Bound to Her Desert Captor

Penny raised a brow. ‘He said please that time. Do you want me to get it?’

Regan shook her head. ‘I will.’

On legs that felt like overcooked spaghetti, Regan walked to the door and opened it. As soon as she did her heart stopped beating. When it started again it jumped into her mouth.

Jag stood on her doorstep with what looked like two paratroopers behind him, a dark scowl on his face. ‘You’re lucky you answered it when you did. I was just about to break it down.’

‘Why?’

‘I thought something had happened to you. You haven’t answered a single call I’ve made in the last ten hours.’

‘Oh.’ Still trying to take in the fact that he was here, in New York, on her doorstep, she stared at him blankly. ‘I’ve stopped carrying my phone around with me because it never stops ringing.’

‘Do you know how dangerous that is?’

‘At the minute I go from work to home and back again. Anything else is impossible.’

‘That’s because you didn’t take the security detail I organised for you. That was not a good call.’

‘You’re not responsible for me.’

‘The hell I’m not.’ His blue eyes turned fierce. ‘Didn’t you think something like this would happen? That the paparazzi would want your story?’

‘No. I told you my world is usually a lot smaller than yours. I didn’t know what to expect until I got here and then...’

‘You should have called me to tell me!’

‘I wasn’t sure you’d take my call.’ And she couldn’t have lived with that. ‘Listen, I’m fine. I appreciate your concern but... I can cope.’

He ran his eyes over her and she felt terribly exposed in her cut-off shorts and worn T-shirt.

‘I know you can cope. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.’ He dragged a hand through his hair and her pulse rocketed at the memory of how it had felt on her fingers.

The air between them seemed to throb as it usually did when he was this close, and she saw him swallow heavily.

‘We’re not having this conversation out here, Regan.’ He strode past her into her flat and Regan felt helpless to stop him.

She nearly ran smack into the back of him when he stopped in the doorway to her living room.

‘Who are you?’

‘I’m ah... I’m ah... Penny, Regan’s friend.’

‘Well, Penny, Regan’s friend, I’m King Jaeger of Santara, Regan’s fiancée, and I’d really like to talk to her alone.’

‘Oh, sure. Of course.’ Penny seemed to visibly pull herself together at being confronted by royalty. ‘Well, that is, if it’s okay with Regan.’

Regan was still trying to process what he had just announced. ‘You’re not still my fiancée.’

He turned his piercing blue eyes on her. ‘Actually I am. I haven’t officially ended things between us yet.’

‘You haven’t...’ She frowned. ‘I gave you back the ring and Milena is home. The deal ended then.’

‘I’m changing the terms of it.’

‘You can’t do that.’

He looked at her with patient exasperation. ‘Will you please give your friend permission to leave? Unless you want an audience for the rest of this conversation.’