Page 31 of A Diamond Deal
‘Not any more.’
The first time they’d got married in a spectacular event in an Athens cathedral, she’d needed only his word. She’d thought their agreement would last forever, with no need for a way out. A way to end them.
She needed it now.
‘I don’t trust you,’ she admitted. ‘I want it in black and white. A contract outlining Léon’s debt, and that you’ll sign it over to me. I want to know the duration of the agreement and a list of what events I must attend, details of our sleeping arrangements—’
‘And the sex?’
‘The sex?’
‘Am I to add a no-sex clause for the remaining duration of our marriage?’
Poppy held her breath and counted to ten.
If she didn’t build a divide now, would she want to later?
She couldn’t takethatrisk.
She didn’t trust him not to change the rules if they weren’t written down. But most of all she didn’t trust herself.
‘Yes.’ She released a steady stream of air through her lips. ‘Add it.’
It had been a tease. A flippant counter-argument to ask her if she wanted a no-sex clause in her preposterous request for a contract.
Konstantinos hadn’t expected her to agree to it—to demand it.
He’d told her the truth. She’d dismissed it. As if it didn’t matter. As if the reason she’d walked away—left him behind—was still reason enough to request a divorce. She didn’t want him to touch her.
His chest heaved.
She didn’t trust him.
Not to keep the vows of the marriage.
Not with her body.
A rage so hot—so ferocious—erupted inside Konstantinos’s chest. Whatever chains had held him back—held his tongue in check—snapped. He couldn’t contain it—couldn’t hold back—the fire rising in his throat.
‘This is not a business negotiation,’ he said, each word a rough growl spoken from his chest. ‘I am your husband. You are my wife. And you treat me like a stranger. As if I would take advantage of the things you don’t want to give.’
Heat bloomed on her cheeks.
‘You request these things as if I do not know the beauty spot beneath your left breast,’ he continued, because he couldn’t stop. ‘As if I haven’t kissed it with my mouth—felt its texture with my tongue.’
He watched the emotions flit across her face. The rise of heat blooming on her chest deepen the pinks on her already warm cheeks. The flare of her nostrils…
She wanted him.Still.
Her hands, so small, rose to her midriff, and she entwined her elegant fingers. Pressing her fingertips into her knuckles.
‘Youarea stranger to me, Konstantinos.’
It speared him in the chest.
Her dagger of indifference.
‘I’m no stranger to you,’ he hissed. ‘I know every inch of your body. I know your scent. I know…you.’
