"Nothing. Absolutely not a sound, and you're very definitely naked," he pointed out, nipping at her bottom lip. "No gasps of horror. Definitely no screams of terror from any of my southern locales. In fact, you're getting a resounding cheer of 'more, more, more.' You know what this means, don't you, Bennett?"

His voice slithered along every inch of her flesh in a blanket of smoky decadence. "What does this mean?"

"It means you're a total hottie," he said before thwarting any more conversation by pulling her to his cushy bed with him.

She lay on top of his solid weight, soaking in the sweetly sharp contact of their flesh in unison, reveling in doing nothing more than discovering one another.

Fingers skimmed, soft moans filled the room, heated flesh shivered, giving way to the flex of muscles straining against one another.

Nikos drew her hard against his c.o.c.k, allowing her c.l.i.t to experience the hot length of him. Crisp pubic hair sc.r.a.ped her swollen flesh, leaving her needy and with an ache she didn't care to find an explanation for.

With two hands, Nikos lifted her to the top of the bed, setting her on plump pillows she sank into with a trembling sigh. Parting her thighs, he centered himself between them, running his hands along her hips, past her ribs, along her collarbone until he came to her hair, dragging his fingers through long strands of it. His wide chest whispered against her cheek, smooth and leaving her with a feeling of security.

Lips pressed to hers in brief kisses, skirting along her jawline before stopping at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

The sensation was so exquisite; Frankie bit her lip to quell her gasp of pleasure when he cupped them, kneading the globes of flesh. His mouth lowered until she felt his hot breath, hovering over her nipple. It was all she could do not to beg him to envelope it.

When Nikos did, the world tilted upside down, only righting itself when she curled her fingers into his thick head of hair and arched her back to encourage the hot swirl of his tongue. His mouth moved over each nipple with sweetly flaming strokes as he reached between her thighs and dipped his fingers into her wet flesh.

Frankie bucked beneath him, rising up to meet the exploration of his hand with a cry she couldn't stop. Nikos's thumb on her c.l.i.t, swollen with need, rolled in lazy circles, waiting to discover which motion made her moan with the most pleasure, which turn of his finger made her tighten her grip on his hair.

Dizzy, Frankie struggled to hold back the thrust of o.r.g.a.s.m, but the need for sweet relief crashed hard against her will for restraint. The writhing of her hips refused to be thwarted as she pressed hard against his fingers, riding the crest of release.

Her shoulders slumped as the breath in her lungs left in a whoosh of pleasures now met.

Leaving her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, Nikos clearly wasn't done. He ran his tongue in electrifying strokes over her ribs, along her belly until he came to the s.p.a.ce between her thighs.

The cool air of the room hit her exposed flesh with a scintillating tingle, leaving Frankie gasping for breath, still recovering from her o.r.g.a.s.m.

Hot and confident, Nikos took his first taste of her c.l.i.t, teasing the bud with short, measured strokes, then laving her in long swipes of raspy tongue. His finger found its way to her slick pa.s.sage, slipping inside her with ease, increasing the once more mounting need for release.

Her groan of pleasure elicited a groan of approval from Nikos, heavy and thick with his ministrations. Frankie cried out when he hit her sweet spot, hooking his finger against it and bringing her to a height she'd never attained before.

Her hands had a will of their own when they reached down, clutching his wrist with frantic fingers, fighting the swell of another climax in the hope of making it last.

Yet, she couldn't thwart the kind of intense pleasure he created with his tongue and finger. It rose and peaked, hot and so stingingly sharp, she came with a crash of her hips against the bed and spikes of decadently sinful liberation.

There wasn't enough air to satisfy her lungs when she attempted to force some into them. Her huffs resounded in the bedroom, clinging to her ears.

Nikos crawled back along her body, moving upward to settle above her. He stroked her hair, trailing his fingers through it, soothing her until her raspy breaths became easy puffs. Cupping her chin, he brought her mouth to his, and Frankie, for the first time in her life, tasted herself on Nikos's lips.

Forbidden and intoxicating, she didn't stop him when his tongue delved back into her mouth, licking, stroking, while his hands ran in tender impatience over her thighs and hips.

Her heart stopped when she finally made contact with his c.o.c.k. Her hands had a will of their own as curiosity got the better of her and she reached between them to take a tentative stroke of his rock-hard length. His hips shifted, straining against her hands, the cords of muscle in his back bunching with tension.

Frankie wanted to touch every inch of his flesh, but his groans of pleasure, muted against her lips, were too inviting as she enveloped him between her hands. Thick and just long enough to make her sigh, his erection responded instantly to her touch, and she luxuriated in the pleasure Nikos appeared to derive.

"Frankie, honey," he husked against her lips.

"Hm?" Her response was thick and sluggish.

"Condom. Now," he gritted out with a clenched jaw, fumbling in the dark for what she a.s.sumed was a nightstand.

The sound of a drawer opening and closing broke her haze of desire for a moment until Nikos rose above her, the warmth of his body hovering over hers sending a shiver of longing from head to toe.

In that fragile moment, while his arms bracketed her, while he was poised above her in the velvet cloak of darkness, Frankie understood what it was to feel cherished, treasured. It burrowed into her gut, threading its way to her heart. A heart she thought would always be at odds with even the idea of another man in her life.

The simple purity of that thought made her burrow beneath Nikos, pulling him to her to mold their flesh together. His groan, m.u.f.fled against her lips, spurred her on, making her wrap her thighs around his lean hips and encourage him to enter her.

The thrust of Nikos's c.o.c.k was swift, a silken glide of white-hot heat, driving into her and stealing her breath. Her chest expanded, crashing against his with the sweet sting of impact. Her nipples tightened to hard points, rubbing against his hairless chest as he took stroke after masterful stroke.

Frankie's arms tightened over the solid planes of his back, her fingers kneading his well-muscled flesh while she clenched her teeth at the delicious stretch and tightening of her aching body.

Nikos ground against her, pushing forward, then holding back, thrusting, retreating until the need for another round of completion tore at her. Frankie tightened her legs, hooking her ankles against his lower back until the slap of their flesh became hypnotic.

The noticeable tension in his strained muscles, the hiss of his breath brought with it her own mounting climax, so intense, it bordered sweet agony.

With her head buried in his tightly corded neck, the scent of his mouthwatering cologne in her nose, Frankie came again, with a flaming streak of electricity She reared upward, clinging to Nikos, the sweat of their bodies gluing them together.

He threw his head back with a growl, rocking into her, driving against her with a force that left them both haphazardly strewn across the bed until they both became boneless heaps.

Nikos was the first to raise his head, his pants for breath easing. He cupped the side of her face, running his thumb over her lips. "So, have we dispelled all the fears about the naked and the s.e.x not being all we cracked it up to be?"

Her smile was genuine, topped with the bliss of completion she still couldn't wrap her head around. s.e.x with Mitch had been good, even satisfying, but it wasn't electric blue with streaks of purple. And it never entailed more than one o.r.g.a.s.m. "You're not considering turning on those lights, are you? I won't have it, pal. My hair's an ent.i.ty all unto itself after all that sheet wrecking."

Gathering her in his arms with a chuckle, he slipped from inside her but held her close. "Your hair's pretty s.e.xy. I'd really like to see it in all its afterglow glory."

"You're a m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t."

The shrill ring of the phone stilled any reply Nikos might have readied. Frankie stiffened. "Oh, boy. I'd bet we've been gone a long time. Jasmine's probably looking for me because she's my ride, and your family's bound to be wondering where you are. We're in deep doo-doo if they come looking."

Nikos laughed, dragging a blanket over her. "Cover up so I won't burn my retinas when I turn on the lights. I can't find a phone I can't see."

She giggled, hearing the teasing quality to his tone, burying herself under the warm comforter, grateful now that her body had returned to room temperature.

Much stumbling and a choice word or two was had while Nikos found the bedside lamp and lunged for the phone. "h.e.l.lo?"

From beneath the cover of blankets that smelled like Nikos, Frankie peered at him in all his buff gorgeousness. Oh. G.o.d. For as long as this lasted, he was never allowed to see her naked. There was no measuring up to such incredible, well-preserved perfection. Every lean, olive-skinned, sharply planed inch of his, right down to the smooth skin between his pecs, was glorious. His hair was mussed, his cheeks flushed but not in an unattractive way. Instead, their lovemaking had left him more fabulous than he was before.

The frown marring his forehead sounded out an internal alarm. "Yep. I'll tell her." Nikos hung up the phone after his curt parting words.

Her concern mounted. "What happened? Is Jasmine looking for me? Oh no. Did something happen to Aunt Gail?"

Nikos sat at the edge of the bed, so evidently unashamed of his nudity, his face unreadable, but his eyes scanned hers with a hawklike gaze. "You got an urgent phone call."

"From?" she prompted, sitting up.

His eyes sharpened to two onyx points of discontent. "Your ex-husband."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

From the journal of ex-trophy wife Frankie Bennett, aka Wannabe Vixen: I swear on my life I will, as long as I live, never, ever let Jasmine Archway talk me into wearing false eyelashes again. Oh, and I'm actually going to follow more of Maxine's advice about your first postdivorce relationship. Lay out the rules for your relationship requirements from the beginning and make them crystal clear. Do not be charmed into bending them even a little by the wiles of a man who's to-die-for delish. Because I don't give a hot Greek and some meatloaf with gravy how winningly Nikos Antonakas smiles at me-I'm not budging. Go. Me.

"Hah! Everything with Mitch is urgent. He probably just lost his garlic press." Frankie's eyes narrowed. What was up with Mitch these days? He hadn't spent this much time with her in all of their marriage. Suddenly she was on his most-wanted list? Twice in the matter of a few days after seven solid months of total silence while he cranked out his angst, looking for the Fountain of Youth in Bamby's girlie bits, just wasn't acceptable.

She was not the weak, helpless, afraid-of-her-own-shadow woman who'd left him. And he certainly wasn't going to take advantage of her now. Mitch owed her some afterglow. d.a.m.n him for ruining her afterglow. He was allowed to do it when they were married-it came with the marital ups and downs, but not now when the afterglow wasn't his to take.

But Nikos was grabbing at his pants and tugging his sweater over his head, his face unreadable. "Cosmos sounded like it was serious, Frankie. I think you should get dressed."

Hookay. So was this the perfect excuse to get rid of her after all that talk of exclusivity? Maybe she hadn't left him wanting more like he'd left her, and he wanted out? Maybe he had some kind of code with Cosmos that would allow him the op to bail because she sucked. Misery began to form a knot in her stomach. The empty one that was apparently ravenous now that all the bedsport had given her an appet.i.te.

"Stop thinking what you're thinking, Frankie."

Frankie looked away, her eyes scanning the room for her clothes, taking in the heavy log armoire in the corner and the puffy red and taupe striped chair in the corner.

Nikos sat on the bed, clasping her wrists in his hands, his thumb caressing her skin. "There really was a call from Mitch, Frankie. Cosmos isn't my alibi to escape from your less than experienced clutches."

The sting of stupid tears filled with doubt wet her eyelids. "Okay."

"No. It's not okay, and you're not okay. Your reservations are written all over your face. It makes sense that that would be your first thought because of how Mitch treated you. He created suspicion and the fear of being lied to for any man you happened across after him, but I'm telling you the truth. Now let's get dressed and see what Mitch said."

Someone pounding on the door made Frankie spring into action without allowing her to dissect Nikos's insightful, sensitive words. Tearing the comforter from the bed to keep her covered while she hunted for her clothes, she searched the floor for her ridiculously high heels.

Nikos left her with quick strides, heading for the front door. She hurried to throw on her push-up bra and top, dragging her panties and her skirt over her hips with hands that shook.

The rumble of voices beyond the bedroom door made her run her hand over her hair, which was now scrunched into b.a.l.l.s from the hair-spray Jasmine had sprayed at her like an exterminator killing an infestation of roaches. s.h.i.t. Her purse with the brush in it was at the diner.

She popped open the bedroom door to find Cosmos standing on Nikos's front step, a frown on his face, muttering something to Nikos.

"Cosmos?"

His face went from impatient to grim. "Frankie, Mitch's a.s.sistant called. He's in the hospital."

Frankie smoothed a hand over her skirt, pausing to gather her wits. Did it make her a horrible person to wonder why she was supposed to care so much it warranted a phone call to her? They were divorced. Had she been in the hospital during their seven months apart, would Mitch have cared? Would anyone have called to tell him? Didn't divorced mean those kinds of emergencies no longer applied to each other? "Juliana called?"

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, that's her name. She said Mitch is in the hospital and he needs you."

Needed her. To what? Find his pulse? Straighten his IV pole? Give him a sit-bath? Though, eighteen years of obligation tore her in two different frames of mind. They had been married. She had once, admittedly, loved Mitch, and now he needed her.

Yet, the rebellious side of her wanted to scream that had she needed him-when she'd needed him during the course of their marriage, he'd never been there for her. Not to mention the way he'd left her with next to nothing without even so much as a call to check on her well-being. So why did she have to be there for him if their marriage was over? Did Mitch's medical emergency beat her pain and suffering because it was only a little divorce? "Did she say what was going on and if it was serious?"

Cosmos shook his dark head in the negative. "She was pretty vague, but she gave me the address at the hospital and said that Mitch asked you to come right away. Then she hung up before I could ask her any questions. Sounded like some kind of commotion in the background. I think it might be serious, Frankie."

Frankie wasn't thinking about Mitch, she was seeking Nikos's eyes-eyes that filtered his thoughts with such obvious caution it hurt her to look into them. Maybe this made her selfish, but the odd vibe between her and Nikos worried her more than Mitch and his emergency did.

Maybe she could just call the hospital . . . She sure couldn't call Mitch or even Juliana. They'd changed their numbers shortly after her television debut, claiming, via Mitch's attorney, that she was insane and unstable-maybe even p.r.o.ne to homicidal threats. She'd found out purely by accident when all she'd wanted to do was get inside the brownstone to find her second set of car keys.

Nikos was the first to speak, clearing his throat. "Maybe you should go to him, Frankie."

Why did that statement feel like a test?

Nikos solved her quandary by saying, "I'll drive you. It's late, and I don't want you out on the roads on Christmas Eve alone."

Jasmine was suddenly there, her car keys dangling between her fingers, with Simon and Win in tow. "We can always take the C-Rex," she cooed.

Frankie frowned, running her hands over her now frigid arms. "You don't want to go to some hospital on Christmas Eve. You go home and enjoy the rest of the evening."

Nikos grabbed his jacket from a wrought iron hook by the door. "Thanks, Jasmine, but I've got it. You two go do Christmas Eve things."

Jasmine pushed past Nikos, drawing Frankie's jacket around her shoulders and handing her her purse. "You sure? I don't mind coming for the ride. Not to mention, I'd love to know what the h.e.l.l that snake wants with you on Christmas Eve."

Frankie gave her a quick hug. "I'm fine. Go and stand under some mistletoe with your man." Pulling her close, Frankie whispered in her ear, "And thanks for everything."

Jasmine's smile was Cheshire when she whispered back, "Never doubt Jasmine's ability to rope in a man, or read one, for that matter. I hope it was everything you wanted it to be. Don't forget, I want to hear all about it tomorrow. So call me. Now be safe, and I really hope it's nothing serious with Mitch. Just FYI, I have my doubts it is. He's a p.r.i.c.k, but still, I don't wish anything more horrible on him than a limp d.i.c.k. Anyway, Merry Christmas, honey."

Simon gave her a quick kiss before taking Jasmine's hand in his. "You call if you need anything, Frankie. Don't let that jacka.s.s sack you, okay?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "I'll be at Jasmine's if you need us."

Jasmine rolled her eyes, pulling him out the door and directing him over a patch of ice as Win took her hand and brought it to his chest, leaning in toward her with a hushed voice. "Truly, miss, you are lovely tonight, but might I suggest you allow me to straighten your hair for you? It would seem a stray eyelash has met its fate in your hair." His hand discreetly reached to the top of her head where he plucked the eyelash out and stuck it in his pocket. "All's well," he said on a wink. "A Merry Christmas to you and yours. It was a pleasure meeting you. Safe journey now."

Frankie smiled up at him in grat.i.tude as her hand flew to her eyes. s.h.i.t, both of her eyelashes were missing. No one could ever mistake her for anything remotely like a vixen.

She watched Win's back as he made his way out, fully expecting Cosmos to follow. Yet, he lingered, waiting in skulking silence.

Nikos turned to her. "You ready?"

Frankie shook her head, catching the hard gaze Cosmos shot her. "I can't let you take me, Nikos. You go spend Christmas Eve with Voula and everyone. I'll be fine. If you could just give me a lift to the village to get my car, I'd appreciate it." No way was she letting Nikos and Mitch in a room together-especially if Mitch really was having some sort of medical emergency. He was nothing short of an a.s.shole when he had a mere hangnail.

"Not gonna happen," he said with a definitive tone and a shake of his head. Yet still, there was a new tension between them Frankie didn't understand but really wished they could take a moment alone together so she could try and navigate it.

Cosmos shook some keys. "I'll drive. You two can argue about it on the way. Let's go." He stomped off through the cold night air toward a detached two-car garage and a large, white Suburban.

Frankie followed behind him with Nikos at her elbow to keep her from falling. "Cosmos! Voula will never forgive me if I take not one but both of you away on Christmas Eve. I'm a big girl. I can drive myself."

Cosmos scoffed, popping open the driver's-side door. "Voula would never forgive us if we let the 'bad Mitch' have at her Frankie without us there to protect her. She was the one who said we should go. Now get in," he ordered with a snap to his words while Nikos remained stoically silent.

Oh, tonight was just turning out to be the bestest evah. She'd boffed herself dizzy with an amazing man who appeared genuine and deep when all she'd ever known was shallow and immoral, and instead of basking in that revelation, she was on her way to the hospital to see to Mitch's needs.

Yet the tug of years of obligation made her feet move and get in the backseat.

Nikos slid in beside her, but his hand didn't reach for hers, leaving her even more miserable than the news that Mitch was in the hospital.