Page 21 of Penniless Cinderella for the Greek
‘I know thatpastitsiois your favourite dinner,paidí mou.’ Dimitris spoke to his sister in an indulgent tone that Savannah had never heard him use before. Something twisted inside her that she was ashamed to admit was envy. Dimitris loved his sister and he had loved his grandparents. After he’d dumped her, she had told herself that he was heartless, but now she had evidence that it wasn’t true. He just hadn’t loved her.
Once again Savannah’s feeling of insecurity, that stemmed from her father’s indifference, surfaced. When she was a model, men had admired her for the way she looked. Ten years ago Dimitris had wanted to have sex with her, but he had trampled on her girlish dreams of romance and happy ever after. Now she was going to spend the next six weeks working with him and living in his home, but she would be on her guard against his potent charm.
Dimitris opened the bifold doors of his kitchen studio and took a deep breath of sea air. He loved the villa, and his favourite place was the studio that stood apart from the main house. Below the cliff was a secret beach, accessible by a set of steep steps carved into the rocks.
The studio was not just his workplace where he developed recipes and ran his business empire, it was his sanctuary. The views of the bay and the crystal-clear sea were stunning. His own piece of paradise. Not bad for a boy who had grown up in a rough part of London and failed most of his exams at school because he’d been too busy helping to run the restaurant and taking care of his grandparents and orphaned sister to have time to study.
He had money, two beautiful homes and a flashy car—all the trappings of success, but there was an emptiness inside him that material possessions could not fill, and guilt was a dark shadow over him. He’d distracted himself with sexual liaisons with women who understood that he wasn’t in the market for a relationship. But since he’d slept with Savannah two months ago he’d felt restless. On the few occasions recently when he’d invited a woman to dinner his libido had taken a hike and at the end of the evening he’d driven them home rather than ask them to spend the night with him.
Things had been worse since Savannah had come to stay at the villa. His awareness of her was a constant throb in his groin and he felt like a teenager fired up with hormones. He told himself it was a normal response to a beautiful, sexy woman. In other circumstances Dimitris would have pursued his sexual interest and instigated an affair. But he held back from Savannah for the same reason that he had fought his growing feelings for her years ago.
For eleven magical nights her sweetly passionate response to him had aroused his body and touched his soul. She had made him forget what he had done, and that he did not deserve her love. But when Savannah’s father had more or less forced him into a despicable deal, Dimitris had accepted money from Richard O’Neal because he felt responsible for his grandparents and sister. He acknowledged that it had given him an excuse to break up with Savannah before his fledgling feelings for her had deepened.
Dimitris raked his hand through his hair. Usually he was relaxed while he was working on a new book, but he felt edgy and unsettled. For the past two weeks he had spent hours every day with Savannah while she photographed each stage of the recipes he prepared. He hadn’t employed a food stylist or art director because he liked to keep things simple he’d explained on the first day of the shoot, when she’d asked about other members of the art team.
While Savannah was taking photos she often had to lean across him for a close-up shot of a dish, and Dimitris knew from the giveaway pulse thudding crazily at the base of her throat and the swift rise and fall of her breasts that she was aware of the sexual energy between them, and trying to ignore it, as much as he was.
There was a month remaining of the schedule to complete the cookery book and he hoped his self-control would last. It had to because he could not risk sleeping with her. He knew she was attracted to him, but he sensed that she would hope for more than sex if they had an affair. But sex was all he wanted. Physical satisfaction without commitment. He had hurt too many people in the past, including Savannah, and he didn’t want anything else on his conscience. Knowing that he had caused his parents’ deaths would haunt him for ever.
His nostrils flared as he watched her slide off the stool where she had been sitting at the counter and working on her laptop. Like him, she was wearing denim shorts. Hers were cut high up on her thighs, and her long legs had acquired a golden tan from the warm Greek sun. Her vest top moulded her breasts, and it was obvious that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
Desire kicked in his gut as he imagined slipping his hands beneath her top and fondling her breasts. He watched them bounce when she walked towards him, and his jaw clenched. Her hair was caught in a high ponytail with blonde tendrils framing her face. She looked at once wholesome and sexy and she was sending him out of his mind.
‘I’m ready when you are,’ she said, hooking her camera bag over her shoulder. ‘I’ll admit that when you suggested cooking and photographing the seafood recipes down on the beach, I thought you were mad. But I’ve been looking at the mood board we created before we started shooting. All the other shots have been taken in the studio and although we have used different props it will be good to do something different.’
He nodded. ‘It would be easy to take a picture of the sea or the beach and use it as a backdrop, but I want readers to almost smell the salty air and feel the sea breeze when they look at a photo of absolutely fresh prawns cooked with ouzo and a rich tomato sauce.’
Savannah grinned, and for once her diffidence with him slipped. ‘You’re making me feel hungry.’
You are having the same effect on me.
Dimitris gave a silent groan and turned away to pick up his backpack, which held the ingredients he would need plus cooking pans and a portable stove for outdoor cooking.
‘The beach looks an awfully long way down,’ she said minutes later when she stood beside him on the top of the cliff and looked over the edge.
‘I’ll go first. The steps are steep but take it slowly and you’ll be fine.’ Dimitris had climbed the steps hundreds of times. He paused halfway down and glanced over his shoulder at Savannah. She was pale and looked terrified.
‘I’m not great with heights,’ she admitted.
‘Theós, why didn’t you say so?’
‘You planned to do the shoot on the beach, and it’s my job as a professional to take the photographs that you want.’
He swore. ‘Turn round and climb back up the steps. We’ll think of another idea.’
‘No.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I’m all right. Let’s keep climbing down.’
Dimitris did not know whether to admire her determination or feel frustrated by her stubbornness. He walked up the steps to where she had frozen and held out his hand. ‘Hold on to me and we’ll go down together. I won’t let you fall.’
She took his hand without hesitation, and he felt a mix of emotions at her trust in him. Would she have such blind faith if she knew that his stupid behaviour had been the reason his parents had died? He was at a loss to understand the urge that had come over him to tell Savannah about the accident. He had never admitted to anyone that he had been responsible, not even Eleni—especially Eleni. His sister’s childhood and teenage years had been ruined and he was to blame. All he could do was ensure that Eleni’s life was as good as he could make it.
While his mind was in the past, Dimitris had made a slow descent of the steps and guided Savannah down. She let out a shaky breath when they reached the bottom. Some colour had returned to her cheeks, but he couldn’t forget how scared she had been.
‘What a beautiful, secluded beach. It was worth the climb.’ She kicked off her trainers and ran into the sea to paddle. ‘The water is so warm. I wish I’d brought my swimsuit. Is it safe to swim here?’
‘Yes, there aren’t any strong currents.’
Dimitris set up the portable stove on some flat rocks and walked over to where Savannah had sat down on the sand. She was staring pensively at the waves that rippled against the shore. ‘Why are you afraid of heights?’ he asked, dropping down beside her.
