The Forbidden Prince by Alison Roberts Page A

sleep on her couch? Did she want that painful prickle of awareness to get worse? Was she trying to test herself in some way?
    Maybe she was but it wasn’t something she wanted to think about because, if she did, she’d find somewhere to hide. She could find the concierge of this boarding house, perhaps, and see if there was an empty room that Rafe could rent.
    Tomorrow would be soon enough for that. Right now, she needed to hurry, to change out of her uniform and put her bikini on under her favourite shorts and singlet top. She swapped her soft, black tennis shoes for lightweight sandals and draped her towel over her arm. With her camera hanging from her shoulder, she was ready to go and find Rafe.
    She’d made this trip for a swim after work many times already but how much better was it to have company?
    Company that was now wearing a huge white tee shirt with I heart Positano emblazoned on the front. Rafe didn’t look the least bit embarrassed to be wearing it.
    â€˜It was on the sale rack,’ he told her. ‘An absolute bargain.’
    â€˜Mmm...’ Mika’s lips twitched. ‘Fair enough. I heart Positano, too. Oh...there’s our bus down the road. We’ll have to run.’
    The bus was crowded and they had to stand but the journey was short enough for it not to matter. Mika led him down the cobbled alleyways in the heart of Praiano and many steps that led down to a beach that had no sand. There were rows of sun loungers to hire, like on every European beach, but they were on a huge, flagged terrace, and further back there were tables and chairs spilling out from a beachside café. Rock music was also spilling out and the place was crowded with young people.
    Mika made a beeline for a couple of empty loungers and she put her camera on one and covered it with her towel. Then she kicked off her sandals and peeled her singlet top off. Taking her shorts off in front of Rafe gave her an odd feeling, as though something had thumped her painlessly in her belly. A sideways glance showed that he wasn’t taking any notice, however. He was too busy pulling off his new tee shirt. The sight of all that bare skin created ripples from the thumping sensation that felt like small electric shocks. It sent Mika swiftly to the edge of the terrace where she could dive straight into the deep, cool water.
    The sea had always been her ultimate comfort zone. It was her place of choice to unwind and to think clearly, and it was definitely the best place to burn off angst of any kind, whether it was emotional, physical or—like now—possibly a combination of both.
    She knew Rafe had dived in right behind her but Mika wasn’t here to float around or play, like most of the other young couples in the water. She set out for the pontoon that was moored a hundred metres or so offshore. And when she became aware that Rafe was keeping pace, she doubled her efforts. This was a race she knew she could win.
    * * *
    â€˜Where did you learn to swim like that?’
    The words were hard to get out because Raoul was unexpectedly out-of-breath by the time he heaved himself up onto the pontoon. Mika was already sitting on the edge, her feet just touching the water.
    â€˜My mother always said I had dolphin blood.’ Mika didn’t seem at all out of breath. ‘I grew up by the sea and apparently I could swim even before I could walk properly.’
    Raoul smiled, liking that idea. Yes...there was something about Mika that reminded him of the creatures his homeland was named for. Confident and a little bit cheeky. Graceful... He’d seen Mika moving around the café today, twisting and turning her body to ease through small spaces or avoid obstacles. Friendly but still wild. Yes, you could touch them sometimes, but it was an honour to be allowed to do so.
    They were both sitting on the edge of the pontoon, facing the shore, where they could see the crowd in the popular bar growing. They could