Page 16 of Claiming His Virgin Princess

‘I am.’

For a second longer he looked grave, then his shoulders dropped as he exhaled and she wondered if he’d been holding his breath. A smile uncurled from the corner of his mouth and the sun shone brighter.

‘I want to kiss you senseless,’ he growled, ‘but maybe that’s not a good idea. Come on.’ He started walking, still holding her hand.

‘Where are we going?’

She sounded breathless but with good reason. The thought of Noah kissing her senseless...

‘A little place I discovered that I hope you’ll like.’

Noah’s little place turned out to be just that. Tucked away in a back street, it had a tiny back terrace with a glimpse of the sea and a profusion of pot plants. It was busy but not with tourists or fashionable celebrities. It had the charm and bustle of an unpretentious eatery popular with locals.

‘I didn’t realise there were places like this still in the city. So down-to-earth,’ she said as a waiter left a basket of crusty bread and a bowl of olives.

‘You like it? I thought it best to have relative privacy. Give the gossips less to chew on.’

Ilsa nodded and reached for an olive. ‘Good idea. And I do like it. The scents are making my mouth water.’

‘I’m glad.’ His voice dropped to a low, intimate note. ‘I want to please you.’

‘Because you want me.’

Saying it aloud made Ilsa feel...powerful.

His lazy smile became a hungry grin that made her sit straighter, nipples peaking. ‘I do. But there’s pleasure to be had in simply seeing you happy.’

In another man she’d label that practised charm, but with Noah it felt real. Another first.

‘You really are unique. I’ve met lots of men but none like you.’ Noah lifted his eyebrows. ‘You know what you want but you’re not selfish about it.’

Last night she’d tried to mask the severity of her cramps, yet Noah had wanted to wake the onboard medic to check her. When she’d refused he’d insisted on sitting with her till the pain lessened before escorting her to her hotel. Ilsa couldn’t recall anything like it, except once as a child when she was ill and her mother sat by her bed.

Then there was Noah’s decision to visit Turkey because it was whereshewanted to travel. Nor had he asked for details about the scandal of her recent past. That had earned her gratitude and respect.

She lusted after Noah Carson butlikedhim too. With him Ilsa felt she could unwind and be herself, whoever that was. She’d spent so long playing a role devised for her sometimes she wondered who the real Ilsa was.

‘You’ve known a lot of selfish men?’

She thought of the man who’d professed to adore her. Who’d wanted to make love to her. He’d moved to greener pastures when her mother took her away to the States. Her parents had been right. He’d played on her romantic dreams, hoping to carve a lucrative royal niche for himself at the expense of her heart. But he hadn’t had the patience to wait for her.

‘I’ve come across one or two.’

One or two dozen.

Noah’s hand tightened around hers. ‘If ever you want to talk, Ilsa...’

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. A man wanting to talk? ‘You really aren’t what I expected.’

Did he stiffen? His eyes narrowed. ‘What did you expect?’

She shrugged. ‘After that charity lunch I did a quick internet search.’ She’d stopped almost immediately when she saw the parade of lovely women through his life. ‘The press paint you as brash, brilliant and with an eye for women.’

‘Maybe I am.’

‘Maybe.’ She tilted her head, surveying him. ‘I can see why you keep topping those Sexiest Men lists.’ To her astonishment, his tanned cheeks darkened. ‘Noah Carson, are you blushing?’

‘As if.’ He lifted his arm, fisting his hand and curling his biceps in parody of a bodybuilder while he waggled his eyebrows.

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