‘I’m sorry?’
‘Marry me. I’ll keep you safe, and you’ll be doing me a favour.’
Blood drained from her face. ‘No,’ she told him in a shocked voice.
‘No?’
‘Do you seriously think I would leave one disaster behind only to walk blindly into another?’
‘It would be a sensible arrangement.’
‘Sensible?’Her expression turned from shock to anger. ‘Is that all I am to you? A convenience? I almost believed you.’ Her voice broke. Shooting up in bed, she quickly covered herself again, remembering she was naked. ‘I think you’d better leave.’
‘My room?’
‘All right. I’ll leave.’ Grabbing the sheet, she stumbled out of bed. He reached out to steady her. She knocked his hand away. ‘Don’t touch me! Don’t even look at me! I’ll never forgive you for this!’
Throwing his head back, he roared in agony as she left, slamming the door behind her. To say this situation was new to him would be putting it mildly. If he wanted to keep Samia on side, he’d have to act fast, or he might just lose the best thing that had ever happened to him.
She took a shower, which gave her the chance to reflect on Luca’s proposal. It was hard to believe he was serious. How could he be? Why choose her? Did he think her so malleable and such a fool that she would marry simply for advantage? Was that what people did in royal circles? Maybe, but it would never be enough for her. But she refused to hide away here. She would confront him. She’d tried and failed to save her father, but she would not fail this test. This was the new Samia. Luca might wield all the power in the world, but she would stand up to him.
She’d calmed down a little by the time she got dressed, and had accepted that family was everything, for her and for Luca, and, as far as he was concerned, Madlena was his family, and he would do anything to safeguard his people, which was where she came in. The Pirate Prince clearly needed a bride to reassure the citizens of Madlena that he was bringing them peace and optimism, not turmoil and uncertainty. But surely he must have a list of princesses waiting with bated breath for his call? Madlena might be small, but it was a fabulously wealthy little island since his parents had arrived at the brilliant solution of turning it into a tax haven. She could only imagine the long line of hopefuls vying for a slice of that.
Perhaps he’d been looking for something more than an avaricious princess?
But I’m no one. Why choose me? What have I got to offer? If I were choosing a bride for Luca...
Yes?
She couldn’t even bear to think about it. Which was ridiculous, remembering their latest encounter. It was time to find out exactly what was going on—in her head as well as his.
Still reeling from Samia’s refusal, Luca was ready to concede that he could have put it better, or maybe chosen a better moment, but he was a plain-speaking man.
Leaving the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, he used another to towel dry his hair vigorously before raking it with impatient fingers. He had always wanted everything yesterday.
She had come back?
He stilled as Samia entered the room wearing a plush robe she’d thrown on, and had belted carelessly in her rush to get back.
To him?
Maybe not, he thought dazedly as she launched into a tirade.Guilty on all counts, he mused. She went on to list all the reasons why she couldn’t marry him.
‘I’m a divorcee. My father’s in prison.’
‘He was convicted of fraud. Am I right?’
‘You’ve read his file, I imagine?’
‘I have,’ he confirmed. ‘Further investigation proved that the mysterious funds in your father’s bank account lead straight back to your ex.’
‘Everyone knows that. They were to pay off his gambling debts.’
‘No. He had already paid those off.’
‘What?’
This new information stripped away her battling front, replacing it with an expression of hope so intense it was almost painful to see. ‘The funds that put your father in prison were added to his account at a later date. It’s my belief he was set up, and I intend to prove it.’
