Her eyes had followed him everywhere that evening. She might try, but she could no more deny the chemistry between them than he could. Soon she would realise resistance was futile. Did the tide resist the pull of the moon? Of course not. Nature worked in perfect harmony, just like the desire that pulled him and Amy together.
And yet... Shadows darkened her eyes. There was pain there, the same pain he’d seen when she’d arrived at the hotel. Seeing it had made him...uneasy. It disturbed him in ways he couldn’t explain, not even to himself.
It had made him think twice about approaching her. Could he be the cause of that pain?
When she got to the bottom of the pathway she held Greta’s arm while she took her shoes off, then the pair of them took themselves to a table where some of their fellow curators were seated. Within moments of her sitting down her eyes roamed until they found him.
Even with only the soft glow of the lamps to illuminate her face he could see her yearning. He could sense her resistance waning. The uneasiness that had pulled at him all evening abated. He’d been imagining it.
With all the stress in his life—from his grandfather’s deteriorating health, Theseus’s shocking news, the forthcoming Gala, his own engagement and everything in between—it was no wonder his mind was playing tricks on him and making him see things that weren’t there.
Music from the DJ’s deck began to play; a soft dance beat for everyone to tap their bare feet to, its pulse riding through his veins.
Soon Amy would be his again. And when he got her back in his bed he was never going to let her go.
CHAPTER SIX
DESPITE HER LONGING to be away from the hotel, far from the pull of Helios, Amy was enchanted by what surrounded her. The beach, under the light of the twinkling stars, was the most perfect scene imaginable. The noise of the lapping waves mingled with the dance beat playing behind them and gave her a sense of serenity that had been missing from her life since Helios had announced his intention to marry.
‘I need to use the bathroom,’ Greta murmured, rising from the table. ‘Are you coming?’
‘I don’t think you need me to hold your hand, do you?’ Amy said drily.
Greta laughed and set off into the hotel on decidedly unsteady feet.
Amy shook her head with a smile. Greta had been enjoying the steady stream of free cocktails even more than Amy had enjoyed the steady stream of free coffee.
No sooner had Greta gone than two men with matching goatee beards and dreadlocks pulled back into ponytails appeared. Both were dressed in black outfits that brought to mind samurai warriors crossed with pirates. These men were Agonites; Amy would bet her savings on it.
With interpreters translating from their Greek, the two men insisted that the table Amy was seated at be moved back ten feet. As soon as that was done they drew a line in the sand, marking a semicircle which they made clear no one should cross.
Curiosity drove everyone to their feet. Without her heels on Amy had trouble seeing anything, so she ducked out of the crowd to stand at the top of the steps leading down to the beach. The extra height and distance allowed her to see unhindered.
As the men set themselves up, removing objects she couldn’t see from two huge crates, Greta came out of the bathroom and made her way to the semicircle of people crowding around them.
The sun had long gone down and standing alone, without the shared body heat of the people below, Amy felt the slight chill in the air. Rubbing her arms for warmth, she kept her gaze on the men, pretending to herself that she hadn’t seen Helios step out from the bar with two large cocktail glasses in his hands...
‘I thought you looked thirsty,’ he said, climbing the steps to stand with her.
Her heart and throat catching, she shook her head. Deep down she’d known that separating herself from the group would be perceived as an open invitation.
His smile was knowing as he handed her one of the drinks. ‘Try this. I think you’ll like it.’
The glass was full of crushed ice, and the liquid within it was pink. Fresh strawberries had been placed around the rim, and sprigs of mint laced the cocktail. Wordlessly, she took it from him and placed the straw between her lips.
He knew her tastes too well. ‘It’s delicious. What is it?’
‘A strawberry mojito.’
‘Did you make it?’
He laughed lightly and shook his head. ‘I wouldn’t know where to begin.’
She took another sip. The combination of fresh mint and crushed strawberries played on her tongue, as did the taste of rum.
‘What are you drinking?’
‘A Long Island iced tea. Try some?’
She shouldn’t. Really, she shouldn’t.
With the moonless sky filled with twinkling stars, the scent of the sea, the background throb of music, the laughter coming from the crowd of people before them...it was a scene for romance, one she should turn and run away from.
Yet her hand disobeyed her brain, reaching out to take the glass from him, bringing the straw his own lips had wrapped around to her mouth so she could take a small sip.
Her eyes widened. ‘That packs a punch!’
He grinned and took the glass back from her, brushing his fingers against hers for a second too long.
Little darts raced through her hand and up her arm. She took another sip of her mojito, fighting desperately to stop herself from leaning forward and into him. He was so close...
‘I found out the other day that I’m an uncle,’ Helios said, making conversation before she could remember to flee again. Besides, this was something he really needed to talk about, before his head exploded with the magnitude of it all.
‘Really?’
Her shock mirrored his own initial reaction to the news. ‘Theseus. He had a one-night stand with a woman he met on his sabbatical.’
‘Wow. That was a few years ago, wasn’t it?’
‘The boy is four. His name’s Toby. Theseus only found out by accident and a quirk of fate—he lied about his identity to the mother, so she was never able to tell him. And then she turned up at the palace to work on the official biography.’
‘That really is a quirk of fate. Is he going to recognise him?’
‘Yes. And he’s going to marry the mother to legitimise him.’
She took another long sip of her mojito, her eyes wide as she finally met his gaze. ‘Does your grandfather know?’
‘Theseus is going to tell him after the Gala. We’ve agreed it’s best to let that day be for our grandfather.’
She looked down at the ground. He wondered if she was thinking the same thing, that he was using the Gala to make the announcement of his marriage. But his announcement was different—for his grandfather it would be the pinnacle of the day, confirmation of the security that would come with knowing his heir was going to embark on matrimony.
‘Theseus’s relationship with my grandfather is complicated. Being a Prince of Agon is not something he’s ever liked or adjusted to. It’s the reason why he’s been working so hard on the biography, to prove that he is ready to embrace who he is.’
‘Whereas you’ve always embraced your destiny?’ she said softly.
‘I am who I am,’ he answered with a shrug, not admitting that for a fleeting moment his brother’s news had given him pause for thought. Theseus had a ready-made heir and a fiancée he certainly was not indifferent to...
But, no, the thought had been pushed aside before he’d allowed it to float too far into his mind. The throne would be his. It was his destiny. It was his pride. Being King was a role Theseus would hate with every fibre of his being.
Seeing Amy using her straw to fight through the ice to the liquid left in the bottom of her glass, he signalled to a passing bartender for two more drinks.
‘The news about Toby is confidential, of course,’ he said, once the man had returned to the bar. ‘Only you and I and Theseus’s private staff know.’
‘Which means half the palace knows.’
He laughed. ‘The palace grapevine has a life of its own, I admit, but I hadn’t heard anything before Theseus told me, so I don’t think word has got out yet.’
‘No one will hear anything from me.’
‘That goes without saying.’ In their time together he had learned to trust Amy completely. He’d never had to watch what he said to her... Apart from the time he’d failed to tell her about the real purpose behind the pre-Gala ball.
Something glistened in her eyes, a spark that flew out to touch him and cut the last of the smile from his face. Had it not been for the bartender, carrying their fresh drinks up the steps, he would have leaned in to kiss her.
Amy blinked herself out of the minor stupor she’d been in danger of falling into and took a grateful sip of her fresh mojito.
It was crazy, but Helios’s news about his nephew had brought a spark of hope within her. If there was a readymade heir in the family...
But, no. Such hopes were futile. Helios had been born to rule this great nation with a royal bride at his side. It was his destiny. And she, Amy, was a nobody.
‘The entertainment’s about to begin.’
‘Sorry?’
That knowing smile spread once again over his handsome face. He nodded at the crowd on the beach.
Following his gaze, she saw the two piratical men standing side by side in the semicircle they’d created, their legs parted in a warrior stance. What ensued was an acrobatic display of perfect synchronicity that on its own would have been marvellous but which then switched to a whole new level.