Page 24 of Awakened in Her Enemy's Palazzo

Silently deriding himself for his distraction, he urged her with an imperative gesture to join him.

Hands pressed to the rocky surface, about to lower herself back into the salty water, she paused. ‘Just to check...you can swim quitewell?’

She knew it was a silly question even as she voiced it. He would do everything well. He was not a man who screamed mediocrity.

Normally perfect people irritated her, but on this occasion his perfection was comforting.

Theo angled her a look through the drops of water trembling on his dark lashes. ‘Verywell,’ he said, with no display of false modesty, reaching up a hand to support her as she dropped down.

She was conscious as she did so that she was shaking, fine tremors that rippled through her entire body.

‘Right, stay close.’

‘I will—’ she began, then choked as salty water blocked her airway and she spluttered unattractively.

What is wrong with me? Worrying about looking attractive when I’m about to drown?

But she wasn’t. That soon became clear. Theo had not exaggerated his claim to swim very well, though even he struggled to get them both safely through the gap, where their heads were scarily close to the rocky arch of their exit. He literally dragged her out at one point, having flipped her over onto her back, with one iron arm strapped around her middle, and kicked hard before the escape route closed.

‘You can open your eyes now,’ said a voice very close to her ear.

Grace did, and blinked, dazzled, as she stared up into the blue sky overhead—a blue sky she had not allowed herself to think she’d ever see again.

She turned her head and saw the dark face of her rescuer.

‘Thank you.’

Theo found the urge to throttle her fading as those blue eyes met his, glowing with gratitude.

‘You didn’t panic. Well done.’

‘Oh, God, don’t be nice to me or I’ll start crying.’

‘You already are.’

‘You are so pedantic,’ she sniffed—before a wave washed over her head, leaving her spluttering.

‘I’d love to hang around here chatting, but we need to move or the tide will take us back into the grotto.’

Grace realised that the entrance was now totally covered in water. She nodded. But the shore looked a long way off.

‘Just do what you can and I’ll do the rest,’ he said, obviously seeing her fearful look.

She nodded again and set her chin.

It seemed a long time later when he said, ‘You can stand up now.’

‘Easy for you to say,’ she mumbled, stretching down to feel the sandy floor, bobbing on one leg to keep her head above the water.

Watching her pale hair streaming around her face like exotic strands of seaweed, as she breathlessly bounced and quite incredibly joked, Theo felt something nameless shift inside him.

She would have been entitled to milk the drama, but here she was cracking jokes. Whatever else she was, she was no coward. Nor, for that matter, a drama queen.

Grace’s legs were shaking as, arms outstretched, she strode towards the strip of sand. There was a lot less of it than there had been the last time she’d seen it.

When she got knee high in the water she stood there, her chest lifting with the laboured breaths that sucked in the muscles of her belly, and pushed both shaking hands over her dripping hair, squeezing the water out of the ends.

She turned her head and saw Theo was watching her. His stare made her painfully conscious that her clothes were clinging like a second skin. She fought the urge to wrap her arms around herself and instead returned his stare steadily.

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