Page 89

Her lips tightened.
“Mairi?” he growled again even as he started to feel sick to his stomach. She would answer yes, of course. She loved him, didn’t she? And if she said no, it might just be because she was acrophobic and was not thinking too clearly.
Below them, the guides were waving at Damen and Mairi, indicating that their fifteen minutes were up and they would be reeled back down to the speedboat slowly.
Mairi was still staring at him.
What if...what if she was just staring at him because she couldn’t find the words to tell him he was asking too soon? He tensed at the thought. Was it too soon?
He swallowed thickly. “Mairi, if you...”If you say no, I don’t think there’s any point in living? Too fucking sappy even if it was true.
Their feet grazed the surface of the water.
Everyone could see them now. If she said no now, everyone would know, too.
He took a deep breath—-
“Whoa!” the guide exclaimed as he and his companions pulled on the ropes to make sure Damen and Mairi didn’t crash into the roofed area of the speedboat. They worked fast afterwards, untying and unlocking to release them from the parachute.
And then they were free.
Mairi threw herself into his arms, surprising Damen so much that he found himself falling and landing on his back, Mairi on top of him.
In a rush, she told him, “I couldn’t answer earlier because I was airsick and I was in serious danger of throwing up on you if I opened my mouth and if that happened, that would be so gross since just earlier I ate an entire bottle of fresh olives and oh my God what if I threw up all those olives on you—-”
His head reeled, but before he could make sense of her rambling answer she was already kissing him. “Yes, Damen,” she whispered, her eyes shining so brightly it made Damen swallow. “Yes, yes, yes.”
Chapter 4
IT WAS A RAINY DAYwhen they flew back home, with the many calls coming from Damen’s headquarters in Athens forcing them to cut their vacation short. And yet, although their flight had not been planned at all, the paparazzi was in full force when Damen’s private jet landed.
Her phone beeped as the crew opened the jet’s main door and she and Damen stood in front of it, waiting for the ground staff to roll the mobile staircase towards them. Checking her phone, Mairi saw that it was from Aunt Norah.You look good on TV.
She automatically forced a smile on her lips, knowing that the message was a subtle reminder from her aunt to stay strong, or at least look strong in public.
“We hope you had a pleasant flight, Mr. Leventis, Ms. Tanner.”