Maharaja's Mistress

‘You always loved surprises, Mia.’

Kissing Ram absolutely qualified as an acceptable surprise. Flirting with him? Yes, that too. But being seduced onto his super-yacht with just the promise of a guided tour? How dumb was she? ‘Maybe I did used to love surprises but that was half a lifetime ago and you can’t just take me anywhere you want without my say-so, Ram.’

‘Watch me.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous—you have to take me back.’

‘No,’ he said flatly.

‘What did you say?’

‘Get used to it, Mia. You’re coming with me.’

She had underestimated Ram and the ease with which his sophisticated yacht could slip out of harbour—making barely a sound.

Chapter Eight

HE’D reasoned it this way. He had a duty towards Mia. If it had been his sister holed up in Monte Carlo in a dead-end job—going nowhere, distanced from her family—he knew Tom would have stepped in.

Of course, there was another part of this reasoning that could not include some fictional sister and his brother-in-arms. He was attracted to Mia—intrigued by her too. She had always been different, and now she was all grown-up he wasn’t ready to let go of her yet. ‘You can yell all you like,’ he told her as she swore at him like a trooper. ‘No one’s listening.’

‘So, you’re kidnapping me?’ she demanded as his sleek white yacht speeded up, leaving the shoreline far behind in its silvery wake.

‘Don’t you trust me, Mia?’

‘Don’t you use that look on me, Ram Varindha,’ she told him furiously.

He had always wanted Mia to trust him, but since Tom’s engagement party Mia had doubted him—doubted his intentions. Well, she needn’t doubt them now—they were wholly dishonourable.

‘You kissed me so I wouldn’t notice the boat leaving dock.’

‘I kissed you because I wanted to.’

She touched her lips. ‘You wanted to…’ She paused for the briefest moment and then she rounded on him. ‘And I’m supposed to believe that?’

Ram had perfected the Look, Mia decided. It was the look she had always wanted to see on his face, but not now—not now when she needed her wits about her.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’ he demanded as she walked away.

She hardly knew herself. ‘To make a call—to the authorities,’ she said, firming up her plans as she pulled out her phone.

‘Why don’t you calm down, Mia?’ he said, catching up with her in a couple of strides. ‘I’m hardly the enemy.’ And then he laughed as if this were all one of their childhood jokes. ‘Or do you want me to restrain you?’ he murmured, bringing her close.

‘I don’t think that’s very funny, Ram…’

But as Ram angled his chin to level a challenging stare at her, her gaze slipped to his lips. ‘You wouldn’t dare,’ she whispered.

Ram’s brow lifted, leaving her to battle an intoxicating mix of excitement and erotic terror.

‘I’ve got plenty of time to decide what to do with you,’ he promised.

‘How long exactly?’ she pressed, refusing to be schmoozed. ‘Don’t you realise I have to go to work tomorrow?’

‘I took care of that.’

‘What do you mean, you took care of it?’ she demanded, losing it again.

‘I thought you looked a little jaded.’ He curbed a smile. ‘Monsieur Michel agreed with me—so we booked some time off for you—’

‘We? We booked some time off?’ Mia exploded. ‘You did what? How dare you? You had absolutely no right! You can’t make decisions for me.’ All the time she was yelling at him a little curl of excitement was busy in her lower regions—not that that was any reason to let Ram off the hook. He’d gone too far this time. ‘There are other people who will report me missing,’ she told him confidently.

‘Your flatmates?’

Of course, he must have spoken to them too, Mia realised, and the girls would only applaud what they would see as Ram’s extravagantly romantic gesture. ‘You set this whole thing up—you can’t deny it.’

‘To be fair, it hasn’t been long in the planning.’

The breath shot out of her lungs as he yanked her to him. ‘Are you sure you want to go back, Mia?’

‘Are you sure you know what you’ve taken on?’ she countered, only to spoil the effect of her threat by shivering with uncontrollable lust as Ram brushed her mouth with his lips. ‘So, what happens now?’ she said, shaking herself round to some semblance of lucidity.

‘What would you like to happen?’ Ram stroked her arms. ‘I could take you back in the helicopter…’

And just when she should have said: Yes, you do that—she hesitated.

‘You used to love adventures, Mia.’

‘Yes. When I was in control of them.’

‘You’re in control now,’ Ram assured her. His grip softened in a way that made her want the moment to last forever. ‘I’ll take you back if that’s what you really want…’

A frown brewed inside her. Was that what she really wanted? Or was this…?

‘Stay or go, make your mind up,’ Ram pointed out.

‘I’d like to…’

‘What?’ he murmured. ‘What would you like, Mia?’

She wanted to be with Ram. She wanted to be his equal—if not in wealth and status, then at least in determination to fulfil her potential. Monsieur Michel had taken a chance on her and she hadn’t let him down. Maybe she could pick up her design career. Her girlfriends had never mentioned her injuries—Ram hardly seemed to notice them. Maybe she was just too wrapped up in herself—maybe she needed to take this opportunity Ram was offering her and exploit it on every level. She wanted him, didn’t she? She wanted to take the stuffy life he seemed happy to return to and turn it on its head. Suddenly all this burst out as, ‘I’d like to build rather than coast along—I’d like to pick up my life, Ram.’

He went still and she fell silent, feeling rather foolish now. But she hadn’t finished yet. She couldn’t leave it here and braced herself for what had to come next. ‘So we take this trip together. What then?’ As Ram loosened his grip on her she felt as vulnerable as she ever had. There were no false promises in his eyes, or glib words falling from his lips. There was just the usual steel-trap brain working through the possibilities.

‘I could arrange an introduction to my design team—if that’s what you want?’

Of course his thoughts would all be practical. There could be no talk of love and marriage, horse and carriage. ‘That’s very generous of you, Ram.’ And she meant it. How many people had taken a chance on her? Maybe it was time to pick herself up, she’d raced again—she could take back the rest of her dreams.

‘We might even be able to involve you in one of the new projects.’

Oh, he knew just how to work her. But there was no harm in finding out more. ‘I’m listening…’

‘Let’s go inside.’

The decision was made, Mia realised as they turned their back on the sea. Ram had baited the trap and she had walked in happily—but there was more than a piece of cheese at stake here. Ram was a practised seducer, while she had a heart so full of holes thanks to him it was like a sieve. ‘Will you let me off at the next port?’

‘You could hop off when we reach the Suez Canal, I suppose.’

Mia’s mouth formed a question, but no sound came out, and before she could demand an explanation, Ram said coolly, ‘Perhaps you’d better sleep on it—let’s talk tomorrow. There’s plenty of time, Mia,’ he added when she looked at him blankly. ‘This won’t be a short voyage. I’ll have one of the stewards show you to your suite of rooms—’

‘My suite of rooms? So you knew I’d stay?’

Of course he had. Ram wasn’t noted for his careless gestures—more for his exploits in the business world and the bedroom, which he executed with the same icy precision. And she had briefly thought he was the same easy-going childhood friend? A lot had happened to Ram since then—things she

didn’t know about or understand.

That ice pick was bounding off his heart again, Mia mused as Ram walked away. So much for banishing the nightmares—’Ram—wait—’

‘I have things to do, Mia.’

He didn’t even break stride. He just called back to her over his shoulder and kept right on walking.