Page 22 of Penniless Cinderella for the Greek
‘It’s silly. An irrational fear from something that happened when I was younger.’
Dimitris thought of how his stomach cramped whenever he was driving and saw a lorry travelling in the opposite direction. He had to steel himself not to hit the brakes and trust that the lorry wouldn’t collide with his car. ‘Events in childhood can affect us when we are adults,’ he said gruffly.
Savannah sighed. ‘It was nothing really. I fell off my horse when I was thirteen. I wasn’t a very confident rider, but my father insisted that I learned to ride because he said it was what posh people did. He spent a fortune on a thoroughbred horse, but Merlin was too big and strong, and I couldn’t control him. I was competing in a gymkhana in front of a big crowd when my horse refused to jump over a fence. I was petrified,’ she admitted. ‘Merlin stopped dead and I was thrown over his head. I remember being in the air and looking down at the ground, knowing it was going to hurt when I landed.’
‘Were you injured?’
‘Not seriously, luckily. I was bruised and shaken. While I was lying on the ground and crying, my father stormed over and yelled at me for being stupid. He was furious that I’d made a fool of myself and him.’ Savannah bit her lip. ‘My father always made me feel that I was a disappointment to him. Needless to say, I never rode a horse again. When I was standing at the top of the cliff, I imagined myself falling.’
‘I would not have suggested doing the photoshoot on the beach if I’d known about your fear of heights.’ Dimitris frowned. ‘When we knew each other before, I had the impression that you and Richard were close. You often spoke about how wonderful he was, and I believed you were a daddy’s girl.’
‘I pretended that he was the kind and loving father I wished he was. I think I hoped that if I imagined hard enough it would be true.’ Savannah sent Dimitris a wry glance. ‘I was good at make-believe. I fooled myself that you were in love with me because I was looking for affection that I didn’t get from my father.’
Dimitris cursed silently. Richard O’Neal had told him a shocking secret, but it was not up to him to explain the truth to Savannah. Only her mother could do that, and perhaps Evelyn had her reasons for withholding information that Savannah had a right to be told.
‘Now Richard is dead you might find it easier to talk to your mother about how you felt that he hadn’t been a loving father,’ he suggested.
Savannah shrugged. ‘There’s not much point now. Mum is struggling to come to terms with the fact that my father was a criminal.’
Dimitris stood up and offered his hand to help her to her feet. Savannah’s issues were not his business, he reminded himself. After the photoshoot she would return to her life in England, and they were unlikely to meet again. It was odd how his heart sank at the thought.
When Savannah put her fingers in his, he remembered how she had trusted him when they’d climbed down the cliff steps. She rose gracefully to stand beside him, and he tensed when he breathed in the seductive scent of her perfume. Her eyes widened and were more green than hazel. Dimitris was certain she felt the prickling awareness in the atmosphere between them. His heart was thudding, and he could not make himself move away from her. She was so beautiful. His brain told him to resist the hunger that heated his blood, but his gaze was riveted on her mouth as he lowered his head towards her.
One kiss. That was all he wanted.Liar, he mocked himself. He was desperate to pull her down onto the sand, remove her clothes and his, and make love to her.Desperatesuggested a lack of control that Dimitris would not tolerate. He jerked away from Savannah, breathing hard. Her parted lips were a temptation he must resist. Colour spread over her face at his rejection, and he felt bad. But she’d just told him that she had yearned for affection from her father. Her vulnerability now made her off-limits.
‘We should get on with the photoshoot while the daylight is still good,’ he said, already striding up the beach.
The cookery book would give Savannah an income in royalties that would allow her to pay her mother’s nursing home fees. Years ago, Evelyn had helped his sister and it was for that reason he’d asked Savannah to photograph his recipes, Dimitris reminded himself.
He cursed when he searched in the backpack and discovered he’d left a bottle of olive oil behind in the kitchen studio. ‘I’ll have to go back for the cooking oil while you start setting up your camera,’ he told her.
But when he climbed the steps to the top of the cliff and looked down at the beach he saw that Savannah had taken advantage of his absence to pull off her shorts. She tugged her top over her head, baring her breasts. Dimitris’s mouth ran dry as he watched her wade into the sea wearing just her knickers.Theós!She would tempt a saint, let alone someone as flawed and guilt-ridden as him. He did not deserve her, and Savannah deserved a much better man than him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘MYNEWRESTAURANTin Crete opens tomorrow night. I’d like you to come to the launch party with me.’
Savannah looked up from her laptop screen as Dimitris strolled into the small sitting room off the villa’s open-plan living area that she used for an office. Working in the evenings gave her an excuse to avoid him, which was vital after he had nearly kissed her on the beach a week ago.
Her face burned as she remembered how he’d stopped when his lips had been centimetres above hers. It was not the first time Dimitris had rejected her, but it would be the last, she vowed. Hence after they ate dinner together at the end of a long day working in the kitchen studio she always headed straight to her office. It was unfortunate that the window overlooked the pool where he swam most evenings. The sight of him wearing black swim briefs that left little to her imagination evoked an ache of longing low in her pelvis.
Dimitris had made it plain that he wasn’t interested in her, and never again would she offer herself to him as she had done at his house in Richmond, she promised herself. Her plan to get him out of her system hadn’t worked, Savannah acknowledged ruefully. But they were halfway through the photoshoot, and outside of working hours she just had to avoid him as much as possible for the next three weeks. That would be difficult if she accompanied him to a party.
‘Surely you have a PR photographer to take pictures at the launch party.’ Savannah turned her attention back to her screen. Dimitris looked gorgeous in jeans and a loose cream shirt with the top buttons undone, giving her a glimpse of his tanned skin and wiry black chest hairs. She prayed he couldn’t see the betraying hard points of her nipples beneath her thin cotton dress.
‘My public relations team will take promotional photos at the restaurant. I intend to use the event to promote my new cookery book and I’ll give a couple of interviews to the media. I need you there to talk about how you photographed the recipes.’
He crossed the room noiselessly and Savannah snatched a breath when he spun her chair round so she was facing him. ‘There’s no need for you to work editing photos until late every evening,’ he said with a frown. ‘The schedule for the book is on track. The launch party of Hestia’s Crete will be a good opportunity to raise your profile as a food photographer. The restaurant is the tenth in the Hestia’s chain since I opened my first restaurant here in Rhodes.’
‘Did you use the money you accepted from my father to fund your business?’ She could not hide her bitterness. It was important to remember that Dimitris had broken her heart once before. Savannah sensed it would be easy to fall for his sexy charm again. When they worked together in the studio she’d discovered that he was clever and entertaining, and he had a sharp wit. He made her laugh with stories about the various kitchens he’d worked in when he’d been a junior chef. It was dangerous to like him, Savannah reminded herself.
‘No,’ Dimitris said heavily. ‘I spent the money from your father on a house for my grandparents and to pay for some of my sister’s medical treatment. Everything I have achieved in my career has been the result of the long hours I spent perfecting my cooking. I was lucky to be given some great opportunities and worked hard to get to where I am today.’
Savannah chewed her lower lip. ‘I don’t have anything to wear to the party.’ It was the only excuse she could think of.
‘Leave it to me. I’ll organise a dress to be delivered to the villa tomorrow.’
‘I don’t...’ She broke off when Dimitris gave her an impatient look.
