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But this was her life. A life she’d scrambled together with Ben’s unwavering support in the face of her parents’ indifference and callous ultimatum. Now Xandro Christofides was issuing an even more impossible choice: save Ben or lie to him.
She was still staring out of the window when Stavros returned to clear the lunch table. Unable to stand still a moment longer, she walked through the French windows.
The head-clearing she needed finally came with the acceptance that, for now, Xandro had all the power. She’d said that she hated him for what he’d done. She did. But, with a little space, she was grudgingly aware that he’d been willing to give Ben another chance after his outburst. How much longer his patience would hold was another thing entirely.
* * *
She got her wish to leave the island two hours later. But it wasn’t by boat.
Sage eyed the gleaming black helicopter sitting on its designated platform with unease as she walked beside Xandro.
‘Something wrong?’
She looked around. ‘I can’t see a pilot.’
‘That’s because I’m flying it,’ he replied tersely.
‘I’m not in the habit of getting into menacing-looking machines with strangers.’
His mouth flattened. ‘That’s good to know. But let’s be realistic for a minute. You’re effectively cut off from civilisation unless I choose to take you off my island. If I wished you harm, wouldn’t this be the perfect place to keep you and have my way with you?’
Her heart performed another shaky somersault. ‘Well, when you put it that way...’ Still, she couldn’t keep the nerves down. Probably because he’d yet to expand on this new reality she was supposed to be getting used to.
‘I have a decent amount of flying hours under my belt, and I’m not interested in crashing any more than you are.’ He caught her elbow in his hand when she continued to hesitate, and urged her with firm pressure towards the helicopter. ‘Relax. You might even enjoy it.’
It looked even more intimidating up close. ‘I seriously doubt that.’
He shrugged, completely unaffected by her tight voice. ‘Then think of it this way—you don’t have a choice. Where I go, you go, remember?’
Her chest tightened. ‘I haven’t forgotten. But I didn’t agree to it,’ she threw in, her last attempt to rebel against a situation that she could no longer control.
He stopped and looked down at her, his eyes gleaming with silver fire. ‘And yet here you are. Is it a family trait to be objectionable about everything?’ he enquired with a definite bite in his tone.
‘I’m not a fan of the ask-how-high-when-you-say-jump club.’ She’d had more than enough of that growing up.
He didn’t immediately reply. Instead he opened the door and held out his hand. Warily, she placed hers in it, studiously ignoring the zing of electricity when he helped her up onto the wide leather seat. ‘I look forward to discovering which clubs you’re a fan of.’
He shut the door before she could respond. Which left her to watch him walk round to take his own seat, unable to stop herself from reluctantly appreciating the grace and power with which he moved. The whipcord strength ingrained with each step and the purposeful set of his face as he donned his headset and took control of the helicopter.
Lift-off was smooth enough for her not to notice until they were several feet off the ground.
‘Relax. You might even enjoy it.’
She wanted to silently deny that statement, except she found out that the experience wasn’t so bad. Even the slight dip in her stomach as the helicopter banked and swung away from the villa was secretly thrilling.
In fact, in other circumstances she might have called it enjoyable. For starters, the view from above was breathtaking, the receding island even more magical from several hundred feet above. But she kept all of that to herself as they flew over several more islands and a beautiful sparkling ocean towards their unknown destination.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, dragging her gaze from the strong hands controlling the cyclic stick.
‘To Athens. I have meetings there tonight and tomorrow.’
‘And I’m supposed to do what—sit around twiddling my thumbs?’
‘You can take the afternoon off. You’ve earned it.’
‘I’d much rather be on an airplane going back home.’
He took his eyes off the horizon to stare at her. ‘The next time Ben calls, convince him that you and I are an item and, I assure you, your wish will be realised sooner.’
