by Lara Swann
“Groping me in your sleep?” Derek asks with a smirk, watching me as I try to clear my foggy mind, and I turn to look at him with a jolt, embarrassment rushing through me.
“I did not.” I glare, then pause. With almost everything he says being light and flippant, it’s almost impossible to tell if he’s being serious. “…did I?”
He chuckles, then takes my hand in his, raising it to the firm pecs of his chest.
“Mm - just like this. I wonder what you were dreaming about, sweet Princesca?” His eyes sparkle with tempting heat, and I’m suddenly glad that I didn’t dream at all, or if I did I don’t remember anything - because right now, I feel like he’d know in an instant if I had.
Well, if he’s not going to be nice enough to pretend he didn’t notice…
I raise an eyebrow instead, and even though I’m not fully awake yet, I take full advantage of the opportunity he’s given me and glide my hand across the hard, defined muscles of his chest. Which feel amazing, by the way. Even if I wish that thin t-shirt wasn’t there to get in my way.
“Well, it doesn’t seem like you minded too much.” I say with a knowing glance, before taking my hand back slowly.
The fire in his eyes ignites, and it’s almost enough for that slight throbbing between my legs to overcome the one in my head.
Almost.
“Oh, I didn’t mind at all.” He reaches forward and cups the back of my neck, his strong thumb caressing the underside of my chin. I can feel my pulse thumping against his hand as he leans toward me with a smile of his own.
The speaker above us crackles, and then a voice with the official tone of ‘an announcement’ comes through, breaking the moment almost instantly. It’s in another language - Italian? Or is it Aldoran? Who even speaks Aldoran? - but I catch something that sounds like “Aldora” and glance back at Derek questioningly.
“Yeah, that’s us.” He says, with a reluctant smile, some of the heat still in his eyes. “Maybe we can continue this somewhere a little more…private. When we get to my castle.”
‘My castle’ makes me snort - the idea of it still seems ridiculous, especially in my fuzzy mental state - and I shake my head just as quickly, looking around at the carriage.
“If you think I’m interested in anything except sleeping when I finally find a real bed…” I shake my head, giving him a mock-pitying look. “Sorry, Prince, you’re not that hot.”
He so totally is, but I have no intention of giving him the satisfaction. Besides, if I give him the slightest chance to try, there’s a good chance I’ll end up giving in to lust and hormones and desire instead of finally collapsing in a ball and sleeping. And I’m nowhere near coherent enough to be able to make a decision like that right now.
Derek is looking at me, incredulous, but I’m already trying to grab my things together.
“I should go and get changed.” I say reluctantly.
Really, I’m tired enough that all I want to do is slump down onto the seat and keep my eyes closed. Horniness might have been enough to fuel a little banter and play, but tedious things like making myself respectable?
Ugh.
Derek just laughs, shaking his head. “Too late for that, Princesca. We’ve only got a few minutes before the stop.”
“What?” I say dumbly.
We sat around distracted by sexy-talk while I needed to get ready? Seriously? Nice one, Hanna.
“But…I can’t go to your castle looking like…” I glance down at myself, the maybe-stained hoodie and shiny yoga pants. “This.”
He follows my glance, and somehow turns it into something long and slow that leaves my skin prickly and hot.
“I don’t see why not.” He smirks, and I push at him in irritation.
“I mean it, Derek. C’mon, be serious for once - what will people think, when they see me for the first time?”
“No one will see you. Don’t worry so much - believe me, my whole plan as soon as we arrive is to sleep for the rest of the day.”
Well, I can definitely see the appeal in that.
“But…”
The train starts slowing down, and I glance around in confusion at it. I’ve spent literally hours waiting for this journey to finally be over, with every part of my body aching…and now that it is, I suddenly don’t have enough time? How did that happen?
Derek starts gesturing me out of my seat, and I grab my glasses off the table in front of us before giving in and moving so that he has enough space to get out. I put them on, sighing as I realize even with glasses my vision is still fuzzy from the lack of sleep, then pack the couple of things I’ve left sprawled on the table in front of us into my handbag - my phone, a bottle of water and the Kindle I gave up on about two hours into the journey.
Derek takes my hand as he tugs me after him, giving the back of it a quick kiss and winking at me.
“You look gorgeous, baby.”
I roll my eyes at him - though from the way his eyes linger on my legs, I wonder whether there were ulterior motives behind not letting me change.
Someone else is taking care of our bags so we just have to step off the train, find the private driver waiting for us and make it to the car. Simple, right?
Derek keeps hold of my hand the whole time, and I try not to look at the driver’s face as embarrassment colors my cheeks. I have no idea what he thinks. I try to tell myself that I’ve just come off a twelve hour train journey, and the state I’m in is entirely expected - but I’m uncomfortably aware that I’m meant to be this Princess-in-waiting person and I have no clue what I’m doing.
It isn’t until I’m sliding into the car - the door held open for us in a display of status I’m totally not used to - that I realize this train station is the first I’ve seen of Aldora. My first impression of the whole country.
It makes me wish I could remember something about it - but instead it’s all lost in a blur of tiredness and confusion.
“There. Now this is better - more like what I promised you, hey?” Derek grins at me from the other side of the large car, and I have to admit the smooth leather seats feel very luxurious.
I give him a small smile in return, even though I’m still not quite sure what I think of it all - and my head is still throbbing. “Yeah, it’s nice.”
“It’s only a twenty minute drive to the castle, too - not long until we’re sleeping off this journey-from-hell.”
I nod, dimly aware that he does actually seem to care, enough that he’s spent a good portion of this journey looking out for me. It’s a little unexpected, but…it’s nice, too.
I guess he feels bad about dragging me into all this and subjecting me to that god-awful train journey - but I would have thought the Playboy Prince’s response would be to charm me into not noticing it at all, instead of taking it seriously enough to try and fix.
Then again, since we left Boston he’s seemed a little…different. There’s still the charm, the heat, the impish comments…
But he spent most of the first half of the journey staring out of the window into the dark, frowning. Maybe it was just the train fiasco, but…it felt like more than that.
I shrug it off, my brain hurting too much to try and think about it - or anything else that happened between us on that journey. Instead, I dive into my handbag and try to rescue my appearance at least a little.
I’ve just about managed to pull a brush through my hair and run a wet wipe around my face - the ride far too bumpy for me to even consider attempting make-up - when the car breaks through the clustering of houses and shops that have been lining the street so far, and I get my first glimpse of the structure we’re heading up a long road towards.
The castle.
It really is a castle. As extravagant as I thought Derek was being earlier by insisting on calling it that…nope, there is no other word for it. Fuck me. A real castle.
I crane my head to try and look at it, but I don’t get a very good view from the car window - just the large set of walls up ahead, and a tower
or two rising beyond them, intermittently obscured as the car turns along the winding road. I don’t manage to make out anything else before we’re right underneath it, driving through the large, towering entrance…and into what looks like a town in itself.
I look at Derek in confusion as we drive past another set of buildings, wondering where the castle itself had gone. Were we inside it? What?
“Salda is one of the few remaining fully-fortified towns.” He announces, and I think this is the first time I’ve seen a glint of pride in his eyes when he’s talked about his country. “We’re driving up to the castle keep itself, where the royal family still live and the court is held - but the castle houses half the population of Salda inside these walls.”
I stare at him. I didn’t know that there were any medieval castles or towns that still operated like that - with a wall circling the whole town for protection, and the royal keep a separate structure inside. The combination of population growth, walls becoming useless against modern threats, and the needs of bigger roads and spaces for cars and real vehicles had made it impossible to maintain their traditional uses.
In most cases, the outer walls had been torn down to widen roads and build more houses - and the castle keep had become a monument, shown off as a part of the history of a place. Or, in the few cases where they were still lived in and supported, the few additional buildings within the walls were entirely consumed by the growing royal family’s needs and kept private.
He grins at the shocked look on my face. “I mean, the walls aren’t going to protect us from anything anymore and the houses we passed on the way here from the train station - that’s where Salda has expanded beyond the castle. But we’re still small enough that it works, and I don’t know another place like it. How’s that for a taste of European history, hm?”
I’m still gazing around with wide eyes, my tiredness almost forgotten as the car makes its slow way through to the castle proper. Okay, he has a point. Maybe this is going to be better than I thought it would.
I grin back. “It’s amazing, Derek. You should’ve told me about this…ohh, I wish Carly could see it. She’d have a fit.”
“I wanted to see your reaction.” I glance over to see him leaning forward from the seat opposite, his elbows on his knees now, and he is watching me. It makes me blush, just a little, but I meet his eyes without hesitation, enjoying the sparkle there.
“And did it meet your expectations?”
“So far, you’ve surpassed every one, Princesca.”
I can feel my brow wrinkle at the title - I’m still not sure what to make of the Princess thing - but I smile anyway, enjoying the way his melodic voice washes over me.
The car stops a moment later, and I sit back with a start as I look towards the door, not sure when I started leaning towards Derek. The driver comes back around to open it for us, and Derek gestures me out. I guess that’s the polite, sophisticated thing to do - ladies first and all - but I kind of wish he’d get out before me.
Without a car to hide in, the wonder of where I’ll be staying is starting to give way to nerves about everything else.
Telling myself to pull my big-girl panties up and deal, I slide along the seat and try to get out with some semblance of grace. I’m not sure it works, since it turns out these seats are slippery, and the car is pretty low to the ground - and then I jump a little as a hand is held out towards me.
Oh. Right. Of course.
I take it, and give the driver a small smile that he doesn’t acknowledge at all - before standing and moving out of the way so that Derek can get out. The driver gives him a half-bow that makes me want to roll my eyes and Derek thanks the man. Then his arm slides around my waist and he turns me towards the large wooden doors at the front of the building.
I take a deep breath, trying not to make it obvious how much better his arm makes me feel. I let myself relax just a little and shift towards him, taking comfort in the warmth and strength of his body as I gaze around me.
It really is stunning. The slabs of stone used to make the castle are at least double my height, with the joinings between them barely visible, making the whole surface seem totally smooth. I guess the idea was that it would be impossible for intruders to scale it, but they’ve maintained it beautifully.
I crane my head up, ignoring the stab of pain through the neck I slept on badly, and squint at the large windows above us, arched in a beautiful Romanesque style—
“Hanna.”
Derek squeezes my waist, and I glance back to see an amused expression on his face.
“We’re supposed to be going inside the castle, not staring at it.”
“But…”
I trail off as I catch him glancing around and then start to notice a few of the looks we’re getting myself - and the murmured whispers. Those whispers probably aren’t about us. Definitely not. But the hair stands up on the back of my neck anyway and it sure feels like they are.
I suddenly remember that I’m wearing a too-big hoodie and pants that show off every inch of my legs - and then nod quickly in agreement, propelling my legs forward.
“Yes, sorry, of course.”
I can take a look at the architecture of the castle later. Hell, I can spend the whole month wandering around it. I feel almost giddy at the thought, my tiredness only a dim feeling at the back of my mind now.
He gives me an indulgent smile and we walk through the arched wooden doors that are twice my size in height, and past the two rigid guards on either side. On first glance, I figure they’re just like any other antiquated castle guards - for decorative, impressive purposes only. But then I notice the very real guns hanging at their waists and a small tremor runs through me.
The rest of the castle is real enough…
“Hanna.” Derek murmurs again, his voice in my ear this time.
“Sorry.” I whisper back, moving forward at his nudging.
I do my very best not to stare at the beautiful paintings set out before us, or the rich carpet throughout the hallway, or the finely paneled wooden edging to the walls. That, and the way they’ve plastered a lot of the interior means that it doesn’t quite feel like I’m walking through a cold stone corridor - though there’s still a slight chill in the air that sends a little shiver through me and makes me thankful for the hoodie after all.
“It’s warmer upstairs.” Derek says, in a much quieter tone than his usual brash, enthusiastic voice. “There’s not much we could do about the lower levels of a castle like this, but we redesigned the upper levels a few decades ago - with the primary priority being insulation.”
His eyes still crinkle like they’re telling a joke though, and I smile back at him, grateful he even noticed.
“Just tell me the beds are warm.” I murmur back.
The sudden surge of excitement at seeing the castle is starting to wear off and as it does, I’m only more aware of how much I need to crash out - and I hope Derek hasn’t forgotten that. We better be going in that direction.
“I can make sure the bed is as warm as you like.” He promises, in a sultry tone that is entirely not what I meant. Which does nothing to stop the prickle of heat he stirs in me with the idea.
If I wasn’t so damned tired, I might be tempted to jump his bones. But as it is…
“I told you. Sleeping only, until I kick this train-hangover.”
“Until?” He jumps on that immediately, smirking at me. “I can accept that.”
“Uh, wait. That’s not what I—I’m not thinking clearly. You can’t hold me accountable for anything I say right now.” I say, and he chuckles at me. His fingers are sliding under the hoodie, too, and in any moment he’s going to find the top of my pants and then…
Derek straightens abruptly, his hand slipping away and his face becomes a smooth mask, making me look up to see what’s caught his attention.
Or rather, who.
At the other end of the corridor, there’s a thin, wiry man walking purposefully towards us with an expression o
n his face like he just stepped in dog shit. He’s got the sort of stuck-up bearing I’d probably associate with a member of a royal household, and his fine, elaborate clothes have a style that match it - practically shouting nobility. I draw in a breath and wish once again that I’d had a chance to change.
Maybe I should suggest that to Derek, even if it is just for this short walk to our room…I’m sure we could find a bathroom somewhere, right? Or an abandoned room. It’s a castle - they’ll definitely be plenty of those.
The man starts talking as he comes nearer, in a fast-paced swirl of words that make it impossible to work out where one stops and other begins, even if I did know the language. From the tone of voice and the way Derek stiffens beside me, I can tell it’s not a pleasant conversation.
I wonder if it’s about my clothes.
Derek answers abruptly, in a similar tone, and the other man’s expression tightens with distaste as he turns to look me up and down.
Yep. Definitely about my clothes. And maybe my hair and makeup too.
My stomach drops as they continue their intent conversation and I wonder who I’ve offended. I might have made it very clear I wasn’t the Princess type of girl - but that doesn’t mean I want these people to think of me as a complete slob. I hope Derek is explaining about the train, and that he rushed me off with no time to—
Derek tugs my arm and draws me back away from the other man a moment later, leaning his head down towards me with a strained expression. My stomach knots even more.
“We have to go and meet my parents.” He says tightly.
I blink at him.
“What?”
“I know. Apparently they’ve decided their official welcome of my Princesca-attenciano needs to happen right now.”
“Wait. Official welcome?”
This is sounding worse and worse.
“Yes - I’m sorry, Hanna. It usually never happens until a couple of days after the Princesca-attenciano arrives. It just…doesn’t.”
He looks almost as bewildered as I am about-to-panic.