Chapter Nine

The boat carried Isabella and Robert to the main island of Rubare Collina. She’d had to make multiple promises to him she wouldn’t shout to the people she’d been kidnapped and held against her will. She’d also promised she wasn’t unhappy with her current situation. She wasn’t being entirely honest with him, but there was now a part of her that he did actually own free and clear.

For a week she’d slept beside him every single night after making love for hours upon hours, sometimes until the sun was creeping through the windows. She’d waited longer than most people to enjoy the pleasures of sex, but now that she’d experienced it, she couldn’t seem to get enough.

It most certainly irritated her that she had feelings for this man who had taken her by force and refused to release her when she’d demanded it. But she’d been with him for nearly two weeks, and in that time she’d learned he was loyal, kind, good to his people, and very attentive to her. It was difficult for her to know what she thought about all of this.

The boat neared the main island and excitement filled Isabella at the sight of children playing on the docks and fisherman coming and going. She could see a cobblestone path that led into the main part of the city she’d been staying in before her rude awakening.

Isabella hadn’t known how she’d feel upon coming back to the city, but now that she was there, she felt good. She also didn’t have any desire to run to the guards and demand Robert set her free. She knew they would ignore that request anyway as he was a prince and she was a nobody. But beyond that, so much had changed since the night he’d taken her. She was afraid she was developing real feelings for the man. That would be very foolish indeed.

“What are you thinking?” Robert asked. There was apprehension in his eyes though he smiled at her and tried to hide it.

“That this is truly a beautiful town in a beautiful country,” Isabella honestly replied. She was also thinking about him, but there was no need to share that.

As they reached the dock and secured the boat, Isabella’s stomach fluttered. She looked at the people who’d stopped what they were doing to watch her and Robert walk up the dock. As someone recognized him, there was an awed gasp from the crowd and Isabella was in shock at the reverence the people showed him as they bowed while he approached.

She stood back as Robert stopped by a group of teenagers and took pictures with them while making them laugh with a few well-placed jokes. He was a natural at making people comfortable in his presence, and the citizens loved him. This was Rubare Collina, and he was a prince of their sister island, Rubare Virgina, and still these people treated him as if he was their future king.

This was the first time Isabella truly understood she was sleeping with a man who held a lot of power. She was falling for a man who would change her life if she chose to be with him. That thought terrified her enough that she instantly wanted to escape. He was distracted by the people who continued to approach, but, though he seemed to be unaware of what she was doing, she noticed as she moved left or right to get better glimpses of his profile while he visited his followers, his body would shift.

She had no doubt he knew exactly where she was and what she was doing at all times. It was terrifying how much the two of them were connected in such a short amount of time. She didn’t need to hear him enter a room; she’d feel his presence. She’d thought she was the only one to feel that way. She was now thinking she’d very much been mistaken.

Isabella wasn’t sure how long it took for them to leave the docks, but Robert finally approached her, easing his hand into hers, which made her incredibly nervous as cameras snapped while they walked by. She tried pulling free from him as she kept her face aimed at the ground, but a good photographer would not only be able to identify her, but also obtain an image her parents would surely recognize. She hadn’t told them anything of what was happening in her life. She didn’t want to stress them.

“I think this was a mistake,” Isabella told him as she upped her pace and tried to pull her hand free. He didn’t release her and had no difficulty keeping up with her.

“What is?” Robert asked, confusion clear in his tone.

“Coming here with you. So many people are staring . . . and taking pictures,” she said, her anxiety increasing.

“I’m a prince of their neighboring country. Of course they recognize me,” he said as he brushed away her words as if they were nothing.

“I don’t want to be caught in your world,” she told him. He stopped walking, halting her steps as well.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked. He didn’t look happy.

“I don’t want to be plastered on the cover of newspapers or magazines. I like being a nobody,” she insisted.

“But you are mine. And even if you weren’t you could never be a nobody,” he insisted.

“I’m not yours, Robert,” she insisted. “I’m not a possession to be owned.” This was something very important to her. He would understand it, or she’d cause a scene that would surely splash their images all over the Internet.

“Do I need to teach you a lesson in possession?” Robert asked.

That glint in his eyes told her he was up to no good. She now realized that look meant absolute trouble, and she immediately took a step backward, but it was too late. Before she could flee, Robert pulled her against him and leaned down, devouring her mouth. She resisted for all of two seconds before she was lost in his embrace as she always was.

She didn’t hear the cameras snapping or the “ahs” from the crowd. All she could hear, see, and smell was Robert. Once she was in his arms he became her world and she merely orbited around him.

By the time he released her, Isabella’s cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen. She certainly looked like a woman who’d just been well-loved. She smiled at him, her feelings clear for all the world to see. And they did. A brave reporter closed in on them and asked Robert to smile. He held her in his arms and looked right into the man’s camera with a big grin as it flashed.

Isabella immediately realized what he’d done. Betrayal and hurt filtered through her, and she quickly tugged away from him, wanting nothing more than to escape. He didn’t let her hand go but instead led her down the street until they entered a sparsely occupied business.

“I told you that’s what I didn’t want,” Isabella snapped as soon as she was sure they weren’t being overheard.

“And I told you I have plans,” Robert replied.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“I have no desire to lose you at this moment,” he told her before tugging her against him again.

“That choice might not be yours to make,” she said, her back straightening as she glared at him.

“I can tell when a woman is satisfied,” he said with a confident grin. “And believe me, you don’t want to go anywhere.”

Before she was able to reply, a man walked up to them and shook Robert’s hand. Isabella soon discovered they were long-time friends, and she didn’t dare correct Robert when she was introduced as his girlfriend. This nightmare kept getting worse the longer they remained on the main island. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get out of it.

She really wasn’t sure if she wanted to. Maybe she had Stockholm syndrome, or perhaps she was just a foolish woman. Whatever it was, she knew it was nothing but trouble. And if she knew anything about life, she knew trouble was sure to find her.