The Tycoon's Rebel Bride (The Anetakis Tycoons #2)(11)

“If I say no, are you volunteering to head my education?” she asked with a flash of a grin.

He shot an exasperated grimace in her direction. “I’ll take that as a yes that someone has spoken to you of such matters.”

“Next you’ll be offering to buy my feminine products,” she muttered.

He choked on the sip of wine he’d just taken and hurriedly set the glass back down on the table. “You imp. It’s not polite to make someone laugh as they’re taking a drink.”

“I’ll remind you that you started this conversation,” she said dryly.

She watched him take a bite and then wipe his mouth with his napkin. He had really gorgeous lips. Perfect for kissing.

“So I did,” he said with a shrug. “I merely wondered if you’d spoken to another woman about men and husbands and of course which men make the best husbands.”

“And lovers,” she added.

“Yes, of course,” he said in resignation.

She sat back in her seat and stared at him in challenge. “You don’t want the woman you marry to be a good lover?”

He gave her what she could only classify as a look of horror. “No, I damn well do not expect my wife to be a good lover. It’s my duty to…” He broke off in a strangled voice. “We’re not discussing my future wife,” he said gruffly.

But her curiosity had been well and truly piqued. She sat forward, and placed her chin in one palm, her food forgotten. “It’s your duty to what?”

“This is not a conversation that is appropriate for us to have,” he said stiffly.

She sighed and nearly rolled her eyes. He sure didn’t mind playing the guardian card when it suited him, and the last thing she wanted was to plant any sort of parent role into his brain. But she desperately wanted to hear just what he considered his duty to be to the woman who’d share his bed.

“You’re my guardian, Theron. Who else can I talk to about such matters?”

He let out a long-suffering sigh and took another sip of his wine. “I don’t expect my wife to be sexually experienced when she comes to my bed. It’s my duty to awaken her passion and teach her everything she needs to know about…lovemaking.”

Isabella wrinkled her nose. “That sounds so medieval. Have you ever considered that she might teach you a thing or two?”

He set the glass down again, a look of astonished outrage on his face. Clearly the thought had never occurred to him that any woman could teach him anything when it came to sex. So he fancied himself a good lover then. She had to fight off a full-body shiver. She wanted his hands on her body so badly. She’d be more than willing to be an eager pupil under his tutelage.

“I assure you, there is little a woman could teach me that I am not already well acquainted with,” he said with a thread of arrogance.

“That experienced, huh?”

He grimaced. “I don’t know how our conversation deteriorated to this, but it’s hardly an appropriate conversation between a guardian and his ward.”

And up went the cement wall again. At least he was struggling to put her back on a non threatening level which meant he considered her just that. A threat.

She dug cheerfully into the remainder of her meal, content to let silence settle over the table. Theron watched her, and she let him, making sure not to look up and catch his stare. There was curiosity in his gaze but there was also interest, and not the platonic kind. He might fight it tooth and nail, but his eyes didn’t lie.

When they were finished eating, Theron queried her on her next course of action.

“I’ll need furniture, of course. Not to mention food and staple items.”

“Make a list of food items and any other household things you need. I’ll have it delivered so that you don’t have to go out shopping,” Theron said. “If you can stand a few more days in the hotel suite, I’ll see if I can fit in a furniture shopping trip later in the week.”

“Oh, I need everything,” she said cheerfully. “Towels, curtains, dishes, bed linens—”

He held up his hand and smiled. “Make a detailed list. I’ll see that it is taken care of.”

He tossed his table napkin down and motioned for the waiter. Then he glanced at Isabella. “Are you ready to return to your suite?”

Isabella wasn’t, but she also knew that she’d monopolized Theron’s entire morning, and he was a busy man. She nodded and rose from her seat. They met around the table, and he put his hand to the small of her back as they headed for the exit.

“I’ll see you up,” Theron said when they walked into the lobby.

The elevator slid open and the two stepped inside. Even before it fully closed, Isabella turned to Theron. He was so close. His warmth radiated from him, enveloping her. She could smell the crispness of his cologne.

“Thank you for today,” she murmured.

She reached automatically for his hands and knew that he was going to lean in to kiss her on either cheek. The elevator neared the top floor.

“You’re quite welcome, pethi mou. I’ll have my secretary call you about your apartment and also about our shopping trip.”

As she thought, when the elevator stopped, he leaned down, his intention to kiss her quickly. She stepped into his arms, her body molding to his chest. Before he could react, she circled her arms around his neck and as his lips brushed against her cheek, she turned her face so that their lips met.