To Love a Prince
Page 19
Besides, it was exhausting. And I didn't have the emotional bandwidth to be vulnerable with anyone at the moment.
I shook off thoughts of the heated gaze and headed for the balcony. When Tamsin saw me, she smiled. "Ah, I see Ben finally gave up."
I rolled my eyes. "If only he’d been half serious. That is probably one hard man to shake when he wants something."
She laughed. "Count me in as one woman who's willing to be first in line. I bet they don’t call him Big Ben for nothing."
I snorted a laugh. "Oh, he is all yours."
"Not your type? You don't like billionaires?"
I laughed. "It's not the money I object to. He's just too slick."
"You know, you're right about that. He's pretty though."
I shook my head. "Nothing wrong with pretty."
"I mean, did you see his friends? What was that guy's name? East? And what was the other one?"
"Bridge," I answered automatically. "I mean, the three of them walking in together was like an orgasm waiting to—"
I lost my train of thought as Tall-dark-and-melt-your-panties walked by the open door again. This time, he was with a man who spoke intently to him as they walked briskly past. I couldn’t lie… the view from the back was just as good as the front.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. Something was off. The other guy was dressed the part, but he looked off. Like maybe he was too rough around the edges to be wearing that tux.
“Hey, give me a sec,” I muttered. “I’ll be right back.”
Tamsin frowned at me. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just following a hunch.” I ran back in and followed both men out of the ballroom, into the hall, and to the stairs leading to the side entrance of London Lords where the valet had been parking the cars. Something told me to go faster and to not lose sight of them.
I adjusted the slit of my dress and palmed my tranq gun. We’d been warned. If anything did go down today, it had to stay quiet. The Winston Isles had gotten far too much press lately.
Outside, the too big, too rough guy was speaking intently to the man with the gray eyes right next to a car. The passenger door was open, and no one else was in the car that I could tell.
They were arguing. Was this the time to butt in? What if my hunch was wrong?
What if it’s right?
Yeah, fuck it. I ran up to them both. “Sweetheart, there you are. Have you been naughty and are sneaking a cigarette?”
Stormy gray eyes met mine, and he gave me a sharp shake of his head. I ignored him and turned to Mr. Too Many Muscles. “Oh, is this a friend of yours?” The guy was shaved bald. He had eyes that were dark and too closely set together, high cheekbones, and a forehead and nose that suggested he was maybe Eastern European.
When he spoke, it confirmed my impression that this scenario was nothing good. “Get rid of her, or she comes with us.”
“I’m not going anywhere, buddy.” I jabbed him in the chest in an attempt to create more space. In close combat with this guy, I’d lose. Sure, I was faster and nimbler. But one good hit and I’d be down.
His sharp, slashing brows drew down. “Suit yourself. I know what to do with someone like you.”
I’d bet he did. And none of those things included me sleeping in my warm cozy bed tonight. “Babe, come on the royal family wants a photo.”
Gray Eyes arched a brow. “Darling, you go ahead I’ll meet you there.” His voice was sin and bad decisions mixed together.
I stood my ground. Now was no time for him to be noble. “Oh, I know King Sebastian insists.”
“I’ll have to pass, love.”
“Yeah, you heard him, he’ll have to —”
He was talking and also raising his right arm. All I saw was the black gleam, and I acted, launching myself in the air and slamming against Gray Eyes. Toppling him over and covering his body with mine, tranq gun raised.
Wasting no time, I squeezed twice. The asshole about to shoot at us was big. Who knew if two doses would be enough? But I was prepared to run.
The muscle-bound brute fell to his knees. I rolled on my back, real gun now in my left with the tranq gun in my right, ready for anything.
But I didn’t need to worry. Two hits with the tranq had done the job.
I sucked in a shuddering breath. Then I holstered the real gun first then the tranq.
When I turned to my bed of muscles, he was staring at me. “Do you have a death wish?”
His voice had lost some of the sin quality. It was colder, like he was pissed.
I pushed to my feet. “What? You wanted me to let you go with that asshole? He had a gun. He was going to kill you.”
“I promise you, I’m quite capable.”
Unbelievable. “You could have fooled me. Men wielding weapons and shoving you into a car are generally bad news.”
His gaze narrowed as he glowered at me. “I had it under control.”
I crossed my arms. “Oh, so you're delusional. Okay then. Goodbye crazy. And P.S. You're welcome.”
“You generally only say thank you when you’re glad someone did something.”
I shook my head. “For fuck’s sake. Next time I’ll let you die then. Pity. You look expensive, like someone would miss you, but it’s no skin off my back. I’ll just let the homicidal asshole kill you when he wakes up.”
“You don’t know what you’ve just done.”
“You mean besides put on a display of badassery the likes of which you’ve never seen? I also made this couture look damn good. Oh yes… and saved your ass.”
“My ass didn’t need saving, princess.”
“I’m not a princess, asshole. I’m a King’s Knight. Feel free to call me Lady Zia. In the meantime, have a nice life.” As I strutted off, I flipped him the bird.
Not my most mature moment, but he was an ungrateful prick. Let him deal with the body. The dickhead was going to wake up at some point, and he was going to be all kinds of pissed off. But neither one of them was my problem anymore. No good deed went unpunished.
Boy, I sure did know how to pick ‘em. But at least I’d never have to see Gray Eyes again, the ungrateful prick.
To be continued in Bodyguard to the Billionaire…
Thank You
Thank you for reading TO LOVE A PRINCE! I hope you enjoyed this installment from the Royals Elite Series.
Did you love seeing Zia’s sass and badassery? Read her story in…Bodyguard to the Billionaire!
Derrick Arlington is one of the world's most eligible billionaires. Voted Sexiest Man Alive—two years running.
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And I just so happen to look exactly like him.
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It’s never came in handy until I get offered an actual job out of it.
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It was supposed to be so simple.
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Go to the Winston Isles, stand in as his body double for a few weeks, go back to my life.
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But when our carefully constructed plan goes awry and the billionaire goes missing, I have no choice but to take his place and hire a bodyguard. The best in the business: a smart-mouthed, tight-assed, lady bodyguard.
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Zia Barnes is the LAST thing I want, even if I need her. She's determined, smart, and has no idea I'm a total imposter.
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Good thing I have no intention on falling for her, or I'd be royally screwed.
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Pre-Order BODYGUARD TO THE BILLIONAIRE Now>
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Nana Malone Reading List
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Sexy in Stilettos
G
ame Set Match
Bryce
Shameless
Before Sin
Cheeky Royal
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Royals
Royals Undercover
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Cheeky Royal
Cheeky King
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Royals Undone
Royal Bastard
Bastard Prince
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Royals United
Royal Tease
Teasing the Princess
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Royal Elite
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The Heiress Duet
Protecting the Heiress
Tempting the Heiress
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The Prince Duet
Return of the Prince
To Love a Prince
* * *
The Bodyguard Duet
Billionaire to the Bodyguard
The Billionaire’s Secret
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The Donovans Series
Come Home Again (Nate & Delilah)
Love Reality (Ryan & Mia)
Race For Love (Derek & Kisima)
Love in Plain Sight (Dylan and Serafina)
Eye of the Beholder – (Logan & Jezzie)
Love Struck (Zephyr & Malia)
* * *
London Billionaires Standalones
Mr. Trouble (Jarred & Kinsley)
Mr. Big (Zach & Emma)
Mr. Dirty(Nathan & Sophie)
* * *
The Shameless World
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Shameless
Shameless
Shameful
Unashamed
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Force
Enforce
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Deep
Deeper
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Before Sin
Sin
Sinful
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Brazen
Still Brazen
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The Player
Bryce
Dax
Echo
Fox
Ransom
Gage
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The In Stilettos Series
Sexy in Stilettos (Alec & Jaya)
Sultry in Stilettos (Beckett & Ricca)
Sassy in Stilettos (Caleb & Micha)
Strollers & Stilettos (Alec & Jaya & Alexa)
Seductive in Stilettos (Shane & Tristia)
Stunning in Stilettos (Bryan & Kyra)
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In Stilettos Spin off
Tempting in Stilettos (Serena & Tyson)
Teasing in Stilettos (Cara & Tate)
Tantalizing in Stilettos (Jaggar & Griffin)
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The Chase Brothers Series
London Bound (Alexi & Abbie)
London Calling (Xander & Imani)
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Love Match Series
*Game Set Match (Jason & Izzy)
Mismatch (Eli & Jessica)
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COPYRIGHT
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
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To Love a Prince, Book two in the Prince Duet
COPYRIGHT © 2019 by Nana Malone
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
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Cover Art by Hang Le
Photography by Wander Aguilar
Edited by Angie Ramey and Michele Ficht
Published in the United States of America
About Nana Malone
USA Today Best Seller, Nana Malone's love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she "borrowed" from her cousin.
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It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
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Now she writes about sexy royals and smokin’ hot bodyguards when she’s not hiding her tiara from Kidlet, chasing a puppy who refuses to shake without a treat, or begging her husband to listen to her latest hair-brained idea.