She turned fully around to face him, a move which brought her face within a few dangerous inches of him. “You see, I was only thinking of my own desire not to be seen in public with someone who smells like a locker room.” She reached out and plucked at his T-shirt, wrinkling her nose in disgust. “Being an American, you know.”
“Your wish is my command.”
“There’s a first time for everything, I suppose. Now hurry, before I go without you.”
Chapter Eight
There were many reasons why Serenity was surprised that Alex had offered to go on a walk with her. She had only voiced one of them—whether or not he was able to walk freely in public. But there was also the question about them being seen together and how much free time he had. His mother had made it seem like he was a very busy man and that she would see very little of him.
Of course, that may have been part of his mother’s tactics to separate them as much as possible.
Since Alex had mentioned the heat, she changed into a light cotton dress with a pretty floral pattern and a full skirt that swirled around her knees. The background of the fabric was crisp white with yellow tropical flowers and vibrant tropical leaves scattered all over it. It was a bright, daring print but very much in vogue. Besides, her personal motto of “no regrets” definitely extended to her personal wardrobe. She loved wearing eye-catching prints.
She grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses with gold rims and a yellow clutch with a wrist strap to carry her credit card and a little of the local currency she’d gotten at the airport.
When Alex returned to fetch her, his hair was darker than usual, still wet from the shower. He wore a pair of khaki shorts, a black T-shirt printed with the logo for the band Sterling House, and leather sandals on his feet. She loved how he never did anything to draw attention to himself. He almost looked like a tourist.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Definitely.” Spending time with him, especially with all of their emotions so close to the surface after their heated discussion wasn’t wise, but she couldn’t help wanting as much of it as she could get.
They walked down the hallway, in no hurry, and eventually, he pushed the door open for her to the outside courtyard where she had come in yesterday. It was completely deserted now, and, quiet but with soft echoes from a fountain at one end. Enormous trees rimmed the exterior wall, their heavy branches stretching out over the cobblestones, shading the whole area. Serenity, struck by the beauty and atmosphere of the place, pulled out her phone and took several pictures.
Alex watched her, but didn’t say anything. He just smiled in a pleased, proud sort of way.
When they walked through the gate, however, two men in casual clothes stood waiting at attention. Alex nodded to them as they passed by and continued walking down the steeply sloped street. One of the men stayed close behind them, though out of easy earshot, and the other walked ahead of them on the other side of the street.
“Security?” she asked.
He shrugged. “It’s best. There are dangers sailing past our country at all times which is the reason we have such a large navy for a small nation. We are in the cross hairs of hostilities between many nations here. It is difficult for my people to understand the need to spend so much on defense, but if we didn’t, we wouldn’t maintain our independence for long out here in the middle of the Mediterranean.”
They emerged at an intersection in the road then, and she stopped abruptly at the amazing view. The road continued to slope down with the terrain to a village of tightly clustered white-stucco buildings with terracotta roofs. The sea glimmered in the sunlight, stretching out to the horizon, and the island curved around to a point facing the east, creating a broad harbor. There were ships of all kinds in the harbor—commercial fishing trawlers, pleasure yachts, small motorboats, and even enormous freighters anchored out in the deeper waters. There were also a handful of superyachts in huge docks close against the rocky cliffs beneath the palace.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said. “And it looks so peaceful.”
Alex smiled and nodded. “It is. Because we have a top-rate navy doing its job. This is Thissa. It’s been here as long as the oldest parts of the palace have been. Most of our industry is in Laxos, our capital city. You flew into the airport there. That is the center for politics, business, and tourism on this side of the island. But Thissa is a special place.”
He started moving again, and she reminded herself that she’d come to walk, not stand still and gawk at the scenery.
“Do you see my family’s yacht, just over there? The Marquessa?”
She looked in the direction he was pointing and finally found the one he meant. “That is a really big yacht.”
“It is. I took a long voyage on her last summer, all the way to Central America, through the Panama Canal, and along the eastern coast of the US and Mexico. But the ship is also a bit of a fortress herself when we sail, with a hundred sailors on board any time we take her out.”
“Security reasons?”
“Yes. Mostly. And maybe to show our strength a bit. My father is very protective of our reputation on the world stage.”
When she and Alex had spent time together back in New York, talking about their families had been far from their minds while caught up in the current of attraction. They’d mostly talked nonsense, and shared their passions and hobbies, and had even discussed politics some. But their families? Never.
For her, she knew it was because of her strained relations with her parents, both of whom had done more throughout her lifetime to tear her down then lift her up. They had told her a million times that she’d never make it as a fashion designer—that no one would want to buy clothes from a plump nobody from the middle of Kentucky. Their lack of faith in her, and their constant attempts to convince her to come home and train as a nurse like her mother, had only given her more motivation. Proving them wrong had gone a long way toward keeping her feet moving when she’d initially encountered setback after setback. Especially after the trauma of dealing with Daniel Travers. Now that she’d made it, well, she definitely didn’t feel much like celebrating or sharing her success with them.
Just one more reason she had grown used to the loneliness and feeling of disconnection that followed her around everywhere. Alex had been the first taste of belonging she’d had since she was very young.
But she’d never realized what Alex’s life must truly be like––with a powerful and charismatic father’s footsteps to someday fill, a mother intent on helping him fulfill his duties as prince, and a whole palace filled with staff who thought the world of him. How far apart their worlds had begun, only to collide in an accidental meeting. Why had she ever thought that merging the two was a simple matter of wanting it badly enough? Just twenty-four hours in this place, and she could already see how vastly different his life was than she could ever have imagined.
“Where have your thoughts gone wandering?” he asked.
His question startled her, causing her to look up at him instead of where she was going. She stepped on a small, loose pebble, and her ankle wobbled. Since she was wearing tall wedge sandals, she threw her arms out, desperately trying to catch her balance, and her left arm landed against Alex’s chest. She grabbed at his shirt instinctively as she felt herself falling. As she tilted forward, she stared in horror at the steep hill she’d soon be rolling down. As images of her scratched body and bruised head filled her mind, Alex’s arms slid around her, pulling her against his side, steadying her feet—though not her pounding heart.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, worry filling his voice.
Serenity took a moment to assess herself. Her ankle hurt a little but not badly. She was sure it would work itself out quickly. Mostly, she felt embarrassed about nearly falling. “Oh, my gosh. I almost went rolling down that hill like a wheel of cheese.”
“Wheel of cheese?”
As she let go of him and straightened her dress, she babbled in an attempt to unsuccessfully cove
r her humiliation. “Yeah. Haven’t you heard of that? There’s some place in England where they roll a big wheel of cheese down a giant hill and people chase after it. They fall and roll and break legs and things and whoever catches it keeps the cheese.”
Alex was watching her like he was afraid she’d sustained a head injury without even falling down.
“What?”
“Nothing. I’m just glad I caught you so I didn’t have to break my legs chasing after you.”
Serenity shuddered, imagining the carnage. With a wary look down at the rest of the hill that hadn’t seemed nearly so ominous just a few minutes ago, she drew in a sharp breath. “Okay, if we’re going to go any further, I’m taking my sandals off.”
“Are you sure? The road will be hot.”
“Well, it’s either that or head back up to the palace.”
Alex looked back up the hill to the enormous stone building that dominated the hillside. “Okay, you can try it, and if it’s too much, you can put them back on again.”
Serenity slipped them off and started walking again, carrying her sandals.
The street was paved, and fairly smooth under her feet. It actually felt delightful…until they emerged from the shady section of the road onto the last thirty yards or so of sunbaked pavement. After a few feet, her feet began to burn unbearably.
“Alex, wait, I have to put my shoes back on.” She hopped around a moment, trying to keep her feet from touching the ground for too long while sorting out which sandal went on which foot and moving the straps out of the way.
“Seren—oh, for the love.”
Seconds later, Alex scooped her up over his shoulder and carried her down the street. Luckily his arm had captured the hem of her dress so she wasn’t exposed when the sea breeze swept over her.
“What on earth are you doing?” She grabbed at her sunglasses as they fell off her face, since she was hanging upside down.
He didn’t answer until he’d put her down again, dropping her onto a seat in a shaded alley between a café and a little shop. “Saving you from blisters. It was better than watching you hobble around all afternoon on burned feet. Here, give me those.”
She blinked as he took her sandals and squatted down in front of her. As he held one for her to slip her foot into, she couldn’t help but tease him. “Well isn’t this quite the fairy tale? You really are the perfect little prince, aren’t you?”
His eyes shot up to her at that. “Little?”
No, he was not little. His face was level with hers even in his current position. His shoulders were so broad that she’d had a very comfortable trip on one of them just now, despite her generous curves, and he didn’t show any signs that the exertion had cost him much effort. She knew he’d spent years in training, both while serving in his country’s navy and now on his own. She’d seen him after his workout that morning with his shirt plastered to every carved contour of his chest. All the more reason to tease him. “Ooh, sensitive, are you?”
He pulled the strap of her sandal too tight. “Not at all. So, I take it your fiancé s a Goliath then?”
Picturing Ben’s figure, she almost laughed, but caught her lip in her teeth to stop it. “No, Ben is average height and lean, but then, I didn’t say that I liked big men, did I?” She bent and pushed his fingers away from the buckle on her sandal. The contact unsettled her, but she managed to keep her reaction contained inside as she loosened the strap and fastened the buckle.
Alex had her other sandal ready when she was done. He slipped it on her foot when she held it up. “You like me.”
His words were simple and matter of fact. She knew she needed to deny it, especially since she hadn’t countered his previous assertion in her room back at the palace. But the feeling of his gentle touch as he buckled her other sandal more carefully made the words stick in her throat.
Once both of her sandals were on, he stood and grabbed both of her hands, pulling her up as well. He released them immediately with no lingering touch. She hated how much she longed for the contact again. The whole thing angered her immensely—the ease with which he drew a response from her and her readiness to take anything he offered against her better judgment.
“I don’t, actually.” Her voice was sharp.
He stared down at her, glowering into her eyes with an intensity that shook her. “If we weren’t both engaged to other people, I would kiss you until your toes curled and your head spun. And then we’d see how good you were at covering up your true feelings.”
She growled. “Ugh, Alex! What are we doing?” she shouted, her raised voice echoing off the tall stucco walls around them.
Alex slid his hands into the pockets of his khakis and looked sideways at the restaurant owner that Serenity only now realized was watching them with great interest. “Exactly what you wanted to do. Taking a walk. Let’s stop standing here arguing about impossible things like idiots and get moving.”
He jerked his head toward the sunny street at the other end of the alley, and as frustrated as she was, she went with him. Alex might make her feel like someone had set off fireworks inside her––and not always the friendly kind––but it was better than the hollow brokenness she’d been feeling the last few, long months.
Chapter Nine
For the next hour, Alexios walked around with Serenity, enjoying her company and enthusiasm about his home with the same sort of twisted pleasure that often comes with pain. He did very little of the leading though, since she constantly darted off to see something that had caught her eye. Flowers spilling out of window boxes, or handwoven rugs for sale, children playing with a ball in one of the quiet, narrow streets, all of it had her exclaiming enthusiastically.
She wandered through the outdoor market, smelling herbs and tasting a sample of any food offered to her. She bought a bag and a vial of handmade perfume. And when she found a stall selling handwoven linens, lace, and embroidered silk, he wondered if he’d ever be able to drag her back to the palace. But as she chatted with the two older women who ran the stall, with him acting as translator the whole time since she didn’t know more than a few words of Greek, he couldn’t imagine curtailing her enjoyment.
She ran her fingers over the fabric, her touch as soft as a feather and held it up to test its weight and the way it draped or fluttered in the breeze. She kept adding lengths of fabric and lace, her pile growing bigger and bigger until she stopped and looked at him in consternation. “Oh no. I didn’t think. How will we get this all back since we’re on foot?”
Alex shook his head at her. “You will leave it here for them to package up for you, and I will send someone down to collect it. Are you sure you don’t want to save time and just buy everything they have?”
She laughed. “I would in a heartbeat except that I’m already certain that I don’t have enough money with me and will have to borrow some from you.”
His lips twitched at her temerity. There was not another soul in the world who would even think of doing such a thing. “How much do you need?”
She shrugged and gestured to the two ladies. “I have no idea. You’d better ask them.”
Once they’d figured out the payment for her fabric, he asked her, “Would you like to stop for tea or coffee before we go back?”
“Actually, is there any chance we could get an ice-cold Coke anywhere? I would love the caffeine, but I’m way too sweaty to drink something hot.”
“Of course. Many of the local cafés cater to the tourists that come through here.”
He led the way, taking her out to one of the cafés that overlooked the harbor. As they walked, the breeze blew her skirt against his bare legs, making him even more aware of how close––how very close––she was. He also kept catching hints of her scent, the unique individual perfume of her skin. It took him back to the past when he’d been foolish enough to steal a moment of time for himself, when he’d held her close, breathing in her sweetness as he’d kissed her neck.
“You look very intimidating right n
ow,” she said, her voice teasing but with a worried undertone.
“Forgive me,” he murmured.
The sunlight created a halo around her face, shimmering in her blond hair as she looked up at him. He couldn’t see her eyes through her sunglasses, but he could somehow still feel the force of them.
“I’ve kept you too long. You must have a ton of work to do. Lets get that soda and head back.”
He wanted to correct her, to reassure her that his dark expression had nothing at all to do with wanting to get back. At least, not back to the palace. If he could have gone back to February in New York, to the pool of dim lamplight in her apartment where he’d kissed her for the first time, he would have. In a heartbeat.
“Here we are.” He led her inside a small shop with a low doorway and cool concrete floors. Behind the counter, a young man smiled and welcomed them, bowing politely to him before disappearing into a back room. He came back a moment later with two glass bottles of Coke. He popped the caps off of them and handed them over, refusing to let them pay.
Alexios smiled and nodded graciously, thanking him as he handed Serenity hers. As they went back out into the sunshine, she took a long drink, finishing about a third of the bottle and then hiccoughing. “Ah. That’s amazing.”
“Do you always hiccough when you drink soda?”
“Always. But only on the first drink.”
He led her into a smaller road behind the buildings facing the harbor. “I haven’t had one of these for a long time. I have to agree, it’s refreshing.”
“I felt bad not paying the guy for them though.”
Alex nodded but smiled. “I know, but don’t worry. He’ll think it was well worth the cost to brag to his friends that the crown prince came into his shop. And he’ll no doubt describe you in great detail—the beautiful blonde American with blue eyes. And they’ll all gossip and wonder about us.”
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