Part of her sagged with relief, but she didn’t let it show. ‘But you were married?’
That was a hell of a thing to be finding out now.
‘Actually no.’
She turned her back on the spectacular view and looked up at him. ‘But you had a wedding mass?’
His face tightened. ‘We had one scheduled.’
‘It didn’t go ahead?’ This was too important a moment to be playing word games.
‘No. It was... The wedding was cancelled.’
Oh. ‘You broke it off?’
His brows dropped. ‘Why would you assume it was me?’
Because no woman in their right mind would jilt a demigod? ‘I don’t know. Only that you’re not very pro wedding.’
Though suddenly that particular prejudice made perfect sense if he’d had a broken engagement in his past.
The gas flame belched and they rose slightly.
She tried again. ‘Was it mutual?’
Zander looked out to the now blazing dawn horizon. ‘No.’
Empathy washed through her. If anyone could understand the awfulness of being rejected, she could. Though she knew now that she’d never loved Dan. And Zander had clearly loved his fiancée. So how much more would that have hurt. ‘I’m sorry.’
What else could she say? Better to know now than find out later? Just because she considered Dan’s rejection of her proposal a dodged bullet didn’t mean that was how Zander felt. And judging by the tightness of his expression and his general close-mouthedness on the subject of marriage...
Would it ever have come up if not for his slip up?
‘Did she tell you why?’
‘No. She and her bridesmaids fled England while the ushers were doing the friend-of-the-bride/friend-of-the-groom thing.’
Georgia’s jaw dropped. ‘She left you at the altar?’ Didn’t that only happen in movies?
He nodded. ‘Even her parents weren’t aware.’
Oh, my God. ‘Zander, I don’t know what to say.’ Not about how awful that must have been for him. Not about the raging anger towards a woman she’d never met for hurting him so badly. Or the raging jealousy that was suddenly surging through her for some stranger he’d loved enough to marry.
‘There’s nothing to say.’ He shrugged, but it was the least casual thing she could imagine. ‘It’s ancient history.’
‘When was this?’
‘Right out of uni.’
Fifteen years wasn’t ancient. ‘You were young.’
‘And stupid as it turns out.’
She slid over to stand beside him so they could both look out at the beautiful, healing landscape below. ‘It’s not stupid to want to spend your life with someone. It’s brave.’
And that was an odd word to have chosen.
He digested that for a moment. ‘I wasn’t brave. I think I did it because it was the right thing to do.’
‘How long were you together?’
‘Four years. Since final year at school. We both enrolled at Lincoln.’
Excellent. High-school sweetheart, too. ‘You must have loved her a lot.’ Maybe he still did? It would explain a lot.
He thought about that. ‘I think it was one of those break-up-or-get-married moments. So I proposed.’
‘And she broke up.’
‘Pretty much.’
‘In the worst imaginable way.’
He slid his eyes down to her. ‘Strength of character wasn’t one of her strong suits. She had very dominant parents.’
That wasn’t a woman she could imagine him admiring. ‘Hurting you was easier than facing them?’
Dark brows folded. ‘Seems so.’
Cappadocia whizzed by beneath them.
‘Well, I guess now I understand your cynicism about marriage. And your reaction after the promo went so wrong.’
He looked at her for the first time in minutes. ‘I had to face two hundred of our family, friends, and neighbours, and tell them Lara wasn’t coming. The idea that I’d set someone else up for the same public humiliation...’ He shook his head.
That stole her breath every bit as much as the moment the balloon had played chicken with the sharp slope of the mesa. Her stomach lurched the same, too. In crystal-clear replay she saw the moment in the elevator all those months ago that he’d seen her distress, turned and shielded her from prying eyes with his body, and then helped her slink, unseen, from the parking garage. That was a foundation moment for her. And for him it had all been about sympathy.
‘Is that what the whole Year of Georgia thing is about?’
Pity?
‘If I could have started my life over, back then, I would have. Gladly. So I was happy to be able to give you the chance.’
She stepped away, just slightly, and pretended to admire the view. But she was as taut inside as the ropes holding the two parts of their aircraft together. ‘So this is your restitution?’
His voice dropped low. ‘Somewhat. Making sure you got something out of it.’
Right.
Then he stepped up behind her. ‘But not all of it. I can see where you’re going, Georgia. Working your way to assuming I slept with you out of guilt.’
‘Didn’t you?’
‘No. I slept with you because it was inevitable. I’ve been wanting to since we met.’
She slanted a look back up at him. ‘It’s not some twisted Year of Georgia loyalty-programme bonus class?’
His smile rivalled the sunrise. And his chuckle warmed her from the inside out. Even as she fought it. ‘No. Though that suggests you learned a thing or two.’
She blew at the curl that hung over her eyes. ‘You have no idea.’
He nodded slowly. She felt it against her back. ‘Me, too.’
Well...this was awkward.
‘So, the fifty grand was about guilt, but the sex is about...sex?’
It was stupid
