‘Verona,’ Drakon told her with satisfaction as he relaxed back in his own comfortable chair.
Gemini gave a gasp, knowing there was only one place in Verona they could possibly attend the opera—and that was the open-air amphitheatre!
‘I didn’t think to ask—are you nervous about flying?’ Drakon sat forward in concern as he saw the way the colour had suddenly drained from her cheeks.
He’d had no hesitation in complimenting her earlier on how elegantly beautiful she looked this evening. She wore a simple black knee-length sheath of a dress, with a black silk shawl thrown casually about the bareness of her arms and shoulders. Her jewellery was matching teardrop emerald and diamond earrings and a slender bracelet, and the removal of the black silk shawl revealed she had on a matching necklace—an emerald the size of an English penny suspended from the clasp of a one-carat diamond nestling between the firm swell of her breasts.
None of which detracted from the fact that the colour had now bleached alarmingly from the creaminess of her cheeks…
‘Gemini?’ Drakon reached across the table to grasp both her trembling hands in his.
Her throat moved convulsively as she swallowed before speaking. ‘I—ignore me. It’s just…I’ve only ever attended the opera in Verona once before, and it was with my parents, as a treat for my twenty-first birthday,’ she revealed huskily.
Drakon winced. He had thought Gemini would enjoy attending the opera in the Italian city—there truly was nowhere else in the world quite as magnificent as the amphitheatre in Verona for the opera. Instead he had only succeeded in bringing back memories of a happier time, when both her parents had still been alive and they had been a family.
‘Would you rather I instructed Drew to turn the jet around and we returned to—?’
‘Heavens, no!’ Gemini exclaimed as she blinked back the tears that shimmered in her eyes. But they were tears of joy rather than unhappiness. ‘For one thing, I wouldn’t dream of denying Max his night off—’
‘Your continued concern for my Head of Security is touching!’
‘And for another, I can’t imagine anything more wonderful than the opportunity to attend the opera in Verona again,’ she continued emotionally. ‘Thank you so much for arranging this, Drakon. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this evening.’ She turned to clasp and squeeze his hands reassuringly.
‘You’re welcome,’ he murmured gruffly.
‘What are we going to see?’
‘Aida—don’t tell me it’s the same opera you attended with your parents,’ Drakon said heavily when she drew her breath in sharply.
‘Yes, it is.’ Gemini gave a shaky smile, slightly stunned by the coincidence.
Her parents had arranged their trip to Italy six years ago, as a surprise for her, and the three of them had flown out to Venice and spent three days there before taking the train to Verona. Even then Gemini hadn’t realised what her real twenty-first birthday treat was to be, as they had enjoyed a leisurely lunch and then strolled about Verona for the afternoon, viewing the remains of the Roman amphitheatre from the outside, enjoying the romanticism of the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ balcony, and then lingering at an outside café to enjoy a delicious Italian coffee before returning to their hotel to change for the evening.
It had been only as they’d left their hotel after an early supper, joining the hundreds of other people dressed in evening clothes and strolling towards the now brightly lit amphitheatre, that Gemin
i had realised they were going to attend Aida at the world-famous open-air amphitheatre.
It had been an enchanted evening—beyond spectacular—with Gemini sitting with her parents in starry-eyed wonder as the evening slowly darkened and amber lights reflected the ancient theatre in all its pageantry, a perfect and magical backdrop for the magnificent voices performing on the stage.
And tonight she was once again going to attend that magical place—with Drakon Lyonedes, of all people…
‘This is perfect, Drakon,’ she assured him as she smiled across at him tremulously. ‘Absolutely perfect!’
Drakon was unable to make any response because he found himself held captive by the genuine happiness of Gemini’s smile. Those sea-green eyes appeared as warm and glowing as the emeralds that adorned her earlobes, throat and wrist, her lips were full and sensual, her hair a beautiful white-gold halo about the delicacy of her face and the slenderness of her shoulders.
At that moment hers was a beauty that glowed brightly from within, and her pleasure and happiness were such that Drakon almost felt as if he could reach out and touch it. As he longed to reach out and touch her.
‘Are you ready for me to begin serving dinner now, Mr Lyonedes?’
It was an effort for Drakon to drag his gaze away from Gemini in order to look up at the steward who stood beside the table, looking down at him enquiringly, his expression deliberately impersonal.
Instantly Drakon was made aware of the fact that not only had he been totally captivated by Gemini seconds ago, but they were still holding hands across the table! Which was totally out of character for a man who never showed public affection—even for his family.
‘Are you ready to eat now, Gemini?’ He smiled tightly as he extracted his hands from within her grasp and saw the confused blush that coloured her cheeks, the way she suddenly avoided his gaze.
She appeared self-conscious, and continued to avoid his gaze by smiling up at the steward. ‘I would just like to visit the bathroom first, if that’s okay?’
‘Certainly, Miss Bartholomew.’ Malcolm visibly responded to the friendly warmth of her smile. ‘If you would just like to follow me I’ll show you where it is.’