‘Why are you sighing?’
She looked up to find Tino’s gaze locked onto her face. ‘Because I’m so happy.’
‘I’m not sure that was a happy sigh.’
‘Your senses must be highly developed if you can ana lyse a sigh over all this noise.’
‘You have no idea just how highly developed they are.’
He frightened her with his perception; he excited her too… and as he continued to stare at her she found that, instead of curbing her hunger, the recent sex with him had only made her want him more.
‘And now I do know what you’re thinking,’ he assured her, starting to stroke her leg beneath the tablecloth.
‘Tino, no! You can’t,’ Lisa gasped, realising what he meant to do as his hand travelled steadily up her thigh. ‘Not in here.’
‘There’s nothing I can’t do,’ he told her confidently. ‘Just slide to the edge of your chair, and you’ll find out.’
With his powerful calf wrapped around her own, he easily nudged her thighs apart. Lisa could hardly believe what he was intent on doing to her. ‘Tino, you really can’t.’ But his hand was already home, and his fingers had started working rhythmically, and persuasively.
When a sharp cry escaped her throat, he passed a napkin across the table to her with his free hand. ‘I promised you an erotic adventure—bury your face in that if you don’t want to draw attention to yourself.’
Peeping over the bunched-up linen square, Lisa found the apparent unconcern on Tino’s face only aroused her all the more. He was staring out across the dance floor as if he were the most innocent man in the room, while she knew he was savouring every moment. But not half as much as she was, she realized, sliding to the very edge of her chair. ‘You’ll pay for this,’ she promised him huskily.
‘I certainly hope so. Now, concentrate. You’re on another fixed time slot—the coffee will come round soon.’
After coffee Lisa danced with him, to slow, sensuous music that wrapped them both in a seductive cocoon. With her eyes closed she relished the feel of his strong, protective body pressing against hers.
‘I think it’s time to go,’ Tino murmured at last, drawing her by the hand from the dance floor.
He was right, Lisa realized. They should go before their dancing caused comment. But as they were about to walk out of the taverna one of the other men caught hold of Tino’s sleeve. Smiling broadly, the man rasped a few words to him in Greek.
Turning to her, Tino apologised. ‘The men are about to dance the Kalamatianos. They have asked me to join them. It would be an insult to my friends if I refuse.’
Once again she was to be denied the chance to speak to him, Lisa realised with frustration, but, like their insatiable passion for each other, it would have to wait. She returned to her seat as Tino joined the other men on the dance floor.
The traditional dance was so powerful and so aggressively masculine Lisa started to find it unnerving. Glancing around the other women to reassure herself, she noticed how unconcerned they were—they were even urging on their men. But the more she watched and tried to tell herself that it was only a dance, the more the men’s powerful response to the rhythm made it seem like a mating call, primal and fierce, that called for submission, and promised domination. The expression in the eyes of some of the men reminded her of men in the commune, and she shuddered as the intensity soared.
She couldn’t take any more… She didn’t even know that the music had stopped. As the cheering began Lisa blundered out of her seat, heading for the exit, blindly stumbling into tables and knocking her legs against the wooden struts.
‘Lisa.’
She should have known Tino would come after her. He caught up with her before she reached the street. ‘Let go of me!’ She tried to pull away, but he was too strong for her.
‘Lisa—what’s wrong?’ He held her close.
‘Let me go, Tino.’
‘You’re shaking.’
‘No, I’m not, I’m fine.’
‘Then why are you running out on me?’ Steering her outside, he pinned her against the wall, arms stiffly planted either side of her face. ‘Tell me what’s wrong, Lisa.’ He gazed intently at her. ‘Look at me.’ He thumped the wall in frustration.