She grinned, relishing his weight on her. He came down even closer and she wrapped her arms around him.
He said, ‘I don’t need to worry about you, do I?’
Cassie was torn. After years of her feeling like an object to be moved around, Ares was the first person—after her brother—who really looked at her. Saw her. Was it so bad to want to be worried about? Because that meant someone cared.
But she swallowed that down and said, ‘No, I guess you don’t.’
He lowered his head and covered her mouth with his and it was only a discreet coughing that became forceful enough to notice that had reality intruding and Ares lifting his head.
He looked up and Cassie’s face flamed when she followed his gaze and realised it was Declan and he was saying, ‘Sorry to intrude, boss, but your phone kept ringing and apparently it’s urgent.’
Ares levered himself up from Cassie and she put a hand over her face to try and hide. But Declan was gone and Ares was on the phone saying, ‘Caius?’
Immediately Cassie got up in a fluid motion. Ares was looking at her and saying, ‘Yes, she’s here. Hang on.’
He handed her the phone and he was grim. Cassie’s insides turned over. ‘Caius? What’s wrong? Are you OK?’
Her brother’s voice on the other end of the line said, ‘I’m fine, Cass, it’s not me. But I think you need to get back to Sadat. Your absence has been noted and speculation is building as to where you are. Some are even saying you don’t want to be queen.’
Cassie gasped. ‘That’s not true. I’d never let them down.’
‘I know, Cass, but you should probably get back and calm things down.’ After a beat he said, ‘I’m sorry you didn’t have longer.’
Cassie was looking at Ares, who was watching her. Suddenly it was overwhelming to think that life was rushing back at her. And that this was it. Emotion rose, swift and sharp. Tears pricked her eyes, she turned away and terminated the conversation with her brother and gathered herself before facing Ares again.
He spoke before she did. ‘You have to get back to Sadat.’
She nodded and handed back his phone. ‘I should have figured that my absence would cause some confusion.’
Ares came close and touched her jaw. ‘It wasn’t too much to ask to have some time to yourself, Cass. You’ll be able to carve out time again—you’re resourceful.’
She shrugged minutely and struggled to muster up a smile. She felt flat. Cold inside, because it would be time without Ares. ‘I should start packing.’
‘I’ll arrange your transport.’
Cassie felt that like a physical blow. He probably couldn’t wait to be free again. She also suddenly realised there was still so much she didn’t know about him. Abruptly she asked, ‘Where do you even live?’
Ares blinked. ‘You want to know where I live?’
Cassie felt foolish now. ‘I just…realised I didn’t know that about you.’ Maybe she didn’t know because he didn’t want her to know.
But he answered, ‘New York, mainly. But I have this place here, an apartment in Athens and a place in London, too.’
‘Oh.’
‘Cass…?’
She shook her head. ‘Sorry, I just…wasn’t expecting this to end…like this.’
Chapter Eleven
CASSIE’S WORDS HUNGin the air between them. She looked as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Deflated. Ares was numb. He recognised shock. He had to admit he too felt a little blindsided after Caius’s wake-up call. It had been all too easy to pretend there wasn’t a real world waiting for them to return. Ares to his security business and Cassie to become queen.
What Ares didn’t tell Cassie was that when he’d heard Caius’s voice on the phone he’d had an urge to cut the connection and say nothing. Because he’d known before his friend had even spoken that this…was over.
But it was for the best. This little…momenthad been an indulgence Ares should never have allowed to happen. It had been weak. Selfish. He’d broken all of his own rules to not let anyone get close enough to hurt him the way his family had done with their callous disregard. He amended that now. Not hisfamily. His parents. His siblings…he’d never given them a chance really and he was only fully recognising that fact after all this time.
Cassie with her questions had made him acknowledge that they’d been pawns as much as he had. It wasn’t as if they’d had any power to help him when he’d been kidnapped. And yet he’d cut them off, excised them from his world. One of the tenets of his life, the thing he’d built so much around—not needing anyone, being a loner—no longer felt so solid.Or attractive.
