Free In Petrakis's Power by Maggie Cox Page B

of you naked, soaking in a bath of scented bubbles. I hope when I ring again tomorrow night you’ll end the conversation on a far less provocative note? Goodnight, Natalie. Sleep well.’
    By the time Natalie had roused herself from the trance she’d fallen into, her bathwater and the scented bath foam she’d poured into it were too cold to contemplate immersing herself in. Resigning herself to going without, she pulled out the plug and once again got lost in thoughts of Ludo as she watched the water spiralling urgently down into the drain …
    It had been a far from easy journey to his homeland for Ludo. The inner turmoil of his thoughts had made it impossible for him to relax.
    The private plane he’d chartered was the epitome of the luxury he’d long come to expect when he travelled. As far as that was concerned there had beennothing to complain about. The cabin crew had been ultra-professional and attentive, and the flight had been smooth without any disconcerting turbulence. But even though the sight of Natalie at the airport, in a pretty multicoloured maxi-dress, with her shining hair, had quickened his pulse, it had still been difficult to raise his spirits.
    Ludo had immensely enjoyed and indeed looked forward to the nightly telephone conversations he’d had with Natalie, but when she’d sat beside him on the plane, every now and then attempting to engage him in light conversation, he hadn’t found it easy to respond in the same cheerful fashion he’d been able to adopt on the phone. In fact his mood had deteriorated more and more the closer they’d got to their destination.
    The phone conversation he’d had with his mother earlier that morning had been a double-edged sword. While it had been a joy to hear her voice, and to be able to relate some good news to her, it didn’t assuage the onerous weight of guilt and pain that still dogged him over his brother’s death. Clearly overwhelmed and excited about the prospect of seeing Ludo again after three long years, his mother had had an emotion in her voice that had almost made it hard for him to breathe, let alone speak. There had been no words of reprimand or blame to make him feel guiltier than he was already, and somehow that had made the prospect of seeing her and his father again even more difficult.
    Naturally they’d wanted to send a car to bring him and Natalie back to their spacious villa, but Ludo had carefully and respectfully declined the offer. He’d toldher that he and Natalie were going to stay at his own waterside villa and take a valuable day’s rest before they drove out to see them. Even though his absence had been a prolonged one, he’d need a little more time to acclimatise himself to the fact that he was home again, as well as time to take stock.
    His mother had naturally been curious about Natalie. ‘What’s she like?’ she’d asked excitedly. ‘Are you happy with her, my son?’
    All Ludo had told her was that Natalie was a ‘charming, good-natured girl’ and that he was sure they would love her. He’d deliberately squashed down the wave of remorse that had crashed through him because he was inventing a scenario that wasn’t true.
    For some strange, inexplicable reason, at the back of his mind the tentative hope had surfaced that some good might come of being with Natalie despite his deception. He hadn’t just enjoyed their nightly phone conversations, he had started to
rely
on them. She’d always been so reassuring, and if he’d had a bad day his spirits had been buoyed by the idea of talking to her. He’d never experienced such a strong connection to a woman before. And the memory of the sexy, ardent kiss that he’d shared with her back in his office a week ago had definitely got him believing that having her with him in Greece might help alleviate some of the stress that would inevitably come his way.
    But he also knew it would take more than one kiss or a reassuring conversation to ease the grief and anxiety he