Page 39 of Her Red Hot Secret Royal Fling

Not by a flicker on Nicholas’s face did he show a reaction. “Naturally.”

Sofia’s words were in his mind though, about the possibility of palace leaks. “Without involving anyone else. I’m asking you to handle this personally.”

“I see.”

Assured of the other man’s discretion, Ares laid out his requirements, aware that if anyone was capable of making it happen, it was Nicholas. And that Sofia was worth every single bit of trouble he was putting his aid to. If this was to be their last night together, he wanted it to be one of the most magical of her life. And his. They both deserved that, after everything they’d each been through.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

WHEN SHE’D SEEN ARES for the first time ever, she’d thought him to be almost too good-looking to be real, and as he stood in a huge field of grass, dressed in a jet-black suit, holding a single white rose, her heart lurched with the belief that he was, in every way, not just physically, too good to be true.

Her legs trembled a little as she walked towards him, the sky a delicate gradient of purple and orange, as the sun dipped low in the sky. She was conscious of the spectacular colours, but just barely, because in all honesty, Ares was almost the sum total of all she could see and take in.

He was, quite frankly, magnificent. Tall, broad, beautiful, fascinating, and all the more so because he was, in some small but vital way,hers.Just for now, for one more night, but for the next few hours, all of him belonged to her, and she’d never known that kind of…connection.

Yes, connection.

All her life, she’d avoided relationships without really understanding that at the basis of that choice was the abilityfor her torelatewith another person. She’d actively pushed people away, choosing not to relate to them, not to connect with them. But with Ares, no matter how hard she’d fought it, their connection had forged itself. So here they were, short-term, temporary lovers, in the most real and important relationship of Sofia’s life.

Accepting that had no impact on her plans. She still knew she’d leave him the next day. She still knew her life was far, far away from him, and here. She just didn’t want to think about the future right now; she simply wanted to revel in the present.

“You look incredible,” he said when she was close enough to hear, not moving to touch her, which somehow made his words all the more gratifying. It was as if they were reaching out to her, wrapping around her, encasing her in his voice and honesty.

“I could say the same to you.” Her own voice was barely there. A husk of its usual self.

His smile was lopsided. “Are you ready?”

She glanced behind him to the helicopter, something jolting inside of her. “You’re sure?”

Their eyes met and sympathy tightened inside of her, as well as curiosity.

“I fly all the time,” he promised. “It doesn’t worry me.”

She bit into her full lower lip, then nodded. As they approached the helicopter, he held out a hand for her, to help her into the front passenger seat. Her heart leaped into her throat as their fingers brushed and flames seemed to lick her insides. Did he feel it too?

A quick glance in his direction and she saw his Adam’s apple bobbing, as though he too was fighting the overwhelming nature of this.

She settled herself in the seat and fastened her seatbelt. Despite the lack of a pilot, she hadn’t been expecting, for some reason, that Ares would join her up the front. Which wasstupid, and she had only, in her defense, the fact that she was temporarily addled by his proximity.

All the more so now as he sat in the pilot’s seat and fastened his own seatbelt then set about adjusting his headset, and then her own.

“You’re qualified to fly a helicopter?”

“No, I just thought I’d give it a shot.” He turned to her with a teasing expression. “Is that not okay with you?”

She poked out her tongue but quickly withdrew it when heat seemed to lurch from him to her. She clasped her hands in her lap, focusing on staring straight ahead.

He went through a series of buttons, said something into the headset in his native tongue, then pressed a dial so the rotors began to spin.

As if he needed anything else to make him more perfect. But sitting there, like this, he just looked so macho, so alpha. She had no question he could rule the whole world, if he wanted to.

“Ready?” He asked, lifting a brow in enquiry.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Excitement leaped through her.

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