“That’s correct.”
“I see.”
“I have one more question, Zikos. You’ve been his mentor since rescuing him from the palace that tragic night. He loves and reveres you. Your thoughts hold more weight for me than anyone else living. How do you feel about him giving up everything in order to take me to another continent where we can marry and live like ordinary people?”
Zikos sat there calmly. “Let me ask you some questions first. How do you like the idea of leaving everything both of you hold most dear in the hope of living ordinary lives elsewhere? Be careful before you answer.”
“I don’t need to be careful,” she said without looking at Alex. “I already know the answer. It’s the last thing I would want.”
“And how do you feel about him helping shape the government without being their leader?”
She got to her feet. “It wouldn’t work. Another leader wouldn’t stand a chance with Alex being a part of parliament. Everyone already defers to him. Everyone’s been waiting for him to ascend the throne.” The memory of the look in the Realtor’s eyes would always stand out in her mind.
“So you believe he should be king.”
“I do. I believe it’s his destiny.”
“Do you think he’ll make a good one?”
“Surely you’re joking. He’ll make a great one.”
“How do you know this?”
She stared straight into Alex’s burning black eyes. “Because of the way he treated Evander Corso at the palace on his first day back. Evander was his boyhood friend and took care of his dog after you rescued him. The love and kindness both men showed each other despite years of separation tells me everything about Alex’s humanity. That’s the quality needed in an exceptional leader.”
Zikos smiled at her and stood up. “Such eloquence. You, my dear, should run for parliament. If I’ve answered all your questions, I’ll leave now. Certain matters of importance are waiting for me.”
At this point she was frantic. “You haven’t told us about the vote yet!”
“Didn’t I?” He scratched his head. “They heard his defense of you and voted unanimously that you should be his queen. The coronation will take place after the palace has been renovated. It’s their hope you will marry right away to bring joy to a nation that has suffered.
“That, of course, is my greatest hope, my dear. I never knew a man more in love and can see why. I beg of you to say yes so I can finally get a good night’s sleep. It’ll be the first one I’ve had in fourteen years, so have pity.”
Giannina couldn’t believe her ears.
What had he just said?
She stood there stupefied as he left the suite.
After the door closed, Alex wandered over to her with a new light shining from his eyes. He pulled something out of his pocket and reached for her left hand.
“You promised to marry me if he gave us his approval.”
Still in a complete daze, she watched him slide a gold ring with a stunning solitaire diamond onto her ring finger. A perfect fit.
“I—I can’t fathom that the parliament has given their consent,” she stammered. “What did you say to them in my defense?”
“That your only sin was the connection to your beloved aunt, a woman who suffered anguish for being married to Hatzi and divorced him long before he committed murder.”
“Alex—Alex—” She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth and body to his, finally able to tell him what had been in her heart for so many years.
“I love you, my darling. I’ve loved you since the day we ran around the palace grounds. I couldn’t believe I was playing with a real prince. You were so much fun and made me laugh. When my father said we had to leave, I didn’t want to go. After we returned to Salonica, I kept begging him to take me there with him again. He said he would the next time the king needed to talk to him. I waited and waited.”
Alex crushed her to him. “I drove my parents crazy asking them to invite you and your father back to the palace. They told me you could come for my father’s jubilee, but that day never came.”
“Darling—” She buried her face against his shoulder. “I had a secret crush on you. Then Philip Dimas came to my high school to talk about current events, and I developed another crush. You can’t imagine how excited I was when years later I learned you were giving a lecture in London.”
He cradled her face in his hands. “I almost had a heart attack to realize you were the Giannina Angelis from my boyhood all grown up and so beautiful.”
“I fell for you immediately, Alex. It surprised me how strong my feelings were right from that first moment. That’s because underneath your disguise lived the prince, my young woman’s fantasy of perfection. Don’t you know my love for you is beyond comprehension? I want to be queen if it means I can be married to you. Nothing else matters.”
“Agapitos,” he murmured at the base of her throat. “You’ve made me the happiest man in existence. There’s just one problem. I need to take you in the bedroom and not come out for weeks. But I want us to be married before I claim you body and soul. Since you heard Zikos say he would like our wedding to take place ASAP, I want it to be tomorrow.”
“So do I.” She half moaned the words against his marauding mouth.
“Then let’s get in my car. I want to show you the church where I’d like us to be married and we’ll arrange it with the priest. Shall we say three days from now?”
“What I’d give if that were possible.”
“I’m not a king yet and can do what I want. Tonight we’ll fly to Salonica. I want to ask your father for your hand and tell your family our news. Zikos is probably phoning his family right now. We’ll keep it a small, private affair.”
She hugged him harder. “I’m glad for that because I know things will be different for your coronation.”
“That won’t be for another month. Not until the palace is ready for us. In the meantime, we’ll live here at the hotel. As for our wedding, I want you to plan it.”
“I’m so happy, I feel like I’m going to burst.”
“Now you know how I feel. Come on before I drag you in the other room and we retreat from the world for good.”
* * *
That evening at the Angelis villa, Gianinna’s mother pressed her hands to her mouth. “Three days?”
“I know it’s fast, but neither of us can wait any longer. The only people we want to be there are our families.”
“I guess being king, Alex can make the rules. That’s kind of exciting. It’s true you never got over spending time with the young prince. Your story is a true fairy tale.”
“I know.” Giannina giggled. “Of course, he hasn’t been crowned yet.”
Her mother caressed her cheek. “Just now you sounded like my little girl. Do you want to know a secret?”
“Always.”
“Your father and I talked about it. He has told Alex to make use of the family yacht for your honeymoon. It will give you the privacy you need and keep you close to Hellenia in case something of importance happens.”
“No one ever had better parents than you.” She hugged her.
“Or a daughter as wonderful as you. I suffered when you came home brokenhearted from London.”
“Little did we know Philip would turn out to be the lost prince.”
“It’s really incredible.”
She nodded. “Do you think Baba will be up for the flight to Hellenia?”
“The doctor says he has improved since retiring. I can tell you now he wouldn’t dream of missing the wedding of his precious Giannina. Olga is terribly excited. It goes without saying Nico is delighted. To think both of you suffered such heartache for years, and now look at you. He’s never been so happy with Alexa and the baby. And you are beaming!”
“Oh, Mama. You’ll never kno
w how much I love him.”
“That’s how I feel about your father.”
“Of course you do.”
Three days later at the church in Loria
“Ooh—this white lace wedding dress is out of this world.”
“Mama chose it. Thanks for helping me dress, Alexa. I’m so excited I’m shaking.”
“I know the feeling. This is a beautiful church.”
“Alex said it’s where his family worshipped.”
“What a lovely tradition. Nico and I got married at the church at Sarti Beach. He wanted to do it fast. No one knew anything about it since we didn’t want to spoil wedding plans for Dimitra and Kristos. I think your husband-to-be has a lot in common with mine.”
“They are alike in many ways. Handsome, brilliant, brave, adventurous.”
“Keep going,” Alexa teased her. “You’ve got it bad.”
“I do. I’m so crazy about him I can’t think straight.”
“What’s going to happen to your job at the newspaper?”
“We haven’t talked about it yet. For now Khloe is handling everything just fine.”
She handed Giannina her bouquet of white roses and stephanotis. “Is there anything else I can do for you before we leave the anteroom to join your father?”
“You’ve done more than enough. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Alexa opened the door for her and they walked out to the vestibule of the small seventeenth-century church, famous for its frescoes. Giannina saw her father seated in his wheelchair. He’d been very handsome like Nico as a younger man. Age had made him more distinguished than ever.
His brown eyes lit up when he saw her. He held out his hand, which she grasped. “If ever there was a vision...”
“Baba...”
The organ music had started. He eyed her. “Ready to go seal your fate?”
“I’ve been waiting three years.”
He chuckled. “Don’t I know it.”
One of the altar boys opened the doors and they proceeded down the aisle. Only a few chairs had been set up near the front to accommodate their families. She saw her tall, black-haired husband-to-be immediately. Though this was supposed to be an ordinary wedding, at the last minute she’d asked him to wear his royal dress blue uniform.
One day their children would pore over these pictures. When they saw how magnificent he was, they would burst with pride over their father. She felt overcome herself to realize this remarkable man loved her, had always loved her.
Zikos appeared resplendent as well in dark blue. He stood up for Alex. The only people missing were his beloved parents, but Giannina felt they had to be watching.
The priest came in a side door. He’d agreed to perform a very short afternoon ceremony in deference to her father and Alexa’s grandfather, both of whom were in wheelchairs.
“Giannina and Alexandros, if you would approach and clasp hands.”
Alexa took the bouquet and Zikos stepped back.
Warmth ran through Gianinna’s body as Alex took her hand in his. He rubbed his thumb over her palm in a private message that turned her insides to mush.
“Prince Alexandros?” the priest began. “This will be the last time I address you this way. God has sent you back to us a man, heaven be praised. May He bless this union.
“If you will repeat after me, I, Prince Alexandros Cimon Pisistratus, promise to love and cherish this woman through mortality and beyond, through sickness and in health. I will provide for her welfare and worship her with my body.”
Giannina listened to Alex’s deep voice repeat the words. Then it came her turn. “I, Giannina Panagos Angelis, promise to love and cherish this man through mortality and beyond, through sickness and in health. I will be his comfort and worship him with my body.”
The priest smiled at them. “Bless you, my children. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
The fire in Alex’s eyes caused her to tremble as he gave her a husband’s kiss she wanted to last forever.
“Let’s go, my love.”
They’d planned to forgo a celebration with family. That would come later after the coronation. Their ring ceremony would happen then too. He grasped her hand and they left the church. A limo stood waiting to take them to the yacht.
Giannina never remembered the drive to the port. The two of them forgot the world as they tried without success to show each other how they felt. Once on board in familiar surroundings, they went straight to the guest suite her father had picked out for them. It had windows overlooking the ocean.
Alex closed and locked the door before turning to her. He took off his suit jacket and tossed it on a chair. His gaze roved over her, not missing an inch, before he reached in her hair to remove her short veil. “Never has there been a more beautiful bride. I can’t believe we’re married and that I have you all to myself at last for as long as we live.”
“I never dreamed this day would come,” she whispered. “I still feel I’m dreaming.”
He reached around to unfasten the back of her dress and slid it off her shoulders. While she stepped out of it, he disappeared into the bathroom. He came out a moment later wearing a robe and laid her dress on the love seat. In the next breath he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed.
She clung to him as he lowered her to the mattress and began kissing the daylights out of her. Each sensual kiss grew longer, filling her with desire she’d never known. Wrapped in each other’s arms had to be one of the greatest joys in life as they sought to give each other pleasure.
His hands and mouth brought an ecstasy she didn’t know was possible. With their legs entangled, she’d never experienced such rapture and forgot the time, let alone her surroundings. Darkness filled the room before she had cognizance of anything but loving and being loved. Her lover had taken her to the heights and she never wanted him to stop.
“Alex?” She smoothed her hand over his chest. “I love you too much.”
A deep male laugh came out of him. “Explain too much.”
“If anything happened to you, I’d die. When I think—”
But his mouth stopped her there. “No thinking, my love. I’ve done too much of that over the last three years worrying about you, wondering what you were doing, what men you were attracted to, the ones you were kissing.”
She rose up and half lay on him. “There’s never been another man but you. A young prince captured my heart. It’s been yours ever since.”
“Darling—”
“I’m afraid you ruined me for all time, Alex.”
“That day we played on the palace grounds sealed my fate too. You stole my heart and I never forgot you.” He rolled her over and began kissing her again. “You’ve been my obsession and you haven’t made it easy on me.”
She covered his face with kisses. “I’m so sorry. You know I love you more than life.”
“I’ll forgive you if you’ll order us some food. After it arrives, I’ll tell you how you can make my pain go away.”
She did his bidding, then put the phone receiver back and turned to him. “Just so you know, I wasn’t too thrilled with those tiny epistles you sent that left no address or phone number.”
“Those cards were a form of code.”
“Code?”
“Yes.” He kissed her earlobe. “You were supposed to read between the lines and know how I felt.”
“Obviously they kind of worked because I’m now your wife.”
“Indeed you are. In every possible way. Do you know you remind me of the gorgeous Penelope who had many ardent suitors?”
“You mean the adored wife of Odysseus, king of Ithaca?”
“The very one. It’s our story, Giannina. When he got back from the Trojan War,
he was disguised as a beggar. She didn’t recognize her husband or welcome him right away. It hurt him terribly. He had to prove to her that he was her husband so she’d take him back.”
“I forget how long he was gone.”
“Ten years.”
“Well, that explains quite a lot, especially if he didn’t write her any postcards at all. But as I recall, she forgave him in time, and they lived happily ever after.”
“They couldn’t be as happy as we are.”
“No one could be,” she whispered before kissing him again and again. Eventually a knock sounded.
“Our food is here. I’ll get it.”
“Just a minute, sweetheart. I told them to leave it outside the door. I know you’re hungry, but there’s something I want to tell you first. I hope it will make you happy.”
He looked down at her. “What is it?”
“Nico gave me some advice that I know is right. When I told him I was nervous about being queen, he told me that all I needed to do was be a good wife. The rest would follow. So I’m afraid you’re stuck with a clingy wife who’s so crazy about you, I’m going to be an embarrassment.”
“Thank heaven!”
EPILOGUE
“THE NEWS IS very good,” Alex announced to his cabinet assembled at the palace. “After a year, the economy has started to recover, and job growth has skyrocketed. We’ve opened trade relations with dozens of countries and tourism has risen three hundred percent.”
Alex was gratified by the clapping and cheers coming from the government officials. They were responsible for the dramatic changes since the evil regime had been eradicated.
Zikos got to his feet. “You’ve left out the most important piece of news, Your Highness.” He turned to the others. “In the first year of our new government, the king and queen have produced an heir, which ensures the continuation of the Pisistratus royal line. Hail to the king of Hellenia!”
The others sprang to their feet to offer their congratulations. Pleased as Alex was by their response, the mention of their five-week-old baby daughter put thoughts of the nation out of his mind. He flashed Zikos a private smile.
Harlequin Romance April 2021 Box Set Page 14
