Seeing her again had been instantly terrifying, because his body had rejoiced on a cellular level, and in that very instant, he’d had to admit to himself how woefully inadequate his attempts had been to forget her, to tell himself she meant nothing to him.
Even if it was just a physical thing, he was still attracted to her in a way that had a horrifying power to fell him to his knees. He accepted then that he could never see her again. He would run a mile over steaming hot coals before he’d open the door to anyone with that power over him.
And a millisecond later, he’d seen that she was pregnant, and a rush of comprehension had dawned on him, like a single bomb at first and then a whole series of them, detonating one after theother as the future he had carefully mapped out and made his peace with was blown to smithereens.
The only future he now saw included Phoebe: the one person he suspected he should never, ever be in the same room with again.
CHAPTER SIX
THECITYGLITTEREDbeneath them, an impressive panorama of ancient buildings with golden lights making it look like something from a fairy tale. The moon, full, round and shiny, was high in the sky, bathing them in a lustrous light. The terrace of his apartment in the palace overlooked a private rose garden, and the flowers were heavy with blooms, filling the air with a sweet fragrance. Or perhaps that was the night-flowering jasmine vine that scrambled up the side of the palace and across the stone balustrades? The table had been set for two, decorated with candles and flowers, like some kind of romantic restaurant. Romance, though, was the last thing on either of their minds.
Phoebe had changed into a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt—as Octavio had unceremoniously announced, all her worldly possessions had indeed been invasively handled by his staff and brought to the palace shortly after she’d returned. Though it hadn’t been the fault of any of his security team, she couldn’t help but glare at them as they carried her goods into the luxurious suite and began to unpack. ‘I can do that myself!’ she’d exclaimed with heat in her cheeks.
How could she ever get used to living like this? Phoebe wasn’t someone who wanted another person to do her bidding. She wasn’t comfortable with the idea of being waited on. She’d taken care of herself—and then her mother—for as long as she could remember.
Dinner was no different. The moment she sat down, a servant appeared to place a napkin across her lap, and another poured sparkling water into her glass, while a third explained the meal to them. Octavio barely batted an eyelid, showing how ordinary this was for him. Though she doubted he’d shared a meal with a pregnant ex-lover at the palace before.
He gestured to the food. ‘What would you like?’
Her eyes dropped to the dishes. They all looked excellent, but her stomach was too twisty to think of eating. She glanced at the line of servants across the terrace. ‘I thought you wanted to talk,’ she said between clenched teeth, her lips forced into an approximation of a smile for the benefit of their audience.
He arched a brow in silent enquiry, so she blinked sideways more obviously, indicating the staff.
‘Ah.’ Octavio nodded once, then turned to the uniformed group. ‘Leave us.’
Two simple words and they began to file away in a perfectly formed line.
‘Better?’
Her lips pulled to the side. ‘Marginally, but that’s not saying much.’
He didn’t respond. ‘Tell me, how did your thinking go?’
She swallowed past a lump in her throat, reached for her drink and took a sip. ‘I don’t want to marry you.’
His eyes flashed to hers, so she lifted a hand to forestall anything he might say.
‘But I understand why you feel it’s necessary.’
He was silent.
Phoebe looped a finger around a clump of hair, twisting it over her shoulder as she searched for the right words. ‘I don’t want to do this alone.’ She bit into her lip. ‘I mean, I don’t particularly want to do it with you either, but I have to admit, there’s something appealing about knowing I’ll have support. Even ifit’s just this.’ She gestured to the palace. ‘I mean, not having to worry about paying rent and buying food and getting a job when the babies are still young…’
‘You would never have to worry about any of these things,’ he confirmed slowly.
She massaged her lip with her teeth. ‘My mother was alone. Money was always tight. It’s hard. I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it. I know it’s not exactly the best reason to agree to marry someone, but at the same time, it’s not the worst reason. You can offer our babies something I never could. I don’t think it would be right to turn my back on that.’
He sat back in his chair, watching her without speaking.
‘And if you weren’t the King, I’d fight you on the necessity of marriage. Lots of people raise kids together and don’t get married. We could work out a way to do exactly that.’
‘For me, that is not possible.’
‘I just said I understand that,’ she replied sharply.
He took a sip of his water.
‘So, let’s talk about it.’ Her voice was tentative, thoughtful.
