Page 19 of Impossible Heir for the King

And how had she been such a fool as to get out when he was standing right beside her towel and now she was stuck in nothing but a tiny bikini?

‘We have to work this out, Maia,’ he said quietly. ‘And contrary to what you seem to think, I don’t have all the answers already. Perhaps you do?’ His expression tightened as he stared at her. ‘I’m looking forward to hearing what you had planned to do once you’d made it to that next island.’ He picked up a towel and walked towards her—stretching out his hand to offer it to her.

Utterly awkward, she stretched to take it, trying to maintain as much distance as possible between them.

His gaze was harder now and she heard him draw a sharp breath. ‘I’m going to shower and change for dinner. We’ll eat in twenty minutes.’

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHANGEFORDINNER? Maia scrambled as soon as he’d stalked off. He was displeased. Well, that made two of them.

After another quick shower she left her hair loose, it was almost dry already, and pulled one of the dresses on. It was modest yet sensual at the same time because of its silkiness. She walked out to the patio, unsure whether they were dining in the formal dining room or in that outside area.

She licked her lips, pangs of hunger hitting hard. For the first time since her abduction she felt like eating a full meal. But she paused when she spotted him staring at her from across the patio. She just stared back. He wore linen shorts and a barely buttoned shirt that displayed the very fine physique she well knew he had. He’d shaved so that angular jaw was emphasised together with those impossibly stunning cheekbones.

‘Some of the clothing fit you okay.’ He cleared his throat almost awkwardly. ‘One of my men went to your father’s boat to collect some of your things but...’

Shame curled upwards, a constant. ‘I only had a few work clothes there.’

‘That’s what he said.’

She studied the large stone tiles she was standing on. It was worse than that. She only had one pair of shoes to her name and the few clothes she owned bore the boat’s logo and were old and stained. ‘I don’t need much. I—’

‘Don’t,’ Niko said gruffly.

She looked up, startled at his tone. He’d silently moved nearer.

‘Don’t make excuses for him,’ he added quietly.

The anger in his eyes torched something within her. He knew. Because his soldier had seen. And she was horrified.

‘What did your soldier tell him?’ she asked.

‘That the king had heard of your work and wanted to try some. That you’d agreed to come to the palace early in the morning and had been so excited you’d forgotten to leave a note.’

Excited. Maia blinked. ‘And he believed that?’

‘He wanted to know how much you were being paid. My man was at pains to reassure him that you were being very well taken care of in all areas.’

But her father wouldn’t have been bothered aboutthat. It was only ever about money for him. She curled her hands into fists but knew them to be useless. ‘You must think I’m pathetic.’

‘No. Why would you—’

‘Because I should have run, right?’ she interrupted roughly. ‘I should have run away fromhim. Fromthatlife. But I didn’t. Not in all these years’

‘How could you? You were stuck in the middle of the ocean most of the time. What were you supposed to do? He didn’t pay you. He controlled everything. You had no money. No real options.’

‘You know everything.’ She stared at him in consternation and pressed her fists to her flaming cheeks.

‘I know a few sparse facts. I have no idea about the full picture.’ He hesitated. ‘Maybe you can talk to me about it sometime,’ he added quietly. ‘Not now. But maybe when you’re ready.’

She appreciated the attempt but he was inviting an intimacy neither of them really wanted or were ready for. She saw the guarded look in his eyes and she felt so sorry.

‘I needed time,’ she explained softly. ‘I know we have to work this out. I wasn’t intending to run away forever. I was never going to stop you from...’ She sighed. ‘I just needed to claim some control of my own. I had no idea what I was going to do. I just needed to prove—to myself more than anything—that I could. I can’t be a doormat for the rest of my life. I just can’t.’

He looked down and cleared his throat. ‘I do have something else for you.’

She closed her eyes in instant rejection. She didn’t want anything more from him. She didn’t want to be this charity case that he felt sorry for. She didn’t want to be thishelpless.

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