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CHAPTER ONE

NIKOS LAZARO PETRAKIS stood and glared out at the sparkling sea beyond the offices of Xanthippe Shipping, his self-built empire, but he didn’t see any of it The words he’d just read in a text burned into his s for things he could never allow hiht

We need to talk Meet ht Serena

Serena Ja hilad when the excuse to banish her from his life had presented itself He hadn’t heard froo She’d walked away fro otten, but her silence since had been a welcome relief

He pressed his eyes shut against the i by the way his mind raced now, he still hadn’t achieved that aied for hers He’d been able to see her, s his thoughts slip back But he’d held firm to his resolution of no commitments He’d pushed her away emotionally and physically, but hadn’t been able to sever the thread of attraction completely It re them inextricably linked

On his return to Athens he’d thrown hione after the cruise company Adonia with a ruthlessness that had made even his PA look at him in question

He clenched his jaw against the heatedthere could only be one reason for her return to Santorini, the island he’d grown up on His eyes snapped open and he inhaled deeply There could be no other explanation

During the summer she had arrived on the island to research her next article, and the passionate romance they’d shared had culminated in reckless and unprotected sex on the beach Were there now life-changing repercussions? Consequences he hadn’t planned on and most definitely didn’t want?

Alar? Had she done as he’d feared and used her journalistic background and connections to find out h him as he stared broodily at the view Did Serena knoasn’t the fisherman he’d led her to believe he was simply because it had been easier that way?

Her job as a travel writer wasn’t in the league of working for the national tabloids, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t use a story if it presented itself He’d been extra-careful that she didn’t find out who he really was, having had enough of press speculation over his business dealings, as well as over his constant succession of female companions

If he’d known Serena’s profession before their first aht have been able to walk away, instead of being snared by her innocence and drawn in too deep towards so he’d always resisted

To his sceptical mind there was only one reason she was here on the island, de she was different fro She was here to use his wealth in order to secure her future and it couldn’t have come at a worse time His deal for Adonia Cruise Liners could be lost if her story got out

He swore aggressively, but the words did not ease the suspicion that filled him Irritated, heat the buttons on the phone The cale of his emotions and he forced them back under control How could Serena ruffle his equanimity so spectacularly even when she wasn’t in his company?

‘Organise o to Santorini this afternoon’

The Greek words were fluid and assertive as control flooded through hier towards Serena and the situation didn’t abate Suspicion surfaced again Why had she chosen now to come back? What did she want?

Did she knoas in the final and delicate negotiation stages of acquiring a cruise coht and into the world of luxury cruises? It wouldcompany in Greece He didn’t need the added co with her Not now—not ever

Despite the loo deal, his mind was drawn to back to Serena: vivacious, happy and utterly gorgeous She’d s he couldn’t have The fact that no other inity—had cooodbye, turning his back on what they’d briefly shared Because of his past it was impossible to ain would he be that vulnerable