Free Heiress's Defiance by Lynn Raye Harris Page A

best pleased whenever Lucilla interfered in her life.
    “You are worried about her.”
    It surprised her that he noticed. “Yes. She’s so young. And impulsive.”
    “The young usually are.”
    He said it in such a way that she found herself studying him, wondering what experiences lurked behind those eyes. “I wasn’t.”
    He snorted. “No, I can certainly believe that.”
    She had to control her voice not to show her annoyance. “What makes you say that?”
    “Lucilla
mou
, if you were in the least bit impulsive, we would have had gotten naked together weeks ago.”
    Heat slid through her belly. “You’re teasing me.”
    “I am. Somewhat.” He picked up the wine he hadn’t finished earlier and took a sip. “But it’s true. You are not impulsive. You think everything through, often too much.”
    “I’m not sure I like being analyzed by you.”
    He shrugged. “You cannot stop me from analyzing you. Only from saying what I find.” He leaned toward her, as if daring her to put a hand over his mouth. She did not. “And what I find is that you overthink too many things. Make decisions, Lucilla. Implement them. Learn from your mistakes and don’t make the same ones again.”
    She grew stiff. “You’re implying that I’m less of a manager than you and I don’t appreciate it one bit.”
    “This is not what I said. But if it’s what you take from my words …” He shrugged.
    Her insides clenched tight. “I’m thinking I should have let you stand outside and get soaked. Oh, and the lightning thing? I’ve changed my mind again.”
    Christos laughed. “If I were anyone else, you wouldn’t feel so insulted. You’re good at what you do. I didn’t say you weren’t. What I said was that you don’t go with your gut as often as you should. Sometimes, that’s all we have to go on.”
    She glared at him. “You really annoy me, Christos.”
    He slid his fingers up the inside of her arm, heat dancing in their wake. “But I excite you, too.”
    Damn him, it was true. He did excite her. Her skin tingled. Her stomach rose and fell like a boat on a wavy sea. She sniffed. “That’s beside the point. You can’t insult me and expect I’ll fall into your arms.”
    “Then tell me what it takes and I’ll do that.”
    “You’re the expert. Figure it out yourself.”
    His eyes sparkled with heat and humor.“Since you didn’t tell me to go to hell, I’m feeling encouraged.”
    She poured more wine into her glass and took a drink. The lights had been out for at least fifteen minutes now. Everything in the apartment was still, but outside it still thundered, the rain sheeting down. She could hear the occasional horns of frustrated drivers blaring in the night.
    “Lucilla.” His voice was soft and she turned to look at him, her heart turning over at the intensity of his gaze. “Don’t take everything as an insult. I’m blunt because you’re strong enough to hear it. If you weren’t, I wouldn’t waste my breath on you.”
    She felt like she should be insulted, and yet part of her was inordinately pleased. “I went to Oxford, Christos. I’m not an idiot.”
    “You aren’t. But I have more experience. You can learn from me. That’s all you need to do. Learn. You’ll get what you want in the end.”
    “Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe you could learn something from me?” And just why was she saying this? She wanted him gone, not partnering up with her to run the hotels.
    “Of course. But first you have to be willing to work with me.”
    “I do work with you.”
    His smile made her heart skip. “No, you fight me. About everything.”
    “Not everything.”
    “Yes, everything. If I want blue decorations for an event, you go with red. If I ask for one menu, you change it to another. If I say I want to host this group, you choose that group.”
    She did do that. She’d never really considered that she might do it on purpose. “It’s not out of spite. I do what is best for the hotel at