Falling For His Convenient Queen

And then there was the way her family had reacted after...

The fact that she was on Kirtida, having this conversation with him, was her dealing with the consequences of her actions.

But, of course, she could voice none of that.

‘Fine,’ she said quietly. ‘I won’t waste my time trying to find some redeeming quality in you.’

She saw the surprise but it faded quickly. ‘Good. Because you won’t.’ With those words, he walked out of the room.

She sat there for a moment, not entirely sure what to do, and then stood. It took her another few minutes to figure out that she didn’t know where her room was, and was about to ask when a young woman came up to her.

‘Your Royal Highness, His Majesty King Zacchaeus has asked me to show you to your room.’

Nalini’s chest loosened in relief. ‘Thank you.’

She followed the woman—Sylvia—as her thoughts swirled around what had just happened. She had been so sure that Zacchaeus had wanted to say yes to her. That he would have said yes to her, but that he’d stopped himself.

Or had that just been in her mind?

She hated the uncertainty, that special kind of doubt that she hadn’t felt in nine years. Or perhaps the kind of doubt she’d felt every day for those nine years. But it felt more acute now, though that was probably normal. Nalini hadn’t made a decision of her own—not really—in that amount of time. She shouldn’t be surprised now, after she had, that she was being reminded of the fears that had stemmed from that fateful night.

She reminded herself that this decision had been nothing like the one nine years ago. Nalini had gone into this one with her eyes open. And yes, perhaps she’d hoped that Zacchaeus would be on the same page as her. That she could find some common ground between them so that marrying him wouldn’t be so completely terrifying. But now that she knew where she stood, she had to accept it.

She would accept it.

She murmured her thanks to Sylvia when they got to the room, and waited to be alone before she looked around. Like the rest of the castle, the room was a mixture of old and new. It was spacious, the walls and beige carpet no doubt old, but modernised by a king-size bed covered in white that matched the chiffon curtains. Large windows stood above a chaise longue and Nalini immediately opened them, breathing in the fresh sea air.

The day had changed, she noted. The sun had been eclipsed by clouds, the sky a grey colour that felt ominous. The water thrashed against the pier that was visible from her window, and when she leaned forward she could see the faint outline of the castle of Mattan.

The longing for home pulsed in her veins but she knew she couldn’t go back. Perhaps that was why the longing felt so desperate. If she went back she would be returning to a life she’d never thought she’d have. A life where she did everything that was expected of her just so that she could prove she’d learnt from her mistakes.

But she’d seen how her sister, Alika, and Xavier’s lives had turned out because they’d followed all the expectations of them. It had made them incredibly unhappy, and she’d dreaded that future for herself. But she’d been afraid to do anything about it. Because once, a long time ago, she had done something about it and it had broken her heart—and her dreams—in one night.

But when Xavier had announced his engagement with Leyna she’d been given a glimpse of a life she could have. And when she’d last spoken with Alika she had realised her two options.

On the one hand, she could choose to disobey her mother and grandmother to protect her kingdom. They might not be happy with her decision, but for the sake of Mattan they would accept it and acknowledge that it was a responsible choice.

At least that was what she hoped.

It was an added benefit that being on Kirtida would give her the freedom of making her own decisions. She could regain that excitement for life she’d lost so long ago. She could have her independence.

On the other hand, she could listen to them and stay. She could keep on living the life she’d been living. She’d marry a man her mother and grandmother had chosen, just like Alika had, and be unhappy. Just like Alika was.

Alika would never say it aloud, but Nalini knew her older sister. And though Nalini no longer expected love or happiness, she’d hoped for contentment at the very least. Alika had always accepted her fate without complaining. And sometimes Nalini wished she could be like that too. But she wasn’t. She knew that if she wanted her chance at contentment she couldn’t just accept, or do, what was expected. And Zacchaeus’s proposal—if it could be called that—had come at exactly the right time for her to act on her realisation.

So she’d gone for the first option. Which had brought her here. To an island where she knew no one except the man who had demanded that she marry him. Who was refusing to spend any time with her, leaving her completely alone.

But she couldn’t go back home.

A knock on the door roused her from her thoughts and she opened it to see Sylvia again.

‘Your Royal Highness, I’m sorry to interrupt. His Majesty King Zacchaeus has requested to see you in an hour.’

Nalini frowned. ‘Why?’

‘I’m not sure, ma’am. All he said was that he had a proposition for you. Shall I tell him you’ll be there?’

A proposition, she mused. From the man who’d turned down her own barely an hour ago.

Interesting.

‘Please do.’

CHAPTER THREE

‘YOU WANTED TO see me?’

Nalini’s voice pulled him from his work and Zacchaeus looked up to see her standing in the doorway of his library. She had changed from earlier and was now wearing black trousers and a white shirt. The shirt was loose, cut into a V at her neck, and gave him only the barest glimpse of bronze skin. It was in no way inappropriate and yet, by the way his body reacted, he could have sworn that she was hardly wearing anything.

‘Yes. Did you settle in well?’ he asked in a gruff voice.

‘Fine, thank you,’ she answered, her tone perfectly polite—cool, even—and so very different to the passionate tone she’d used earlier.

That was his fault, and he was helpless to change it. He’d acted exactly like the man he was trying to convince her he was. Power-hungry, cruel, selfish. And though he might not entirely be that man, he wasn’t who she wanted him to be either. In fact, he was probably closer to the man he’d told her he was than the man she wanted him to be.

Or did he just believe that because of how his parents had treated him?

‘Can I get you something to drink?’ he asked to distract himself.

‘No, thank you.’ She paused. ‘Why am I here?’

Right to the point then. Not that he could blame her. He gestured for her to sit and, after hesitating, she took the seat opposite him.

‘I was hoping I could talk to you about something my advisors brought to my attention.’

‘I’m listening.’

‘Well, they seem to think your suggestion that we spend time together... They think it’s a good idea.’

Her eyebrows rose. ‘Really?’

‘Yes.’

‘But...’

‘Publicly.’

‘Why?’

‘So that your soon-to-be people will get to know their future Queen, as you said.’ He swallowed, and wondered why he suddenly felt nervous. ‘They’ll get to see us together. The couple who will rule them. And it’ll help them become more comfortable with the idea.’

‘You had to have your advisors tell you that it would be a good idea?’

‘They had a good point.’

‘You just didn’t want to hear that point from me?’

He kept his mouth shut. Because he couldn’t tell her the truth. That he had thought she’d made a good point, but was worried that it wouldn’t turn out as positive as she’d made it seem. His kingdom had been...tense since Zacchaeus had become King and though they had seemed relieved that he was marrying Nalini, preserving the alliance between the isles, he didn’t want to tempt fate. Not until he had the chance to speak to his advisors.

‘So what would this entail?’

‘It would be a business agreement,’ he answered. ‘We’d make appointments to arrange things for the wedding. Together. Publicly.’

The time she took to respond had him holding his breath.

‘I had a conversation with Sylvia when you sent her to ask me here this evening. The woman who showed me to my room?’

‘Yes, I know.’

‘Just making sure,’ she said easily. Her expression gave nothing away. Unless, of course, it did, and he just couldn’t read it because he didn’t know her. ‘She was telling me how...challenging it’s been for the kingdom to accept their new King.’

He clenched his teeth. So much for not telling her about that. ‘You must have misheard.’

‘No, I don’t think I did.’ Her eyes darkened. ‘Clearly your advisors are trying to help you regain the trust of your people after the coup. And how better than a wedding? To remind them of the traditions of the royal family. Make them believe in fairy tales. Weddings are the start of something beautiful, hopeful, and seeing the King who ended the reign of their well-loved ruler—his father—at a new beginning might just make them more open to his new beginning. As King.’

‘You’re right. But I needed to check with them to make sure that what you were suggesting would work.’

He saw the surprise, but she only nodded. ‘That’s fair, I suppose.’

‘So you agree?’

‘I don’t exactly have a choice, do I?’ She clasped her hands together on her lap and he found himself saying words he knew he shouldn’t be saying.

‘You have a choice, Nalini. You’ll always have a choice here.’

Emotion filled her eyes before it was replaced by cool indifference. ‘Of course I will. I only meant that it wasn’t like I could return to Mattan.’ She blinked and quickly added, ‘Because it would put them in danger.’

‘That’s not what you meant.’

‘What else could I possibly mean?’

‘That’s what I’m asking.’ He studied her, noting that she was avoiding looking at him and knew his gut feeling had been right. ‘There’s more to why you’re here, Nalini, isn’t there?’

‘You didn’t exactly propose this arrangement as a question.’

‘Yes, but you’ve already told me you chose to do this. Tell me why.’

‘I have,’ she replied stubbornly. ‘I’m here for Mattan.’

‘And yet the more I get to know you, the more I think that isn’t the only reason.’

‘But since this is a business arrangement, as you said, I don’t have to tell you anything other than what I want to.’

Her face lit with the challenge, but there was a dullness in her eyes that...that bothered him. He couldn’t place a finger on why—wasn’t sure he wanted to—and instead he asked, ‘So, you agree then?’

‘Yes.’

‘Great. We’ll make appointments to plan the wedding. I’ll have my secretary arrange a schedule for us and I’ll send it to you for approval.’

She nodded. ‘Is that all?’

‘No, actually there’s one more thing.’ But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

‘You have something planned already, don’t you?’ Her mouth relaxed into what he thought was the beginning of a smile. His body tightened.

‘I don’t have anything planned. But there is...a plan. An appointment for us, really.’

‘What is it?’

‘An...engagement shoot. Tomorrow.’ Damn it, he felt foolish even saying it.

‘An engagement shoot,’ she repeated, and laughed. It was a soft, happy sound that made him think of a music box. ‘You must hate the thought of that so much.’

‘It has to be done.’

‘Of course,’ she responded in a grave tone that echoed his, but her eyes sparkled with laughter.

His lips twitched. ‘So, you’re fine with this?’

‘My schedule happens to be open,’ she said wryly. ‘Why not?’

‘Good.’ He frowned. ‘I didn’t expect it to be that easy.’

‘I’m here to serve at your pleasure, Your Majesty.’

It took some time for her to realise that she’d said something provocative, and when she did her eyes widened and colour flooded her skin.

‘I didn’t mean—’

He couldn’t help the smile now, even though his attempts at dimming his body’s reaction to her unintended suggestion had proved futile. ‘I know.’

‘It’s because you make me nervous.’

‘Why?’

‘I’m not entirely sure.’ She gave him a chagrined smile, but there was emotion on her face that paralysed him and he couldn’t look away. ‘Maybe it’s because today was the first time you and I have really spoken. The events we’ve seen each other at...’ Her voice faded and he quickly figured out why.

He’d kept himself apart from the Mattanian and Aidaraen royal families at those events. Oh, he’d greeted, had done his duty, but the ease that had always been between the two families hadn’t included him. Of his own accord, he knew, and realised that Nalini was referring to that one-sidedness he’d embraced. But he’d known what was at risk if he’d become one of them. His family’s most well-kept secret.

His mother’s affair.

‘Or it could just be because you’re a little scary, King Zacchaeus.’

Despite what he’d been thinking of, that drew a smile from him. ‘You’re not the first person to say that.’

‘No, I don’t imagine I am,’ she replied softly, and her mouth curved up in the smallest of smiles.

For the first time, Zacchaeus realised he was in trouble. No, he corrected, taking in what that smile did to the already lovely features of her face—and what it did to his heart rate. He’d known he was in trouble the moment he’d come up with the hare-brained plan to marry Nalini.

He’d convinced himself, just as he had Xavier, Leyna and Nalini, that it had been for the sake of the alliance. And, up until that moment, he’d believed that that was the only reason. Except now he remembered how often his eyes had strayed to Nalini at every event. How her smile, polite as it had been, had made it the tiniest bit harder to breathe.

He thought about how he’d felt after he’d left the discussion with Leyna and Xavier the day he’d told them of his plan—the anger at their responses, the fear that it would put Kirtida at risk—and how it had changed when he’d seen Nalini in the castle passage. He’d felt longing. Hope.

And he’d wished with all his might that his hare-brained plan would work just so that he could have that feeling for the rest of his life.

‘Does it bother you?’ she asked, studying him. For one irrational moment he thought she was asking about his feelings for her. ‘That people think you’re scary, I mean,’ she clarified, and he told himself to get a grip.

‘I don’t care what people think of me,’ he said in a cool tone, hoping it would have the same effect on his emotions. ‘What I care about is that they do what they’re supposed to do. What I ask them to.’

‘I’m afraid you might not entirely succeed in that with me.’

‘Yes,’ he answered wryly. ‘I didn’t think I would.’

‘Now you’re not the first person to say that about me.’

He rested his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward. ‘Do you mean Princess Nalini of Mattan was a problem child?’

‘Depends on who you ask,’ she said lightly, but all trace of humour disappeared from her face. ‘What should I wear for the shoot?’

The change in subject happened so quickly, so smoothly, that he had to take a moment to adjust. And, though he didn’t press, it intrigued him.

‘I’ve arranged for a few dresses to be sent to your room. You can choose whichever one you’d feel most comfortable in.’

She nodded. ‘Are we done?’

‘For now.’

‘Then I’ll see you tomorrow.’ She stood and smoothed the fabric of her trousers.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he repeated and got up with her. They stood like that as the seconds passed and then she finally walked to the door, but turned back before going through it.

‘One meal.’ When he lifted his eyebrows, she continued. ‘We’ll share one meal a day. You can choose whichever one you’d like.’

He wanted to smile at the brazen request—at the nerve—but all he gave her was a grudging, ‘Fine.’ She walked out then, and Zacchaeus’s eyes stayed on the door until he realised he had no reason to keep staring at it.

He walked to his desk and, leaning back in his chair, took in the view through the glass doors leading to his balcony. The night was clear, seemingly unaffected by the misery of the afternoon. And, as he had so many times before, he silently thanked the designer who’d made sure the furniture arrangement would give him an unobstructed view of the sea.

The stretch of water always gave him a sense of purpose and, right now, he had to accept that that purpose was to protect his kingdom. And protecting his kingdom meant focusing on the negotiations he was having with Leyna and Xavier and getting to his wedding day so that he would finally be able to sign the papers that would ensure it.

He couldn’t afford to be enthralled by his fiancée. He couldn’t even afford to like her—if he listened to his father. Jaydon had warned him against trusting Nalini, though Zacchaeus knew Jaydon’s warning had come from his own experience with Zacchaeus’s mother.

The woman who’d caused the drama he was currently dealing with.

Zacchaeus couldn’t even be glad that she wasn’t in Kirtida any more. Not when her departure had made his father’s already weak heart worsen. Not when her leaving was the reason that Zacchaeus had been forced into being King before he’d been ready. Not when she was the reason his kingdom was being threatened by sanctions—perhaps even by war—because Kirtida couldn’t give in to Macoa’s demands.

Not if Zacchaeus wanted to keep his father alive.

Perhaps not liking Nalini was the best route to go. If only he could figure out how...

CHAPTER FOUR

‘THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS,’ Zacchaeus grumbled under his breath, and Nalini grinned. It was impossible not to smile at his grumpiness, especially when she was quite enjoying herself.

‘Oh, stop frowning,’ she said. ‘Or people will think that you don’t really want to marry me.’

‘Or they’ll think I really hate pictures. Especially fluffy ones.’

‘Fluffy pictures?’ she repeated. ‘Are there cute, fluffy animals around that I haven’t seen yet?’

‘You know what I mean.’

‘Zacchaeus,’ she said, and took his hand as they walked down to the castle’s gardens where they would be taking the so-called fluffy pictures.

As soon as she realised what she’d done, she snatched her hand back—how had that felt so natural?—and gestured for the photographer to continue. She waited until the two of them were alone. ‘I know you don’t like this, but we have to make it believable.’

‘I thought I was doing a pretty good job.’

‘You were. But the pictures we just took were official ones, in the confines of the castle. Now we’re out here—’ she lifted her arms ‘—in the gorgeous garden of the castle, with the gorgeous trees and colours around us. You have to make more of an effort.’

He narrowed his eyes. ‘Are you always this...optimistic?’

Her lips twitched at the disgust in his tone. ‘The quickest answer to that is yes.’

‘Even though they’re taking fake photographs to celebrate our fake engagement?’

‘It may not be the traditional way people choose to marry, but it isn’t fake.’ Nalini fought to keep her voice light, though he was dampening her enjoyment. ‘In fact, this is probably as real as it’s ever going to be for us.’

‘That doesn’t sound optimistic.’

‘Sometimes realism slips in before I get to shine it with positivity.’ But she sighed, and felt her mood turn to match his. ‘Look, the simplest way for us to get through this is to make it look genuine. No one would question our commitment if they look at the pictures and any onlookers will feel as though they’ve seen something worth looking at.’

She paused when they reached the path, and decided to tell him what she really thought. ‘That means you probably shouldn’t touch me like I’m some wounded animal you’d like to save but are disgusted by because you found it on the street.’

His lips curved. ‘That’s quite the vivid image.’

‘Yes, well.’ She sniffed. ‘I’ve always had a talent with words.’

‘So I’m beginning to see.’ He stared at her for a beat longer than she was comfortable with, and then nodded. ‘Fine. I’ll stop complaining.’ He pulled at the neck of the uniform he looked so dashing in with the words, ‘And I’ll pretend to be in love with you. Or, at the bare minimum, in lust.’

‘You just have to look as though you’re interested in me,’ she said quickly, not wanting to dwell on the way her heart skipped at the thought of either of those options. ‘So stop frowning, for heaven’s sake, and focus on the fact that it is a beautiful day. And that your kingdom will probably respond positively to your efforts.’

She hurried after the photographer then, afraid his teasing would turn into something else. She wasn’t worried that that something else would be physical. She had no interest in exploring that, no matter how attractive she found him. Or how he felt about her, she thought, remembering the heat in his eyes when he’d seen her in the blush knee-length dress she’d chosen for the engagement photos.

No, she was more worried about how he got her to reveal things about herself that she didn’t want anyone to know. Like the fact that she’d never told anyone that she felt like a problem child. Not even Xavier or Alika. Though she was sure that if she told them they wouldn’t be surprised.

They all knew about that day—as her mother liked to call it—which had really been the only time in Nalini’s life that she’d outright disobeyed her parents. But the consequences had been so far-reaching that it had tainted the years since. For her family and herself.

It was the reason she was on Kirtida, marrying a man she didn’t know for the sake of her kingdom. It was the reason she was trying so damn hard to make things work between them. She wanted to prove to herself—to her family—that it hadn’t been a mistake. That her hopes of changing their perspective of her, of her actions, would pan out. That she wasn’t just giving them another reason to think that she was reckless.

Not for the first time, Nalini thought of how much easier her life would have been if she’d been more like Alika. Willing to accept and obey. But she also knew that easy meant different things to different people. Yes, it meant less conflict and more safety. She knew because she had been more like Alika since that day. But it had also kept her living in a little box, so confined, so afraid that she’d felt as if the real her—the excited, happy her—had been whittled away slowly until she was only that way with her siblings.

And not because she wanted to be. Because she thought they needed it.

Even though it hadn’t been there before that afternoon, Nalini twisted the engagement ring on her finger as though the nervous habit had accompanied her all her life. She’d been surprised when Zacchaeus had offered it to her, but he’d done it so unceremoniously that she hadn’t had the chance to feel emotional about it.

Not that she would have felt emotional, she told herself. She didn’t expect love or romance any more—wishing for such things was foolish. She’d learnt her lesson with Josh, hadn’t she? Besides, she only had to look at her siblings to confirm it. Sure, Xavier’s life was a lot happier now that he’d found love with his one-time best friend, but he’d gone through plenty of heartache before he’d got there.

No, Nalini wasn’t interested in love or romance any more. What she was interested in was making sure her family knew that she’d changed. She also wanted autonomy in her life, and love wasn’t going to give her that. An arranged marriage, on the other hand...

She stopped when she found the photographer, and watched as he squinted against the late afternoon sun. The man had insisted that they take the outdoor photos then, though now Nalini wasn’t entirely sure he was confident in that decision. He cursed as he worked, taking practice shots of the stream that led down to a large pond.

‘Is it just me, or does it feel like we’re interrupting something?’ Zacchaeus’s voice sounded in her ear just as it had the day before, on the boat. Now, though, Nalini didn’t have the sea breeze to blame for the shiver that went up her spine.

But you’re not interested in acting on it, a voice in her head told her in a mocking tone that she didn’t appreciate.

‘Artists,’ she replied. ‘Temperamental creatures.’

‘That’s a broad statement.’

‘And not one I thought you’d call me on,’ she said with a smile. ‘I don’t think all artists are temperamental. I do think this one is, which is why we’d better get into that frame before it’s night and we have to do this again tomorrow.’

‘You’re right,’ Zacchaeus said and took her hand, dragging her to the stream. ‘Are we okay here, Stefan?’

‘Yes, sir, that’s perfect,’ Stefan answered, but took at least a dozen more shots before getting to them. ‘Could you please move closer together?’

‘I told you,’ Nalini murmured and took a step forward to close the distance between her and Zacchaeus. Her heart immediately thumped louder, harder, in her chest and she stopped before she touched him.

‘Why does it feel like you’re the one treating me like a disgusting wounded animal now?’ he asked, and placed a hand at the bottom of her spine. With little effort he pressed her against him, and her heart rocketed—out of her chest and, she was pretty sure, out of her body.

It hadn’t been like this before. Their official photos had been close, yes, but there she’d been at his side. There she’d held his hand, which wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. But being face to face like this, their bodies aligned...

It made that attraction a lot harder to ignore. Especially since her mind chose to pay attention to the hard muscles of his body right at that moment.

‘Your Royal Highness, could you move closer?’ Stefan called from behind his camera.

‘Yes, Your Royal Highness,’ Zacchaeus teased. ‘Move closer.’

‘I think I’m close enough,’ she answered, but pressed her body a fraction closer to his.

‘Now smile,’ Stefan called again, and now Nalini felt as though the entire thing was ridiculous.

But she had to acknowledge that it was only ridiculous because she had to focus on making sure Zacchaeus didn’t think he was making her nervous while remembering to smile and to relax her body.

‘Turn your heads to face one another,’ Stefan asked after a few minutes, and Nalini held her breath as she turned back to face Zacchaeus. Without prompting, Zacchaeus slid his arms around her waist. Her breath caught, and Nalini wondered—illogically, she knew—what it would feel like if the action hadn’t been forced for the sake of the photos.

If it had been more...intimate.

The thought sent a wave of heat to her face and she ducked her head, hoping that Zacchaeus wouldn’t notice it. He banished that hope by moving his mouth to her ear and whispering, ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing.’

‘You’re lying.’

‘I’m not,’ she said, her voice sharper than she intended.

‘Nalini.’

The tone of his voice had her looking up again.

And the moment she did she realised she’d made a mistake.

She hadn’t noticed before that his eyes held specks of light around the irises. It made his face less intimidating, she thought, and wanted to reach up to smooth the creases between his eyebrows to make it even less so.

‘That’s perfect!’ Stefan shouted, shocking her hands into immobility. ‘Now kiss!’

Her entire body froze as Zacchaeus’s eyes instantly changed from amused to something darker. To something more intense. Electricity crackled from them, hitting her with a voltage that woke all her nerves. It startled her, the intense response of her body to his.

And suddenly she became aware of how taut his muscles had become, how hers had responded. If she kissed him, if she just touched her lips to his, maybe that tension would ease...

Before Nalini fully knew what had happened, pain stunned the breath from her as she found herself on her butt. The bottom half of her body was completely wet from the water of the stream she now sat in. It took a moment for her brain to realise what had happened, but she didn’t fully have the time to contemplate it before she heard a splash of water.

‘Nalini, are you okay?’ Zacchaeus asked, crouching beside her.

‘I’m fine.’ She was pretty sure that she was, at least. ‘You shouldn’t be in here though. You’ll spoil your uniform.’

‘It’ll survive,’ he said wryly and offered her a hand. ‘Will you accept my help or are you going to ignore it to avoid touching me?’

‘Don’t be silly,’ she answered, though she hesitated before she took his hand. When she was standing, she looked down at her dress, no longer falling in an A-line around her hips but flattened to her sides. ‘I’ve spoilt this dress.’ She looked up at him. ‘You shouldn’t have come in and spoilt your uniform too.’

‘The uniform doesn’t matter, Nalini. Neither does your dress. But you do.’ His eyes searched her face. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

‘Of course I am,’ she replied, straightening her spine. Trying to maintain what little dignity she had left. ‘Besides my pride, I’m perfectly fine.’

‘I have to agree on that one.’

‘You do? Why?’

‘My pride’s tingling a bit too. After all, you did just fall into a stream to get away from me.’

‘That’s not what happened,’ she retorted, and then frowned. Was that really the reason she’d fallen into the stream? To get away from Zacchaeus? Now that the fogginess of the stun had cleared, she could remember taking a step back, away from him—no, she corrected. Away from kissing him. She hadn’t meant to make it obvious. She’d just wanted space to think, and to get away from the way her body felt when she touched him.

To get away from how her body had reacted to the prospect of kissing him.