CHAPTER SIX

THEFOLLOWINGEVENING, Ajax stood at the bedroom door, where it was open just a crack. He felt like a voyeur, but he couldn't move a muscle. He was frozen at the vision of Erin, standing in front of the mirror, looking as stunned as he felt.

He'd always known she possessed an understated kind of beauty—the kind that mocked you for not noticing it at first. But now there was nothing understated about her...she was breathtaking.

She wore a strapless floor-length dress. Black. Its structured bodice-style design pushed her breasts up and cinched in her waist, and then the dress fell in soft silken folds to the floor.

Her skin looked very pale. She wore no jewellery apart from an elaborate diamond necklace and a matching cocktail ring. Luxuriant long black lashes framed smoky eyes. Blusher highlighted cheekbones so high and defined they could cut glass, and a nude gloss on her lips made them seem plump and provocative.

As if she was asking to be kissed.

Ajax was finding it hard to remember why that would be a bad idea.

Georgiana was talking to her. ‘Your short hair really sets the look off. What made you decide to cut it?'

Erin replied, ‘The baby...she kept tugging on it.'

Ajax tried not to let that image get to him, but it was hard. He remembered Theo pulling on Sofia's hair, and himself lifting him out of her arms when she got irritated. He couldn't imagine Erin getting irritated...

Georgiana said, ‘Most women wouldn't get away with it but with your bone structure...'

Ajax could see that Erin was self-conscious, embarrassed by the praise. Again, not like Sofia, nor any of the women he was used to. They were born confident, expecting compliments, reveling in them. Erin looked as if she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Erin smiled at the stylist. ‘Thank you for your help. I wouldn't have had a clue where to start.'

Georgiana winked. ‘That's what I get paid the big bucks for.'

Ajax was about to knock on the door to announce his presence when Erin asked, ‘Did you...er...work with Mr Nikolau's wife?'

‘Sofia?'

Erin nodded. Georgiana shook her head, ‘No, Sofia had her own ideas about style. She favoured a more modern aesthetic.'

That was a diplomatic understatement, thought Ajax. The two women couldn't have been more different. Sofia could have danced naked in front of him and he'd have felt nothing. Erin, on the other hand...

He slammed a lid on the surge of fire in his blood.

He knocked on the door and opened it, still not prepared when Erin turned around and his gaze met hers, gold and tawny. He was wearing a classic black tuxedo and he saw how her gaze swept down and up again, how a little flare of colour came into her cheeks.

He gritted his jaw.

Ajax forced himself to look at the stylist. ‘Thank you, Georgiana.'

‘My pleasure, Ajax. I'll be back when you need me again.'

Georgiana handed Erin a sleek black clutch bag and said, ‘Good luck this evening—not that you'll need it. You're going to knock everyone out.'

Ajax was soon standing in front of Erin. She looked nervous.

‘Is it...? Am I okay?'

He might not have believed it if he hadn't known better. He wanted to turn her around and put her in front of the mirror again. Say, How can you not see how beautiful you are? But he was genuinely afraid he might not be able to stop himself from tearing down that zip and undoing the exquisite picture she made.

Instead, he just said, ‘You look...beautiful.'

‘I feel strange. This isn't really me.'

‘It is...for now.'

Until they were done with this charade and living separate lives again.

He said, ‘My driver is waiting...we should go.'

As they walked downstairs, Erin tried to steady herself after seeing Ajax in his tuxedo. He oozed sophistication, but with an edge of sexy, brooding darkness that made her a little weak.

She wondered what he'd meant when he'd said for now. Did he mean just for this period of time, while they were acting out this charade of togetherness? And then, like Cinderella, she'd go back to her much less glamorous reality? She felt that was what he'd meant.

But Cinderella got her prince in the end.

Erin shook her head mentally. She'd never believed in fairy tales and she wasn't about to start.

In the hall, he asked, ‘Do you need to see Ashling?'

Erin shook her head. ‘Damia is feeding her, and then she'll bath her and put her down. It's probably best for me to go without drawing attention to the fact.'

‘If we need to return at all we can, so don't worry about that.'

The little clutch of anxiety in Erin's chest eased. ‘I think she'll be fine, but thank you.'

Ajax let her precede him out through the front door and Erin still felt wobbly in the delicate high heels. Her bare upper back prickled, as if she could feel Ajax's gaze on her.

The driver was holding the car door open. She got in, feeling awkward in the dress and shoes.

Ajax got in on the other side. The car moved down the hill and into the streets of Athens. It was early evening and the sun was starting to set, bathing everything in a golden glow. Tourists strolled easily, choosing somewhere to eat among the tables spilling onto the streets from cafés and restaurants. There was a youthful, vibrant atmosphere, a contrast against the ancient backdrop.

The car wound through the streets and then back up into the hills again. They joined a queue of cars entering gates like Ajax's villa's gates. Erin wondered if they'd gone in a big circle...

Ajax said, ‘This is the Parnassus villa. Leo and Angel Parnassus are hosting their annual event to raise funds for charity.'

Erin had vaguely heard of Angel Parnassus. ‘Isn't she a jewellery designer?'

Ajax nodded. ‘Yes—very successful.'

‘And Leo is...?'

‘Like me, a Greek, who grew up mainly in America. We go back a long way. He returned here permanently some years ago, to take over the family business.'

‘You lived in Greece while you were married?'

Ajax nodded, ‘Yes, but America is my home now.'

He didn't elaborate. Erin speculated that perhaps the long distance from here made it easier for him to deal with the loss of his son.

They were at the top of the drive now, and the villa opened out before them. It was of a more traditional design than Ajax's. Vast, impressive.

They got out at the bottom of the steps leading up to the front door. Ajax took her by the elbow and Erin resisted the urge to pull away for fear he'd see how he affected her.

The sounds of soft jazz could be heard, and as they entered the hall behind other guests, a tall man broke away from a group of people and came over, a broad smile on his handsome face.

‘Ajax! Please tell me you've decided to stop pretending you prefer Manhattan to Athens and are coming home.'

The men hugged each other warmly.

Ajax said, ‘No chance.'

The man looked at her and Erin felt self-conscious.

Ajax said, ‘Leo, this is Erin Murphy.'

Leo put out a hand. ‘Erin, welcome to my home. And congratulations on your daughter. Our youngest is three, but maybe they'll play together some day.'

Erin couldn't help but smile at his effusive greeting. ‘Thank you. I'm sure she'd love that. She's not walking yet, but any day now, I think.'

Leo made a face. ‘Once they're on their feet you need eyes in the back and both sides of your head.'

Erin laughed. ‘She's already crawling at the speed of light, so I know what you mean.'

She glanced at Ajax and saw he was looking at her with a transfixed expression on his face. Erin blushed.

A woman—stunningly pretty, in a white strapless column of a dress, with her dark hair pulled up into a classic chignon—came and joined them, sliding her arm through Leo's. She must be Angel. Her husband looked down at her, and his look was so full of hunger and love and tenderness that Erin felt like a voyeur. She'd never seen a man look at a woman like that...

After greeting Ajax with a kiss, the woman put out her hand to Erin. ‘I'm Angel...so nice that you could come.'

Erin shook it. She noticed Angel's jewellery—a necklace of tiny diamonds strung on several interlocking delicate silver chains. She asked shyly, ‘Is that one of your designs?'

Angel touched it and looked pleased. ‘Yes, a new one I'm trying out. Do you like it?'

‘It's lovely.'

Angel transferred her arm from her husband's to Erin's and led her away, saying, ‘Then you must come with me, because these two wouldn't know how to appreciate art and design if it jumped up and—'

Leo protested. ‘Hey, I've improved a lot.'

Erin let herself be led away by her hostess, charmed by her easy warmth and friendliness. They went into a huge room—a ballroom with gilt mirrors set into panelled walls and chandeliers hanging from an ornately decorated ceiling. Candles flickered from tall tables, imbuing everything and everyone with a glow.

Angel handed her a glass of champagne and said, ‘A word of warning: be on your guard. I'm afraid that high society in Athens can be a little...cut-throat, and you've arrived on the scene with the biggest ace up your sleeve.'

Erin looked at her. ‘What do you mean?'

‘Ajax's baby. A baby no one expected him to have after... Well, you know.' Angel took Erin's hand and squeezed it gently. ‘But I'm glad. He deserves to be happy. Theo showed him it was possible, but then it got snatched away.'

Someone approached Angel from the other side of the room and spoke into her ear.

She grimaced at Erin. ‘Look, I have to run—but please, make yourself at home.'

She walked away, leaving Erin in the middle of the room alone. She looked around for Ajax, but couldn't see him straight away. As she turned she saw people stopping and looking at her. Whispering. Making little effort to hide their interest. She could see some of it was benign. But most of it was suspicious. Hostile. What had Angel said? Cut-throat.

Her hand gripped the glass of wine she held and suddenly she felt too hot. She walked towards the open doors that led out to a wide patio, where she could see more people milling around.

As she walked through the room she heard the whispers.

‘She's some sort of ambulance-chaser lawyer...'

‘She's not related to anyone...'

‘She did it on purpose to trap him...'

‘He's not going to marry her...'

Erin all but stumbled out through the open doors, and for a moment she was tipping forward perilously in thin air. Then a hand wrapped around her arm, steadying her. She recognised the familiar sizzle in her blood and looked up.

‘Perfect timing,' she said. ‘I'm sure they would have loved to see me go splat on my face.'

Ajax led her towards a low stone wall, beyond which stretched stunning gardens and a panoramic view of Athens laid out before them.

He asked, ‘What do you mean?'

Erin took a sip of wine and nodded her head towards the room full of people. ‘Well, according to some I'm an ambulance-chaser, and I'm not related to anyone important, and—oh, you'll probably like this one—they don't think you'll marry me, so you're definitely off the hook there.'

Erin raised her glass in a mocking salute.

‘I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to be left alone.'

‘It's fine. I was with Angel, but she was called away.'

Ajax's jaw clenched. ‘This is why I don't like to live here full-time.'

‘I guess Athens is a small enough city when it comes to this kind of thing.'

‘Exactly.' He turned to her. ‘By the way, the statement has dropped.'

Erin looked at him. ‘The statement?'

‘About us. To the press.'

The man addled her brain when he was close. No wonder these people thought she was just an ambulance-chaser.

She'd looked over the statement earlier and approved it.

Ajax Nikolau and Erin Murphy would like to announce that they have a daughter and are together. They ask for their privacy to be respected.

It couldn't have been more succint.

Erin nodded. ‘The statement... Yes.'

She looked up at Ajax again and her eyes widened. Had he moved closer, or had she? Even though they were outside, it felt as if she couldn't draw in enough oxygen.

‘Considering the fact that almost everyone here is now looking at us,' he said, ‘it might be a good moment to reinforce that statement with a display.'

‘A display...?'

But Erin's words dissolved in her mouth as Ajax's fingers tipped her chin up a little, and then his head was lowering and his mouth covered hers in a light kiss. A light kiss that burned her all the way through to her core.

She wanted to lean into him, absorb his strength and heat, feel that heat surrounding her and his big hands moving over her. For a moment she was sure he wanted to deepen the kiss. His other hand was on her waist and she felt him tighten it, but then he pulled back abruptly and Erin opened her eyes to see him watching her.

A wave of mortification washed through her body. She was exposing herself spectacularly, but he seemed completely unmoved.

He took her hand and led her down the patio towards another door. They were going back inside to the ballroom.

Erin took her hand from his when they were among the throng again. He glanced at her, but she pretended not to notice.

‘What is it, Erin?'

That sense of exposure was still prickling over her skin. ‘I'd like it if you warned me in advance of any...touching or kissing.' She knew she sounded unbearably priggish, but the way she'd wanted to cleave to him at the first touch of his mouth to hers was terrifying.

‘Can you consider it a warning if I say now that we may have to indulge in spontaneous shows of affection if I deem it an opportune moment? I may not have time to ask the question.'

Now Erin was sorry she'd said anything. Next he'd be asking if she wanted to draw up a contract, laying out the terms and conditions for these public displays of affection.

She still wouldn't look at him. ‘It's fine. Forget I said anything. I just wasn't expecting it...'

‘Erin, look at me. Please.'

Reluctantly she did so, vaguely aware that a charity auction was starting. She resolutely didn't look at Ajax's mouth.

‘You're right. I shouldn't have just assumed it would be okay to kiss you like that. Please know that I would never want to do anything to make you uncomfortable, so if you'd prefer we didn't touch at all—'

Thatsuggestion sent a shard of panic down to Erin's gut. ‘No... Look, I'm overreacting. Forget I said anything. It's fine.' In a bid to defuse the tension she'd created, she asked, ‘What's the charity in aid of?'

‘It fights against domestic abuse. It's a cause very personal to Leo and Angel.'

Erin looked at him and he said, ‘I don't know the details—I don't think anyone does—but I believe that Angel's father was...violent.'

Erin went cold at the thought. ‘That's awful.'

Leo and Angel were up on a dais, urging the crowd on to make bigger bids for different lots. There was a lot of raucous cheering and laughter as people vied with each other.

The next lot flashed up on the screen behind Angel and Leo: a romantic dinner for two at one of Athens' most exclusive rooftop restaurants.

To Erin's shock, Ajax put his hand up, and a friendly bidding war broke out between him and a couple of others.

It was soon whittled down to just two, and the price rose and rose beyond anything that might be considered acceptable for a dinner for two. Erin kept waiting for Ajax to bow out—it was getting ridiculous—but he seemed determined. Finally, when the price was eye-wateringly high, the other bidder faded away and Leo Parnassus brought the gavel down on Ajax's bid.

Ajax turned to Erin and took her hand. He lifted it up, gave her a subtle look, as if in question, and she nodded barely perceptibly. Her heart was racing. He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, causing a flurry of whispers and sighs. More whispers than sighs.

Erin's face burned. Because even though she knew it was all for show, and entirely cynical, the imprint of Ajax's mouth on her hand was like a brand, and she knew that somewhere deep down she wished that this was a real romantic gesture.

So sure your emotions aren't involved? asked a little voice.

That incendiary thought made her pull her hand free. She didn't look at Ajax—she didn't want to see his expression.

The auction had ended and the crowd were milling around again.

Erin thought of something. ‘I got the signed contract back.'

Ajax looked at her. ‘I have signed over full custody to you.'

‘I saw that.'

Erin felt only a flat kind of acceptance. It would have been strange if he'd had a sudden change of heart, and the last thing she or Ashling needed was someone not being consistent. But still... It was confirmation of his intention to have very little to do with his daughter.

Erin reminded herself that it was absolutely necessary to set out these boundaries. Her own mother had used to just appear at random times and stay for a day or two, making Erin hope and wish that she was coming back for good, only to disappear again. As she'd grown older she'd refused to see her mother on those visits, needing to protect herself from the inevitable disappointment and her resentment at being squeezed into the space between two conferences when she happened to be in town.

Erin said now, ‘It can be renegotiated at a later stage if you want to make any changes. Maybe when she's older you'll feel differently.'

Someone jostled Erin from behind and she fell forward into Ajax's chest. He caught her to him with his hands on her bare arms. They were pressed together, chest to chest. She could feel his heart. Or was it hers, pounding too hard?

He looked down at her, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her again, but he said, ‘I won't want to make any changes.'

The haze of desire in Erin's head cleared. She pulled back, steadied herself, and for the rest of the evening kept a rictus smile on her face. Thankfully Ajax kept their physical contact to a minimum from then on, just hand-holding or lightly touching her back.

She had to nip this seed of hope in the bud. The seed of hope that somehow he'd change and realise that of course he wanted a meaningful relationship with his daughter. She'd learnt a harsh lesson from her mother, and she couldn't afford to forget it now.

A few days later, Ajax was looking out through the window of his home office. Laid out before him was the back garden, with Athens in the distance. But he could only see the little tableau unfolding on the lawn.

Erin, Damia and Ashling and much excitement. Ashling had just taken her first steps. Erin appeared to be crying and video calling someone—Ajax guessed it had to be her father—and Damia was holding Ashling. She let her go and the little girl wobbled on two sturdy legs towards her mother as Erin filmed her. Then Erin threw the phone down and caught Ashling to her, standing up and twirling her high in the air.

Ajax could hear their shrieks of delight from here. But it was as if there was a block of ice in his chest. Numbing him. Keeping him safe. At a remove. Memories of Theo's first steps threatened to surface, but Ajax pushed them ruthlessly down.

The pane of glass between him and them was more than a physical thing. Every self-preserving instinct inside him told him to stay far away from this moment, even as another part of him ached to see it.

He could feel his skin getting clammy and his heart starting to pound erratically. Nausea climbed up from his gut. He turned away and walked blindly out of his office and out of the villa, his heart rate only returning to normal as he got further and further away.

It was early evening, and Erin was standing in front of the mirror again, with Georgiana behind her. She felt completely intimidated by what she was wearing.

‘Isn't this a little...too much?'

Georgiana stood back and looked at Erin, almost comically insulted. ‘Do you have any idea where you are going for dinner? Do you know how impossible it is to get a booking? You have to book years in advance!'

Erin said, ‘I feel naked.'

‘You look amazing.'

Erin found it hard to believe. She was wearing a jumpsuit—dark brown-silk, long harem-style trousers. So far, so respectable. But the top was merely two pieces of fabric, slashed almost to the navel, held up by a clasp behind her neck, leaving her back bare.

Her hair was slicked back. Her eyes looked even bigger than usual, shimmering with gold. A gold bangle encircling one upper arm and chunky gold earrings were the only adornments. She wore gold high-heel sandals.

Georgiana said, ‘It's daring, chic and elegant. Every man within a ten-mile radius will want you.'

Erin smiled weakly. One thing was sure: she was making up for all those times she'd stayed in studying when her college mates had been out partying.

There was a knock on the door and Erin's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. Surely Ajax would take one look and be horrified? He didn't strike her as the kind of guy who went out with women who were practically naked from the waist up.

She turned around slowly and steeled herself, barely aware of Georgiana slinking away. There was silence. Ominous. Thick with a tension that Erin remembered from before...in that elevator.

She risked a glance at Ajax, and gulped. His eyes were wide and he was looking her up and down. Her skin tingled. She felt sure he had to be horrified.

He was wearing a black shirt and black trousers. Thick hair swept back. She was glad he wasn't in a tuxedo—she couldn't handle that again.

Erin finally blurted out, ‘It's too much, isn't it? I'll change... Georgiana tried a dress before this. I can put that on.'

She'd turned, as if to go back to the dressing room, but Ajax said roughly, ‘No, it's fine. You're fine.'

Erin turned around again. ‘Are you sure?'

A muscle ticked in his jaw. ‘Absolutely. We should go.'

In the back of the car as they drove into Athens, to try and defuse the thick tension in the air, Erin said, ‘Ashling started walking just the other day.'

‘I know. I saw it.'

‘You did?' She was surprised.

He nodded. ‘From my office.'

‘You should have come out. She was so excited.'

Ajax looked straight ahead, as much to avoid looking at Erin in that provocative outfit as to hide his reaction to that image of watching Ashling walk. He felt a familiar tightening in his chest.

‘I couldn't. I had to go into the office.'

Erin sat back. He could almost feel her deflation.

‘Wow...' she said eventually. ‘You really are determined not to get involved at all.'

He looked at her. ‘I told you I'm not doing that again.'

She needed to understand, so that she didn't hope he could be more.

Her golden-brown eyes narrowed on him. ‘Have you ever considered that your reaction could be due to some kind of trauma, brought on by the death of Theo? Like PTSD?'

Ajax knew what that was. He had a good friend who'd been a French Legionnaire and he'd suffered with it. His friend had even opened a clinic to help others. But Ajax had never considered that the death of his child could have brought on something similar. And yet Erin's words resonated somewhere inside him. Touched on a raw place.

Luckily the driver was pulling up outside the restaurant now, and he took advantage of the distraction to avoid answering Erin's unwelcome perceptiveness.

He went around the car to help her out, taking her hand, noting the apprehension in her expression as she stepped out and straightened up. It was a novelty to be with a woman who wasn't used to this world under the glare of the cameras...a hundred of which seemed to go off as they rounded the vehicle and approached the door which led to an elevator that would take them to the rooftop.

Erin's hand tightened in Ajax's and he put an arm around her waist, tugging her into his side. She fitted against him so easily. Security men opened the door and they slipped inside, where a concierge called for the elevator.

Ajax noticed that Erin was trembling slightly. He looked down. She was pale. He cursed softly in Greek.

‘I'm sorry,' he said. ‘I should have warned you. I'm so used to the paparazzi being everywhere that it doesn't occur to me that you're not.'

Erin was mortified that she was so shaken, but the barrage of lights exploding in their faces had felt almost like a physical assault. How did anyone get used to that level of aggressive interest?

She moved out of Ajax's embrace. ‘I'm sorry. I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting it. I didn't even see them.'

‘Don't be sorry—it's not your fault. You're reacting as any sane and normal person would.'

Erin sneaked a glance up at him. His jaw was hard. She had an almost irresistible urge to touch him there, get him to soften. As a girlfriend or lover might. But she wasn't either. She curled her hand into a fist just as the elevator arrived.

It was dark inside, with walls covered in murals. It took Erin a second to realise that they were all tiny depictions of people in various sexual poses. She blushed and looked away—only to find her own image sent back to her by the mirrors, fragmented and disjointed. The curve of a shoulder...her bare back...the curve of her buttocks under the silk. There was a scent like leather and wood. Decadent...

To her relief, the doors opened again and she saw a man waiting to escort them through an archway of thick foliage into the restaurant. Ajax put his hand on her elbow. Erin noted that they hadn't even checked who Ajax was—they knew.

As did everyone in the restaurant, it seemed, as heads swivelled when they walked past and conversations stopped.

The restaurant itself was enough of a conversation-stopper. At the top of one of Athens' highest buildings, it commanded views over the city taking in everything from the Acropolis all the way down to the port of Piraeus, gateway to the islands.

They were led to a table with arguably the best views, secluded from most of the other diners by lush potted plants. Candles flickered on the table laid with white linen and crystal glasses and gold cutlery. The air was warm and balmy.

Erin's phone vibrated in her clutch and she took it out to see a message from Damia and a picture of Ashling asleep.

All well here. Enjoy dinner!

From the other side of the table Ajax asked, ‘Everything okay?'

Erin smiled. ‘Fine. Just Damia sending me a picture of Ashling sleeping.'

She almost moved to show it to Ajax, but after that terse exchange in the car she put her phone away, ignoring the pang near her heart.

The waiter arrived with two glasses of champagne. ‘Compliments of the manager.'

Erin smiled her thanks and took a small sip. She looked out over the view. ‘It's beautiful up here.'

Ajax was unfolding his napkin, looking down.

Erin protested. ‘You're not even looking.'

His head came up and his eyes met hers. ‘I'm looking.'

Heat curled through Erin's blood. She had to be imagining the intensity in Ajax's gaze. It was so dimly lit up here... He looked away and Erin breathed in.

‘You're right—there's a lot I don't notice, that I take for granted.'

‘I guess that's not hard to understand when you grew up in a such rarefied world.'

‘I can't deny that. I was born into privilege.'

Erin leaned forward, putting her chin on her hand. ‘And yet you're not spoiled.'

Ajax frowned and took a sip of wine. ‘That's a good thing?'

She nodded. ‘You're not entitled or rude or lazy. You don't have to work, but you do. You don't live a life of empty sybaritic pleasure like a lot of rich people.'

He put his glass down. ‘Careful or I might think you actually like me.'

Erin blinked. ‘I don't not like you. We were...intimate. That wouldn't have happened if I hadn't liked you.'

She suddenly realised the truth of that. The fact that he'd impressed her on lots of levels from the moment she'd seen him. His work ethic. The way he treated people.

She shook her head. ‘Why aren't you a spoiled playboy, travelling around the Mediterranean on a yacht?'

He made a face. ‘I can't say it ever appealed to me. The thing that was paramount in our family was the respect our name held and the family business. We didn't have time to rebel or zone out.'

The waiter came back and took their orders. Ajax recommended certain Greek specialities to Erin and she happily complied, eager to explore the cuisine.

When the waiter was gone, she said, ‘You said you and your brother weren't encouraged to be close?'

A shadow passed over his face for a moment before he responded, ‘Yes and no. We were pitted against each other. He was always going to be the first to inherit control of the family business, but I was encouraged to compete with him, as if to keep him on his toes.'

‘It's a pity that you weren't just allowed to be brothers.'

‘Yes, it is. I did love him...but I felt I never really knew him.'

Their starters arrived—a courgette, peach and sea urchin salad. Erin said, a little regretfully, ‘It looks almost too good to eat...'

But then she speared some peach and closed her eyes in appreciation.

When she opened them again Ajax was watching her. Not eating. Erin put down her fork and wiped her mouth with the napkin. ‘I'm sorry. I'm probably not meant to really eat it, am I?'

Ajax grinned, and it took Erin's breath away. He looked younger...carefree.

He speared some sea urchin and salad and said, ‘Here's to actually eating food!' And he popped the laden fork in his mouth.

Erin felt lightness bubble up inside her as she took some more of the exquisite salad herself.

It was only after the starter was cleared that she had the nerve to ask a question that had been going around in her head for days.

‘Were you ever going to marry and have a family? Or was that just expected of your brother?'