by Emma Lea
Frankie laughed, and it hit me right in the chest.
“Yeah, it kind of is,” she replied and beamed a gorgeous smile at me. My breath stalled in my chest with the way her face lit up and if I wasn’t driving, I could have stared at her all day.
I dragged my eyes back to the road, but kept her hand in mine as we made our way toward the estate.
“Um, Lucas,” she said. “What’s going on?”
There was a line of cars waiting to turn into the estate, and my body vibrated with nerves.
“I don’t know,” I said as I followed the line of cars down the driveway and then pulled up at the valet stand at the front of the house.
“Your mother organized valet parking?” Frankie hissed. “Just how many people did she invite?”
“I don’t know,” I repeated as I got out of the car and handed over my keys.
“Mr. Andino?” a woman said to me, clutching an iPad to her chest.
“Yes?” I said, turning to her.
“Oh good. And this must be Ms. Davenport,” the woman said as I walked around the car to join Frankie.
“That’s me,” Frankie said.
“Excellent. You’re both a little late, but no matter. If you’ll come with me, we can get the receiving line started.”
Frankie looked at me with raised eyebrows and mouthed, “What?”
I tucked her hand through my elbow and shrugged. We were here now, and there was nothing I could do to but grin and bear whatever it was my mother had done to ruin my life yet again.
Francesca
I gripped the stem of my wineglass in one hand and gripped Lucas’ arm with the other. There weren’t five hundred people at the engagement party, but there were over a hundred and there were members of the press, specifically picked by Maya to attend.
It was my biggest nightmare come to life.
Okay, not my biggest nightmare. It was definitely Lucas’ biggest nightmare and I could feel him tremble beside me as we greeted each and every guest that came through the door.
After that arduous task had been completed, the waiters dispersed through the crowd with trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. I’d swiped a glass of champagne as Maya led Lucas and me around the room, but I’d only taken one sip of it. I did not want a repeat of the other day in the club, especially not with all the photographers and reporters in attendance.
I still didn’t understand why our engagement was such a big deal. As far as the rest of the country was concerned, we were nobodies. But Maya had been hyping up the royal angle so much that we were suddenly celebrities and I couldn’t wait until we left for Kalopsia to get away from it.
Paparazzi followed me now. That was all Maya’s doing, of course. I hated it, but I gritted my teeth and bore it for Lucas. I knew he hated it too, but it was only for one more night and then we were out of here.
I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip, grimacing at the now warm and flat champagne.
“Please tell me this will be over soon,” Lucas muttered under his breath to me.
“We’ve only been here an hour,” I whispered back.
“Oh god, kill me now,” he groaned, and I grinned, hiding my smile behind my glass.
He steered me away from the current group of people who had clustered around us. They didn’t really want to talk to us; they wanted to talk to Maya and Demetrius, so they barely acknowledged our departure. Lucas found a quiet corner and angled his body so no one could see us.
“Are you doing okay?” he asked, his concerned eyes raking over my face as if the answers were written there.
I smiled up at him. “I’m okay. It’s just a couple more hours, right?”
He groaned and leaned his arm on the wall behind me, bringing him impossibly closer. He smelled really good, some citrusy aftershave that was no doubt designer. Not that Lucas cared about labels, but I knew he didn’t do his own shopping and I doubted Maya would allow any normal drugstore products into her house.
Our eyes locked, and we were impossibly close. I tilted my head up to him and his gaze dropped to my lips and my body flushed in anticipation.
What?
No. No, I didn’t want him to kiss me.
Except, I really, really did. I was tempted to stretch up and brush my lips across his. Just once. Just to taste him. Just to see if his lips really were as soft as they looked. The kiss we had when he proposed to me was awkward and weird, and I really wanted to know if it would be different if we kissed again. Kind of like an experiment. I could definitely kiss Lucas for science. I wanted to know if all these confusing feelings that had grown exponentially bigger these past few weeks would make a difference to how we kissed.
I was going to do it. I hesitated for just a moment before I moved, but before I could press my lips to his, the sound of silverware tapping against crystal filled the air.
Lucas jumped away from me like I had scalded him and I sucked in a breath at the loss of his body heat.
“Gather around friends,” Maya said, raising her voice above the din of the crowd. “We want to get the formal part of the evening over and then we can all get back to celebrating.”
I ground my teeth together and sucked in a breath as I straightened my shoulders. Maybe after the ‘formal part’ Lucas and I could steal a bottle of champagne and disappear for the rest of the night.
“Lucas, where are you darling?” Maya called before spotting him. “There you are. Come up here and bring the lovely Francesca with you.”
Lucas nodded at his mother before turning and offering his elbow to me. I took it, avoiding his eyes. Had he even been aware of how close I was to kissing him not two seconds ago? I didn’t want to see ignorance in his eyes, so it was better not to even look.
“Doesn’t Francesca look divine tonight, ladies and gentleman,” Maya crooned as Lucas and I walked toward where she was standing. “The dress is the creation of a new and up-and-coming designer I’m personally mentoring. Shasti is a fabulous designer I was so fortunate to meet at a recent charity event and I expect every single one of you ladies to check out her online store.”
God, Maya couldn’t give it a rest even for her son’s engagement party. It had to be exhausting to be so ‘on’ all the time. I’d only had a slight taste of it and it exhausted me. I didn’t know where Maya got the energy.
“Ah, here they are,” Maya beamed at us.
Lucas’ cheeks flamed and his jaw was tight as he endured the attention of the crowd. I squeezed his arm in support and his eyes shot to me. Something warm swirled in their chocolate depths and I swallowed thickly. Maybe he knew exactly what I’d planned to do just a moment before. Maybe he’d wanted it too.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Maya gushed. “It wouldn’t be an engagement party without a kiss now would it?”
“What?” I whispered, looking at Maya and then Lucas.
Lucas’ eyes were wide, and I thought he might pass out. I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t come this far and do all the many things I’d done along the way to have it all fall down around our ears because our very public kiss was awkward and unbelievable.
I took a breath and plastered a smile on my face as I turned to Lucas. He searched my eyes, and I knew he saw my determination in them. He drew himself up, smiled softly at me and then cupped my face. I hadn’t expected him to take charge. I thought I would have to be the one to guide this kiss. I thought…
Every thought left my head as his lips descended onto mine. He was gentle at first, his lips soft, questioning. I gripped his lapels, and it was as if I gave him the permission he was waiting for. The kiss went from zero to a hundred in two seconds flat. The rest of the world fell away as he kissed me and I tumbled into the abyss. I never wanted it to end.
Chapter 10
Lucas
I was trying to work…okay, not work. Effie had pretty much fired me from Andino Raïda, at least for the time being. I could get my job back if I wanted it, but I was secretly hoping I wouldn’t want it. As nervo
us as I was about going to Kalopsia and meeting with the king and being out of my comfort zone, there was also a subtle, almost hidden, part of me that was excited about this adventure. Let’s face it, I was not an adventurous person, but this whole situation had sparked something in me and I wanted to make a good impression on the king. I was even giving myself permission to daydream about what it would be like to live in Kalopsia full time and actually be part of the royal court.
Which was why I was trying to research the king and his wife and the other members of the court. The flight from Boston to Thessaloniki was just over ten hours and then there was a one hour helicopter flight from Thessaloniki to Kalopsia. Plenty of time to research the people I would spend the immediate future with, except…
Frankie shifted beside me, and a wave of her chocolate chip cookie scent tickled my nose.
Right. That was the reason I couldn’t concentrate on the computer on my lap. Frankie had curled up next to me and fallen asleep, laying her head on my shoulder and sneaking her arm through mine. I hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything else since.
The feel of her warm body next to mine brought back in vivid detail what it had been like to kiss her, and I mean kiss her properly. That first weird kiss I’d laid on her at the bar when I proposed didn’t count. The kiss in front of all the beautiful people of Boston was a completely different thing, though. It had gone on more than was polite, but by the end, no one could dispute that Frankie and I were an actual couple…not that anyone had questioned our relationship.
When I broke the kiss and she looked up at me with dazed eyes, I’d wanted nothing more than to kiss her again and keep kissing her for the rest of our lives but the applause from the crowd had finally broken through the fugue we’d stumbled into and I stepped back, breaking my hold on her and tearing my gaze from her kiss-swollen lips and the heat in her eyes. It would have been so very easy to forget that our engagement was fake. And I couldn’t afford to do that.
I’d kept my distance the rest of the night. I’d been so thrown by my reaction to the kiss, I didn’t know how to even look at Frankie without feeling it all over again. I’d hoped spending the night apart would have given me the perspective that I needed, but as soon as I’d picked her up from her house this morning, it all came rushing back.
Then she sat next to me on the plane.
We were flying on a private charter plane and there were plenty of seats and heaps of room for her to stretch out wherever she wanted to, but no, she’d chosen to sit next to me. It was torture, but more so when she fell asleep and used me as a convenient pillow. I could have called the flight attendant to get her a pillow if she’d asked, but she didn’t.
Part of me thought she was doing it on purpose…and I didn’t hate the idea.
Part of me thought that the kiss had affected her just as much as it had affected me. But I couldn’t let myself go there. That way only led to pain and disappointment. The only thing that had affected Frankie that night was the champagne and the crowd. She got caught up in the atmosphere and the romance of it all and that’s what she reacted to. It had nothing to do with the kiss. It had nothing to do with me.
I closed the lid of my laptop with a sigh and pushed it across the table away from me. There was no way I could concentrate as long as she was curled up beside me. I may as well try to get some sleep too. I had slept little since the party. I’d relived that kiss over and over again and analyzed every single look and glance Frankie gave me afterward, regardless of how inconsequential it was. It was overthinking at its finest and it had given me insomnia in the worst way.
I slid down in my seat and shifted until I got comfortable. Frankie mumbled in her sleep and frowned until I stopped moving and I couldn’t help but smile down at her. She was cute when she was asleep. Who was I kidding? She was cute all the time, but when she was asleep, all her rough edges smoothed out. Don’t get me wrong, I liked her rough edges, which was why I’d been so mad at my mother for trying to change Frankie. I liked her exactly the way she was, ripped jeans and two-tone hair and all. She’d been the first person to ever see past my shyness and anxiety and be my friend anyway. And she’d never asked me to be anyone else. She’d never tried to ‘help me’ get over my fears or tried to get me to come out of my shell. Spending time with her in those early days had been liberating in a way I’d never experienced. Even now, all these years later, I was more at home and more myself when I was around Frankie than I was with anyone else. She was my safe place.
I exhaled roughly. Which was why I couldn’t do anything to jeopardize our relationship. Our friendship had lasted for a reason and blurring the lines would only end badly. I couldn’t afford to lose her, because losing Frankie would mean losing myself too.
Francesca
I squealed. I couldn’t help it. The view from the helicopter as we flew over the Aegean Sea was spectacular. Lucas grimaced. I couldn’t blame him, I’d squealed pretty loudly into the headsets we were wearing.
It wasn’t like I’d never traveled. I’d done Europe and South America years ago, but I’d never been to the Mediterranean and it was just as picturesque as the postcards and Instagram photos claimed. Hashtag no filter.
“Sorry,” I said, gripping Lucas’ arm as I leaned over him to peer out the window beside him.
Was I taking every opportunity to touch him? Why yes, yes I was. I couldn’t help myself. After that kiss…god, that kiss. After that kiss, Lucas had withdrawn into himself and it annoyed me more than it should. I may or may not be trying to draw him out again…okay, I was definitely trying. Besides, we had to pretend to be a couple in love and even though Lucas wasn’t big on public displays of affection, how else could we convince a bunch of strangers that we really were in love and engaged to be married?
That was my excuse, and I was sticking to it.
“Do you want to switch seats?” Lucas asked, pushing at his glasses.
“No, this is fine,” I said as I continued to lean over him.
The water was the most incredible shade of blue and the sky was clear and the sun was shining and I felt amazing. I’d woken up on the plane with Lucas softly snoring beside me. We’d been cuddled up together like a genuine couple and I may have laid there and soaked up the feeling for a little longer than necessary.
I wasn’t kidding myself. I knew this thing between us was fake, but I also knew that this could potentially be the last time I got to spend quality time with Lucas and I was determined to get my fill of him. He would be exactly what this new king needed, and he would love it on Kalopsia and I knew without a doubt that he would not be returning to Boston with me, so I needed to fill my Lucas well while I could, even if it annoyed him.
“Does any of it look familiar?” I asked as we circled the small island.
“Not really,” Lucas replied, joining me in staring out the window at the country below us. “But then I didn’t really see it from the air.”
“How did you escape?” I asked, sitting back a little so I could see his face.
“By boat,” he replied softly. “In the middle of the night. My parents woke us up and bundled us out of our house and down to the docks.”
“You went to Greece?”
He shook his head, his gaze still on the land below us. “Turkey,” he replied. “We didn’t think it was safe going to Greece. From Turkey we flew to America.”
“That must have been scary,” I said.
“It was,” he replied, sitting back and looking at me. “But things had gotten rough in Kalopsia and every day was scary.”
I laid my head on his shoulder and wove my fingers through his. “Does coming back here bring up those memories?” I asked.
He was quiet for so long I didn’t think he would answer. “No, not really,” he replied, his voice rough.
We stayed like that as the pilot landed the helicopter. I gave him another squeeze once we were on the ground and then unbuckled my seatbelt when the pilot gave us the all clear.
“O
h, it’s warm,” I said as I stepped out into the sunshine.
“Warmer than Boston, anyway,” Lucas said, joining me on the helipad.
“Lord Lucas?” a stern young woman said, striding toward us.
“Uh, just Lucas is fine,” he replied.
She nodded once and stuck out her hand. “I am Danika Lazos, King Christophe’s head of security.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lucas replied, shaking her hand. “This is Francesca Davenport,” he said, resting his hand on the small of my back.
“Hi,” I said. “Just call me Frankie.”
Danika nodded. “I have a car waiting if you’d like to follow me.”
Lucas took my hand, and we strode after Danika as she hurried off the helipad toward a large black car waiting nearby. She held the back door open for us and we climbed in. She followed us into the back and then the door closed behind her.
“Did you want to visit your family’s compound before we head to the palace?” she asked.
“The family compound?” Lucas asked, shock evident in his voice. “I thought it had been confiscated.”
Danika scowled. “Anastas confiscated it and handed it to one of his high ranking supporters, but it is abandoned now. It has probably been stripped also, so prepare yourself.”
Lucas exhaled roughly, and I reached for his hand, squeezing it in support.
“Do you mind if we wait until tomorrow to see it?” Lucas asked. “I’d rather settle in and meet with the king first.”
Danika nodded. “Of course. You and your fiancée are more than welcome to stay at the palace. King Christophe wanted me to assure you that you are both welcome to stay for as long as you like.”
“Thank you,” Lucas said and turned to stare out the window as the car wound up a steep incline.
The road was narrow and windy and steep, and the colorful buildings that were built into the side of the cliffs overlooking the jewel-colored sea distracted me. They weren’t the bright colors of Santorini, these buildings looked like they’d seen better days and age and neglect dulled their paint, but I felt a deep sense of potential. These were a people who’d weathered the storm and were finding their way back. It excited me to learn more about them and hear their stories. I smiled. I couldn’t help it. This would be the most amazing adventure I’d ever been on and I couldn’t wait to get started.