Page 26 of Wed for their Royal Heir
Outside, the narrow streets of Therisos passed by, cobbled and twisted, ancient houses built from whitewashed stone all jumbled on top of one another. Stairs and alleyways snaked through the houses and streets—the city was famous for its historic architecture—while bougainvillea cascaded over walls and occasionally the green of a walled garden flashed by.
‘I still think about that night,’ Galen said unexpectedly, his deep voice quiet. ‘That night at the ball with you.’
Shock gripped her. It had never occurred to her that he would still think about it, not once. She’d assumed she’d just been another in a long line of women he’d indulged himself with, despite how incredible it had been for her. ‘Oh?’ She tried to keep that shock from her voice.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘It was...remarkable. I wanted to talk to you afterwards, but you ran away.’ A pause. ‘Did I frighten you?’
His tone was neutral and again, she found herself answering before she could think better of it. ‘Not in the way you think. It was more...shock.’
‘Ah,’ he murmured.
‘I hadn’t... I don’t usually...’ She stopped then decided she might as well say it. ‘You were my first.’
There was another long moment of silence.
Then Galen said, ‘I was going to try to find you, but after the way you ran, it seemed obvious that you didn’t want anything to do with me. There were lots of formalities I had to attend to that night as well, and so... I let you go.’
The lump in Solace’s throat grew larger and it wouldn’t go away no matter how many times she swallowed. What if she hadn’t run? What if she’d stayed and he’d found her? She wouldn’t have had to have their child alone...
You really think he’d have wanted anything to do with you? Especially when he found out who you were.
Well, he knew now, didn’t he?
‘It was probably for the best.’ She tried to make her voice sound less hoarse and failed.
He didn’t say anything to that, but after a moment his grip on her shifted and she felt him take one of her hands and turn it palm up. Then, with his thumb, he urged her fingers to uncurl and gently held them down.
Solace turned her head sharply in time to see him bend to press a kiss right in the centre of her palm.
A lightning strike of sensation went through her, and she almost gasped at the sensation of his lips, warm against her skin. Instinctively, she tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong, and when he lifted his head, there were deep blue sparks in his eyes.
A shudder went through her.
‘Why did you do that?’ she asked.
‘It was a thank you.’ His voice was slightly rough. ‘For the gift.’
‘What gift?’
‘The gift of your body.’ The sparks in his eyes became hotter. ‘And of your virginity.’
Her face went hot. No one had thanked her for anything, still less a man she’d tried to blackmail a mere couple of hours or so earlier, and her instinct was to snap at him to cover her emotional reaction.
But he only smiled slightly, then let go of her hand. ‘You’ll forgive me. I have several calls to make.’ And he reached into his pocket and took his phone out without another word.
Solace quickly turned back to the window, her heart beating fast, though she wasn’t sure why. She could still feel his kiss in the centre of her palm and before she could stop herself she’d curled her fingers around it as if to keep the warmth of it close to her skin.
Stupid. She didn’t need to be thanked and she didn’t need him to kiss her hand either. Yet she kept her fingers curled tight around that kiss as the car made its way along the coastline, past more modern housing developments and a few ancient villages.
Galen had several phone conversations, his deep voice almost hypnotic in its melodic rolling Kalitheran, and she found listening to him a great distraction from the strange ball of anxiety that had settled in her stomach.
Which only got worse as the car eventually slowed, pulling down a twisting, narrow lane that turned into an equally narrow, twisting driveway. Then it pulled up at a large, traditional, Kalitheran whitewashed villa perched on the side of a hill overlooking the sea. Terraced gardens surrounded it, with olives and cypresses, and she could see a couple of other small terraces that faced the sea beneath its terracotta roof.
After the car had come to a stop, Galen got out and held the door open for her. A light, fresh breeze caught the ends of her hair, filling the air with the scent of the sea and the distant sounds of waves crashing against rocks.
A peaceful, quiet place.
Better than your bedsit.
