She glared at him, sending daggers flying at him with her eyes. Bryan nearly smiled at her obstinate look, wondering why he wanted a woman so desperately that obviously had no interest in marrying him.
He was just as fascinated by Shea as he’d been five years ago…probably even more enthralled because she didn’t want to marry him. He was a prince, worth trillions of dollars. And she didn’t want to marry him.
Damned if that didn’t make him even more determined to make her his bride.
His chest ached as he looked at her exhausted expression, raising his child alone had obviously taken its toll on her. But no longer! He was here now, and he’d see that Shea and his daughter had everything they wanted or needed. He’d make sure she ate well, and gained back her amazing curves he remembered. Bryan wanted the haunted look in her eyes to disappear, replaced by a look of happiness and contentment. He’d see it done or die trying.
Bryan rose, his gaze never leaving Shea. She needed care, and he wanted to be the man to provide it. Guilt swamped him. He hadn’t been there when she needed him, but he was here now, dammit. “Come with me,” he demanded, holding out a hand for her to grasp.
“I need to find Hayden. What if something’s happened to her? We don’t know for sure that she’s safe.”
If Simon said their daughter was safely with Moira…she was fine. Bryan had no doubt that the royal advisor was doing everything necessary for Hayden’s safety. Simon knew Bryan was going to be angry, and he was willing to bet that an entire army was surrounding the royal nursery right now. Simon knew he’d put the child in danger, so he’d be more than willing to give his own life to protect her. “I know she is. Simon wouldn’t have let you know she was being well cared for if he didn’t know for certain.” He wiggled his fingers. “Come. Trust me, Shea. Trust that I know my people.”
She stared at his hand for moment, her brows drawn together as though contemplating whether or not she believed him. Then, she sighed heavily and put her hand up slowly to grasp his outstretched fingers.
His heart beat erratically as his large hand grasped her smaller one, pulling her up gently from her place on the couch. It was a small victory, but he’d take what he could get…for now.
Chapter Four
Shea felt much more human after she’d taken a hot bubble bath that Bryan had drawn for her. She was more relaxed and slightly more rational, although she was still having a hard time believing she was really imprisoned with the man who had haunted her dreams for the last five years.
Prince Bryan Demande.
He was no longer the mystery man, Bryan, who had gotten her pregnant and left her. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” she asked him curiously as she flipped through pictures of Rubare Collina on the computer in front of her. She’d sat down to investigate exactly what functions worked on the PC in the corner of the living room. Surprisingly, it had worked to provide a lot of information on Rubare Collina, but she still couldn’t get to any programs or features that would actually connect her to any people in the outside world. Frustrated, she settled for looking up information on the country that was just outside the very thick, bolted door across the room.
She could feel Bryan’s presence right behind her, so she wasn’t surprised when he spoke from above her head. “Nobody knew who I was. I spent six years in college in America under an assumed name. I wanted to study. I didn’t want to deal with royalty chasers and the paparazzi. If I hadn’t been called back home, I would have told you eventually, Shea. I was supposed to leave the day after our night together. I wouldn’t have left had my father not been ill,” he told her gruffly.
“Why?”
“I liked you. I wanted to spend more time with you. I didn’t want to part the way we did.”
Shea shivered and pulled the plush robe she was wearing tighter around her body. Did she believe he would have stayed? He’d come back looking for her, had known that she’d left New York. Obviously he was telling the truth about that. “How did your father and Simon find me? How did they know?”
“I have no idea. Simon is rather terrifying in the things he can find out. He might appear to be a mild-mannered royal advisor, but the man has connections everywhere. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was a spy,” Bryan said unhappily. “If I had known that he could find you, I would have asked him for help.”
“Why did you want to find me so badly?” she asked tentatively, almost afraid to ask him that question. It was strange that with all of his responsibilities, he would have flown back to the U.S. just because he liked her.
“I couldn’t forget you,” he said simply, toying with one of the curls at the nape of her neck.
I couldn’t forget you, either. Not even for a day.
Shea busied herself nervously, flipping through pictures on the computer of different areas of his country. “Is this the castle?” she asked curiously as she clicked to a picture of a monstrous and luxurious home.
Bryan’s low, seductive laugh flowed over her like a sexy, soothing balm. “Not even remotely close.” He leaned down and read the description under the picture. “That’s the home of one of the citizens in a neighboring city from here. You’re on one of our real estate sites. It’s a typical home of a mere billionaire or maybe even just a multi-millionaire in Rubare Collina.”
Shea bit her lip, trying not to laugh at Bryan’s arrogant denial. A mere billionaire? “Just an average citizen, then?” she teased. “A billionaire or multi-millionaire is nothing?”
“They’re very comfortable,” Bryan said thoughtfully. “But they have limited funds.” After a moment, he added, “Outside of the cities, we have a lot of farmers, but they aren’t poor. They’re extremely prosperous, too.”
It took Shea a moment to realize he was serious. She turned in her chair to face him and looked up at him. “So everybody is filthy rich here?”
Bryan shrugged. “It’s a wealthy country. Most of our people live very well. Those who don’t are assisted so they can live a happy and satisfying life.”
She looked over her shoulder at the computer. “So most people have homes like that?” In the United States, the home pictured would belong to the ultra-wealthy.
“Quite a few of our citizens do…yes. We have our poor here just like any other country, but comfortable homes are provided for them. We don’t believe in any of our people being homeless,” he told her in a genuine, sincere tone.
“No homeless? Nobody starving?” That was almost unfathomable to Shea.
“No. The monarchy has unlimited wealth due to our mineral reserves. Why would we have anybody starving here? We don’t have the same philosophies as some of the other western countries.”
“That’s hard to understand,” Shea told him breathlessly, her heart stuttering as she looked into his solemn hazel eyes.
He’d showered and changed into clean jeans and a green polo shirt. They both appeared to have had clothing provided for them here, the closet and drawers packed with new items. Shea had opted for the warm, fluffy blue robe Bryan had handed her before leading her to the luxurious bath he’d prepared.
Since he had arrogantly proclaimed that royalty did not cook, she’d made them some food…but only because she’d been hungry, too. She hadn’t missed the chance to chastise him for his royal snobbery.
“The United States was equally as confusing for me,” Bryan admitted. “They’re the most powerful country on earth, yet the majority of their people struggle. It made no sense to me.”
When he put it that way, it made no sense to her either. “We have our problems, but at least a royal family isn’t trying to kill us there,” she mumbled.
“It’s not the royal family. My family is not trying to kill us. It’s the secret society,” Bryan corrected.
“Whatever. At least nobody is going to kill me in my home country because I won’t get married.”
“We will marry,” Bryan demanded.
“We’re strangers, two people who had a fling in college. It
resulted in a child, but that’s no reason to marry,” she replied indignantly. Though honestly, if it put Hayden in danger not to marry Bryan, she probably would have a wedding as hastily as possible. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to protect her daughter. But her heart ached at the thought of an empty marriage. And could she live in a country where the royal princes had to go kidnap brides and force them to marry them? Barbaric custom!
Bryan grasped her upper arms and hauled her to her feet. “We’re far more than strangers, Shea. You gave me your innocence. Why? Why me when you’d held onto something that precious for so long?” he questioned hoarsely.
She opened her mouth and then closed it again as she caught the hunger in his gaze, a sharp ache piercing her straight between her thighs.
She didn’t really have an answer.
