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Her cheeks flamed red hot and she looked away quickly, aware her expression would betray her if she wasn’t careful. If only he knew how utterly not true that was!
“I suppose you do this all the time?”
“Often enough to understand that no one will be scandalized by the mode of our arrival.”
Taking her agreement for granted, he began to walk once more, navigating the metallic steps with ease, then turning sideways to enter the plane. As he’d said, no one batted an eyelid when he carried her onboard, and from the minute they entered the plane she was no longer conscious of the formally dressed staff.
“Oh, wow.” She shifted a little, which brought her closer to him, and her whole body glowed warm. “This is…like something out of a movie.”
Halfway down the aisle, he stopped walking. “If I put you down, do you promise not to run?”
She pretended to consider it, when something inside of her was keeping her right where she was, come what may. Loyalty to Kon, she chose to believe.
“I’m not going to be the source of pain to your mother,” she said stiffly.
“How noble of you,” he drawled. “I wonder if you were thinking of her when you skipped away to Prásina with my father.”
She stared at him, aghast. “With your father? How do you make that sound so sordid? I went there on my own, Anastasios. He knew how much I wanted to travel, but how little I could afford to do so, and he offered me a holiday.”
“Heaven forbid you should refuse the offer?”
“I did refuse, at first,” she snapped, but emotions were overpowering her, most notably gratitude for Kon’s kindness. “Put me down,” she said icily, her face pale.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he complied, and the ice in her veins only grew colder.
“He was being a friend, when I badly needed one. That’s all.”
“If you say so.”
She turned to face him, sadness on her beautiful features, so he stilled, his eyes resting heavily on her face.
“What’s the point in me saying anything to you, if you’re determined not to believe me?”
“How can I believe you?” He asked after a pause, his eyes probing hers as if hoping she’d have some magical way of proving her innocence. “I have literally just discovered this side of him—a man I thought I knew better than anyone else. That he’s had one affair is beyond doubt. And the evidence, in these circumstances, is compelling.”
“If you’re a naturally suspicious person.”
“If that were true, I would have worked out something was going on much sooner.”
She sighed heavily, lifting fingertips to her brow. “So what’s your plan? Where are you taking me?”
The heavy doors slid shut and a stewardess appeared. “We’ll be pushing back within ten minutes, sir. May I bring you some refreshments before take-off?”
He looked at Phoebe then turned back to the attendant. “A beer, and, for my guest?”
She shot him daggers but offered a polite smile to the woman with the striking red hair. “Just a water, please.”
The woman turned and left; they were alone again.
“Sit down,” he gestured to the wide, armchairs that formed a row up each side of the aisle.
“Where are you sitting?”
“Does it matter?”
“I just wanted to be sure I’m as far away as is humanly possible.”
“But not out of an airlock at cruising altitude,” he responded drily and to her chagrin, a smile teased the corners of Phoebe’s mouth.
