I nodded and relaxed into him. "Okay, sorry.”
He leaned over and kissed me properly. It was brief. Soft. Honestly no more than a peck. But it was just the peck I needed. It wasn't demanding. It wasn't sexual. It was more like reassurance. Like we were a team. And then I relaxed into him.
He pulled back, his gaze lingering on my lips for a moment. Then he nodded, and we resumed our walk.
We very deliberately paused in boutiques, and I tried on hats and scarves while he nodded and smiled approvingly. Snapping pictures. It was almost easy to pretend.
We'd already gotten word from Zia that Massimo Igno was on the island. He was with his fiancée, and we'd seen them leave their villa. Their driver was a Royal Elite informant, and he had notified Zia, so we had their exact location. It was only a matter of time. And well, being seen, being out, being a loving married couple.
We stopped for Lock to grab me a gelato. And as I took a lick, Lock leaned over and whispered to me, "Showtime."
I nodded. Lock turned with a wide smile. "Oh my God. Igno. Is that you?"
He kept a broad smile on his face as he pulled me close and kissed me on the forehead. “You okay?" he whispered.
I nodded at him, and he dragged me over to his “friend."
The woman next to him, Graciella Natanya, looked confused.
The two men embraced and clapped hands on each other's backs. I was always fascinated with how men could do that. Pick up and resume friendship right where it left off as if no time had passed.
Massimo said, "Mate, I can't get over how much you look like your brother."
Lock shrugged. “Yeah well, the King genes are strong. How are you? I haven't seen you since Eton. I expected you at Cambridge, but you never appeared."
Igno shook his head. "My father had other ideas. Wharton, Harvard, you know the deal. I'm not really a Harvard man though, am I?"
Lock laughed. "To be honest, I wouldn't know. You ran more with Charlie when it came to that."
“I miss him. I can't even imagine what it's like for you."
“Yeah. I appreciate it, mate. It's been rough. I miss him every day."
Graciella cleared her throat. "Sweetheart, who's your friend?"
He sighed. "Sorry, love. This is an old mate, Lachlan King. This is my fiancée, Graciella Natanya."
Lock turned on the charm. "Ah, lovely to meet you. This is my wife, Saffron King."
Massimo guffawed. “You got married? You?"
Lock shrugged. "What can I say, when you know, you know. And one look at Saffron and I knew I wasn't giving her up."
"Wow." Igno stepped forward and wrapped his beefy arms around me, inhaled deep, and squeezed.
I expected Graciella to narrow her gaze at me, but she just looked at me curiously as if completely unaffected by her boyfriend's overly long hug.
"Hello."
"Sorry, you have to allow us an indulgence. We haven't seen each other in a very long time. Since school. This is my fiancée, Graciella. I'm sure the two of you will get along great."
But Graciella just gave me an exasperated laugh. "Men. They don't know anything, do they?"
I chuckled. “It's nice to meet you."
"This is such a lovely coincidence. How long are you staying on island?" she asked.
We made small talk before Lock found his way back to me and pulled me to him, kissing my temple. "There you are. Don't run far."