Protect Me

by Avery Katz

  Speaking of my knight in shining armor, he was combing the area surrounding the house and checking with the other bodyguards. I unlocked the front door and stepped into the dark foyer. Nothing was out of place except for a small note that seemed to have found its way under the door.

  “What do we have here?”

  I bent down and picked it up. Dread filled me when I unfolded the paper and saw the familiar handwriting. The letters looked angry and sloppier than usual. I read it out loud and remembered the sound of the bullet as it whizzed past me.

  “I won’t miss a second time.”

  Goosebumps rose on my back. I groaned and decided to hide the note from Justin. We had already made plans to travel to Raplen in two days. There was no need to alarm him. He was already on edge due to the shooting. Traveling to Raplen would prevent our creepy stalker from executing his nefarious plans.

  I took a deep, calming breath and stuffed the note inside my pocket. Justin finally entered the house and mentioned something about an odd looking tree in the backyard.

  “So, everything appears to be functioning normally, but I wanted to ask you if you know how to use a handgun.”

  He locked the door behind us and walked me to the kitchen. We always ended up in the kitchen somehow. I made us each a cup of Earl Grey tea and shuddered at the thought of using an actual weapon.

  “I think I know the basics thanks to the many in-flight movies I’ve watched over the years.”

  “Movies? Really? So I take it you’ve never used a gun before.”

  “Nope. Have you ever heard of a prince carrying a gun? No. We only carry swords, crowns, and scepters.” I told him. He smiled and shook his head at me.

  “You’re too damn adorkable. You know that?”

  “Thank you, kind sir. I’m both flattered and turned on at the same time.”

  “Ruppy. I really need to teach you how to use a Glock.” He pulled his gun out of its holster and showed it to me.

  “It’s lightweight and easy to use.”

  He taught me how to hold it properly in my hand. It felt cold and foreign to the touch. He stood behind me and showed me how to assume the extended shooting position. I was more interested in finishing my tea, but I listened to his instructions, nonetheless. He taught me a few more tips and tricks, including how to load the magazine. I was frankly bored out of my mind.

  “Why do I need to know all this? Did you not hear what I just said about swords and crowns?”

  “Yes. I really appreciate you trying to lighten the mood, but this is fucking serious. I need you to protect yourself in case I wasn’t there to protect you.”

  “ This sounds like a line from an ominous horror movie. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be the one to save your ass from things that go bump in the night.” I smiled and handed him back the gun.

  Justin chuckled. “Unlikely. You give off that damsel in distress vibe.”

  “How dare you, sir?” I gasped dramatically and pretended to be offended by his teasing.

  He reached behind me and grabbed my ass.

  “Fine. You can be my dashing sidekick.”

  “Much better.”

  We went upstairs and changed into our pajamas. The night was still young, and we had so much to talk about. Justin joined me on the couch and we chose a movie to watch on Netflix. It was the iconic Breakfast at Tiffany’s. He offered to make popcorn while I made us two glasses of pink lemonade. I added ice to the mix and carried our drinks to the living room.

  “I love watching old movies.”

  “Me too. We have a cinema projector at the palace. It was a gift from Sony. They send us free merchandise during special occasions. We use it to watch Home Alone every Christmas.”

  “Oh, I adore Macaulay Culkin. He was the reason my parents grounded me for a month when I was ten.” He cringed at the memory.

  “Why? What did you do?”

  “I kind of booby trapped the entire house.” He admitted. “Kate was injured. Yeah. It was bad.”

  “Ouch. This reminds me of the time Tommy and Danny glitter-bombed the palace. We woke up to find the tapestry, carpets, and statues covered in bright pink glitter.”

  “Glitter is nothing compared to stink bombs.” He chortled. “Kate was very much into that shit. Dad used to work in law enforcement before he retired. He was stationed near Garrett Park, so we grew up in a small town. We were basically the only kids on our block.”

  “It must be nice growing up in such a quaint community. Lockridge Palace is everything but quaint. I was born in the middle of a thunderstorm. My grandmother had the king and queen of Kordovia over for dinner, so mom was dressed to the nines in a Chanel gown. She was two weeks away from giving birth. Fate, however, had other plans. Her contractions started in the middle of the elaborate banquet. She almost strangled my father from the pain.”

  Justin took a sip from his lemonade and listened intently to my story.

  “Legend has it that she gave birth to me in the throne room, in full view of everyone. The palace staff watched me come out of her womb. Some of them even fainted from the horror of it all.”

  “Wow. Tell me what happened to the Chanel dress. Did it survive your birth?”

  I laughed and slapped his arm playfully.

  “Only you would ask such a silly question.”

  We watched the movie in comfortable silence while sharing a bowl of popcorn. Audrey Hepburn lit up the screen in her trademark black dress and pearl necklace. She was such a fashion icon. Cousin Lizzie was her biggest fan. Her co-star in the movie was very handsome as well. Justin placed his head on my chest, and while I stroked his silky hair with my fingers. I enjoyed our cuddling session and stuffed my mouth with more popcorn, manners be damned. Eating with my bare hands was a rare occurrence. I once had to eat a pizza with a fork and knife for the sake of royal etiquette. It sapped the joy out of the whole experience.

  “Are you still hungry?”

  “Yes. Dinner was great, but my body needs more sustenance.”

  He paused the movie and got up from the couch.

  “Come on. Let’s go raid the pantry.” He held out his hands to me and pulled me to my feet. We went to the kitchen in search of something to eat. The pantry was indeed stocked with enough food to feed a small army. We ended up making grilled cheese sandwiches and sloppy joes. I had no idea what the latter meant, but Justin showed me how to make them. He placed a skillet on the stove and dumped ground beef into it. He then added onions, red peppers and a hint of seasoning. He looked like a sexy chef while he stirred all those ingredients together.

  “So, do you cook in your free time?” I asked out of curiosity. Justin nodded and told me about the cooking classes he took while he was stationed in Rome.

  “If you like Italy, then you will definitely fall in love with Raplen. We have Michelin star restaurants and local eateries that will enchant your taste buds. I used to sneak out of the palace to have lunch at this charming little restaurant when I was a teen. It had the best burgers and fries.”

  “Nowadays, every street has a fast-food chain and a Starbucks right next to it. This shit is getting out of hand. Europe is slowly following in our footsteps.” Justin complained. “I miss those old mom and pop shops where an old woman greets you at the door and serves you food straight from a rusty old pot.”

  “Me too. I feel old, especially when I go on YouTube and see all those teenagers posting videos about their adventurous lives. Everyone is a contouring expert now.”

  “Tell me about it.” He sighed. “I once had to babysit this socialite who called me grandpa because I was listening to Kylie Minogue in the car. Kids these days. They listen to mainstream music and say shit like woke and lit. What the hell is happening to the English language? Words are shrinking, and everyone resorts to texting instead of calling.”

  “Yes. Like Bob Dylan once sang, the times they are a changing.” I hummed the famous tune while Justin finished applying the final touches to his sloppy joes. The golden buns he toasted
in the skillet were stuffed with the ground meat and bell peppers. They looked fantastic.

  “Here you go.” He handed me a plate with a proud look on his face. “Tell me what you think.”

  I took a bite out of the sandwich and moaned at the delicious combination of tender meat and crispy bun. “Yummy. Thank you. I never knew something so sloppy could taste so good.”

  “Wait until you try my pancakes. Breakfast will never be the same without me.” He grinned.

  “Nothing tastes the same without you.”

  We returned to our couch and continued watching the movie. Justin wolfed down his sandwich while I savored mine. Every now and then, he would sit up straight and scan the living room.

  “Relax. Once we travel to Raplen, this threat will be thousands of miles behind us.” I cooed. He was still slightly on edge, but my touch seemed to calm him down. I played with his hair until the credits scrolled up the screen.

  “So, what should I pack to impress your parents?” He asked. “Are there any rules I should follow? I really need to know. Freddy told me they were saints compared to his mom.”

  “Yep. My parents are amazing people. I never wanted to disappoint them, but you are worth it. They will eventually get over it. They both have big hearts.”

  Justin nodded in understanding.

  “Oh. Now I understand why you were keen on marrying a woman. You guys need an heir to the throne.”

  “Precisely,” I said. “After Danny and Greg got married, I was the only hope my parents had that a daughter-in-law would someday give birth to their precious heir.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek.

  “Babe, if they love you, they will only want your happiness in return. Now, are you going to finish that sandwich or what?”

  Chapter 23

  JUSTIN

  Ruppy wrapped up his visit to the United States with an appearance at a media event hosted by the tech industry giants who were based in San Francisco. Representatives from Google, Youtube, Twitter, and all the other big names were all gathered in one place. Luckily, the security was airtight, and my team was on standby.

  I watched Ruppy charm his way into the hearts of nerds who took themselves way too seriously. They cracked a smile and gave him shit for free. We walked out of there with two boxes filled with electronics, from power banks to hard disks. The folks at Apple even gave him an iPad and the new MacBook Pro. I knew they did it for marketing purposes. He was a celebrity after all. Celebrities could market the shit out of anything, especially on Instagram.

  Meanwhile, I kept my paranoia on a short leash. The odds of running into our shooter were high, but Ruppy was right. Our trip to Raplen was heaven-sent. I was in desperate need of a mini-vacation. According to my beau, security at the palace was tighter than a clam. That was the main upside of traveling to his home country. My brain was still processing the whole thing. I was still trying to wrap my head around it. I could already imagine the headlines in the papers.

  “Jensen Ackles lookalike dating heir to Raplen throne. Yeah. Sounds about right.”

  “Talking to yourself again?” A teasing voice said from the doorway.

  I turned around to find Ruppy staring at me with a tender expression on his face. His lips curled upwards into a seductive smile, and my heart instantly skipped a beat. I was a sucker for that smile.

  “Nope. Just thinking out loud.”

  He sidled up to me and gave me a kiss.

  “I have a surprise waiting for you upstairs.”

  “Ooh. I fucking love surprises. Please lead the way.”

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a dimly lit corridor. There were flower petals sprinkled all over the carpet. The atmosphere was so romantic. I could hear music floating down from the roof.

  “Are you going to sacrifice me to some ancient god and drink my blood to become immortal? I heard kings and queens were into that shit once a upon a time.”

  “Nope. Not tonight.” He gave me a saucy wink before going up the spiral staircase.

  I stared at his delectable ass and followed him all the way to the rooftop. The tea light candles paved the path to a corner table on one side and a blanket on the other. The blanket played host to a bucket of champagne and a silver platter filled with strawberries and fresh cream.

  “Surprise!” Ruppy exclaimed from beside me. His blue eyes glittered in the fairy lights surrounding us. “I took advantage of your long shower to set this up.”

  “Wow. Ruppy, this is amazing.” I gushed. “A sushi dinner under the stars. Sounds like my ideal date. I swear you’re going to make me cry. I never cry.”

  “Baby, there is a first time for everything.”

  He leaned in to kiss my cheek.

  “Now, please have a seat. Would you like to drink champagne with your sushi?”

  “Yes, please.”

  I sat down and feasted my eyes on the fine selection of rolls on my plate. There was a little bit of everything, even shrimp tempura. I poured soy sauce into the nearby dish and added a hint of wasabi.

  “How did you manage to order all this food without me knowing?”

  “Your sister came to my rescue. She’s already planning our wedding as we speak.” He chuckled.

  “Oh, no. Do you have an account on Pinterest? If the answer is yes, then delete it now or forever hold your peace.” I warned him. “She will bombard you with inspirational quotes and photos.”

  “So what? I would love to be smothered by Kate. She’s a sweetheart.”

  We both dug into our food and talked about our upcoming trip. Ruppy was both nervous and excited about coming out to his family.

  “Aunt Edith will surely have a fit.” He said. “She already thinks the Lockridges are cursed. According to her so-called research into the family history, a witch from Salem traveled all the way to Raplen and cursed my great grandfather when he refused to help her. The amount of bullshit reeking from this story is enough to fill a barn.”

  I shook my head in amusement.

  “This is the first time I ever hear you say the word bullshit.”

  “Cursing is not really a habit of mine unless I’m in the throes of passion.”

  “Throes of passion?” I almost choked on my salmon maki. He was too damn funny.

  “Yes. You make me forget my manners in bed.” He looked at me from under those dark lashes of his. It was the kind of look that made me want to swipe our dinner off the table and fuck him on top of the red velvet cloth.

  We shared the final piece of shrimp tempura before moving to the blanket. Ruppy sat down and picked up a fresh strawberry from the plate.

  “Open up.” He held it to my lips and watched me take a small bite from the juicy fruit. We eyefucked each other for a few seconds before he suddenly broke eye contact.

  “How about we make a toast?” I suggested.

  “Sure. We might as well take a selfie.” He raised both his phone and glass in the air. I draped an arm over his broad shoulders and smiled up at the camera.

  “Say cheese balls.”

  The flash made my eyes lose focus for a moment. I blinked and felt his lips on me. He kissed my neck and snatched my drink from my hand. I saw him deposit both our glasses on the floor before kissing me square on the lips. I leaned into him and kissed him back, tasting the sweet champagne on his lips. His open-mouthed kisses made my cock stir inside my jeans. He sucked on my tongue and kneaded the exposed flesh at the small of my back. I blindly reached for his shirt and tugged on the hem. I needed to feel his bare chest under my fingertips.

  He pulled away and unzipped my jeans.

  “Fuck.” I moaned, eager to get him under me. His fingers slithered under my boxers and rubbed the underside of my cock. I fisted his shirt and kissed him hard on the lips. He cupped the back of my neck and devoured me like a hungry incubus. I lost control, tearing his cotton shirt with my bare hands. He broke the kiss and gasped. His dark blue eyes were hooded and burning with lust.

  “Look
what you made me do,” I grunted before climbing on top of him and unzipping his perfectly tailored pants. He was more than happy to take them off.

  “That was so hot.” He rained kisses on my collarbone and chest while I got rid of my own jeans. We were finally naked and ready for the main course. Ruppy blindly reached for a paper bag that was hidden in the corner and tossed it on the blanket.

  “Lube and condoms.”

  “Naughty prince. You planned this to a tee, eh?”

  He nodded against my chest and gave my ass cheek a firm squeeze.

  “Fuck me.”

  “With pleasure,” I smirked, moving to sit between his thighs. His cock was hard, and begging for some attention. I grabbed the bottle of lube and drizzled the liquid all over my hands. He licked his lips and watched me stroke my own shaft. The tension in my body ebbed and flowed. I used my free hand to tease his puckered hole. He squirmed and begged me to fuck his brains out. I loved having him at my mercy. He made me feel like the sexiest man alive.

  I spread his thighs further apart and stared deep into his hooded eyes. His chest rose and fell rapidly as I slowly stretched him with my drenched fingers. I studied his face while I pushed my fingers in and out of him. He stroked his cock and dug his teeth into his bottom lip. He urged me to move faster, so I did.

  “Please. I need you inside me.”

  “I love it when you beg for my cock.”

  A soft groan escaped from his lips. I changed positions and worked my body on top of him. He caressed my back and waited for me to make my grand entrance.

  Making love to him under the stars was so fucking romantic. I bent down to kiss him while I stretched him with my cock. He moaned and held onto me tighter than before. My spine tingled, and my body shuddered with anticipation. The candles surrounding us painted our skin in a lovely orange glow. He ran his hands up and down my back while I fucked him with slow, deep strokes.