Marriage Of Convenience: The Andreou Marriage Arrangement / The Replacement Wife. HELEN BIANCHIN

moved quietly towards the bath and switched off the jets, then he collected one of several large folded bath-towels and spoke her name.

      There was no sign she heard him, and his gaze skimmed over her slender curves, the soft swell of her breasts with their tender peaks, the delicate waist, flat stomach with its slim gold pin with a strategically placed diamond attached to her navel. A cheeky jewellery accessory that winked and gleamed beneath the water’s surface.

      He felt the stirring of arousal, and banked it down.

      ‘Alesha.’ His voice was firm, and he caught the faint flutter of her eyelashes. ‘Wake up.’

      He saw the moment his words penetrated her subconscious, the sudden upwards sweep of her lashes as she came awake, and the stark mix of startled surprise and fear in the depths of her eyes the instant before she recognized him and gained the reality of her surroundings.

      ‘It’s after midnight,’ he said quietly. ‘You fell asleep.’

      Loukas glimpsed her attempt to control the fleeting expressions chasing her features, saw the embarrassment change to indignation as she automatically used her hands to shield the vulnerable parts of her body.

      ‘Leave the towel and go…please.’

      He was tempted to release the water, scoop her out and wrap her in the towel, then carry her to bed. His.

      Except when he took her, it would be because she wanted him, not an act she conceded out of duty or mere compliance.

      He might be many things, and he’d been called on several…but he stood by his word.

      So he did as she requested and closed the door behind him, then he shed his clothes, took a cool shower, and slid between the sheets to lie with his arms crossed behind his head.

      He watched idly as she emerged into the bedroom attired in cotton sleep trousers and a singlet top, looking impossibly young.

      A slight smile widened his generous mouth as she avoided meeting his gaze, and he waited until she slipped beneath the covers before closing the lamps.

      ‘Goodnight.’ His voice was an indolent drawl in the darkness, and he only just heard her muffled response.

       Chapter Five

      ALESHA woke to light filtering through partly closed shutters along the wall of glass facing east.

      For a brief moment she felt slightly disorientated by her unfamiliar surroundings, then memory surfaced as she cautiously examined the spacious room.

      Specifically the large bed next to the one she’d occupied through the night…and she experienced a sense of relief to find it empty.

      She brushed a hand through her hair and checked the time, saw it was almost eight, and hurriedly slid from the bed before gathering up fresh clothes and disappearing into the en suite to complete her morning routine and dress.

      Jeans and a stylish tee sufficed, and she caught her hair in a ponytail, added gloss to her lips, then she made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

      Coffee would be good, breakfast even better, and she entered the spacious, beautifully appointed kitchen to discover Eloise stacking the dishwasher, with no sign of Loukas in sight.

      ‘Good morning.’ Alesha kept it light and offered a warm smile, which the housekeeper returned in kind.

      ‘It’s a lovely day,’ Eloise added. ‘What can I get you for breakfast?’

      ‘If it’s okay with you, I’ll make coffee, and just grab some cereal and fruit, and take it out onto the terrace.’

      ‘I can easily prepare a cooked breakfast if you’d prefer.’

      ‘Thanks, but cereal is fine.’

      There was something infinitely relaxing in looking out over the harbour. Small and large craft sprinkled the sparkling Port Jackson waters; tugboats guided a massive tanker towards the wharves, while ferries cruised the distance between the city and Manly.

      The cityscape bore tall modern high-rise buildings in varying architectural designs, their plate-glass windows glinting as the sun rose in the sky.

      No matter where she’d travelled, Sydney was home. The place of her birth and education. It held familiarity for her. Memories, all of them good…until Seth. And just as she emerged whole and healed, she was flung into the unknown again by her father’s hand.

      ‘Finish your coffee, then we’ll collect the rest of your belongings from the apartment.’

      Loukas had the silent tread of a cat, and she replaced her cup down onto its saucer with care before she turned to meet his gaze.

      Attired in jeans and a chambray shirt, he bore a deceptively casual air that was the antithesis of the man he’d proven himself to be.

      It was the eyes, Alesha perceived. Dark silken depths that were too perceptive for anyone’s peace of mind…especially hers.

      Oh, why not admit it? He unsettled her, increasing her vulnerability to a point where she felt constantly on edge in his presence.

      ‘I can manage to do that on my own.’

      ‘You don’t need to.’

      ‘What if I prefer to?’

      ‘Give it up, Alesha.’

      She tilted her head and held his gaze with equanimity. ‘I was unaware taking your name meant alienating my freedom of choice.’

      He rested a hip against the edge of the table and leant towards her, not exactly crowding her in, but close…too close.

      ‘You prefer the difficult route to a simple one?’ He waited a beat as her eyes darkened at his proximity. ‘Or do you merely enjoy debating me?’

      She resembled a startled foal whenever he encroached on her personal space, and his gaze narrowed fractionally as the pulse at the base of her throat began to visibly thud.

      ‘You lucked out if you want a subservient wife who will agree with your every word.’

      ‘It should make for an interesting life.’

      Her smile was deliberate. ‘You think?’

      Loukas stood to his feet. ‘Collect your keys, then we’ll leave. Presumably you’ve forgotten one of Dimitri’s charitable causes is hosting an event this evening and our presence is expected?’

      He glimpsed the conflicting emotions pass fleetingly across her expressive features before she managed to control them. ‘I doubt you packed a suitable gown.’

      She hadn’t. Neither gown nor shoes, nor evening clutch.

      Surely she had the event entered in her diary? Yet she’d neglected to check…understandable given her father’s sudden death, the funeral, Dimitri’s will. Dammit, her marriage.

      But tonight? She could have put in a token appearance even with Loukas as her partner as a matter of respect. But wearing Loukas’ wedding ring, how long would it take for the inevitable question to arise? The speculation?

      Dear heaven, the need to maintain some form of pretence as Alesha Andreou?

      She didn’t want to go there…at least, not so soon. Yet she’d been raised with a strong sense of duty, a respect for bona fide charitable causes, and this evening’s fundraiser was indeed a special one, fostering a terminally ill child with the opportunity to fulfil a much revered wish.

      Alesha gathered her crockery and flatware together and deposited both in the kitchen before she ascended the stairs to collect her keys.

      She caught sight of Loukas waiting in the foyer as she re-entered the upstairs gallery,