dark drawl was like honey drenching her every straining sense, sending a delicious little shiver through her taut frame.
Ellie blinked like a sleepwalker waking up. âLie down?â she mumbled.
A dark line of blood now accentuated the hard arc of his cheekbones. He reached out and pressed a service button. His astonishing eyes were semi-veiled by his lush lashes. The raw tension churning up the atmosphere turned her stomach over. Complete bewilderment assailed her, followed by a sudden stark flood of intense embarrassment.
As Ellie rose jerkily upright, looking everywhere but at Dio Alexiakis, the female flight attendant appeared. Ellie was shown into a sleeping compartment. She sank down on the edge of the surprisingly large bed, powerfully disconcerted by the lingering ache in her swollen breasts and the still urgent tautness of her nipples. Never before had a man simply looked at Ellie and made her feel a hunger so powerful it hurt. But Dio Alexiakis had.
Ellie was shattered by that discovery, and ashamed of a physical reaction she had been quite unable to control. Had he realised what was happening to her? Had he recognised the effect he was having on her? She shut her eyes tight. She was appalled by the suspicion that Dio had not only recognised her helpless sexual response to him but banished her from his sight because of it.
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A couple of hours later, a quiet but insistent voice roused Ellie from her uneasy doze. âMiss Morganâ¦?â
Ellie came up slowly on one elbow. The flight attendant was hovering with a tray and a look of uncertainty. Ellie reached up with a grateful smile to accept the food finally being offered to her. âThanksâ¦yes?â
âWeâ¦well, the cabin staff wondered if perhaps you would like to wake Mr Alexiakis,â she confided tautly. âWeâll be landing in fifty minutes, and naturally weâre all anxious not to intrude any more than we have toââ
âIntrude?â Ellie queried, all at sea and wondering why on earth such a strange request should be made of her. Was Dio a grizzly bear when he was woken up? Had she qualified for the short straw? Did she look like cannon fodder?
The other woman sighed. âSomeone has to wake Mr Alexiakis up now so that he can dress for the funeral.â
âThe funeralâ¦â Ellie echoed, her voice just fading out altogether.
âIâm afraid this flight is very late, Miss Morgan. The delay back in London and the further delay in landing means that youâll have to travel to the funeral direct. I hope you wonât think Iâm being too personal, but we all think itâs wonderful that Mr Alexiakis has brought someone with him for support,â she shared, and slipped out again.
Fully awakened now by sheer horror, Ellie stared into space. Oh, dear heaven, Dio Alexiakis was flying out to Greece to attend a funeral! That was why he had bought her all that black clothing! And the cabin staff had decided that she had to be somebody important in Dioâs life because she was accompanying him. She remembered him saying that he hadnât wanted company on this particular trip, and groanedout loud at the memory while wondering whose funeral it was. Obviously somebody close. A relative? A dear friend?
After hurriedly choking down the breakfast on the tray, Ellie got up and rushed into the compact bathroom. She would have loved to take advantage of the shower but there wasnât time. She took out the black suit and put it on.
Her appearance in that suit astonished her. The light jacket fitted like a glove, nipping in at her tiny waist, hugging her slim shoulders, the deep vee-neck moulding her full breasts. The narrow skirt outlined the all-female curve of her hips and then tightened to outline her slender thighs. She looked sensational, she registered in amazement. Then, reddening at a vanity that seemed inappropriate, she turned from the mirror, irritated with herself