Crowning His Unlikely Princess (Mills & Boon Modern)

by Michelle Conder

  If the colourful array of flowers in the well-loved garden hadn’t served to convince him that he was using a crooked lens with which to view the world, then this intelligent eyed child had finished the job.

  Feeling unmoored for the first time in his life, he was at a loss as to how to proceed when Cassidy tucked her hand into his.

  ‘Yes, his name is Logan, and I’m Cassidy,’ she answered. ‘What grade are you in at school?’

  ‘One.’

  ‘And what’s your favourite subject?’

  ‘Reading.’

  ‘Ah, mine too.’ Cassidy laughed. ‘Ever read Fantastic Mr Fox?’

  ‘Yes, twice.’ Skylar beamed under Cassidy’s warm interest.

  ‘That’s one of my favourites too,’ Logan said, vaguely remembering that he had enjoyed the antics of the wily fox raiding Farmer Boggis’s hen house. ‘What?’ He gave Cassidy a superior look when her eyes went wide. ‘You’re not the only bookworm in the house.’

  Skylar giggled and ran off, muttering about books, and Elly warned them that they had started something they might regret.

  Leo stepped back for them to enter the house and Logan followed everyone into the cosy cottage awash with multicoloured cushions on the sofa and quirky prints on the walls.

  Elly moved to the table set with a candelabrum and ceramic bowls filled with olives and dip and picked up a bottle of wine just as a timer went off in the kitchen.

  Slightly flustered, she glanced around and Leo gave her a nod. ‘I’ll do the wine...you check the chicken.’

  Elly’s face immediately softened and she let out a slow breath of relief.

  Leo touched her face so briefly that if Logan had blinked he would have missed it, but he hadn’t and he felt a tug inside his chest at having witnessed the tender moment.

  Cassidy shifted beside him, a dreamy smile on her face, and he realised with a pang that this was what she most likely wanted from a man.

  Love.

  Probably a family too.

  The whole concept was so foreign to him that he was relieved when Skylar danced back into the room with an armload of books and readily sat down to view her offerings.

  Slightly embarrassed that he was using a child to mask the raw emotions that seemed keen on piercing his skin, he soon got caught up in the relaxed atmosphere and started to enjoy the afternoon.

  ‘Thanks.’

  Logan glanced away from where Skylar was teaching Cassidy some sort of game on the outdoor patio. He was quite sure his EA knew how to play it already, but was indulging the high-spirited child.

  ‘What are you thanking me for?’ he asked, taking in his brother’s relaxed demeanour.

  ‘Meeting Elly and Skylar on their level and not bringing your prejudices to the door.’

  Logan shifted uncomfortably, well aware that if Cassidy hadn’t spoken to him about his ‘juggernaut’ face before Elly had opened the door, the outcome of the day might have been very different. ‘I did bring my prejudices to the door,’ he admitted with a wry grimace. ‘Cassidy made me leave them there.’

  Leo laughed. ‘I knew I liked that woman. I’ll be sure to thank her in our wedding speech.’

  Logan shook his head. ‘You’re that serious about Elly?’

  ‘I gave up the crown for her, didn’t I?’

  Logan sighed heavily. ‘You did. And I’m man enough to acknowledge when I’m wrong.’

  ‘So no warning?’ Leo asked bemusedly.

  ‘No warning,’ Logan grouched. ‘She seems great. And it’s good to see you happy.’

  ‘And you.’

  Logan frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

  Leo shrugged. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you without your phone glued to your ear or pushing another deal through. It’s a nice change.’

  Before Logan could fully process his brother’s observations Skylar’s clear voice called out to them. ‘Who wants to play hopscotch?’

  Hopscotch?

  Leo laughed at his flummoxed expression and Logan elbowed his brother in the ribs.

  ‘I’d love to,’ he said. ‘And so would Leo.’

  Leo elbowed him back and placed his glass of wine on the table. ‘Prepare to have your arse whipped,’ he promised.

  An hour later, with Skylar victorious, Logan downed a glass of cold water as Cassidy came up beside him at the kitchen bench. The sun had started to lower in the sky, taking some of the heat out of the air.

  ‘Skylar’s really tired. It might be a good time to head back,’ she murmured.

  Logan nodded in agreement, dragging her delicate scent into his lungs and wanting nothing more than to tug on her ponytail to bring her mouth to his. He hadn’t touched her all day but now he wanted to. Badly. And he didn’t care if that broke his promise or not. Having her as his EA was suddenly far less important than having her in his arms.

  After saying their goodbyes Cassidy settled on the moped behind him and put her hands around his waist, and Logan knew he wasn’t ready to return to the palace, or his new life, just yet.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ‘WHERE ARE WE?’

  Cassidy glanced around at the small car park high up in the hills overlooking the Mediterranean. The late afternoon sunlight turned the blond streaks in Logan’s hair to gold before he covered the thick layers with a baseball cap he’d grabbed from under the seat of the moped.

  ‘It’s called Gran Mundo Lookout. It’s one of the most beautiful places in Arrantino. Let me show you why.’

  Conscious that they were not the only people on the gravel trail, Cassidy ducked her head and clung to Logan’s hand as he led her along the path.

  ‘Relax,’ he advised. ‘You’re very expressive and you look like you you’ve just robbed a bank, which will make anyone watching us nervous.’

  ‘But what if you’re recognised?’ she hissed under her breath.

  ‘Most of the people here are tourists who wouldn’t have a clue who I am. I’m not worried. So you shouldn’t be either.’

  Unconvinced, because it was her nature to worry, Cassidy tried her best to look unconcerned. Logan might be right about the tourists not recognising him, but he clearly didn’t understand how appealing he was as a man, and she’d already noticed a couple of women giving him covetous glances as they crunched along the path.

  ‘Gran mundo means great world,’ he explained as they rounded a corner and Cassidy let out a reverent breath as the leafy foliage they’d passed through opened up to reveal an endless rugged coastline dotted here and there with colourful fishing villages nestled along the coast like jewels hanging from a golden chain.

  ‘Wow,’ she murmured softly, taking in the terraced vineyards and the ancient buildings that looked like they might topple from the rocky cliff face and straight into the azure sea at any moment. ‘It’s gorgeous.’ She turned her face to his with delight. ‘Thank you for bringing me here.’

  ‘It’s my pleasure.’ His voice had a rough edge that instantly sent spirals of need cascading inside her.

  All day he had been a perfect gentleman, not touching her, as he had promised, and it had driven her insane. Especially when he had allowed himself to be coaxed into a game of hopscotch by a playful six-year-old. Before long they had all been playing the game, Leo and Logan naturally turning it into a testosterone-fuelled competition of who could best the other.

  ‘What are you grinning about?’

  He stepped closer to her, a certain glint in his eye heating her blood even more.

  ‘I was remembering the game of hopscotch after lunch. It was nice of you to indulge Skylar. Especially since you had already read her favourite book to her before lunch.’

  Logan shrugged. ‘I like her. The kid is so precocious I might offer her a position on my special council one day. To say that Leo will definitely have his hands full with that one i
s a gross understatement.’

  ‘So you think that he and Elly might work out?’

  He saw the impish grin that crossed her face and tugged on the end of her ponytail. ‘Do you want to hear me say I was wrong?’

  ‘Yes.’ Her eyes sparkled. ‘It would be such a novelty. But truly I completely get why you were worried. I feel the same way about Peta. That day everything went wrong in your office I was reeling from the shock that she was engaged. I never imagined that she could trust someone enough to marry him after everything she’s been through. It seems like such a leap of faith, but the fact is she’s more of an optimist than I am. She thinks love is worth the gamble.’

  Something in her eyes, a shadow of sorts, poked at the hard, solid barrier around his heart. ‘Maybe she’s right.’

  ‘You’re agreeing?’ She gave a startled laugh, shaking her head. ‘Now I’ve definitely heard it all.’

  Logan moved closer so that he was blocking everything from her view but him. ‘Want to hear something else I might have been wrong about?’

  ‘What?’

  Her voice was breathless with anticipation. ‘That we’d be able to resume our normal working relationship after last night.’

  ‘You don’t think we can?’

  ‘No.’ He took another step closer, effectively caging her in against the wooden safety barrier. ‘Do you?’

  ‘No.’ Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. ‘But I already knew that because... I... No, I don’t think we can.’

  Logan tilted her chin up so that her eyes met his. ‘You were going to say something else. What was it?’

  ‘Nothing.’ She shook her head emphatically. ‘But I know I can’t work for you and I don’t want you to try and change my mind because I always cave in to what you want.’

  ‘I don’t intend to try and change your mind.’ He slipped his hand around to cradle the nape of her neck. ‘And now that we’ve established that you no longer work for me, I don’t have to worry about breaking any more rules with you.’

  He nuzzled a few loose strands of her hair away from her neck, bracing his legs wide as he leaned in to kiss her.

  She immediately opened to him, her small hands warm as she flattened them against his chest.

  A low moan escaped from deep inside his chest as she responded to him, her hands moving up over his shoulders, her fingers tangling in the hair at the base of his cap. Feeling her unrestrained response, Logan put his arms around her waist and gathered her up against him.

  The kiss went from ‘exploratory’ to ‘get a room’ within seconds and it was only a deeply ingrained sense of decorum from years of looking over his shoulder that had him pulling back.

  Without her glasses Cassidy’s green eyes were like luminous pools of phosphorescence. Unable to hold back, he dipped his head and kissed her again. This time when he came up for air she leaned her forehead against his chest, panting softly.

  ‘I thought you said this was just a matter of self-control and discipline,’ she said breathlessly.

  ‘It is,’ he said against her ear, absorbing her delicate shudder deep inside his body. ‘But I’m all out. You?’

  When she glanced up at him he read the answering response in her diluted pupils and this time he didn’t need her verbal okay. It was written all over her gorgeous face. ‘I’m not sure I ever had any.’

  Cassidy glanced around at the front of the secluded sandstone building Logan had pulled up in front of. She was already having doubts about the intelligence of agreeing to sleep with him again but it was so easy to stem the trickle of unease.

  He made her feel sexy and irresistible and she was simply intoxicated by the thought of exploring the chemistry between them once more. Reality would intrude at some point and she’d deal with it then but for now...

  She glanced over as Logan secured the bike beside the brick wall. ‘I thought we were going back to the palace?’

  He pulled his helmet from his head and stowed it with hers on the bike. ‘You know when I said that a king rarely has any privacy? At times it will feel so oppressive it will be claustrophobic. But right now I have a moment. A weekend. And I don’t want to spend it at the palace where I’ll be available to anyone who wants me. Tonight I’m going to turn off my phone and do what I want to do.’

  ‘You make it sound like it will be the last time that can ever happen.’

  ‘It won’t be the last—it is possible to sneak away now and then, and even the King gets holidays—but the weight of responsibility will never be far away, and I’ll always be on call.’

  ‘So what is this place?’ She looked up at high arched windows that denoted the buildings of Moorish heritage.

  ‘My cousin’s apartment. He’s in Tahiti, surfing, right now so he won’t mind if we use it.’

  ‘He might not but I can’t see your security detail letting you stay here without first making sure it’s secure.’

  ‘I know.’

  Just then the ancient wooden door to the interior garden opened towards them and two soldiers with machine guns strapped across their torsos stepped outside.

  ‘All clear, Your Majesty,’ the female soldier said, taking the lead.

  ‘Thank you. I’ll let you know tomorrow when we’re ready to return.’

  Moving with a lightness that belied the weight of their heavy-duty equipment, the soldiers left them alone.

  Curious to see what a surfer’s place would look like, Cassidy followed Logan along a stone path dotted with green ferns into an elevator that took them to the top floor. The apartment didn’t disappoint. Low sofas in burnt orange, dark square tiles on the floor, a magnificent view of the white yachts in the harbour from the arched windows. When she looked closer she could see that all the appliances were state of the art, and ready on command, as evidenced when jazz music filtered into the room through hidden speakers at Logan’s voiced request.

  ‘Do the curtains also open and close on command?’ she asked, moving into the kitchen and perching on the edge of a wicker stool.

  ‘Of course.’ Logan popped the cork on a bottle of wine he’d pulled from the wine fridge. ‘My cousin loves his gadgets.’

  He poured them two glasses and raised a toast. ‘To secret rendezvous.’

  Cassidy’s heart did a mini-somersault inside her chest, her gaze dropping to his mouth.

  The air between them became charged and Logan slowly lowered his glass to the bench top. Then he rounded the counter and took hers from fingers that had turned nerveless.

  Without preamble or finesse he lifted her onto the counter and reached up to drag her mouth down to his.

  Cassidy felt like her body went up in flames, her fingernails digging into his thick, soft hair, her moans trapped in her throat as he fed her kiss after kiss.

  ‘Por Dios, Cassidy... Mi hermosa mujer... Mi amor...’

  Logan’s litany of Arrantinian love words tightened her nipples into unbearably aching peaks.

  Feeling wanton and unlike herself—or maybe more like herself than ever before—she raised her arms and dragged her blouse up over her head, letting it flutter to the counter behind her.

  Logan’s eyes were hooded as he watched her, his gaze hot as it travelled from her face to her collarbone, his fingers trailing gently after, raising goose bumps wherever he touched her.

  ‘Take your hair down,’ he encouraged, his tone low and deep.

  Cassidy did, letting the soft waves fall down around her shoulders, relishing the way he hissed out a low breath before hands forked into the mass as he pulled her lips back to his.

  Hot liquid need pooled between Cassidy’s thighs and she shifted restlessly on the counter, needing more.

  Reading her perfectly, Logan pulled his mouth from hers and buried it against her neck, licking and sucking at her skin.

  Burning up with need, she suddenly felt self-con
scious sitting in the bright sunlight in only her jeans and a black bra. But then he looked at her with such undisguised hunger it made all her inhibitions dissolve to dust. ‘You have too many clothes on,’ she murmured, tugging at his T-shirt.

  Obliging her, he reefed it over his head with one hand and she immediately smoothed her hand over the pelt of thick hair on his chest.

  He groaned huskily, bending to her once more and trailing hot kisses down between her breasts.

  Breathless, she cried out in pleasure as his lips crested one breast and sucked her nipple deeply into his mouth.

  ‘Logan.’ She gripped his wide shoulders, dazed with rapture as he removed her bra and feasted directly on her naked flesh, his lips pulling first one peak into his mouth with wicked skill before moving to the other and then back again.

  Delirious with wanting, all she could do was hold on, barely aware when he picked her up and carried her to the sofa. He placed her on it and stood in front of her, unbuckling his belt, his blue eyes so hot they threatened to incinerate her.

  Feeling more daring than she ever had before, Cassidy leaned forward and brushed his fingers aside. ‘Let me.’

  He went still, every one of his senses homed in on her trembling fingers as she released his zipper and pushed his jeans and briefs down his legs. He was gorgeous. So perfect she felt her heart constrict. Reaching out, she enclosed the long, hard length of him in her hand, her eyes finding his to gauge if he was enjoying her touch.

  His chest moved in and out like a set of bellows, his eyes half-lidded as he gazed down at her.

  Turning her attention back to his thick erection, she leaned forward and greedily flicked him with her tongue, fascinated by the low growl that emanated from deep inside his chest.

  ‘Cassidy...’ His fingers tangled in her hair and she looked up at him. ‘Stop torturing me, mi amor.’