‘Sure you are. That shirt has gone devastatingly transparent.’ He stretched out his arm and tugged her nearer. ‘This way.’
They swam a short distance past the rock and she realised there was a cave entrance tucked below where they’d jumped.
Felipe put both palms on the rock and vaulted from the water, turning to extend a hand to help her out. ‘Come on, Elsie, welcome to my dungeon.’
‘Oh. Wow.’
There were worn stone stairs and as she climbed them the hidden cave’s interior fully came into view. And when he flicked a switch?
‘Wow!’
How was there electricity down here? She wriggled her toes. How were there large smooth marble tiles beneath her feet that were warm? And was that round pool built into the back of the small cave steaming?
‘The thermal water is piped to give the cave some heat.’
She knew there were hot springs on other parts of the island and a public facility in the centre of the city, but to have his private pool?
‘From here the palace has private access to the open sea—as long as you know how to get past those big rocks,’ he explained. ‘Originally it was rumoured the King’s treats were smuggled in under cover of darkness—straight from the sea.’
‘Treats? You mean like cigars and brandy? Women?’
‘It’s never been verified.’ He smiled. ‘Then they started the story that the dungeons were down here. That there are torture chambers and that people disappeared from here. It was a plan to keep people afraid and away. But, in fact, only the King’s most trusted warriors were permitted in. This was their place to heal battle wounds—to rest and recuperate in privacy and hewn comfort.’
She touched the stone. ‘So it’s really old.’
‘The worn mosaics didn’t give it away?’ He laughed. ‘It was abandoned for a long time. I came here as a kid. Then after my father left, I got it cleaned up. Put in some lighting.’
‘Because you have a spare chandelier or two lying round,’ she teased lightly. ‘Not to mention a few nice rugs and fancy cushions.’
‘We added in a fridge and a little oven as well.’
‘You can use an oven? You amaze me.’ She chuckled. But the thought of him restoring this place intrigued her. When there were over a thousand rooms to choose from in that palace, he’d still wanted his own space. ‘Your grandfather didn’t know you jumped off that cliff, did he?’
‘No.’
‘Free-diving for pearls, cliff-jumping to access caves. You love the water. Rebel Felipe.’
He shrugged slightly. ‘Only my valet and my top security men know. And now you.’
She was incredibly touched about that—too touched. She needed to deflect the emotion that suddenly surged. ‘They helped carry the fridge?’
He laughed softly. ‘Yeah.’
She studied the bookcase that was tucked beside the cleverly concealed fridge and oven. ‘It’s literally your man cave.’
But there were no giant screens. Just books and an exercise area on the other side of the pool. This revealed such a secret side to him that she couldn’t resist exploring. The books were fiction mostly—crime and fantasy, witches and dragons and great battles. Several looked as if they’d fallen into that great big bath more than once. It seemed he appreciated imagination—and she knew he had a playful one of his own. This place was his private escape.
‘You bathe here every morning?’
‘Sometimes in the evening as well.’
Alone. Because he was locked in his palace—a young king burdened by responsibility, expectation and isolation. It saddened her. ‘You never had wild teen parties down here?’
‘No orgies either, before you ask. And I know you were going to ask.’
‘Then what’s with the massage oil?’ She picked up a small bottle and waggled it at him.
‘That’s from when I had a sore calf from running too much once.’ He lifted a shoulder. ‘The water has healing properties. The trick is alternating the cold sea with the thermal spring. Which we need to do now because you’re shivering.’