But her body didn't believe it for a minute! It reacted at once, moulding itself to Damon's, pressing against him, seeking warmth and comfort and the satisfaction of pent-up desires. It was insane, but Kate felt powerless to stop it.

And Damon appeared to want those desires satisfied as well. His lips were hot and hungry. His tongue slipped into her mouth, probing, tasting, inciting urges that made Kate's mind reel and her knees sag.

There was a masculine clearing of throat behind them.

"Don't start anything you can't finish in the presence of five-year-olds,"

Stephanos said gruffly.

Kate froze. Damon loosened his grip, stepped back and held her out at arm's length, a bemused smile on his face.

"I think I'd better take you home," he said to her with a wink.

"My bride missed me," he said to Stephanos; Stephanos glared.

Kate's face flamed. She couldn't look at Stephanos or Sophia. She wanted to sink through the floor as Damon towed her out and shut the dqor behind them.

"Good job," he said.

"Sophia was impressed." "The h.e.l.l with Sophia,"

Kate muttered, wobbling towards the elevator.

"What'd you kiss me like that for?"

"Why did you throw yourself into my arms?

"I'd spent the day fielding a million stupid questions ^bOut our

relationship. I was eager for rescue.""And that's how you ask for rescue? I'll be looking forward to seeing you when you're really glad to see me." He winked at her and ushered her into the lift.

"Shut up, Damon."

He laughed.

"Do you want to go out to dinner or go home?"

"What I want," Kate said snappishly, 'is to go to my apartment. "

"We'11 go to mine."

His housekeeper, Mrs Vincent, was a motherly sort, at odds with the chrome

and polished teak surroundings that pervaded Damon's penthouse flat. She was clearly delighted that Damon had tied the knot, and was all too willing toturn all the decisions over to Kate. Kate liked her at once and tried to listen as Mrs Vincent explained how she normally did things; But the tensedays and sleepless night were catching up with her and she kept yawning andapologising.

"Kept you up all night, I'll bet," Mrs Vincent said with a fond smile inDamon's direction. He was already on the telephone and didn't hear, thankheavens.

"Mmm, well," Kate mumbled, embarra.s.sed."I'm so glad he's married," Mrs Vincent confided. "He needs a wife.And so much better to have one he picked himself. I don't hold to that arranged marriage business his mother was up to. All that nonsense about her finding "the Alexakis Bride" Like she was buying some plaster saint. I tell you, a man like that needs a real woman. A strong woman. " She gave Kate a conspiratorial smile.

"Good for you."

Kate swallowed.

"Now you tell me what you want, I'll do it," Mrs Vincent said.

Kate smiled and yawned again.

"What I really want is to go to bed."

Mrs Vincent laughed.

"Ah, young love."

"I didn't mean---' Kate began hastily, her cheeks burning.But Damon hung up then and came across the room. "She's a hot-blooded woman,Mrs Vincent. Now you see why I was so eager to get her to the altar." Hegrinned and looped an arm over Kate's shoulders. "Come, my love. I'll showyou to our room."

"Our room?" Kate spluttered as he steered her down the hallway,"Our room?"He led her into a room at the end of the hall. "What'd you want me to say, that you'd be sleeping on the couch?""Don't be an a.s.s, Damon. I'm not sharing a room with you!""Think again." He shut the door to the s.p.a.cious master bedroom with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out across Central Park.

It was dusk and amid the trees she spied the thousands of fairy lights that

surrounded the Tavern on the Green restaurant and, above them, the tall apartment houses that lined Central Park West.

It was far better to concentrate on that than on the king-size bed which,

even in the shadows, was the focal point of the room.

Damon was putting her bags down, opening cupboard doors, pointing out the empty rod and hangers, saying, "You can use these. And then you can go to bed."

E.

"I'm not sleeping here."

"Don't argue. We're never going to make it if you dispute everything I say,

Kate."

"Tough." She glowered at him, feeling like a stubborn child in the face ofhis stony determination and not caring in the least."I'll leave you to get settled in. I have some more calls to make.""Damon, I'm not sleeping-' " Obviously," he said mildly, and walked out.He didn't even listen! He treated her like one of his nieces, not his wife!Kate flung her handbag at the door he'd just shut. It rebounded with a satisfying thunk."I'm not a child," she told the door furiously.It opened again. Damon poked his head around the corner. He grinned."Then don't act like one."Once more he was gone.Kate glowered after him. She was tempted to take off her shoes and throw them as well. But who knew what he might do if she did? She contented herself with flopping down on the bed and pounding her fists against themattress instead.

Why on earth had she let herself get into this mess? She was as tired as she'd claimed. She was also hungry. Her stomach growledeven as she lay there. She wished she'd asked for a meal, but she wasn't about to change her mind now. She sat up and drew her knees up to her chest,wrapping her arms around them, thinking about what she should do. Getting into bed was tempting. Pulling the covers over her head and falling into the blessed oblivion of sleep seemed the better part of valour at themoment. And yet--and yet her lips still remembered the taste of Damon'Smouth on hers. Her body still tingled with the imprint of his. And her mind could not quite ignore the possibility that he might come back and slide into the bed beside her.

And then what would happen?She didn't want to think about it. She'd had enough of men after Bryce.Loving hadn't been at all what she'd expected. She hadn't, she rememberedwith chagrin, been very good at it. Bryce had been all too willing to pointthat out.

She could imagine what Damon would say.Not that she was ever going to give him a chance!The door opened and Damon came in bearing a tray."Don't you believe in knocking?" Kate demanded.He ignored her, setting the tray in front of her. Kate tried not to look interested at the sight of the thin slices of chicken, fruit and salad on theplate. Her stomach growled, betraying her.

"Thank you," she said with bad grace.She dug in, then looked up at Damon still standing there."Aren't you having any?""I'll eat on the plane.""What plane?""I just found out I have to fly to Paris tonight. I'll be back on Friday.""Paris? Now?""I thought you'd be thrilled," he said drily."You get the bed.""Well, of course, but you haven't had any more sleep than I have."And he looked even wearier than she felt."I'll live."

"I'll go home, then," she said quickly, setting aside the tray and moving to get out of bed. It was too unnerving, staying here, sleeping in Damon's bed.

"The h.e.l.l you will! We're married, remember."

"I'll go to Sophia's. I mean, if you're not here, why can't I stay there?""Stephanos.""He won't --' " d.a.m.ned right he won't. But I'm not letting him even think about it.

You come back here, Kate. That's final. I'll be home Friday afternoon,

hopefully before my mother arrives. I'll pick you up at Sophia's and we'll go deal with her together. "

He gave her a quick hard kiss and was gone.

Kate stared after him, tasting Damon on her lips and not the food she had

hungered for. She lifted her hand and touched them.Why had he kissed her? No one had been watching.On Friday, she told herself, there would only be three hundred and fifty-seven days to go.

CHAPTER FOUR.

it was Friday. It was in the middle of Sophia's living- room. It was the moment of truth.

There was only one thing Damon hadn't got right: they hadn't had to go

anywhere to see his mother. She had arrived at Sophia's, with Marina in tow,

only moments before Kate was expecting him.

Now she stood quaking in the family-room, knotting her fingers together, not knowing what to do or say.

"You mean he hasn't told her you're married?" Sophia demanded, when Kate insisted on staying there by herself instead of coming in with the twins to see their grandmother.

"Not yet. At least I don't think he has. He's been gone, you know, and. .

and he's had a lot on his mind."

"More important things than his marriage?" Sophia grumbled."I know my brother. He wanted to hit her with a fait accompli. That wayMarina--' She broke off suddenly and shot Kate a guilty look.

"That's all right. He's mentioned Marina."

"And that Mama has been expecting him to marry her?"

Kate nodded, unsure whether she should be admitting it, but needing to be as

truthful as possible.

"I should have known. To be honest, I'm glad he met you when he did.

It's always been such a big thing, this business of finding 'the Alexakis

Bride'. It's so much better to marry for love. " She gave Kate a quick hug.

Kate smiled uneasily, feeling guiltier than ever.

"I wish my clever brother had handled things better.