CHAPTER NINE
THATNIGHTVASILI lay awake for hours, and when he did fall asleep it wasn’t very long before he woke. He found Helia in his arms, but instead of extricating himself from the tangle of their sleepy embrace he pulled her more tightly to him. Breathing in her scent. Pondering the fact that even in sleep their attraction had them gravitating towards each other.
It was exactly what he had been afraid of. And even more worrying was how much he wanted to keep holding on to her. He couldn’t need her like this. He wouldn’t allow himself to.
She was right, he had to concede. It would be an unbearably long life spent in misery if they continued as they were now. He was only twenty-nine, she barely a year younger. They had their whole lives ahead of them. The issue was that Vasili had spent most of his life alone. There were always people around him, and yet there was never a person with him.
If he didn’t have friends, how could he be one?
He wouldn’t consider himself an adequate one for Helia, that was for certain. She was a good person. Didn’t she deserve a better friend than he could be?
Even as he thought that he knew he couldn’t stay away entirely. He wanted to explore her body. To know her. So, while he might not have the ability to be a friend, or a husband, or even a good king, he could make an effort for Helia while maintaining his boundaries. He would endure this attraction until she gave him her promise that she would accept a life on his terms.
Which meant he would have to start spending time with her and not fleeing as he had done the day before.
Vasili eased away from Helia and slipped a shirt over his head. He called room service for coffee while thinking about how he could spend the day with Helia while remaining cordial and pleasant, and then he made another call.
He settled on the edge of the bed. ‘Helia,’ he said gently. She scrunched up her nose, letting out an irritated grunt that made his heart twinge. ‘I have a surprise waiting. I think you’d be most displeased if you missed out on it because you’d slept all day.’
‘It’s not all day,’ she mumbled.
She tried to turn away from him, and Vasili could see the exact moment that her brain caught up with the rest of her. Eyes widening, she moved to sit up.
‘Vasili, I’m—’
‘Come on, there’s coffee waiting and you need to get ready.’
‘Why are we awake so early?’
Helia ran her fingers through her hair, bunching it over her shoulder. Vasili followed the movement, picturing his fingers tangled in her locks.
‘You are a prickly one in the morning—do you know that?’
She only looked at him, with no expression on her face.
He felt his lips twitch into a smile. ‘The surprise is out on the water.’
‘Great. So it’s not for me.’
‘Oh, no, you don’t.’ He grabbed the covers as she tried sinking further down into the bed. ‘I expect you outside in fifteen minutes.’
With a glare and a few mumbled words she tossed the covers off. ‘I’m up.’
It didn’t take her long to get dressed, and when she emerged in yet another mind-boggling bikini, with a sheer dress over it, Vasili knew it would be a very long day.
‘I didn’t think kings were meant to wear shorts,’ she teased, taking in his outfit.
‘They do when they’re on honeymoon at the beach.’
‘So where are we going?’ Helia asked as she fell into step beside him.
‘You’ll see.’
He led her along various paths, all of which he had explored on his own over the years, until they came to a pier with a single boat docked. Polished wood and shiny fibreglass gleamed in the morning sun.
‘Vasili, I can’t...’
‘I won’t let anything happen to you, Helia.’
He’d anticipated that she would be nervous, and waited for her to give him a sign that she was ready to go aboard. Eventually she gave him a small nod, and he climbed aboard the luxury runabout then helped her in.
He felt a tremor running through her as the vessel bucked and swayed. Her eyes darted to each end of the boat and out to sea. She was nervous. That much was obvious. And with her not being able to swim he wasn’t surprised. But he’d meant what he said. He would never let any harm befall her.
Vasili picked up a bright red lifejacket and brought it around her, guiding her arms through the sleeves, his eyes locked on hers as he did up the clasps on the front, his breathing turning heavy as goosebumps erupted on her skin. Gently pushing her arms out, Vasili found himself once again tightly strapping Helia up. Her body obeyed his silent commands so easily. She was so soft...so delicate. He had to concentrate to ignore the desire coursing through him from having Helia beneath his hands.
‘Sit here.’ He helped her into one of the four seats in the open boat. ‘Nothing bad is going to happen, but you can hold on to this handle if you need to,’ he said, his voice growing gruff as he placed her hand on one of the grip handles. ‘Even if you end up in the water, don’t panic. Your jacket will keep you buoyant and I will get you. Do you understand?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good.’
He wanted to lean down and kiss her, but he would not touch her yet, and wrenched himself away to the steering wheel. He refused to look at Helia. Instead, he eased the boat away from the pier and out to open waters.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘Somewhere special,’ he answered.
They were already somewhere special. Choosing to honeymoon at this resort had been for his own benefit as well as hers. Everything they would do after they went back to Seidon would be for public consumption, so a little break with some privacy was a small comfort he could offer Helia. Why he was taking her to another special place was beyond him. And he wasn’t going to examine it.
They left the resort far behind as they approached a small island in the archipelago. Slowing the boat down, he brought it to a halt at a tiny uninhabited island. He grabbed a basket from the rear seat—judging from her confused frown, Helia hadn’t noticed it. He wasn’t surprised. She’d been nervous on the entire boat ride, holding on to the handle in a white-knuckled grip.
They made their way onto the beach—Vasili’s favourite place in the whole of Thalonia. People didn’t usually come out to this island, so apart from the sound of the water and the gulls flying above there was utter stillness. Even the sounds of the water seemed far away.
‘It’s beautiful here.’
He glanced over at Helia, who had her arms wrapped around herself, staring out over the calm water. The breeze was blowing her hair out to the side.
‘It is,’ he said, putting the basket down and moving behind her. He lowered his head so his lips were at her ear and pointed over the water. ‘See those cliffs on either side?’ He felt Helia nod. ‘They keep the waves out, so the water here is always calm.’
It was true. There was just a gentle lapping on the shore. All the beautiful violence of the waves was contained in the distance.
‘It’s safe for you to get into the water here. With me, of course,’ he added.
‘This is a wonderful surprise. Thank you for bringing me here. Even if you drove the boat too fast.’ She stared accusingly at him as he stepped away.
‘You’ll get used to it.’
Would she? Did he plan on bringing her back here? Vasili hadn’t consciously thought about it, but he felt centred here. As if he could be anyone. With a million choices before him. It was likely that Helia would need a break too, over the years to come, so why wouldn’t they return?
That answer was a cloud hanging over them... What if her answer to his rules was no?
‘What’s that?’
She broke through his musings, tipping her chin towards the basket.
‘I’d hope a librarian would know.’
Helia rewarded him with an eye-roll.
‘I’ve had a picnic prepared for us. The question is, do you want to swim before or after?’
‘Before. I’m already nervous as it is. I don’t need to eat before getting in the water.’
‘You’ll be fine, Helia. Swim it is.’
Vasili pulled his shirt over his head, depositing it on the sand, and watched Helia shedding her dress to reveal a bright blue swimsuit. His hands curled into fists as he attempted to smother the urges running rampant through him.
With her hand in his, they waded out into the water, and when they were chest-deep he stopped and allowed her to get used to the push and pull of the current.
‘Please don’t let go,’ she begged.
‘I won’t. You can trust me.’
‘I do.’
Vasili wanted to warn her that she shouldn’t, but he couldn’t deny that it satisfied some deep need in him to hear someone say it.
‘I used to watch the crowds back home playing in the water and wish I could join them. It’s funny...something as simple as frolicking at the beach can mean so much.’
Helia looked around the cove, seeing nothing but nature. Vasili had not only given her a taste of something she had always wanted, but he’d made sure to do it somewhere she would be safe and away from prying eyes.
‘Why are you being so kind to me?’
His grip on her loosened. ‘Would you rather I did not care about your well-being? I thought you wanted a friend in this marriage?’
‘I do, but after you’ve been forced to be King and to marry me, I don’t understand why you would do something like this for me.’
Helia knew he was kind. She had seen it in his interactions around the palace. But now that his kindness was directed at her, it was hard not to feel something for Vasili—and this was exactly why she hadn’t yet agreed to his terms.
‘I was forced to marry, Helia. I wasn’t forced to marry you. I made that choice.’
She noticed a frown flash across his face. There and gone.
‘You weren’t given much choice either, and that is my fault. This is the least I can do. I wish I knew your reasons for agreeing...maybe one day you will be comfortable enough to tell me.’
‘Maybe.’
‘I know so little of you.’
‘What do you want to know?’
‘Anything. Tell me about a good memory.’
That wasn’t what she had expected. She’d thought he would ask all the standard questions people asked when they attempted to get to know someone. Not Vasili. He wanted to know her heart. And maybe she could understand that, since he would have had to question the motives of every person in his life.
Helia wasn’t accustomed to sharing parts of herself with others, but for some reason she knew her most treasured memory would be safe with him.
‘My father was a florist, and every evening he would return home with a flower for me from the shop. Just one. I had a vase in my room, and by the end of every week it would hold a bouquet of beautiful mismatched flowers. I loved it.’
‘Which were your favourite?’ Vasili asked.
He seemed genuinely interested in her answer, and it allowed her to lose herself in the memory. It was as if she didn’t have to have her guard up, protecting her precious memories.
‘The irises. There were so many colours.’ Helia looked away, a small huff of laughter passing through her lips.
‘What?’
‘It’s just that I’ve never told anyone about that before.’
Maybe that was because she was too afraid to form friendships, lest those friends abandoned her too.
Hope had lived in the halls of the orphanage. A blessing and a curse. There had always been the hope that someone would be chosen by a family and would leave. It had rarely happened. And even if it had the rest of them would soon be alone again. If you were old enough to hope, you were usually too old to be adopted.
Vasili’s hand went around her waist, while the other cupped her cheek. There was nothing but utter sincerity in his eyes. ‘I’m honoured that you would tell me.’
It scared Helia that when it came to Vasili she was hopeful again. That was why she’d told him such a personal memory. She knew he couldn’t leave, given the reason they had married, but was it smart to open herself up to him when he wouldn’t ever be there for her emotionally?
It was then she noticed that while she had been distracted he had taken her further out, and she had been treading water just as he had been. As if her body naturally followed his lead.
What would it be like to dance with him?
She wondered where that thought had come from. She had never danced in her life.
‘I can’t believe I’m doing this,’ she said, incredulous.
A pulsing rhythm beat between them. The air was growing taut. Could Vasili feel it too?
‘You’re a fast learner, but I’d rather not push you. Shall we go back to shore and see what’s in the picnic basket?’
He was forcing her away, but she knew then that he was just as affected. ‘I’d like that.’
After drying themselves off, and keeping a respectable distance from each other, Vasili pulled two flute glasses and a bottle of champagne from the basket, followed by strawberries, dips, and an assortment of finger foods. The resort kitchen had gone all out.
Helia picked up a particularly deep red strawberry. Vasili’s eyes darkened and she saw him track the path of the fruit to her lips and the bite she took. Sweet flavour exploded on her tongue. Juice dripped down her hand, and she quickly licked it away.
It looked as if he was grinding his teeth.
‘So, I told you a memory—now it’s your turn.’
He cleared his throat, and his voice seemed a touch lower. ‘What do you want to know?’
‘The same. A good memory.’
She could see him thinking. Taking a long time to do so.
‘Is it really that hard to think of one?’
‘Yes.’ But before she could comment further, he was talking. ‘When Leander and I were children he would sneak into my room at night. At first he used to steal treats from the kitchens and bring them up, but I got better at it than him. I would smuggle our contraband into my room and every night we would spend a few hours gorging on snacks.’
‘You were close?’
‘Not especially. He had a destiny he had to be prepared for. It didn’t leave us a lot of time for bonding.’
Helia didn’t want to point out that from where she sat it seemed they’d been incredibly close. What she wouldn’t have given to have had a sibling all those years in the orphanage. She also got the distinct impression that Vasili wasn’t telling her the full truth. That was okay. She would just listen to what he felt safe revealing. Maybe one day he would share more.
‘You miss him a lot, don’t you?’ she said.
‘I do. Champagne?’
‘Yes, please.’
She allowed him to change the topic.
‘You said you hadn’t flown before, but have you travelled anywhere?’
‘A few times we went on holiday to a cabin in the forest a few hours outside of Seidon. It was beautiful there. Peaceful. Just my father and I.’
‘May I ask how he passed away?’
She was aware of how closely Vasili watched her. ‘An aneurysm.’
Like a switch, her whole life had changed after that.
‘I’m sorry.’
He reached over and took her hand in his. Over the years, Helia had grown numb to the sympathy she would receive when anyone found out she was an orphan, but with Vasili she wanted to lean into him. It felt as if he was offering comfort and warmth. It was that dangerous hope again—but this man had shown her there was a depth to him that not many chose to see, so Helia believed his kindness.
‘Thank you. Can I make a confession?’ she asked.
‘Should I be concerned?’
‘No.’ She laughed. ‘I saw you the first day I started working at the palace.’
‘You did?’ He sat up straighter, enticed by this titbit of information.
‘You were wearing black leathers and climbing on to your motorcycle. I thought you were rather sexy. Unusual, but sexy.’ She could feel herself blush.
‘You did, did you?’ He smirked.
‘I also thought your ego probably didn’t need inflating.’
‘Lie.’
‘What?’
‘That was a lie, Helia. I’ll let it go this time. If you like, I could take you on a ride.’
‘A king out on a motorbike?’ she scoffed.
‘Why not? Who’s going to stop me?’
Helia held her glass between both hands as she leaned towards the King. ‘You know, you say you don’t want to be King, but you seem to have taken to it just fine.’
Vasili shrugged.
‘Also, there is no way I’m getting on that death machine.’
‘Scared?’ he taunted.
‘Yes! I can’t even drive a car, and that has four wheels. You’re out of your mind if you think I’m getting on two.’
‘You can’t drive?’
Helia shook her head. Another thing she’d never had the opportunity to learn. A fairly basic skill at that.
‘Well, then, we’ll just have to teach you how.’
Helia laughed, even though the idea appealed to her more than it should. ‘I’m not sure we’ll have the time.’
‘I’ll make the time.’
‘I know I’ve said it before, but thank you for bringing me here, Vasili. It’s the most relaxed I’ve been in a long time. You know, I never dreamed of anything like this. A life like the one I’m living now. It feels like I’ve stepped through a portal into an alternative reality and I’m struggling to wrap my head around it.’
‘You can ask for help, Helia.’
Just like her, he kept his gaze over the sea, and she was grateful for that because it made it easier to be honest with him.
‘From whom? Andreas? Carissa?’
‘Me?’ he replied.
Helia shook her head. Of course he would offer. He was ensuring his queen would be competent, and the woman in the palace office before they’d left was not.
‘I’m sorry for failing with Andreas. I don’t know how to wield this power I have just yet. I’m so afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing.’
‘You’ll learn, Helia. I don’t expect you to handle this world with the level of mastery that only comes with years of experience. And there was no harm done. I was there to support you as I said I would be.’
‘But what if you weren’t?’ Helia challenged.
‘That won’t happen. I got you into this—I’m not going to abandon you to the sharks now.’ Vasili abruptly stood and turned to her. ‘I’m going back in the water.’
Helia moved through the shallows to perch on a rock. She watched him keenly as he waded out into the sea. The muscles on his back rippled as he dived in. She bit down on her lip, appreciating the way the water glided over his body as he surged through it in powerful strokes. That was her husband. A man she had admired. And as she peeled back the layers of him, she found there was so much more to him.
Helia was coming to realise that she was growing fond of him—which meant that she couldn’t accept his terms. They hadn’t shared in any pleasure yet, and she was already developing some sort of feeling for him. Not to mention the fact that she still didn’t know where she stood when it came to children, which meant that wasn’t a firm no, as Vasili wanted.
That didn’t stop her watching him swim until he was a speck in the distance, and she didn’t take her eyes off him until he was walking towards her. Beads of water raced down his sculpted body, raining down from his hair. He was a masterpiece, and maybe her lust for him was evident on her face because his gaze was fixed on her too. Devouring her.
They might have been outdoors, but the air had become thick. Charged like it had been at the church when they’d kissed.
The force of his presence tugged her off the rock and, paying little attention to her movements, she slipped. But there was no splash of her falling into the water as she’d expected to. Instead, strong hands caught her, and when she looked up golden-brown eyes were all she saw.
She couldn’t stop herself then, but neither could Vasili, and their lips crashed together, stealing the breath from her. Making her heart pound and liquid heat pool in her core. Then his tongue caressed hers and she shivered against him. His arms tightened around her, making her forget where she stood or why she was there. Forget all that she had decided moments before.
His lips slid against hers, tasting of the salty sea. Her skin heated. His touches were making her light-headed. She was reminded how explosive they were together. This could be hers to experience for all her life...
Helia really didn’t want to step out of Vasili’s embrace.
So what if they wouldn’t have children? She didn’t have them now, didn’t have any family, so it wouldn’t change anything. And even if he couldn’t be there for her emotionally, she hadn’t ever needed anyone to be. She had survived and made it this far on her own. But their chemistry...? This was new. This was exciting. And she wanted much more of it, so maybe it would be enough.
‘Vasili...’ His name caught in a breath. He hummed low in his throat, igniting a spark in her belly. ‘I agree to your terms.’