Royal Maid's Awakening - Chapter 9

Hannah tried not to let the surge of adrenalin and excitement show on her face. He wanted her. But she knew that stubborn expression. He was clinging onto the past even though the past clearly wasn’t a happy place for him. Or her, considering both of their losses.

It was time to move on. She walked back over to the island, aware of Lukas’s taut expression. She was acutely aware of him. He’d showered and changed into faded jeans and a T-shirt that did little to disguise the lean musculature of his body underneath.

She put her cup down and looked at him and tried to feign as much innocence as she could muster. That shouldn’t be hard. You’re a virgin, mocked a voice. She ignored it. Hopefully she wouldn’t be a virgin for long.

Lukas said warningly, ‘Hannah—’

‘Give me a day,’ she said.

He looked at her suspiciously. ‘A day…for what?’

‘To take a little trip. For old time’s sake.’

Lukas shook his head. ‘I’ve plans to go home later today.’

Taking a huge gamble, Hannah said, ‘You mean plans to run away again.’

Lukas’s jaw clenched. ‘I have a life in America. Responsibilities.’

Lightly, she asked, ‘What’s one day then, if you have a life to go back to?’

She could see the struggle on his face. In his eyes. He was torn. She said, ‘I owe you. If you hadn’t been there last night—’

‘Then you wouldn’t have been there either.’

Damn him. She’d revealed too much. Before she could try to figure how she could persuade him, he surprised her by saying, ‘Ok, fine. One day. What exactly do you have in mind?’

Butterflies erupted and somersaulted in Hannah’s belly. Her head was filled with illicit images of going over to Lukas right now and stretching up to spear her fingers in his hair and tug his head down so she could press her mouth to his. She pushed the incendiary images aside and said, ‘Let’s go for a drive.’

***

Lukas gritted his teeth. Quite how Hannah had managed to persuade him to prolong his visit he wasn’t entirely sure. He’d told himself he was concerned that he should keep an eye on her for at least another twelve hours to make sure she was ok. Even though she’d seemed perfectly fine.

But he knew it had more to do with her statement You mean plans to run away again, and the way she’d been looking at him with those huge brown-and-gold eyes, as if she was daring him.

Lukas knew he was a coward, he didn’t need her to tell him that, but in that moment something had given way inside him. Some resistance. As if he had been running for a long time and now he was weary.

He was driving them up a steep winding hill upon which stood Santanger Palace, the home of the King. A King who would soon welcome his Queen.

Lukas asked, ‘Have you met Princess Laia?’

He glanced at Hannah, beside him in the passenger seat. He was acutely aware of her curvy body. Her hair was swept over one shoulder and came almost to the top of her breast.

Hannah shook her head. ‘Not yet. I believe she’s due any day now.’

‘You’ll be busy when she arrives.’

Hannah looked at him. ‘Yes, I will. I’m making the most of a couple of days off.’

Lukas looked back out the front window as they crested the hill and a grand vista of Santanger was spread before them, taking him off guard for a moment. He’d forgotten how beautiful this island was. Especially now when it was in full bloom.

There was a road that went around the coast of the island and Lukas instinctively took it. He only realised what he was doing—where he was gravitating towards, like a homing pigeon—when it was too late.

He was going to ignore the turn-off when Hannah put her hand on his arm. ‘Can we go up there, please?’

Lukas’s hands tightened on the wheel. He wanted to say no and push his foot to the floor. But he couldn’t. He turned off the main road, onto a smaller one that led upwards to where an old lighthouse stood on a clifftop.

This was where Danielo had died. Playing daredevil with a bunch of friends. Until he slipped and fell from the cliff.

Lukas came to a stop and Hannah got out of the car. She went and stood at the safety railing that had been installed after Danielo’s death. The breeze lifted her hair as she looked out to sea. Lukas came and stood beside her, radiating tension.

He’d come up here after Danielo’s funeral and not since then.

Hannah said from beside him, ‘I know you blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.’