She had something better to offer him. She was self-contained, precise, earnest, and—he’d bet—dutiful. She’d be efficient, discreet, courteous and they’d co-exist for this limited time in complete harmony And she wasn’t a dragon or a bitch; she seemed too bloodless to be either. Actually, now he thought about it, she struck him as too controlled, too careful altogether. Irritation rippled beneath his skin. He knew she judged him—hell, who didn’t? But he wanted to scratch the surface and find her faults. After all, everyone had flaws and weaknesses. Everyone had something that made their blood boil. He’d seen it briefly when she’d referenced his ‘lifestyle’, when she’d called him out for being ‘spoiled’, when she’d felt the need to snap no at him.
But he’d just got her to say yes to him and damn if it didn’t feel good. Only now he was wondering why she wanted the pots of gold.
He could pull her file from security but immediately rejected the idea. His father would never have allowed Fiorella near someone unsuitable, so there could be nothing in her past to cause concern. He’d satisfy his curiosity the old-fashioned way. Face to face. The prospect of breaking through her opaque, glass façade and making her reveal the snippets of herself that she seemed determined to keep secret was surprisingly appealing. The only question was how he’d go about it.
Now he had her hand in his and he was gazing into her eyes—a breath away for the first time. Even behind the large-framed glasses, he could appreciate their colour—pure gold, a warm solid hue—and it seemed she wasn’t averse to a little smoke and mirrors because she had to be wearing mascara. Her eyelashes were abnormally thick. Heat burned across the back of his neck and slowly swept down his spine, around his chest, skimming lower and lower still. Startled by the unexpected sensation, he tensed, unable to release her cool hand, unable to cease staring into her amazing, leonine eyes.
‘Alek?’
He blinked and turned his head. ‘Fi.’
His sister was gaping at their linked hands.
He felt a tug and turned back to see awkwardness swarm over Hester’s face. Slowly he obeyed her wordless plea and released her hand.
‘What are you doing here?’ Fiorella stepped forward, her astonishment obvious. ‘What’s going on?’
He drew a sharp breath and slammed into a snap decision. He would do this with supreme discretion. No one but he and Hester would know the truth and if they could pass the Fifi test here and now, they’d be fine with the rest of the world. ‘We didn’t intend to surprise you this way,’ he said smoothly. ‘But Hester and I are engaged.’
‘Engaged? To Hester?’ Fi’s eyes bugged. ‘No way.’
‘Fi—’
‘You don’t even know each other.’ Fi was clearly stunned.
‘That’s where you’re wrong. Again,’ he muttered. ‘We know each other far better than you think.’
‘But…’ Fi looked from him to Hester and that frown deepened on her face. ‘No way.’
He glanced at Hester and saw she’d paled. She shoved her hands into the horrendously practical pockets of her cotton drill trousers and stood eerily still, her façade determinedly uncrackable.
‘Hester?’ Fiorella gazed at her assistant, a small frown formed between her brows. ‘I know you’ve been distracted lately and not as available…’
Alek glanced at Hester and saw she’d gone paler still. His instincts were engaged—what had been distracting her? The whisper of vulnerability prickled his senses.
‘She works for me.’ Fifi pulled his attention back with her quiet possessiveness. ‘And I don’t want you to…mess her around.’
Hester’s eyes widened and colour scurried back into her cheeks. But to his astonishment, a pretty smile broke through her tense, expressionless façade. His jaw dropped and for a moment he had the oddest wish that he’d been the one to make her smile like that. She’d suddenly looked luminous and soft. But then the smile faded and her self-contained neutrality was restored.
‘I’m a big girl, Princess Fiorella,’ Hester said in that careful, contained way she had. ‘I can take care of myself.’
Alek realised Hester had feared Fi disapproved of her. And she was hugely relieved to discover she didn’t.
‘I know you had no idea,’ Hester added as she gestured towards him. ‘But we had our reasons for that.’
Instinctively he reached out and clasped her hand back in his. A stunningly strong ripple of possessiveness shimmered through him. Again acting on instinct, he laced his fingers through hers and locked his grip. For the proof in front of Fifi, right?
His sister now stared again at their interlinked hands, her eyes growing round before she flashed a hurt look up at Alek. ‘Is this because of that stupid requirement?’
‘This is because it is what both your brother and I want.’
Hester’s faintly husky emphasis on the ‘want’ tightened his skin.
‘I’m so sorry to have kept this from you, but it’s been quite…tough.’
‘And I’m sorry for the short notice,’ Alek added as Hester faltered. ‘But I’m taking Hester back with me immediately.’
‘To Triscari? Now?’ Fi clasped her hands in front of her chest. ‘You’re for real? Like really for real?’
That light flush swept more deeply across Hester’s face as Alek confirmed it with a twinge of regret. His sister was young and unspoiled but he found himself watching Hester more closely for clues as to what was going on beneath her still exterior.
‘It’s
