It was semantics, she knew that, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d yet again made her feel as though sex was all he cared about. He’d missed sleeping with her. That wasn’t the same as missing her.
Whereas she’d missed him?
She closed her eyes on a tremulous breath, moving towards the railing and looking out to sea. She’d pulled the same clothes back on, and her shirt was sun warmed from where he’d tossed it on the terrace.
Yes. She had missed him. She’d missed sex with him, too, but she’d missed more than that, and it was a terrifying thing toadmit, because it was abundantly clear that Octavio viewed her exactly as Christopher had.
Sex.
Convenient, meaningless sex.
Extra convenient for Octavio, because he now had a queen and a couple of heirs on the way, and he hadn’t needed to go through the rigmarole of a long royal engagement. Plus, they were great in bed together, which wasn’t necessarily a foregone conclusion with the Princess he’d been intending to marry.
So all of Octavio’s boxes were ticked. But what about Phoebe’s?
Prior to meeting Octavio, she’d sworn off men. Her experience with Christopher had been more than enough. But once she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d been in a total panic. The thought of being a single mother had terrified her. She’d known she’d cope, but she also knew how difficult it would be, particularly given her lack of education.
‘Phoebe?’ His voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned, still frowning contemplatively.
He’d dressed, too, in a pair of navy blue shorts and a crisp white shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He looked good enough to eat. She looked away again.
‘The food is ready.’
‘Okay. Coming.’
And just when she thought she’d mostly got her head around where things stood between them, he reached down and caught her hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the skin on her upturned palm. Goose bumps spread across her skin, and the ice in her veins began to thaw, just a little.
CHAPTER TEN
‘MINDIFI ask you something?’
She looked at him, her mouth full of the saffron-infused rice he’d heated for their lunch, and nodded. They’d chosen to sit at the kitchen table, which was an informal yet beautiful space with views towards the front garden and cove. Phoebe thought she would never grow tired of this view. It was heartwarmingly beautiful. When she’d finished eating, she said, ‘You’re the King, aren’t you? I’m pretty sure you don’t have to ask my permission for anything.’
‘With you, I’m just Octavio. Just like I said that first night we met.’
Her smile was wistful. Things had seemed so simple then. It had almost felt as though fate had thrown them together for that one night, because it knew he needed a comfort that only she could give and because she’d needed…what? To move on? To officially put an end to the chapter with Christopher by sleeping with someone else? Perhaps that had motivated her in part.
‘Phoebe?’
She startled a little. ‘Yes. I’m listening.’
He was too perceptive to have missed the fact she’d drifted off into her own thoughts. She focused on him now.
‘Why did you choose to work at theclínica?’
Her brows knit together. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You were working as an administrator in a school. There must have been a lot of jobs you could have applied for.’
‘Oh.’ She nodded. ‘Well, the pay was good, for one thing. And I guess…’ She sighed a little. ‘My mother worked as a cleaner at a hospital. When I saw the listing, I sort of felt… I don’t know. It sounds so stupid, but I almost felt as if she was guiding me towards the job. Like maybe she was pulling strings.’ Then, aware of how fanciful it sounded, she cleared her throat. ‘Plus, the hours were flexible, and the notice period virtually non-existent. I wanted a job I could walk out of if—’
‘If?’
‘If I found my dad.’
Octavio’s expression was sympathetic. ‘Tell me what you know of him?’
‘Not a lot. His name and the fact that mum was pretty sure he lived in the capital.’
