“You’d be surprised at the amount of creativity it takes to put a ten-million-dollar deal together, agapi mou.” He lifted himself off the chair. “Try it.”
She chewed on her pencil as he went off to shower. Considered her surroundings and how the lush beauty of the island, the intensity of the colors, the smells inspired her. She started drawing and didn’t stop until Nik came to get her for dinner.
“Any success?”
“Yes,” she said, snapping the sketch pad closed.
“You going to share?”
“Not yet. They still need lots of work. But I’m happy with them. I think this is the direction I want to go.”
“Good.” He pointed her toward the villa. “Then I can have your undivided attention over dinner.”
Nik’s undivided attention proved as heady and fascinating a thing as always. But her head kept skipping forward to what lay ahead, distracting her.
Nik pointed his wineglass at her as their entrée plates were removed. “Where is your head?”
“I don’t want to go back,” she admitted. “I wish we could just stay here. Away from all the pressure.”
“You aren’t marrying a normal man, Sofi´a. You’re marrying a king.”
She sighed. “I know. Just wishful thinking.”
“Come show me your drawings.”
She gave him a pointed look. “I told you they aren’t ready.”
“I’ll make it worth your while.”
She pretended to think about it. But the temptation was too great. Pushing her chair back, she grabbed her sketch pad and walked around the table. Nik pulled her onto his lap, settling her against his chest.
“I want the truth,” she reminded him, then flicked open the sketch pad and showed him the series of ten drawings she’d decided on, which still needed to be filled out and perfected, but they were a start. She talked him through each one, why she’d done what she’d done, what she liked about them. Nik studied them, then set the sketch pad down.
“I like them. They’re elegant. Different.”
She chewed on her lip. “You really like them? You’re not just being nice?”
“You’re a sure thing,” he murmured. “Why would I be nice?”
Her mouth fell open. She was about to give him a knock across the head when she saw the sparkle in his eyes. “You are terrible.”
“Sometimes you need to lighten up.” He nuzzled her cheek, the stubble on his jaw razing her skin. “I think they’re great.”
She rested her head against his chest, absorbing his warmth. He ran a hand over her hair. “Things are going to get crazy, Sofi´a. They always do. When it happens, when it feels as if we are surrounded by a force far greater than us, remember we can do this.”
A sense of foreboding slid through her. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It won’t be. But you are up to the challenge, agapimeni. I have no doubt.”
She hoped she was. Thought she might be. Guessed she was about to find out.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
NIK SLID INTO his car on a bright, sunny afternoon in Akathinia, a peace treaty with Carnelia in hand. A series of meetings between the two countries in the weeks following his return from Evangelina had finally borne fruit as he and Idas had signed the treaty and begun to map out plans for an economic alliance.
Because he didn’t fully trust the Carnelian king, Nik had also pushed the development of an enhanced military force forward, but it would take months to see real progress on that initiative given the scale and coordination involved. Meanwhile, he would continue to push the alliance forward with his neighbor by putting a framework in place.
Bringing the Jaguar rumbling to life, his favorite toy to taunt his detail with on the windy, coastal roads, he took the scenic route home to the palace. The sense of well-being that settled over him was profound. His press conference to announce the peace treaty had inspired a feeling of relief and celebration among Akathinians. He could now get on with the business of running this country and looking toward the future rather than the perpetual crisis control mode he’d been in since he’d become king.
The sparkling Ionian Sea to his right, the spectacular peaks of the Akathinian hills to his left, it was hard not to appreciate what destiny had handed him in that moment. He felt content. It felt right, as if what Sofi´a had said was true. That perhaps it was his destiny to lead Akathinia at this stage of its history.