“I speak,” he said, as he poured me a cup of coffee. My lips were dry so I let out a small sigh and waited. He handed it to me and pointed to the creamers and sugars. Then he said, “I’m just confused. I told my staff to keep all pretty women out of my sight.”
Wow. My entire body heated, and it wasn’t the coffee. I’m sure my face turned red in a blush as I grabbed the plastic honey package that wasn’t green at all. I added it to smooth the bitter coffee and said, “Well, you set up a meeting with me.”
I looked up at him and those blue eyes of his pierced through my soul as he said, “I …?”
Then he blinked and asked, “Are you Nicole Steel?”
I traced the back of my neck and almost giggled like I was in the sixth grade at how he said my name. Luckily, I held that back and took a breath before I said, “In the flesh.”
His eyes perused my figure and I seriously felt a zap rush through me, until he pressed his lips together like I’d offended him. “You look like some yoga-loving, only-grapefruit-for-breakfast type.”
My heart thundered now in my chest but I placed my hand on my hip and cocked it to the side as I said, “I eat more than grapefruit, but once in a while, that’s fine for breakfast.”
He rolled his eyes like he’d pegged me as a flake. “Figures.”
I stepped toward him, but that was a mistake. My entire body surged with instant desire. I retreated, but then I lifted my chin.
“My social media, blog, and vlog teach people how to live clean, healthy lives and be their best versions of themselves. It’s not just about diet and exercise, but about every choice we make, and how doing the right thing is important.”
He waved both hands in the air like we were done. “Look, if all you’ve got is diet and exercise tips, I’m already exercising regularly. I don’t see how we’ll work together.”
Obviously, he didn’t listen. I gulped my coffee. It was so hot that it almost burned me, but I needed something. A friend once told me that drinking hot liquid acts as a natural means of cooling the body down. I finished and put the cup down as he sat on his couch like he’d relax and enjoy his coffee.
“Are you exercising to be like Batman or something for your kingdom?” I asked.
His lips curved into a smile and revealed dimples. Damn. He had some power to make my skin feel alive.
“At least you’re funny,” he said.
I moved closer, but noticed my hips were swaying. I crossed my arms and pretended that whatever was happening to me had stopped already.
“Did I offend you in some way?” I asked, raising my eyebrow.
He sipped his coffee and his body was relaxed and open as he sat there, like I didn’t affect him at all. He said, “I told you, I don’t want any more pretty women in my life.”
I tilted my head and asked, “Why? Because you’re afraid you’ll fall in love and marry me?”
Seriously? I should have said “Thanks for the compliment, but I should be going.” Why does the proper thing to say always hit me second? I gritted my teeth and refused to bat my eyes.
He shrugged. “I don’t fall in love.”
I resettled my bag on my arm, knowing I should just spin on my heels and leave. But instead I asked, “How can you be sure?”
Damn. That sounded like a schoolgirl. Did every woman revert to the idiot version of themselves near him? Was that his superpower?
He stood like he’d escort me to the door for being such a fool. “Because no one is really in love. It’s all just a justification for sex.”
I pressed my hand on his shoulder. Big mistake. His muscles were hard, like missiles about to explode. I yanked my fingers off him like he was a magnet that I needed to separate from and I said, “You sound just like my sister.”
“At least you know someone reasonable,” he said. “Where is she?”
I walked beside him toward the door and said, “Happily married now and on her honeymoon.”
“Good women usually go out of circulation fast.” He opened the door for me. “Well, this interview is over now. Thanks for coming.”
Fair enough. I’d fucked up getting this contract. I saluted him and said, “Sure. Well, it was nice talking to you. Goodbye.”
He stepped into the hall with me and then waved. At least he was polite. I sashayed back down the hall.
Tomorrow I was so checking out of Vegas. No contract, and still on my own to deal with the crisis of faith my readers were having over my virginity. And not even photos of me with a prince to offer as a back-up plan. This was all too much.
The moment I stepped onto the elevator, I could at least breathe again. This was the most important thing I could do to calm myself down. I inhaled deeply and counted my breath out with my eyes closed to find my center.
Chapter 2
Ryder Kristoff
I bet she showed off that backside of hers in black leggings all the time.
Nicole Steel. I looked up her webpage. There she was, with her brown hair and brown eyes and that pert chin with that oh-so-American smile of hers. The bright toothy grin that made it seem like she’d always be in a good mood, from first thing in the morning till late at night, bubbling over with the optimistic, life-is-wonderful attitude of that blog of hers.
If I hadn’t just gotten married and divorced in the first twenty-four hours of being in Vegas, thanks to that nice stripper, Darla LaNotta, and if I hadn’t drunk so much last night—to the point where my head was still pounding—I’d have been nicer.
Yoga people in general were okay, and the girl who was here had made me hard, like I’d wanted to fuck her, when I’d not had breakfast or even showered off the stripper yet.
So Nicole had to go. Once I closed the door, I headed into the shower and forgot myself in the steam.
Slowly my head pounded less.
From now on, less drinking. But then, I’d never enjoyed sobriety for very long. Especially since my mom had died, and my father had started harping on me to get married. It had been three years now, and I drank to forget.
Gio was right, though. Darla had been a big No. Marrying her obviously wasn’t the smartest thing I’d ever done, but after a few drinks, her suggestions had made sense to me.
Luckily, Gio was around to fix things. He had mentioned in his arguments last night that a good woman, the kind I’d want to spend my life with, might not like the fact that I was already married.
So I’d agreed to the annulment. Then, like magic, a perfect female stood in my room like she’d be my next present.
I finished in the bathroom, and when I came out, I saw that Gio had set up a big breakfast buffet for me.
My stomach rumbled now, and I grabbed flatbread, eggs and orange juice.
Food cleared my head and I could focus now. The door opened and Gio returned carrying a newspaper and a tablet. He took my empty plate from me and put it on a cart, then placed the tablet in front of me as I finished my coffee. He opened it and said, “She’s perfect.”
There was Nicole again, talking on the phone. She was still in the hotel lobby, near the faux gondola ride.
Her beaming happiness was intoxicating, but I said, “No, Gio, she’s not.”
Gio sat down and folded his hands in front of him. He said, “Look, your choice for a wife was a stripper. Your father, His Majesty King Sven Kristoff of Norden, needs his son to stay out of the headlines.”
Now that was a means of summing up my life easily. But no woman was a perfect ray of sunshine. I’d come to the conclusion that every human, male or female, is deeply fucked up, and we tend to run with people who are like us.
I folded my hands in front of me, rolled my eyes—which I knew would be reported to my father—and said, “He wants me to marry some virgin who can pass his purity tests.”
Gio didn’t blink. His pupils were black and drowned out any color at the moment. He said, “And Nicole Steel qualifies for even his strict demands.”
My eyes widened. The woman I’d purposely ignored beca
use she’d caused me to get hard the moment I’d laid eyes on her, was a virgin?
They existed? My own sister wouldn’t have matched my father’s exacting rules about women. My skin was jumpy as I said, “No.”
Gio crossed his legs like he’d solved all my problems himself. “No? I didn’t pick out the exact style of woman you want?”
Now my gaze narrowed. There was obviously more to Gio’s story of finding Nicole. And of how he had known how to find me so fast last night in the chapel with Darla, when I’d been drinking.
I always assumed he was my secret bodyguard as well as my butler, even if he was skinny as a rail. I flicked my finger to the wall and let it rest on my cheek as I studied him. “You know me, Gio. She’s beautiful, but what you’re saying is impossible. She doesn’t meet the qualifications.”
His lips quirked up and he reached for the tablet he’d put in front of me. “She’s video blogging right now about her virginity.”
I swallowed. I’d tossed her out on her ear, and she was exactly the woman I needed. The kind I had stopped believing existed. I reached for the tablet. “What? Let me see?”
There she was, the pretty brunette with high cheekbones, and a slender neck that immediately led my attention higher to her full bottom lip, or lower to her perky breasts. She was talking earnestly to the camera.
I wanted to acknowledge my detractors who are calling me out on my virginity. It’s true. I’ve never been with a guy. Sometimes, I think if I had been, I’d be more attractive to men I’m attracted to.
Today has been quite shocking. I’ll talk more about it in my blog later, but I’ve always believed in honesty. So today’s quick vlog was to acknowledge the truth. Yes, I’m a virgin and it’s a choice I made. I’ll explain more. Talk to you soon.
Love always,
Nicole
I rubbed my eyes and my ears burned.
Gio had picked better than I imagined. I rubbed the stubble on my face and asked, “She put that out there?”
Gio reached out and took the tablet back and tucked it under his arm as he said, “Another blog was calling her a hypocrite.”
And exactly as the two of them had planned, my phone rang. Without even being near it, I knew this was my father, the king. I jumped up to answer as I said, “Hold on and we’ll continue this conversation in a moment.”
I trekked upstairs to grab my phone in my bedroom. After my impulsive marriage, I’d expected today’s discussion to lead to me being kicked out of the family for not following orders.
Since mom died, it hadn’t been much of a family anyhow. I’d married Darla because I intended to quit my royal duties and get a regular job. I’d already been offered board seats and spoken to various CEOs about organizing a worldwide competition for finding and funding the best carbon-to-oxygen engine that could power everything from cars, to homes, to anything commercial.
All I needed was for my royal duties to end so I could follow my true plans … to help save the world through funding the best scientists.
And it wasn’t just green tech I was interested in. So far, I’d had less success getting CEOs on board to fund medical research, but on my own, I’d also work to fund more research into curing diseases—research that wouldn’t be weaponized by pharmaceuticals, but instead would offer medicine and vaccines free.
All I needed was my freedom—preferably, freedom that allowed me to keep my title and my fortune, too. But that only came from retiring, not quitting or being kicked out of the family. And the only way to do that was to marry a woman my father would choose for me.
I squared my shoulders and answered, “Hello, Father.”
His gruff voice still sent pins and needles down my spine. I expected him to condemn me, but instead he asked, “Are you in talks with a woman who might be worthy of your hand in marriage?”
I massaged my neck as my shoulders were tight. Maybe I’d made a huge mistake with Nicole Steel earlier. I stilled as I said, “Father, I talked to someone about taking possible life-skills lessons.”
He interrupted me. “She’s beautiful, a virgin, and has a long history of giving back to the environment, helping people. If you don’t want her, keep her there, and I’ll send your brother Harry to Vegas.”
Wow. He’d practically picked her out for me with Gio. Nicole was physically perfect. The only issue I’d noticed was that her ears were slightly too big for her face.
And I’d sent her packing. My heart sped up, though I said, “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“You’ve already caused enough trouble for one lifetime. Marry a virgin—that one—and you’ll get your inheritance and your freedom.”
There it was. My freedom. My mouth watered to live my own life. I nodded as I spoke, “If I marry Nicole Steel, you’ll give me the North Castle now?”
I honestly didn’t care about the home so much as the ability to “retire” and control my destiny. I didn’t move, though every cell in my body was on high alert.
Finally my father said, “Yes, and the money to keep your family in royal style.”
Done. I needed to get her on board, then. I swallowed and said, “I will keep you posted.”
Gio and my father weren’t bloggers, social media smart, or even great at online search engines, so their choice of Nicole Steel was strange. I headed downstairs and saw Gio cleaning up my breakfast, but I waved for the tablet and said, “Replay that video.”
She had almost a hundred thousand followers on YouTube. As she talked about her virginity, I found her on all my apps. Her follower count was easily over two million across platforms.
No way did my father or Gio count as her fans. I turned off the tablet and asked, “Where is she now?”
He put the last dish on a tray and ensured no crumb was on my dining room table as he asked, “Didn’t you send her away already?”
Gio was more like my gatekeeper, but he still worked for my family. I raised my eyebrows and made myself clear. “Yes. Go and ensure she hasn’t checked out of the hotel.”
He stood and finished with the tablecloth. “What do you intend to do?”
Not his business. He’d ended my wedding escape last night, but he didn’t need to be smug about finding me a bride who could guarantee my fortune and the ability to retire.
I’d figure out eventually how he’d found Nicole, but for now, I needed to go and convince her that she needed to be my bride. I pointed to the door. “Go, Gio. Time is of the essence.”
I returned to my room and found my blue jacket that made my tailored jeans look a little more professional, and checked my hair.
Totally fucking vain, but women notice details, at least from my experience.
A few minutes later Gio returned and I headed downstairs, now wearing my loafers. He glanced up at me and said, “She’s in her room still, Your Highness.”
If she kicked me out, like I’d done to her earlier, it was my own fault. I’d have to figure out how to apologize somehow. So I asked, “What’s her room number?”
Gio’s face brightened and he reached for the door. “I’ll direct you there.”
“No.” I lifted my chin and my entire body stilled. I didn’t need every detail of this conversation reported. “I’ll go on my own.”
His wrinkled face showed more lines when he pressed his lips together. “That’s not a wise idea, sire.”
I reached for the door myself. “I’m not asking your permission, Gio. Room number?”
He glanced up at the ceiling. “Room 1104.”
Good. I flung it open to see the four security guards waiting. “Wish me luck.”
Gio followed me out the door but then stayed still as he asked, “With what?”
I understood that my next words would be relayed to my father. I winked at him and said, “With convincing the virgin that I’d be her perfect husband.”
Boom. Done. If she denied me, at least they’d know that, for once, I’d tried to follow orders.
For now, I took the elevator down a
nd followed the numbers of the rooms in the halls. Her room was pretty low, and not near the elevators at all.
Finally I made it to door 1104, and ignored how my pulse increased. I motioned for my security guards to stand back, and then knocked.
For one second, nothing happened. I couldn’t breathe.
Then I heard the door lock click and saw the door handle lower. My muscles were tense as her pretty brown eyes shone out.
Her face was ashen, like she was seeing a ghost, but I asked, “Nicole Steel?”
She ran her hand through her hair and asked, “You’re here?”
I glanced around. A small crowd had gathered in the hall and some were snapping pictures. I lowered my head and kept my voice down. “I just saw your vlog.”
One of the people in the hall gasped.
A picture of Nicole and me would probably go for a nice price. Nicole reached out and grabbed my arm. I ignored the spark as she said, “Come in. People recognize you.”
“Right.” I stepped inside with her, without my security detail. Her room was a quarter of the size of mine, with the bed and the couch all visible together. I pressed my lips and said, “Just for a moment.”
The door locked behind me, then she crossed her arms and asked, “Okay, so why are you here?”
I saw a small studio set up on one side of the room, with cameras around it. Nicole was probably vain. I folded my hands in front of me and said, “I was rude to you earlier.”
One eyebrow shot up, but she didn’t otherwise move. “You were?”
Yeah, I’d ruffled her earlier. If Gio had shown me who she was before the meeting, maybe I’d not have behaved so stupidly this morning. Or last night. I stepped closer and said, “Yes, and I came to apologize.”
She didn’t budge, but she lowered her head. I swore she was trembling as she said, “I’m waiting.”
Funny. I’d not said my next words to anyone except my own mother, years ago. I took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry.”
She lowered her arms and bounced on her feet as if she was considering what I’d said. But her lips curving up in a slight smile told me plenty.
Powerful Prince (Steel Series Book 5) Page 2