by Melody Anne
Isabella’s eyes met this man’s intense gaze, and she opened her mouth to speak. No words came out as she tried to figure out what it was she was feeling. There was certainly fear inside her, but something new was also beginning to seep through her blood. She didn’t have time to figure it out.
“Let me up,” she said, wanting the words to come out forcefully. They were little more than a squeak though.
“I’m finding it’s dangerous to allow you freedom,” he said. It almost sounded like amusement in his tone. She was unsure what to think of that.
His amusement seemed to die quickly as his gaze caressed her face, resting on her parted lips. An unfamiliar feeling of hunger coursed through her body as he pressed a little more tightly against her, his eyes narrowing.
It took a few more seconds for her to realize it was desire blazing in his eyes, and about a second longer to understand her body was reacting to that desire in a way that was foreign to her. Though he’d taken her from her room in the middle of the night, there was something about this man that spoke of honor. Maybe she was going about this the wrong way. Maybe he could be reasoned with. She had nothing to lose by trying.
“I’m not consenting to what you’re thinking,” she said, emotion lodged in her throat. “If you’re a gentleman of any kind you’ll release me.”
His eyes snapped back to hers as he looked slightly horrified. He released her hands, and she felt relief as she pulled them to her sides, allowing blood to flow through her tingling hands. The man had a strong grip, that was for sure. Everything about him was massive and solid. She had never been so intimately pressed against any man, and hadn’t imagined ever lying this way with someone so . . . she couldn’t complete the thought. He was just so . . . so everything.
Her heart thundered as he looked at her lips again, and she was fighting a panic attack as she found it difficult to breathe. She wasn’t sure if it was the weight of him or if these odd feelings running through her system caused a total system failure.
“I can’t breathe,” she said, her voice conveying the urgency of the situation.
His expression remained suspicious, but he rose up, keeping his knees tightly pressed against the outside of her thighs and sat down against her hips, keeping her pinned to the ground.
“I’ve enjoyed the chase, Izzy, but I can’t have you running off every five minutes. There are things that go bump in the night even on an island, and I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he told her.
“What?” she squeaked. “Are you going to pretend to be worried about me?” The thought was ridiculous.
“I’m responsible for you until I figure out what I will do next,” he told her.
Fury rushed through her. “You will let me go. That’s what you will do,” she said. She barely refrained from reaching up and slapping him again. All that would lead to was being fully pinned down. She had to be smarter than that.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said after a slight pause as if he had to think about that.
“You will stop touching me,” she said again. Although she knew this man was dangerous, there was something in his expression that told her he wasn’t a typical thug wandering the streets in the night. There was something that assured he wouldn’t hurt her. She was pretty damn naïve though, and she might be completely misreading the situation.
He quickly leaned down, his hands on either side of her face as he lowered his head so he was only a few inches from her mouth. His hot breath caressed her lips as his eyes darkened.
“I will bite off your tongue if you dare to put it in my mouth,” she threatened.
He looked surprised for a moment and then that earlier sparkle she’d witnessed in him flashed through his eyes again before the corner of his lip turned up. He rose a brow at her, and she desperately wanted to smack the smugness right out of him.
“I mean it,” she said, just in case he wasn’t taking her seriously enough.
Quickly he swooped in and captured her bottom lip between his teeth, gently biting down before releasing her, not giving her enough time to do anything about the action. He pulled back then jumped to his feet. She lay there a moment longer, in shock at all that had happened in such a short period of time.
“I bite too,” he smugly said as he held out a hand to help her up.
With a glare, she ignored the hand and ungracefully struggled to her feet. She took one step away from him, and then another. She had no idea where she was going, but she didn’t struggle when he physically turned her body and pointed in a different direction from where she’d been headed.
Her chin pointing upward, she marched forward, not knowing what the rest of this day would bring. She felt she was in a dangerous situation, but there were other emotions stirring inside of her she had no chance of understanding.
“I’m Robert, by the way,” he said. He was close enough to her she could practically feel the vibration from his body as he spoke.
“It’s definitely not a pleasure to meet you,” she told him, refusing to look his way.
When she heard him chuckle at her words, her fingers clenched into fists. It appeared there wasn’t much she could do about her situation, but being a dancing clown for this man was the last thing she wanted to do.
She decided she’d obey as best she could until she figured out how to get away. In the meantime she was going to refuse to speak to him. She didn’t know what good that would do, but it was all she could come up with.
This man — this Robert — wasn’t getting the best of her. Not on this day, not on any day.
CHAPTER FOUR
ISABELLA WAS SILENT as she walked for what seemed like hours but in reality was about thirty minutes. Robert whistled as he moved beside her, seeming as if he had nothing better to do than take a stroll through the woods on a nice summer afternoon.
When the two of them turned a bend, Isabella stopped in her tracks. Before them was a huge castle, the walls towering high into the sky, grey walls gleaming in the bright sun, and even a large moat surrounding the entire property, which seemed to stretch on forever.
Robert stopped with her as he looked upon the monstrous place. What in the world was happening right now?
“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Robert asked with a grin, pointing in the castle’s direction.
“What is this?” she asked as she gazed ahead. She saw movement near the palace and realized they weren’t as alone as she’d thought they’d been. That meant she truly did have a chance to escape.
“This is our summer escape,” he said as if it were obvious.
“Who are you?” she gasped. None of this made a lick of sense.
Robert smiled at her and stood there with his arms crossed against his chest. There was a cocky gleam in his eyes that told her he belonged in this castle. Though Isabella didn’t know a lot about the outside world, she had found Rubare Collina fascinating and she’d looked at pictures of the king and his brothers. That had been a while ago, but she would remember seeing a picture of Robert’s face . . . and she hadn’t.
“Do you want to know me?” Robert asked without answering her question.
“No!” she said, wanting to throw a child-size tantrum. “I want you to tell me who you are, and then I want you to stop all of this nonsense.”
Robert’s grin only grew.
“Damn, you have such spirit,” he said, the words meant to be a compliment she thought, but she wasn’t taking it that way.
“I have an urge to live and not be violated,” she corrected.
Those words made the grin drop from his smug lips as he looked away for a moment before his intense gaze caught hers again.
“Yeah, there’s been a little bit of a misunderstanding,” Robert finally said. For the first time since she’d been captured by this man she heard traces of unease in his voice. That fascinated her.
“Go on,” she insisted.
He shifted on his feet before he stiffened his spine. It was odd how easily he went fro
m discomfort to looking as if he belonged in the throne room of a castle. She waited, now needing to know who he was.
“I’m Prince Robert Phillip Demande of Rubare Virgina. My cousin and I had a bet and I was to “capture” a woman. The thing is, somehow I got the wrong girl,” he said with a shrug, not at all seeming apologetic.
She allowed his words to sink into her disbelieving brain and waited for him to give more of an explanation. When he didn’t she found her anger rising. She opened her mouth to speak and no words escaped, so she shut it and closed her eyes for a moment. She would probably be arrested if she screamed at him like she wanted to. She might be beheaded if she flew at him and poked his eyes out. But that thought was mighty tempting as well.
“You took the wrong woman?” she said, sarcasm and anger clearly evident in her tone.
He shrugged. “Yep. It happens,” he told her.
It was taking all Isabella had to keep her hands clenched at her sides. She now was ninety-nine percent sure this man wasn’t going to assault her, but that only made her fear go away. It did nothing for the unbelievable anger building strong and steady deep inside of her.
“No Robert, it doesn’t happen,” she yelled.
He cocked his head to the side as he studied her.
“You’re upset,” he said before shrugging. She expected him to go on, but the foolish man just continued looking at her as if he’d done nothing more than drop his pencil on the ground and break the lead.
“Who in the hell do you think you are that you can take visitors to your country and refuse to let them go?” she demanded. She was managing to keep her voice at a decent volume, but that was only because she considered herself a hell of a lot more civilized than she did him.
“It’s not my country. It’s my cousin’s,” he pointed out.
His correction made her body shake with her desire to kick him so hard in the shins he would forever walk with a limp. She was beginning to care less about what this country’s people would have to say about it.
“This is unacceptable. You will turn us both around and take me home. I will think about forgetting this ever happened since I haven’t been physically injured. My mental status, on the other hand, might never be the same again.”
She felt relief when she realized he was going to have to set her free. He could, in no way, start an international scandal by capturing a visiting American and holding her hostage. From what she’d read about Rubare Collina, it had its issues, but they were very much implemented into the twenty-first century. She’d assume it was the same in Rubare Virgina.
“Sorry. I can’t do that. We’ve started this journey so we just have to see it through,” Robert told her.
When she realized he was serious she didn’t know what else she could say. This man had made a mistake and instead of trying to redeem himself and fix the situation, he was simply readjusting his plans . . . at her expense.
“I’m not staying with you,” she told him. If she was utterly confident in her words, maybe, just maybe, he’d realize she wasn’t worth the hassle of keeping.
“You don’t have a choice. In this country they are known for capturing their future brides,” he told her, then had the gall to wink at her.
“Did you say bride?” She gasped as she took an automatic step away from him.
“Well, this might get me in some pretty hot water. The solution for saving my reputation could be to marry you,” he said with a shrug. He didn’t appear to care either way.
Isabella had no idea how to even talk to this man. He was obviously mentally ill. A rational person wouldn’t say such things to a stranger, and the two of them were most certainly not friends or lovers. She’d known him for only a few hours, and he hadn’t made a good first impression.
“There will be no marriage, no more kidnapping, and no more speaking. Take me home,” she said before she stomped her foot, hating the action as soon as she did it.
“Sorry. This is home until I figure it all out. You’ll enjoy yourself though. And before you even think about asking for help from the staff here, you should know most of them don’t speak English, and the ones who do would never go against those they serve.”
“In other words, I won’t escape unless it’s at your will,” she said.
Her anger was quickly draining as she realized the seriousness of her situation. She was with a man she didn’t know, who also happened to be a crown prince. The two of them were on an island in the middle of a vast ocean, and she didn’t have a phone, clothes, or money. She was truly at the mercy of this man — at this royal pain in the ass.
“That sums it up nicely. Shall we go inside?” he asked, holding out his arm.
She gave him her most murderous look before turning and rapidly making her way toward the enormous bridge over the moat and into the courtyard of the castle. She ignored the people who greeted Robert, but she did note how they looked upon him as if he were a hero.
She had no doubt none of them would help her. But something that was inevitable was, things weren’t always what they seemed. There had to be at least one person who didn’t love their job as much as their employers thought they did. Isabella would find that one person, and then she’d destroy Prince Robert Phillip Demande. He’d certainly regret the day he’d stepped into her bedroom. She wouldn’t stop until he did.
CHAPTER FIVE
ISABELLA WAS TENSE as Robert led her through a maze of hallways until they reached huge double doors where armed men stood. They greeted Robert with a nod of their heads before opening one of the doors, which led to another long hallway.
“This is the royal corridor,” he told her. She remained silent, and he seemed disappointed. But he didn’t add anything more until they reached an ornately decorated door and turned the knob.
It opened into a giant room where a woman stood at the foot of a huge four-poster bed that didn’t take up even an eighth of the floor space. Who in the world needed so much lavishness? Certainly not her.
“I’ll leave you here with Ms. Betty. She’ll take good care of you. We’ll continue our discussion after you’ve had a chance to rest and bathe,” Robert told her as if he was being generous.
“There’s nothing to say unless you’re planning on telling me how I’m going to get home,” she said with a glare.
He smiled at her. “I guarantee you’ll never want to leave my side very soon.”
She rolled her eyes, and he laughed before turning and exiting the room. She heard the loud click of what she knew was a lock. This might be a massively big room with all the luxuries she’d never desired to have, but there was no doubt it was also a prison. She also knew there wouldn’t be a phone in sight.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Izzy. The prince sent someone to inform me of your arrival as soon as you entered the castle grounds,” the petite woman said with a respectful smile and slightly broken English.
Isabella wanted to yell at the woman, but it wasn’t her fault Izzy was in this situation, and she could clearly see the woman worshiped Robert. She’d be no help to Isabella and her escape.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Isabella finally said when the silence had stretched on uncomfortably long. She desperately wanted to be alone now.
“I have clothes laid out for you. Just leave what you’re wearing in the bathroom and I’ll make sure it’s washed,” Ms. Betty said as she eyed the nightshirt in confusion.
“You can burn it for all I care,” Isabella said with a frown. The woman wrung her fingers together in her confusion.
“There are many fine articles of clothing here,” the woman said softly. “So I’ll wash the shirt and bring it back. You might change your mind or you might not want it anymore. You’re tired right now though. I can see you’ve had a long day of travel.”
“Or maybe I was pulled from my bed in the middle of the night and forced to travel with a stranger?” Isabella said, unable to stop herself.
“Oh, well, that might be a reason too,” Ms.
Betty told her.
Isabella turned and walked to a large window to gaze at the grounds. The land stretched for miles upon miles and in the far distance she could see the blue water that led to her freedom. It did no good right now and standing there made her feel more hopeless, so she put her back to the window and looked at the woman who seemed unsure what to do or say.
“If you could point me in the direction of the bathroom that’s all I’ll need. I want to be alone,” Isabella told the woman.
Ms. Betty seemed unsure of this plan, but after a moment’s hesitation she nodded her head and led Isabella to a bathroom large enough to host a football team. She then said goodbye, and Isabella was finally alone.
She blanked out her mind as she filled the huge tub with hot water and scented oils. If she was going to be a prisoner in this strange country, she was going to take advantage of the luxuries before her. Maybe she could even convince herself she was merely at a resort. Surely this prince would tire quickly of the game he’d begun.
Slipping into the water while it still was filling the large tub, Isabella felt her first moment of peace as the scent of Jasmine circled around her in the rising steam from the hot water. She laid her head back and closed her eyes as the tub continued to fill. When she felt it reach her neck she’d find the energy to move and turn it off.
She was drifting in and out of consciousness when she felt the water lapping over the top of her breasts. Before she could find the energy to sit up and reach for the nozzle, silence filled the room as water shut off.
She opened her eyes to see what had happened. Maybe it was on a timer. But instead of seeing an empty room she found Robert standing next to the tub, his eyes dilated as he gazed down at her. For a moment Isabella was frozen as his gaze drifted from her head all the way to her feet and back again.
But her shock evaporated much too late as she sat up straight and pulled her knees to her chest, trying to give herself as much privacy as she possibly could while this so-called prince invaded her personal space once again.