Page 25 of Shock Heir for the Crown Prince

‘You will know where Sophia is at all times.’ His daughter was going to need a secretary of her own at this rate. ‘She will, of course, have a security detail on her, no matter where she is. She’s a target now.’

‘And you’d like me to thank you for making her one?’

It didn’t seem likely that she was going to thank him for any of it. Casimir let the hot spring water soothe his body and quiet his mind. ‘I’m currently undecided as to the type of security you will require on an ongoing basis,’ he told her.

Ana had stopped to toe off her shoes. The noise the zip of her skirt made carried across the water with a sibilant hiss and gave him a moment’s warning before the dark material pooled at her feet. Her legs glowed porcelain pale and her underwear was tiny and white. Casimir swallowed hard.

Whose idea had it been to get naked and swim? Because the stirring in his body declared it a bad one.

He cleared his throat. ‘Are we still negotiating?’

‘Is that what you call this?’

Her top had joined her skirt on the floor. Her bra was nothing but lace and shoestrings but at least she kept it on as she knelt at the side of the pool and trailed her fingers in the water. ‘I am not a puppet to be made to dance on your strings. I have opinions. A life to lead.’

‘I’m listening.’

‘Casimir, whatever it is you think you’re doing…listening’s not it.’

She had more curves than she’d had at nineteen. His body thought it’d be a fine idea to reacquaint himself with them, map them with hands and lips, see how they fitted.

‘Hell with it,’ he murmured. ‘The press will never leave you alone once they get a good look at you. You’re getting a full security detail as well. And a press liaison. They’re going to eat you alive.’

‘There you go again. Telling me what’s going to happen.’

‘Or you could go without the press liaison and beg me for one later, once the damage has been done. Trust me; if you want to have control over any of this, you need to control your own spin. I’m giving you the means to do that.’

‘Uh huh.’ She slipped into the pool with barely a splash, the water licking at her skin and raising goosebumps, never mind its warmth. Her eyes were dark and troubled when they landed on him.

‘If—once you’ve become more accustomed to your role within the royal scheme of things—you find this to be overkill, let me know and I’ll back it off a little,’ he offered.

‘You really do think you’re negotiating.’ She sounded more amazed than grateful. ‘What if I don’t want to live in Byzenmaach and be connected to the throne?’

‘It’s not all bad, Ana. Money and comfort will never be a concern for you again.’

‘They never have been a concern of mine. I live comfortably enough already.’

‘You will have influence.’

‘Over who? Over you?’

‘When it comes to our daughter you will always have my ear,’ he told her.

‘What good is that? Your ears don’t work. All you do is talk.’ Her eyes skittered to his lips. When she raised her gaze to him again, those all-seeing eyes were knowing and somewhat resigned.

‘You bore a royal child, Anastasia. Surely you knew that some day it would come to this.’

‘No, Cas. I bore your child. The child of the man I met seven years ago. The one who made me feel loved and cherished and brought me hot croissants from the bakery every morning. The one with the sweet tooth and the wicked tongue. We were careful—you were there. Pregnancy wasn’t part of your plan or mine. And still it happened and you were already long gone. I bore a love child, not a royal one.’

He’d lied to her. There was no getting past that. He had no excuse for his deceit other than he’d met her and fallen utterly in thrall. One week, just one, in which royal duty hadn’t ruled him.

‘I’m resentful.’ She drew closer. ‘Damn right I am. Last time you came into my life you changed the shape of it completely. You’re doing it again.’

Tension. So much tension between them and only part of it due to argument. Still so strong this invisible thing between them. ‘Maybe I want to leave your life in better shape than I left it in last time,’ he said.

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