Page 59 of Trapped with the Undercover Prince

“No, that’s not the point. The point is, that it’s a lie.”

Zar caught her gaze with his. “We have to catch them, Anna.”

She covered her face with both hands and groaned. “Your mother is going to be livid.”

“No, she won’t.”

“It will cause a huge scandal.”

His fingers wrapped around her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face. “We’ll tell the truth to everyone once the terrorists are in custody. You’ll be a hero, and there won’t be any scandal.”

She sighed. “I don’t think this is going to work out like you think it will.”

He kissed the inside of one wrist, and she shivered. “I don’t know. I’m hoping I can continue to have a passionate affair with my fake fiancée.”

Her eyebrows rose. “I thought your mother put a stop to...that.”

“She put a stop to you sleeping in my room. She didn’t tell me I couldn’t sleep in yours.”

“You are a very naughty prince.” She thought about it and shook her head. “I’m not sure I could, you know, fool around while I’m in the same castle as your mother and grandmother.”

A slow smile turned his boyish charm into something rich and decadent. “In that case, we should take a tour of the country. There’s a place the family uses for trysting.”

“Trysting? Are you in the right century?”

“In the meantime, I have an exclusive shop standing by to provide you with a wardrobe, then we’re going to have lunch at the library, where you can start your search for your family.”

“I had an appointment.”

“I called and talked to the genealogy librarian. She’s expecting us after we eat.”

She was all set to refuse the shopping trip, but perhaps he was right. Her only undamaged clothing was the scrub uniform she wore. She’d stand out like a sore thumb, and people would wonder why she wasn’t dressed better.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t want you to buy me a bunch of clothes. Again. But I also don’t want to get in trouble with your mother, so...okay.”

He kissed her wrist again, then released her to start the car.

She glanced over and spotted a photographer taking pictures. Oh, goody. More supposedly secret photos of the prince being romantic. “Did you know that guy was over there?”

“Anna, if we’re out in public, we’re probably being watched. Ever since the press took those first photos in France, we’ve been on the top of their list for getting the next big revealing picture.”

“I had no idea your life was like this.” It seemed awesome and wonderful to be someone famous with money and connections, but...

“Like what?”

“You can never relax, can you? Never just go for a walk and enjoy the outdoors or have lunch in a restaurant without people recognizing you and watching you.”

He was quiet for a while as he drove them out of the garage and down the street. “The only time I can do that is at home. Or if I go somewhere without anyone knowing.” He paused for several seconds. “You get used to it after a while.”

“You shouldn’t have to get used to it.” Her words punctured the air like the shrapnel of a bomb, surprising even her.

Zar put a hand on her knee. “Anna, where is this coming from?”

Her breathing was too fast, again, and her hands were shaking. “It’s not fair what happened, Zar. To Luke and Charles, and the other people killed and wounded in that crash. And now you can’t go anywhere or do anything without people following you and taking pictures. How can you find the terrorists when your life is under a microscope?”

A sob escaped her throat. She was crying? Again? She looked at the tears she’d wiped off of her face. “Why am I crying again?”

Zar’s hand sought hers. He was warm and strong, and she clung to him with the strength of a drowning woman.

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