Page 10 of Impossible Heir for the King

‘Well.’ She attempted a small, pacifying smile. ‘I suppose we need to wait for the results of the paternity test before making all the decisions anyway.’

He blinked.

‘I’d like to rest now,’ she added. ‘I’m very tired.’

‘Of course.’ But he looked at her searchingly for a moment. ‘Would you like a tray sent up? Some pineapple juice perhaps?’

She’d spilled her juice when he’d appeared. He’d remembered the sort. Which meant he noticed things. Small things. Maybeallthings. Which made her even more wary. If she’d thought it impossible to escape her father, Niko would be even harder.

‘No, thank you,’ she muttered.

‘Well, if you think of anything all you have to do is push this button and someone will come to attend to you.’ He pointed out the small call button.

‘It’s like a five-star hotel,’ she joked wanly. ‘I can order room service.’

‘You can order anything you want.’

Anything. She heard a hint of huskiness and something rippled deep inside. But she refused to let her mind wander into that dangerous territory and reminded herself that she was the one usually answering such summonses—waking up to make fresh brioche for roaringly drunk, starving guests at two in the morning. Now she could make someone else do that for her if she wished. It was the last thing she’d do.

‘Anything except my freedom,’ she said softly.

‘Yes.’ He nodded. ‘Except that.’

She regarded him sombrely. ‘Thank you for your generosity.’

She meant it. But her freedom—and that of her baby—was the one thing she was going to fight for.

CHAPTER FOUR

ITWASArelief when he left. Her brain—annoyingly sluggish in his presence—came back online. She didn’t have time to indulge in self-pity—she had her escape to plan. She needed every ounce of energy tothink. Because no way was she marrying that man. Notanyman. Well, not for the next five years at least. She’d dreamed of her freedom for too long. She wanted to explore, to study, to carve out a career that she chose forherself.

She wasn’t being tied to a future held within someone else’s control. And a king was used to being in complete control of his whole world. He said he wanted her to have choices but that was a polite platitude. She knew exactly what it was like to live with a dictator and she wasn’t about to swap one for another.

But she was pregnant. She’d justseenthat baby in black and white on the screen. It was impossible to believe. But it was alsoamazing.

And of course the child should know its world, its heritage, its father. But Maia didn’t need tomarryhim in order for that to happen. Niko’s view was insanely old-fashioned and of course understandable because he was king. But he needed to learn he couldn’t control her. She wasn’t going to agree to everything he decreed the second he spoke. And he expected that.

If she didn’t stand up to him, if she didn’t get some strength here, she would be in a worse position than ever before. So she needed to make her stand now. She needed to get space and time so he understood that she too would have some power in her position.

Then there was the mortifying fact she was sexually attracted to him. Had discovering she was carrying his baby heightened her awareness of his sensuality? Was it some basic instinct to want him—some gut drive to protect the unexpected child within her?

Except it had happened in that first moment when she’d turned and seen him standing there. He’d been completely unrecognisable yet she’d felt an instant passion tug within—

Surelyit wasn’t that. Surely she was mistaking the adrenalin surge of fear for attraction. She was confused, that was all.

But there’d been so many moments since then. Every time he got within two feet of her she felt her arousal rising. It was awful and she needed to get a grip.

She moved. One door led to the bathroom, one to the corridor, but she’d yet to investigate that third. She opened it and glanced in. The bed was the first thing she saw. Clad in luxuriously soft-looking white linen, it was huge. She quickly shut the door again, her heart thumping. She’d never slept on a bed like that. She’d neverseena bed like that. And it was most definitely big enough for two. Hell, for three or four or more...was that what he was used to? Heat washed over her face.

She scurried back to the sofa and curled up on it, trying to figure out what she could do. Trying to figure out how on earth any of this could have happened. Had someone planned to impregnate themselves with him as the father? The ramifications were appalling—that someone might want to use that against him was frightening because he was a powerful man. It didn’t seem likely anyone would be so bold. But he was right, that part wasn’t her problem. It was his. She had enough to deal with. The air was still scented with that herbal ointment and it was surprisingly soothing. As she sat—failing to formulate any kind of plan at all—the last of that adrenalin drained out and the fatigue that had plagued her these last few weeks hit again. At least now she knew the reason for it. Her eyelids felt heavy. She closed them. She was not going to cry. Not ever.

She had no idea what time it was when she woke. Truthfully she could sleep hours longer but that wasn’t an option. She had work to do. She needed to go on a reconnaissance mission and figure out whether any escape was even remotely possible. But she had some hope because Piri-nu was prosperous and its population was content and proud of its king. She’d never known of any civil unrest here, so fingers crossed palace security wasn’t as tight as it might be in other places. Maybe those guards might be a little complacent. Only then she remembered the efficiency with which they’d extracted her from her father’s boat. Still, she had to try. She opened the door that Niko had used. She quickly walked the length of the wide corridor but when she turned the corner she encountered a severe-looking guard coming her way. She froze. He was beef-cake muscles enormous and scary and the aviator sunglasses didn’t hide the fact he was glaring at her and could probably see straight through to all her guilty plans.

‘Is there something you need, ma’am?’ he asked.

She hesitated, thrown by being called ma’am. ‘Is it okay if I go for a short walk in the gardens?’

He paused for a second as if waiting on someone else’s response. ‘Would you like me to escort you?’

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