sed, they were left with the head butler.
‘We’ll take refreshments in the living room, Patrick,’ Zak said, and then he caught hold of her wrist.
Violet went along with him simply because she didn’t want to give an even worse impression of herself in front of his staff. The moment they were alone, she wrenched herself from his grasp.
‘We can finish this thing now. I’m sure it’ll only take a few minutes. Then you can get me off this island.’
He waved a hand at one exquisite striped sofa. ‘Sit down, Violet.’
‘I’m getting tired of you ordering me about, Zak.’
‘You’re a guest in my house and I’m offering you due courtesy.’
‘I’m not a guest. I’m your prisoner. Let’s get at least one thing straight.’
His face tightened. ‘Very well. If you think yourself a prisoner then you should be aware of a few things. There is no way off the island except by boat or air, both of which are under my strict command. Attempt to solicit help from the staff and you will merely be embarrassing yourself. Is that clear?’
She swallowed a knot of disappointment.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Did I just shatter your dreams?’
She forced a laugh. ‘Don’t flatter yourself.’
For a second, a bewildered look chased across his face but it was extinguished just as quickly. ‘Would you like a tour of the property? Most people are content with being in the lap of luxury. Perhaps you’ll change your mind after you’ve seen the place properly?’
‘If you wanted me to view this place as anything but a prison, you should’ve tried inviting me instead of kidnapping me.’
‘Would you have come?’
The question was so unexpected it left her speechless for a moment. Would she have dropped everything to spend time with Zak on his island paradise? When self-preservation alone dictated that she stay as far away from him as possible? ‘No.’
His nostrils flared briefly. ‘Then I have my answer.’
‘For someone so hell-bent on safeguarding your family’s reputation, don’t you think this is merely compounding it? What’s to stop me from going straight to the tabloids and reporting you to the authorities once you set me free? Or do you intend to keep me here for ever?’
‘Now, there’s a thought,’ he drawled.
The notion that he would even consider such a thing had her stalking over to where he lounged in the chair, master and commander of all he surveyed. ‘This isn’t funny, Zak.’
‘I’m most definitely not laughing. Sit down, Violet,’ he invited silkily, but with an edge to his voice that sent a shiver over her skin.
Because close proximity to Zak was a bad idea, and because she needed to gain some much-needed solid ground, she retreated to the farthest seat from him and sat down just as the butler entered, bearing a tray of drinks.
She accepted a glass of fruit punch, only realising how thirsty she was after the first sip. She set the glass down with a resolute click. ‘How long do you intend to keep me here?’
‘That depends.’
‘On what?’
‘On how agreeable you are to my terms.’
‘What terms?’
Dark grey eyes locked on hers.
‘No child, besides Jules, has been born out of wedlock in Montegovan royal history. And I’m sure you know the circumstances surrounding how my half-brother arrived in my family.’
‘I only know what I read in the tabloids. So unless you’re claiming those allegations weren’t true?’