He bit out, ‘I am not a playboy.’
Cassie shivered a little inside. He wassointense. It called to that part of her deep down underneath where she’d resented having to be the sunny antidote to the animosity around her growing up.
Feeling as if she were playing with a great white shark, she said, ‘If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…’
‘Those pictures with your brother were only taken because it’s impossible to go anywhere with him without being tailed by paparazzi. We met for drinks. Maybe once or twice went clubbing together.’
Cassie was intrigued. She’d hit a nerve. He didn’t like being associated with her brother’s more debauched behaviour. Which admittedly hadn’t been that debauched. He’d just developed a reputation for being seen at every exclusive glittering event and blazing a trail through Europe’s most beautiful women, each of whom had desperately wanted to be his queen. Until they’d invariably found themselves waking alone in a bed long gone cold.
‘So you didn’t leave a string of broken-hearted lovers behind you like my brother did? All that means is you’re more discreet.’ That reminded her of how he’d been careful to shield her from the people in the bar last night. As she’d orgasmed. She turned away again, face getting hot.
Cassie said, ‘My point is that you’re allowed to go out clubbing, Ares, and so am I, if I feel like it. Maybe I’ll try a couple in Santorini.’
‘What exactly is it you’re hoping to get out of this trip?’
Cassie felt exposed. How could she articulate to this unsmiling man that being crowned queen both excited her and terrified her? It would make the world her gilded prison. She would never have this chance again to try and be incognito and to try to taste some of the freedom her brother had been afforded because he’d naturally had a less restricted life just because he’d been a man.
It had almost been expected of him to carouse and make mayhem before settling down. Double standards. She didn’t hold it against her brother, and she knew that his hectic social whirl had largely been a smokescreen to deflect from his own inner demons.
But that hadn’t been her scene and it was only now she was realising what she’d missed out on. A chance to feel free and unburdened. As much as someone like her could. A chance to live an alternate existence for a while. A chance to live for her twin. No, she couldn’t articulate all that to this man.
Cassie ignored his question. ‘I saw that you came from one of Greece’s most prominent shipping dynasties.’
Silence and then, after a long moment he responded with, ‘It’s no secret.’
‘Nor does it seem to be a secret that you walked away from your inheritance at a young age.’
‘Yes.’ Clipped. Not inviting more comment.
Cassie looked at Ares from under her baseball cap. ‘Well, I don’t have that luxury. It’s not as if I want to walk away, in any case. I’m happy to do my duty as Queen of Sadat. It’s an honour and a privilege. But is it so bad to want to experience a little window of freedom before it’s gone for good?’
Ares had no answer for that. He hadn’t really considered the full reality of what she was facing. A life of duty. Being beholden to a nation, even a small one. Having to watch every step you took and word you said for fear of bringing scandal or infamy on your people.
Caius had worn that responsibility lightly and Ares had to admit now, a little uncomfortably, that his decadent behaviour had been all but sanctioned—he’d just been living up to his playboy reputation and making the most of it before his life changed.
Ares had seen glimpses of a much more serious Caius, hiding behind the flashing paparazzi lights, but they hadn’t ever strayed into deeper emotional territory. There wouldn’t have been enough whiskey in the world for that level of bonding. They’d both tacitly acknowledged that they had their ownstuffand had skirted around it.
He could imagine the rolling of Cassie’s eyes if he were to admit that. Strange, he’d only known her for less than twenty-four hours yet he felt he knew her better than others he’d known for years.You made her come against your hand.
Ares’s body reacted to that provocative thought. He had felt jealous of his hand, last night. He’d wanted to be embedded deep inside her and he’d wanted to feel the pulsing strength of her orgasm around him, milking him.
The fact that she’d looked him up online made him feel exposed. He knew she wouldn’t have seen anything of the kidnapping as his family had managed to all but expunge the unsavoury episode from the records to protect their reputation. But it was still there, in corners of the Internet. She obviously hadn’t dug that deep.
Ares was grateful. The thought of her knowing about that…made him feel even more exposed. And something he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Vulnerable.
He took a step back. ‘Fine, Santorini it is.’ He had to acknowledge now that the fact that she was helming her own boat without any crew or entourage contradicted his assumptions about her.
She stepped away from the wheel and control panel and said, ‘I’m going down to do some unpacking while the coast is clear.’
‘I’ll keep watch up here.’ Ares had very little intention of going anywhere near the below-deck area unless it was absolutely necessary.
‘The boat is set on its course. I won’t be long.’ She came out from behind the big wheel and ducked down into the lower-deck area. Ares let out a breath and ran his hand through his hair again. This was going to be a long week, unless he could convince her to return home sooner.
But strangely that no longer had a sense of urgency about it. He had to concede that her desire for a slice of freedom before taking on a mammoth role wasn’t completely unreasonable. And her brother had certainly taken advantage of his.
You could have one of your most trusted employees take over from you in Santorini.Ares knew he could. Caius would be OK with that, if it was still one of Ares’s team. But for some reason, Ares wasn’t reaching for his phone to make the call. And he wasn’t about to investigate why. The fact that he wasn’t taking the first opportunity to get off this boat was disturbing enough.
Chapter Five
