Page 10 of Claiming His Virgin Princess

Again she shifted in her seat, making him wonder if she were uncomfortable or simply edgy. ‘You could say my life, and the plans made for me, have unravelled.’

Plans madeforher? Notbyher?

‘I thought taking up the reins of my usual life would see me through all the fuss and bother. If I kept busy, did my bit for the country, not just with the public events but my other projects, things would blow over and I’d feel...’ She paused, making him forget to ponder what her projects might be and wonder instead about her feelings.

‘The fact is...’ she said with a brittle laugh that raked his spine like nails down a blackboard. ‘The fact is I’m not needed in Altbourg at the moment.’ She paused and he heard her swallow. ‘And I wasn’t settling into my old routine. So I thought a little time away was in order.’

‘Some R and R. Well, you’ve come to the right place.’ Noah’s confident tone hid his sympathy at her vulnerability. She hadn’t given details but her voice...

‘That’s right. It will be perfect for me.’

She sounded so bright and determined he knew she made an effort to mask her feelings.

He remembered her dancing. She’d been absorbed, lost to the people around her, but she hadn’t necessarily looked happy.

Noah stroked his finger across her wrist, feeling her pulse jump and, despite his need to know more, desire jabbed.

Sitting so close, hearing each sigh and shuffle of movement, reading her body’s unconscious responses to him and trying not to stare at this woman, grew more taxing by the moment. His trousers were too snug across his groin and he knew going slow when they came together would be almost impossible. Maybe they’d manage it the second time.

‘Why are you in Monte Carlo?’ She yanked his thoughts back to their Q&A session.

He shrugged, stifling the urge to haul her into his arms and plant his lips on hers. If she needed this time...

‘I had a deal to finalise, which I’ve done, and now I’m having a break. Business has been bedlam the last year or so.’ Which was good, because his new initiatives were succeeding. ‘I worked through a bad flu and it took me longer than it should to shake it off.’ His family had been on his back to take a proper holiday. Had even flown here last week to make sure he did. Even if they’d camouflaged it as a long overdue family holiday. ‘So I’m taking a few weeks to cruise the Med.’

Except now the prospect of heading off on a sailing holiday had lost its appeal. He’d rather explore Ilsa than any photogenic port.

Urgency filled him.

He needed to hold her in his arms again, properly this time.

Noah sat straighter. ‘One last question each.’ He felt her eyes on him as he sought to distil the hundreds of things he wanted to know about her into one that would do for now. ‘What do you want from life, Ilsa? What’s important to you?’

That would tell him what sort of woman she was.

She went still. To his chagrin she slid her hand free of his, leaning forward in her seat and wrapping her arms around her middle.

Instinct told him he’d just made a huge mistake.

Silently he cursed. Why hadn’t he asked her favourite ice cream flavour or whether she liked sport?

‘What do I want?’ She paused, frowning, and he sensed it was something she hadn’t considered before. Finally, after a long pause she spoke. ‘I can tell you what’s important. My people, my country, my family.’ Her voice sounded tight and unfamiliar. ‘As for what I want from life...’ She shook her head and her lush mouth turned down at the corners. Noah felt a phantom jab of discomfort to his gut, seeing what looked like distress. ‘That’s just it. I don’t know any more.’

She shot to her feet and moved away. Instinctively he followed but when he reached for her she shook her head. Ilsa stood, arms crossed, before him.

He didn’t like even this small distance between them. But it was his fault. He shouldn’t have probed so deep when she’d obviously had a difficult time recently. What had he been thinking? This woman clouded his usually clear head.

‘How about you, Noah? What do you want?’

That was easy. ‘Good health, good friends, enough challenge in business to keep me interested, and time with my family.’

‘That sounds...perfect.’

Why did she have to sound so damned wistful? It wasn’t just her voice either. Noah sensed a change in her. Something was wrong. He stepped closer.

She spoke quickly. ‘Could you direct me to the bathroom, please?’

Noah frowned, loath to let her out of his sight.

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