maria simply assumed that I had a boyfriend. Instead of correcting her, I decided against it. Well, since Brody and I had been messing around more lately, I guess he somewhat was, in a way. "He doesn't mind. I grew up with him so he knows me very well. He's a patient man."

"Childhood sweethearts? Just like Leonidas and me. He took a long time to come to his senses. Too long, in fact, that he waited until I was almost engaged to another man until he finally realized he was in love with me." She took her husband's hand and lovingly squeezed it. "Thank goodness he did because I'd be married to someone else. Can you imagine that?" She laughed, nostalgic as she remembered the olden days, making both older Kosta men mutter something about women.

I was drinking my water when I almost spat it back to the glass when Maria directed me a question that took me off guard. "Do you plan to marry him? I'm sure he'd love to."

This was the problem. Brody was the only man I wanted to marry. I used to wear a veil and practice kissing on the mirror, imagining being married to the guy I loved so much. I was young, but I knew it was real then. "He spoke about it, but we're still young. Maybe in the next five years or so."

"Well, I'm glad to know you and my grandson are going forward with your lives. I'm sure a divorce would be the best possible way to achieve this said happy future," Elias spoke up, unperturbed at the sudden quietness of the table.

"Who's divorcing?" Maria asked, looking at Elias then to Dimitris. "How? You've only been seeing Claudine and you guys don't have rings on, let alone divorcing from the way you two have been acting."

Elias cleared his throat. "It wasn't Claudine I was referring to, Maria."

In a snap, the tension broke and rapid fires of Greek were being thrown around the table. Maria looking more upset by the second. I met Claudine's dark eyes, which were full of contempt, before she tried to calm Dimitris's defensive yet ready to fight back state. The increase of quick discussion followed by the sudden stop to it, made me want to crawl underneath the table and hide there forever.

Dimitris stood up, asking Claudine and me to follow him. I couldn't even muster the courage to look at his family when I left the table and joined the awaiting couple, discussing something in a hushed manner. Claudine was now mad. I didn't catch anything she said because she had spat a string of French before stomping away, heading towards the stairs.

_What was going on?_ I wondered, but didn't have the balls to ask Dimitris since he was already walking out the door with me scrambling to follow at his heels.

The entire car ride back to his villa was awkward and Dimitris didn't speak until we arrived in his home. Upon opening the main door, he went straight to the bar, opened a fresh bottle of whiskey and directly drank from it. After a few gulps, he slammed it back down on the granite counter, spilling amber contents all over the place.

"I'm taking Claudine back to Paris tonight. My parents didn't like the idea of housing my "mistress" in their home while I was finalizing this sham of a ninety-six hour wedding." He took another go with the whiskey before talking to me again. "The night was progressing well, but you had to open up about your damn boyfriend, knowing my Pappou was there, listening to you talk about this man you're so in love with!" he thundered, moving towards me. "Even for a few hours, your selfishness cannot be tamed."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about that. I got too caught up with your mom and had forgotten why I was there in the first place," I apologized, but he wasn't convinced.

"I should've expected this of you, but I was hoping for you to prove me wrong. Now my parents are distraught and Claudine is pissed that she's being shipped back to Paris when she was very excited to be spending some time with my family."

"Oh, so this is all about Claudine? I don't give a rat's ass about her! I don't care that she was excited to be a part of your family. I don't care!"

"Right 'cause all you ever care about is your boyfriend and how you couldn't wait to leave me to go to him to let him fuck you after you had walked away from me!"

All Hell broke loose as I charged towards him, ready to hit him, when he immediately caught my hand before he took my other hand as well and locked it behind my back. He pushed me against the barstool causing it slide away from the force of our impact and my back hit the granite counterpane. "Damn you for ruining me, Lindsey!" He gritted out before biting my bottom lip, making me hot and dizzy. "Why can't I walk away from you?" He kissed me softly and we melted against each other. "I want you so much, I'm in pain."

_Don't stop_ , I silently begged when he kissed me slowly, hesitation radiating off him.

A sob came from me when he wretchedly pulled his lips free, breathing against my ear, heavily. "I can't want you. I just can't afford it. I won't be coming home tonight. I'll be staying in Paris. Maybe I should lose myself in Claudine all night before I come back here."

I swallowed my pain. His words wounded me and I sure as hell would never forget it. "Then go. No one's stopping you."

"Don't I know it." He marched out, slamming the door behind him, leaving me.

_This was for the best_ , I assured myself, over and over again.

"I love Brody," I whispered into the quiet house, making sure I didn't forget it.

# Chapter 7

The next morning, I woke up to Thea informing me that Elias would be arriving in an hour and a half to take me to lunch.

Jet-lagged and purely haggard, I brought my coffee back into my room and started getting ready to meet Elias. Dressed in a simple, pink cotton dress, light make-up and wedge sandals, I was good to go.

After last night's dinner, I wasn't sure what I could expect from his grandfather today. Alone here, without friends, I felt so out of place and so out of my depth. Thank goodness I only had six more days to go through because I don't think I'd last otherwise.

At precisely half past twelve, Elias arrived, dressed in all white and with a bright smile. "How was your sleep, _pethi mou?_ " he greeted me upon entering Dimitris's home.

"It was sufficient," I murmured. He gave me a smile before he guided me by my elbow towards the outside settee. When we were both seated, I started the conversation. "About last night, I want to—"

Elias held out his hand, halting me halfway. "I should apologize for my rude behavior." He looked at me full on, unchallenging and heartfelt. "I hadn't minded your tales, child, I assure you. What prompted my interruption was the face of my grandson. I didn't like the hurt I found in his eyes. For that, I am sorry for ruining your first night here."

Dimitris looked hurt? How? Wasn't he busy feeding fucking lamb into Claudine's mouth? "I wasn't aware..." I said nervously, hoping Elias had misread whatever was in Dimitris's eyes last night. "His parents, are they furious?"

"It is expected, but furious is a strong word. Maybe upset or disappointed would do. The rest of my family already found out. Tomorrow, you will meet them all for dinner in my home." Elias studied me, watching my reaction to his unexpected news. "They won't bite. They are curious to know who Dimitris had chosen for his wife. Leonidas is my eldest, my daughter, Stephania, follows then my youngest son, Yanni. When the time comes, Leonidas steps down from the family business, Dimitris will take his place. He'll be the head of the family, the one to handle all the business and personal affairs. If one of his cousins needs help, Dimitris will have to find a way to solve the problem. We're Greek, we protect our family through the bad, tough and worst times."

_Holy shit, how many people did I have to meet tomorrow night?_ I thought nervously, pushing the thought away of retching my guts out in the nearest corner. "But I'm divorcing him. I don't see why that's relevant."

He nodded, as if understanding. "You are a Kosta, thus making you part of the family, even if you won't be for long. You never know, maybe in the next six days you will change your mind. Dimitris is a handsome man, passionate and looks at you with love in his eyes. What could be better than that?"

"We're not—we made a mistake. It's that easy."

"You're a very stubborn woman, aren't you?" He laughed, deep and roaring.

I smiled, entertained by his easy laugh. "Everyone that knows me can attest to that."

"I'm sure they can, _pethi mou_." Elias got up, holding out his hand to me. "Let's get you nourished. I'll take you to a favorite place of mine. You like seafood?"

"Very much." Taking his hand, we chatted on light subjects while he guided me outside to his chauffeured car.

I spent pretty much the whole afternoon in Elias's company. Apart from him dropping hints of his grandson and me reconciling, he was an enchanting storyteller.

I got home at four, exhausted from jetlag and the nagging thoughts of Dimitris in Paris with Claudine. I decided to take a nap and was awakened some time later by a small rap at the door before a young lady entered my room with a tray full of fresh lemonade and some pastries.

"Dinner will be served in one hour on the patio, _Kyria_."

"Thank you," I responded, sleepy still. What time was it? _Kyria_... was that Miss in Greek? _They seem to call me that here_ , I thought as I slid off the bed and went into the bathroom to shower.

Three hours later, I was enjoying the view of Athens before me; bright lights, awe-inspiring and very much thriving with life. Tonight, I dined alone. Thea informed me that Dimitris would be delayed and might not come back until later tonight or tomorrow morning.

I snorted at the word "delayed." I'm sure he was getting his satisfaction in Claudine's body. "Fucker," I murmured into the night.

Pouring myself a glass of wine, my first in the fresh, second bottle I opened, I took hold of my phone and called Brody. I'm sure he'd appreciate my wake up call.

Brody picked up, grunting out his hello.

"Good morning!" I used my best cheery tone, but got another grunt from him again. "Do you have a hangover or something? If I get another grunt, I'm hanging up," I threatened, knowing that he'd snap out of it. I was a bad girl, but I couldn't help it, Brody was very readable to me now—well, now that I knew him well.

"Your voice is so sexy, you're getting me hard," he rasped out, his voice giving me a zing. I heard him give a growl of satisfaction, making me pause with my mouth ajar.

"Are you touching yourself?" I hissed out, feigning shock when, deep down, I was very much turned on by the thought of him that way.

"Talk to me like you do when I'm inside you, pookie," Brody continued. I was getting more aroused, noting how deep and sexy his voice got.

"Brody! Will you stop being such a naughty bastard?" I mused, smiling, but that smile was short-lived because my cellphone was snatched from my hand.

Shit.

# Chapter 8

Spinning around in my seat, I found Dimitris cutting my call before he carefully placed it back on the table.

"It's nice to come home to a wife who's having phone sex with her lover." Dimitris loomed above me, dark and forbidding.

"Cut it out, will you? We both had sex with other people. Get over it! You were ramming your cock in Claudine's French webby cocoon last night so you can't complain about me having some little sexy time over the phone!" The thought of him with Claudine again made my stomach somersault. Reaching for my phone, I got up to finish my call with Brody. Dimitris's anger can simmer some more.

"You disrespectful bitch!" he screamed, snatching the phone away before he strode quickly towards the balustrade where he threw my phone out to the city below.

"Aw, hell no! You fucking didn't!" I ran towards him, barefoot on the grass, ready to throw him out, the way he had done my phone. "You're going to pay for that, you stupid, Greek moron!" I tried to slap him, but he was quick to catch it. Using my captured fists, I pushed him with all my might, trying to untangle his hold of my wrists, but I ended up pushing him to the ground, losing balance with me atop his body. "Go to hell, you piece of shit!" I slapped him successfully when his hand lessened its hold from our fall.

"Enough!" Dimitris roared, his voice echoing everywhere, making me freeze, somehow scared at his murderous look before he rolled me onto my back. "You want to be a slut, Lindsey?" Those magnetic orbs turned dark, its usual color gone from the turmoil that raged within him.

"No," I whispered when he pushed himself in between my legs, situating his hardness directly on me, my skirt lifted around my stomach.

"No? I don't believe you. Let me prove what a lying wife you are, shall we?" Dimitris bit out, finger pushing my silk thong aside before his middle finger lightly dipped into my opening. He groaned, shaking his head at me. "How you lie to me, sweet wife."

I was biting my lip, trying so hard to not respond to his finger that was doing amazing things to me. "I'm. Not. Your. Wife," I spat out, fighting to push him off at the same time that I fought the orgasm from his finger. Sweet Jesus, how did we end up going from wanting to kill each other... _to this?_ "Stop..." I pleaded, slowly writhing. A sound came from me when he pulled his finger out, from disappointment or relief, I simply wasn't sure.

His lips brushed against my ear. Each breath made me quiver in anticipation before I heard a sound of a zipper being opened. "Do you want to be a slut, Lindsey?" He cackled before shoving his cock into me at full force, making me gasp sharply as I lifted my chest off the ground, leaving any breath from my body behind me.

Mother hell... _more..._

Dimitris didn't move, his shaft dislodged halfway in my channel while he looked at my face, waiting. I tried to cajole his length to go deep inside, moving my hips in slight movements, giving him my approval to take me, however he remained unmoving. "Why aren't you moving?" I wondered out loud after my actions didn't prove effective.

"You haven't answered my question."

He was hell-bent on being a jackass, but I'd missed the feel of him therefore I had to bite the bullet and answer his stupid, condescending question. "Yes, I want to be a slut. _Satisfied?_ "

Dimitris groaned, shoving his hardness into my wetness. "Satisfied? No, not by a fucking long shot."

He was rough. With each thrust he gave me, a tingly impact was on my slit, driving me more insane with perfervid need. I wanted it all. I wanted more of his cock, more of _him_.

"You're mine!" he bellowed, ripping the top part of my dress to expose my breasts for him to feast on as he pounded me to the ground, literally.

I yelped when he bit into my nipple instead of suckling it. He was a beast and I didn't want him to take me any other way. He was orchestrating my body for his own needs, growling in hunger before he took hold of my hips and obliterated me completely.

"My wife!" he growled, both of our bodies synchronizing their release, before he covered his lips with mine as I screamed into his kisses from the intense earthquake that rumbled within me, unleashing it with a violent magnitude. It pushed me to a rocketing bliss, a sacred world where this man was the only one who could show me a fragment of Heaven in my world of Hell.

Elated, I let it engulf me, let it possess me, seize me and complete me. Wide-eyed, I stared into the stars above, panting as I tried to recover from my orgasm. I could still feel him throbbing, giving small spurts of his seed inside me as he gently rolled his hips, slowing down. What a gifted... I trailed off when I heard him.

"I've missed you," he whispered on my neck before pushing himself on his elbows to look at me properly. "Never a day passed that I didn't wish to be with you." I opened my mouth to talk, but he kissed it instead, hushing me. "I wanted you to know, but tonight, let's not talk. We can communicate through our bodies." He kissed me again, knowing that I wouldn't be satisfied with just one.

The next day, I woke up alone in bed, more sore than I'd ever been before. Dimitris sought for me so many times last night that I lost count. I think he'd sleep for an hour or so and then reach out to me again.

I was in the shower when he joined me, divinely naked. Without any sort of greeting, at all, the Greek simply walked up to me and kissed me passionately, no holds barred. Moaning against his hot body, I circled my arms around his neck, kissing him like there was no tomorrow, not caring if the heavy pour of water from the showerhead mixed into our kiss.

Lost in the world of being his woman again, I wasn't aware that we had moved until I felt the cold glass behind my back. Dimitris broke our kiss, hands and lips busy on my neck and breasts while I savored everything he gave me. This man, when it came to my body, took it to electrifying highs I didn't know about.

"Dimi," I moaned, reaching for his hair when I felt the tip of his tongue, parting my folds.

"Place your leg on my shoulder, ómorfi̱ gynaíka mou. I want to taste you and your swollen pussy," He instructed, tongue busy, eyes looking up to me—watching me writhe against him.

"Fuck! Baby!" I bucked, eyes like saucers when he started his whiplash. His tongue was a torque; rapid successions of flicks and twists, sending astounding voltage of electrifying pleasure through me.

I didn't last long; I never did when he used that torque-like technique he did and he knew it. It was one of my addictions when I was with him. The Greek simply knew how to use his gifted tongue and effortlessly knew his way into me, my weakness.

"Kaliméra." He laughed, kissing me, letting me taste my essence on his tongue.

"Good morning," I moaned against his lips, hanging on to him. His cock was right against my folds, hard and ready.

Dimitris rocked his hips, sliding it on my folds, but not penetrating. "Stay with me, for as long as you want... or until you leave." He cupped my face, directing me with the turbulent impact of his eyes, melting my brain. "Lindsey?"

# Chapter 9

"What happens to Claudine?" I croaked, asking the most important question of all.

He didn't hesitate to respond. "I called her this morning. I told her that I had sex with you and that I wanted to be with you, for as long as you wanted me."

I searched his face, not sure how to read him. "Could you really be okay with that? Will you let me walk away without remorse after six days?" We had great sex. Hell, it was the best sex of my life. If I could get as much of that before I left for LA, then I'd take it. However, if Dimitris couldn't handle that, then I'd rather not.

"I have to be okay with it because I want you. I broke it off with Claudine in Paris because she's not the one I wanted." He noted my startled expression. "After that limo ride, I knew it would be impossible to resist you. Six days, is that all the time you want?"

Nodding, I answered him with honesty. "It's all I can give you."

"Then, we'll make the best of those days. Maybe after this, I will have you out of my system." He gave me a lazy smile, eyes not as bright as they used to be.

"Maybe."

He kissed my forehead before leading me towards the water again, washing me thoroughly. "We have a meeting with the lawyers. They'll come over before noon," he informed me as he washed my breasts with a sponge and shower gel. "Are you up for it or do you want me to reschedule?"

Divorce lawyers, right. How the heck did I forget about them? "Of course, I'm up for it. That's the reason for my being here in the first place." Odd, how that major fact had slipped from my mind.

Dimitris and I were eating brunch when four people arrived to join us, interrupting the light mood we shared.

Dimitris ordered for Thea to bring some refreshments to his study before helping me up and kissing my forehead. "Ready?"

I think so. "Yeah, thanks," I responded, giving him a small nod.

Now situated in his office, Dimitris sat next to me on a sofa while two of the four sat on either end and the other two before us in armchairs—I'm guessing they were the main hotshots and the other two were just sidekicks.

The middle-aged man with kind eyes, Nikos Kou— _too complicated to pronounce_ -los, directed me a question. "Due to the older Mr. Kosta, Dimitris's grandfather's, interruption, we are at a standstill, but we can still finalize everything from your end; making sure you understand what you're agreeing to, what needs to be signed and the list of things that you can't do once this divorce becomes final. We haven't heard from your lawyers, Mrs. Kosta. Any reason why? Did they not like the proposal?"

_Mrs. Kosta?_ Was he trying to be a douche here, knowing that we were signing divorce papers? WTF! "I don't have any lawyers or one, for that matter. The reason being is that my family doesn't know about this marriage and I'd like to keep it that way. If it's possible, I'd like to just divorce Dimitris and not have the settlement. I already have four trust funds, I can do without his money."

"We already spoke about this and you agreed to my terms. You can't change your mind now!" Dimitris spoke next to my ear, hand on my thigh, not gripping but caressing.

Leaning against him, I hiss-whispered, just enough for him to hear me, but not the people around us. "This is in exchange for your proposal in the shower. We have to even this out."

He growled, not pleased at all that I was willing to decline his millions and the properties he was handing to me. "You're being difficult, Lindsey."

"It's the only way I know." Sad, but it was damn true.

He cussed out with that whole hand gesture thing before leaning against the seat. "Grant her wishes. Give her whatever she wants," he grumbled out, trying not to lose his temper. "Even in divorce, you disagree with everything I want." I was freaked out when Dimitris started barking at the silent men, making them scramble to their feet before giving me a hasty goodbye.

Looking at the shut door then towards the man next to me, I asked, "What the fuck was that? Why did they leave?"

"To draft your new request, what else?" He glared at me while I tried to reason with him.

"It's not so bad; we both get what we want, right?"

"Woman, you're being delusional." He sighed, getting up before offering his hand. Accepting it, I squeaked when he spun me around, bent me over with my stomach on the table, lifted my skirt and viciously yanked my underwear off before I heard the drop of his pants as they hit the floor. My splayed hands on the shiny, wooden table curled when he thrust inside me, deep and swift, into my sore and swollen walls. "I want this," he hissed out, fucking me, pulling my hair and using it to maneuver his hardcore tempo. "I want you." His grip on my hair was painful, but it added to the beauty of our mating and I was beyond wet as he pounded against my cervix. "All of you. _Do you hear me?_ "

"YES!" I yelped, not caring about his question, but only with the gratification he was granting me. "Fuck me harder!"

I was a quivering mess when he pulled out and spun me onto my back, lifting me and placing me on the edge of the table. He kissed my collarbone as he took care of my dress, pealing it off my body. "Your beauty weakens me."

Emotions were running high and I just wanted to be with him, in this room. Just for now, I wanted him. "Take me," I whispered. I pulled his lips in for my kiss, giving my all. For the allotted time, I was going to be his and I wasn't going to hold back. If we had to drown ourselves with lust and sex, then so be it. It was the best way to drown our sadness and sorrows.

"Beg for it," the Greek Adonis commanded.

I reached down, grabbing his slick cock from my essence, stroking it as he groaned in pleasure. "I'm sore, but I still want you to pound me. I'm exhausted, but I'm salivating for more of you. I'm begging because I can't get enough. This body is yours to do as you please. So own it. Fuck it. Punish it." Aligning the thick head of his dick into my hole, I looked at the beautiful man, the man who loved me and never held back at anything when it came to me, the man I married, the man I vowed to be with forever. "Abuse it however you want, o sýzygós mou." _My husband_.

"Fuck!" he bellowed, filling me.

Together we rutted. Together we soared. Together we made our Heaven. Together we made our Hell.

But what a beautiful kind of Hell it was.

# Chapter 10

"Don't you have work to do?" I grumbled when I was woken up from our nap after that intense workout we had on his office table.

"I'm taking some time off work while you're here. My father understood and thought it best as well." He pulled me against his chest, kissing the back of my ear, using his leg to pull mine back so it would sandwich against his. "We have to get ready to go to Pappou's dinner party tonight. It's time you meet my entire clan."

Shit. Dinner. His family. Shit. "So not looking forward to being criticized tonight. Besides, I don't think I can walk. I can't feel my legs." Damn, when I said abused earlier, he took it seriously and went WHAM on my vagina. Didn't he get that was just to entice him to fuck me well? I didn't ask for him to cripple me. I could still feel the echo of him inside me, stretching and pounding my body.

"I did as you asked, agápi mou." _My love_. "You know how much I love this body... I loved it when you called me your husband in Greek." He nipped my neck, smiling. "You know how I get when you talk to me in Greek. You knew what was coming."

That, I did. I bit back a smile, but ended up laughing when he took hold of my hips and cushioned my butt against his hard shaft. "Give my vagina a little breather, please."

"I intend to. Want me to run you a bath? I'll wash your aches away." He groaned as he gently, humped my butt cheek.

Right, because he wasn't hard at all. "Sure you are."

He laughed before giving me a nice spanking. "I promise, agápi mou. Now let's get you bathed before we arrive late to Pappou's party."

A little over an hour later, we were in his Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster. The car matched its owner—powerful, screaming of testosterone and had a big, insatiable stamina.

Hell if the Greek McHottie didn't also look sexy as hell as he shifted gears; effortless in his display of skills, confident in everything he did.

"Stop staring at me; I can't concentrate driving." He glanced at me, beaming with pleasure.

"Quit being so full of yourself. You're not that hot!" I teased, but didn't believe my lies, not one little bit. I sat there, thinking of how he took me on that table, still feeling him in me after a couple of hours later and, even in my sore state, I wanted him again.

"I wasn't referring about me, _yineka mou_. You're a distraction just having you this close." He grinned, took hold of my hand and kissed it. "I love this."

Me, too— _too much_ —but it was inevitable the second I agreed to have this with him. Leaving him, leaving Greece a second time around, would be hard, however it wasn't going to stop me from leaving.

"Doing okay?" Dimitris asked, handing me a glass of red wine. We had just finished dinner and I was thankful that he hadn't left my side.

His parents were still welcoming, though that spark of enthusiasm I saw in their eyes the other night was non-existent tonight. I didn't really blame them. Yet, the rest of his family were better than what I had expected. I mean, I wasn't expecting a crazy bunch of Greek-in-laws or anything, but more hostility. I didn't find that. I found their curiosity amusing, though.

"Uhmm. You have a huge amount of family around you. Don't you feel overwhelmed by all this commotion?" I took a peek at his thoughtful face, glancing at the screaming kids playing tag. "Crazy kids don't drive you up the wall?" They were cute, especially the little toddler named Luisa who was eating ice cream, but it looked like her dress got most of it. Motherhood wasn't something I dwelled on because I had decided a long time ago that I didn't want to be a mom.

Why? It just wasn't part of my DNA. Simple.

"I love kids. One day, I'd like five of my own running around. They're angelic and devilish, but made with love. What's not to like?" He took hold of my hand and kissed it again, holding it a little bit longer before letting it go.

I'm sure he'd have that life... the kids and all of his dreams, with Claudine. I'd bet my ass that she would already have her wedding and her dream home mapped out the second Dimitris proposed to her. My stomach tightened as the flashbacks of Dimitris and I saying our vows together in that little chapel rammed into me.

_To have and to hold..._ _from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part._

Dimitris brushed my cheek, bringing me back to reality. "Are you okay? You look a tad pale."

No, I wasn't okay. The more I spent time here, the more I was losing track of what was real and what wasn't. Everyone was just too _happy_ and it made things worse because I was so out of my depth here. "I'm fine, just jet-lagged that's all."

"You sure?" he double checked.

Nodding, I pasted a smile on my face, it was convincing enough. "Extra sure."

"All right then. I'm going to take little Luisa and clean her up before giving her back to my cousin. Is that okay with you?" He grinned, kissing me on my forehead before walking away to the little girl who was crying in vain because her ice cream had slid out of the cone and dropped on the grass.

Dimitris immediately took her in his arms, not caring about her ice cream stains rubbing on his shirt as he tried to soothe her before taking her inside the villa where the rest of his family still chatted over coffee and desserts.

"You're going to break his heart again," Maria said from somewhere behind me, probably watching us the whole time without me knowing it. She took the spot where Dimitris had sat earlier, eyeing me with scrutiny. "My son came home last year a different man," she started, looking away. "I thought then, that it could be due to his filming and that it was his last one, that the pressure probably took a lot from him. After the shoot ended, he still acted the same. Even if he hid it well, I'm his mother. I knew it, my guts knew it, that my son was hurting inside, but I didn't know why. His smile was gone. My son wasn't a man inside, no matter how much he walked around, calling himself one." Maria glanced at me then, sad. "Tonight, I see that smile. For months, I longed to see it. My son is happy and very much the old Dimitris everyone knew and loved. Don't take that away from him. Please, it's cruel if you leave him again."

Oh God. Don't do this to me. This was the last thing I needed. "Your son has Claudine. She can make him happy in the long run, but I... I cannot."

"He loves you. I'm sure he loves you more than that guy you're in love with since childhood. My son is a good man. Stay with him and in time, you'll learn to love him. I don't know why, but you make him happy. One look at him tonight was all it took for me to understand why he married you. He's in love and I doubt Claudine can make him happy the way you can. Even if I don't like you right now, you make my son complete. That's all I care about."

I was incredibly guilty of so many things. Although, this one was at the top of my list. "I'm sorry... for causing your family grief," I murmured, choked up.

She gave me a motherly hug before releasing me. "You don't owe me an apology, but you owe one to my son. Make him happy. Stay and be his wife. I'll pray and hope that you'll change your mind." Maria gave me a saddened face before getting up and striding inside the villa.

She had left me with so many questions, yet no answers to give.

# Chapter 11

The next day, I was still lounging in bed, not having the strength or energy to move and be productive. I just wanted to laze around in bed, sleep and have Dimitris all day long.

"Pappou will be leaving for Switzerland for treatments of his joints tomorrow morning. He wants us to join him for lunch. Will that work for you?" He joined me in bed, shifting on his side with his hand on the side of his head, eyes tracing my nakedness.

Poor thing. "Will he be okay? It's nothing dangerous or anything, right?" I asked, concern laced in my voice.

He shook his head. "No, but his gout has been giving him pain. My mother wants him to take care of it before it worsens, I suppose. Whatever the doctors could do to help so that the inflammation won't be as bad every time it comes back. He does love his salty dishes."

"Poor Elias. Of course we'll meet him for lunch," I murmured, inching closer to Dimitris before I stuck out my tongue to taste his nipple, teasing. "You look too sexy, especially in broad daylight. I just couldn't resist."

He growled, rolling on his back before lifting me and settling me directly on his groin, straddling him with my slit on his hard shaft. "I'd want you to ride me, but we have to go."

"I know." I smiled wickedly, rocking my hips slowly so he'd know how wet I was, just to push him a tad.

He hissed and then moved his right palm on my stomach, urging me to rock some more. "I want to fill this with my seed." Dimitris shifted his hips, expertly sliding into my wet channel, making us both sigh with satisfaction. "I want you full of it." He smacked my ass and then, gripping my hips tighter, ground his cock on my bruised cervix, pushing in more for the space it needed. He watched me in fascination while I lost myself in the feeling of his hardness, filling me to the hilt before he used his thumb to send me into a frenzied state, riding him faster. "Milk me." He spanked me again, making me purr and moan at the same me. "Harder! Ride my cock harder. I want to come directly into your womb. Make room for it."

Holy shit. "Dimitris, I'm—" I didn't finish because I was shaking from my release, suspended from thought or from any movements.

He was relentless as he clawed his hands into the sides of my hips, lifting me then pushing me back down to meet his hard, thick cock in a speedy, hammering rate. Combined with my ongoing orgasm, I screamed murder.

Dimitris was talking in Greek, God knows what he was chanting, and then he gave a final, crushing push before he locked my pussy on the base of his cock, body rigid, cock expanding before it squirted rope after rope of his cream inside me, just as he had promised.

I fell on his chest, ready to pass out again. "You're prime excellence," I whispered, eyes closed while listening to the sound of his pumping heart.

My vagina clenched when he gave my butt a good spanking. "You ride me beautifully, agápi mou." His hands were soothing my butt cheeks before I felt his middle finger trace the dripping come that was sliding off his buried cock. "Relax," he cooed, using his cream to tease my anal opening. "I'm just teasing. I won't insert anything in there, okay?"

I released a sigh, trusting him. This was a no-go zone for me. Amber and Emma liked it, but Trista and I looked at them like they were on a different planet. Not that curious, thank you very much.

"How does that feel?" Dimitris inquired, cock not showing any signs of shrinking.

No way! His big cock hitting me there, I'd be paralyzed for life. "Weird."

"You're too tense. Maybe next time, I can lick it and make you come that way." He pushed us up into a sitting position, seeking my lips as he pulled my hair to the side. "Will you let me do that?"

As long as he kept it to _that_ then yes. "If it pleases you."

He lifted a brow, grinning. "If it pleases me? You sound like a submissive. Maybe I can get you so aroused, you'll let me do anything to you."

Ha. Not so funny. "Keep dreaming."

Lunch went very well and we were on our dessert when Dimitris excused himself to take a phone call.

Elias watched his grandson walk away with his phone on his ear before speaking to me. "I think you're making a mistake here, child. You love him. I see it. Even in my old age, I'm not blind."

Was he serious? Christ. "I don't love him, Elias. What you see is not real. What we have—what we always had—was purely sexual. I know love and it's not what I feel for your grandson."

What were his family doing to me? They all bombarded me with guilt-ridden speeches. God, I understood the love and concern they had for Dimitris, but this wasn't about him anymore. This was about me—my life, my past and my future. What Dimitris and I had was dynamite sex. Take the sex out and he and I barely knew each other. What we did, getting married, was purely out of spontaneity. We were experiencing a moment of madness because we had exploded in bed together.

The truth wasn't all that complicated, the reasoning behind it was. I learned my lesson and I aimed to not make the same mistake twice. Staying here in Athens, amongst strangers, just to be with a husband who I had awesome sex with me and that I barely knew, was ludicrous.

Elias yielded, grasping the idea that there was no ever after for his grandson and me. "That's unfortunate. If what you say is true, then I shall mourn our loss. I'm rather fond of you and think of you perfect with my grandson. He'll miss you when you're gone. Believe me, he will."

Maybe. Maybe not.

Dimitris will be lonely and Claudine would be waiting for him. I'd say he'd be back with her in less than a month. He liked Claudine. I saw how he treated her. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he felt something for the French woman. He'll come to his senses and move forward with her. Those two were perfect for each other, just like Brody with me.

"He has Claudine. They're great together."

"If you think that, then you don't know men at all. Claudine is a good woman. She'd make a perfect wife and mother to his children, but I worry if she can make him happy." Elias frowned, deep in thought as he sipped his coffee.

Dimitris came back with a strained face. He sat on one of the chairs and joined us, cutting our conversation short. They ended up talking about the ins and outs of their business so I tuned them out and thought about what Elias and I had talked about.

There was nothing to say, except for, it was for the best.

When it was time to leave, Elias gathered me in his arms, hugging me as if for the last time. "If I don't get to see you before you leave, I wish you all the best in everything, _pethi mou_. Thank you for taking the time to come here and meet this old, demanding man. It really was a pleasure to meet you, even if it was only for a short time."

Shit, I could feel tears burning behind the back of my eyeballs, threatening to come out. Braving out an enthusiastic laugh, I kissed his cheek. "You are definitely an old, demanding man, Elias, but I like you anyway. You take care, too. I hope your treatments will be favorable."

"Thank you, child. I'm off now." He gave Dimitris another manly hug, tapping him on the back before whispering something into his ear. I saw Dimitris tense, not blinking or moving at all, before he nodded in understanding.

We were in his car before he said anything. "The lawyers called. They have the papers ready to be signed right now, if you like."

I was glad that he didn't hide this fact from me, knowing quite well that he loved me, even though he didn't voice it out loud. Somehow, there was a tiny part that argued that I wished for him to have waited until the day before I left to go back home so we didn't have this awkwardness to go through.

"It's up to you," I finally voiced out what I thought was best.

He gave me sharp look, as if I had suggested the dumbest thing. "If this was up to me, I wouldn't be getting a divorce. I want you here, with me, like this. Forever." Dimitris shook his head, gripping the steering wheel. "This is all you, Lindsey."

Mother hell! I couldn't complicate things. Listening to him just now was disheartening, but I had to think for the both of us. This was for the better. "How long does it take to get there?"

Dimitris didn't even say anything, but shifted the gears and joined the traffic, weaving through it like he was racing for his life. I knew he was friends with men that raced professionally, but he shouldn't be driving like this with heavy traffic. "Dimitris, slow down. You're going to get us killed."

He looked like a possessed man, spinning out of control. "Good, we'd die together and you'd forever be with me. I don't have to beg and chase you around because you'd be stuck with me!"

I was bracing myself for an impact. His words were in my head, ringing in my ears, thinking that I'd die the same as my parents had. I was holding my breath, wanting to squeeze my eyes shut so I didn't have to see anything, but I was taken by surprise when the angry engine of his Roadster hummed. That's when I noted that we were not speeding down traffic, but parked right in front of a very tall, glass building. _Kosta Enterprise, Inc_., it said on a shiny brass logo.

We had arrived. Divorce papers. Hell.

"I apologize for what I said. I don't want any harm to come to you. It's not your fault that you don't love me back and I should stop pushing the issue because I can't force you to stay, even if I'm dying inside." Dimitris wasn't even looking at me, but I knew he meant what he said.

It hurt to see him like this. Yet, I couldn't tell him what he wanted to hear. Dimitris wasn't the man for me.

"Someone will be waiting for you once you get inside. I'll stay here, if you don't mind." He was texting someone as he spoke to me.

"Thanks." I slid out of the car with shaky legs, feeling like my chest was about to combust from pressure. One, two, three deep breaths, I steeled my resolve before striding inside, ready to sign and dissolve my marriage away.

_To have and to hold..._

Nevermore.

# Chapter 12

We arrived back to Dimitris's home just before sundown and I was pooped. All I wanted at that point was to spend our time in bed, enjoying each other until dinner.

Getting out of the car, I was slamming it shut when I noticed him still sitting there, staring ahead with the engine running.

Was he okay? "Dimitris? You're not getting out?" I frowned at the silent man who seemed too distracted to hear me.

He let out a lungful of air, as if his chest was having a hard time functioning. "I'm going for a drive. I'll be back." Dimitris glanced at me, pressing the accelerator at the same time. It was as if he was letting his Roadster know that he's going to break it soon, testing its limits, its capacity, because he needed some sort of release.

I didn't like this, but I couldn't stop him. I made my choice. I had to stick with it. "Wait! Where are you going?" _Don't go_ , I silently pleaded.

"Nowhere. Anywhere." He glanced at me, eyes stormy. "Anywhere, but here."

He didn't want to be near me and I had to respect that, especially after what had just happened. I didn't like it, but I had to accept it. "Promise me that you'll be safe?"

"I'll try," he shot out before shifting his gears then speeding away in a flash, leaving me staring at the tire tracks, wondering where he was heading.

Be safe, _please_.

Back in his bedroom, I sat on the bed, my eyes glued to the clock. After three hours, I was getting worried. When Thea informed me that dinner was ready, I told her to save me some in the fridge because I was tired and needed to nap. Food was the last thing on my mind because I was imagining the worst scenarios in my mind.

Just before midnight, I was past deflated after I got out of the shower and still, there were no signs of him. I went to sleep, thinking where he might be. Did he go to Claudine? _Did he fly out to Paris?_ The thought made me curl in pain. If he did, then I guess, it was for the best. I tried to convince myself, but after an hour, still feeling like shit, I knew it was hopeless.

I woke up sometime during the night when I felt the bed dip next to me then I felt his arms around me, pulling me to the middle of the bed, his body curling against mine.

"Where have you been?" I asked, turning around to face him, cupping his cheek before kissing him. The relief of seeing him in one piece almost broke me out in tears.

"Thinking," he said against my lips, crushing my breasts against his chest.

He felt so good. I just wanted to get lost in his body. Thank God, he was okay. "About?"

Dimitris sighed, caressing the curve of my breast, pondering. "You. Us. Our Marriage." Those glowing eyes looked at me then, exuding power over me. "I decided to enjoy these next few days and not think too much."

Thank goodness, we could agree on that. "Thank you."

"I'll do anything for you, _yineka mou_." He kissed the slopes of my breasts, breathing heavily. "Tell me what you want and I'll give it to you."

"What do you want?" I rasped out, knowing he was in a lot of pain. If my body could help ease some of that away, he could have as much as he wanted. Other than that, there was nothing I could offer him.

"You. I only ever want you." He paused, studying my face. "Is that even possible, Lindsey?"

I shook my head, answering him. "I'm sorry. I know you're hurting. I'm truly sorry for that." Dimitris was a good man. He was and he deserved a good woman to be next to him; a woman that could give him everything, one who didn't hold back from loving him. I wasn't a woman capable of loving any man after Brody. I gave my heart years ago.

He nodded, going back to his old position, gathering me in his arms. "Me, too. You don't know just how much."

Papers were signed. It was done. In eight weeks' time or, if Elias's influence was to be believed, they could resolve it even before that.

There wasn't anything left to be done except wait until Bass and Emma picked me up. They were arriving tomorrow and we'd be leaving the next day.

Dimitris was holding me tightly, heart pounding rapidly against my ear. "I'll miss you. I will ache without you, agápi mou. There will never be a day that I won't think of you. I'm sorry I wasn't the man that could make your dreams come true."

Hearing him say these things was unbearable. Time was catching up to us.

Dimitris was slowly saying goodbye. I should be doing the same.

# Chapter 13

I woke up at five a.m. with no Dimitris next to me. Since he never mentioned going back to work, I was worried where he might've gone. After last night, I wasn't sure where his mindset was.

Wearing nothing other than my short, silk slip, I strode downstairs to look for him. The house was still dark as I made my way around. There was a faint sound coming out of one of the doors at the very end of the hall, at the very far side opposing the kitchen. When I got to it, I carefully twisted the knob and pushed the door open gently.

Inside, I found Dimitris, running on the treadmill, speaking on his Bluetooth while he watched the news on the television before him. He was talking in his language, but I was more engrossed at the sight of his naked upper body—sweaty, ripped and very delicious.

My mouth watered at the sight of him. "Dimitris?" I spoke loud enough for him to hear me through the sound of the television and his phone conversation.

He flickered a glance towards me before killing the treadmill to a standstill and did the same with his call. With his water bottle in his hand, he got off the exerciser and went to get a rolled black towel from a basket full of them. I was getting nervous because he hadn't said a word, but his eyes never left me. What did that mean? Was he angry?

I watched as he drank from his bottle and then spilled some on his head, his face then his torso before wiping the wetness away with the towel. His gaze never wavered as he threw the towel on the bench and then planted both of his hands on the sides of his hips, biding time.

"Dimitris? Are you furious with me?" I asked, stepping closer to him as he continued watching me.

What the hell!

I guess his no response was answer enough. Sighing, I was about to spin around and dash towards the door when I saw him take off his trainers then his socks until he was barefoot, eyes still watching me like a hawk—eyes sharp, ready... _deadly_. "Last night... you said you were sorry, but how sorry are you really, _yineka mou?_ "

With my scratchy voice, I mustered a reply, "Very much, I said so last night and I meant every word."

Dimitris didn't waver before he pulled down his workout pants, unclothing his very well endowed, very hard, stiff length.

_Where was he going with this?_ I thought nervously. My body heightened at the very arousing sight he was manifesting.

"Are you sorry enough to take some of that pain away? Even if you experience that pain, you'd still help ease some of it away?" he asked again. My eyes dropped to his rigid dick that his hand captured, stroking with gusto.

Sore, I was far beyond that word, but I was ready for him. Any way he liked it. "Yes." I licked my lips, slowly moving towards where he was standing. "I'll do whatever you want."

"Use your mouth to soothe my cock," he directed, voice commanding, eyes dilated.

Shit. _"Now?_ " Any traces of sleepiness were now certainly gone. My heart was beating at a speedy rate as newfound excitement capsized my body.

Dimitris gave his cock a slight shake before pointing it downwards, towards the floor. "Right now is as good as any. Get on your knees, _omorfi mou_. Don't keep me waiting because I don't feel too forgiving and you might regret that later."

_Okay, calm down boy_ , I wanted to snap, but gave him an irritated glare instead. I didn't like to be pushed around or being told what to do, _however,_ since I was feeling guilty, I'd let him slide. Closing the gap, I was about to get on my knees when he interrupted me from doing so.

"Take that silk slip off. I want you naked when you service me. I want to see all of you. You hide yourself from me enough. I won't let your body do the same." He was getting more aroused as he watched me take my nightwear off, letting it fall next to my feet.

The sudden cool air tingled the tips of my buds, making my nipples harden, but the drenched condition of my slit was because of him giving me orders. It simply turned me on.

On my knees, naked and ready to cater to him, I took hold of his heated shaft. It was like burning silk. I stuck my tongue out and let the tip of it run through the slit of his head, tasting his pre-come, savoring it with ardor. The sample of his essence made me moan deep, wanting more of it.

"Stick your butt out, so I can see you clearly in the mirror behind you." Dimitris looked at me with half-closed lids, lips parted as I slowly let my lips suck him and inch deeper on his impressive size. My forefinger and thumb gripped the base of his shaft while my other hand gently massaged his sack, all the while letting my middle finger sit on that erogenous zone in between his dick and anus. "My beautiful wife, how I love watching you like this." Dimitris was trying to control himself from demanding more, but that resolve went down the drain the second I used my tongue to swirl about amidst the hard suctioning. He looked magnificent groaning and grunting as he watched me.

His pleasure became my aphrodisiac and I wanted to go above and beyond to achieve that. Picking up my pace, I pulled on his sack as my mouth took him until tears pricked the corner of my eyes, until I was passed gagging, until I took all of him then I started from the top again.

Dimitris gathered my hair, holding it to one side so he could get a clearer view of my ministrations. His body was taut as he gently pushed his hips to tell me that he wanted more. "Do you want me to come in your mouth, agápi mou?"

Very much. Bobbing my head, I moaned around his shaft to respond to him.

He bellowed something in Greek before using the hand that held my hair to push my head down, needing more. I simply stopped what I was doing and let him control the pace, giving him full access to my mouth as I tried to calm my reflexes to cater to him. "Tighten your mouth around it, my love. That's it. That's my good girl." Dimitris was losing it as his orgasm was nearing to completion. "Milk it harder. Harder!" he panted out, deliriously. "Fuck! _Lindsey!_ " He howled like an animal, so loud, I swear the floor-to-ceiling mirrors that covered the room shook.

Mother hell, he tasted succulent. While he was still coming down from whatever space he had drifted away to, I continued to toy with the head of his dick, letting it trace my lips as some of his semen still made small spurts. I coated my lips with it before I licked it with my tongue while he watched, speechless. He did say he wanted a slut or a whore or whatever. Now he got it. The Greek was speechless? How cute.

"How did you like that, baby?" I purred, still licking that tiny slit.

"This is the first time you've really got into giving me a blowjob. That one time you did it was because you were drunk and I'd been begging you for weeks. Had I known you would eat my cock whole, I'd have been more demanding." Dimitris lifted me to my feet, staring at me like he'd seen me for the first time. "Did you learn that after me? I'm starting to wonder."

Was he tapping me again for another fight? Fuck. "My cock-sucking skill is none of your business, Dimitris. What kind of a question is that?"

"I have to know—if you did that with _him_." He let out a dry laugh, hurting again. "Of course, you did. You love the man." Brody, I didn't want to think about him. Especially not when I wanted to pleasure myself until I left.

Bracing myself, I braved it out and kissed his chest while my hands caressed him everywhere. Teasing his nipple with my tongue, I flicked it a few times before biting it, merely enough for him to hiss from pain and pleasure. Kissing his torso again, I pressed my body against his as I weaved my kisses onto his neck. Inhaling him, I let my left hand trace the tight curves of his buttocks while my other hand raked over his hair before I whispered into his ear. "There's no past or future, only right now, in this room, I'm yours. I can be whatever you want me to be because I'm handing that power to you. Channel that pain through me. Let me be your balm right now. Use my body to give you pleasure. Let it be your vessel to achieve that goal. Let go and lose yourself in me."

"I hate you," he gritted out, yanking me hard so he could kiss me. His kiss was punishing, demanding and, with one goal in mind, to show me his pain. He lifted me swiftly, circling my arms and legs around him before he slammed me onto his cock, making me cry out from the delicious impact. "Don't close your eyes. Look at the mirror. Watch me fuck you at all angles." I did, shocked at how he made it look like I weighed nothing as he fucked me hard, like a ragdoll. "Do you like watching yourself getting fucked? It turns you on more, doesn't it? Your pussy's drenched and my cock can't get enough of it."

Maybe something was wrong with me, but I loved how he was fucking me. Maybe it was simply because I'd never been treated like this. Rough sex, I liked. Good sex, I craved. Dirty sex, I loved. Dimitris was excellent at it.

"Clean your come off my cock, lying wife of mine," he hissed out when he placed me back on the floor. Following his demand, he was fixing my hair as I cleaned his length off, moaning at his lust-filled gaze. "You're such a dirty girl and I fucking love it.

"You'll be fucked out before you leave me, my love. I'm going to fuck you until we're both raw, until your little pussy is red and swollen. Your cunt will take weeks to recover so that your boyfriend can't touch you."

He pulled out of my mouth, making that loud, popping, wet sound. "Get on the bench, sideways, face and eyes on the mirror." I was about to protest and suggest the floor, but he cut me off. "Wasn't it you who said that in this room, I owned this body? Very well, stop interrupting me."

Sighing, I sat on the soft, white leather, cushioned bench before I went on my side. With bright lights that lined the mirrored walls, I could easily see every contour of my body; from the hardened nipples to the goose bumps that erupted my body when I saw him come towards me. He had that look of an animal that would do you harm, an animal that would devour you instantaneously—one that would certainly inflict great pain without remorse.

Dimitris went behind my body, caressing my ass before giving it a stinging smack.

"Ahh!" I moaned out, watching my Greek lover in fascination.

Our eyes connected in the mirrors as he cupped my breast before pulling my nipple. "Dimi," I sobbed, needing my own orgasm. I came earlier, but I wanted my O.

He took his time touching me before his hand took hold of my ankle, gently placing my left leg on his shoulder, opening me like I'd never seen before.

Mother hell, he really was going to go all energizer bunny on my vagina. Even though I was daunted, my pussy, it seemed, liked the idea because I felt a new gush of moisture drip out of my slit. With his middle finger, he gently probed into my folds, spreading my wetness around before he teased my button then slid back down, into my pink hole, then back out again. "You know what I love about this pussy, Lindsey? I love watching your juices flow out of your cunt even if I'm not doing much to it."

I'm sure he did. The relaxed state that I was in was gone the second he moved that finger around my anal entrance, circling my anus. "Dimi..." I whispered, not knowing what to say.

He looked at me, expressionless, as he kept on massaging my clit to gather some wetness before he lathered it back onto my ass. "OOOH!" I gasped when that finger pierced my sphincter, spreading it.

"Relax. Deep breaths, my love." he urged, giving me comfort when he used _my love_.

He didn't rush into getting his entire finger in, but instead took his time to let my body get used to it. With me somewhat relaxed, he rubbed a spot, flicking it back and forth with the pad of his finger, making my pussy beyond wet. I didn't know what was going on with my body. Feeling it from there was so alien to me, I was having a hard time thinking as my body tensed, burning. Dimitris pulled out his finger and stroked his shaft a few times before moving his mushroomed head to run through my slick folds.

When it went lower, I knew then, what he planned to do. His thick head was against my entrance before I placed a palm on his hips, scared shitless.

"If the pain is too much—if it's too unbearable—I'll stop," Dimitris promised, not wavering from his mission that he was going to take my ass.

Okay, maybe it wouldn't kill me if I at least tried it once. Life was about experiences, wasn't it? Well, here it was, in a big, bold way. "Fine, but if you don't take it out when I tell you to, I'm going to feed your balls to the dogs."

Dimitris grinned at me then, genuine and full of love. "With my life and honor, I promise you, yineka mou." When he saw me nod, he didn't waste time taking me, prying my forbidden hole open to accommodate his big size.

I was biting my lip to hold my sobs from the amount of pain I was experiencing. He only had his head inside, stopping to rub my clit until I moaned from it then he resumed until he was fully inside, bottoming out. I felt full in a weird sense. I surely didn't know what to make of it, but he looked like he was in pure Heaven so I kept my mouth shut as he slowly eased out of me, and slid it back in; still causing pain, but much more bearable.

"Move your butt on the edge of the seat. I promise, it'll be less pain."

Fuck, I was afraid to move, my ass was on fire! Groaning, I slowly pushed my butt further out, giving him more access. More pleasure, he said? Ugh.

He resumed rubbing my slit in circles as he shifted on his feet and placed a knee next to my bottom for support, angling himself. His cock started moving again, but this time it was hitting that part he was rubbing with his finger before. The feeling was intensified ten fold because his cock was powerful, phenomenal. "Dimi! I'm... I'm—" I screamed, stuttering before my eyes rolled back, feeling like my body spirited off somewhere celestial, ethereal and sacrosanct. It wasn't the pounding kind of orgasm that I usually had—the crashing and roaring kind where you feel like your body was going to erupt like a bloody volcano. _This_ kind felt like an act of completion, like a Heavenly passage of sort—the one where you feel content and can die happy.

When I met his gaze, I hadn't realized that he'd come already. Still buried in me, he bent over and met my lips, telling me that he knew what I was feeling. The kiss was succinct, concise as if it should mean something. All I could muster then was the fact that I was getting beyond scared.

"S'agapo, yineka mou. _S'agapo_." I love you, my wife. _I love you._

**~L~**

We spent time together, talking and enjoying each other's company, but without any discussion about the past or the future. I was grateful for that, but of course, we were running out of time.

When Bass and Emma finally arrived in Athens, I was ecstatic to see my best friend, but at the same time, the gnawing feeling that I was going to say goodbye soon was truly petrifying. I felt like I was being stifled, yet as they say, the show must go on.

Then, so it shall.

Dimitris and Bass were inside watching some "important" film documentary, so I pulled Emma aside before she followed her Golden Boy into Dimitris's theater.

We were out in the garden, enjoying our cappuccino and Emma's favorite baklava, when I directed her a question. "How was the surprise?" I asked, referring to their mini vacation.

Emma blushed, smiling dreamily before responding to my question. "He purchased an island." She paused, looking at me. "The island where we kind of said we loved each other for the first time. It was special to us."

Well, fucking shit. If the guy wasn't just so dreamy and perfect. It was getting annoying. "You lucky bitch," I muttered, grinning.

"You have Dimitris, Linds. He's crazy about you, babe. Don't you see it? Have you seen the way he looks at you? Why don't you give him a chance? He might be worth it. I mean, I like Brody, I do, but what if you're wasting your time for someone who you once loved, thinking that you still do. Like hanging on to something that's a façade, but it's not there any longer? What will you do then?"

_Brody, a façade?_ He could never be.

Dimitris on the other hand, I had no clue how to describe him except good in the sack—exceptional. That's all. He couldn't be more than that because that's all I was going to let him be. Nothing more. "Then, I'll think about it when it happens, Emma."

"You're right, of course. You of all people know what you want." She gave me a strained smile. "Linds..." Emma trailed off, looking at her nail bed, deep in thought, struggling. "Nikki's pregnant and it could be Bass's."

"Get the fuck out! That bitch is lying." I would bet my entire life on it. "Bass may have nailed her, but there's no way he'd risk pregnancy. Men that have been on the field for far too long and are way too experienced like Bass Cole know the drill. Calm your chunky ass down. She's trying to get him back. If she really is pregnant, that baby can't be his. All right?"

"You think so? Bass did swear he wore condom all the time and he'd double checked if there were any tear, he said he found none. I really want to believe him, Linds. I love him, but I'm scared this will be the end of us."

"Can you live without Bass? That's the question you should ask yourself. The rest is just embellishments," I advised my friend and then had the thought that maybe I should ask myself the same. Like that'll happen.

"I love him. I can't imagine not being with him after what's happened." She leaned over and gave me a tight hug, exhaling loudly with relief. "Thank you. I knew you'd get my head straight."

_Anytime girlfriend_ , I thought as I hugged her back.

# Chapter 14

That same night, Dimitris excused himself to do some work in his office when it was time for bed. I wasn't sure if it was because he was avoiding me or he simply had work to do. When it came to him, I could never tell.

So I waited in bed, remaining in agony until he came up, knowing that he needed his space because he was simply hurting inside.

At two in the morning, he decided to finally show up. With the moonlight basking the room aglow from the open balcony doors, I watched as he slowly peeled his clothes off until he was naked before sliding inside the sheets, joining me.

Dimitris shifted and placed himself above me, looking like a different man. "Stay. Give me a chance," he choked up, beseeching. "You never gave me one. Let me prove my worth to you. Just stay... not as my wife or my girlfriend, but as the woman I love. I don't care about any of that anymore." He paused, breathing raggedly before he parted from my ear and looked into my eyes with gripping sadness, anguished. "I just want you, Lindsey. Be with me."

This was what I had been afraid of. I thought we were through having this conversation, but he was still fighting for me—still not losing hope and holding out for a future. A future that's nonexistent because _if_ I chose this man, I had to give up so much and I couldn't risk that, not for anyone. Not when I had lost so much already.

"You have to let me go." I'm sorry. It just had to be this way.

He made an agonizing sound, as if wounded. "I needed to ask even if I knew you wouldn't change your mind."

Pain. All my life, it had been my constant companion. I could survive with more, until I was numb. Losing Dimitris would evoke more, but that's my choice. A choice I had taken. A path I was going to stay on, whether it was right or wrong. It was all I knew.

We fell asleep like that, with him on top of me. He was heavy, crushing me almost, but I shifted a bit so I could at least breathe without feeling like I was lifting a ton.

At around dawn, Dimitris woke me with tender kisses across my body

"Don't you sleep?" I murmured, not moving, wanting to go back to sleep because I was going to be jet-lagged when I got home.

"No, not lately," he murmured, kissing my face and my chest.

Parting my legs, I used my heel to urge him to have sex with me. "I want you... now, Dimi."

He paused his kisses and looked into my eyes, his own were busy going back and forth, up and down on my face before he openly rejected me by getting off the bed and striding inside his walk-in closet. I sat there, dumbfounded for a minute or two before he came out, dressed in jeans and a black shirt, rushing out the door, slamming it shut.

I was bound to leave in the next few hours and he was pushing himself away from me. I should be feeling happy that I was leaving Athens, but thoughts of Dimitris made me think twice about what I was doing again.

My heart ached; for him, for me, for Brody. I was really starting to care for Dimitris—care for him, not in lust, but the man inside—for what he was made of. I sent a prayer, asking God to look out for him because this would be the last time I saw him. Even though he's friends with mine as well, I planned to avoid him for the rest of my life. Dimitris shook my cage, my gilded life—my prison—and I didn't like that one bit.

I was all dressed, rummaging through my purse, making sure I had my passport and whatever else I needed for the long flight back when Dimitris entered the walk-in closet, dressed in his business attire while looking like a sexy beast, and my vagina literally quivered at the sight of him.

He was fresh out of shower and dressed already, but I knew he didn't shower or change here, so where was he?

My thoughts were awash from the cold look he directed me.

Without preamble, he shot me an ultimatum. "If you leave me now, make sure you don't look back because I won't be here waiting for you, agápi mou." He paused for a second. "But if you choose to stay with me, I'll do everything—and I mean _everything_ —to make you happy. You can still be back in Santa Barbara with your friends and family because I'm willing to fly out there every weekend to spend time with you. I'll rearrange my schedule to cater to yours. I don't care about expense, wasted time or putting out all this bloody effort because, to me, you're worth it. I don't know if you can't see it, but I'm crazy in love with you. You're _it_ for me, Lindsey."

_Doesn't he ever give up?_ I thought frantically, frustrated and pained. I made the decision already. Dimitris and I would never work, we just won't. He may love me now, but it'll never last. Besides, he deserved more than me, I was sure of it. I knew it. "I won't change my mind. I never do."

"Then, this is for the best. You acting like a bitch makes it easier. I'm better off," he fired back, eyes flashing at me.

He simply looked dangerous and I was getting aroused at the very thrill he was radiating. "Peachy. Anything else to get off your chest, husband?" I wanted to push his buttons. I wanted us to fight and hate each other so that we both won't ever look back.

"Anything else to get off, _wife of mine?_ " Dimitris yelled in my face, hateful.

"Very much," I gritted out before he took me punishingly.

The desperation was potent and it never failed to give a hollowed feel deep inside, but I knew I was doing the best thing.

I was damaged goods and I was not capable of trusting anyone with my heart. At a young age, I had learned it the hard way. Once you offer your heart to another man, there's no going back. I was a product of that. I was a damaged woman and Dimitris deserved more than that. He needed a woman like Claudine, someone who was the total opposite of me.

_Twice_ he roared his anger into me, shattering me, making me scream as he bit and gripped me, hard. I pulled his hair, scratching him with my nails, biting his lip and drawing blood.

Raw and animalistic, we mated.

" _Dimi!_ " I shrieked, almost blacking out when he released his semen inside me, I failed to note how many times we'd had unprotected sex since I'd returned to Greece.

He slowly slid me lower to the carpeted floor, legs all numb, tingly and shaky. I felt him breathe me in, slowly and excruciatingly, before releasing his hands from me then his entire body.

My eyes followed him while I was still shaken up from our tumultuous sex against the wall.

Dimitris got dressed, not glancing my way while I watched his every move, not knowing what to say. Without a word, he slammed something on the side table then left the closet, not even directing me an angry glance, a goodbye... _anything_.

I gasped when my eyes went to the table.

_His wedding ring_. He had it with him... all this time?

My tears were threatening to come out, but I bit into my knuckles, holding them back. _Not here_ , not in this country would I allow myself to break down.

It took a good ten-minute pep talk before I went downstairs, ready to leave.

Bass, Emma and I took a limo to the private strip that had a jet waiting for us, thanks to Bass. When we got there, I was surprised to find Dimitris there, waiting for us.

Well, Emma and Bass.

After they said their goodbyes, I was contemplating if I should give him a hug, but that good intention was killed on the spot when he darted me a final look.

He never said a word, merely gave me a cold, hate-filled, sharp gaze before spinning around, walking on his heels away from me, towards his awaiting chauffeured Bentley.

"What a dick move," I heard Emma exclaim, pulling me to get inside the jet.

I deserved it.

I had earned every ounce of his scorn.

**Dimitris**

I decided that it was best to ride in a separate vehicle and meet them at the airstrip. Distancing myself was what I needed to learn. I would have to endure it even if it was the hardest thing I'd ever done. Letting her go for good was gutting me alive, but what could a man do? I did everything imaginable to make her happy and I still pursued, thinking I could change her mind. In the end, though, how could I make her happy when I was the person hindering her from achieving the happiness she sought so badly?

When I saw their vehicle come into view, I came out of mine and strode towards Bass and Emma, not bothering to glance her way. "We'll meet again soon, my friend." Patting Bass on the back, I wished him good luck with that gargantuan problem in his hands.

If he had swallowed his pride and never left Emma, he wouldn't be in the precarious position he was in now. I understood his pain because I was in a dilemma of my own, but at least Emma wanted to stay; she was willing to work it out as a couple. Mine didn't even give me a moment's notice. Lindsey simply ran for the hills, leaving me without a backward glance. Bass and Emma had love, which we severely lacked on her part.

Giving Emma a hug, I was almost in tears when she kissed my cheek, whispering into my ear, "Hang in there. I'm a phone call away. I love you. Take care of yourself, D."

Everyone knew what I was feeling and yet here I was, pretending that the woman standing close to Emma meant nothing to me. When Lindsey tried to move as if to hug me, I shot her a nasty look, setting her in her place. Her meaningless hugs and concern I could do without.

Striding towards my awaiting ride, I vowed never to let a woman get to me like Lindsey had done. For this was almost a shot too unbearable to go through. It wasn't the kind of pain that I could take some magic pill to make it go away. It was just there, weighing on my heart and constantly reminding me that I had lost the love of my life.

Though it was hard, I had no choice in the matter. Even if the thought of holding her prisoner merely in order for her to be with me was tempting, my conscience wouldn't forgive me if I ever did that. It wasn't Lindsey's fault that she was in this mess. It was mine. From the moment I'd met her, I practically inhaled her on the spot. Not only was she beautiful, but also sharp, confident and she had a sarcastic sense of humor. Yes, the exterior was impressive, but the interior, I knew, deep down, held a vulnerable woman who needed someone to protect her and to love her. I wanted to be that man. So much so that I was past besotted. I undoubtedly wanted to make her mine. My wife.

My mother used to pester me about my personal life and how many women I'd dated through the years. One night, my father interrupted, telling my mother that when the right woman came along, I would be a changed man. He said that it happened that way with my mother.

My luck unfortunately wasn't like my father's. Sadly, I just had to live with that.

My mind was all over the place when my phone distracted me, easing out a tiresome sigh from me before I took it. "Yes?"

"She left?" Pappou sounded sad, I knew quite well how taken he was with her. I knew he'd been holding out for a reconciliation, almost sure that it could very well happen because he told me that Lindsey and I ignited each other when our eyes connected. That observation had been very much out of par.

How the hell did I manage to go through this rampaging nightmare? "Yes, Lindsey's gone." I managed to say, acting like it hadn't mattered, when deep down, in my pillaged, eviscerated heart, Lindsey was my everything; my life, my heart, my soul and my future.

"Face your pain tonight and put it aside tomorrow. Fly out to Paris and seek Claudine. I'd rather that you be in the company of a woman who cares for you than be all on your own." Pappou sighed on the other end. " _Are you sure you can't convince her to come back?_ Why don't you give it a few days, she might change her mind and realize that she wants to be with you. Sometimes it takes for the person to be gone to realize their true value. This is still a possibility. Don't lose hope yet, my boy."

Somber, I spoke with evident pain, "We shall see."

# Chapter 15

The first day back was odd. I woke up thinking I was still in Athens, in his bed. Best I get used to the idea of not having him around. I knew I had spent a week with him, but it somehow felt as if it had been more than that.

Groaning my frustration out, I perked up when I heard Brody's voice in the hallway, talking to Emma.

Was my brother here, too? I'd rather that he wasn't. I couldn't stand his googly-eyeing Emma like sick puppy.

I was grateful for Emma covering up for me about Greece. I was still reeling from the events and I didn't need to divulge the how, what, when and why about my four-day run being a married woman.

Not moving, I anticipated the moment when Brody would knock. It took him a couple of minutes before he did so, opening my door. Seeing his familiar face was great, but that usual _thump-thump_ wasn't there. _Give it time_ , I thought encouragingly. Some things needed getting used to. Like in two months, I was going to be a divorced woman. That shit definitely needed getting used to.

"How was your vacation, pookie? I've missed you around here." Brody sat on my bed, kissing my cheek.

It had been like no other, most definitely. "It was _different_."

Brody got comfortable, half-sitting as he leaned on his elbows, he took his shoes off and placed his legs against mine. "I tried calling your phone, but it goes straight to voicemail. Did you lose it or something?"

That phone was somewhere in Athens—broken apart, dead and useless. "I lost it. I'm planning to head out and get a new one. Want to come with?" I offered, not wanting to think of Athens.

Or glowing eyes.

Anything Greek related, I should avoid.

"Sure. Do you want me to wait here or outside while you get ready?" Brody asked, looking like he wanted to kiss me, but I couldn't do it. It would be wrong, so wrong.

"Outside. I need to shower and stuff. Give me fifteen, yeah?"

"Fifteen, it is." He got up and kissed my forehead. "Welcome home, love of my life."

My life, I thought with a sinking feeling. Then why did it feel like I was living someone else's?

That night, I was in bed, having a hard time sleeping. I just needed some comfort and the sudden thought of my blankie got me depressed.

He never gave it back. When I was in his arms, I slept soundly, thus making the point of my blankie irrelevant. Now, though, I needed it more than ever and Dimitris had it. I didn't even have his number so I could text him to ship it back since the man threw my phone off into the blasted city below.

At one in the morning, I gave up trying to sleep, deciding to dress and take the five-minute walk towards my brother's house, where Brody lived as well. Knowing that the boys didn't lock their main door, I had no problems getting in. Like the rest of the world, had they decided to come and join the party—robbers and killers included.

I didn't know what I was expecting coming here, but what didn't cross my mind was to find Amber and Emma here—with Brody and Carter, my brother. Shit, woman. What was she playing at? "Does Bass Cole know you're in your ex-boyfriend's home at this hour?"

Their laughter died. Good, because I didn't feel like laughing inside.

"Did you just come here to be a bitch, Lindsey? Emma's not doing anything wrong," Carter snapped at me.

He was always fucking protective of Emma, which was dumb and stupid because the idiot had an orgy while he was "so in love" with her. "I'm looking out for her, idiot! As for you, Emma, when are you going to learn? Didn't you just tell me that you want to be with Bass and that you're so in love with him? This—" I pointed at my angry-looking brother. "—will fuck him up, you hear? So unless you want him to crawl back in Nikki's vagina, get your ass home!"

"Lindsey! Calm down, I texted him and he said okay. So, stop freaking out!" Emma was ticked off, but I didn't care.

I knew the kind of man Bass was and deep down, he wasn't happy with this. "God! You can be such a blonde bimbo sometimes! I love you, Em, but this is fucking stupid. You have a great man that loves you, never fucking cheated on you, never fucked any of your friends or best friends for that matter or the fucking entire campus. When will you learn? When he's gone? Do you remember the last time he left you? _Do you?_ "

Emma stood up, pink from anger and probably of embarrassment for speaking to her amongst other friends, but hell, she needed to know and my brother needed to shut his mouth.

"I remember it, thank you, Lindsey. I hope you remember yours, too, because for such a smart woman like yourself, you make dumb decisions, too. Bass is a great man, however I knew one other who was like him, too. He might even better, but I guess we'll never know now." Emma shot me a disbelieving look before strutting in her tight jeans, looking like a sex bomb on her way out.

"Wow! What's gotten into you?" Amber wondered out loud, mouth hanging ajar.

Life. Life got to me again. Fuck me.

_No more Greek_ , I chanted in my head before I started to walk out the door, shaky and teary from what Emma had just said.

Dimitris was similar to Bass, I guess that's why they got along very well, but I didn't have what Emma and Bass had when it came to Dimitris. Ours didn't start off like theirs and besides; I wasn't in love with him. It was that simple.

"Lindsey!" Brody called out behind me, halting me from walking further down the road. When he finally caught up with me, he gathered me in his arms, concerned as he studied my face. "What's wrong, pookie?"

"I lost my blankie." Everyone that knew me since childhood knew the significance of that piece of cloth. It was my world.

Dimitris knew somehow, someway, that it meant something to me. He was a smart man, so he'd have easily figured that one out. He wanted to inflict pain and boy, wasn't he successful. He took something that was close to my heart since I crushed his.

"How about we get you a new blankie tomorrow? Or better yet, I'll have someone make you a new one." I nodded, feeling somewhat less like crying. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Please." If I was alone tonight, I'd end up crying my eyes out and I didn't want that.

We were standing outside my door when I saw a shadow pass. When I double checked to see what it was, there was nothing there. Shrugging, we let ourselves in after I handed Brody my keys.

Dressed for sleep, with me in my silk slip and Brody wearing only his boxers, we brushed our teeth side by side, him cracking jokes about bad breath and cavities when I heard the doorbell chime.

The fuck? It was almost two in the morning. Ugh, this better not be Carter or Amber not bringing her keys again! "I'll get it. If it's my brother, he's really going to get a ranting," I mumbled out as I wiped my mouth with the Egyptian cotton towel after rinsing.

I was running my hands through my hair before I yanked the door open. Not caring that I was wearing a nightie, I stepped out to see if anyone was there. "Great, stupid college, drunk kids!" I muttered out loud before turning around to go inside the house.

"What the—" I almost had a heart attack when I saw a paper bag—with my folded blankie in it... and my old phone or one that looked like it, anyway—sitting right there, when it had only been five minutes ago that I'd come back home.

Dimitris. _Here_. Somewhere. Was he watching me?

I went to pick the phone up and it powered on with no problem. I realized that it was brand new, but my contacts, pictures and everything else were in there. How the heck did he manage to get that phone when I saw it fly out, freefalling, into the city of Athens?

Scrambling through my contact list, I dialed his number. I was holding my breath, waiting to hear his voice as the ring kept going until an automated person told me that he was unavailable.

I looked into the road, checking out parked cars to see if he was in any of them, half hoping to see him and half hoping that he'd left already. My heart sunk when it dawned on me that he wasn't here. Of course, he'd leave. Knowing him, he probably felt bad about my phone and my blankie and just needed to make sure I got them back. He was an amazing guy. I knew that, but it was wretched when he proved to me _again_ that he was.

When I got back into my bedroom, Brody looked confused when he saw my phone and blankie. "You had it all along?"

I shook my head, pressing my lips together. "Someone had it shipped here."

"At two in the morning?"

"I guess so."

**Dimitris**

Name me a masochist, a man to the point of desperation or simply a man in love, but I couldn't stay away from her.

It was two in the morning and I should've gone straight to the hotel to wait until the morning to see her, however my need overrode reason.

Getting out of the car, I was walking towards her house when I heard her voice somewhere close. The instant surge of joy that bubbled out fizzled the second I heard a man's voice as well. I just _knew_ that the man's voice was the same man she'd been in love with since childhood. It was there in his voice when he called her _pookie_.

I hid behind a tree, hoping that they didn't see me as they walked towards my direction. I was holding my breath until they moved past. A quick glimpse, a second was all it took to change everything for me as I watched them go inside her home, his arms wrapped around her. The ultimate nail to my coffin, though, was the kind of smile she gave him; it literally broke me in two. Never once had she smiled at me like that, pure and unmasked.

A couple of minutes later, I came out of my hiding place when I was sure they were safely inside her home. Each step I took towards her house resounded with the heaviness in my heart.

Lindsey was happy, that's all I should think about. My unrequited love and feelings were demons I would surely fight for the rest of my life, but it was my own fight to battle, not hers or anyone else's. This was all my doing, placing us in this predicament, although I was going to undo it and hoped that it was for the best, for her.

Piteously, I placed the bag on her doorstep then waited a moment before I kissed the pad of my finger and pushed for the doorbell. Hiding behind the very same tree, I listened until the door was opened, heard movements about—Lindsey's in particular.

"Great, stupid, college drunk kids!" Lindsey muttered, sounding annoyed before she gasped loudly, "What the—"

Her gasp told me that she'd found the paper bag. The dark shade around the tree convinced me enough to tilt my head a bit, merely enough for me to get a peek of her and still have my body hidden away.

She took hold of the phone, powering it on before she checked what was in it. The tiny light from the screen accentuated her breathtaking beauty. Her beautiful face frowned as she went through her files. When her frown deepened, I knew she'd found her old pictures and videos in there.

After that night, the one where I threw her phone over the ledge to the city below, I had hired a team of people to locate the broken device. A difficult task since God knew where the heck it had landed. After five days of searching, it was located on a rooftop somewhere where it had smashed down, though not enough to destroy its memory. I hadn't meant to throw it out, but when I heard her talking to him in a sexual context, my jealousy took over. It was a knee-jerk reaction. When it came to Lindsey and any man associated with her, I was jealous of them because I knew she didn't love me. Somehow, I took our constant mating and the overzealous need to be around each other, into something more—one I imagined in my head.

Lindsey had her phone next to her ear, calling someone. My heart dislodged in my throat when my phone vibrated in my pants. I was relieved that I had it on vibrate. When she bit her lip after the voicemail picked up, I fought the urge to steal her away and keep her as mine because I knew the truth. She wasn't mine. Her heart was set on being with Brody Thompson.

Lindsey took a few steps to check the parked cars and sighed when she didn't find me. She was wearing a tiny, silk slip that outlined her erect nipples. The length ended an inch below the curve of her butt and, when she spun around to head inside her house, the images of her spending the night with Brody in her bed a couple of days after me, brought moisture to my eyes.

Blinking them back, I willed myself to move until I was safe in the confines of the vehicle, breathing through my mouth. Pappou had been right when he'd said that _sometimes it takes for the person to be gone to realize their true value_ because it made Lindsey realize who she wanted to be with.

"Make her happy," I murmured, thinking of Brody.

Taking hold of my phone, the missed call from Lindsey got deleted, along with her phone number. I wasn't trying to be immature, but I didn't want to fight with myself on a daily basis about calling or texting her. The second task was to call my pilots.

"There's been a change of plans. How long will it take to get ready to fly out to Paris?" I asked, determined to leave this city, this country, and be as far from her as possible.

An hour and a half later, I was up in the air, drinking my sorrows away before the jet's phone started ringing. It was my mother. "Ma, tell Pappou to file the papers. She's where she should be, where she should've been to begin with."

She begged me to let her go, so I shall or I will at least try with all my might.

Back to my old, drunken self, I arrived at my apartment in Paris, one where I had Claudine living.

"Mon cher," Claudine greeted me the second I entered the apartment. I paused, staring at her, confused.

Her smiling face, grated me the other way. The feeling of suffocation was capsizing me. The need to run and leave everything behind was so profound; I knew I needed to do something before I went mad.

"I have to go." I scurried out of there, Claudine's face blurring away as I got into the elevator again.

I ended up at a club and, two hours later, I was beyond inebriated, checking into a hotel along with the two hot, blonde Germans I had met.

They felt good, but the more I fucked them, the worse the tightening of my chest ached. I wished this feeling could suffocate me and kill me while I was cock-deep inside a woman's vagina.

That would certainly make for a good headline.

# Chapter 16

### Lindsey

A week later, we were getting ready to head out for Bass's twenty-fifth birthday party. Brody and I were bonding, not physically, but emotionally.

Our relationship was easy and we evened out each other. I wanted to get used to being with him before I decided to take the plunge and officially date him... along with getting intimate once more. God knows when I'd be ready.

Just as the Greek had told me before, he wanted me throbbing and swollen weeks after he pummeled me inside out. True to his word, I would clench my muscles once in a while because I would feel him there, STILL. It was an awful mind game. Dimitris was messing with me even though he wasn't around.

It was a blasted ingenious idea.

We arrived at Bass's Hollywood Hills home, complete with valet and attendants as well as a rigorous security man that looked like the Hulk, thrice double checking our I.D.'s, pockets and purses, confiscating any phones and any recording device. On top of that, we had to sign a gag order that nothing about this party would be told to the media. PERIOD.

After a lifetime of being treated like a convict, when it was time to greet Bass, I ended up snapping at him. "Dude! Do I look like I'd sell pictures of your ass for a quick buck? I'd rather keep the picture than sell it, thank you!"

Brody threw me an annoyed look. "I'm right here, Lindsey."

Bass grinned, greeting Brody like a gentleman—even though he wanted to kill my brother, he was kind to his best friend. The Golden Boy then turned to me, giving me a tight hug before whispering into my ear. "I apologize. The news isn't out about Nikki, but once it is, they'll dig up everything they can find about Emma and I—and I can't have that. I have to protect her. The media's volatile and I don't want her portrayed as the woman who stole me from Nikki or anything. I hope you understand."

"Good. You take care of Emma and I'll tackle Nikki," I offered. He gave me a winning smile and squeezed my shoulder before some man took him away.

Damn, this was what I had meant when I'd told dear ole Emma that he was a good man; a very sexy, oozing with testosterone, smoldering sex god of a man—that was Bass Cole. Not only that, but the man was packing the ultimate package. Yeah, Trista and I caught him doing the nasty with Emma and, let me just say, I could've came on the spot just watching him work it. Naughty thoughts, but it was inevitable. Seriously.

A few hours later, one champagne case down and several to go, we were exchanging stories—some good, but mostly embarrassing ones—when things shifted.

Trista was telling a story about Taylor and his "no bullshit" way of dealing with things when we heard Emma gasp loudly—the last breath, dying sort.

Of course, we were a curious rat pack, so we checked what had made her do that. The Russian, in all her magnificence, was gliding about, wearing a flowy dress that showed off her _ass_ ets. From where I'm standing, she didn't look with child, but then again, given her work-out routine and her diet, she probably wouldn't show until later.

"Dude, why the hell did you invite her here?" Taylor chided his best friend, disappointed.

"I fucking didn't, but now that she's here, I can't boot her out. That's going to cause a scene and that's the last thing I need right now!" Bass raked a hand over his hair, feeling helpless. "Em, I didn't invite her, okay?"

Emma gave him a brave smile before whispering, "I know." She stood up, gathering him with her. "Come on; let's greet our new visitor to our home."

We watched as they welcomed Nikki while Brody gathered me close, kissing my nape. "I love you," he whispered against my skin, making it tingle.

"Well, I'm proud of our girl. The old Emma would've probably sat back, fumed and got her ass drunk. Guess, she really is fighting for her man. Do or die," Amber said out loud, toasting.

Bass looked like a shaken up, corked champagne bottle, ready to pop. Emma looked pleasant, trying not _too_ hard, she was more civilized in appearance. Nikki, on the other hand, simply looked like an evil bitch; smiling in the most fake manner while eyeing Bass like he was going to be her meal tonight.

"Russian bitch is going to get it," I gritted out, feeling what about how Bass must have been feeling.

Trista interrupted, "Hell, I'll take her first."

"Hell, no! I knock her first then you can take over," Amber added. It was no wonder that we all were not happy campers, we hated having to sit back and watch our friends get played by some woman who had the seriously MAJOR issue of not letting Bass go.

"Calm down, will you, little rugrats?" Taylor warned us, acting like a good referee. "In case any of you lady rascals forgot, the woman in question is pregnant. So ease up with the catfights, please."

"Really, babe? So not the time to be such a good guy, okay?" Trista was heated. I suppose, you can call Emma "our baby" because she was the kindest one amongst us and the youngest, too.

The three of us waited like good, little angels until Nikki had to go to the bathroom. After all, a pregnant woman had a bad bladder, right?

When we followed inside the bathroom, there was a woman checking herself out at the mirror before Trista tapped her on the shoulder. "Miss, our friend is having the runs. Unless you want to stay for the stink bomb, you better run outside."

"Ew, gross bitch!" the woman disgustedly threw at her before she spun around and left.

I was sitting on one of the chaise lounges, waiting for the sound of the flushing toilet while Trista was leaning against the secured door and Amber was leaning against the sink, tapping her fingers on the granite top.

At the sound of the flush being released, it took Nikki another couple of minutes to come out. She was fixing her skirt as she walked towards the wash area when she noticed us.

Nikki paused, flicking back and forth before she started laughing like she was being tickled. "Awww, I have a welcome party? Thanks, I feel so special, you guys."

Bitch was unreal. "Cut the moronic lines, Nikki," I barked at her before I got up and looked down on her. "Get the stupid DNA test before this turns into an ugly mess. If you love Bass, at all, you won't risk this kind of heartache for him."

"I'm risking for the both of us. We were happy, but Emma seduced him. He'll tire of her, I just know it," Nikki hissed out, looking at us like we were filthy. "The three of you, little gold-diggers and Emma's hangers-on for a little fame and money, need to fucking disappear." When we didn't move, she threw a hissy fit. "Do you want me to have Bass throw you all out? He'd do that for me."

Trista snorted. "Lady, I want to see you try. Bass will probably throw you out himself if it were possible, but then again, you did this on purpose. To show face that you're still somewhat connected to him, so that when your bun in the oven starts showing, it'll look like you and Bass still kept in touch, maybe even could be reconciling. That way, you're protecting your image, keeping the delusion that you and Bass are still bueno. He doesn't like you. I heard him tell his best friend the other night. So, consider this DNA testing just to get it over with."

Nikki's big, brown eyes and beautiful face were completely unyielding, mind set already on Bass. She wasn't going to give him up. I could see that now.

"How much do you need to go away?" Amber asked, dead serious.

"Bass Cole. That's my currency. He's mine," the Russian bitch spat out, proud. "Tell your blonde friend that I look forward to getting my man back."

Amber launched herself at Nikki. "You dirty son of—"

I pulled her away before she reached the Russian psycho, not wanting to cause any trouble. Nikki gave us an evil smile before leaving the restroom.

"I almost had her, Linds! What the hell!" Amber rubbed the spot where I gripped her hard, her skin a tad sore.

"I had to. Didn't you hear her? She's a cookie. She'd get you in trouble and you don't want your parents to get on your case."

Trista chimed in, "You can't reason with a mental person; a pregnant one to boot. Not to mention the kind of crap she'd come up with to make Emma look bad if you beat her pretty, little face up."

What a dumb dick Bass's penis was. Of all the women to attract, he sure did choose the perfect one out of the pack, pun intended. He sure was lucky Emma was staying with him because if that had happened to me, no matter how hot or how delicious you are, I won't tolerate shit like that. Bass was a great man, but what the fuck? This was just too much for Emma, especially after what happened last year. Girlfriend couldn't even catch a break.

She was suffering, but she loved Bass. What good would love do if you're only to suffer? What happens when she sees this woman swollen and very pregnant with Bass's child? There was a fifty perfect chance that it was his. The risk was too big. The damage would be beyond irreparable.

I would have never thought anything could come in between Emma and Bass, but a crazy, baby momma and a little Bass would surely bury their relationship. Looking at it from this angle, I ached for my friend and what she'd go through. Never in my life, especially a beloved friend of mine, had I even dared think this, let alone consider it, but I was almost wishing that she'd go back to Carter.

My brother fucked himself all the way to Mars, but seeing him now, I know he loved Emma and would take her back in a heartbeat. Or maybe she could merely be single and enjoy being in this new celebrity status that she was having while she dated other men. Then again, this was Emma, who knew what went on in that pretty, little head of hers.

I knew one thing, though, I'd bet her chunky ass that she'd want to deck Nikki herself.

# Chapter 17

"Do you think it's Bass's kid?" Trista wondered out loud while we sat on the couch, eating breakfast.

I shrugged, not wanting to say anything. We were still reeling from his birthday party last night. Clearly, Nikki had pissed us all off.

Amber grabbed the orange juice carton, pouring as she let us in on her theory. "This is dumb and so random, but maybe Emma wasn't meant to be with him? Didn't you guys notice that there's just too much crap around those two? Maybe she's meant for Carter. Soccer-stud had definitely turned a one-eighty for our girl."

"Bass will make you his public enemy number one if you keep yapping like that, Amber!" Trista glared at her, protective of Bass.

I came out of my bedroom, fresh from a shower and about to hunt down some lunch when I stopped and gawked at the catastrophic sea of lemons everywhere in our home, along with vase after vase of peonies. "What the fuck is all this? Did you guys open up a flower shop without the fucking shop or what?" I yelled, not understanding all this crap around me.

Trista came out of the kitchen, lips smudged with chocolate icing, grinning. "Apparently, it's Emma's and Bass's one fuck-year anniversary."

"Huh?"

"The day he slid his kinker-tool and dug some gold in her goldmine." Trista wiggled her eyebrows, amused.

Okay, this was extremely sweet of Bass. " _But lemons?_ " I mean, it made the house smell like lemonade, but seriously, lemons? Peonies were divine, the lemons, I had to ponder some more.

"A painting and a gazillion loads of pastries all shaped like a fucking lemon." Trista smirked when she said the citrus fruit.

"Girlfriend needs to let us in on the lemon joke. Where is Emma anyway?" I looked around the kitchen for her, but instead, I found a massive painting that would fit on an entire wall. It was a picture of an island covered by lemon trees with Greek Amphitheatre ruins and a picnic basket as well as... what the hell... " _A BLT sandwich?_ "

"No clue," Trista mumbled before stuffing herself with more of those delicious looking lemon-shaped chocolate cakes. "She didn't even explain any of this crap, dude. She basically ran into her room, squealing like she had won the lottery."

The stunning Aegean Sea, the sun, the food and the beguiling beauty of the country itself, I had missed it. "Huh. Nice island, though. Will Bass invite us to stay?" The question was out before I stopped it, not really thinking.

"Bass is cool. Whenever you're ready to step on Greek soil, let me know. I'd love to go back with Taylor again and visit Mykonos." Maybe later on, but certainly not anytime soon. I suppose I would have to miss out on that vacation with them.

Blocking thoughts of Greece or anything Greek related, I joined her and tried the chocolate cake she'd been lavishing on. _Oh dear_ , I thought, moaning as the decadent combination of cocoa and confectionary that was produced in absolute divinity brought an orgasm into my mouth.

"Apparently, BC ordered these from Paris. These have truffles and gold dust in them." Trista grinned again, taking another bite. "Dude, _will we be pooping gold, too?_ "

Man, I loved this cookie. "Be sure to check it out, buddy."

Amber strode in as she pulled her hair back in a ponytail. "Bass?" she asked us, knowing the answer to it already. "No wonder I could hear some moaning from her room. Bet they're having some phone or video sex. He's only in New York for five days and those two are having some serious withdrawals."

"You bet your sweet ass, I am." Emma strolled in, flushed and satisfied. "I love this side of Bass. The man sure knows how to make me weak in the knees."

Bass was awesome, but he had so much to make-up for. Knowing that Nikki's wrath was nearing, I was glad that he was acting like the old Bass we all swooned over. With or without Nikki, it was obvious how much he loved our dollface.

Seeing how much Emma's face radiated, I was comforted to know that she was fighting for the right man.

_One time, when Dad was away on business, I saw my mom have sex with one of my father's best friends, Brandon. It was late at night and I hadn't seen my mom for a few days. I had waited until she came home, fighting sleep, so I could cuddle with her. When I heard the front door slam, I had known without a doubt that she was home._

_My excitement immediately evaporated when I found her with her dress pushed up and Uncle Brandon on his knees on the sofa, pushing into her as she screamed to do it harder. I was about seven or eight and I hadn't had a clue about what they were doing. At one point, I thought he was hurting her, but when Mom said that he was so good, I knew that he wasn't. Whatever it was they were doing, Mom was busy. Deflated, I moved to leave, but Uncle Brandon saw me._

_He didn't look unperturbed, not at all. In fact, he kept on going, holding my gaze. My mom was thrashing then so I doubt she knew that Uncle Brandon wasn't even looking at her. He didn't waver until he started to move really fast, making me catch my breath as he made my mother scream so loud it echoed all over our twelve-bedroom home. I didn't know what it was, but something told me that what Mom was doing was wrong. So, I kept my mouth shut, not mentioning anything to Carter or to my father._

_The next day, right around four in the afternoon, Mom informed me that Uncle Brandon was taking me to see a circus along with his niece, Jane, who I met a few times during birthday parties. Excited, I was rummaging through my closet to choose the best dress I had. You see, outings were scarce because my parents were nonexistent and the only time I got to go out was when Aunt Alice and Uncle Gary would invite me._

_Years back, it used to be Carter and me, but he grew out of it and started to hang out with boys only, so I was mostly alone with my nanny around. I was only allowed to go to school then straight home. From time to time, I was allowed to sleep over at my friend's house, but apart from those, I was very lonely._

_I was worried about Uncle Brandon getting mad at me after what happened last night, but when I saw Jane and how he acted like it didn't happen, I was beyond relieved. I'd never been to a circus, so this was an exciting treat for me._

_A couple hours later, we dropped off Jane first since her house was on the other side of the city. I was still thinking about all the acrobatic stunts when Uncle Brandon said something about what I had witnessed the night before._

_"Sweetie, do you know what you saw last night?" he gently asked, eyes on the road._

_What did I see last night? "I thought you were hurting Mom, but she told you to keep going."_

_He sighed then, pulling over on the private road before he found a tree to park next to. "I'll try to explain this to you, but you have to promise me, Lindsey, that you won't tell your father."_

_All the more curious now because I knew even then that when adults tell you not to say something or repeat anything, that meant it was top secret and shouldn't be spoken about. "I promise, Uncle Brandon. Dad and I don't talk much, anyway."_

_"I'm sorry about that, sweetie. Your dad loves your mom very much, but your mom has things like a lot of women, needs. Sometimes, when you need something, you start looking for it, right?" he tried to explain it to me, trying to break it down._

_"Yeah." I nodded, frowning. "So, Mom needed something from you?"_

_He cleared his throat, thinking. "She did. I didn't give it to her before, but your mother is a very determined woman. When a beautiful woman does everything in her power to get something, most of them succeed."_

_I knew Mommy was very pretty. Dad told her every day. "So, what did Mommy want that you didn't want to give to her before?"_

_He muttered something, before looking at me. "Tickles."_

_She wanted tickles? That was the top secret? "I don't understand."_

_"Your mommy wanted special tickles that a man like me—like your dad—can give her," he said, matter of factly._

_I still didn't understand. "Oh. Why is it so special? I've never heard of it before."_

_"Because only adults can share special tickles. When you grow up, you're going to be a very beautiful woman, just like your mom. You'll understand one day how beauty can be used to gain a lot of things."_

_"You really think I'll grow up beautiful like Mommy?" I gleefully asked, knowing how much I loved Mommy's long, beautiful hair and how she looked so pretty all the time._

_"Of course, sweetie." Uncle Brandon smiled at me then, meaning every word._

_His confirmation made me happy. "So when I'm old enough, you'll show me the special tickles, Uncle Brandon?"_

_He stilled, shocked at my question. "Err, I don't think that would be a good idea."_

_"Why not?"_

_Uncle Brandon shook his head, not believing me. "You won't like it."_

_I didn't believe him. "If Mom did, I'd like it, too."_

_He looked at me then, smiling. "You won't. How about I'll just tickle you instead, see if you like that?" he asked, his hand on my thigh._

_Curious, I nodded—agreeing to him._

_He lifted my skirt, asking me to slide my underwear off and sit back. When his finger touched my pee hole, it really tickled. It didn't hurt. It felt funny as he touched me, watching my reaction. "Do you like it, sweetie?"_

_I nodded. "Yes."_

_"When the time comes, Uncle Brandon will be waiting for you for that special tickle, okay?" He withdrew his hand before putting it in his mouth, tasting it. "You're going to be even more beautiful than your mom, sweetie, and you taste way sweeter."_

# Chapter 18

The following day, I was getting my pedicure, browsing through a fashion magazine, when my phone shrilled, alerting me that there was a message. I was reading about ways on how to fight depression as I distractedly checked it. Then, I wished I hadn't because it was an article about Dimitris in Greek, but thanks to easy translation in webpages now, I could understand what was being written about him.

_Dimitris Kosta marrying French Socialite? Rumors are spreading fast when Claudine was seen coming out of one of the exclusive designer shops yesterday afternoon_.

They also attached photos of them coming out of the opera, smiling at the photographer. With a dry throat and a deadbeat heart, I enlarged the photo, zooming in on the both of them and then slowly sliding it to focus solely on Dimitris himself. He looked heart-wrenchingly gorgeous and utterly happy with Claudine.

See? Almost a month after telling me that he loved me, he easily went back to his old self. Any guilt or remorse I had about leaving Athens was squashed then, absolving me from it.

This was good. I wanted him happy. I truly did.

Biting my bottom lip, I shakily went to the settings so that they would stop sending me alerts when his name was being mentioned online.

When my mind drifted back to them, I mentally stopped myself. _Get over it_. He did, just as I asked him, just as I had pushed him to, just as I'd wanted him to. So stop dwelling and focus.

I knew I had to think about Brody and me, about where we could go from here and how I could go past my erected barriers that were so much a part of me. I wanted to slowly let him in. Hell, Emma took a chance at Carter after they broke up. She did the same again with Bass after they broke up. Emma was stronger than me, though. She trusted her heart, even if it led her to countless heartaches.

Could I do the same for Brody? I guess I could, right? If I loved him—because I truly did—then I should really get on it.

Sighing with a heavy heart, I knew it was time.

With a lot of help and some seriously major 911 sessions with Emma, she finally pushed me to do it after a week of changing my mind and being on the fence about letting some of my guard down.

Emma convinced me that if Brody really loved me, he'd understand and would be there with me every step of the way, without forcing anything from me.

So, ten minutes ago, I called him, asking if he could meet me here at home. He was apparently at a party, but decided to cut it short and meet me. I took that as a good sign because I'd want to be the first priority if he and I started dating.

Brody left a gaping mark in my heart when he slept with Cece years back, but I was willing to overlook that, if we could agree on something.

When I heard the chime of the doorbell, I jumped out of my bed, scrambling to get to the door. I took a big deep breath before yanking it open. "Hey!" I said, smiling.

Brody had ripped jeans, slippers and a wife-beater on, blatantly displaying his ripped arms and tight torso.

"Hey." Brody seemed off, distant.

I was somehow too caught up with prepping myself to date him that I hadn't realized that we might not now be on the same page. I wasn't sure if it was because I hadn't really spent that much time with him, not like before or he met someone else. Which was it? I guess, I'll find out soon enough.

He followed behind me, towards my bedroom, not speaking at all, which was quite unusual for him. After I shut the door, I leaned against it; arms folded underneath my breasts, watching him go to the other side of the room and copying my stance.

"You didn't have to leave the party, Brody. I said we could do it anytime. I never said right now." Why was he being a dick? I didn't _demand_ for him to come here pronto.

"Well, I'm here now. What did you want to talk about?" Brody countered, still being a jackass.

This was not how I pictured it to going down. I was thinking along the lines of a heavy make-out session, talking about us and what we'd do together, our future. Maybe he was drunk or had a bad day, and I really should shake it off and have this talk some other time because right now wasn't it. "I actually don't feel like talking anymore, Brody."

He was ticked off, growling. "You made me drive here and after two seconds, you tell me you don't want to talk? Are you fucking with me, Lindsey?"

"Well, how do you suppose I talk to you when you're being a complete ass the second I greet you at the door?" I vented back, accusing.

"Because you're not playing fair. How do you expect me to be nice when you greet me at the door dressed like that?" He eyed my fitted, short cami and skimpy boy shorts. "All I can think about is fucking you. I'm going crazy here. So, I'm sorry if me being a jackass is the only way I know how to keep myself from pushing you against the bed and fucking you until I'm fucking through!"

Okay, he really was drunk. "It never bothered you before."

"Why should it? You'd let me touch you whenever I could... but you haven't let me even kiss you for the last month."

"I'll go ahead and change then." I pushed myself off the door and darted towards my walk in closet, but he ended up following me there anyway.

Before I could even get my robe off the rack, he pulled me close and hugged me from behind. "I'm sorry, pookie, for being such a jerk just now."

I nodded before spinning around in his arms, studying him. The face I loved all my life, dreamt of countless times. "Are you in love with me?"

My question didn't even throw him off. "I've been in love with you... even way before you told me that you did, but you were my best friend's baby sister so out of respect and love for the both of you, I stayed away and kept it to myself." He held me tighter, almost crushing my breasts against his chest. "But you always did things to rouse me up. Even though I tried to ignore you, it's you who I thought about before I went to sleep. It's you who I wished safe every day, so no harm can come to you. It's true..." Those dark depths searched my reflected own. "Loving you is the only thing that's keeping me from doing something stupid tonight—after that night we spent together, I've been loyal to you, to my heart and body. All my life, I've been in love with you, Lindsey Mason."

"I thought you started noticing me after I dated Cooper. I didn't realize it went far and beyond that." I was beaming, pleased that he'd been suffering along with me.

"How could I not? After you made me cookies that got me sick all night?"

I remembered, heart swelling. Soaring. Hopeful. "I love you, Brody."

"Oh, so you finally decide to tell me after a year of chasing you around?" he teased, eyes shining with love before he pressed his lips against mine for a crushing minute, unmoving, then he met my gaze again. "Wait—does that mean that you're agreeing to be my girlfriend? I know that you'd be cruel enough to tell me that you love me, but still break my heart."

Damn, I was a certifiable, cold bitch and everyone simply knew it. _Not now, though_ , I thought bravely, slowly letting him in. "I am—but I'm scared, Brody. I don't know how to do this. I suck at relationships. I'll say and do things that will piss you off. I've never been in one before. What if I'm awful as a girlfriend?"

"Then, I guess, I'll just have to be extra amazing at being your boyfriend and forgive you when you're being awful. We'll figure this out together, pookie. Don't be scared. I'm right here..." Brody cupped my cheeks, making me feel so loved that I was trying not to cry. "I'll always put you first, before anyone else, before my needs, just to make sure you're happy."

_Dear God, what took me so long to get here?_ I wondered, feeling more idiotic by the second. For a brief second—a quick flash—Dimitris's face popped into view before I blinked it away, hiding it, shutting it closed and never meaning to open it again. Dimitris was an experience that a bad girl had to feel—to live—even for the briefest amount of time, but those never last. _This_ did.

"I know you're probably past frustrated, but is it okay if we slow things down on the sex front? This might sound stupid after what we've been doing for the past year... but I want to do this right— I want us to enjoy each other without sex." I watched him, peering to see his reaction, but his smiling face didn't change, much to my relief.

Kissing me softly, he whispered in between kisses, "I'm at your command. As long as you're with me, all the way, pookie, I won't make it an issue."

Linking my arms around his neck, I started to push-walk us towards my bed, wanting to drown and sink into the depths of his kisses. "I knew I loved you for a reason. Thank you for sticking it out with me even if I was the worst, unfathomably angriest freak of nature you've ever come across."

"I love you—worst, unfathomable, freak of nature and all—so, don't ever apologize for being yourself."

How am I going to survive not having sex with him tonight if he kept saying these things? "Now you're just being a suck-up! Still not getting laid tonight, Thompson," I said as I inserted my hands inside the back of his jeans, inside his boxers, getting my hands full of his tight ass while my nails bit through his supple skin.

"FUCK!" Brody hissed, groaning in pleasure.

_I was going to love teasing him_ , I thought wickedly before he got to the bed, tipping us down and kissing me savagely.

Oh my. Good luck to me.

# Chapter 19

The next week, it was rather awkward to have that talk with Carter about getting serious with Brody. I expected an angry comment or something more dramatic, but I was surprised that he was acting all—well, brotherly and quite happy for me.

"Anything to make you smile like this, sis," he voiced out, happy for me.

"Thank you," I murmured, noting how he looked tired. He still looked like the same old Carter, but he looked exhausted and somewhat pale at the same time.

I took hold of his hand, showing him how concerned I was because I didn't just hug or touch his hand when I didn't care much. "Hey—you okay? You're not practicing too much, are you? Or maybe you're putting in too much overtime with partying and booze?"

Carter shrugged, uncaring, as he slid lower on the couch, resting his head and closing his eyes. Never did he look so sad than at this moment. Carter was self-reliant and didn't care much about things, but I suppose the break-up with Emma really was messing with him far too much.

"Let her go... you're killing yourself over something that's not there anymore. You need to start seeing other girls. Hell, go back to being a manwhore, you have my blessing." Hell, anything at all so he didn't have to be like this. It was utterly troubling.

"What's the point of fucking another woman if I imagine it to be her? Why should I even try moving on when I know my heart is not even in it?" He was desperately and hopelessly in love with my best friend. "Even if I start liking someone—maybe even love someone again—I don't think it'll ever be like Emma. I guess, I'll just fucking live, pretending that I don't love her."

Why was he being such a pessimist? "You won't know until you put yourself out there again. The rest is just a big 'what if' right now."

"Guess I'll just have to live with it." Carter gave me a quick hug, kissing my cheek before getting up to leave.

Five minutes after he left, I was still on the couch, unmoving. Something about what my brother had said made me think of Dimitris. The need to search him on the Internet was a fight that I had to struggle with on a daily basis. I suppose I could only pin it down to my making sure that he was okay and happy with Claudine, but in truth, I knew I didn't need to because they were great together. The last article I had read about engagement rumors took a long time for me to get over. Another chance to torture my loose imagination, I definitely didn't need. Also, I shouldn't even be thinking about him because I was with Brody.

Brody was all I needed.

It took a good two weeks for people we know to get used to us dating—my aunt and uncle included.

I was on my knees, rearranging my collection of shoes when I heard someone enter my room, slamming the door while they were at it. "Geez, take your anger somewhere else!" I yelled out, wondering who it might be.

It didn't take long until Trista pouted her way into my closet, brows furrowing. I was about to say something snarky when she screeched like a banshee. "My mother is demanding that I attend my cousin's christening next month! I told her I wasn't interested, but she was being such a bitch again, saying that I should support my cousin and show her some love and support!"

From what I had gathered before, Trista hadn't seen Harry—the said cousin's husband—after what'd happened; adultery and the fallen pregnancy. "Honestly, Trista, did you think you could avoid seeing him? Hell, he and your cousin had a baby. If it bothers you that much, bring Taylor with you. Guess he could knock him out for the second time. Horrible Harry sure does deserve another."

"What the fuck's wrong with you, Lindsey? _Why aren't you hysterical like you usually are after you hear shit like this?_ " Trista kept on rambling. "I need that person back."

Was I always that predictable? Guess so. "Nothing's wrong—in fact, everything feels good. I suppose being in a relationship isn't so bad. I'm really digging it."

"I'm happy for you, babe—truly—even if I don't look it at the moment," Trista said. Then, she snapped her fingers, eyes popping out of her sockets as if a bright bulb had lit inside her head. "Dude! I need to convince Emma to take me with her!" she yelled, giddy and slapping at the same time.

"You're going to tag along with her when she visits Bass on location? You're just going to end up hearing and seeing them having sex all the time. Maybe you should join the fun so that you won't be so bored, I guess," I said, snorting as I resumed color-coordinating my treasured labels.

"As much as I love Emma, if I got to score with Bass like that, I'll probably kick her off the bed!" Trista laughed, probably picturing it in her head. "On a serious note, I love my boyfriend very much and my major crushing for Badboy BC will certainly just stay in my imagination."

I glanced at her, smiling. "I second that! BC is darn hot—yummy eye candy."

"Anyway, I gotta go and text Emma to see if she could bring me to see Jacques in Monza. I know it's next month, but I need to prepare, you know? As I stated before—I'm head over heels for Taylor Montgomery—but I'll be damned if I'm not going to enjoy all the Italian machismo." She waved me a quick goodbye before slamming the door on her way out.

Emma was going to Monza to watch Jacques? Jacques—the Formula One star and a very good friend of Dimitris?

Shit.

I was about to get up and call Emma when a knock on my door made me halt a bit. "Yeah?"

"Where's my girl?" Brody called out, looking for me.

I grinned, like I always did when he called me anything that had _my_ in it. "In the closet."

"Hey, hey," Brody greeted me as he came into view, bending over to give me a lingering kiss, which evoked a low, deep moan from me. "Hello, love of my life," he whispered, nipping my bottom lip.

"What have you been up to? Are we going anywhere tonight? Who's having a house party this time?" I asked as he helped me get to my feet before we started to stride out of the closet.

My questions went unanswered because I ended up straddling him with his back against the headboard while he kissed me, hands cupping my butt cheeks, rolling them against his apparently aroused state. God, I'd been horny, so horny that I'd exhausted two vibrators in the past month.

"Brody," I gasped, fired up and stimulated.

"I want to take you somewhere. Do you feel like going away with me for the weekend? I'm tired of going to parties and hanging out with strangers. I want to spend some time with you, just you and me. Say you'll go?"

Blinking back a few times, I peered at him, weighing things. "Where do you propose we'll go?" Spontaneity, I'm loving it.

He pulled my fingers to his lips, kissing each pad. "Wherever you want to go."

Well, there's this one place I'd been wanting to see, but I'd never gotten the chance to. "Feel like going to SeaWorld with me? In San Diego?"

Brody looked amused, probably thinking that I didn't look like the type to be hanging out in an amusement park. "Can you be ready in an hour?"

"Heck yes!" I retorted back, jumping off his body, excited to spend the weekend with him.

Before he left, Brody decided to pat my ass before kissing me again. "Oh, by the way, I'm going to seduce you all weekend long. See through and skimpy lingerie's are welcome."

After a month of abstinence and seeing how The Greek had moved on from me, from us, I knew, it was time to take it to another level with Brody.

Hmmm. Some nookie for pookie. It's definitely on!

# Chapter 20

Since it was a Friday, the usual three hour drive to get to our destination spun into a good, almost five hour road trip. By the time we checked into our villa at the Four Seasons, we were both haggard and hungry, not to mention that we were in dire need of a shower.

Brody brought our bags in, placing them on the floor before grabbing me from behind, whispering against my ear. "Why don't you shower first and I'll go order some room service? I'll go after you."

"Sounds like a plan," I said, smiling as he nipped on my neck.

"Good, 'cause that'll be the first and last shower you'll have alone. Enjoy it while you can," he stated, smug and ready to get the show started.

He'd been waiting for a month. I didn't blame him for taking charge since he felt how wet I could get each time we dry humped each other. The only skin he'd been touching had been my face, legs, stomach and neck.

"You talk too much. You'll probably end up being a one-minute man since you haven't been getting any," I teased, making him laugh.

"Then, I guess, I'll jack-off first before I pounce on you. You won't live it down if that ever happens—God forbid," Brody huskily said and then big on my neck, making me squirm at the same time that I dripped with excitement.

I smirked, knowing quite well that I would do such a thing. "Choose my entrée for me—fish or chicken. Get a few bottles of bubblies, too," I shot out my dinner order after I got out of his hold, striding towards the bathroom.

"Anything else? How about a good rub? Satisfaction guaranteed by yours truly."

"Feed me good food first then we can talk business." I blew him a kiss before I shut the door, feeling naughty. There was no way in hell we would be able to resist each other tonight. I could feel that we weren't going to be getting much sleep. Even the sexual banter we'd been throwing at each other all night didn't deter me. I was ready for the next step.

Fresh out of the shower, I strode out with my white terry robe on, towel-dried hair and in dire need of champagne. Brody was watching soccer on the television, waiting for our room service before he handed me my phone. "Emma called. I picked it up after she called for the third time. She said to call her back the second you get out of shower."

It sounded like an emergency. "Did she sound okay?"

Brody glanced at me for a bit before shrugging. "She sounds like Emma to me. She wasn't crying or anything, nothing like that."

Okay, that's a good sign. "Okay, I'm going inside the room to call her. Just knock on the door to let me know the room service is here." I got up, kissing his nose. "Thank you for bringing me here. I love this."

"I love you," he said before pulling me against his lips, giving me a more thorough kissing.

Parting from his lips and chest, I got to my feet and went inside the bedroom, closing the door then turning the lock for good measure. It didn't take long until I dialed her number and I wasn't surprised a bit when she picked up my call the second it rang.

"What's up, Hollywood?" I greeted her, trying to sound light even though I was worried inside.

"She's here," Emma hissed into the phone as if trying to hide that she was on the phone, or trying to keep her voice low so that no one could hear her.

"Who's there? Aren't you filming in Chicago with that new hunk? What's his name again?" My mind could picture the actor, but his name had totally left me.

Emma groaned on the other end, pissed off at my slowness. " _Nikki is here!_ I decided to surprise him in Vancouver since we haven't seen each other in two weeks because our schedule's been so crazy. Well, the bitch decided to show up an hour after I arrived, saying that she needed emotional support. She even tried to vent out, saying how depressed she is— _to me!_ Fucking unbelievable."

Bitch mole was back. I wonder how Bass was going to handle this without pissing Emma off. He could always send her packing. Hell, I'm even surprised that he hadn't. "Tell her to get lost and put her on the next plane out."

"Bass wanted to, but she started puking so we had to put her in the other room. It's disgusting to watch her around Bass. She's in love with him, it's so sickeningly obvious."

Nikki wasn't a lucid woman, I wasn't sure if it was the pregnancy hormones or if she was merely pretty wacked up beforehand. "She's delusional. Make sure to put her in her place before you leave. Guess that means there's no sexy time for you two love birds?"

"Well, Bass doesn't seem to care that she's in the other room. We just went at it, back to back." I could hear her smile through her announcement.

Way to send the message loud and clear Bass Cole. I busted out laughing, thinking wickedly as to how Nikki might've looked when she could hear live porn coming out of Bass's bedroom. "Please tell me you were loud, please, please."

"Like I could hold it back! Bass and two weeks of no sex. Imagine a bear that just came out of hibernation—that was him."

Goodness, Emma. I knew how Bass was—I saw him in action in Greece and I couldn't help blushing at the thought of it again. Shit, darn Bass and his skills. "I haven't had sex in a month. Stop making me jealous." I had the power to change that, soon...

"What the hell are you waiting for? Oh, by the way, I'm going to Italy next month, Trista and Amber are tagging along since they have been calling me non-stop about it." Emma sounded pretty excited.

Then there's that, too. I knew she was close to Jacques and I bet Amber as well as Trista were extra excited to be around top of the line bad boys of car racing—not to mention the hotness that was the Duque Andrès Franco or "The Rogue Duke" as they'd nicknamed him. "Sounds exciting." It really did...

"Why don't you come and join us? It should be fun. Your sense of humor with the guys will definitely click."

Damn, I wanted to go so bad. Fick. Fack. Fuck. "Um, will he be there?" I didn't need to emphasize who _he_ was to Emma. She knew who I meant. There was no other _he_ to me, other than him. The Greek.

Emma was pouring something before she took a big gulp and responded to my question. "I texted him. He said he's busy and might even be in Asia then. His dad wants to retire soon, so he's getting more responsibilities as the months progress."

"You're not lying to me, are you?" It was rude, but I had to double-check. I meant it when I vowed not to see him anytime soon.

"I wouldn't lie to you about that. Think about it. Anyway, I got to go. Bass just came out of the shower and is asking about—" Emma gasped on the other end. "Bass!"

There were some weird sounds then Emma's moans became clearer by the second. "Are you guys—Oh my God!" I screeched, cutting the call.

I was staring into space, shaking my head and trying to forget what I'd just heard when Brody gently knocked on the door. Automatically, I got up and opened the door, still deep in thought.

"You okay? You don't look it." Brody frowned at me when I strolled to join him at the dining table.

I'm not sure, was I? "I heard Bass and Emma having sex—loudly—in my ear. It's still ringing."

"That's pretty normal. I hear people having sex all the time, but I don't look the way you do. I didn't know it bothers you that much." He kissed my check before pouring me a glass of champagne.

It wasn't about that, but that dirty mouth of Bass's and the way he said things to Emma... _I need to be inside you. Own you. Fuck you. I need to come all over you, moro mou_... then, I suppose, Bass hammered her into oblivion because he was talking about her pussy and then Emma's screams killed my curiosity. Dear goodness, that was the hottest thing I'd ever heard. It reminded me of how Dimitris and I had been, utterly mind-blowing.

I'd had sex with Brody before. It's great sex, but not like Dimitris's. Maybe we only needed time to get there. Didn't they say practice made perfect?

Well, I was about to test that theory.

I woke up with a smile, stretching lazily before I latched onto Brody's chest with a hand that was mildly appreciative. Flashbacks of last night played in my head, making me smile. The theory definitely was in progress, though it wasn't par, it certainly was fantastic.

Slow lovemaking didn't used to do it for me, but Brody proved me wrong.

"What are you smiling about?" he grumbled, pulling me closer while his other hand caressed my belly, teasing, before it sought my crevice, caressing it in circles.

I quickly glanced at the clock, checking. "Nothing, it's already noon. We can just stay here all afternoon. I don't mind."

"Shit. We have to go." He sat up, trying to make me do the same. "You wanted to go to SeaWorld, pookie. Get your ass out of bed. I'm going to order lunch. Do you want coffee or anything?"

That question made me grin. "Yes. I want YOU. Extra cream and a double shot, please."

"Now, you're just being cute. Come on, let's go. I'll make it up to you tonight." Brody winked at me before grabbing the hotel phone and ordering our lunch.

Uh, so much for excitement around here, guess I'd have to wait until tonight.

After lunch, I was still grumpy. Well, that was already expected, but when we parked, bought tickets and entered the amusement park, my grumpiness evaporated. I felt like a kid inside, exploring a new place, loving how Brody didn't mind that I was getting all hyped up to see Shamu in action.

We spent our entire day in SeaWorld. It was good, old fun and it seriously brought us closer. I had never dated like this before. The usual parameters were restaurants, parties and clubs.

When we got back to our villa, I was ready to order in, watch a good movie and cuddle—yes, I'm a cuddler now—kiss some more and drink more bubbles.

As I was getting out of the shower, busy thinking about what we could do tonight other than movies, Brody saw me, eyes glittering. He had just got off the phone when he saw me walk by, snaking his arm around me, slowly unlatching my robe. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to change for dinner." Well, I _was_ , but it sure looked like it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

He pushed my robe aside before he guided me towards the bed, eyes feasting on my nakedness. "Not yet. Let me eat mine first then I'll feed you." I had my mouth open when he used two fingers to toy with my clit. Brody still had his feet on the floor, one hand on the mattress, eyes on me, soaking in my moans and pleas. "Let me eat you," he offered, eyes flicking towards my pussy then into my eyes.

Danger zone. I had nothing against that, but since I'd experienced the intense whiplash of Dimitris's torque-like tongue, I knew the rest who would try wouldn't even come close. Brody was decent before, but I'd rather not compare because the Greek's was still so fresh in my mind and I didn't want to be disappointed in Brody, not tonight, maybe in the next few months, but surely not this evening. "No, I can't wait for you to be inside me. Let's skip it; I'm not that fond of it, anyway."

Such lies.

"How can you not—" He stopped yapping when I got him on the bed and started to work on his pants, peeling them off.

I gave him a direct look, one that should tell him not to mess with me. "Please, just shut the hell up." When I got him naked, I put back on a smile when I saw how hard he was. Gently stroking it, I licked it once just to see how he tasted.

"Suck me. Suck it hard," Brody gritted out, gently poking his engorged head on my lips, splitting them apart.

Hollowing my cheeks, I slid his shaft deeper into my hungry mouth, sucking and moaning at the very sight of him in his rapturous state. After another good minute, I pulled him out of my mouth and carefully placed the condom on. I slowly positioned myself above him, lining my opening onto his steel cock before gently lowering myself. A loud guttural gasp came from me when the head slid into my muscles, stretching me.

Brody gripped my ass, took charge and slammed me all the way down, to the base of his dick, piercing me good. "Shit, Linds," he gutted out. "Ride my cock, baby. Show my cock how much you missed it."

"Fuck!" I yelped in a shaky tone when Brody gripped my sides, grounding me down as he rocked me back and forth, without premonition. I was wet, but the way he was grinding me, I was coming freely, until he started pumping hard then released his seed, cursing loudly.

Sweaty and completely out of my mind, I was trying to catch my breath as I placed my forehead on his chest and then rolled like a doll, falling next to his sated body.

We were quiet a moment, enjoying and remembering what we had just shared until he spoke up a few minutes later. "What's your sexual fantasy?" Brody murmured, stroking my hair as our breaths evened.

_Well..._ was it wise to speak to your boyfriend about complicated subjects like fantasies? I had no idea. "Why—what's yours?"

"Avoiding the question much?" Brody's thumb found my nipple, lazily circling it while deep in thought. "It's a fantasy—and most fantasies don't ever happen—and I'm not sure I'd want it to happen, anyway." He paused, figuring out what to say next. "You know what, let's drop the subject. It was stupid."

_Uh, no, buddy. Not when you have piqued my curiosity_ , I thought, wondering what it was. Was it about another woman he wanted? Um, hell, no. "You better tell me now or you won't be getting laid for the next month!"

"It's a fantasy—promise me you won't get mad?"

"Promise, promise. Now, tell me!"

"A threesome with you. You blowing a guy while I fucked you from behind."

Whoa. Damn. Fuck. It was a fantasy... one that I would prefer _if_ it ever took place. "Interesting. So, watching me like that turns you on?"

"Every guy has a fantasy. I'm sure most women have the same exact ones. That's the thing—men have these—but it doesn't mean that we'll act on it or would push it to happen. It just stays there in your imagination, nothing more."

_How kinky was his mind?_ I wondered. "So, how often do you think of me in such a precarious situation?"

"Every jack-off session."

Typical, healthy male; that's good. "And that happens... every?"

Brody slowly got on top of me, blatantly licking my nipple as he spoke to me, "Every day—two to three sometimes, depends on how blue-balled you get me that day."

Funny. "You are one horny man, Brody Thompson."

He thrust into me, lodging his cock deeply before he made a low, rumbling growl. "Fuck. Condom. Reach one for me, will you?" he asked, slowly pumping his shaft in me, having a hard time holding back.

_Yeah, we needed one,_ I thought as I twisted my body to reach one out of several on the table before handing it out to him. I wasn't going to risk pregnancy. It's best to have the man use a condom and still be on birth control. No one can tell me that I wasn't careful because I was. Motherhood was something I didn't want. EVER. The only time I slipped from my rule was with Dimitris... that one week in Athens.

Closing my eyes, I imagined how he took me in the gym, the feral look in his beautiful eyes, the animalistic way he fucked me while we both watched in the mirror. I was writhing in earnest before I felt Brody's dick slide into me, picking up pace. "Tell me about your fantasy," I asked, dreaming of that gym—thinking it was him on me, in me. I was getting so turned on; I simply wanted to cry out his name.

Brody was on a mission, working me hard. "I know, the thought of you like that—gets me off every single time."

Oh hell, the thought of Brody doing that made me push the Greek out of my mind. _Yes, deeper_ , I silently pleaded as he worked in and out of my body. "Tell me all about it," I panted out as I watched his cock disappear into my opening, watched as he pulled it out, then slammed it back in.

"I don't like the thought of you cheating, but if you're with me—enjoying it with me and sharing it with me—I'm up for that." He kept on fucking me, taking a nipple in between his teeth and tugging at it.

Mother hell, yes! "Baby—I'm so close—please, harder!"

He pounded me so hard I knew I would ache tomorrow. A month of abstinence and my libido was back, but nowhere near as titillating as the one I'd had in Athens.

Who's complaining, though? I was getting my O's. It should suffice.

# Chapter 21

We still had three more weeks to go until we left for Italy, but Amber and Trista were already going wacky with shopping, sending picture after picture of what to wear and whatever. I wondered if they were going to get worse when it was only a week away. Come on, Taylor was going to bite her ass off if she kept on going like this.

I ordered my coffee before deciding to reply to Trista's message.

_The clothes look great and all... but try not to forget you have Taylor, k? He's probably getting annoyed with your online shopping going haywire. Be nice._

There; sent.

My mood nosedived when I noticed the person who was clearing their throat to be noticed. Mother hell.

"Don't you know it's time for you to snap out of your funk?" Cece scathingly eyed me up and down, smirking.

I barely gave her a glance, ignoring her, wishing that my coffee would magically appear this instant because I didn't want to be infested by her bad juju.

"You think I'm the bad guy, don't you? Well, maybe, but I'm not the only one. You're such a little princess—always being surrounded by all these caring men—but I got a taste of your man before you did and that pissed you off. Maybe I should share some of your hate, you know, just to be a good friend for you." Cece kept ranting next to me while my eyes stayed put, not glancing at her. "I wasn't the only one who wanted to taste your Brody."

"Shut the fuck up, Cece!" I hissed at her, almost fed up.

"I have—for far too long—but I think you should ask Amber. She sure as hell knows how to keep a secret, huh? Such a conniving bitch, that best friend of yours." Cece pouted, eyes vicious.

Amber? What about Amber? "What the fuck are you talking about Amber for?"

Cece grinned at me, enjoying my reaction. "Have you ever wondered who she gave her v-card to?" she supplied.

She barely finished spouting off before I slapped her, hard. "Next time, when someone tells you to shut the fuck up, you fucking do it!" I yelled at her then pushed her against the table, almost making her fall on her butt before some guy helped her. I didn't even care if she hit her head on the floor and died right then and there because I was busy heading home, looking for some fucking answers.

It wasn't even eleven in the morning and I was ready to raise hell. "Amber!!!" I screamed, yanking her door open. The woman was asleep, barely cracking her eyes open before I hastily pulled her comforter off her body, enraged, going bat-shit wacky. "Did you fuck Brody?" I screamed at her. I watched her eyes widen, about to deny it before I jumped on her. "You fucking bitch!" I slapped her so hard before I pulled her hair. "You lying skank! I trusted you."

Emma—who was here for a couple of days before leaving again—woke up from her sleep and scrambled to get me off Amber while she screamed for Trista, who took a good minute to come out of her room. When they finally managed to untangle me from Amber's body, I noticed that I had scratched her face and it was bleeding, but I didn't give a fuck.

"Have you fucking lost it, Lindsey!" Emma spat at me, looking at me like I was mental.

"She—she gave her virginity to Brody," I whispered, still attempting to comprehend the bomb Cece had handed me.

Amber had tears in her eyes, but she was red from anger as she darted me an angry look.

"Can someone please tell me this is a lie, please?" Trista eyed all of us before she looked at Amber. "Tell me this is not true."

"You better fucking own up to it, you skank!" I hissed at her before Emma pushed me off, holding me down.

Amber was on fire. "Do you know how lucky you are? You have these two wonderful men, who love you, but you don't appreciate any of that. You're a selfish bitch, Lindsey!" Amber hissed at me, livid and outraged.

"I've loved Brody," Amber continued. "I've always loved him, but he only has eyes for you. He's a good man. I begged him that night... because I just wanted a piece of him... to remember something of him that was only mine and no one could take away.

"You all are lucky!" She directed towards Trista, "You have Taylor and it's sickening how much he loves you." She looked at Emma. "You have Carter, even though you don't want him, he won't go away. Then, you have Bass. Even though this shit with Nikki is messed up, one look is all I need to see how much he worships you." She paused, teary. "I'm happy for you guys, especially for you, Tris. I see all these happy faces while I'm far from it. No one loves me. Fuck, even my parents don't. Am I that worthless?"

"You're still a back-stabbing bitch!" I shot out before shutting myself in my room, not wanting to see her face any longer.

"Linds? Do you want to talk? Open the door." Emma was shaking the doorjamb, but I wasn't ready to talk.

Not right now, let me be. I needed space, from everyone, from my family, from the rest of the world.

That night, Brody tried to get in my room, but he wasn't successful.

I was too angry and the betrayal that I felt from Cece before didn't compare to Amber; her betrayal was so much worse because I let myself believe that Brody and I had a future together. How could I build one with him when our past kept hounding me? How could I forgive and forget when the people that betrayed me were the ones I loved?

Most of all, Amber. For so many years, she never said anything about her feelings for Brody. How could she even fathom seducing the man that I wanted then? Let alone loved? She said she was in love with him, too. _How the hell did I not see that?_

There was never a time I noticed that she did. She acted the same. How many lies did she hide from the rest of us? How long had she been pretending to be someone that she's not? She should've come to me and confronted me about Brody. I certainly didn't need to hear if from Cece, it made things unbelievably worse.

Betrayal. Would I ever live without it? I despised that word. It shrouded my childhood, my teenage years and now. To this day, it was the same old crap. When would it leave me?

Brody's betrayal was my payment for hurting Dimitris. Karma was a mean bitch. I crushed my husband's heart and now it was crushing mine.

Hurt and vulnerable, I stuck myself in my room, ignoring every single person that knocked on my door.

# Chapter 22

"Lindsey!!! Open up!" Brody pounded on my door, not giving up.

For the last week, he had come here every day, trying to talk to me. "Go away!" I screamed at the door as I contemplated what the hell to do with him.

Brody begged, sounding like he was in so much pain, just like the one I was in. "Let's talk, please. I'll do anything—just hear me out, Linds."

Gripping the door handle, I pried it open enough to speak. "Promise me that you'll leave me alone when I tell you to?"

"I hope you won't do that... but if it's the only option, then yes, I promise you." Brody made a regretful sigh, desperate.

Opening the door to let him through, I stared at my foot so I didn't have to see him enter. This man only brought pain and sadness to me, even though he hadn't been mine then.

"You're not going to forgive me, are you?" he whispered, standing at the foot of my bed. I still wouldn't look at his face.

"No, I just can't." Too much had happened. I gave up too much, thinking this was what I wanted—that it was _him_ I wanted, that it was him I loved—but I was merely blinded by my past, confusing things for what they truly were.

My blindness caused me to lose my marriage.

My deafness caused me to lose my husband.

My stupidity caused me to lose the man that I loved.

So, no, I can't forgive Brody for not telling me the truth—for hiding that essential fact that would've opened my eyes to see him for what he truly was. Most of all, I couldn't forgive myself for letting Dimitris go, thinking it was for the best.

"But you love me, Linds. Can't you at least find it in you to forgive me? Make me go through all sorts of punishment, I don't care, just as long as you'll be mine and won't leave me. I love you, pookie. I fucking love you so much. I need you to give me a chance. We've barely just begun."

Smiling sadly, I looked at him through my tears. "I was married once, to this beautiful, kind man. He never held back in loving me. He wanted me—ME—and no other woman. When I was around, no one existed for him. He didn't need to take months, years or a fucking decade to know if he loved me or not. He just knew that he did and married me two weeks later." I sniffed, wiping my tears. "He worshipped me, but it was sad because I wasn't used to being treated like that—being treated like I was the only one... because I was used to chasing and loving a man like you, Brody. My idiocy chased him away... you and I have made our bed of problems. There's nothing left except to lie in our coffins and die in it, because that's what I am right now. I'm dead inside."

"You're married?" Brody asked, flabbergasted.

I wished. "I was."

"Where's he now?"

Claudine. "With his future, where he should be. Where he belongs."

"There's mail for you." Trista handed me an envelope before opening her purchases from her lavish online addiction.

There was no return address so I didn't know where it had come from. My curiosity about the sender didn't last long because when I opened the letter, it brought more ugliness. It was my finalization of the dissolution to my marriage with Dimitris.

My hands shook as I shoved the papers back in. I ran towards my room, locking the door before I buried it in the bottom of a drawer, wishing it away, wishing it gone.

No more Dimitris.

The thought of him brought new sadness, washing me with memories of him again. His easy laughter and his kind heart—he was so good to others—loved me even if I was ugly inside. I was a rotten person, only beautiful from the outside, however I was purely rotten to the core, like my mother.

I was just like her.

Hurting the only men that ever loved us—our husbands.

# Chapter 23

Amber opted to stay because I wasn't going to go with her on the trip to Milan. Therefore the long flight across the Atlantic gave me the time I needed to ponder the events that had happened between Amber and Brody.

Emma and Trista weren't taking sides, which was great and all, but it would've been fantastic, too, if one of them had sided with me. It seemed that life had set out to give me one hurdle after the other. It didn't even give me enough space in between to take a break and try to gather myself. It just kept on throwing punches, waiting for me to get knocked-out.

We checked into a hotel even though Luca, who I've never met, offered his home to us. Taylor and Bass didn't like the idea of their women staying at the hot playboy's palazzo. When Emma and Trista were readying themselves to go to dinner with Emma's friends, I declined. Honestly, I just needed a night of my own—without Amber or Brody around.

I was probably asleep for an hour when Trista came knocking on my door. "Wake up and get dressed! We're leaving for Monza in the next forty-five minutes."

Not today, I won't. "You guys go. I'm jet-lagged and had only an hour of sleep. Tonight, I'll join you guys tonight," I mumbled, ready to go back to sleep.

Trista sighed, disappointed in my lack of enthusiasm "You suck! Tonight it is then! Laters, doll."

_My life was so depressing_ , I thought sadly before succumbing to a deep coma-like sleep.

We were in a palazzo owned by Luca as we celebrated Jacques's victory against _the_ Luca himself. I suppose they were that good of friends that they didn't have any jealousy or fights about who was the loser.

I was at the bar, waiting on my champagne when another man joined me, deep in thought.

"For fuck's sake!" The man was losing his patience as he cut the ringing shrill of his phone off for the second time.

When his phone started ringing again, he ended it and slammed it back on the bar. "Bugger off!" he muttered, really getting my attention now.

I was halfway through my champagne when that thing went off again, driving me a little crazy. Turning towards the man next to me, I outstretched my hand, looking at the stranger for the first time. "If that's an ex-lover that needs a reality check, give it to me so I can drink in peace."

He handed me his phone, skeptical, but I grabbed it before he changed his mind.

"Will you please stop calling? You're—" I paused, listening to the bitchy woman on the phone. "Callum?" I reiterated what the woman said, covering the cellphone while I whispered, " _That's you, right?_ "

He nodded, giving me a smile.

"Callum is occupied, right in between my legs. He will never be available to call you. Ever. Ciao!" I cut the call, sliding his phone back to him without looking at him.

He introduced himself, holding out his hand. "I'm Callum Kensington."

Callum Kensington with the sexy British accent. Loved it! He took the expression _Tall, Dark and Handsome_ to the next level. Shaking his hand, I gave out my name. "Lindsey Mason. _Was_ secretly married, now secretly divorced."

He lightly chuckled at my line. "Bollocks! I'm secretly married, too!" he chimed, entertained that we had something in common.

"I take it the woman I spoke to wasn't her?"

"Certainly not. Stella and I aren't involved in any sense," he said in between sips of his drink and then flagged the barman for another round. "She's practically a teenager. A baby."

A baby? How young was this pseudo wife? "Hmm, I didn't take you as a cradle robber."

"I didn't, either, well not really. My best friend asked me to. How could I say no to the man's last dying wish?" Callum sat quietly, studying his whiskey with great concentration, possibly remembering the past.

"I don't know what I'd do without my best friends." Even though I might hate Amber right now, I wouldn't want to wish anything bad happening to her. Deep down, I still loved that lying bitch.

Callum nodded, sliding his glass in between his hands. "Are you friends with any of the racers or are you here through handed invitation?"

I was on my phone, checking any messages as I responded to him, "My friend knows Jacques, Luca and Andrès. I'm invited through association. You?"

"Old buddy of mine dragged me here, but I'm old friends with the trio of adrenaline junkies. Dimitris should be here somewhere."

There goes my calm composure. If this man turned out to be the same man, I was in for a long, painstaking kind of torture tonight. "Kosta?" I nervously added, having a hard time breathing.

"Yep. He's quite popular. Are you one of his fans? I could introduce you, if you like."

_How thoughtful_ , I think not. "Actually, I've met him already, but thanks anyway. I've got to go and find my girls. I'll see you around, Callum Kensington."

When I found Emma and Trista, I acted like I wasn't surprised to find Dimitris there, laughing and talking to Emma.

I stood there, hearing my heart pounding, deafening me while my sight focused on him. He hadn't seen me yet, so I took the liberty of getting my fill of reacquainting my eyes with his form. Almost three months of not seeing him and still, he managed to take my breath away without effort.

I was going to go down in history as the ignoramus woman who let something so amazing go—setting it free without realizing what she'd had. Entranced and clearly out of focus, it was too late when I realized that Callum was right next to me, staring at his friend before looking at me.

"Huh." His dark eyes narrowed, as if solving a puzzle. "It was you, wasn't it? Four days. _That was you?_ "

I stood still, not responding at all.

Callum cupped my elbow, pushing me forward. "Come on, he won't bite—much."

I knew he was teasing, but seriously, this wasn't the time to joke about such subjects. "He has a girlfriend now. Why would he bite my head off?"

Callum halted, stopping us from walking before he faced me. "A man could shag hundreds of women and may never remember their names and faces, but ask a man who broke his heart and he'd tell you all about it in grave detail. A man _always_ remembers."

He and I paved our way towards our friends when I felt _his_ gaze train on me. Gathering courage, I made a small effort to smile and greet him. "Hi."

Dimitris just looked me up and down, continued to drink and looked away as if I wasn't there at all.

_I see how it is_ , I thought with seething anger.

"Let's go dance!" Trista pulled Emma and me aside before she whistled at Jacques. "Frenchie! We need you for a bit." Ha! They'd only met a day and Trista had the audacity to whistle at Jacques. She was the boss!

Jacques led the way towards the ballroom that was apparently turned into a nightclub for the occasion. I was beyond awed as I scrutinized the Frescoes that were painted all over the hallways from wall to ceiling. It was magnificently awe-inspiring.

The sexy Frenchman nodded his head. "The regular party is through here. _This one_." Jacques pointed towards the velvet red double doors. "Never go in there unless you want to participate in an orgy, _me comprenez-vous?_ "

"We have boyfriends, Jacques," Trista answered Jacques before guiding us towards a large hubbub of partygoers.

Emma and Trista were busy on their phones while Jacques was pulled away towards the other side of the room. "What are you smiling about?" I yelled into Emma's ear loud enough for her to hear me since the house music was thumping loudly around us.

She showed me the screen, a message from Bass. _Don't party too hard and forget you have a man waiting for you back home. Please be safe. I'll see you in a few days. Love you._

Freaking Bass, I bet he was pissing on himself with worry, but I had to hand it to him, even though it was obvious that he'd rather lock Emma somewhere, he was at least trying to let her have a life without him, without demanding her give up everything to be with him. I liked that.

"Remember Golden BC amongst the hot Italian men, _capisce?_ " I wiggled my brows at her. "I'm going to get some drinks. Oh, lookie—Jacques is on his way here. I'll scan for you folks later, k?" I asked Trista and Emma, who agreed without ado.

I liked how Italians partied. It was very lavish, outrageously extravagant, yet done with class. Most of all, they enjoyed sex without apology for their blatant love of sexuality.

I wasn't really aiming for a drink. Instead, I headed towards that velvet door. Heck yes, I was curious and what better way to go than being in a room amongst the creative folks, hmm?

Now, about that red door...

**Dimitris**

Athens

"I heard you weren't coming? Are you too good for us now, Kosta?" Luca de Medici asked without even greeting me when he answered the telephone.

Life's changed for me since my father wanted to retire in a year, so that meant lots of travelling, meetings, late night dinners, galas and being constantly on my feet. It was not a joke and frankly, it was a nice distraction. "Pure and utter bull. I have to go to Malaysia. Life is not about fun and games anymore, my friend."

Luca snorted, thinking that I was full of it. "We're going to have The Velvet Door open. Since the guests are only by invitation, it should go off without a hitch. Emma and her friends are coming. You sure you don't want to join us?"

Velvet room... I think my heart had lodged in my throat when I managed to croak out, "What friends?"

"I believe Trista and Lindsey. I invited them to stay at the palazzo, but they insisted on staying at a hotel. I'm meeting them in Malpensa in an hour."

I grunted, knowing how those girls were. They were probably curious and would venture out around the area.

Luca laughed, irritating me further. "Are they as hot as Emma?"

_Dammit_ , fuck no. "I don't remember. Listen, I've got to go. I'll see what I can do about Malaysia." I bid him goodbye before cutting the call. My mind had left me in complete and utter disorder.

She was going to be in Milan in an hour... a quick, three-hour ride, give or take...

I pressed on my temples, trying to calm myself. "No, don't even think about it!" I muttered, talking to myself.

Something about hearing Lindsey's name reminded me of the file that was in my computer. It was her cellphone videos and pictures. I had never seen what was inside the files, but now, I was curious. Call it an act of needing persuasion to stomp the meddling thoughts my heart was provoking, however I was hoping that there might be something in there that would make me hate her some more, so I could just go to Malaysia without hesitation.

Looking through them, there were a lot of pictures of her and the girls—nothing of Brody. I was about to go back and browse through her videos when one picture stood out, freezing me for a second. Leaning over my laptop screen, I saw a picture of me—looking at something, distracted. Maybe that's why I never saw her take it. What really took my absolute attention, though, was the name she had on the picture, _o sýzygós mou_. My husband.

I found an answer to my earlier predicament, but now, more questions had arisen.

It was irrational and irresponsible of me to bow out and suspend my trip to Malaysia until next week, but who said a fallen man had a rational way of thinking? At first, I was mostly convinced that I could drop by, get a glimpse of her and then leave. That, of course, didn't last long after I found her, still looking gorgeously breathtaking. What caught me off guard was when I saw Callum whispering into her ear. Of all the men to get her claws into, she had to choose a friend of mine?

When she finally greeted me, I couldn't even utter a word because I was fuming inside. Dismissing her was rude, but at the same time, could she blame me? Even though I was talking and engaging with other people, I knew where she was at all times. With the way she was dressed and the fact that she was drunk, I wouldn't be surprised if she did something crazy.

I was beyond furious with her, but at the same time, I wanted to drag her to the nearest flat surface and have my way with her body.

Nothing had changed, it seemed.

# Chapter 24

I entered a darkened room; velvet everywhere except for the black marbled flooring. The hallway was lined with large ceramic bowls with rose petals, candles and small torches as the hallway opened up to a large four-rectangular grotto with women bathing each other in a pool, slowly caressing their breasts as they washed each other.

I could already hear moans of pleasure echoing everywhere. Jacques wasn't kidding when he warned us about this place.

_Mother hell, where am I? I definitely wasn't in America_ , I thought, aroused as I saw a woman against a bench, bending over as the guy pummeled her while she snorted a line of coke, past caring about anything else.

_Drugs around? Hell, I need to score some weed_ , I declared silently as I scanned for the place to get them. When I got to another corner, I found what I needed.

There were a lot of drugs around. I saw them on a table, like giveaway candy. BUT, I couldn't find weed. "What kind of a kinky party is this without weed?" I complained out loud to no one in particular. Fuck, I needed to calm down before I went crazy. Weed used to help once in a blue moon.

"Is this the place where you really want to be... _fucked?_ " Dimitris growled into my ear.

Ah, fuck. What was he doing here, anyway?

What a double standard douche. What did he know? Maybe I just wanted to watch people do it. "Why ask when you already know?" I arched my brow at him before looking away, dismissing him.

"I see. Once a slut, always a slut, isn't that what they say?" Dimitris grit the question out, his angry tone made me want to prove to him that maybe I was.

Maybe I was just like my mother, just like what Uncle Brandon had said. When it came to me, drunk and thinking about the past wasn't a great combo, but something about what Dimitris said simply made me feel like I was a slut. A lot of people thought I'd slept with a ton of men—okay, maybe five men—but who cared? I flirt and kiss a lot of men—tons—I suppose I was an oral slut more than anything.

"Watch me be a slut before your very eyes. Do you want me to suck another man in front of you? Or better yet, do you want me to suck him while you fuck me? Take your pick; I'm giving you sixty seconds to decide." I knew I was daring him, but I had so much anger in me, I just wanted it to disappear while I rutted something good—even if it'd only last for a few minutes.

"You wouldn't fucking dare! I'm going to kill you if you do something stupid like that!" Dimitris's words were ringing in my ear. It was sad that I could still get turned on by this man, even if he was spouting the meanest, ugliest things to me.

It wasn't the words that pushed me really. It was the way he sounded... possessive; almost as if I was still his. He had Claudine. I had no one because the guy I had chosen pricked into my ex-best friend's virginity a year after he took Cece's and then never owned up to it. Everyone could just go to hell. I didn't care anymore.

Steeling myself, I yanked my arm from his strong hold. "Watch me."

Not looking back, I strutted with shaky legs yet with steel determination. "Everyone can just go fuck themselves!" I muttered under my breath, eyes scanning the throng of people getting their groove on.

_There's my meat_ , I thought as I found the guy who I wanted to mess around with. He definitely was Italian and I needed to get my fix as soon as I saw him light a nice roll, dressed from head to foot in designer clothes. "Feel like sharing?" I came onto him, my palm on his chest, slowly sliding it down with my eyes trained on him. I knew when my powers were working and I could see that this man was going to be putty in my hands.

" _Sí_... I'd like to share..." the Italian whispered, eyes glued to my lips, entranced. "You're very beautiful, carina." He then put the rolled up ganja to my lips, watching me in fascination as I sucked on it, inhaling the smoke, holding it before blowing it into his face. "Do you want more?" he asked in a husky voice.

Biting my lip, I nodded. "Yes, I want more." The Italian let me take a few hits of his prime blunt before getting his hands on me. At that point, the weed worked its way into my system, making me feel deliriously good, so good that I hadn't cared if Dimitris was around here, probably watching me from afar.

The thought of him in here at all got me furious again. Focusing on the Italian man, my hand slowly went further south, feeling his hardened groin as I gradually lowered the zipper down. I heard him hiss above my forehead when he knew I was about to take his shaft out.

In the blink of an eye, I felt my arm being yanked incredibly hard, I thought it was being torn from my body. "If you want to live, you had better get the fuck out of here before I get someone to kill you. Get the fuck out!" Dimitris screamed at the guy before he saw him scram towards a group of people, heading towards the exit.

Dimitris was cursing in Greek as he grabbed onto the back of my neck and my arm, pushing me towards somewhere, probably to give me a lecture about indecency. He made a left turn and took me to a room full of couples watching a woman on her knees with a man plowing her from behind while another man's dick was in her mouth. The woman was in a frenzied state, wild like a pure nympho.

" _Is this what you wanted?_ " Dimitris growled into my ear, teeth grazing, hands slowly cupping my ass before they went lower. "You want to be treated like this? Look at her—listen to her screams... you want to scream like that?" I bit into my lip when his hand slid in between my butt cheeks, he continued his slow glide until he was touching the front, pushing the soft string of my thong aside before dipping his middle finger in. The grip on my neck became tighter, making me flinch, and at the same time, I was rocking my hips on his finger. "You're not coming, not yet," he bit out and then pulled me to move again, away from the sexual display.

In my high state, I had no clue about the direction we were heading. He just kept on going; a quick elevator ride, a few quick turns and then he finally to a dark room. He still held me around the neck, I could barely see anything as he pushed me to walk farther in, and then I saw the huge tank with sharks in it. A Bullhead? A Tiger? Fuck, was he going to kill me? It looked like this was a theatre or a man's place where they enjoyed a cigar and talked because there were a lot of leather chairs around.

I took a sharp breath. Somehow, my haze slowly registered my surroundings, but it still wasn't enough. I suppose the weed was quite strong because I would've been all over the Greek's ass by now, however I was calm again. "Dimi—" I attempted to spin around, trying to have him take his hold off my neck, but he immediately took charge and kept my head forward, pushing me against the tank of sharks. The water was extremely blue as I watched the predators glance my way, eyes sharp, preying.

"Don't you fucking start with me, Lindsey Mason!" Dimitris hissed against my ear before I heard the drop of his pants. He yanked my scrap of lace to the side and entered me in my anal hole. I sobbed, trembling from the excruciating pain and pleasure of his invasion. "You want to hurt? Well, let me do it for you, _yineka mou_. I can hurt you well enough," he gritted out, pushing the head further into me, still somewhat dry because I wasn't prepped properly. "You're so fucking tight!" he growled and then used his hand to push down on my back, lowering me for his convenience before I splayed my hands on the cold aquarium glass, gasping and shaking.

"Did you let him in here?" he bellowed, slowly pumping in and out of me. " _Did you?_ " He pulled my hair, slowly turning my head around to face him. "Did you let _him_ in here or any other man?"

I shook my head, shaky. "No. Only you."

Dimitris grunted something in Greek and snaked his hand around my belly then lower towards my wet crevice, teasing it with two fingers before giving each of my ass cheeks severe spankings, one after the other in swift successions.

Mother hell. "More!" I moaned, my fingers curling on the glass, my nails making that eerie, hair-standing kind of scratch.

"Have you missed my cock fucking your ass, yineka mou?" Dimitris gritted out as he slowly put his middle finger inside my wet pussy, thrusting it as he started to fuck my ass to the hilt, wet and raw, all for him.

"Every day," I choked out, knowing it was the damn truth.

He pulled his fingers from my pussy then moved my hair to the side, both hands around my dainty neck, rocking me harder. "This is my ass. I fucking own it. Only I get to fuck it."

Shit. Harder.

I was gasping for air, going out of my mind from the insane quivering of my body. I was so consumed by the tremendous feeling I was going through that I panicked when he pulled out of me and certainly blew my fuse when he slid into my pussy and fucked me harder than before, into an earth-shattering release. "Dimitris!!! Hell," I screamed with my face now on the cold aquarium glass, not caring that the sharks where rounding about, curious.

Dimitris was still on his last furious strokes before unleashing his semen into me, angry and cursing when I felt his mushroomed head expand then spill into me, pumping in roughly before slowing down, throbbing inside me while his cock still twitched, expanding, much to my delight. "If you want to be a whore, fucking see me because I'll fuck you until kingdom come—until your cunt is beautifully fucked up." He trailed kisses on my back, massaging my ass cheek, smacking it again. "Drill that into your pretty head, yineka mou."

What about Claudine? The question popped out of nowhere, but I shoved it down, not fucking caring about the damn French woman because the man that mattered was inside me, throbbing and giving my body what I craved the most... him.

He slowly pulled out of me, fixing my underwear back into place, while his semen still slowly leaked out of my pussy. He spun me around and kissed me—consumed me, bared me and annihilated everything that I was. _I wanted this—so fucking much_ , I thought as I kissed him in the same fevered passion, clinging on to him. Never had I felt this rush, sparking me, lighting me like a firework. Everything was vivid, beautiful and in sync with everything around me.

I didn't know how long our kiss lasted, but I knew that kiss changed me for good. There was no denying it; as much as I had wanted it not to be the case, I was his. Sadly, I didn't even know it back then—but he had and he'd tried to tell me. I didn't pay heed or simply pause long enough to even wonder why he had thought that.

"Stay with me tonight," Dimitris whispered against my lips, not wanting to let go as his hands pulled me closer against him. "I need you—give me everything, tonight."

Anything. "Take as much as you want." I had so much to make-up to this man, my ex-husband.

Dimitris made sure my dress was decent before we left and headed towards the entrance of the villa, where he let the valet know that he was leaving. A suited man pulled up with a black Phantom, greeting Dimitris and opening the door for him. Silently, I followed inside the cool, black leather seats.

I had my room key and cellphone so when I needed to leave tomorrow morning, I wouldn't have trouble getting back to my hotel. I watched as the driver joined the sparse traffic with the sound of Maria Callas playing softly in the background. Dimitris took hold of my right hand, kissing it before pulling me closer to him.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Those glow in the dark eyes penetrated into my soul before I gave him half a smile.

"No, of course not."

He looked into me, hypnotizing while I only felt his touch as my world suspended around us. Closing my eyes as my lips parted, lavishing on his gentle touch of my face, wanting more from him. When his thumb grazed my bottom lip, my tongue darted out, tasting him.

"Lindsey," he uttered, heady, potent with lust.

I wanted him, now, here, forever if I could. Whatever happened from here on out, I wasn't going to run away. If the rumors were true about his impending marriage, then I would still be his—if he wanted me. I would willingly be his mistress, if he so wished it. As long as he was a part of me—someway, somehow — I'd be it. No matter the cost. This realization brought me more in tuned with his needs and wants. When I heard him growl, my hand cupped his shaft through his pants before unlatching them and pulling his cock out to stroke it.

I was past everything. _The only thing that matters is this man_ , I thought as I straddled him, pushing my underwear to the side and slowly pushing myself down his shaft, enveloping it, eating it whole.

The driver must know what we were up to, but Dimitris didn't stop me and I sure as hell wouldn't be stopped simply because there was a curious audience. I fucking wanted this man and I was going to have him, now.

Cupping his cheek, I watched as he stared at me while I slowly rocked on his length, our eyes not breaking contact. "Dimi..." I whispered, full of emotions, far from comprehending this profound need and lust to be with him all the fucking time, however, I did understand one thing. I understood that I was his; solely and profoundly his.

"Take me, yineka mou. Want me as much as I want you," he rasped out, watching me with hooded eyes as I rode him, hard and fast, before I cried out my release, seeking his lips. I was drowning in him as he roughly pushed in and out of me until he spilled his seed inside me.

_I love you_ , I silently said, resting my head against his chest. Saddened and at the same time, trying to tell myself that I shouldn't dwell on the past. I should, instead, live this moment. For I can't undo the past and make him mine.

Dimitris wanted my body tonight... not tomorrow or the day after, but tonight. So, I was going to give him a night he wouldn't forget. I was going to own his body. He wouldn't want any other woman the way he'd want me.

**Dimitris**

"Dimi," Lindsey moaned as she shifted her hips, dreaming.

We had fallen asleep a couple of hours ago and I was up again after I took her for the third time. Watching her now, I was ready for round four. Give me Lindsey anytime of the day and I would be hard like my cock was on a Viagra because it always hardened when it was around her.

Slowly sliding the sheet from her naked body, I hovered above her, licking her nipple then biting it slowly until the buds were nice and hard. Lowering myself, I licked and kissed around her delicate hips, until I got inside her thighs and bit into her scrumptious mound.

Lindsey moaned, hips slowly rotating while she remained asleep. My finger caressed her pussy lips a few times until I parted the folds. My cream immediately gushed out, indicating that she was pretty much filled with it.

_Fuck_. Stroking my cock a couple times, I used my head to scoop up the semen that slid off her and inserted it back inside her hold. Once I was sure I had gotten it all in there, I immediately positioned myself and carefully entered her hot channel.

"Fuck, I'm so fucking addicted to you, yineka mou."

"Dimi," Lindsey moaned, though when I checked, she was still sleeping. My lips sought her neck, kissing it as my hand slowly lifted her hips, angling her in order to gain deeper entry.

My teeth playfully bit into her neck and her ear as I closed my eyes, wanting to keep this feeling bottled in so I could have it with me, forever. "I hate you when you're not with me, but when I'm inside you—" I let out a groan when she tightened on my shaft, it was a sensation beyond bliss as I fucked her a little harder. "All I feel is how much I'm in love with you."

My hard pounding finally woke her. With sleepy eyes, she squinted at me. "Again?"

Always. I would want this body if I was blind, if I couldn't hear or taste. Always. "Give this body to me. Make it mine, yineka mou. Whatever happens, I want this body available for me. Anytime. Anywhere."

She looked puzzled, mouth slightly hanging ajar. "Why—what about—"

"We need this." I kissed her, withholding nothing. "I need this."

"Anything for you," she moaned, using her heels to push against my butt so I would go deeper into her pussy. "Whatever you want, Dimi. My body is yours."

When she said that she was mine, my body reacted like a true animal, getting my prized possession—this woman, who owned my heart, yet had no clue how much power she had over me.

"Goodnight, baby," Lindsey murmured, eyes closed with a smile on her face.

Holding her close, I hugged her with both arms wrapped around her body, not wanting to sleep. I didn't want this to end. Ever.

"S'agapo, agápi mou."

# Chapter 25

The next day, I woke up to the sound of a ringing phone. I was about to cuss out loud when I heard _his_ voice. It was then that I remembered what had happened last night. I spent the entirety of it in his arms, barely getting any sleep at all because Dimitris was insatiable, taking me in all the ways I could be taken.

Smiling at the memories of last night, I was about to slide out of the bed when I heard him say, _Mon Ange_. Claudine. Half sitting on the crumpled bed, I stared at the cracked door, concentrating on his voice as he spoke in fluent French, sweet and cajoling with her.

It fucking hurt. Inside, my heart constricted, slowly bleeding for the man I had lost—for the man I had pushed to be with another woman. Wiping my teary face, I almost ran into the bathroom and started the shower, past caring that it was ice cold because I didn't give it time to adjust for the temperature I preferred. Being doused with icy water felt so much better; it certainly helped ease my heated skin.

_I made my bed_ , I thought calmly. I just had to make the best of it. No one would know. This would be my secret—Dimitris's kept woman. His whore, as he kindly put it.

After I was sure I was fully washed and clean, I came out of the shower, taking my time applying lotion and drying my hair before pulling the robe on, ready to see him. I was taken aback when I found him sitting on the foot of the bed, phone in his hand as he probably waited for me to come out of the shower.

"Good morning," I greeted, slowly going to him before wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him, thoroughly.

"I have to fly out to Paris," Dimitris uttered against my lips, bringing me back to reality with a loud thud. "You can come with me, if you like."

Paris? Sharing him with Claudine in the same city? Not going to happen. When he was mine, I wanted him all to myself with no other woman to distract him. "No thanks," I said coldly, slowly pulling off his body and then hunting down my clothes that seemed to be scattered all over the place.

I was getting pissy. I wanted to throttle him and at the same time make love to him and never let go, but my anger was getting the best of me because I was already imagining him with _her_ , tonight and for the next few nights. Maybe I should just let bygones be bygones and make this a good one-nighter with Dimitris rather than a longstanding liaison.

With my clothes in hand, I strode towards the sofa and pulled my robe off, knowing that he was watching me change; determined to say my goodbye before I walked out of that door. Now dressed, my eyes scanned the room for my shoes. Where the fuck were they?

"They are right around the bar, remember? I had to take them off because I wanted to suck your toes while I fucked you." Dimitris calmly supplied the information, eyes not leaving me.

"Great. Thanks." I strode past him, aiming towards the bar and found my heels. Grabbing ahold of them, I sat on the stool, putting them on as I pushed my hair to the side.

"You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you? When do I get to see you again? We can meet in New York next week, if you like," he spoke behind me.

I did agree to be his fuck buddy—in the middle of a blasted orgasm—begging him not to stop, ever. That was then, and this was now... fickle was my mind. I wanted him like no other, but could I really stomach knowing that I was sharing him with another? Knowing that I'd only be his quick jaunt in between flights before he went back to her? No. Now that I was thinking straight, I wasn't capable of sharing him. I wanted him for me, mine alone, mine to have at any hour of the day, but most of all, I wanted his heart—the same one I had shattered and sent to Hell. How could I even begin to repair the irrevocable damage I'd put him through?

My body tingled when he placed a kiss behind my ear. "I can only stay twelve hours, though, but I believe that would be enough time to satiate our needs, _ne?_ "

"Dimitris, about that—I don't think I can..." I gently spoke, slowly letting him down.

He growled against me, not pleased at all. "Last night you told me I could have you whenever I wanted. Are you always this deceitful?"

"I don't—"

"Enough. I should know better than to believe any words that come out of your lying mouth. I sometimes get too caught up with your beauty and how good you feel when I fuck you, but it doesn't change what you really are inside... just an empty shell of a woman—selfish and only caring for her needs. I guess I should be grateful that you divorced me because I don't want to be stuck with a woman like you," Dimitris spat his venom out, volatile. "I'd rather die than be married to you, Lindsey. So, thank you, from the bottom of my blackened heart, I salute you for cutting me the trouble." After the words parted from his lips, he left, slamming the door behind him, never coming back.

I cried. For the very first time since my parents' funeral, I cried like I'd never done before. I had lost the only man who loved me, through my ugliness, through my stupidity and stubbornness, I had finally pushed him out for good.

It had been a week since I got back, and I was still moving around like a zombie. I'd ignored all of Brody's attempts to talk it out and more so, I ignored Amber's existence.

Their betrayal latched onto me like a bad vice, but what killed me inside was losing Dimitris because I was being a stupid woman. Acting like a complete bitch was my forte so I continued on being one, pushing everyone away so that they didn't have to see the cracks inside me. The ones I was paying heavily for because I was in love with a man I couldn't have to myself.

I was still a piss poor wreck of a woman. For the life of me, I just couldn't get my shit together, no matter how hard I tried.

In the morning, I got out of bed and took a long hot shower. Thoughts of him were keeping me awake, like flashbacks my mind remembered the good times with him. Greece. It was embedded into my system, into my soul, making us one. Whether I accepted it or not, it was not up to me to decide.

After my long hot shower, I sought something I hadn't seen in a year. My wedding ring. _Mihi es et tibi sum_ engraved inside. _You are mine and I am yours_ in Latin. Cradling it in my palm, I kissed it as tears slowly slid down my face.

"Mihi es et tibi sum," I whispered slowly. "You are mine, Dimitris."

I silently vowed.

I'm going to fight for you, O sýzygós mou.

# Chapter 26

A few hours after I found my wedding ring, I got online and booked myself for the next flight out to London then to Athens. I left my house before the crack of dawn and drove towards LAX, more determined than I had ever been in my life.

I landed in Athens right around two in the afternoon. Checking into my hotel then depositing my things in the room, it was almost five when I got to Dimitris's office. It was the same one where I had signed my divorce papers. Ha, the irony. The joke was definitely on me.

With purposeful strides, I sought the concierge desk, hoping to see Dimitris.

"What time's your appointment?" The sleek woman with a dark bob arched her brow at me, bitchy.

Okay, I was going to try and play nice. "I don't have one. I didn't think I needed one."

"Sorry, but you have to make one to be able to see Mr. Kosta. He just doesn't see anyone. He's a very busy man." She went on, blinking her pretty long lashes at me as if I looked too lowly to be able to see Dimitris.

Okay, making myself pretty after a long flight from Los Angeles wasn't on the top of my list. So this bitch could just suck on it! "Call and tell him that Lindsey Mason is here."

She shook her head. "Sorry, we just don't accept random people."

Mother hell, she was beyond unreasonable. "You better make that call or so help me God I will call Elias Kosta and have you fired right this instant." The daft woman momentarily paused before muttering something in Greek.

Good, name-dropping Elias's name had worked. At this point, I'd drop everyone's name, even Bass's, to get me through to Dimitris. I was on my last rope here.

"Ms. Mason, his secretary said you aren't on the list of people that could be put through," she informed me, eyes glittering with amusement, possibly thinking I was pure bullshit.

Fucking hell. Whatever. "I'm his ex-wife! Surely, I don't need to make one?" I screeched at her, enough for that damn secretary of his to have heard me and my rants.

The receptionist's mouth made a perfect "O" before she alerted the secretary again.

Just like that, things worked my way. A tailor-dressed man escorted me to a private lift. I wasn't paying attention about where-to or how-to at this point because I was busy rehearsing my speech that I had practiced in my head.

When I arrived on the top floor, I was greeted with silence. There was no one around. Cautiously, I stepped out of the lift, hesitant as to where the hell I was. Where was the damn secretary from earlier?

I literally jumped out of my skin when I heard a booming voice behind me.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Dimitris was leaning against the glass frame, eyeing me with reservation, distant.

Dear God, I'm so in love... and so fucked... and I love it. _How could he go to work looking like that?_ I wondered when I saw him, feeling a little crazy already. My eyes devoured him on the spot. How could I even think I could forget a man like him? Where was my brain then? God, I was beyond stupid.

Licking my dry lips, I responded in earnest, "I wanted to talk."

Without blinking, he effortlessly shot back, "You know my number; you could've called."

I had been too paranoid thinking that he wouldn't pick up my call, that's why I had hopped on the next flight out to Athens. Also, the fact that I needed whatever excuse to see him. "Are you busy? I'll can come back some other time." Again, I was too caught up in my own mind that I forgot to consider if he was in the middle of something.

Dimitris laughed, darkly. "You think I'd be busy when you announced yourself as my _ex-wife?_ You're here to cause trouble, aren't you?"

Shit. I didn't mean trouble, not like that. "I didn't think—your receptionist was being difficult. What the hell did you expect when she was being a total bitch?" I complained, remembering how difficult the woman was.

He shrugged, nonchalant. "They're paid to do their jobs."

Dimitris strode past me towards the bar, making me drool in my mouth and my nether region.

What was I thinking coming here? What did I expect? Just because I realized I was in love with him... he was still with Claudine and hated my guts... maybe some other time, perhaps? When his mood was a tad lighter?

"Um, I don't feel too good. I'll be leaving now," I mumbled, sweaty as I spun around and strode towards the elevator, ready to escape.

"That elevator won't work without my fingerprint," he called after me, like a warning that he was about to lose his patience soon. "So, you're staying until you tell me what made you fly across the Atlantic."

I just froze, eyes not blinking. _Fuck_.

Dimitris smirked, shaking his head before popping an olive into his mouth. "Lindsey Mason doesn't have a feisty comeback? Were you in an accident that affected your brain function?"

"No." I wished I had been, though, because I wasn't sure my brain was working properly, let along thinking for me.

"I'm waiting for you to explain yourself. Don't tell me I cancelled a multi-million dollar meeting for this? Don't anger me more."

Fucking, fuck, _fuck_. "You _cancelled?_ " I squeaked, intimidated.

"This is the first time I'm getting a visit from my beautiful ex-wife. Let's just say... _I'm curious_." Dimitris eyed me for a second before directing me a question, "Can I get you something to drink?"

Hell, I was thirsty, for him. "White wine would be good."

After handing me a glass, he addressed me again, "I don't have all night to cater to you, Lindsey."

Okay, here goes nothing, I suppose. "I wanted to talk about what happened in Milan."

Dimitris's eyebrow rose, uncaring. "What about Milan? We were both consenting adults, who had too much to drink and enjoyed a night of shagging." He wasn't making this easy. His tone and the fact that he was acting like a complete dick made me want to throw the contents of the alcohol on his face again. I was contemplating it while I stared at the contents when he spoke, "Don't even think about it."

"I wasn't," I lied.

"Enough with the stalling, Lindsey," he snapped before his cellphone started shrilling in his breast pocket.

When he started speaking in French, I knew without a doubt it was Claudine on the other end, picking up on his subtle tone, just like he used to be with me.

Grow up, Lindsey. Amber was right. Though I still fumed from her keeping that epic secret from me, she was right—not that I would openly admit it—about Dimitris being a good man. I was too messed up to see it. Now, here I was, thinking that I didn't deserve him, nor did I deserve Brody. I was unworthy of any of them.

Even though I admitted that to myself, a part of me was still bitter and jealous of Claudine. It was stupid because I was the one who demanded it before, but now... things have changed. "Does she know that you've cheated?"

He glanced at me, eyes slowly darkening before inserting his phone back into the inside pocket of his jacket. "She knows."

_Claudine does?_ Then why are they still talking or even together for that matter? "She's okay with that?"

"She thinks I'm just getting rid of my rebellious streak. So that once I marry again, I won't have any."

Twist the knife in more, _why don't you?_ I deserved it. When he said marry again... did that mean he was planning to marry Claudine soon? How much time did I have? I wanted to puke and die on the spot.

Nervously, I glanced away. Not knowing how to say or put it any other way. "I've missed you," I murmured, feeling like I shouldn't be even saying these things to him because I was horrible and selfish.

Dimitris thundered towards me, nose almost touching mine. "What do you mean, _you miss me?_ " he spat, infuriated.

What the hell? Why did he have to be such a jackass about every single thing I'd said since I got here? He was riling me up, about to blow-up a shit storm if he kept pushing me. "What the fuck do you think it means?" I fired back, incensed. Furious at him for making it so difficult. It was as if he was mocking me somehow, but I was more pissed off that I had been stupid enough to come here in the first place. "You better activate that elevator before I—"

"Before what?" he shot out, face enraged, not backing down.

_The look before a storm_ , I thought as I took in how angry he was. "Before I air out all your dirty secrets!" Okay, I didn't know any, but I was too furious to care what came out of my possessed mouth. I was hurt and in love with him combined with the fact that he was being such an infuriating SOB I wanted to punch him.

He hurled his empty glass towards the elevator doors, past enraged and now to the point of no return. "You signed a bloody contract. I could sue you, but on top of that, I'm embarrassed for the world to know that I married a cheating slut!"

_Oh, yeah?_ Go to hell! "A slut you enjoyed very much. A slut you couldn't get enough of. What does that make you?"

Dimitris eyes sparked wildly, piercing me over and over again. "I'm a man. I'm not immune to beautiful sluts. Yes, beautiful, but _a slut_ nonetheless."

My palms were on fire. They were just aching to connect with his face, his head—everywhere—as long as I could hurt him good. "FUCK YOU!"

"You enjoyed it as much as I did. Is that why you're here? Did you miss having sex with me?" He came closer, looking like an insatiable predator. " _You've been missing my tongue?_ Your boyfriend didn't eat your cunt the way you wanted him to?"

"You—you—stupid, asinine, fucktard of the highest order!" I smacked him, ready to draw blood.

His hands caught me, almost twisting them so I would stop fighting. Eyes like beautiful, rare gems; hard, cold and empty. "You're starving for me, my beautiful slut?" Dimitris goaded me to a boiling point, past and beyond reasonable.

"Fight me, you stupid, Greek fucker."

"Why waste my energy for that when I want to fuck your sweet pussy, cum all over you—your lips, your tits—and fill you with it. Why waste it at all?" Dimitris wasn't even smiling. In fact, he looked dead serious.

I tried to wiggle my hands away from him, but he was unyielding. "LET. ME. GO."

"No. Not until you get what you sought me for." He stared at my lips before yanking me against his chest, both of our hearts were pounding rapidly against our chests. He breathed into my ear, "This is getting you wet, isn't it? Let me lick you. You know you're craving it."

Maybe I did, but I wasn't going to just open my legs and let him go at it. "Stop."

I was a mess when those large, powerful hands of his took their familiar route to my nether region, seeking out my sweet spot, which was already aching for his touch. "Dimi—" I sobbed, shutting my eyes.

"Dimi, what?" He nibbled on my lobe before he released a groan of satisfaction when he found me wet and slick, just like his hunch, I was ready for him. "Yineka mou... how wet you are. My mouth is salivating for you." He kissed the side of my neck, nipping it while his fingers were teasing not probing, around my clit. "Submit to me and you'll get whatever you want."

"What do you want?" I asked, throwing my head back, giving him more access to the delicious way he was arousing me through my neck.

"Stay for a few more days. I want your body twenty-four seven, at my beck and call. Whenever. Wherever. If you're tired and sleepy, too bad, you will have to cater to me."

I wanted him so bad. Sex. Would I be able to penetrate his armor through it? "What do I get in return?"

"What you came here for—to be treated like a slut. I will satiate your appetite and you wouldn't want any other man. Please me and my cock will be your slave. It's all I'm good for to you so I'd rather use my tool to make your body mine."

Mother hell, like I could ever run away from him? "Three days."

" _Ne_ , three days."

Swallowing my pride, he slowly became my Master. "What do you want now?"

Dimitris let go of me, eyes flicking towards the marbled flooring before he gave me direction. "Get on your knees, mouth open. I want to see you gag with my cock down your throat."

Three days of Dimitris... I was already quivering from the anticipation of having him inside me. Now on my knees, I looked up to meet his blue gaze, mouth slowly parting for him.

He didn't even take his pants off, instead, he simply pulled the zipper down, taking his rock-hard shaft out before placing it against my bottom lip, tracing the shape of it with the tip of his head, slathering his pre-cum on me. "Hungry?"

"Ravenous."

He growled as he watched me open my mouth more, ready to take him. "I'm going to fuck it. All you have to do is open and suck. Can you do that for me, my beautiful, wanton woman?"

I barely gave him a nod when his cock was partially shoved into my mouth, his hand on the back of my skull, driving for more. My hands were gripping the sides of his hips, levering myself from his rapid thrusts that were hitting the back of my throat, demanding more.

"You suck me so well, Lindsey," he bellowed, his thrusting becoming more frenetic, adamant. He wanted me gagging, drooling and full of his length—he did that and then more. The crazier he became, the more willing my mouth catered to his pleasure. "Beautiful," he gritted out, climbing towards his orgasmic completion. "Eímai dikí̱ sou." _I am yours_. "Gia pánta." _Forever_ , he breathed out, eyes closed, throbbing magnificently.

Swallowing his seed, I gently slid his length out of my mouth, releasing it with a pop before getting on my feet. His eyes flickered open when I was eye level. He took a couple of steps forward to kiss my cheek while I trembled from his slight brush against my skin.

"I should ask you to join me for dinner like a true gentleman should, but after what you just did to me and my ever growing need to be inside you, to fuck each other senseless is far more dominating in my mind than the mere thought of food," he whispered against my ear, thumb rubbing the outline of my nipple while I tried to hold myself up. "Will you do me the honor and grace me with an abundant supply of your cunt tonight?"

Holy mother hell of kinkiness, as if I'd turn down a proposal like that—especially coming from him. "How fast can you get us back to your villa?"

Dimitris grinned before dragging us toward the elevator, eyeing me the whole ride with perfervid hunger, torrid lust and vehement appreciation, but when I did the same, he wasn't all that appreciative. "Stop looking at me like that, Lindsey, because I won't be accountable for my actions. I will take you inside this elevator and give my security team a good show." He gripped my hand before bringing it to his lips. "I don't want to do that. Sharing is something I never do—one way or the other. No one gets to see your naked body except me."

Here goes his possessive streak, driving me more in love with him. "Stop talking, please. You're not helping," I complained, trying to mute him out of my mind because his voice was sending way too many naughty thoughts and I needed him, now, inside me.

"Fuck!" Dimitris cussed before he fixed his pants just in time as the elevator dinged into the lobby, breezing through it towards the entrance then hopped in his Roadster.

He didn't utter a word nor glance in my direction until we were stopped by a red light, making him cuss colorfully in several languages. Without hesitation, his right hand snaked in between my thighs, nudging the tiny garter to the side, dipping his finger in to gauge how moist I was for him. He then, as he usually did, sucked on his digit, tasting me with fervor. "God, you taste even sweeter than I remembered," he groaned before driving like a maniac the second the light turned green. From then on, we never paused until he got back home, in lightning speed.

Dimitris barely killed the engine before he was out the car, yanking my door open and without even caring to shut it because he was too busy hoisting me onto his shoulder and almost running into the house. It was then that Thea came to greet us, shocked at seeing me, but most of all shocked that I was holding on for dear life to Dimitris's shoulder. "Kyrios—"

I could hear his grin when he saw Thea's face. "Don't prepare dinner. We'll be busy for tonight. Oh, Ms. Mason will be staying with us for a few days," Dimitris shot out, climbing the stairs like I was a sack of potatoes.

Dimitris got us into his bedroom in haste. Instead of placing me on the bed, he shifted my body, using his strong, powerful arms until I was facing him. My legs clutched around his hips and my arms wrapped around his neck. He was studying me while caressing my face before I saw his Adam's apple bob up and down.

Licking my lips, I gently angled my face to kiss him, wanting to channel all of the pent-up emotions that had been wreaking havoc in my heart, in my soul and in my body. This beautiful Greek man had come into my life, charging in like a true Greek warrior—fearless, chivalrous, tenacious and unapologetic—holding his ground as he pursued me.

My blackened, poisoned heart, he made hopeful.

My ugly soul, he made beautiful.

My tattered faith, he resuscitated.

If three days were all I could ever have with this man, then I would cherish those days and keep it with me. I would lock it away and live everyday with the knowledge that there was once a man who loved the grotesque part of me, no questions asked.

Every day I would regret letting him go. I would live with the pain, the sorrow and my lost dreams because I was a coward. My memories of him would become a part of me; one that I would cherish for as long as I lived. One I would go back to and remember when I was feeling worthless. One I would rehash like a broken player when I felt unloved. Yes, this man had given me so much more. More than any man had ever influenced my life. He gave me hope and courage to survive. He taught me that life had a beautiful side.

No one could take that beautiful piece from me. For it was mine, and only mine to keep. Forever, in my heart of hearts, in the depths of my squalid soul, I would hold it with me, never letting go. Even from my death, my rebirth and my afterlife, I would keep it with me.

"Dimi," I moaned, clinging onto him, in desperate need of him, now.

He groaned as he carefully placed me on his bed, peeling my clothes off and yanking my lace thong before pressing his sculpted body against my heat. "Tell me what you want, omorfi mou."

_I liked this question_ , I mused, smiling wickedly. "I want torque."

Dimitris came up from my breasts, looking pissed off. "Who the fuck is Torque? You better tell me now before I kill the son of a bitch!"

My possessive Greek man... so predictable, aren't you? "Torque is what I nicknamed your tongue because it feels like one."

"Is that so?" Dimitris looked devilish, ready to devour me as his hand skimmed my inner thigh, stroking my slit before parting it with his middle finger. "Wet, aren't we, my beautiful siren?"

I bit my lip, letting my body bask on the tremors of his making. _Dimitris... this body was made for you to play with._

"Will you let me taste your juicy cunt?" He was swirling circles on my belly button with excruciating efficiency and I was past being patient.

Fuck. Please. "Stop teasing me." I rocked my hips, inviting him to dwell on my throbbing heat, aching for his touch.

"In due time..." Dimitris was enjoying my agony or he was just taking his sweet time, but hell, I was in torment with arousal.

I was burning with it. Impatience had become my name and surely, patience had never been my strong suit. "Forget it, let's just go to sleep!" I snapped, shutting my legs closed, shifting away from his body to slide off the bed.

Dimitris gave a hearty laugh before he grabbed my hips and tilted them up, licking my butt before he made his way into my wet folds. FUCK. "You're not getting off this bed until you can't walk straight because your legs are shaking and you need me to carry you around. I'm going to fuck you in and out, up and down, side to side until you're nonsensical and can only think of my cock, my pounding and my seed inside of you. Do we understand each other, yineka mou?"

"All macho talk, but no progress," I taunted, compelling him to growl and flip me in an instant, pushing me on all fours before he brought his face into the crevice of my ass, hands pulling the cheeks apart, tongue darting inside my anus. "Oh, dear... fucking mother of all things holy!" I screamed when he inserted two fingers in my wet channel at the same time that he kept up his anal ministrations.

Dimitris had his tongue between my butt cheeks, growling into it before his tongue unleashed its full tumultuous capacity, bringing down Heaven as he went about. I was so out of it that I didn't even realize when he removed his fingers, pulled both of my hands behind my back and used his belt to tie them together, bound while my head laid sideways, uncaring because his tongue was relentless.

My backdoor hole was so wet that his shaft slid inside me with ease. It still made me cringe from the stinging pain, but the ongoing pleasure it brought, made the combination more addictive.

"I'm going to fill you in all holes, agápi mou," he hissed, left hand gripping my ass cheek while the right held onto the belt, binding my hands together as he bulleted in and out of me at lightning speed. It didn't take long before I came twice, and he got his, spilling into me with determination.

After three back-to-back sessions, I declared a cease-fire. "No more. I need a break," I panted out, sweaty and in need of water.

Dimitris laughed into my hair, sending delicious tingles all over me as he slowly pulled out of me, lying on his back with his head facing me. "I think it's time I feed you. My cooking skills are limited, but I make a killer ham and egg crepe."

"I would love that," I whispered, closing my eyes.

Dimitris planted a chaste kiss on my forehead before sliding off the bed. I think I dozed off for a few minutes because he had to shake me a bit. "Will you sit up for me? I just want to put a shirt on you before we go downstairs to eat."

Grunting in compliance to his request, I sat up and he covered me with his white dress shirt, pushing the sleeves behind my elbows. "There. I've always wanted to see you wear one of my dress shirts and I think you look more lovely than what I had even pictured." He grinned before kissing me softly.

"You think of me quite a lot, don't you?" I murmured, half asleep before he carried me in his arms with my head on his shoulder.

"You have no idea."

# Chapter 27

By the time we got downstairs, the smell of freshly brewed coffee past midnight had awoken me. So I watched the scrumptious man whip up food to feed me, wearing black, Armani boxer briefs and nothing more. Sexy was not enough to cover it. The urge to capture this moment and send it to Trista—because she's hilariously kinky like that—was simply too hard to resist. "Baby, can I take a video of you?"

"For your eyes only? I can only indulge yours." His eyebrows rose, chopping ham and red pimientos.

I grinned, leaning over the counter as I placed my chin on my palm, entertained. "Bummer! Trista would have loved to see you like this."

"I don't share you and I expect you to do the same." He came over and kissed my nose before setting down a cup of coffee and urging me to drink it.

"This will keep me awake!" I complained, sipping the hot drink.

Flipping the crepes before he spun around and winked at me, he said, "That's the whole point. I like you wide awake and screaming. You should know that by now."

He placed a crepe on a plate and brought it over to me. With a fork in his hand, he cut off a piece and held it up to my lips. When he said _feed me_ earlier, I hadn't expected it to be literal. "Aren't you going to eat any of this? I mean it's delicious, but I don't want to be a pig and finish all this without offering you some."

"I will, but after you're done. I like watching you eat. It seems that everything you do is very fascinating to me." He took my coffee and drank from it.

Dammit, I was already his, didn't he know that? When he talked to me this way, I couldn't help falling for him some more. "I really like you, too, Dimi." I grinned at him, eyes lusting over his gorgeous physique.

True to his word, he delivered his promise all night long.

Of course, I woke up late and, when I did, he had already left for his office. I remembered waking up and him kissing me on the cheek before going to work. He must've thought that I was fast asleep, but I had heard him. "Sleep well, my love."

Okay, I knew I shouldn't nitpick words because, let's face it, we just had a brilliant sexfest and men tend to worship the women afterwards, but I couldn't help it, I was over the moon with joy. If he loved me, even just a fraction of how much he used to, it would suffice. As long as his heart was mine, I'd do anything for him.

During my late breakfast, Thea informed me that Dimitris expected me for lunch in his office. Like a truly enamored woman, I took extra time and effort to make myself pretty. I needed him insatiable, lusting and panting after me, the same as I was with him.

When I got there, he was talking to someone on speaker. The moment he saw me, however, he gestured for me to come over. His eyes were dancing as he saw me approach before pulling me in between his legs.

"I've missed you," Dimitris whispered against my cheek, cupping my face. Then his hand went under my dress and in between my thighs.

My eyes were saucers as I looked at the wicked man, knowing what he had in mind. His middle finger gently traced my slits before he dipped half of his finger in and pulled it out. I watched as he slowly brought that to his lips, sucking it.

It was then that the voice on the phone interrupted us, asking if Dimitris was still there. "I'm listening. Tell me more about the quarterly report and what other marketing strategies your team has planned to make it better for the next quarter," he shot out, serious as hell, before pressing the mute button, focusing on me. "Where were we?" Dimitris hoisted me on his desk and roughly peeled my underwear off, placing them inside his pocket. "I hate these things on you. Don't wear them when you're with me, agápi mou."

Dimitris placed me on the edge of his desk while he sat, eyeing my exposedness with feral eyes. "Scream as much as you want. No one can hear your screams of pleasure except me. I want to hear you cry out my name over and over again."

He used his torque on me till I was screaming out Dimitris's name, exactly as he had wanted. I didn't even try to rationalize how much we were all over each other before we'd even hit the twenty-four hour mark, but who cared? I sure as hell didn't.

Still coming down from the racketing highs of my orgasms, Dimitris broke through my thoughts. "You look gorgeous when you come," he uttered, eyes full of admiration before he got back to the call, where we heard his name being asked. "Send me the reports by tonight, I want to study them a bit more."

"Were you paying attention to the poor guy?" I was highly amused that he couldn't get enough of me, but I also didn't want to come between his work.

"I'm a great multi-tasker. You should've known that by now or haven't you noticed?"

Cocky and self-assured, just like a true Kosta. "Thea said I was expected for lunch? Are we going to eat somewhere?" I asked, looking about his office.

He got up and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Somewhere would be accurate. Are you ravenous?" He guided me towards the lift, holding me against him as he looked down on me, face smiling.

Ravenous? Very much, but not for food. "A bit. Where is somewhere, exactly?"

"You have to wait. Come here and kiss me again, Lindsey. I've been missing you too much." Dimitris pulled me against him, not wanting to part from me.

I loved this about him. Even if it was only temporary, I could pretend that this was normal—that there was no tomorrow, only today. "You had me all night, Dimi," I murmured, meeting his lips, as fevered as he was.

"It's never going to be enough... never," he declared while I moaned against him, hands clutching on his lapels. "Promise me that I can have you whenever I want. Promise me this body's only for me and my pleasure, mine and no other man's. I want you, so fucking much. You're all I think about."

Claudine could take a hike. "Yes, I promise. I'm yours, whenever you want." _Forever, if he so wished it._

"You're perfect."

I was the perfect imperfection, but I wasn't going to correct him.

I was far to bewitched by my dreams to allow that.

I woke up to a soft splash then it dawned on me that Dimitris took me to his yacht—the very same one where we spent the night after getting married. He never voiced out loud why he had brought me here so I never asked because the question felt like a landmine. Asking a question about our tiny jaunt called _marriage_ was a subject that would rock this perfect little world we had made for ourselves. I wasn't ready for it to blow up, but of course, life would take its course—and as expected, it was never my cheerleader.

"How long was I gone for?" I sleepily asked, reaching out for the man who was busy with work.

Dimitris was typing on his laptop before he threw my phone on my lap, not glancing at me. "Your boyfriend sent you a text message. You should go ahead and check, he probably misses you very much. Little does he know, his woman is coming on another man's cock—pussy filled with my seed. Hell, maybe I got you pregnant already, what would your boyfriend do then?"

Whoa, where the hell did that pregnancy joke come from? "I'm on the pill. So, that's not happening." What did Brody want now?

"Right, I forgot. You don't want my children. You don't want my name. You don't want any of my money. Nor do you want me. The only thing I'm useful for to you is giving you orgasms, but apart from that, you'd rather be anywhere else other than here," Dimitris spat out before closing the lid of his laptop, sliding off the bed in all of his glorious nakedness. "Get dressed; we're going back to the mainland."

"Dimitris— _wait, what?_ I thought we were staying overnight?" It was what he had told me earlier, wasn't it?

He shrugged. "Not possible, reality kicked in and I can't accommodate that. There's too much at stake and I've been slacking enough."

Oh. "How much time until we leave?"

Dimitris looked over my befuddled state before replying, "Whenever you're ready. I'll be on the deck waiting."

The ride back to his office was uneventful. It was already eight in the evening when we landed on his office building's helipad. "Dimi, wait." I caught up with him, inserting my hand around his arm, needing to be close to him. I didn't say anything until we were inside the elevator, on our way down. Studying his stern reflection from the gold plated walls of the lift, I was wondering if Brody's text was the culprit of his mood shifting. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. Some things can't be helped," he calmly uttered indifferently, however he did not thaw a bit.

I eyed him, weary and confused by his immediate withdrawal from the sweet man he had been a few hours ago. When we arrived at the lobby, I was surprised when he unlatched my arm from around his, guiding me out of the elevator until I stepped out. He pressed his finger to the hold button on the pad. "The car's waiting upfront, ready to take you back. I have some stuff to work on. I'll see you when I get home."

"What time will that be?"

His jaw ground together. "I don't know."

I was about to say something when he let go of the hold button, thus making the doors close and leaving me in a limbo. What had just happened? Was this his way of telling me that he was done with me?

After all, I only had tomorrow then I was going back home. The way he gazed at me before those elevator doors closed upon him, made me tremble inside. Once upon a time, he used to look at me like his world revolved around me, but not anymore.

That man was indubitably gone.

Deflated, I fought the urge to cry heaps when I was inside the confines of his car, being chauffeured towards his home. I even skipped dinner since my stomach was too nervous with worry. The thought of putting food in was too much to handle.

At ten when I was still agitated that he hadn't arrived yet, I opted for a long bath, using all of the lavender oil to help ease my nerves. It helped, though only a tad.

I was coming out of the bathroom, fresh from my bath when I spotted him lying across the middle of the bed, dressed with shoes and all, his necktie loose. He had unbuttoned his dress shirt that stopped mid torso.

Those beautiful gems zeroed in on me. "Take that towel off and slowly come to me," he commanded, voice throaty, eyes hooded with desire.

"I'm wet. My hair—"

My excuse didn't even deter him. "Come here and let me lick every drop of wetness from your body."

How did I expect to stay mad at his cold treatment of me earlier when he came back like this? He wasn't playing fair. Treading cautiously, I walked towards him, dropping my towel on the way.

"Sit on me—on my cock—and touch yourself while I watch you," he directed as he pulled his pants and boxers down, baring his rock-solid state.

Biting my lip, I straddled him, sitting on his hardness. Licking my middle finger, I lowered it on my nub, rubbing it in circles while I gently rocked on his shaft, hypnotized at the sight of him, by the look he was giving me. After a few minutes of tortured pleasure, I was ready to move on.

"Let me fuck you," I panted out, frenzied on his length as I cupped my breasts.

"No, not yet."

His cock was beyond hot, hard and so ready to be milked by me, but he was adamant about making this foreplay last longer.

"How does it feel to have something you want so badly almost in your reach, but you can never have it?" he rasped out, rubbing me viciously.

"Frustrating," I breathed out. "Painful." Dammit. _Fine_. Let's play it by his rules, but I needed more of him. I was lowering my head, ready to kiss him, when he moved his head to the side, avoiding my kiss. WTF? "Kiss me!" I demanded, getting impatient from his combination of a hot and cold personality. When he didn't say anything, I repeated it again, not moving anymore because I was getting this weird feeling in my stomach again. "Why won't you kiss me?"

"I want to _fuck_ you, Lindsey, not _kiss_ you."

Son of a gun! "Go fuck yourself then!" I yelled at him before my palm connected to his face, moving off his body.

No man was going to treat me like this, even if I gave him permission to be his sex puppet for a few days, he'd at least give me some sort of respect. There were instances where he would say something that would be disrespectful, but I knew, deep down, his need matched mine, that he was doing it out of passion. What had happened just now was something else. He was being hateful on purpose because he wanted to hurt me.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? I'm not done with you yet!" he roared, his mood volatile.

I was still walking towards the closet, needing to cover myself when I shot him down. "Well, too bad because I'm done with you!"

A loud yelp came from me when I was grabbed by the shoulder and spun around to face him. " _What did you just say?_ " he said through clenched jaws, about to lose it.

My left hand found the base of my throat, wondering what the hell was going on. "I said..." I stuttered. "I'm done with you," I said, out of breath.

"Tell me again!" he demanded, eyes not leaving me as he caged me in the corner of the entrance to the walk-in closet.

Licking my lips, I searched his eyes. "Dimitris—please."

"Tell me again, Lindsey! Fucking drill it into my head," he pressed on.

"I'm done with you." I closed my eyes. Tears were slowly forming as my body tensed when I felt his palm against my heart.

"Open your eyes." I did, nervously so. "Look at me. Look into me—do you see the man you once vowed to be with forever?" he asked in a tone that was so low, it sent shivers all over me.

Shaking my head in response, I uttered, "No."

"Good. That man is gone," he declared, lifting me as he entered me in the roughest fashion. A low groan came from me when he slid my body against the wall while he pummeled in and out of my channel, purring from his invasion. I was a few strokes away, tightening around his length, when he stopped, acting like the demented brute that he was. "Dimi, please. You're being cruel!"

I didn't know what came over me, but when I saw his gaze drop on my lips, I just couldn't help kissing him. His slightly parted lips were unresponsive, but I didn't care. I wanted him, so I did. I kissed him like he was the only man for me while I writhed against his shaft lodged deeply inside. He was so big—even if he wasn't moving—the pleasure it gave me was still amazing. "Oh! Oh!" I panted out on his lips while my leg opened a little wider, the other hooked against his hip as I sought my own pleasure. "I'm close," I gasped, almost shrilling, begging for him to end my agony.

Dimitris groaned, taking charge as he carried me to the closet's circular lounger, placing me in the middle before pounding me into the furniture. "Do you love my cock, my beautiful slut?"

_Seriously?_ "Yes!"

"Do you love what I'm doing to you? Making you mine?" he continued, drilling me hardcore. I had already come twice.

I was all over the place, gripping him, holding him, stroking him and kissing him while I lavished on the beautiful thing he was giving me. "More than anything."

"Do you love me?"

Wait, _what?_ Dimitris was staring into me while fucking me at the same time, waiting. _Shit_. "Yes," I whispered shakily.

Something flashed in his eyes before the feral look appeared. "I want to hear you say it, moan it and scream it while I fuck you."

"I love you." So much.

"Louder." Pace picking up, rocketing me to Heaven at a whirlwind rate.

"I love you, Dimi," I screamed it louder, making the sound of my own voice ring in my ears.

"Better, but not enough!"

Oh my God, he was acting crazy! "I love you, so much," I repeated over and over again, deafening us both before our bodies took over, roaring waves one after another in quick, electrifying speeds.

He bellowed wretchedly, coming into me, panting against my lips, riding the beautiful madness with me. My head thumped on the cushion and I was about to pass out when I felt his gaze. Slowly lifting my head, my eyes questioned him.

Dimitris froze, pausing before locking me in hell. "Liar," he gritted out before pulling out of me and going straight into the bathroom, running himself a shower.

I woke up without him again, but this time, there were no messages or invitations issued for me to join him for lunch. When the clock struck midnight and he still wasn't back, I conceded and went to bed, feeling like the world was on my shoulders because they felt heavy, hot and unbearable.

I didn't know what time he came back, but when I felt the covers being lifted and a hot body sliding close to me, I was beyond relieved that he had come back, at last. "Where were you?"

"Go back to sleep. We'll speak tomorrow," he spoke, not glancing at me before he turned on his side, away from me.

Yes, the message was loud and so very clear. I was being dispensed slowly. I had just gotten the memo, thank you very much. Since right now was today already, I needed to know the details of my departure. "What time is my flight tomorrow? I don't remember for some reason."

Sex was phenomenal, but I was hurting inside. The past couple of nights were enough. I would still see him whenever he wanted, but I needed to be away from here. Even though Claudine was "accommodating" when it came to his sexual needs, I couldn't help being bitter that I was the one waiting. Knowing how I felt about him, it was painful to realize that I was just a body to fill the void before he went back to her.

Dimitris took his time before finally answering my question, "You don't remember it because I never said anything."

Of course he didn't. As long as it didn't involve his dick, he didn't care much at all. "Could you tell me when then? I have to set my alarm and call someone to get me when I arrive."

I could hear him call someone on his phone, speaking harshly as he demanded something from the person. After less than five minutes, I got what I needed. "You can leave whenever you want the day after tomorrow, my pilot will be on standby."

"Okay, thanks," I mumbled, dying a thousand deaths inside.

There were no bids of goodnights and sweet dreams. We slept apart. Dimitris was careful not to touch me. The old Lindsey would've grabbed him and demanded answers, but this new, troubled me was hesitant because if he shut me down, I doubt my self-confidence could ever recover. Coming here to see him had been a gamble, but I wasn't sure if I should all-in with my pride, too, since my heart, body and soul already belonged to him.

# Chapter 28

The next day was the same drab affair. It was all me, myself and I trying to not have a mental breakdown when I didn't hear from him. I also tried not to think about the fact that not once did he reach for me last night.

My hopes of him coming home for dinner, yet again, were dashed when he didn't show up for my last night in Greece. It only proved the fact that he was through or maybe he had gotten his fill somewhere else. For all I knew, he probably flew to Paris last night and had Claudine all night long.

Raging mad? Hell yes.

Do I want to hurt him for making me wait in vain? Fuck yes.

Will I take him back if he asked me to be with him? In a heartbeat.

Hopeless, suited me quite well enough.

Alone in bed, I woke up with a heavy heart, knowing that I would be leaving today, not knowing if he was going to see me off or not. The clock indicated that it was almost lunchtime. Since he had said that his pilot was on standby, I wanted to leave after I ate a small meal.

I suppose my life would be just like that plane; on standby for Dimitris, ready and willing whenever he wanted me. At this point, I loved him so much he could ask anything of me and I wouldn't decline it. Also, I wanted to make amends from my past mistakes. I knew sex wouldn't be enough to make up for all the damage I'd caused him, but it was a starting point.

Now, freshly dressed, I was leaning over the mirror, applying my gloss when he appeared in my view. I immediately noticed the roguish look he had with the stubble on his face. Sexy Greek.

"Hello. Are you back for lunch?" I asked, returning to my application of my make-up. After a few minutes without a reply, I glanced at him again. He was just watching me, nothing more. "Is something the matter?" I cautiously asked, afraid of what would come out of his mouth.

Dimitris met my eyes in the mirror, emotionless. "Yes, I'm not ready for you to leave, yet."

I was all packed, ready to go, and I didn't understand what he was saying at all. "But I thought you said that the pilot will be ready today? Why would you say that when you're not ready for me to leave yet?" I asked, baffled. _Why haven't you touched me for the past two nights?_ My heart silently, added.

The monotonous man kept on going, "I want you to leave, but watching you right now, I realized that I'm not ready to let you go, yet. I need a few more days before I let you walk away, forever. What we have is great sex and I love it more than anything. The promise I asked you... doesn't matter anymore. You're free to be with anyone once you leave my home."

What happened? _Was it Claudine?_ It had to be. "What's changed? Are you having sex with _her?_ "

"No. I haven't, but what you and I have is not something I'd want to carry on when I commit to someone."

" _You're committing to who?_ Claudine? I thought you said you guys had an open relationship?"

"She threw an ultimatum this afternoon."

He was choosing her. I nodded. I got it, I did. "I—I need a moment to myself, please. I need to think."

"I'll be on the patio. Don't be long, Thea made your favorite."

Yeah, a death sentence that came complete with my last meal.

# Chapter 29

Dimitris had to go to London for the rest of the afternoon so I stayed indoors, mending and wondering how the hell I had managed to agree to his "extra few days" of being enslaved to him while remaining sane.

I was in the living room, lounging as I listened to some jazz, reading the thriller novel I'd been meaning to read when a snake interrupted my moment of relaxation.

"I see you're quite comfortable in my future home. Enjoy it for another day because you won't be stepping foot here again." Claudine appeared into view, looking polished and catty.

How did she get in here? I hadn't heard the doorbell. "What are you doing here? Dimitris is not here."

"I know. He's in London. I came here specifically to see you, Lindsey. Don't you think it's time to let go of your lost toy? You've forsaken Dimitris for a long time and then, the minute you hear he's happy with me, you come back to pry your way in. Look at you, though, you're his whore while he hasn't promised you anything." Claudine walked slowly, stepping before me, poised and determined. "You know why? Because he promised it to me." She extended a hand, showing the reason why as she displayed the enormous engagement ring she was wearing. "I'm taking over as Mrs. Kosta soon. Are you sure you want to be around for that? I suggest you go home. I took the liberty of booking you a flight back. It'll be leaving in the next hour and half. So, you best get your move on... unless you still want to be a whore to an engaged man."

She's lying! "I don't believe you. Dimitris never said anything about going to Paris to see you."

Claudine rolled her eyes, looking at me like I was the dumbest person she had ever encountered. "Who said I've been living in Paris? Dimitris bought me a penthouse. I've been in Athens while you chased my man around. You're getting really pathetic."

"I don't want to hear anymore lies." I stood up, ready to leave and hide upstairs when she unleashed her final barb.

Claudine snorted, tickled with laughter. "Where do you think he's been when he's not fucking you? Have you ever wondered that? That's all you're good for—his plaything to visit once he needs to scratch a filthy itch—that need to feel like an animal once in awhile because that's all you're good for. Of course, you're welcome to stay around when our engagement gets announced in the next few days. I'd have to convince him to house you somewhere else because I don't want a whore around my house." The stupid bitch had the audacity to give me a little wave before leaving me in a state of panic.

I was paralyzed, but my heart was breaking, so badly.

_It's over_.

I thought I had a few more days with him, but after seeing that ring and knowing of his nightly visits to her, I just couldn't stay. No matter how much I loved him, I couldn't be around when any of this wedding stuff happened.

He did say he only needed a few more days before he was ready to let me walk away. Well, I'm taking hold of my destiny now and I didn't want to be a part of that.

I'd had enough.

**Dimitris**

I intended to come back home two hours ago, but the meeting got delayed and there were too many problems to go through, so leaving the London headquarters early was out of the question.

Climbing the few steps before letting myself into my home, I went straight to the patio, knowing that she usually was out there, reading a book with a glass of wine. When I didn't find her there, I went around the first floor rooms just to make sure I hadn't missed her.

Maybe she was upstairs then, I decided as I passed my Thea.

"Kyrios, Miss—"

I shook my head, climbing the steps. "It's fine. Dinner can be served later," I said, interrupting her.

I was stretching my neck as I entered my bedroom, half expecting her on the bed or something, but she wasn't in it—or anywhere, for that matter. My heart was palpitating as I listened to the tiny voice in my head, telling me that she had already left me.

"Lindsey?" I called out, entering the walk-in closet. As I entered, I saw it had been emptied of her things; she'd left nothing behind.

She had left.

Again. Will I ever learn?

I sat on the cushion, feeling at a loss. Her scent surrounded me here and I didn't want to leave it.

# Chapter 30

For two days after I got back from Athens, I couldn't eat anything. It was Friday night so the house was busy with the girls getting ready to go out. I was in the kitchen, making a cup of coffee to boost some energy into my system when the doorbell rang.

"Shit. That must be Taylor! Can someone get it?" Trista called out, scurrying to finish getting ready.

Pulling the door open, I almost peed in my shorts when I saw Dimitris. "I thought you didn't want to continue—" I stuttered, trying to figure out what he wanted now.

"I didn't."

Okay. "Then, what are you doing here?"

"You left when you still had a few more days with me."

I see. Did he come back to collect those days? "I'm not—you decided to end things with me. Why are you here, Dimitris?"

Straightening his stance, he slid his hands inside his jeans, face unreadable. "What do you think, omorfi mou?"

If he was going to ask me to continue this stupid farce, I was going to pummel him to the ground; in love or not, I wasn't going to let him get away with it. "Let's continue this in my room before someone sees you," I uttered, nervous of any of the girls would see him. That would be the last thing I needed, seriously.

Upon closing the door, I was more than taken aback when Dimitris pulled me against him, demanding. "Why did you leave?"

"You were hurting me, Dimi." I tried to look away, but he wouldn't let me.

"I am hurting, too. For once in your life, stop hiding from me, from anything. If you have anger or hate towards me, tell me to my face. I know I deserve it. My attitude towards you has been abominable. I fully deserve your hate so don't hold back telling me just how much."

Where did I even begin explaining? I had to start from the very beginning. I gathered my courage and took a deep breath, preparing to tell him where it had all started. "At a young age, I was surrounded by betrayals. It's difficult when you grow up that way because you end up being screwed up, thinking that people are always out to hurt you. When I saw my mom cheating at a young age, the guy she cheated with ended up convincing me that what Mom was doing was right—that a woman's body was a powerful weapon to use—to make men succumb so they would do whatever we wanted. He—Uncle Brandon was my father's best friend. Betraying my father's trust and love didn't even stop him from coming into our home every night when dad was away on business.

"One night, he caught me watching them. I thought he was hurting Mom, but I thought differently when Mom kept begging him not to stop. The next day, he took me to the carnival with his niece. When it was just the two of us in the car, we talked about what happened, what I saw." I raised my eyes to meet his then, needing him to see the woman that I am, what I am.

"He touched me, just playing with it while telling me that men always fall for it. The worst part was that I liked it. I didn't know that it was wrong because Mom liked it and I thought then that Mom did everything right. So, on certain nights, after he was done with her, he'd go inside my room and touch me, sometimes with his finger or with his tongue. The night he promised that he'd show me more tomorrow, was the last time I saw him because he was caught by another woman's husband while he was screwing his wife and he shot him while he was having sex with her.

"Dimitris, this is only a part of my messed up childhood, but I've told you the worst. I thought I was still in love with Brody—but I didn't know that I was already falling for you—unbelievably hard, I didn't know what it was in the very beginning because I'd never felt anything like it. I'm sorry... for everything... you don't know how much I regret causing you so much pain. I deserve this hell that I'm in. Karma got me good when Claudine showed up, showing me her engagement ring."

I smiled through my tears, but kept on going. "As much as I love you, I didn't think I was strong enough to stay and wait for you to come back from your trip in London. I could only stand it for so long without breaking down." I swallowed my tears, braving it out. "I'm happy that you've found someone that will be loyal to you. You deserve it, to be happy." Slowly moving away from him, I sat on my bed, downcast.

Dimitris followed, sitting next to me with his finger on my chin, lifting it to meet his troubled face. "You _love me?_ "

He knew, didn't he? "I did tell you—that last time in the clos—"

"I demanded that from you. You simply didn't tell me." He was wiping my tears when he asked me the next question. "When did you realize that you were falling for me?"

"I realized it before Milan happened."

Dimitris was frowning, frustrated. "That long... _and you're just telling me?_ "

He hadn't being all that nice then, was he? "I was scared... you were with her. I was sharing you and that was painful."

Dimitris dropped his head on my shoulder before groaning against my neck, holding me. "I've never touched another woman since I had you in Milan. I never had sex with Claudine after you left me—the time where you divorced me. I had a few other women, but that was me convincing myself that I could move on from you. The truth is, though, I always come back to you, even if you wish me away.

"The night I left your blankie, I wanted you back, but you looked happy with him. I thought he was the best for you because I couldn't make you look like _that,_ you were somehow unhappy with me.

"I knew you'd be in Milan. I knew I shouldn't see you, but I caved in, thinking that I could stand watching you from afar.

"The lies I told myself were laughable because, when I saw you, not once did my eyes stray, they were stuck on you. I was enraged about your poor choices, but somehow, when you are in my arms, when I'm with you, I'm fighting a battle that is unattainable. I knew that you would always be my downfall. The only woman that could bring me willingly to my knees." He paused, breathing hard, seeking for my hand.

"You don't know how many times I fought with myself that night, almost begging for you to return to me, but after what you put me through, I couldn't do it. I wanted you to want me as much as I've wanted you. I wanted you to come to me—fight for me—because you felt the same. When I saw you step out of my elevator, I thought you had come there to tell me what I had longed to hear, but you're a very stubborn woman. You never make it easy.

"When I made you tell me you love me, it gave me immediate happiness—completeness—but after a few minutes, that feeling faded away because I knew I'd asked it of you. Those words weren't meant with your heart. I never wanted to marry Claudine, but when she threw that ultimatum, I used it to my benefit, hopefully to make you see and realize that you might feel something for me other than sex."

He pulled away from my shoulder, meeting my teary sight. "You see, I've never stopped loving you. I don't want to marry anyone else because you're the only wife I can see—the only one I want. I know we're divorced, but you're my wife. Your scars and wounds are mine to heal. Your love is mine to nourish. Your tears are mine to turn into laughter, and your fears—together we'll overcome."

My tears were unstoppable, so was my love for this very man.

Dimitris held his hand over his heart. "You're here because I said those vows and meant them. I vowed to cherish you. Love you, _forever_. That's you, yineka mou." He kissed my hand, choked up. "I'm yours."

_"Mihi es et tibi sum."_ You are mine and I am yours.

"I love you, Dimitris Kosta." I took his hands, kissing the insides before kissing each finger, sealing it with my tears. _"Mihi es et tibi sum."_

## 31

# A month later...

I was ushered into the room, still weary from my six-hour flight from Los Angeles when I saw a figure come towards me.

The man of my life.

"I thought you'd never get here!" Dimitris exclaimed, lifting me off my feet, squeezing the life out of me as he kissed my neck and face. "Three weeks without you was unhealthy." He nipped against my ear, growling as he did so, making me squeal with delight. "I need some sustenance. We only have a weekend to ourselves, yineka mou."

"I kind of like this... if you're always like this each time I see you—crazy and can't get enough of me—then I'm not complaining."

"Tell me this after we've had our weekend, you might be changing your mind," he uttered before kissing me senseless.

Separate countries and different continents wouldn't stop us from making this work. We were bound by our love.

No matter our schedule, we would make it work because what else was there in life other than falling in love? It was the entire purpose of our being, testing our limits to how much pain and suffering we could endure. The best gift of all was finding that profound love—the kind that shifted the earth and quaked the ground. The kind that breathed you in and let you fly—soar higher than possible—freeing you from your past.

Love taught me.

Love freed me.

Love was healing me.

This world was ours. For I was his and he was mine.

Together, we existed. Together, we dominated. Together, we conquered.

Home, I was definitely home.

_Mihi es et tibi sum._

**Lindsey & Dimitris**

You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly."

Sam Keen

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