Her heart melted but she pretended to be unaffected by this romantic side of her husband. She placed her cappuccino cup in her saucer. “I see. So you’re all mine today?”
He moved his chair closer to her and their knees touched. “If you’ll have me. We can do whatever you want.”
He folded his hands on the table but she leaned closer and smelled his masculine, almond-scented soap as she asked, “Anything?”
“Yes.” He nodded confidently.
If only she had something exciting to dare him with right now. But she didn’t, so she reached out and brushed against the back of his hand. “I don’t want to go far or anything, but I’ve heard you’re an excellent sailor. It would be nice to see you in action without a crew around to handle everything.”
“I thought you didn’t like sailing.”
“I forced myself to sail a few times, but since working at the palace, I stopped and now the fear is coming back.”
“Then we’ll go alone and you can help with everything.” He motioned toward her coffee. “Finish up so we can go.”
Her heart fluttered. He’d agreed so easily. She settled back in her seat and picked up her almost empty cup as she said, “One minute. This coffee is good.”
Somehow the small staff here surpassed every formal offering of the palace in Avce; perhaps the fewer servants at the island castle allowed them to work more as a team.
She drank the delicious coffee while he said, “The staff will ensure the ship is stocked for lunch. You need to put on sneakers or boat shoes before we go.”
Fair, but her heart began to race and it wasn’t the caffeine. She put the cup down and reached for his hands. “I’m on it, but there is something else.”
“What?” He settled closer to her and stared at her with open eyes.
His brown hues were intoxicating. Anna shifted her chair so they were face-to-face, though she preferred to be nose-to-nose. “Come closer.”
He moved his seat and clasped her hands. “This sounds serious.”
Her pulse zipped through her, but her heart was whispering to be honest. “It might be. I wasn’t entirely honest earlier when I said I was happy.”
He flinched. “You’re not?”
Her skin was warm as she realized this might be a mistake, but she nodded and said, “I am happy. But I wanted to talk about… my parents.”
He patted her gently like he wanted to comfort her. “What about them?”
Right. She took a deep breath and stared at how their fingers were now locked together. “I told you my parents capsized.”
“We don’t have to go sailing if you’re scared.”
Her stomach flipped and for a moment she didn’t move. She hadn’t thought he’d think she was ever, ever, ever going to think she wanted to take her sailing request back. “No. I made myself go sailing more than once after they died so I wouldn’t be afraid but life got in the way. So now I’m hesitant as it’s been so long and we’re surrounded by the ocean here.”
His lips curled into a smile. “Thank you for telling me. You can help me with the sails and captain for a little bit.”
So she hadn’t told him that? It seemed so trivial but it was in her past so she nodded and said, “I have my license that doesn’t get used much.”
“That can be changed.” He squeezed her palm. “So what about your parents?”
And they were back to her feelings. Her heart expanded as she stared up at him, sitting there like he’d protect her. If he felt the same, she’d never want for anything. “I grew up knowing that they loved each other.”
He gave a nod of acknowledgment and her skin surged with awareness. She focused on his regal nose. “Good. I think my parents love each other, though they’re not exactly…warm.”
Well, his parents were the regents of their country. She closed the small gap between them and their knees touched while sitting in their own chairs. “That’s wonderful. I hope they do, but I want us to be… warm.”
He reached under the table and traced the back of her knee as he winked. “I think we have that covered.”
This was more than just sex, though last night was better than she’d have imagined. Maria knew her well and she’d never been good at holding back truths. The way Leo’s brown eyes made her feel was all the fuel she needed. She took a deep breath and then said all at once, “I need to say that I love you. I’ve been in love with you long before I ever said I do and I should have told you when you asked for my hand. I said yes because I was already knee-deep in love with you.”
