Free Moon of Aphrodite by Sara Craven

even near her. As she watched him uncomprehendingly, he picked
    up his glass from the table, tossed back its contents with a practised flick of the wrist,
    and set the empty glass down again.
    When his eyes met hers again they were a stranger's eyes, cool and dispassionate.
    'We shal be coming into Phoros in about ten minutes,' he said almost offhandedly.
    'When you have tidied yourself, Dimitri wil show you where you can wash if you want,
    and comb your hair. I am going on deck.'
    Helen dragged her dress up to cover herself, her hands fumbling as she tried to deal
    with its fastenings.
    'You can go to hel , and the sooner the better,' she said raggedly, and saw that
    sardonic smile twist his mouth again.
    'If you must have a focus for your displeasure, better me than your grandfather,' he
    said.
    'You—mean—that's what al —this was about?' She couldn't believe it.
    'Not entirely,' he said coolly. 'I required the answers to a few questions as wel .'
    'Oh, I see.' Her voice was quivering with, irony and suppressed rage. 'I understand. I
    do hope I've satisfied your, curiosity.'
    'You've satisfied nothing,' he said, and there was a note in his voice which sent the
    blood rushing to her face. 'But it wil do for a beginning.'
    'Not the beginning,' she said. 'The end, Mr. Leandros. The very end, I promise you. I
    shal never forgive you for this.'
    'For what? For depriving you of the satisfaction I have also denied myself?' he
    questioned mockingly. ‘Calm yourself, kougla mou. Our time wil come, and that is my
    promise to you.'
    He was at the door, his hand already reaching for the handle as she snatched up the
    empty glass and hurled it at him. Her aim was good in spite of her . temper, but he was
    too fast for her, and the tumbler struck only the closing door, shattering into a hundred
    crystal fragments.
    Helen sank back on to her seat. Though she hadn't hit him, the smashing of the glass
    had been the catharsis she needed, and she burst into a passion of weeping.
    She was outwardly calm and composed at least when she went up on deck to catch
    her first glimpse of Phoros.
    Al traces of her Storm of tears had been washed away in the elegant little
    compartment Dimitri had shown her to.' No doubt he had also formed his own opinions
    of the smashed glass and her dishevel ed appearance, Helen thought angrily, but as she
    was never likely to see him again, it couldn't be al owed to matter much.
    Damon Leandros was leaning on the rail, looking across the dark ripple of the water to
    the solid bulk of the land. She joined him silently, not looking at him, leaving several
    feet of careful space between them. She could see lights on the shore and guessed
    they were from the shops and tavernas bordering the smal waterfront. It was warm
    and stil , and she thought she could hear the sound of voices and laughter coming
    across the water to them as the cruiser crept forward between the strings of launches
    and caiques at their moorings.
    She stared at the twinkling lights. There were others too, further away, and she
    wondered if one of them was the vil a where presumably her grandfather was waiting.
    She bit her lip, and a little shiver went through her.
    'Are you cold?'
    She had thought his attention was fixed on the approaching shoreline and the slender
    dark cheroot he was smoking, yet he had been watching her. She felt herself stiffen, as
    she said, 'No,' with ice in her voice.
    'Then you are nervous?'
    'Much as I appreciate your attempts at polite conversation, Mr. Leandros, I'm afraid
    you're wasting your time.' She spoke rapidly, not looking at him. 'My one wish is to get
    off this boat, and never set eyes on you again.'
    'I cannot grant your wish.' His voice was laconic. 'I have to escort you to the vil a.'
    'There's absolutely no need,' she told him. 'If I were you I'd put as many miles between
    my grandfather and yourself as you can.' She heard him laugh softly', and clenched the
    rail in front of her so tightly that her