FIVE MINUTES.
It wasn’t long to wait. Things happened, even to drivers from five-star resorts. Or was it five-star accommodation? A five-star villa? Piper Evans wasn’t sure. Her brother Liam had used all those terms when he’d told her she’d be staying there. The name of the place was Pleasure Villas, though that wasn’t in any of the pictures he’d sent. Either way, Liam had hyped it up so much Piper could have sworn he was trying to get her to move to Greece rather than stay a week for his wedding.
But that was Liam. Or it had been Liam since they’d reconnected after their father’s death. Enthusiastic, sincere. Responsible...? She wasn’t entirely sure how to answer that. He hadn’t been, once upon a time. He was getting married now, though, and marriage didn’t exactly scream irresponsibility.
And yet she was still waiting at the airport for a driver he had been meant to arrange for her.
Ten minutes.
Why had she left the task to Liam anyway? She knew how he could be. She had countless examples of him letting her down. Sure, it seemed like he’d changed. The getting married thing, and all that. Or had she only wanted to believe that?
No, she thought. He had changed. Mostly since he’d met Emma, his fiancée, but still. Before their father had died, she and Liam had been in touch once, maybe twice a year. Then Liam had started dating Emma, and he’d been in touch more. Piper occasionally met up with them for meals. She wouldn’t go so far as to say they were erasing the past, but this was a start. Enough of one that she could see how Emma influenced Liam.
Their relationship had lasted longer than any of Liam’s previous ones. The one-year mark had come quickly, and he was still deeply in love. Then the engagement, planning a wedding—all within six months—and her brother wasn’t running.
She tried not to feel resentment at that. Rather, she focused on the hope that surged inside her. Liam’s relationship with Emma proved people could move forward regardless of their past. Maybe that meant she could, too. One day, she might finally be able to erase the marks her father had left on her life, her relationships, like Liam had.
Except it was now twenty minutes since she’d arrived, and her driver still wasn’t there. Which meant her brother hadn’t organised her a ride to the accommodation, as he’d assured her several times he had.
She let out a breath. Forcibly relaxed her clenched jaw. She searched the car park of the small Mykonos Airport, looking for anyone who could be looking for her. But, as had been the case for the past twenty minutes, no one seemed to be there without a purpose. She walked back through the sliding doors, circled the small waiting area. She saw only one person.
He’d been there when she’d landed. He held a sign that said Sunset Resort and wore a glowering expression behind dark sunglasses. Something about him made her shudder, and she was immensely glad she wasn’t staying at Sunset Resort.
She pulled her eyes away from the stranger, sighed and pulled out her phone. She’d bought an international SIM card for this very reason.
Maybe you don’t believe Liam has changed after all.
‘Hello?’
‘Liam,’ she said, relief making her voice breathy. ‘I’m so glad you answered.’
‘Did something happen? Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine.’ She began walking to the sliding doors again, dragging her bag behind her. ‘I’ve just been waiting for almost half an hour for the driver you arranged.’
‘You have been?’ he asked. ‘That can’t be right. Are you sure?’
‘Considering I’m here alone—have been for the last thirty minutes—yes, I’m sure.’
‘I’m sorry, Pie,’ he said, using the name he’d given her as a child. She still hated it. ‘Someone should have been there right when you landed. I gave Caleb your flight details. He’s been tracking you, and there’s no way he’d make you wait.’
‘Caleb?’ she said, wondering why the name sounded so familiar.
‘Yeah, Caleb. Emma’s brother.’
‘Oh, Caleb,’ she said again, as if she knew the man and hadn’t only heard his name.
To be honest, Piper thought him a fantasy. Emma talked about her mysterious older brother whenever they got together, yet Piper had only met Emma’s younger siblings. For all she knew, Emma had made up this mythical tale of the protective, kind older brother who’d taken care of them after their father died.
Piper had done that with Liam. When her father had refused to let her leave the house or made her jump through hoops when she wanted to study, she’d pretended Liam hadn’t left home as soon as he’d got the chance. She’d told herself he was working hard to get her out of the situation he’d escaped.
She hadn’t indulged such fantasies for long. Maybe this wedding was finally the opportunity for reality to eclipse Emma’s fantasy, too.
‘Let me give him a call and find out what happened.’
‘Okay.’
Liam hung up without saying goodbye, which would have bothered her more if he hadn’t done so for her sake. A moment later, she heard a ringing from behind her. Close behind her. She turned. Found her head shifting up to look at the man with the sunglasses before he answered his phone.
‘Caleb,’ he said in a voice that made her skin feel prickly. He listened, then nodded. ‘I have it handled.’ He finished the call, though Piper could still hear speaking coming from the other end.
They looked at each other. Piper’s heart began to pound. It jumped into her throat when her phone rang. She brought it to her ear without breaking eye contact.
‘Yeah?’
‘Pie, Caleb says he has it handled. I have no idea what that means, but—’
‘It means he’s here,’ Piper interrupted. ‘My ride’s here.’
‘Did you say he’s here?’ Liam asked, tone incredulous. ‘As in, you think Caleb is there to pick you up?’
‘Yes.’
‘That can’t be right.’
‘Hold on.’ She lowered her phone, pressing it to her chest. ‘Are you Emma’s Caleb?’
‘Yes.’
‘You’re here to pick me up?’
‘Yes.’
She narrowed her eyes. ‘Yeah, it’s him,’ she said, speaking into the phone again. ‘I’ll see you soon.’
‘Pie? Piper!’
‘What?’
‘Be careful.’
‘Be...’
But her brother had already ended the call. This time, she didn’t mind because she barely noticed he had.
* * *
He was having a day. Caleb Martin did not have days.
He had successes. Wins. But this morning the catering company his sister Emma had hired to cater the rehearsal party—because a dinner was too small for her grandiose wedding—had cancelled because some pop star had hired their services instead. Emma had come to him in a panic and, though Mykonos wasn’t his home, Caleb had had to call in favours with every Greek contact he had to replace the caterer.
Since he didn’t have that many Greek contacts, it had taken nearly all morning to find someone else. Then, as if sensing his vulnerability, his driver had handed in his resignation. Apparently, the demands of the wedding were too much for the local to handle. The man clearly wasn’t used to responsibility.
Caleb hadn’t had the choice. He’d been forced into duty the moment his father had died and he’d been made guardian of his three young siblings. Perhaps that was why he didn’t have patience for the driver quitting. Or perhaps it was because the man had done so minutes before Liam’s sister was supposed to land. With everyone running around preparing for the party that was two hours away, Caleb had no choice but to do it himself.
But she’d been late. Or not late, he thought, looking at the woman peering up at him. Confused. Though how she could be confused when he was the only man standing in the damn airport, Caleb had no idea.
; ‘So, you’re picking me up?’ she said, bright brown eyes looking at him curiously. He couldn’t figure out if they were light brown or dark brown, or a mysterious mixture of the two. All he knew was they stood out against her skin—another interesting shade of brown—and that they tempted him into forgetting his annoyance.
‘Since I’m the only person in this airport with a sign,’ he said, voice harder than he’d intended, ‘the answer is obviously yes.’
She studied him before she answered. ‘Two things. One, you’re holding a sign that says Sunset Resort. The place I’m supposed to be staying at is called Pleasure Villas.’
Her cheeks turned a pretty pink colour. It almost distracted him from what she’d said. He looked down, cursed when he saw she was right. He’d grabbed the wrong sign from the seat of the car his driver had used.
Great.
‘Two,’ she continued as if she hadn’t paused to make him feel like a fool, ‘I was the only person standing out there for the last half an hour, too. If it was obvious that I should have noticed you, surely the same goes for you?’ Her eyebrows rose. ‘At least I have a legitimate excuse for not speaking to you. I didn’t know you’d be coming. But what’s your excuse? Didn’t you at least look at a picture of me?’
No, he hadn’t. Nor did he have an excuse, which she knew, based on that self-satisfied look on her face. He didn’t know how he could find the arrogant expression appealing. How he could be fascinated by the easy curves of her lips. He hadn’t even got to those intriguing eyes yet and he could feel his body leaning in, giving in to the desire to be closer to her.
He shut it down like a mousetrap on a mouse.
‘If you’re done, we can go.’
Amusement flickered in her eyes, but she was wise enough not to respond. She merely nodded and gestured for him to lead the way. He kept his complaints about the bad luck he was having to himself, though his mind went haywire, thinking about everything he should have been doing instead of fetching a snappy soon-to-be relative.
No, he thought immediately. She wouldn’t be his relative. Good thing, too, or the way his body was still demanding to be closer to her would be criminal.
Grunting, he took the handle of her bag. When he was met with resistance, he looked at her.
‘Is this going to be a problem?’
‘You tell me,’ she replied mildly. Which, of course, only annoyed him more.
‘I’d like to help you with your bag,’ he said through his teeth. ‘Would you give me the great pleasure of doing so?’
Her expression changed then. So marginally that if his attention hadn’t been focused on every twitch of her features he wouldn’t have noticed it. Her lips pursed for a second; the lines around her eyes became more distinct. Tension fluttered across her face, disappearing almost as soon as it appeared.
When she looked at him, her eyes were dull. Inexplicably, his stomach dropped.
‘Why?’ she asked him, her voice steady despite the tension. ‘Why do you want to carry my bag?’
‘Not because I don’t think you can do it,’ he replied, watching her closely. It caused another minute change—a ripple of pleasure. But surely she couldn’t take pleasure from him thinking she could do something as simple as carry her own bag? ‘I help my sisters with their things all the time.’
‘I’m not your sister.’
The words were soft. Softened something inside him, too. The annoyance went up another notch.
‘No, you’re not.’ He waited a beat. ‘Perhaps I wanted to be a gentleman.’
‘Something tells me being a gentleman isn’t a top priority for you.’
He didn’t wince, but he wanted to. She was right. He’d been acting like a jerk since they’d met. But the knowledge of it didn’t change that he was annoyed. That that annoyance wouldn’t allow him to be soft and kind with her. Although it did give him an excuse to give her what she wanted. What, apparently, was important to her.
‘Fine,’ he said after a beat, releasing his hold on her bag. ‘You can do it yourself. The car’s this way.’
He walked away, pretending not to notice her shocked expression.
Copyright © 2019 by Therese Beharrie
ISBN-13: 9781488043864
Falling for the Secret Princess
First North American publication 2019
Copyright © 2019 by Kandy Shepherd
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