Page 10 of The Prince's Secret Daughter
Helen picked up on his tone and looked at him. “Who have you been working with for the past few years?” she asked. “I haven’t heard anything about your involvement recently.”
Whathadhe been doing? That was a good question. At this moment, his accomplishments in taking over the economic prosperity of his country didn’t feel like a valid reason to have left Helen and his daughter to fend for themselves. But at the time, his actions had seemed vitally important. He’d helped thousands of small businesses thrive in his country. He’d stabilized their economy, revitalized the real estate market, and convinced large industries to move their workforces to Lativa, which had created jobs and prosperity. He’d revamped the entire tax system and…and he’d missed his daughter’s birth and the first four years of Angela’s life.
Even now, he looked around for her, wanting to see her, to verify that she was real. A daughter! He heard her laughing in the next room. She was pretty darn cute!
“Raj?” Helen prompted.
He realized that he hadn’t answered her question. “I haven’t been very involved in anything around the Chicago area,” he answered honestly.
So, what now? What was the next step?
Raj didn’t know. Well, he knew one thing. He’d already lost four years of Angela’s life, plus Helen’s pregnancy. He didn’t want to lose any more time with Angela.
Or with Helen, he suddenly realized.
And wasn’t that a startling insight! He hadn’t ever “missed” a woman in his life, except for Helen. But, now that he thought about it, every woman he’d met over the past five years, he’d compared to Helen. And every one of them had come up lacking.
Oh, he hadn’t been a monk. He’d enjoyed their company. But while he’d been a playboy before Helen, he’d slowed down after her.
Because none of the women were Helen. And because Helen had haunted his dreams, making him yearn for her and only her.
Raj was shocked by his revelation. He’d never understood why Joran had been such a cranky ass during the year after they’d stepped up to help Khal. But Joran had finally gone back to Uftar to find the woman he’d longed for.
Now, Raj got it. He could finally grasp what his brother had gone through and his need to get back to her. Raj hadn’t been as aware of his need for Helen until she’d come back into his life. But the anger when he’d first seen her on the sidewalk and the fury that burned in his chest when she’d walked into the conference room had been a huge, flashing sign.
Now, with her sitting on the sofa, looking pretty and…lost. Yeah, she was it for him.
Okay, so what was his next step? How did he convince Helen to return to Lativa with him? How could he get both Helen and his daughter back in his life?
Raj had never turned away from a challenge and he wasn’t going to start now. Helen was too important. Keeping his child close was too important!
He wasn’t exactly sure how to accomplish that goal. So, instead of telling her that, he switched gears. “Let’s find out,” Raj announced. He smiled at the startled expression in her blue eyes.
“Find out what?”
“Let’s find out what the Grishom boys are up to.”
Chapter 6
Helen rubbed a hand over her forehead. Dinner had been a challenge. Angela and Raj chatted easily away, eager to get to know each other. It was painful to watch father and daughter laugh together, while her precious daughter did not know she was chatting with her real father.
They were so alike it was almost scary. Their features were so similar. And Helen noticed they laughed at the same things, were mathematically brilliant, both eager to learn, and even their body language mirrored one another.
She didn’t like the idea of keeping these two away from each other. But who was this charming man who was talking so seriously with his daughter one moment, then making funny faces the next, making Angela giggle helplessly.
Helen’s experience with Raj was that he was a charming, but serious man. Yes, he’d teased her, but that had all been to get her into bed. He’d been a rich, powerful playboy with charm and intelligence. He’d been an intoxicating combination, and still was! Helen couldn’t stop her thoughts, and her body, from considering what it would be like to reach out and pull him in for a kiss.
Would he slap her hand away if she ran a finger along his jaw? Would his eyes cut her to the bone if she ran a hand over his strong, muscular chest?
Her body burned with desire that only intensified as she watched Raj interact with their daughter.
And Angela. How was Helen supposed to tell her that the man she was laughing with was actually her father? How did one say, “Hey, you know the man who cut up your chicken tonight? Well, he’s actually your daddy!”
That was a conversation that needed to be eased into, Helen supposed. Maybe, if the two had more time to get to know one another, the news would go over more smoothly. Maybe Angela would understand. Helen had always told her daughter that her father lived in a country far away. At the time, Helen hadn’t known exactly where that country was. And even now, she wasn’t exactly sure where Raj was from.
So, who was the real man? Who was the guy behind the charming mask?
Helen was surprised when Angela smothered a yawn. Glancing at the time, Helen was startled to see that it was well past her normal bedtime.
