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Except not today. Because here was her adventure, staring her in the face. A fairy tale complete with a handsome prince. And while fairy tales weren’t supposed to happen to ordinary people—as her sister liked to say—perhaps sometimes they did.
So Glory decided she wasn’t going to ask for more information. She wasn’t going to ruin it with boring, crappy reality. She was going to have her mysterious, thrilling adventure while she had the chance.
There were a few details she was going to have to figure out though, such as what to tell her sister. Annabel would definitely have words to say about a marriage of convenience to an infamous billionaire, but whatever those words were, Glory didn’t want to hear them.
Annabel would worry and no doubt try to talk her out of it, and Glory didn’t want to have to deal with either of those things. Plus, she didn’t want to have to explain how she’d met Castor, not yet.
Which meant she was going to have to lie.
It wasn’t ideal, because eventually her sister would find out the truth. But Glory needed some time to think about how to break the news that not only was she married, but she was going to be living in Castor’s mansion. Then there was the question of her job and what she was going to do about that, but again, that was something she’d deal with later.
She took a couple of days to brace herself, then she asked the Jessups for some time off—which they grudgingly gave her—and then one night over dinner mentioned to Annabel that, actually, she’d won her competition and that she’d be flying to Greece next week.
Her sister was flabbergasted and Glory couldn’t help feeling slightly smug, even though the whole competition thing was a lie.
‘Well,’ Annabel said after she’d spent some time grilling Glory on where, when and how. ‘I’m pleased for you. I really am. You deserve something nice, especially after the past few years.’
Warmth spilled through her. Her sister was genuine, Glory could see that.
‘Thanks,’ she said, impulsively reaching for Annabel’s hand across the table and smiling. ‘You get your dream and I get mine. Didn’t I tell you it would all work out?’
But Annabel didn’t smile back. She squeezed Glory’s hand, then pulled away. ‘Don’t go building castles, Glor. Reality isn’t quite that easy.’
It stung that Annabel persisted in talking to her like she was a child, but Glory didn’t say anything. There wasn’t any point. And besides, her sister was probably right. It wasn’t as if this ridiculous idea of marrying Castor Xenakis would result in any kind of happy ending, not when he’d mentioned a divorce at the end of it.
As he’d said, it would be a nice vacation in an exotic location, nothing more.
Still, that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy it.
She was more than ready a week later when the same sleek, black car that had taken her home that night at the beach house drew up outside the apartment again, this time ready to take her to the airport.
Annabel had some errands to run and so Glory had already said goodbye by the time came for the driver to load her single, battered suitcase into the trunk. So she had no one to wave goodbye to as they drove away, not that Glory was sorry for that.
The lie she’d told Annabel ate away at her. Because Castor was famous and if this was supposed to look real, she’d probably end up in the same gossip magazines he did, and even though Annabel didn’t pay much attention to celebrity gossip, there was a chance she’d find out about it before Glory had a chance to tell her the truth.
The thought made her anxious, adding to the anxiety that already gathered in the pit of her stomach, along with a very real fluttering feeling that was probably excitement and of course had nothing whatsoever to do withhim.
She’d been very good at not thinking of him at all the past week, not even glancing at the magazines in the rack next to the counter. Very good at not thinking about the kiss the night at his mansion either or about what would happen if he kissed her again.
‘I didn’t end that kiss because I wanted to. I ended that kiss because I wanted to keep going.’
Glory stared down at her hands in her lap, her heart giving a little kick as she remembered what he’d told her. He’d pushed her away so forcefully after she’d clutched at him, and she’d automatically assumed it was because she’d overstepped. But no, it hadn’t been. He’d liked that kiss every bit as much as she had.
What if he hadn’t ended the kiss? What if he’d kept going?
Her heart kicked again, harder this time, a sudden rush of heat scalding her cheeks.
No, she couldn’t think about that. It hadn’t happened and it wasn’t going to. She’d been very clear she wasn’t going to sleep with him and not because she didn’t want to. Shedidwant to. But she was afraid he might decide he was mistaken when he’d told her that he didn’t find her ordinary after all.
While he might have liked that kiss, a kiss wasn’t sex, and she wasveryinexperienced. He’d be used to women who knew what they were doing, not checkout girls who didn’t.
Not that this was about her in any case. This was about doing what she’d promised for Annabel’s sake.
Glory found herself staring at a small stain on her jeans and it suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t bothered to wear something nice. She hadn’t even bothered with make-up. She’d flung on some jeans and a T-shirt, grabbed an old sweatshirt, put her hair in a ponytail and that was it.
Yes, ordinary, that’s what you are.
Well, and what was wrong with being ordinary? Nothing. She wasn’t ashamed of it, and anyway, that’s what he’d wanted, wasn’t it?
