Page 55 of Claiming His Virgin Princess

This was a woman who’d been brought up to expect an arranged marriage, not a love match. He didn’t want to scare her off by asking too much too soon.

She took duty seriously and he guessed she’d left because of pressure from her family. Noah planned to visit Altbourg soon and do everything he could to impress the King and win over Ilsa’s family.

If that didn’t work, he’d just have to sweep her off her feet and seduce her into staying with him. Because not having her in his life wasn’t an option.

‘Go on.’

‘The fact is I’ve changed. Short affairs were fine for a while but I’m older now. My experience with Poppy soured my view of relationships for years. But our time together made me begin to rethink. It’s stupid to make life decisions based on disappointment.’

He paused, trying to calm his now rackety pulse. ‘I’ve realised I want more in my life. Children of my own and a wife.’

Her eyes snapped wide and he read shock in those bright blue depths. Did she have to look quite so stunned?

‘Do you mean—?’

‘It’s okay, Ilsa, I’m not proposing. Or trying to tie you down.’

Yet.

He could be patient. If that was what it took. He didn’t want to frighten her off.

‘I’m just saying my priorities have changed. You know I wasn’t ready to say goodbye when you left. The fact is—’ He shrugged, trying to look insouciant instead of mouth-dryingly nervous. ‘The fact is I’m ready to start thinking about longer term and I’d like you to think about it too. I’d like to keep seeing you, find out how our relationship develops.’

She didn’t respond, leaving Noah at the mercy of doubt and fear.

Finally Ilsa moved, lifting her hand and planting her palm against her collarbone in a classic, nervous gesture.

Noah breathed deep. Was it from surprise and excitement?

Everything—his future happiness, their future together—was riding on her reaction. He leaned forward.

‘I don’t know what to say.’

Ilsa pressed her hand to her chest as if she could prevent her heart from leaping free. She trembled with shock and excitement.

How badly she wanted to throw herself into Noah’s arms, burrow close and feel once again as if everything were right in the world.

But she held back, trying to make sense of his words.

‘Aren’t you going back to Australia soon? How would a relationship work with you on one side of the world and me on the other? I have commitments here.’

And she planned on more with these new initiatives in the pipeline.

He smiled and spread his hands and pleasure darted through her. He just had to smile at her...

‘Where there’s a will there’s a way. We can work the details out as we go if it’s what we both want. It’s whatIwant, Ilsa. That’s why I came, to find out if you felt the same.’

She sucked in a desperate breath, searching vainly for calm. But how could she be calm when Noah spoke about long term? A possible future together. And family.

It was what she wanted. A dream come true.

Her blood fizzed with excitement and her heart swelled. She wanted to fall into Noah’s arms, pepper him with kisses and show him how delighted she was at the prospect of staying with him.

Strange that she saw no answering excitement in his features. Instead his face was guarded and disturbingly unreadable. Even those gorgeous turquoise eyes seemed flat.

Ilsa surveyed him sitting there, feet planted on the floor, hands on the arms of his chair, no sign of emotion.

He looked like a man negotiating a business deal, not a lover waiting, breathless, to hear theyeshe longed for.

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