He wanted her to stay.
All night.
Until morning.
And maybe, just maybe, far longer than that.
* * *
“I’m not returning until later,” Bella said emphatically. “No, it’s not unwise, and as I said, I’m a grown woman, perfectly capable of making her own decisions.” Bella frowned, pacing in front of his hotel window to the city.
Kyle watched. And listened. After they’d woken up and made love a second time, she’d told him she needed to check in and tell her brother where she was. He thought it rather odd that a brother could be so protective of his sister, but then again, he didn’t have any siblings. Maybe this was normal.
“I’m not going to argue with you,” she continued. “I simply called to inform you that I’m well, safe, and will return soon. Goodbye.” She hung up with a huff. Turning to Kyle, she sighed. “Goodness. You’d think I was going on a suicide mission to Mount Everest, the way he acts!”
“I was thinking more a tour of New York and some pizza. Nothing too dangerous,” he replied, trying to add a little levity to her mood.
She smiled, brushed a strand of long brown hair behind her ear, and sat on his lap. “I would love that. I’ve never seen the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty or the Freedom Tower. Or anything, really.”
“The Duchess of Salasia,” he announced in a regal voice, but she didn’t seem amused by his made-up title. “Anything you want, sweetheart.”
Initially, Bella had told him she would return to her hotel in the morning, but after some cajoling and another round of lovemaking, she’d agreed to spend the day with him. Score! Although he wanted to spend the day in bed with her, making her come over and over again, he also wanted her to experience New York the way he did whenever he was in town. New York was like Kyle’s second home.
First, they went out for brunch, making sure she got a huge multi-grain bagel and a cup of true New York coffee. Though obviously hungry, she still ate her meal with dainty bites, tearing off tiny pieces of bagel before shoving them in her mouth. Kyle was amused just watching her. Rinse, repeat. He didn’t know how she managed to eat anything in under an hour, she was so methodical. She sat straight as an arrow, too, looking every bit the duchess as he’d nicknamed her.
“You can relax, you know,” he finally said. “Nobody’s going to judge you if you eat like a normal person.”
She seemed taken aback. “I do eat like a normal person. I may not eat like a beast, like some people.” She sipped her coffee, looking at him pointedly, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’m just saying, whatever walls you’re used to putting up, you can take them down with me. I’m a good ol’ Georgia boy. We do casual.”
“We do casual in Salasia, too, you know.” She gave him another chastising look that made him laugh. “Just differently.”
They spent the rest of the day touring the usual tourist spots—the Empire State Building, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty. They all held little interest for him compared to watching Bella enjoy them for the first time. Completely worth it. He bought her an I <3 NY T-shirt and mug, a bobblehead of a Yankees player, and they munched on hot dogs and salted pretzels as they wandered about. A few times they hailed a cab, and Kyle made sure to teach Bella how to whistle for it in just the right way.
Every now and then, fans recognized Kyle and asked for autographs, which made Bella shrink back for some reason. He wanted to ask her about it, but when the fans wandered off, she smiled so widely that he decided it wasn’t worth pressing her. Maybe the attention made her nervous. He could respect that.
In the evening, they watched the sunset from Battery Park then took the subway to Kyle’s favorite pizza joint in the entire city. Ordering a traditional New York style pizza with all of the fixings, he watched as Bella’s eyes widened at the giant pie set before them. “We’re going to eat that entire thing?”
“Yep, and you’re gonna love it. Best pie in the entire world.” He didn’t know why but he felt giddy just sharing his favorite pizza with her.
When she took her first bite, folding the pizza like Kyle showed her, her wide eyes closed and she moaned. Damn if that sound didn’t go straight to his groin. “This is heavenly,” she said after swallowing. “How could I have gone my whole life without eating pizza like this? What do they put in it?”
“Magic,” Kyle answered. “Just like Times Square, Central Park, and your orgasms.” He waited for her to react, looking up and blushing like he was starting to get used to. He couldn’t help but grin, as he ate his own pizza slice.
Chapter 5
Arabella finished her third slice of pizza and had to restrain herself from licking her fingers clean in front of Kyle, as much as he would’ve enjoyed that.
His phone chimed, and Kyle whipped out his cell, quickly scanning a text. “Finish up, Duchess,” he said. “We got a game to catch.”
She yanked paper napkins from the dispenser and dabbed her lips. “A game? What game?”
“You’ll see. I think you’re gonna like this one.” He winked and motioned for their waiter to bring them the check.
“I liked the last one too. Especially Room 586.” She winked back at him. All day, she’d been trying to wrap her head around the idea of what was happening, how she’d managed to catch the eye of Kyle Young, Bootleggers famed quarterback, and how she’d spent the night sleeping beside him, and now, spent the day wandering the city holding his hand.
A tiny frisson of guilt filled Arabella’s mind, for avoiding going back to the hotel and setting Royce at ease, but at the same time, she’d asked for the day, right? And the day wasn’t over until the clock struck midnight. Wasn’t that how it worked in fairy tales? Finishing off her lemonade, she let Kyle pull her to her feet and take her outside.
When they drove up to NY Knights Stadium, she had to admit she hadn’t been expecting another game. At least she didn’t remember there being one on their official schedule. But considering there weren’t any fans milling about either, this was clearly something else.
Kyle helped her out of the car and around to the west side of the stadium, where a tall man wearing a low baseball cap let them inside. Arabella had to restrain herself from asking questions, but Kyle had asked her to wait until they got to wherever it was he was taking her. Was this a private ceremony? An orgy on the field? She laughed at her silly thought but shivered in excitement at the same time.
When they emerged onto the field—the playing field of Knights Stadium—Arabella didn’t see writhing bodies or clothes being thrown off, but instead a bunch of Bootleggers in casual wear tossing a football back and forth. A few stadium lights were on overhead, just enough to keep them from total darkness.
“Kyle, what are we doing here?”
“Playing tag football.” He grinned his devilish smile. “And you’re going to be one of our quarterbacks, Duchess.”
“Wait…what?” A flurry of panic fluttered through her chest. She hoped he was kidding. “You’re joking, right?”
“I am one hundred percent…not joking, Duchess. A team coach is an old friend. Come on, you’ll be great.” He took her hand and led her over to Heath and Alec off to the side, tossing a ball between them. Several of the other players from last night’s bar jaunt were there too. Kyle handed her a belt with plastic flags attached, instructing her to put it around her hips. Even though she’d watched football since she was a child, she’d never had the opportunity to play it for real.
“Are you certain professional players like you want to include me in your game?” she asked with trepidation.
Kyle shot her a rough glance. “Do you think these guys would say no to playing with a beautiful woman? Besides, we’re here to just have fun.”
She blushed, quietly pleased by the attention, but still so nervous! “Ugh, I suppose so.”
“So, the rules…” Heath called out to gather everyone’s attention, as the guys and Arabella met in the center of the field.
“No tackling. No crazy maneuvers. First team to get three touchdowns wins. Anybody who messes around gets to sit on the sidelines and drink warm beer. Got it?”
Arabella held back a giggle.
Kyle slung an arm around her shoulders. “Nobody touches this lady but me.” Although he clearly sounded lighthearted, she had a feeling he was serious too, and something about that possessiveness drew her to him.
She leaned into him, relishing in his solid body. “You guys can touch my flags—” The guys guffawed “—just nothing else. Will that work?”
“Except for me, right, Duchess?” Kyle whispered in her ear.
“We’ll see.” She teased.
“Hey, I bought you breakfast, lunch, and dinner today.” He laughed, and she elbowed him in the side. Speaking of three full meals on a full day, she wondered how she would possibly have the energy to play football after all that, but adventure was what she’d wanted.
So, here goes nothing.
The game began with Kyle and Arabella on opposite teams, which made Arabella a bit nervous, though she was good for it. Heath announced that their team would be “shirts” in honor of the sole female on the team and that Kyle’s team would be “skins.” Immediately, Kyle and nine other players stripped off their shirts, which almost made Arabella’s eyeballs pop out of her head.
Yet again, this trip to America had paid off in huge ways.
From across the field, Kyle smiled at her, and she fanned herself to make him and the other guys laugh. Heath huddled his team to give them plays, and Arabella tried very hard to concentrate on what was expected from her instead of the fact that she was huddled with nine other hot and handsome Bootleggers.
To her delight, they included her in all of the offensive plays, letting her run with the ball and barely avoiding her flags getting snatched more than once. She quickly became one of the guys, although when she fell and skinned her knee, they all came rushing to her side to make sure she was all right. Good ol’ Georgia gentlemen.
Out of nowhere, Kyle scooped her off the ground and ran her to a bench. She almost burst out laughing. “Silly. It’s just a little skinned knee,” she said, looking up at him.
“Yes, but they are pretty little knees that cannot get damaged.”
She laughed and thought about how much she loved his attention.
As the night rolled on, her team scored a touchdown, but the opposing team scored soon thereafter. The game intensified, with each team wanting to win and unwilling to slacken, and the best was brushing shoulders with Kyle and pretending to be enemies. During one play, Alec pitched the ball to Kyle, who made a beeline for the end zone. No one could catch up to him—except for Arabella. Nobody knew it, but she was small and quick, and she tugged a flag from his belt with a whoop.
“Gotcha! Might want to pick up the pace, old man.”
He looked at his belt to find that, indeed, his flag had been swiped. “Old man, huh? Hmm…I should never have underestimated you,” he said, pulling her into a hug. Behind them, the team whooped and cheered.
By the end of the game, they were tied 14 to 14. Arabella was exhausted, but in the best way possible. She wanted to win, no matter what. “Pass to me,” she told Heath. “You know I’m fast enough to get past Kyle.”
Heath stroked his chin and nodded. “It’s worth a shot, at least.”
The teams lined up to scrimmage, and Arabella’s heart pounded. If she could get past Kyle and score the winning touchdown, it would be the best thing that had ever happened to her. Well, except meeting Kyle and sleeping with him, she thought with a happy shiver. She wasn’t sure why it was so important, but she wanted to earn his utmost respect. That would teach him never to judge a pretty girl as a mere groupie ever again.
The ball was hiked, and they all scattered into different directions. Arabella dodged players and ran ahead to receive when she saw Heath only yards from her. She signaled that she was open, and he passed the ball. It spun an arc overhead, and she had to jump to catch it, but it landed perfectly in her cradled arms with a thump. She whirled away from Kyle and sprinted for the end zone, followed by Kyle and the others desperately trying to stop her. No one could match her for speed.
She sprinted for the goal line, looking behind her to see Kyle reaching for her flag, but it was too late. “YES!” her team yelled when she crossed the line. That was it—she’d scored a touchdown and won the game.
“I did it!” she yelled, allowing herself a girly moment to jump up and down. Kyle picked her up and spun her around, not even caring that she’d beaten him. And right there, in front of everyone, he planted a big, sweaty kiss on her lips. She loved how small she felt in his arms, how they enveloped her, and how utterly sexy he was right now.
Her team came up, patting her on the back, and then, they all lifted her onto their shoulders for a victory lap around the field. This feels like a dream, she thought dazedly. How could this have become the best two days of my entire life? It was like she’d been waiting twenty-four years to be a part of something other than the royal family of Salasia, and now it had happened in the form of football.
After the game, they celebrated with beer and snacks on the sideline, as casual as ever, and though Arabella thought she couldn’t possibly eat any more, she did so with renewed hunger and gusto. Heath and Alec toasted to Arabella, ribbing Kyle for letting his lady win. “I didn’t let her,” he said, “she was faster than me. I’m thinking the NFL should hire her, get her into the next draft.”
“Only if I get to be on your team,” she replied.
“That goes without saying.” He kissed her temple.
“Aww…” Everyone chimed in, making her blush. Yes, they had become quite the gooey couple in only twenty-four hours, and Arabella took that as a good sign.
Everyone finished up the food they’d scavenged and made sure to throw out the plates and cans, not wanting to leave a mess after their impromptu and probably not-quite-legal game. The man who’d let them into the stadium stood by the entrance, waiting for them to go so he could lock up.
“Thanks for this, man.” Kyle slapped the guy on the shoulder.
“If I get fined, you’re paying it,” was all he said.
As the guys wandered back to their hotel, Arabella looked at her phone—11:30 PM. The day was almost up, and it had been a pretty darned full one. She smiled sadly up at Kyle with a sigh. “I have to get back.”
He cupped her cheek. “I understand, but do you have to? Can’t your brother figure out his life without you for a little while longer?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that we came here together, and I’ve kind of ditched him. My parents will be worried, too, I’m certain.” She checked her cell phone, which she’d made sure to ignore all day, and grimaced at the messages from Royce, her mother, so many messages demanding to know where she was. She listened to the latest voicemail from Royce and she frowned even harder. “Your parents have been trying to get into contact with you all day. If you don’t return within the hour,” his voice boomed, “I’m calling the police.” He’d left the message at 10:00 PM.
At her exasperated expression, Kyle touched her arm. “Bad news?”
“I have to go,” she said, suddenly desperate to get back to the hotel. Why would he go and call the police when she’d assured him she would be on her own and fine today? All that she could hope was that it was just a tactic to get her to call.
“We’ll see each other again, right, Duchess?”
The hopeful look in Kyle’s eyes was killing her. Her heart broke. She wrapped her arms around Kyle’s neck and shook her head. As much as she’d enjoyed this dream of a day, real life was calling her back home. “I’m going home tomorrow to Salasia,” she whispered. “I can’t imagine I’ll return anytime soon.”
He thought about that for a moment, and she hoped that he wouldn’t make it any harder by begging her to stay. But Kyle simply nodded and took her hand. “Then at least let me take you back to your hotel.”
Gently, she pulled away, needing to put distance between them. Kyle looked so forlorn, though, that she wanted to throw herself into his arms and never let go. Forget Royce, forget Salasia. What was there for her except her family? How would she ever know what was meant to be if she always did what she was told to do? Yes, she’d known from the beginning that this could never go beyond a night together, but why did she have to follow the rules?
Sadly, she knew the answer to that—because she was a princess.
With a sigh, she said, “I need to go on my own. There are…complications. Things I can’t explain. I’m sorry.” She couldn’t let Royce see him, either, especially not if he’d already called the police to come find her.
“Then I’ll ask for one last thing before you go.”
“What is that?”
“A kiss, Duchess—one last kiss. Then you can walk out of my life forever.”
Tears formed in her eyes. God, why did this have to be so hard? He cupped her face, and as they stood outside the stadium where Arabella had ended the best day of her life, he pressed his mouth to hers. The kiss wasn’t like last night’s, which had been electric and erotic. This was a kiss of parting, a kiss that made her want to sob in agony. He kissed her gently, his mouth soft and sweet against her own.
Then, he let his fingers slip out of her trembling hands. “Goodbye, Bella. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that. So she just nodded and walked off in the direction of the nearest subway station. When she was far enough from Kyle, she got out her phone and finally called Royce, ignoring the angry tone in his voice. He hadn’t just said goodbye to the sweetest man he’d ever met. He hadn’t just had the most triumphant day ever. So, he needed to just shut up and listen. “I’ll be there soon. No, I don’t need a car. I’ll take the subway.” And with that, she hung up. If she had to go back to the real world, she would do it her way.
Going Deep Boxed Set (Books 1-4) Page 21