Page 10 of Claimed By the Crown Prince
She made a face. ‘No. And don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic? Kidnap?’
‘What would you call it, then, if not kidnapping?’
She stopped chopping, as if considering this, and then said, ‘A momentary redirection.’ She added, ‘I took the liberty of stocking clothes because I knew you would need them.’
Dax wasn’t sure whether to feel amused, bemused or insulted. Or irritated. Very few people had the wherewithal to derail his life like this. He didn’t like the sensation of being powerless.
‘You got the sizes mostly right, but I’m not sure a black tuxedo is entirely necessary.’
She shrugged. ‘You know as well as I do that we have to be prepared at all times for any eventuality.’
Dax could appreciate that. As a royal, he did have to be prepared for literally everything, but somehow he couldn’t see a black-tie event in his near future.
Then Dax thought of something—very belatedly. ‘I have a hotel room. My things...my passport.’
‘Taken care of,’ the Princess said briskly. ‘I’ve instructed the hotel to pack your things and put them in the safe until you return to pick them up.’
The irritation spiked. He was a busy man. ‘And that would be...when, exactly?’
She looked at him. ‘Ten days at the most.’
Enough was enough. ‘Look, Princess Laia—’
She put up a hand. ‘Please, call me Laia. I don’t think we need to stand on formalities here, do we?’
Dax clenched his jaw and then said sweetly, ‘Well, seeing as how we’re going to be in-laws, no, I guess not. The same goes for you...just Dax will suffice.’
She flushed at that and went back to her chopping. ‘I’m making a chicken and vegetable stir-fry for dinner. You’re welcome to have some.’
He noted she wasn’t inviting him to join her. ‘Not exactly what I would have expected a princess to be doing.’
She looked at him. ‘Don’t judge us all by your standards.’
Dax’s gaze narrowed on Laia. He didn’t like the way her judgement of him pricked his skin like a sharp knife.
He put his hands on the island. ‘You really don’t like me, do you? Which is strange, because we don’t even know each other. Maybe if you gave me a chance you’d realise that I’m not the person you clearly think I am.’
She went pinker. The fact that she couldn’t hide her reactions was fascinating to Dax.
She said, ‘Perhaps. But we’re not really here to get acquainted.’
Dax’s blood grew warm at the thought of getting ‘acquainted’. He resisted her statement. It made him feel rebellious. Like forgetting he had a duty to his brother where this woman was concerned.
He wanted her.
And he’d wanted her since he’d seen her in that club. He had a feeling it was going to get harder to ignore.
‘Well, maybe you should have thought about that before sequestering us on a private island with—as far as I can make out—not a whole lot to do.’
She visibly gulped at that, but it was little comfort. The magnitude of what had happened seemed to hit Dax at that moment, and suddenly he felt as caged as a captive tiger, even within this lush paradise.
With exaggerated care he said, ‘Thank you for the offer of food, but I’ll look after myself. I would have contributed to the shopping if I’d known what to expect.’
Laia’s eyes darted to him as if she was sensing his sudden volatility. ‘That’s okay... We have enough supplies. There’ll be leftovers if you change your mind.’
Dax turned and walked away, exerting every atom of control he could muster. He had operated outside of his comfort zone for a long time, so this situation was irritating but not disconcerting. But what he wasn’t prepared for was the feeling of emotional exposure. And no way was he going to let Laia see how she affected him.
CHAPTER THREE