for her to smile and make a little speech thanking them for coming.
Hannah didn’t like surprises but she’d chalked the party up to something they’d laugh about in ten years’ time. Besides, he’d gone to a huge amount of effort, she wasn’t about to be ungrateful in the face of that.
She’d had no idea, though, that a way bigger surprise had been in store for her, nor that his ‘effort’ in arranging such an elaborate party was undoubtedly his way of compensating for the fact he was sleeping with Hannah’s cousin behind her back.
Her jaw tightened, and unconsciously she gripped her hands tightly in her lap, the past rushing towards her, wrapping around her, forcing her to look at it, to be in it even when it was strangling her. To remember the sight of her cousin and her fiancé, their limbs entwined, the dark black sheets of Angus’s bed in stark contrast to their flesh, Michelle’s white-blonde hair glistening in the evening light.
It was a betrayal on two fronts. That her fiancé would cheat on her was bad enough, but with someone she’d been raised to think of as a sister?
Indignation and hurt made her breath burn a little.
Capri swam beneath her, ancient and striking, and it offered a hint of perspective. How many millions of people had walked those shores, swum in these seas, each of them with their own problems and concerns, none of those concerns mattering, really, in the huge scheme of life and this earth? One day, she’d forget the sting of this betrayal, the second loss of family she’d had to endure.
‘Parents’ names?’
She swept her eyes shut, thinking of her biological parents, seeing her mother’s smile as she tucked Hannah into bed, stroking her hair, singing their goodnight song.
‘Ellie—Eleanor—and Brad.’
There were more questions and she answered them matter-of-factly—it was easier to simply provide the information than to launch into explanations with each point.
‘Why did your engagement end?’
That question had her swivelling her head to him, and she was grateful that a flight attendant chose that exact moment to enter the cabin, offering drinks.
‘Just water,’ Hannah murmured.
‘Coffee.’ He focussed on Hannah. ‘Are you hungry?’
She was. ‘A little.’
‘And some dinner.’
‘Yes, sir.’
The attendant left, and Hannah thought—for a moment—Leonidas might have forgotten the question he’d posed. But of course he hadn’t. This man probably never forgot a thing. ‘Your fiancé?’
‘Right.’ She was surprised at how well she’d kept her voice neutral.
‘He cheated on me.’ She shrugged as though it didn’t matter. ‘It kind of killed my interest in marrying him.’
‘I can imagine it would.’ He was watching her as though she were a puzzle he could put back together if only he had enough time. ‘You hadn’t slept with him. His idea, or yours?’
‘His.’
His expression showed surprise. ‘Why?’
The flight attendant reappeared with drinks, placing them down on the armrest table each had in their seat and leaving again.
‘Romance.’
Leonidas lifted a brow. ‘You think sex isn’t romantic?’
Heat exploded through her body and she clamped her knees close together to stop them from shaking. Sex with Leonidas had gone beyond romance. It had been passion and fire, everything she could imagine wanting from a lover.
‘I wouldn’t know.’ She dipped her eyes lower, studying the carpet on the floor of the aeroplane as though it were a fascinating work of art.
‘So how come you were a virgin?’ he pushed.
Hannah lifted her gaze, forcing herself to meet his curious eyes. ‘We decided we’d wait.’
‘There was no one before him?’
She bit down on her lip, shaking her head from side to side. ‘Is that so unusual?’
His expression showed cynicism and disbelief. ‘In my experience, yes.’
She laughed then, shaking her head a little. ‘Stop looking at me like that.’
‘Like what?’
‘As though I’m some kind of… I don’t know. As though I’m an alien.’
‘Your inexperience is rare, that’s all,’ he corrected. ‘Particularly given the fact you were engaged.’
‘Angus and I…’ She swallowed, the bitterness impossible to completely suppress. ‘We were friends for a long time. The dating thing came out of nowhere and I guess our relationship didn’t completely transition. Sex wasn’t a drawcard for me. I guess it wasn’t for him, either.’
‘You did not desire him?’
Ridiculously, Hannah felt a buzz of disloyalty at admitting as much. ‘Not really. We weren’t about that.’
‘What were you “about”?’
‘I loved him,’ she responded, simply, ‘and I thought he loved me. That was enough.’
Leonidas nodded thoughtfully. ‘So that was also a pragmatic marriage.’
Hannah’s eyes widened at his description. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You agreed to marry a man simply because it made sense, because you thought you loved each other, without having any idea if you were physically compatible. So this marriage—ours—already has more going for it.’
Hearing him refer to their marriage caused her heart to trip a little, banging against her sternum. ‘How do you figure? Angus was one of my closest friends…’
‘Which means very little given that he betrayed your trust and slept around behind your back.’
‘Woah. Don’t go easy on me, will you?’
‘I don’t think you want anyone to go easy on you, Hannah May.’
She startled a little at his unexpected perceptiveness. ‘It was less than six months ago. It’s still kind of raw.’
His expression barely shifted yet she had the feeling he was saving that little revelation, storing it away. ‘He cheated on you. He doesn’t deserve a second thought.’
She nodded, having said as much to herself.
‘Is he still with her?’
Hannah reached for her water, sipping it, trying to tamp
