CHAPTER THREE

      ‘YOU WANTED TO see me?’

      Nalini’s voice pulled him from his work and Zacchaeus looked up to see her standing in the doorway of his library. She had changed from earlier and was now wearing black trousers and a white shirt. The shirt was loose, cut into a V at her neck, and gave him only the barest glimpse of bronze skin. It was in no way inappropriate and yet, by the way his body reacted, he could have sworn that she was hardly wearing anything.

      ‘Yes. Did you settle in well?’ he asked in a gruff voice.

      ‘Fine, thank you,’ she answered, her tone perfectly polite—cool, even—and so very different to the passionate tone she’d used earlier.

      That was his fault, and he was helpless to change it. He’d acted exactly like the man he was trying to convince her he was. Power-hungry, cruel, selfish. And though he might not entirely be that man, he wasn’t who she wanted him to be either. In fact, he was probably closer to the man he’d told her he was than the man she wanted him to be.

      Or did he just believe that because of how his parents had treated him?

      ‘Can I get you something to drink?’ he asked to distract himself.

      ‘No, thank you.’ She paused. ‘Why am I here?’

      Right to the point then. Not that he could blame her. He gestured for her to sit and, after hesitating, she took the seat opposite him.

      ‘I was hoping I could talk to you about something my advisors brought to my attention.’

      ‘I’m listening.’

      ‘Well, they seem to think your suggestion that we spend time together... They think it’s a good idea.’

      Her eyebrows rose. ‘Really?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘But...’

      ‘Publicly.’

      ‘Why?’

      ‘So that your soon-to-be people will get to know their future Queen, as you said.’ He swallowed, and wondered why he suddenly felt nervous. ‘They’ll get to see us together. The couple who will rule them. And it’ll help them become more comfortable with the idea.’

      ‘You had to have your advisors tell you that it would be a good idea?’

      ‘They had a good point.’

      ‘You just didn’t want to hear that point from me?’

      He kept his mouth shut. Because he couldn’t tell her the truth. That he had thought she’d made a good point, but was worried that it wouldn’t turn out as positive as she’d made it seem. His kingdom had been...tense since Zacchaeus had become King and though they had seemed relieved that he was marrying Nalini, preserving the alliance between the isles, he didn’t want to tempt fate. Not until he had the chance to speak to his advisors.

      ‘So what would this entail?’

      ‘It would be a business agreement,’ he answered. ‘We’d make appointments to arrange things for the wedding. Together. Publicly.’

      The time she took to respond had him holding his breath.

      ‘I had a conversation with Sylvia when you sent her to ask me here this evening. The woman who showed me to my room?’

      ‘Yes, I know.’

      ‘Just making sure,’ she said easily. Her expression gave nothing away. Unless, of course, it did, and he just couldn’t read it because he didn’t know her. ‘She was telling me how...challenging it’s been for the kingdom to accept their new King.’

      He clenched his teeth. So much for not telling her about that. ‘You must have misheard.’

      ‘No, I don’t think I did.’ Her eyes darkened. ‘Clearly your advisors are trying to help you regain the trust of your people after the coup. And how better than a wedding? To remind them of the traditions of the royal family. Make them believe in fairy tales. Weddings are the start of something beautiful, hopeful, and seeing the King who ended the reign of their well-loved ruler—his father—at a new beginning might just make them more open to his new beginning. As King.’

      ‘You’re right. But I needed to check with them to make sure that what you were suggesting would work.’

      He saw the surprise, but she only nodded. ‘That’s fair, I suppose.’

      ‘So you agree?’

      ‘I don’t exactly have a choice, do I?’ She clasped her hands together on her lap and he found himself saying words he knew he shouldn’t be saying.

      ‘You have a choice, Nalini. You’ll always have a choice here.’

      Emotion filled her eyes before it was replaced by cool indifference. ‘Of course I will. I only meant that it wasn’t like I could return to Mattan.’ She blinked and quickly added, ‘Because it would put them in danger.’

      ‘That’s not what you meant.’

      ‘What else could I possibly mean?’

      ‘That’s what I’m asking.’ He studied her, noting that she was avoiding looking at him and knew his gut feeling had been right. ‘There’s more to why you’re here, Nalini, isn’t there?’

      ‘You didn’t exactly propose this arrangement as a question.’

      ‘Yes, but you’ve already told me you chose to do this. Tell me why.’

      ‘I have,’ she replied stubbornly. ‘I’m here for Mattan.’

      ‘And yet the more I get to know you, the more I think that isn’t the only reason.’

      ‘But since this is a business arrangement, as you said, I don’t have to tell you anything other than what I want to.’

      Her face lit with the challenge, but there was a dullness in her eyes that...that bothered him. He couldn’t place a finger on why—wasn’t sure he wanted to—and instead he asked, ‘So, you agree then?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Great. We’ll make appointments to plan the wedding. I’ll have my secretary arrange a schedule for us and I’ll send it to you for approval.’

      She nodded. ‘Is that all?’

      ‘No, actually there’s one more thing.’ But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

      ‘You have something planned already, don’t you?’ Her mouth relaxed into what he thought was the beginning of a smile. His body tightened.

      ‘I don’t have anything planned. But there is...a plan. An appointment for us, really.’

      ‘What is it?’

      ‘An...engagement shoot. Tomorrow.’ Damn it,