Page 18 of Trapped with the Undercover Prince

“You are not a one-night stand.” It came out on a snarl.

Not your call to make, bucko. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. “Oh?”

Eyes narrow, Zar turned to stare at Jean Paul for a few seconds. No words passed between them, but his gaze must have communicated something because Jean Paul bowed slightly to Zar and left the suite. Marc and the others left as well.

After the door closed behind the last one, Zar sighed and faced her again. “Please accept my apologies for Jean Paul’s rudeness.”

“He didn’t say anything rude. I imagine a man in your position needs to take certain steps to ensure he isn’t sued or something. Which begs the question...” She tilted her head to one side. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a prince before we...um...?” She angled her thumb over her shoulder at the bedroom.

A flash of something came and went across his face. Pain? “Because I didn’t want you to run away.”

She opened her mouth to refute his assumption, but closed it. If he had told her who he was last night—or was it early this morning?—she probably would have freaked out, left, and ended up sleeping on a train station bench. Finally, she said, “You’re right. I would have run away.”

“You’re trying to do it now.”

She glanced down at her feet, neither of which had moved since she picked up her bag.

He shook his head. “No, I don’t mean...” He paused before continuing with, “In your head, you’re running away. Distancing yourself from me.” His expression softened. “Please, come back, eat your breakfast, and let me finish what I was trying to say to you. Please?”

Damn, the man knew how to grovel. “Okay.” She dropped her bag next to her chair and sat down. He didn’t speak until she had a mouthful of food.

“The train station bombing isn’t the first terrorist attack against my country or my country’s interests in recent weeks, just the largest and most visible.”

She managed to swallow her mouthful without choking. “How many others have there been?”

“This is the third in the last two months, the sixth in the last year, and we don’t expect them to stop.”

“What do they want?”

“They’re an anti-immigrant group who believes Lerasia should close its borders to refugees.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Refugees?”

“You’d be surprised at how many people enter the country from our neighbors.”

So, he hadn’t flat out lied to her, just misrepresented himself by not telling her everything. That was still a lie, wasn’t it? If she were in his position, what would she have done?

Kept her big mouth shut, that’s what.

Her indignation and irritation drained away, taking her appetite with them.

“I’m sorry for not telling you more about myself until now.” He rubbed his face with one hand. “I meant to, when we had a private moment, but other things...uh—”

“Came up?” she suggested, not bothering to hide the smile flirting with her lips.

He blinked at her in surprise, then grinned. “If I agree, will I be in deeper trouble?”

“Only if you do it again. From now on, please tell me the whole truth, not just what you think I should hear.”

“Deal.”

“So, you really are investigating the bombings?”

“Yes, and until last night, the public and press hadn’t noticed my involvement.”

Now the true meaning behind his words began to make itself clear. “Oh.” But how could she help?

“The photographs taken of us together last night paint a picture that could camouflage my true reason for being on the scene of the bombing yesterday.”

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