Page 25 of Claimed By the Crown Prince

He was beautiful. She couldn’t deny it. She wanted Dax. She’d wanted him from the moment she’d laid eyes on him.

And now he was here.

The moment she left this place she would become Queen of Isla’Rosa and her life would not be hers again. She would have to deal with the fallout of not marrying King Aristedes and, once that had passed, everyone would be preoccupied with who shewouldbe marrying.

She knew that even if she found someone she could consider a soulmate, someone who could be her companion throughout her life as Queen, she might never experience the kind of passion that she’d dreamed of. That she felt instinctively could be experienced with a man like Dax.

An audacious thought occurred to her.

He’s a crown prince...eminently suitable for me to marry.

Laia’s heart thumped.

But no. Crown Prince Dax of Santanger had made it very clear that his destiny was not his brother’s—settling down and begetting heirs. He would be completely unsuitable. How could she even trust a man like that?

No, she didn’t want him for marriage. She wanted him for something else. For something very selfish. Forher. She wanted to know what real passion felt like before she had to settle down and live a life of duty and responsibility. Because her people would always come first. They had to.

Dax had haunted her for years. She was only realising how much now, here in this lush paradise, when she could no longer hide from herself and her desires. He didn’t disgust her at all. The opposite.

Seduce him.

No. Ridiculous. Nonsensical. She didn’t have the skills or the wherewithal to seduce an expert connoisseur of women. She wouldn’t even know where to start... She could already feel the humiliation if she made herself vulnerable and he rejected her. He’d probably do it with kindness, which would be so much worse.

Laia started to pace. But the suggestion wouldn’t fade as it should. Because surely there was no way.

If you seduce him then he will know you’re serious about not wanting to marry King Aristedes.

Laia stopped pacing. Could she really be considering this? The prospect of pitting Dax against his brother...by using herself?

It wouldn’t work. She wasn’t so irresistible. She wasn’t even sure if he wanted her. Maybe she was just imagining it when she thought she felt his eyes on her. When she thought she felt something pulse between them, alive and electric... He was a man—he was just reacting to her as a woman.

Well, then, if it won’t work, what have you got to lose?

CHAPTER FIVE

ACOUPLEOFhours later Laia was making breakfast. She felt on edge at the thought of trying to seduce Dax. It was almost as crazy a notion as keeping him captive on this island.

And how on earth did a virgin go about seducing one of the world’s most renowned and discerning lovers? What did he feel for her? Anything? He was so hard to read.

When he appeared at that moment, with damp hair and a freshly shaven jaw, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

‘Okay?’ he asked.

‘Fine...just...you startled me.’

He was wearing board shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, open at the top. He looked irritatingly relaxed. And gorgeous.

Her head was unhelpfully filled with images of him sprawled naked on the bed. Her cheeks grew warm.

She said quickly, ‘Thank you...for last night. The glass of water. I’m sure I could have made it to bed without being carried, but...’

It was nice.

She shut her mouth quickly, and then said, ‘I’m making breakfast omelettes, if you’d like one?’

‘I would love one, thank you. Is there anything I can do?’

‘You could make the coffee?’

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