As I watched the cab drive away, I ran my hand through my still-wet hair, sending droplets of water raining down on my shoulders. It was longer than I usually let it get. It was nearly impossible to tame unless I kept it short and, in those last couple weeks back home, it had been my private rebellion. Now it was a combination of that and just being lazy.
I went back inside. My stomach growled as I walked into the kitchen, but I couldn't find anything appetizing enough to eat. Finally, I grabbed a box of cereal and headed into the living room, fully intending to eat directly from the box and watch tv until I figured out what I was going to do now.
I thought I'd been lost before, drifting from one party to the next, one woman to the next. I'd had no direction, no idea of what the future held. That feeling had increased tenfold since I'd watched Nami walk out of my hotel room. I'd been living in the moment with her, but it somehow hadn't felt like that. If I was honest with myself, I'd felt more myself than I had...ever.
There'd been no plan, no schedule, but I'd taken charge, deciding what we were going to do, where we'd go. When we'd talked, I'd felt like I could share everything with her. She could have helped me figure out my path, I thought. She would've listened when I'd given her a list of ideas of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, and she would've given an honest opinion. She would have supported whatever decision I made.
I leaned my head on the back of the couch and closed my eyes. For the first time since she'd left, I gave myself permission to call up the image of her face. Dark brown curls, cropped short. Just long enough to bury my fingers in the silky strands. Dusky skin. High cheekbones and a straight nose. Cyan eyes contributed to her exotic beauty. Only…it was more than her appearance. It was the way her full lips had curved into a smile. The blue-green sparkle of her eyes when she laughed.
A pang of longing went through me, so sharp that it was an almost physical hurt. I missed her, I finally allowed myself to admit. I missed her body, her scent. The intelligence of her conversation. The way I'd kept making a fool of myself in front of her.
I opened my eyes and looked around. The villa was just as beautiful as it had always been, every piece of furniture and decoration carefully chosen by a well-paid interior designer to show off the proper mixture of wealth and taste. I'd never really cared about any of that before, but it had been more of a not caring brought about by being used to it. Now, I saw things differently.
What was the point of all this, I asked myself. Why have all this money if all I was ever going to be was miserable? I didn't know if my parents were happy with their lives, but I doubted it. I knew Rebecca wasn't. She'd always pretended to be, but no one that nasty could be anything less than miserable with themselves. And then there was me. I'd never really thought about happiness before. It was all duty and loyalty. I'd tried to be happy with Piper, but even that hadn't done it.
I was tired of this, I realized suddenly. All of it. Not only tired of traveling around Europe without any purpose, fucking whoever I got into bed, and then moving on to the next party. I was sick of being a Stirling, of the responsibilities my last name put on my shoulders. Or, more accurately, the responsibilities my parents thought being a Stirling meant. I was tired of being told what to do, who to love and how I should behave.
I wanted more out of life than one party after another, one faceless woman. More than the power and money that came with being in charge of the Stirling businesses. I wanted my own life, but not because I wanted to rebel against my parents. I wanted it because I actually wanted to be happy.
And I was sure I needed Nami for that. My time with her had been the best I'd had for as long as I could remember. Even when I'd talked about my parents and my life back in Philadelphia, it hadn't seemed as important as it had before. When I was with her, I wanted to be a better man, not to impress anyone or make my parents proud. I wanted to deserve her. And not because she was a princess, but because of the amazing person I knew her to be. She deserved every happiness, and I wanted to give that to her.
I just didn't know if I was part of the equation. For all I knew, she was happy back in her home country, preparing for her upcoming wedding, ready to take on the mantle of crown princess. Despite her assertion that she'd always remember me, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd already faded from her mind. The thought hurt more than I cared to admit.
Chapter 3
Nami
I'd lied.
I'd told my parents that I'd submit to their will when I returned from Italy, but that promise had lasted all of two days before I'd given up.
It wasn't that I didn't love Saja. My island home was just far enough into the ocean that we didn't have to worry much about people from the mainland disturbing our peace. Every once in a while, we had visitors, but we weren't a country that thrived on tourism. Actually, we mostly kept to ourselves. While we imported goods, we weren't reliant on any one country, which allowed us to stay out of political issues. The beaches were beautiful, some rocky, some sandy. Our capital was more of a town than a city, but it was the closest thing to a metropolitan area we had. All of our businesses were there. Banks, police department, all of that. And, of course, the courthouse. We were a monarchy, but we used a justice system similar to America and the United Kingdom. The king or queen – whichever happened to be the ruling monarch at the time – did have the final say, but appeals rarely went that high. Our crime rate was low, our economy flourishing, and everything was perfect.
Everything except my life. Saja was my home. I loved it, just like I loved my family. King Raj and Queen Mara. My family had been ruling Saja for several generations, the crown past down from oldest child to oldest child, regardless of gender. And now it was my turn.
I was only twenty-two years-old, out of college for only a couple weeks, and my life was over. I opened my eyes, squinting against the early afternoon light. My head was pounding and my mouth was dry. There was a stale, nasty taste that told me, as much as the headache, that I'd drunk too much last night. Again.
When I'd left Princeton with my political science degree, I'd known what was coming next. An arranged marriage to a man of my parents' choice. Additional lessons in various foreign languages as well as ongoing updates on the political and economic situations in major world powers. Invitations to parties I didn't want to attend, mingling with people I didn't want to know. Basically, all the shit that came with me being the heir to the throne.
I hadn't been happy about it, but I'd accepted it as being just the way it was. I'd been thrilled with my parents' graduation gift of a European trip, but even that had been all about politics. Being in the right place at the right time. And, of course, behaving myself. I'd done my little bit of rebellion, though. Cut my hair...and lost my virginity. The first, everyone could see and my parents could brush under the table as some sort of fashion statement. The second had to be kept a secret.
Saja wasn't some backwards country where I'd be beaten or killed for having sex, but being the crown princess meant that my future husband would want to ensure that it was his child who would be next in line. That meant my parents, myself and the two bodyguards who'd been with me since I first went to America for college, all had to sign documents stating that I was a virgin.
I grinned despite the throbbing in my temples. That ship had sailed back in Princeton when I'd slept with my best friend. It hadn't meant anything though. My smile disappeared and I climbed out of bed. I didn't want to think about who I'd slept with next. I'd been trying to put those thoughts out of my head since I'd gotten back.
When I walked out of my bathroom, feeling a bit better after a quick shower and brushing my teeth, I noticed what I hadn't before. I hadn't been alone in my bed.
Fuck. I scowled. Who had I slept with last night? I closed my eyes, trying to remember. Most of the last two weeks was a blur. An intoxicated blur.
I'd played the dutiful daughter for two days, but then my parents had told me that they were down to their top three choices for my futu
re husband. That hadn't been a surprise, but then I'd made the mistake of asking if I could meet all three and have the final say. I knew my parents loved me, but the look on their faces had made me hate them for a moment. It had been clear, without a word needed, that my marriage wasn't any of my concern.
I'd known that, of course, and if it hadn't been for what had happened in Paris, I might not have cared. I'd prepared myself. But then I'd met Reed and had experienced a glimpse of the kind of life I could've had. That taste of freedom had infected me and I couldn't seem to get back the same sense of duty I'd once had.
I wanted more out of life.
To my parents' dismay and disappointment, that meant I'd decided to have some fun. The first night, I'd only snuck out and gone to a club. I hadn't known until Kai and Tomas had shown up that my parents had a GPS tracker on my phone. Apparently, that's how my bodyguards had found me in Venice too, except the reception there had been so bad that it had taken them a while.
I pushed those memories aside. I didn't want to think about Venice.
My parents had freaked about my trip to the club, but the family's PR person, Mikkels, had managed to keep it under wraps. Then they'd doubled my guard detail. I could barely go to the bathroom without tripping over one of them.
The body on the bed rolled over and now I could see his face.
Right. Ari. Now I remembered. Well, pieces of it anyway.
Ari was only a couple years older than me and my newest bodyguard. I smirked. He'd done a hell of a lot more than guard my body last night. The flashes of memory I was getting involved a couple bottles of Saja's finest alcohol and a very naked man.
I glanced at the clock. Tomas and Kai would be back shortly, and there was no way Ari wasn't fired. It had been his job to keep me from doing anything stupid. Unfortunately for him, I was smarter than he was.
Since I'd been put under virtual house arrest, I hadn't been able to get out, but I'd managed to find enough alcohol in the house to keep me pleasantly buzzed every night. When I'd met Ari, however, something snapped. I didn't just want to annoy my parents, I wanted to piss them off.
Ari tossed off the blankets, revealing a toned, muscular body. He was shorter than Tomas and Kai, just under six feet, and thinner than them, but he couldn't exactly be called lean. His hair was dark and thick, his shoulders broad. He had strong, masculine features, hazel eyes and didn't resemble Reed in the slightest.
Which is exactly why I'd wanted to have sex with him. I'd needed someone who didn't look like Reed. Someone who would help me forget him. I'd told Reed that I wanted to remember him, and a part of me wanted to hang on, but I'd also learned how painful remembering could be. It might've been easier if it had just been sex, but there had been a connection with Reed I simply couldn't deny.
While I still didn't want to even think about someone chosen by my parents touching me, fucking me, I knew I couldn't keep reliving the memory of my time with Reed. It hurt too much. I needed him out of my head if I could ever go through with this. With the marriage, with training to become queen.
I shook my head. Apparently, last night hadn't worked.
I looked at Ari again, letting my eyes moved down from his chest to where his cock rested on his leg. I was happy to see a used condom on the bed next to him – I hadn't been able to remember if we'd used one – but my attention quickly focused on the thick shaft slowly swelling as I watched.
“Good morning.” Ari's voice was thick with sleep, drawing my attention back up to his face.
I smiled, but didn't say anything. It was clear on his face that he hadn't come to the realization he was completely screwed, and I didn't intend to change that. In fact, I was thinking I might want to at least give him something good to remember after he was fired. I walked towards him, putting a little extra swing into my step. I hadn't bothered to dress and his eyes watched the sway of my breasts as I walked towards him, his cock stiffening with each step.
His hand went towards it automatically and I watched him stroke himself as his cock grew. It wasn't quite as big as Reed's, but big enough to do the job. I climbed up the bed, enjoying the way his eyes were drawn to my breasts. I stopped between his legs and pulled his hand off of his cock.
“My turn.” I grinned at him. I wrapped my hand around him and began to stroke, enjoying the feel of his skin beneath my palm.
“Princess,” he groaned.
I saw something flicker across his eyes as he said the title and immediately tightened my hold. He swore and his eyes rolled back. At any moment he could realize this hadn't been a good idea after. I used my free hand to grab a condom from the side table and ripped it open with my teeth. I rolled it down his shaft, then moved up so I was straddling his waist.
His eyes darkened with lust as he reached up to my breasts. I waited for my body to respond to him the way it had done to Reed, but while his touch was pleasant, there was none of the heat I'd experienced before. I closed my eyes and sank down on his cock, letting out a breath as my body adjusted to him. His hips jerked as I settled and a ripple of pleasure went through me as the motion pressed him against that spot inside.
“Princess.” His voice was strained.
“Shh.” I shook my head. I didn't want to hear him talk, especially if he was going to call me “princess”. I didn't want to be the princess. I wanted to be Nami.
I rocked back and forth, feeling the difference between Reed and Ari. I didn't know what it was, but it just didn't feel the same. I pushed the thought from my mind. I didn't want to think about Reed right now. I concentrated on the friction as I moved, the feel of his hands on my breasts.
As I began to move faster, Ari's hands dropped to my hips, not trying to move me, but just resting there. I opened my eyes, trying not to sigh in frustration. I couldn't remember if he'd been this passive last night, but this definitely wasn't doing it for me. I kept one hand on his stomach and moved the other to the place where our bodies joined. My fingers quickly found my clit and began the familiar back and forth motion I used to get myself off.
His fingers flexed on my hips and he groaned, his face flushing as I felt him come. Damn. I would've thought he'd had more stamina. I ground down against him, putting near painful pressure on my clit until the pressure burst inside me.
My nails dug into his stomach and he let out a gasp of pain.
“I'm sorry,” I said, opening my eyes.
“It is quite all right, Princess.” Ari panted. “I am here to serve.”
The words hit me with an almost physical force. Here to serve. I was his princess. Even if he wanted me, I was still the princess first. Not a woman. Not a person. Just the princess.
I climbed off of him and went into the bathroom without a backward look. I knew when I came back out, he'd be gone, either fired or attempting to explain himself to Tomas and Kai. Either way, I wouldn't see him again. Not that it mattered. It hadn't worked.
I was keeping my promise to my parents even though the thought of doing so broke my heart. I wanted Reed.
Chapter 4
Reed
“Where the hell did you go, Nami?” I muttered to myself as I flopped back onto the couch.
One would think in the age of the internet, finding the king and queen of a country shouldn't be too difficult. I had no clue which country I was looking for, but I'd figured I’d start by searching the names she'd said. King Raj and Queen Mara. I'd found nothing.
Had she lied about who she was?
The thought had been circling in my mind for the past two days as I'd searched for her. I'd successfully ignored it up until now, but I'd known that I would have to face it at one time or another. Actually, I admitted, I'd hoped I wouldn't have to face it at all. I'd had this foolish notion that I'd be able to find her in just a few short hours, hop on a plane and go find her. The question would be unimportant.
But I hadn't found her. I'd gone to bed frustrated last night and it looked like I was going to do the same tonight. Now I had that question too.
<
br /> Was the reason I couldn’t find her because she wasn't a princess? Had she just made everything up in order to get rid of me? It seemed a bit extreme as far as plans went. She could've just said she was married or something like that. Married to some rich guy who insisted on the bodyguards. That wouldn't have been so far-fetched. Claiming to be a princess...now that one was a bit extreme.
She had to have been telling me the truth. I just couldn't figure out why I couldn't find her parents. Maybe I wasn't going about it the right way. I frowned at the laptop. I was a businessman. I knew how to read stocks and the business page. I knew a bit about researching things, but that was pretty much limited to typing stuff into a search engine and spending hours wading through shit. I'd been a CEO. Stuff like that was why I'd had assistants.
I glanced at the clock on my computer. It was night here but still evening back home. I'd resigned my position at the company, but I still had a good relationship with a lot of people back there, including one of my former assistants. Louis had been with me since the beginning, my first hire when I'd taken over as CEO five years ago. He was a couple years older than me, but had never behaved as if I was too young to be in charge.
I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and scrolled down to Louis's number. He answered on the second ring.
“Mr. Stirling!” He sounded surprised, but pleased. “How are you doing?”
“Good, Louis,” I said. “And I'm not your boss anymore, so please call me Reed.”
“You're just on a sabbatical, Mr. Stirling.” Louis's voice was firm. “How can I help you?”
A sabbatical. That was interesting. It appeared my parents hadn't told them that I'd actually resigned. It made sense though. A lie like that would be the best way to keep our shareholders from getting too nervous with Rebecca in charge. It wasn't a surprise that I hadn't heard the story before. I hadn't looked at any business news since leaving Philadelphia.
I wasn't about to correct Louis's mistaken impression. Best to speak to my parents first. With Louis, I stuck with what I needed. “I'm looking for someone. Twenty-two. Princess Nami Carr. Parents King Raj and Queen Mara. I need to know where Nami is from. Which country her parents are king and queen of.”
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