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“Go right ahead.”
I ended up doing just that.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The insects were humming like demons when I awoke a few hours later, having been somehow brought upstairs at some point. It was dark outside but still, a kind of throbbing heat emitted from all the floors and walls. The sheets were stuck to me and I felt sweaty, gross and groggy. I stumbled towards the balcony and peered over the railing to enquire after the al fresco diners down below whose voices had caught my attention. They had some luscious looking salad spread out before them.
“Eh, lass!” cried Morag. “You’re awake. I plated something for ye.”
“Let me freshen up and come down.”
Caelan grinned as he ate with a fork in his right hand, the baby asleep against his left.
I supposed I’d needed the sleep, but I still felt very out of it.
With my hair damp and wearing just a thin playsuit and soft underwear beneath, I arrived to discover the table laden with tuna steaks, Greek salad, carafes containing the most crystal-coloured wine I’d ever seen, plus a bottle of ouzo, of course. Caelan was drinking the latter with water.
I took the baby from his arms and cuddled him close, kissed his head and bounced him to shush him back to sleep. Caelan casually wrapped an arm around my waist as I stood close by and he remained seated at the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I felt Morag studying us closely. So she perhaps knew something, but not everything.
Caelan was clearly merry because he subtly dragged me closer until I was forced to sit across his lap. Then he lay a hand on my thigh and just watched as me and the bairn reconnected. Logan happily sucked his thumb and burrowed into my neck.
“I’ll fetch yer dinner, and we’ll leave ye in peace,” said Morag.
Harold and she stood up at the same time, him bowing his head in goodnight. Morag placed my dinner before us, shifting Caelan’s plate out of the way.
“Dinna fash, lass. The bodyguard will clear away after ye done.”
I raised one eyebrow and sighed in relief. I couldn’t be doing with tidying up the remnants of what looked to have been a lengthy and luxurious dinner. Having passed a clock on the way downstairs, it was ten o’clock at night and there were lots of empty bowls and used plates stacked to one side. Perhaps the bodyguard liked to be especially useful, because my goodness, Morag was not usually happy to leave work for anyone else to do. Hence the elaborate stacking. However, perhaps on holiday, she’d started to get used to “being looked after”.
Caelan kissed my cheek, “You eat, lass. I’ll take the bairn.”
I handed him back and my belly growled the moment I was faced with a plate full of delicious salad, fruits, tuna, dressings, cold potatoes, feta… I was salivating.
Caelan reached over to pour me wine and water and after I downed my water, the wine came next. It tasted as good as it looked. I had half a lettuce hanging out of my mouth when I said to him, “This is all so good.”
“Tell me about it. The bodyguard is an ex-marine who also once worked as a five-star chef.” I gave him the most confused look possible. He shrugged. “I guess the late nights didn’t suit and he came back to work for the Royals at the drop of a hat.”
“He’s a Royal bodyguard?” I guffawed, and while I was chewing and also simultaneously pouring wine down my neck, I turned my head to see the man sat in the living room playing what looked like Cyberpunk on the ginormous TV in there. “Okay, maybe there are some perks to the job, then.”
“The prince loaned him to me.”
I turned my head sharply. “That bad, huh?”
Caelan shrugged. “Means I can go down to the bay while we’re here and not have to fret about ye while I’m snorkelling.”
“Why are Morag and Harold here?” I tried to keep my voice even. “Be honest.”
“To keep them safe, too. I brought them out a week ago. A hunch.”
I picked a bit of errant salad leaf out from between my incisor and the next one along.
“Do I want to know, Callie?” I stared into my dinner, willing him to say all was well, it was precautionary—nothing going on here.
“Nae, ye dinna fash yourself, lass. Let me handle it. Until I ken the whole situation. Okay?”
“Hmm.”
He reached out and touched my thigh. “You look dazzling tonight, princess.”
