Of course they were.
He would hardly kidnap her and take her to a bustling metropolis where she could scream her head off and attract attention at the first opportunity, now, would he?
She shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself, fearing the worst. But how else could she explain what he done? ‘You kidnapped me,’ she accused, while hoping he would deny it.
He merely shrugged. ‘Let’s not place labels on actions just yet, shall we?’
‘Of course not. Because what could be more damning than a royal prince intent on protecting his pristine image?’
His eyes narrowed on her face. ‘You look better rested,’ he said, smoothly changing the subject.
‘In time for the interrogation you have in store for me, I’m sure.’
His sensual lips pursed and he advanced towards her, holding out his hand. ‘It doesn’t have to be an interrogation.’
‘Oh? What do you call this, then, spiriting me thousands of miles away just to have a discussion with me? Did you even think to ask me or are my wishes completely irrelevant to you?’
His hand dropped like a stone, his face hardening even further. ‘I told you why I was taking steps to safeguard my family’s privacy. My brother just got married. My mother is weeks away from stepping down from the throne. Have you forgotten that there are those who will take advantage of another hint of scandal to further their own agendas?’
Her heart lurched, a reminder of that meeting with his defence minister rising to the fore. ‘You really think they would use news of a child as a tool?’ she muttered.
His hand rose again, this time more commanding. ‘It’s not a scenario I’m willing to wait around for or risk discovering first-hand. You will stay here until we settle things between us.’
He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
That much was evident in the watchful intensity in his eyes. But the suspicion that he wasn’t giving her the full picture and that she really couldn’t very well stay on the plane for ever forced her to toss aside covers she couldn’t remember pulling over herself and, ignoring his outstretched hand simply because she didn’t think she could withstand his touch on top of everything else, rose to her feet.
Her shoes were nowhere in sight, neither was her weekend bag.
Before she could demand their whereabouts, he reached for her, sweeping her smoothly into his arms.
She suppressed a gasp as he pressed her against his hard-muscled body, reminding her with sizzling efficiency of everything she’d tried to forget about his physical perfection. And failed. ‘Put me down. I’m quite capable of walking.’
‘Your things have been packed in the car, including your shoes. Unless you wish to burn your feet on the baking asphalt outside, I’m your ride.’
There was no use arguing because he was already striding out of the plane.
If it hadn’t been the height of absurd childishness, she would have squeezed her eyes shut and pretended he didn’t exist.
But he did exist.
He was a solid unshakeable presence in her life, intent on...
What were Zak’s true intentions besides the excuses he’d tossed at her? And why couldn’t she stop the rush of awareness at being pressed so tightly against him?
Violet took a keener interest in her surroundings, eagerly wishing for anything to dissipate his effect on her. But even her surroundings were intent on assaulting her senses with an overload of beauty.
Tall palm trees swayed in the distance, a carpet of lush greenery extending left and right of the long runway as far as the eye could see. What she knew of private Caribbean islands was that they were compact, easily traversable from one end to the other.
Not this one, of course.
Several minutes after Zak had placed her in the front seat of a gleaming SUV and slid behind the wheel, they were still nowhere near their destination. Sunglasses shielded his expression from her and, apparently deciding to take a leaf from her book, he’d lapsed into silence once they were in the car.
Behind them, two more SUVs followed, one containing his bodyguards and the other with a boot full of luggage, triggering the suspicion that Zak intended to remain here for a while. It was that thought that triggered her speech.
‘How long do you expect this theatre to play out?’
He slanted a glance at her. ‘Theatre?’