She must have sensed his presence for she turned her head, jolted, and sat up quickly, sloshing water everywhere. She folded her arms to cover her breasts and glared at him.
‘Sorry—I didn’t mean to scare you,’ he said, his mood lifting. After feeling as if he could fall asleep standing up, he now felt a burst of energy zing through him at seeing her in all her delicious nakedness. Not that he could see much of her; the bath was filled with so many bubbles he suspected she’d poured in half the bottle of bubble bath.
‘Have you never heard of knocking?’ she asked crossly.
‘The door was open,’ he said with a shrug.
She lay down again, still keeping her arms across her breasts. She raised her left thigh and twisted slightly away from him, to keep her modesty. ‘I kept the door open so I could hear if Toby woke up.’
He perched on the edge of the bath. ‘Does he normally wake?’
‘No, but he’s been flown here from England to this strange place with hardly any warning—that’s got to be unsettling.’ Her accusatory glare dared him to contradict her.
‘He’s fast asleep now,’ he pointed out reasonably. He studied her face, taking in the dark shadows under her eyes. ‘You look as if you’ll be fast asleep soon too.’
‘I’m shattered.’ Thus saying, she smothered a yawn, although still taking care to cover as much of her breasts as she could.
‘It’s been a long day,’ he agreed, unable to tear his eyes away from her. Every inch of her was perfect, from the autumn-leaf-coloured hair to the softly curved stomach and shapely legs. She was a treasure trove of womanly delights he was certain had not been shared by many others.
Her cheeks coloured under the weight of his stare. ‘Did you speak to Helios?’
‘Yes.’
‘How did he react?’ She looked as if she hoped his brother had put the brakes on their marriage.
‘He was shocked.’
An understatement. Helios had looked as if he’d walked into a door. But after he’d got over the shock he’d given his full, enthusiastic backing. Thinking back, there had been something in his brother’s manner which had made Theseus think Helios was relieved, but he couldn’t for the life of him fathom why.
‘He was also in agreement that we should keep it from our grandfather until after the Gala.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘It? Do you mean Toby?’
‘I mean the whole situation—Toby and our forthcoming marriage.’
He leaned forward and traced a thumb over her cheekbone. ‘The date has been set for a fortnight after the Gala. We marry in four weeks.’
CHAPTER TEN
WITH TINGLES CREEPING along her skin at his touch, Jo swallowed. ‘Four weeks? That soon?’
‘Yes, agapi mou. Helios agrees the sooner the better.’
‘But he has his own wedding to arrange. Shouldn’t his take precedence?’
His thumb brushed over to dance around her ear. ‘His will be a large state affair and will take months to arrange.’ His voice thickened. ‘Ours will be more intimate. There will have to be some pomp to it, as that is expected, but nothing like his.’
Jo closed her eyes, thinking her head might just spin off.
Four weeks... Four weeks?
Who the hell could organise a royal wedding in four weeks? She knew he wanted to get his ring on her finger quickly, but this...
Her eyes flew open as she felt his fingertips trail down her neck to her chest, then dip lower to run gently along the top of her cleavage. He took hold of her arms, still stubbornly covering her breasts, and gently prised them apart, exposing her to him.
‘You’re beautiful,’ he murmured. ‘Don’t hide yourself from me.’
She sucked in air, willing herself not to respond.
‘You’re going to be my wife,’ he continued, a finger now encircling a nipple. ‘And you might already have the cells of a new life growing within you,’ he added, reminding her of their failure to use contraception the night before, something that hadn’t yet been spoken of.
His hand flattened over her stomach and continued to move lower.
‘Think of how much fun we can have while we make another spare for the throne.’
‘What a crass thing to... Ohhh...’ Her head fell back as he reached under the bubbles to rub a finger against her, the pleasure like salve on a wound.
She should tell him to stop. She should be outraged that he would behave so proprietorially, as if her body were his to do with as he liked...