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His eyes roamed hers, probing thoughtfully.
‘I mean, I saw a headline, but I didn’t click into it.’
‘Why not?’ His expression showed genuine surprise.
‘Because it kind of gives me the creeps. Doesn’t it you?’
He arched a brow, clearly not comprehending.
‘Well, it’s not really any of my business. It seemed private to you and your family.’ She wrinkled her nose, lost in thought. ‘I guess there’s a lot about you out there, and your brother, and your dad. But what kind of stalker would I be to read it?’
‘Your stalkerishness is someone else’s due diligence,’ he said with a quirk of his lips. ‘What if I’m some kind of pathological cheat?’
‘Are you?’ She turned her face to his, her eyes scanning his features.
‘No.’ The word was sombre.
Silence arced between them, electric and sharp. He seemed to be peeling her away, looking deep inside her, even though the question had been Hannah’s.
‘And see? I believe you.’ Her own voice was a little husky.
‘Why?’
Hannah replaced her coffee cup in the golf cart they’d been touring the island in, then spun around to face him, so their bodies were almost touching. ‘Because you’ve never lied to me, Leonidas.’
His expression tightened imperceptibly, his jaw square.
‘You told me on New Year’s Eve that we’d only ever be one night. You didn’t make big promises to get me into bed. You were honest. You were honest with me this morning. I don’t think you know how to lie.’
Leonidas looked beyond her, to the horizon. ‘Honesty is generally the best policy, is it not?’
‘Yes.’ Her smile was uneven.
‘I would have thought, having learned of your fiancé’s infidelity, you would be slow to trust anyone.’
‘So would I.’ Her voice was a little shaky. ‘But you’re nothing like Angus. You’re nothing like anyone I’ve ever met.’
At this, Leonidas’s expression tightened, and she understood that he was closing himself off, that she’d moved them into territory he couldn’t yet traverse.
‘What did he do, anyway?’
‘Who?’
‘Your father.’
‘Ah.’ He expelled a slow breath, as though fortifying himself for what would come next.
‘I gather he’s in prison?’
‘Serving a twenty-year sentence.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘What for? Prison is where criminals should be.’
‘Yes, but he’s your dad...’
‘Not any more.’
