AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nico, however, arrived with another note.
The ceremony will begin at ten and Nico will escort you to the chapel.
A gown has been laid out for you. Please leave your hair loose.
If you have any questions, Nico will be happy to answer them.
Once again, apologies for my absence.
C
Glory debated on screwing this note up as well and maybe throwing it off the terrace and into the ocean for good measure. But Nico was watching her so she didn’t. There was nothing to be gained by being petulant. If he wanted to continue avoiding her, then he could. She certainly wasn’t going to go chasing after him. And besides, she didn’t care. She really didn’t.
If Nico noticed her temper, he made no mention of it, but he glanced at the unopened ring box on the table. Again, though, he didn’t say anything.
Rather to her own surprise Glory slept like a log that night, and in the morning woke to find a gown laid over the chair in her room. It was very simple, a shift dress of white silk, cut on the bias to emphasise her curves. She found the simplicity of it beautiful. Beside it was laid a simple wreath of glossy green laurel leaves that presumably she was to wear in her hair.
She showered, then dressed, anger at Castor for his rejection and at herself for caring still burning in her gut, so when two women arrived at her door armed with make-up cases and hair implements ready to help her look presentable, she almost sent them away.
But she’d never had anyone do her make-up, or style her hair, and why should she miss out on something lovely like that, just because Castor Xenakis was being a complete ass? Anyway, she shouldn’t be angry. She was here on a beautiful Greek island, having an all-expenses-paid luxury vacation, when she could be back in LA in the grocery store, so really, she should just enjoy it.
Swallowing her anger, Glory let the women fuss around, styling her hair and doing her make-up. And half an hour later, when they were done, Glory barely recognised the woman in the mirror, glowing and fresh-faced and pretty, her dark eyes outlined in gold and looking huge with liberal coats of mascara. Her curls—usually frizzy—were cascading down her back, gleaming and beautiful, the little wreath of laurel and wildflowers laid gently on them.
For the first time in her life, not only did she look beautiful, but she felt beautiful too, and she liked that. She liked that a lot.
It wasn’t real, she knew that. She wasn’t going to marry the man she loved and who loved her. It was only a job, a bargain she’d made, but she didn’t care. Today she felt like a bride and that was enough.
Nico arrived and offered her his arm and together they walked down to the little stone chapel, the sound of helicopters in the air heralding the arrival of the promised media presence.
Glory decided her nerves couldn’t deal with cameras so she didn’t look up, keeping her attention on the chapel ahead.
Inside it was dark and cool, and smelled of incense and centuries of prayers. Light came down through a narrow window above the altar, shining on the tall figure of a man who was pacing back and forth, clearly restless. The priest was murmuring to him in Greek, while he said nothing.
And despite her best efforts, Glory’s chest clenched tight, threads of anger and desire constricting inside her.
Castor was unspeakably gorgeous in perfectly tailored black trousers and a plain black shirt. He wore no tie and though his dress looked casual, it was elegant and simple, setting off his phenomenal good looks to perfection.
The light through the window picked up the gold strands in his dark hair and made his skin gleam, and when he stopped and turned his head, looking to where she stood in the doorway, his eyes glinted pure gold.
She swallowed, clutching onto her bouquet.
He turned to face her, all the restless energy that she’d seen in him as he’d paced before the altar draining away until he stood very still, his gaze focused with complete attention on her.
No one had ever looked at her that way before, as if she was the only thing in the world worth looking at, still less a man like him. As if she was so absorbing he couldn’t look away from her in case he missed anything.
A wave of heat swept over her, along with another wash of anger, because how dare he look at her like that, when he’d told her nothing was going to happen between them? How dare he look at her like he wanted her, only to reject her small advances?
She’d always checked herself in the past, not wanting to make things difficult for Annabel, because life had been hard enough for her and she didn’t need a little brat for a sister.
However, Castor wasn’t Annabel. He might have been a white knight, but he was also rich, privileged, and while he might play these kinds of games with the women who customarily threw themselves at him, he wasn’t going to play them with her. She wasn’t going to let him.
She might not be one of the people he was trying to save with his mission, and she might be rather plain and her life rather ordinary, but she was still a person. And she had feelings.
And she was tired of being toyed with.
Glory lifted her chin, met Castor’s brilliant gaze and slowly walked down the aisle towards him.
He watched her every step, his gaze roving from the wreath in her hair, to her shoulders, to the swell of her breasts, her hips and then down further, before making its way back up again.
