It had been magical. And so had drying off on the deck of the boat, which had inevitably led to more.
Cassie followed Ares into a large airy reception room, with soft couches and low coffee tables laden with hardback photographic books on every subject.
‘As you can probably notice, I have more picture books than word books.’
Cassie’s heart squeezed as she thought of his dyslexia. She waved a hand. ‘Word books are highly overrated.’
Then he showed her a formal dining room, which led into a huge state-of-the-art kitchen where a man in black trousers and black T-shirt was chopping on a marble island.
‘Cassie, I’d like you to meet Declan, my chef. He’s been kind enough to come and prepare some food for us.’
Cassie shook the man’s hand and smiled. ‘Nice to meet you.’
‘You too.’
They kept going. There was an informal sitting room with a massive-screen TV. Guest suites. A gym. An office.
Upstairs, the master suite was indeed the one with the balcony overlooking the gardens and sea. It was unashamedly masculine, decorated in dark tones with a massive bed. Cassie glimpsed an en suite with a shower open to the elements and a bath as big as a small swimming pool. Two sinks.
As Ares stood beside her on the balcony she asked as casually as she could, ‘So do you have many guests here?’
‘Only royalty.’
It took Cassie a second to understand his meaning and when she did she looked up at him. ‘You mean…’
‘Do I have to spell it out?’ he asked with a smile.
That smile made Cassie’s insides melt. She shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘Let me show you your room.’
Cassie appreciated his consideration in giving her her own space. She followed him out of his suite and to another, further down the corridor. Ares opened the door, showing her into a sumptuous suite decorated in lighter tones than his. There was a vast bathroom and dressing room, where Cassie was surprised to see a woman hanging up her clothes.
‘This is Marta, my housekeeper.’
Cassie shook her hand. The woman said in accented English, ‘If you need anything, let me know.’
She left them, closing the bedroom door behind her. Cassie said, ‘Marta and Declan…do they stay here too?’
‘Marta lives with her husband, my caretaker, on the grounds, in their own smaller villa. Declan lives down in the town with his partner.’
The bed looked very inviting, dressed in cool white cotton.
Ares took her hand and led her over to the French doors. He opened them and Cassie saw that there was a small terrace outside, with views over the other side of the grounds and sea.
She felt inexplicably emotional for a moment, not even sure where it was stemming from. Swallowing it down, terrified Ares would see something, she said, ‘Thank you for bringing me here…and I’m sorry again about the boat. If I’d known—’
He stopped her words by squeezing her hand. She looked up at him. He said, ‘I told you, no one knows. Not even my own family.’
‘Caius?’ Cassie asked.
Ares shook his head. ‘We don’t go into too much personal stuff.’
Cassie let out a laugh. ‘I’m not surprised. I call my brother the clam, he’s so secretive.’
Then she thought of something and went a little cold inside. She pulled her hand free. ‘Ares, did you just bring me here because it would be easier to keep me protected?’
It was certainly conveniently cut off from everywhere else and Cassie was just realising how adroitly he’d managed to get her to deviate from her plan. But then her conscience struck her. He hadn’t faked that panic attack. She believed him about the kidnapping.
