Page 27 of Impossible Heir for the King

‘Like what?’ He looked so outraged she was forced to explain.

‘So big. And flat. And it doesn’t move. It’s too still.’

He stared at her. ‘You sleep in a hammock on board your father’s boat?’

‘Yes. In the store.’

His jaw went angular.

‘I actually like it,’ she added hurriedly, seeing the storm grow even bigger in his eyes. ‘I prefer it to having my own cabin. It’s away from the others and more private.’

‘You’ve lived in that your whole life?’

‘I like the sway of it. And I like listening to the waves,’ she continued defiantly, ignoring the appalled judgement in his voice. ‘The sound calms me.’

He stared at her for interminable seconds. ‘It calms me too,’ he said brusquely.

To her astonishment he turned on the spot and left her in a jumble of want and misery and confusion. She pressed hands to her hot cheeks. She was hopelessly attracted to him and she had no idea how to handle it. Ten minutes later she heard heavy footsteps again. They were deliberately heavy—because she knew too well how silently he could move when he wanted to.

‘I’ve put up another hammock on your veranda,’ he informed her with a growling edge. ‘At least there you’ll be sheltered from wind and rain. You can bring down the hatches if you want for additional privacy but as it is now no one will see you other than me. There are some blankets and a pillow too.’

‘Niko—’

‘I have an outdoor shower area in the garden by my suite,’ he interrupted her gruffly. ‘So don’t go wandering if you don’t want to see any more...things.’

With that zinger he stomped off again. Maia lay for another moment purely to catch her breath. Then she went back to her own veranda. He’d left a lantern on and she saw the hammock was one of those silk ones more suited to balmy nights than wild weather. Sure enough there was a pillow, a soft blanket inside. He’d even put a table within reach for that lantern with a glass and a jug of iced water as well. He’d thought of everything.

She clambered in and closed her eyes. But she could hear the flow of running water in the distance and knew he was beneath that shower and her mind decided to torment her with a play-by-play replay of him wading deep into the water in all his naked glory...

And how was she ever supposed to go to sleepnow?

To her astonishment she did sleep—for hours. Even more amazingly she woke not just feeling refreshed but with an odd amount of energy—more alive than she’d felt in weeks.

She went to the kitchen to ask Aron if there was anything she could do but he wasn’t there. She waited, unable to resist peeking into the pantry. And when he didn’t show after a while she decided to make herself something delicious. That was one craving she could satisfy for herself. She lost track of time entirely and when Niko walked in and skidded to a halt she startled.

‘What are you doing?’ he demanded. ‘I thought you were sleeping in...’

She whirled, putting her knife and block into the pocket of the apron she’d commandeered. ‘I was. Then I woke up.’

‘Why are you baking? You don’t need to do that here.’ He flared angrily. ‘I would have gotten Aron to get you some pastry if I’d known you wanted—’

‘I know, but I wanted to make them myself.’

‘You wanted to stand sweating in the kitchen?’ he said sarcastically.

‘I felt like doing something. It’s not a chore when Ichooseto do it. I didn’t think Aron would mind.’ She was suddenly worried. ‘Will he mind? I haven’t seen him at all this morning.’

‘Because he’s gone to visit his family offshore. We’re completely alone here for the next couple of days.’

She stilled. ‘Why have you done that?’

‘Why do you think I’ve done that?’

She swallowed and ducked from his gaze.

‘But the last thing I want is for you to slave in the kitchen for hours.’

‘Well, what am I supposed to do? I can’t just sit around...’

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