‘That really is a quirk of fate. Is he going to recognise him?’
‘Yes. And he’s going to marry the mother to legitimise him.’
She took another long sip of her mojito, her eyes wide as she finally met his gaze. ‘Does your grandfather know?’
‘Theseus is going to tell him after the Gala. We’ve agreed it’s best to let that day be for our grandfather.’
She looked down at the ground. He wondered if she was thinking the same thing, that he was using the Gala to make the announcement of his marriage. But his announcement was different—for his grandfather it would be the pinnacle of the day, confirmation of the security that would come with knowing his heir was going to embark on matrimony.
‘Theseus’s relationship with my grandfather is complicated. Being a Prince of Agon is not something he’s ever liked or adjusted to. It’s the reason why he’s been working so hard on the biography, to prove that he is ready to embrace who he is.’
‘Whereas you’ve always embraced your destiny?’ she said softly.
‘I am who I am,’ he answered with a shrug, not admitting that for a fleeting moment his brother’s news had given him pause for thought. Theseus had a ready-made heir and a fiancée he certainly was not indifferent to...
But, no, the thought had been pushed aside before he’d allowed it to float too far into his mind. The throne would be his. It was his destiny. It was his pride. Being King was a role Theseus would hate with every fibre of his being.
Seeing Amy using her straw to fight through the ice to the liquid left in the bottom of her glass, he signalled to a passing bartender for two more drinks.
‘The news about Toby is confidential, of course,’ he said, once the man had returned to the bar. ‘Only you and I and Theseus’s private staff know.’
‘Which means half the palace knows.’
He laughed. ‘The palace grapevine has a life of its own, I admit, but I hadn’t heard anything before Theseus told me, so I don’t think word has got out yet.’
‘No one will hear anything from me.’
‘That goes without saying.’ In their time together he had learned to trust Amy completely. He’d never had to watch what he said to her... Apart from the time he’d failed to tell her about the real purpose behind the pre-Gala ball.
Something glistened in her eyes, a spark that flew out to touch him and cut the last of the smile from his face. Had it not been for the bartender, carrying their fresh drinks up the steps, he would have leaned in to kiss her.
Amy blinked herself out of the minor stupor she’d been in danger of falling into and took a grateful sip of her fresh mojito.
It was crazy, but Helios’s news about his nephew had brought a spark of hope within her. If there was a readymade heir in the family...
But, no. Such hopes were futile. Helios had been born to rule this great nation with a royal bride at his side. It was his destiny. And she, Amy, was a nobody.
‘The entertainment’s about to begin.’
‘Sorry?’
That knowing smile spread once again over his handsome face. He nodded at the crowd on the beach.
Following his gaze, she saw the two piratical men standing side by side in the semicircle they’d created, their legs parted in a warrior stance. What ensued was an acrobatic display of perfect synchronicity that on its own would have been marvellous but which then switched to a whole new level.
The men ducked out of Amy’s eyesight before reappearing with thick, long sticks, the ends of which were ablaze. Her mouth opened in awe as she watched them dancing and twirling and leaping and whirling whilst the fire made patterns in the darkness, bringing the very air to life.
‘You look cold,’ Helios murmured, stepping behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist to secure her to him.
Transfixed by what was happening on the beach, her skin dancing with something like the same flames that were playing out before her, Amy didn’t resist, not even when he brought his mouth down to nuzzle into her hair. Her insides melted and despite herself she leant back into his hardness, dizzying relief rushing through her at the sensation of being back where she belonged. In Helios’s arms.
She gasped as she felt his hand slide over her stomach and drift up to rest under her breasts. She knew she should throw off his hand and walk away, that allowing herself to be held like this was the height of stupidity and danger, but no matter how loudly her brain shouted at her feet to start walking her body refused to obey.
A thumb was raised up to brush against the underside of her breast and he pressed his groin into the small of her back, letting her feel his arousal. The fire-wielding acrobats became a blur in her vision as her senses all turned inwards to relish the feel of Helios against her.