Prince's Dirty Little Secret (A Royal Secret Baby Romance) Read Online Free
Author: Riley Rollins
building inside me. I have no idea how to handle this situation.
"I… you… what?" I stammer. Even the judge is perking up, looking at us instead of the papers in front of him. Even he's watching this show unfold.
"You do not think I know who crosses my borders?"
I shake my head in disbelief. How could he have known? "You're gonna let me go, right? What about Ashley?"
"I did not say that." He ignores my question about Ashley.
My jaw twitches angrily. "I want to see my friend," I say. "And what do you want from me?"
Nikolai pauses for a moment before chuckling softly to himself. "For you to accompany me to a ball at the royal palace. Tomorrow. I require a date and you would be simply perfect."
I'm utterly baffled. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Quite the lip on you, woman," he says. "I simply think it a remarkable opportunity to further our countries' diplomatic relations."
I shake my head in bafflement.
"And," he says, "I have not yet had the pleasure of dating an American girl."
My jaw drops. "You can't just 'date me,'" I say. I try to pinch myself, because this has to be a nightmare.
"You wish to test me?"
"Dating… is when two normal people like each other."
"You do not like me?"
"No," I say, "I don't like you."
"He scoffs and regards me with disbelief. "Never before have I experienced such insolence."
I believe him. "Just send me to the camps. Get it over with."
He laughs quietly. "Your brazenness intrigues me. Call it a date. Or do not. It matters not."
"What if I refuse?" I say. I'm not actually sure why I'm arguing with him, considering the alternative.
He smiles. "Impossible." He turns to one of the guards in his entourage. "Bring her to the palace." He looks at me, pausing. I see a flash of emotion in his eyes. Is it… sympathy?
"And arrange for her to see the other girl."
Without another word, he turns and exits the courtroom with a flourish. I stare at him, my mouth agape, as he leaves, a perfect physical specimen with all the authority in the world.
I'm a captive in a foreign country, a prince wants to take me to his royal ball… and I'm absolutely furious about it.
The world has truly turned upside down.
T HEY PUT me in another government van and we drive. We're going to the royal palace, I guess. I'm not afforded the privilege of knowing what's happening to me. This time, at least I don't have a burlap sack over my head. I try to clear my mind while I stare at the lush landscape outside. But I sit facing a guard, a younger, harmless-looking guy who keeps trying to catch my eye.
"Hey," he eventually says. "You of America?"
I nod yes.
"What is like?"
I eye the other guard in the backseat, who's more grizzled looking. He's got to be be the one in charge here. He raises his eyebrow, waiting, an implicit approval for me to speak. He seems curious himself. I'm not sure if I should talk, but I do.
"Well," I say, "It's big. It's modern. There are huge stores you can go to, and buy anything you want."
The younger guy's eyes widen. "Chocolates?"
"Yeah," I say. "And cookies, and cakes, and ice cream."
His eyes appear on the verge of popping out of his head.
"What else in America?"
"We vote for our president," I say, "and we have freedom."
The younger guy looks excited, but the older guy grunts angrily. "Enough," he says gruffly. The younger one sighs, clearly disappointed. I dare not say anything else.
Instead, I turn my attention back to the landscape outside. The country is rich with free-roaming wildlife, an ironic contrast to the population living under the government's iron boot. Though, the road is rough and poorly maintained, and every few minutes we pass by a section of forest that's been completely logged and stripped. Areas where they've no doubt mined deposits of precious metals underground.
I can't help but replay my encounter with the Crown Prince Nikolai over and over again. He was every bit as arrogant and dickish in real life as I thought he'd be—not that I'd ever
"I… you… what?" I stammer. Even the judge is perking up, looking at us instead of the papers in front of him. Even he's watching this show unfold.
"You do not think I know who crosses my borders?"
I shake my head in disbelief. How could he have known? "You're gonna let me go, right? What about Ashley?"
"I did not say that." He ignores my question about Ashley.
My jaw twitches angrily. "I want to see my friend," I say. "And what do you want from me?"
Nikolai pauses for a moment before chuckling softly to himself. "For you to accompany me to a ball at the royal palace. Tomorrow. I require a date and you would be simply perfect."
I'm utterly baffled. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Quite the lip on you, woman," he says. "I simply think it a remarkable opportunity to further our countries' diplomatic relations."
I shake my head in bafflement.
"And," he says, "I have not yet had the pleasure of dating an American girl."
My jaw drops. "You can't just 'date me,'" I say. I try to pinch myself, because this has to be a nightmare.
"You wish to test me?"
"Dating… is when two normal people like each other."
"You do not like me?"
"No," I say, "I don't like you."
"He scoffs and regards me with disbelief. "Never before have I experienced such insolence."
I believe him. "Just send me to the camps. Get it over with."
He laughs quietly. "Your brazenness intrigues me. Call it a date. Or do not. It matters not."
"What if I refuse?" I say. I'm not actually sure why I'm arguing with him, considering the alternative.
He smiles. "Impossible." He turns to one of the guards in his entourage. "Bring her to the palace." He looks at me, pausing. I see a flash of emotion in his eyes. Is it… sympathy?
"And arrange for her to see the other girl."
Without another word, he turns and exits the courtroom with a flourish. I stare at him, my mouth agape, as he leaves, a perfect physical specimen with all the authority in the world.
I'm a captive in a foreign country, a prince wants to take me to his royal ball… and I'm absolutely furious about it.
The world has truly turned upside down.
T HEY PUT me in another government van and we drive. We're going to the royal palace, I guess. I'm not afforded the privilege of knowing what's happening to me. This time, at least I don't have a burlap sack over my head. I try to clear my mind while I stare at the lush landscape outside. But I sit facing a guard, a younger, harmless-looking guy who keeps trying to catch my eye.
"Hey," he eventually says. "You of America?"
I nod yes.
"What is like?"
I eye the other guard in the backseat, who's more grizzled looking. He's got to be be the one in charge here. He raises his eyebrow, waiting, an implicit approval for me to speak. He seems curious himself. I'm not sure if I should talk, but I do.
"Well," I say, "It's big. It's modern. There are huge stores you can go to, and buy anything you want."
The younger guy's eyes widen. "Chocolates?"
"Yeah," I say. "And cookies, and cakes, and ice cream."
His eyes appear on the verge of popping out of his head.
"What else in America?"
"We vote for our president," I say, "and we have freedom."
The younger guy looks excited, but the older guy grunts angrily. "Enough," he says gruffly. The younger one sighs, clearly disappointed. I dare not say anything else.
Instead, I turn my attention back to the landscape outside. The country is rich with free-roaming wildlife, an ironic contrast to the population living under the government's iron boot. Though, the road is rough and poorly maintained, and every few minutes we pass by a section of forest that's been completely logged and stripped. Areas where they've no doubt mined deposits of precious metals underground.
I can't help but replay my encounter with the Crown Prince Nikolai over and over again. He was every bit as arrogant and dickish in real life as I thought he'd be—not that I'd ever
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