Bound to Her Desert Captor

by Michelle Conder

  ‘Okay, enough.’ Regan stood up. ‘Jag is not like that and you clearly have no real understanding of the worry you’ve both caused by sneaking off together.’

  ‘Just tell me.’ Jag pinned her brother with his icy gaze. ‘Did you compromise my sister?’

  Milena gave a shocked gasp. ‘Jag—’

  ‘Silence,’ Jaeger snapped at his sister. ‘You are betrothed to be married to a very important man. If you’ve slept with Chad James I need to know.’

  ‘She hasn’t,’ Chad bit out, facing the King with his shoulders back. ‘Your sister is a beautiful person and I would never take advantage of her like that.’

  Regan heard the protective way Chad spoke about the younger woman and stared at him. Was he in love with Milena?

  ‘We didn’t do anything like that, Jag,’ Milena said crossly. ‘Chad was a perfect gentleman. If you’re going to be angry then be angry with me.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Jaeger bit out. ‘I’m furious with you.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Milena said, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. ‘I was really desperate and I thought you’d say no if I asked.’

  The stark truth of that flashed across the king’s taut features. ‘Who else knows about this?’ he asked stiffly.

  ‘Only Chad.’

  Jag nodded curtly. ‘You look exhausted. We will talk more about this in the morning. Mr James, you will not leave the palace until this situation has been officially resolved.’

  ‘What are you going to do to him?’ Milena asked.

  ‘That is not your concern.’

  Milena leapt to her feet, her small fists clenched. ‘Dammit, Jag, sometimes I wonder if you’re even human any more.’

  ‘Milena!’

  His harsh call stayed her exit, her slight body vibrating with tension. She didn’t turn to look at him. ‘Permission to leave your presence, Your Majesty.’

  The muscle in Jag’s jaw clenched tight. Regan’s heart jumped into her throat because she could tell by the flash of emotion across his face that he had taken Milena’s words to heart. No doubt he felt responsible for everything that had happened, and she knew he wouldn’t welcome her attempts to make him feel better about that.

  ‘Go. We’ll talk more in the morning.’

  ‘Don’t expect me to go anywhere without my sister,’ Chad said.

  Jag gave him a faint smile. ‘I would expect nothing less.’

  Finally he turned to face Regan. ‘I believe this is when you say “I told you so”.’

  A lump formed in her throat, her hands trembling. ‘I don’t want to say that.’

  What she wanted to say was that she loved him, that she wanted to be with him, that she understood his anger, and wanted to be the one to soothe it, but knowing that he had never wanted anything like that from her held her silent.

  ‘Gracious of you. But this is definitely the time I apologise for inconveniencing you. I was wrong.’

  ‘I don’t want your apology,’ she whispered fiercely. What she wanted was for this formal stranger to disappear and bring back the lover she had known at the oasis.

  His gaze seemed to take her all in at once, and then there was nothing. It was as if he had closed down every emotion he’d ever had. ‘Mr James, please follow me.’

  Regan felt shell-shocked by Jag’s departure. Was he coming back after he’d talked to Chad? Or was that it?

  But of course that was it. The reason she was even here had been resolved. His sister was safe and the summit was over. Did life just return to normal for him now?

  A breath shuddered out of her body and she clamped her arms around her waist. Was it that easy for him? That simple? But then, what had she expected? It had always been going to end when Chad returned. She’d known that. All day she’d reminded herself of the same thing and had convinced herself that she was just taking it for what it was. Well, now was the time to prove that. He’d told her that practice helped him contain his emotions and, well...now would be the time for her to try that too.

  Only she wasn’t so sure she could move on from him that easily. She’d fallen in love with him. It was exactly the scenario she had feared. Falling for someone who didn’t want her back. It was almost as if she’d willed into being the very experience she’d spent years avoiding. But then, fate had a way of making you face your worst fears. She should have known that. And what was the mantra after you faced your fears and survived? You’d be stronger for it?

  A sob rose up in her throat and she stifled it. That might take a while.

  An hour later someone knocked at the door of the garden suite and she immediately assumed it was Chad.

  It wasn’t, it was Tarik. He smiled at her soberly and handed her a document.

  Regan scanned it. It was a press release stating that her engagement to the King was over. It completely exonerated her of any responsibility, merely stating that after careful consideration she had decided to return home.

  ‘If you’re happy with the wording, my lady, the King asks that you sign it.’

  Regan nodded, her heart in her throat. ‘That was fast.’

  Tarik handed her a pen. ‘His Majesty likes to work that way.’

  ‘Yes, I know,’ she said, moving to a table and scrawling her signature at the bottom. She took a deep breath and wondered if the buzzing noise she could hear was inside her head, or outside.

  ‘His Majesty has also given you a settlement for inconveniencing you but said that if it wasn’t enough to name your price.’

  ‘His Majesty is very keen to see me go,’ she said softly, wondering if he would renew his engagement to the Princess Alexa now that he was free. It seemed unlikely but then this world wasn’t her usual one. Royals made deals and arrangements in the blink of an eye. ‘And Chad?’ she asked.

  ‘Chad is here,’ a voice said from the doorway.

  Regan glanced up at him blankly and then felt her resolve start to crumble. ‘Oh, Chad!’

  He stepped into the room and she raced into his arms.

  ‘I’ll leave you alone now, my lady,’ Tarik said courteously. ‘If there is anything you need, please let me know.’

  ‘Wait, Tarik, there is.’ She pulled away from Chad and tugged at the diamond on her finger. It resisted her initial attempt to remove it, but with enough force she worked it free. ‘Please return this to His Majesty.’

  ‘The King said that you were to keep it.’

  The lump in her throat got bigger. ‘No.’ She shook her head to hold back tears that suddenly sprang up behind her eyes. ‘It’s not mine to keep.’

  ‘As you wish, my lady.’

  Regan nodded. ‘And thank you.’ She gave him a watery smile. ‘It was nice to get to know you.’

  Tarik nodded, bowing as he slowly turned to leave.

  ‘Wow,’ Chad said, releasing a long breath. ‘This is really full-on.’

  ‘What did you expect?’ Regan asked. ‘Did you really think you could go off with Milena and there would be no consequences?’

  Chad sighed. ‘I suppose I didn’t really think about the consequences. Milena is a princess. If anything, I thought that once she returned everything would be fine and go back to normal.’

  ‘Wrong.’

  ‘Oh, Reggie, I can see you’re upset. I’m sorry you got dragged into all of this.’

  ‘It’s okay.’ She sniffed knowing that it was very far from okay. ‘I’m fine.’ It was the way it had always been in the past: her taking care of Chad, not the other way around.

  ‘No, you’re not. You look like you’re about to cry.’ He gave her a wan smile. ‘I’m truly sorry. I had no idea that you would rush over to Santara to try and find me.’

  ‘I probably should have stayed home in hindsight but... How did your meeting with the King go?’

  Chad made a face. ‘He pretty much bawled me out ov
er what I’d done.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it. He was worried sick about his sister. It was pretty irresponsible.’

  ‘It didn’t seem like it at the time. But he didn’t ball me out so much over Milena as over you.’

  ‘Me?’

  ‘Yeah, he dragged me over the coals for scaring you the way that I did. Told me I had to take better care of you.’

  ‘Oh...that was...’ She took a breath. It was typical of a man who took his familial responsibilities seriously is what it was. ‘He’s a decent person when you get to know him.’ Funny. Sexy. Strong. Smart. ‘And you? What happens for you next?’

  ‘King Jaeger has ordained that I am allowed to continue to work for GeoTech if I want to, but I’m to have no contact with the Princess ever again.’

  Regan heard the slight strain in his voice and groaned. ‘You’re in love with her, aren’t you?’

  ‘In love with her?’ Chad looked at her, astonishment widening his eyes. ‘Of course I’m not in love with her, we’re just friends. I mean, she’s incredibly beautiful inside and out but...honestly, she reminded me a bit of myself at the same age. When I felt unsure about my place in the world.’ He grimaced at the memory. ‘I felt bad that she didn’t have anyone supportive in her life the way I had you and I wanted to be there for her. But right now I’m more worried about you.’ He took her hands in his. ‘Did the King hurt you in any way? Did he force himself on you? Because if he did I’ll... I’ll—’

  ‘He didn’t force me, Chad.’ She gave his hands a reassuring squeeze before moving towards the windows overlooking the garden. ‘Not in the way you mean. He was just incredibly worried about his sister. I might have done the same thing he did if our situations had been reversed.’

  A sort of pained silence followed her statement and she glanced over to see Chad watching her. ‘You’re in love with him aren’t you?’

  Regan gave a shuddering smile. ‘Is it that obvious?’

  ‘Oh, Reggie. What are you going to do?’

  ‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘There’s nothing I can do. He’s made it more than clear that he wants me gone, so I guess I’ll go home.’

  ‘Have you told him how you feel?’

  ‘God, no.’ Regan gave a resigned shake of her head. ‘Believe me, Chad, if King Jaeger had wanted me to stay with him he would have said so. But the fact is he has everything he needs already.’ And all she had to do was find a way to get over him.

  ‘There’s a car waiting to take me back to my apartment. Do you want to come with me?’

  ‘Of course. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go.’

  ‘But the King... Are you going to at least say goodbye to him?’

  Regan thought about it but she knew she couldn’t do it. ‘He knows where I am, Chad, and he knows I’ll be going with you. Prolonging the inevitable isn’t going to change anything.’ In fact, it would only make her feel worse.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  JAEGER LOOKED DOWN at the report in his hand that detailed just how phenomenally successful the summit had been. It was everything he could have hoped for and yet he had to force himself to feel enthusiastic about it. He’d had to force himself to feel enthusiastic about anything since Regan had walked out of his life a week ago.

  It was as if every day was a test of his endurance. A test of his stamina.

  He recalled the day the phone call had come through about his father’s accident. At first the words coming out of Tarik’s mouth had been surreal and then his brain had kicked into high gear. He’d made sure Milena was taken care of. Then he’d flown home to Santara and been met by a legion of cabinet ministers and officials, all awaiting direction on how to handle the death of the King and what to do next. It had been an immense learning curve, and Regan had been right when she’d said that he hadn’t grieved properly. He’d been almost numb through those first difficult months and by the time he might have had some time to take a breath it had seemed indulgent to do so. He had a job to do and he’d done it to the best of his ability.

  He’d thought that had been the greatest test of his stamina. Turned out it was nothing compared to watching Regan get into that car with her brother without a backward glance.

  But what else had he expected? He’d scared her in the shisha bar and then again in her hotel room, he’d forced her to come to the palace, where he’d detained her, then he’d forced her to play hostess for him at an international summit, after which he’d forced her to go to his oasis and... His mind blanked out the events that had taken place in his bed after the celebratory dinner his tribesmen had put on. It had been the only way he hadn’t jumped on a plane and immediately followed her to New York. But he hadn’t forced himself on her that night. He knew she had come to his bed willingly, her ability to deny the chemistry between them about as strong as his had been.

  Zero.

  But what was the point in reliving it all? She was back in New York, back to her normal life, and so was he. Back to...back to...

  A knock at the door prevented his brooding thoughts from continuing. Thank the heavens.

  Tarik entered, looking harassed. The last time he’d looked this way a russet haired, cinnamon-eyed American had been the cause.

  ‘I thought you’d finished for the day,’ he told his aide.

  ‘Almost, Your Majesty.’

  ‘Did you see Milena?’

  ‘I did. She is fine. The dress-fitting went very well.’

  That surprised him. He still didn’t know if his sister really want to marry the Prince of Toran. She hadn’t said. In fact she hadn’t said anything much to him these past few days, still angry with him for banning her from seeing Chad James. But what had she expected? That he would welcome their friendship with open arms? The man was lucky enough to still have a job. A concession he’d only made because of Regan.

  ‘Good. So what’s put that look on your face?’

  ‘The PR department are querying the statement about the end of your engagement to Miss James...’

  ‘What of it?’

  ‘Well, sir, they’d like to know when you plan to release it to the media?’

  Jag swivelled his chair to stare out at the dusky night sky. It was orange and mauve, almost a replica of the night he’d lain with Regan by the side of the lagoon. ‘When I’m ready. I’m still not happy with the wording.’

  ‘The wording, sir?’

  ‘I don’t want there to be any fallout for Miss James. I want the responsibility for what has happened to fall on my shoulders, not hers.’

  ‘Admirable, Your Majesty, but it’s a bit late for that.’

  Jag’s eyes narrowed as he studied his trusted aide. ‘What are you talking about?’ he asked, as fingers of unease whispered across the nape of his neck.

  ‘The Press have been hounding Miss James ever since she returned to America, sir. I thought that, with the release of the statement ending your engagement, that might ease up for her.’

  ‘What do you mean, the Press have been hounding her? I organised a full security detail to accompany Regan on the jet home. They were to keep the Press at bay for as long as necessary once she got there.’

  ‘Miss James took a commercial flight home, sir.’

  Jag surged to his feet, every muscle in his body tight. ‘Why wasn’t I told about this?’ he asked with a deadly sense of calm.

  ‘Because the staff are too afraid to mention her name around you, Your Majesty.’

  ‘You’re not.’

  ‘Actually I...’ His aide flushed. ‘After I returned the ring to you I dared not saying anything again. But if you don’t mind me asking, sir, why did you let her go? I thought she was wonderful for you. All the staff did.’

  Why had he let her go?

  Because he hadn’t had any choice. He’d wronged her. A woman whose company he enjoyed. A woman he had come to respect abo
ve all others. A woman he had... A rush of emotion threatened to overtake him and he ruthlessly drove it back. This time, though, his formidable mind failed him. This time the emotions kept surging.

  ‘The heart knows what the heart wants.’

  Was it possible? Had he fallen in love with Regan? Logic told him that he hadn’t spent enough time with her for that to happen but his heart wasn’t listening.

  He stared at his aide as all the pieces finally fell into place. ‘Fear,’ he enunciated succinctly, reefing his jacket from the hanger near his door and striding out of his office. ‘Nothing but fear.’

  * * *

  ‘Are they still outside?’

  ‘Still outside?’ Penny turned from glancing out of the sitting-room window of Regan’s apartment. ‘They’re outside, up the street, and in the trees. In fact I think there are more of them today than yesterday.’

  Regan sighed. ‘I was hoping they’d have started to lose interest by now.’

  ‘This is ridiculous, Regan,’ Penny snapped. ‘You have to do something about it. They’ve been chasing after you like you’re an animal. It’s terrible.’

  ‘I know. But what can I do? I told them I wasn’t with the King any more but they don’t believe me.’

  Penny pulled a face. ‘Once you become mistress to the King—voila, instant celebrity as far as the Press is concerned.’

  ‘Who would want it?’ Regan groaned into her hands. ‘And I wasn’t his mistress.’

  ‘You did say you slept with him.’

  ‘One night. That hardly makes me his mistress.’

  ‘You know you blush every time you mention him, don’t you? Was the sex that good?’

  Regan blushed harder.

  ‘Don’t answer that.’ Penny sighed. ‘One day I want great sex like that. Even if it is just for one night.’

  ‘You don’t,’ Regan returned. ‘Believe me, I’ve been practising getting over him and...’ Her voice choked up. ‘I’m getting there.’

  Regan knew from losing her parents that time healed all wounds. And when it didn’t it at least dulled the pain to a manageable level. Unfortunately that didn’t seem to be happening yet.