Free The Rogue Prince by Michelle M. Pillow

drawing him to her.
    “A lover who beat her?” Lochlann added.
    Reid met Lochlann’s eyes, not liking his words. The very idea that someone could derive pleasure from hurting a woman was unthinkable to him. Seeing his brother studying him, he forced lightly, “So, if her last lover was too aggressive I’ll have to be less so if I wish to seduce her.”
    Evan grimaced. “Or if you want to help her.”
    Reid kept his face blank, taking care to cover his thoughts. He glanced at Evan, willing the telepath to feel his displeasure at the intrusion.
    “Don’t worry, Prince Reid. I won’t tell your secret,” Evan said, grinning.
    “What secret?” Jarek asked.
    “He’s only joking,” Reid dismissed. Jarek nodded but said nothing.
    “All of you, keep your ears open. Find out what you can, Reid,” Jarek said. “The Federation was looking for her, but they didn’t say what for. Your cover was brilliant, by the way. I had transport papers on file for a tiger, you know, just in case they ever found me in such a way. I have no problem harboring a criminal. I just want to know about it beforehand.”
    “She won’t talk.” Evan grinned at Reid, a mischievous glint in his eye. “She’s closed. You’ll have to be tactful.”
    “Are you saying you doubt my charm?” Reid asked, returning the look with one of his own.
    Jarek laughed. Standing, he slapped Reid’s shoulder. “I think he’s saying you lack tact, brother.”
    “Who me?” Reid winked. “Nonsense.”
    * * * *
    Jasmine awoke with a start, sitting up. She took deep breath, trembling weakly as she climbed out of the bed. Looking around, she was disoriented as she tried to remember where she was. Then it hit her. She wasn’t with Chad. A smile tried to cross her face, but then she froze.
    “Ambassador,” she whispered, looking around with a renewed nervousness. Reid was gone. Realizing she was still without her shirt, she found it behind her and slipped it over her head. Strangely, it smelled like Reid. Her heart fluttered in her chest.
    “My pills,” she said to herself, though the sound of her voice wasn’t as comforting as she’d hoped. Pressing her hand against her chest as if that would slow her heart rate, she took another deep breath. She didn’t have time to take her medicine that morning before being dragged from the cargo. “Computer, is the Federation still here?”
    “No, ma’am,” the computer answered, its tone even.
    Jasmine relaxed. That was something at least. Suddenly, her muscles tensed as a thought struck her. Reid had kept his word. That meant he’d expect her to keep hers.
    “Five hours,” she said softly. Tears filled her eyes. Chad had only ever taken twenty minutes, if that. She could live through twenty minutes, but five hours? “Please let him be joking or bragging, I don’t care which.”
    Still shaking, she went to the door and ran her hand over the wall scanner. The door slid up, letting her out. The corridor was empty and she quickly made her way down the hall looking for the cargo hold. Her pills would be in there.
    Worse than her fear of five hours in bed with the confident Reid was the embarrassing knowledge that she’d have to tell him she was frigid, that she wasn’t really a woman. Sure, she had the right parts. She looked like a woman, talked like a woman, acted like a woman. But a woman was defined by what she felt inside. Jasmine didn’t feel as a woman should feel. She was dead inside.
    Chad had been brutally honest about that. She couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t a good man, but maybe if she could’ve responded to him, made him feel desired as a husband should feel, then maybe he wouldn’t have turned to a life of crime. Maybe her marriage would’ve been different.
    Jasmine knew it was too late for any of that. Regret wasn’t anything new to her, nor was the guilt. Chad and their life together should’ve ended before it began.
    * * * *
    “Hey, stowaway, welcome. I for one am very delighted