Claimed & Seduced Read Online Free PDF Page B

must have heard her singing. Yes, already the queries were forming on his lips. To forestall them, she grabbed his hand, heard his sharp intake of breath and squelched a nervous laugh with difficulty.
    “Come,” she said, tugging him. “I’ve done my morning chores and was about to sit out on the terrace and break my fast. I’d be honored if you’d share my meal.”
    “My cambeest is out front.”
    “You can turn him loose with my herd of malpacks. They should do well together. I will summon one of my employees to show you the way. You take care of your beest while I organize our meal. Hortese!”
    Her employee appeared in the kitchen doorway, her bright pink eyes bulging with inquisitiveness since they didn’t receive many visitors. “Yes, Keira?”
    “Can you call Melvyn and ask him to show Jarlath the way to the grazing paddock? He needs a safe place for his cambeest while he is visiting.”
    “I will com Melvyn.” Hortese pursed berry-colored lips and her pink hair tendrils rippled and writhed about her head. A sure sign of intense curiosity. “Should I ask Hilda to brew some tay?”
    “Yes, please. I’ll be in to check on the pies in a min.” Smothering her amusement, she waited until Hortese departed before turning to the prince. “I apologize for not using your title. I thought it would raise nosy questions.”
    “I like the sound of my name on your lips.”
    “You’re flirting with me.”
    “Yes. Am I doing a good job?”
    Flying stars, yes. She moistened her lips and forced barriers between them, never taking her gaze off his attractive features. “I have a bad reputation. Your guard dog was correct. It’s not safe to socialize with me.”
    Showering meteors, if he learned the identity of her father, he’d flee in the opposite direction. After Xavier Cronan—her father—had attempted to marry her to one of his Cawdor men, her mother had made contrary plans to get her off the planet, and she’d ended up with an arranged marriage to Marcus. Something she was grateful for since she much preferred the life of a farmer than one married to a Cawdor casino boss.
    “No one knows where I am.”
    “What if they panic?”
    He tugged at his collar, some of the animation leaving his beautiful green gaze. “They will because I’m acting out of character. I did leave a message on my apartment statboard. The staff will find it soon enough, but they won’t worry, not at first because I attended the ball and didn’t seek my bed until late.”
    “It must have been an enjoyable occasion.” Envy chased her words because she would have given anything to dance with the prince. Although she’d considered attending, the upper-class attendees would have pushed her to the outer fringes. No chance for her to dance with eligible males.
    “The event was excruciatingly boring and by the end of the night my feet ached.”
    “The women in the kingdom are clumsy?”
    “No,” he said with a snort. “Every time I sought a respite my mother induced me to ask yet another young lady to dance.”
    “Your parents wish you to marry?”
    “Yesterday.”
    “Oh.” Which didn’t explain why he’d come to visit. She was sure the castle chefs would make the prince a pie. All he needed to do was snap his fingers or dial one up in his chefmate. Gossip in the marketplace said the palace had many mod cons not enjoyed by the Viros citizens. “You are the heir. They want to see you settled.”
    “Yes.”
    There was a knock on the door, and Melvyn stuck his grizzled head through the doorway, his swarthy complexion wreathed in a broad smile of contentment. He was a tall man with a solid and fit build, despite his advanced age. As usual, he wore the swinging leather kilt made famous by his Scothage race and paired it with a plain gray shirt. “Hortese said you required me.”
    “Melvyn, this is Jarlath. Can you show him the malpack paddock? He wants to put his cambeest out to graze during his visit.”
    Keira caught the