Leo seemed to agree, for he took in her appearance with no more than a slight nod, yet she still felt the strength of his response, the leashed desire.
And something else. Something she didn’t like—a coolness in his expression, a reserve in his manner. He didn’t speak as he took her hand and led her to the table set up on the sand.
Still she was achingly aware of him, more now than ever before: the subtle, spicy scent of his aftershave; the dry warmth of his palm as he took her hand; the latent strength of his stride as she fell into step next to him.
‘What shall we do tomorrow?’ she asked brightly when they’d sat down and begun their starters, slices of succulent melon fanned out with paper-thin carpaccio. She was determined not to lose any ground, not to let him retreat back into his usual silence, as much as he might seem to want to. ‘Go for a hike?’
Leo’s mouth tightened and he speared a slice of melon. ‘I need to work tomorrow.’
‘Work?’ Disappointment crashed over her but with effort she kept her smile in place, her voice light. ‘This is your honeymoon, Leo.’
He pinned her with a steely gaze. ‘I have duties, Alyse.’
‘And what will the staff think of you ignoring your bride on the second full day of our holiday?’ she asked, unable to keep herself from it even though she didn’t want to bring up the whole pretence of their relationship. She wanted to talk about how it was becoming more real. Or it had seemed to be, this afternoon.
‘I’m sure they’ll understand. Being in love doesn’t mean we live in each other’s pockets. The last six years have proved that. We spent most of the time apart and yet no one seemed to have any trouble believing we were wildly, passionately in love.’
That wasn’t quite true, Alyse knew. When the media hadn’t been celebrating their grand romance, it had been trying to create division: publishing incriminating-looking photos, composing pages and pages of speculation that she’d feared contained more than a grain of truth.
Leo looking for love with Duke’s daughter Liana?
The memory still hurt.
‘I realise that,’ she told him when she trusted herself to speak as evenly as he had. ‘But this is our honeymoon.’
‘And you know just what kind of honeymoon it is.’
‘What is that supposed to mean?’
‘We’re pretending,’ he clarified, his voice cool. ‘We always will be.’
‘I haven’t forgotten.’ Alyse stared at him. His face was as blank as it ever had been, all traces of humour and happiness completely gone.
Today had been so sweet, so wonderful and so full of hope. She hated that they’d lost so much ground so quickly.
And why? Just because of that moment on the boat, when Leo had mentioned the dreaded L-word?
Was he actually spooked? Afraid?
The thought seemed ridiculous; Leo was always so confident, so assured. And yet Alyse couldn’t think of another reason for his sudden and utter withdrawal.
The friendship—the intimacy—that had been growing between them had him scared.
The thought almost restored her hope. Scared was better than indifferent. Still, she knew there was no point pressing the issue now. That didn’t mean she was going to let him off the hook quite so easily.
‘I suppose I can entertain myself easily enough for a day,’ she said lightly, and saw the flicker of surprise ripple across Leo’s features that she was capitulating so easily. ‘What work do you have to do?’ she continued, and the surprise on his face intensified into discomfort. Alyse almost smiled. ‘Are you working on that proposal for broadband?’
‘Some paperwork,’ he answered after a pause, his voice gruff, but Alyse was determined not to let the conversation sputter out. He would let her in, one way or another. Even if he was scared.
‘Will you put the proposal before the Cabinet? That’s how it works, isn’t it? A constitutional monarchy.’
‘Yes. I hope to put it before them eventually. It’s not one of my father’s priorities.’
‘Why not?’
Leo shrugged. ‘My father has always been more interested in enjoying the benefits of being king rather than fulfilling his royal responsibilities.’
‘But you’re different.’
A light blazed briefly in his eyes. ‘I hope so.’
‘I think you are.’ She spoke softly, and was gratified to see something like surprised pleasure lift the corners of Leo’s mouth before he glanced away.
‘I hope I can match you as queen.’ She meant to sound light but the words came out in a rush of sincerity. ‘I want to be a credit to you, Leo.’
‘You already are. The fact that the public fell in love with you six years ago has been a huge boon to our country. You of all people must know the power of that photograph.’
She nodded slowly. ‘Yes, but more than that. I want to do something more than just smile and shake hands.’
‘Understandably, but don’t sell a smile and a handshake short. It’s more than my parents ever did.’
‘Is it?’
‘One of the reasons they were so keen for our engagement to go ahead is because they’d damaged the monarchy nearly beyond repair,’ Leo said flatly. He speared a slice of beef with a little more vigour than necessary.
‘How?’
He shrugged. ‘Very public affairs, careless spending, a complete indifference to their people. It’s hard to say which aspect of their lives was the most damaging.’
And he’d grown up in that environment. ‘It doesn’t sound like a very happy place to have your childhood,’ she said quietly.
‘I didn’t. I went to boarding school when I was six.’
‘Six?’
‘I didn’t mind.’ A waiter had materialised on the edge of the beach and with a flick of his fingers Leo indicated for him to come forward. Alyse had a feeling he’d had enough of personal conversation, but at least he’d shared something. More than he ever had before.
Leo hadn’t meant to say so much. Reveal so much. How did she do it? he wondered. How did she sneak beneath the defences he’d erected as a boy, had had firmly in place for so long? He never talked about his parents, or himself, or anything. He’d always preferred it that way and yet in these unguarded moments he discovered he almost enjoyed the conversation. The sharing.
So much for getting this relationship back on the footing he’d wanted: impersonal. Unthreatening.
Frustration blazed through him. No more friendship. No more conversation. There was only one thing he wanted from Alyse, and he would have it. Tonight.
Over the next few courses of their meal she made a few attempts at conversation and Leo answered politely enough without encouraging further talk. Still, she tried, and he had to admire her determination.
She wouldn’t give up. Well, neither would he.
The moon had risen in the sky, sending its silver rays sliding over the placid surface of the sea. The waiter brought them both tiny glasses of liqueurs and a plate of petit fours and then left them alone, retreating silently back to the main resort.
All around them the night seemed very quiet, very still, the only sound the gentle lap of the waves against the sand. In the moonlit darkness, Alyse looked almost ethereal, her hair floating softly about her shoulders, her silvery eyes soft—yes, eyes could be soft, and thoughtful.
Desire tightened