‘I came to see you.’
Her heart lurched. ‘Why?’
There was a brief hesitation. ‘I have a favour to ask you.’
Alice groaned. ‘A favour? Seriously?’
He nodded. The lift doors opened and Alice glared at him, contemplating telling him to get lost. But she didn’t. She’d spent three and a half months wishing she could go back
in time and eat her confession, wishing she could have just a bit more time with him.
She was furious with him. Furious with him for turning up in her apartment three and a half months after they’d last seen one another, blithely asking her for a favour.
But she was also human, and completely in love with Thanos, and desperate for whatever crumb of time she could steal. Even knowing it was just a temporary reprieve, that her grief would be waiting for her, that her reality wasn’t any different.
He cast an eye about the apartment as he entered. She didn’t offer him any refreshments. ‘What do you want?’
Her tone was far from friendly.
He didn’t react. ‘Kosta and I have signed the papers. He’s in New York and asked if you were free to meet for a drink tonight, to celebrate. Champagne at the Stathakis hotel.’
Alice’s heart dropped into her toes. ‘Thanos,’ she whispered, shaking her head as tears filled her eyes. ‘You can’t be serious?’
His expression was the most determined she’d ever seen it. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been more serious about anything in my entire life.’
She spun away from him, swallowed desperately. ‘Why?’
‘Because you agreed to this, and it’s not quite finished yet.’
Alice groaned, shaking her head. ‘You said it was done.’
‘I was wrong.’
Pain slashed through her.
‘It’s one hour,’ he promised softly.
‘One hour,’ she said with disbelief. He couldn’t understand her heartache, nor what he was asking of her. And yet...she thought of her mother and how well she was looking, of how her own life had changed since meeting Thanos, and she thought of the most important thing: none of this was his fault.
He’d been honest with her, even when she’d fallen in love with him, he’d tried to establish boundaries to make that impossible.
He hadn’t set out to hurt her.
And she didn’t want to hurt him. He needed one last favour.
With a sinking heart, and knowing how much this one hour would cost her, she found herself nodding. ‘Fine.’ Her voice was tremulous. ‘But then, that’s it. You go away again and forget I exist.’
His eyes glittered. ‘Come to the hotel at six.’ He reached into the breast pocket of his suit, pulling out a plastic key card. ‘You remember the penthouse?’
Reluctance was awash through her central nervous system. ‘Can’t we meet in the bar?’
‘No.’ His eyes flared. ‘You don’t think that might tip Kosta off? Besides, I have your ring and necklace. You should wear them.’
* * *
This was a mistake.
Alice stared at her reflection in the mirrors outside the door to his penthouse, her body flashing with adrenaline as she studied her reflection.