Modern Romance August 2018 Books 5-8 Collection. Julia James

to you...asked you... Oh, this is so awkward.’ Her eyes widened even more. ‘Did you say that it’s nine o’clock? Oh, my God.’

      She scrambled off the bed and tugged the sheet around her, but not before Giannis had glimpsed her naked body. At some point during the night he had removed her stockings using his teeth to tug them down her legs. He watched Ava struggle to put her bra on while she clutched the sheet to her like a security blanket. ‘Don’t you think it’s a little late for modesty?’ he said sardonically.

      She picked up her torn thong from the floor and looked as though she was about to burst into tears. ‘I have to go,’ she said wildly. ‘Sam will be going mad wondering where I am. I was supposed to have an important conversation with you last night.’

      ‘About what?’

      She bit her lip. ‘It’s a delicate matter.’

      Giannis counted to ten beneath his breath. ‘I’m in a hurry, so whatever it is you want to say—for God’s sake get on with it.’

      This couldn’t be happening, Ava thought frantically. In a minute she would wake up from a nightmare. But in the cold light of morning she could not fool herself that having wild sex with Giannis last night had been a dream. She felt a sensation like wet cement congealing in the pit of her stomach with the knowledge that, as a result of her irresponsible behaviour, she had lost her chance to plead with Giannis to drop the charges against her brother. She felt sick with shame and guilt.

      The sound of a familiar ringtone cut through the tense atmosphere and she scrabbled in her handbag to retrieve her phone. Her heart lurched when she saw that it was her brother calling.

      ‘Sam, I’ve been...unavoidably delayed.’ She dared not look at Giannis. ‘You will have to ring for a taxi to take you to the courthouse, and I’ll meet you there. You’ll have to hurry—’ she felt her anxiety rise ‘—your case is due to be heard by the magistrate in half an hour, and you mustn’t be late.’

      ‘The magistrate is ill,’ Sam said when Ava paused for breath. ‘I’ve just heard that the court cases today have been postponed.’

      Ava heard relief in her brother’s voice and she felt a rush of emotion. Sam hadn’t said much in the weeks leading up to his court hearing, but she knew he was scared at the prospect of being sent to prison. ‘Thank goodness.’ She breathed out a heavy sigh. ‘I don’t mean it’s good that the magistrate is ill, of course, but it gives us a bit more time.’

      ‘Time to do what?’ her brother said flatly. ‘My case has only been delayed for a few days and it’s still likely that I’ll be sent to a YOI.’

      Ava knew that young offender institutions tended to be grim places and she understood why Sam was scared. He might be eighteen but he would always be her kid brother. ‘Not necessarily.’ She tried to sound optimistic. ‘I can’t talk now. I’ll see you at home later.’

      She replaced her phone in her bag, and her eyes widened as she watched Giannis open his briefcase and throw some documents on top of a pile of bank notes. He closed the briefcase but Ava had a sudden flashback to when she had been a little girl, and had seen her father counting piles of bank notes on the kitchen table.

      ‘Payday,’ he’d told her when she had asked him about the money.

      ‘You must be a good businessman to earn so much money, Daddy,’ Ava had said trustingly. She had idolised her father.

      Terry had winked at her. ‘Oh, I’m an expert, honey-bunch. I’m going to use this money to buy a house in Cyprus. What do you think of that?’

      ‘Where’s Cyprus?’

      ‘It’s near to Greece. The villa I’m buying is next to the beach, and it has a big swimming pool so you will be able to teach your baby brother to swim when he’s older.’

      ‘Why aren’t we going to live in England any more?’

      Her father had given her an odd smile. ‘It’s too hot for me to live here.’ It had been the middle of winter at the time and Ava had felt confused by her father’s reply. But years later she had learned that Terry McKay had moved his family abroad after he’d received a tip-off that he was about to be arrested on suspicion of carrying out several armed raids on jewellery shops in London.

      She dragged her mind from the past as she caught sight of her reflection in the full-length mirror. She looked like a tart with her just-got-out-of-bed hair and panda eyes where her mascara had smudged. Her lips were fuller and redder than usual, and remembering how Giannis had covered her mouth with his and kissed her senseless made her feel hot all over. She could not have a serious conversation with him about her brother while she was naked and draped in a silk sheet.

      As if he had read her thoughts, Giannis walked over to the wardrobe and took out her evening gown. ‘Your dress has been cleaned, but I guessed you would not want to be seen leaving the hotel this morning wearing a ball gown so I ordered you something more appropriate to wear.’ He handed her a bag with the name of a well-known design house emblazoned on it. ‘I’ll leave you to get dressed. Please hurry,’ he said curtly before he strode out of the bedroom.

      Ava scooted into the en suite bathroom and looked longingly at the bath, the size of a small swimming pool. She had discovered new muscles and she ached everywhere. But Giannis was no longer the charming lover of last night and he had not hidden his impatience this morning, she thought ruefully as she bundled her hair into a shower cap before taking a quick shower.

      The bag he had given her contained a pair of beautifully tailored black trousers and a cream cashmere sweater. There was also an exquisite set of silk and lace underwear. Remembering her ripped thong brought a scarlet flush to her cheeks. She did not recognise the shameless temptress she had turned into last night. Giannis had revealed a side to her that she hadn’t known existed.

      Grimacing at the sight of her kiss-stung lips in the mirror, she brushed her hair and caught it up in a loose knot on top of her head. At least she looked respectable, although she shuddered to think how much the designer clothes must have cost. Everything fitted her perfectly, and when she slipped on the black stiletto heels she’d worn the previous evening she was pleasantly surprised by how slim and elegant she looked. Stuffing her evening gown into the bag that had held her new clothes, she walked into the sitting room.

      Giannis was speaking on his phone but he finished the call when he saw her and strolled across the room. His intent appraisal caused her heart to miss a beat. ‘I see that the clothes fit you.’

      ‘How did you know my size?’

      ‘I have had plenty of experience of the female figure,’ he drawled.

      Inexplicably Ava felt the acid burn of jealousy in her stomach at the idea of him making love with other women. Love had nothing to do with it, she reminded herself. Giannis was a notorious womaniser and she was simply another blonde who had shared his bed for one night. No doubt he would have forgotten her name by tomorrow.

      ‘Obviously I’ll pay for the clothes,’ she said crisply. ‘Can you give me your bank details so that I can transfer what I owe you, or would you prefer a cheque?’

      ‘Forget it. I don’t want any money.’

      ‘No way will I allow you to buy me expensive designer clothes. I’ll find out what they cost and send a cheque for the amount to your London office.’

      His eyes narrowed. ‘How do you know that I have an office in London?’

      ‘I found out from the Internet that you own a cruise line company called The Gekas Experience. TGE UK’s offices are in Bond Street.’ Ava hesitated. ‘I wrote to you a few weeks ago about a serious matter, but you did not reply.’

      ‘Sheridan,’ he said slowly. ‘I wondered why your name on the place card at dinner last night seemed familiar.’ He frowned. ‘I’m afraid you will have to jog my memory.’

      She took a deep breath. ‘My brother, Sam McKay, used to work for a