‘No.’ His voice was rough. ‘You did nothing wrong. It was fine.’
‘Fine?’ she squeaked, mortified.
‘Great, okay? It was great.’
‘Because you didn’t—’
‘No, I didn’t,’ he said. ‘But that was not because you erred in any way.’
‘It’s just—I liked it. And I want—I would like—’
‘More,’ he said, moving a hand to her hip and placing it there, fingers splayed.
She nodded mesmerized. ‘Yes.’ It was a whisper. And an admission. It was also terrifying, because she felt so exposed to him, so raw and vulnerable. ‘Yes, I want more. I want you.’
‘Oh, Annie,’ he groaned, dropping his head forward, like he was trying to blank her out. ‘This has the potential to be very complicated.’
‘Why? What’s changed since that day in Sydney? You were fine with sex, then. What’s different now?’
‘You know what’s changed. I presumed you were—if not exactly like me, at least experienced.’
‘Get over it. My inexperience doesn’t mean anything to me, it shouldn’t to you. It’s just…happenstance.’
He made a grunt, which could have been agreement or disagreement.
‘If you don’t want to sleep with me, okay, but I don’t want to be married to someone who won’t even talk to me.’
A muscle ticked at the base of his jaw as his eyes held hers for a long time. ‘You know why we got married. So far as I remember, talking to one another was not a factor.’
She stared at him, hating how much his words hurt, hating that she couldn’t properly conceal it. The fact he wasn’t going to compromise was blatantly obvious, so she’d have to work out a way to get what she wanted. Which was to know her husband.To have him get to know her again, too. ‘Fine. Then I want to stick to the original deal—a public marriage, like you suggested. I want to go for lunch with you.’
His expression was practically a scowl. ‘Lunch?’
‘You’ve heard of the concept, I presume?’
‘Today?’
‘It is lunchtime, isn’t it?’
‘Wearing that?’
‘What’s wrong with this dress? I’ve seen photos of the women you usually date—I know what you like.’
He looked her up and down, shaking his head once. ‘That’s not— Annie—’
‘If you don’t want to eat with me, just say. I’ll go somewhere on my own.’
She could see his cogs turning, and knew enough now about Theo to recognise that jealousy was shifting through him. ‘No,’ he said, sharp and decisive. ‘I’ll take you to lunch. It’s fine.’
It sounded anything but fine, yet Annie didn’t focus on that—she chose to take this for the victory it was. Theo was going to stop ignoring her, right now. Because Annie had a feeling there was so much more about him she didn’t understand, so much she didn’t know. Back then, she hadn’t had a single clue how to scratch beneath the surface. He’d so easily been able to shut down her lines of enquiry, by just changing the subject or diverting her attention. Annie was older and wiser now, and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it this time.
Operation Get To Know Her Husband was about to get underway.
Chapter Nine
THE ROOFTOP BARof the fashionable boutique hotel boasted an exclusive clientele and stunning views of the Acropolis. The menu was unapologetically Greek, and their table private, set on the corner of the terrace, with a concrete planter filled with spiky green plants separating them a little from the other diners. In the background, there was a low hum of conversation and the soft strains of jazz music, the husky acoustic singing ringing with emotion.
She could imagine this place would be packed at night, filled with Athens’s elite, here to see and be seen. On one level, it surprised her that Theo had brought her to a place like this. Then again, a lot had changed in five years. She didn’t really know that much about the man she’d married, which was the whole point of this lunch.