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‘Ah, hush. Let an old woman be happy.’ She clapped her palm over her chest. ‘This will be the best Christmas we have ever seen.’
It took all of Luciana’s willpower to maintain her serenity. Never mind that the woman had just told the dark Prince to hush—why the blazes was she casting her festive aspirations on Luciana? Why should she think Luciana would be here for Christmas? Was Thane so darn confident he’d been shouting it from the rooftops?
Of all the arrogant, conceited…
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell every Galancian within hearing distance that she’d be long gone by then. But as if Thane sensed her freefall he picked up her hand, lifting it to his lips. Tenderly he kissed the sensitive pulse-point that pounded at her inner wrist as he locked those mesmerising eyes on hers.
His electric energy zeroed in on her. The panicked dizziness abated. All extraneous noise drained from her perception until there was only him. Until she plunged back to her seat in a dreamlike daze.
How do you do this to me?
And then there was this couple, welcoming her with open arms despite the inbred hatred between Arunthians and Galancians, behaving as if she were their saviour. It was surreal. But it was wonderful too.
Even his beasts gazed at her with loving amber-hued puppy-dog eyes, one of them even resting its slavering chin on her knee. Lord, she couldn’t resist his dogs. Had to stroke the short, furry wheat-brown coat. Brush those velvety ears between her thumb and forefinger.
Natanael would adore you, she thought with a stab of anguish.
He would adore all of this. He had pined and pleaded for a four-legged friend and he loved people, being the centre of their world. She could just hear him chattering, see him frolicking on the beach, dwarfed by these huge hounds, building sandcastles with Thane, his—
Luciana closed her eyes and swallowed thickly around the fear clotting her throat. She didn’t want to make the connection—didn’t want to acknowledge who this man was to her son. Had to focus on escaping, protecting Nate…
But what if in reality it wasn’t Thane he needed protecting from? What if Thane was the only person in the entire world who could truly protect Nate?
He wasn’t the man she’d met in Zurich. He was harder. More ruthless. More determined. And yet he wasn’t the monster people claimed him to be.
Head pounding, as if it had been jammed in a nutcracker and split open, she couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe.
So she smiled and nodded in all the right places while the endless waters of the Med called to her, the sound of its gentle lap, its tranquil stillness, soothing the disharmony in her heart and mind. But she didn’t need to be looking at the ocean to realise she was burying her head in the sand. Again. That was exactly what she’d done in Hong Kong. Her utmost to pretend that her time wasn’t running out. And where had it got her? Into inevitable torment when faced with reality.
If she waded through the mess of enemy nations and her throne she was a mother. First and foremost. Yes, if Natanael came to light it would ruin her in the eyes of her people and her father would likely disown her. But so be it. The only reason she’d kept him quiet was to keep him safe.
She’d pleaded to have him. The fact that he was alive right now was why she lived with the pain. The fact that his beautiful face lit up her entire world was why she lived in the dark. But if there were no danger to him there would be no reason for his true identity not to be known. His happiness was the most important thing to her. And if her little boy could have a daddy who was a good man—who would love him and protect him above all else—then Nate deserved that and so did Thane.
As for her crown… Her father would have to bend his rules and laws. Allow Claudia to take the throne despite the fact that Lucas wasn’t of blue blood. Or he’d have to get over the fact he’d washed his hands of Andalina years ago and command her return from New York. Granted, the thought of Andie being Queen was hellishly scary, but her father would have no choice. If she was ruined, the damage was already done.
For the first time in years Luciana had choices. She only had to use them wisely. Be absolutely sure she was doing the right thing by telling Thane the truth.
Hanna and Pietro bade them a fond goodbye, leaving them alone once more.
‘I believe I promised you a date,’ he drawled. ‘Lunch at the southern reef? A horse-ride along the beach or up into the vineyards? It’s beautiful up there. What’s your pleasure, angel?’
