The Millionaire's Royal Rescue

by Jennifer Faye

  But if she were honest with herself, this thing—these feelings—had started when he’d played her hero and saved her mother’s journal from the would-be thief. There had been something special about Grayson from the very start.

  And now she was ready to take the next step—one that she didn’t take lightly. She’d never outright asked a man to spend the night. She wasn’t even sure what to say. But tonight she was feeling a little bit naughty, uncharacteristically bold, and a whole lot reckless.

  She opened the door.

  “Well, I’ll see you in the morning.” Grayson turned to walk away.

  Oh, no. She wasn’t letting him get away. She needed to do something quick, but what? “Grayson, wait.”

  He turned back. “What is it?”

  “I need your help.” Without any further explanation, she took his hand to lead him into the bedroom.

  But he didn’t move. “Annabelle, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  She turned to him, not about to let logic rain on their magical night. “Why Grayson, what do you think I’m going to do?” Her voice lowered to a sultry level. “Take advantage of you?”

  He didn’t say anything at first. “The thought had crossed my mind.”

  “Tsk. Tsk.” She gave his hand another pull. “Come on. I promise to keep my hands to myself...unless you’d rather I didn’t. And besides, you did agree to stay with me until we solve the mystery of the note.”

  Grayson groaned. And she grinned like a Cheshire cat. Without a word, he followed her into the darkened room. Something told her that his capitulation was out of pure curiosity and the fact that no matter how much he wanted to deny this thing between them, he simply could not.

  “You might want to close the door,” she suggested without making any effort whatsoever to turn on the light.

  “Annabelle—”

  “Trust me.” She moved toward the bed.

  He groaned again and inwardly she laughed. Who knew Grayson could be so much fun? Or maybe the fun was in her being bold and sassy. Her smile broadened.

  When the door snicked shut, she could hear Grayson’s soft footsteps behind her. He wanted this night as much as she did. He hadn’t been with anyone since his girlfriend, which was understandable and even a bit admirable, but it was time he moved on. It was time that she spread her wings with a man who wasn’t intimidated by her father or her security team. And a man who took her opinions seriously.

  “Can you unzip me?” She wished she could see the look on his face right now.

  “I...I shouldn’t be doing this.”

  “If you don’t, I’ll have to sleep in this beautiful gown,” she said as innocently as she could muster. “Mrs. Chambers already went to bed. She never goes to the ball. And I can’t reach the zipper.”

  He stepped closer. In the next moment, his fingers were touching the bare skin of her upper back, sending shivers of excitement tingling down her spine. He sucked in an unsteady breath. Millimeter by millimeter the zipper came undone. His fingertips were surprisingly smooth. His touch was being tattooed upon her mind.

  This was the sweetest torture she’d ever experienced. And then her gown floated to the ground, landing in a fluffy heap. With nothing but moonlight streaming in through the tall windows to see by, she stood there in her black bustier and organza petticoat.

  She didn’t move. She could feel his gaze on her. The breath caught in her lungs. What was he thinking? Did he want her as much as she wanted him?

  Desire and anticipation mounted within her. This was the most exquisite moment as they stood at the fork in their relationship. No matter which direction they took, after tonight, things would never be the same again.

  And then his hands gently caressed her shoulders. His touch was arousing. She imagined turning in his arms and pressing her lips to his mouth, but she didn’t. Not yet. She knew what she wanted, but she wasn’t sure if he’d overcome the ghosts from his past. For this to work, for this to be right, he had to be all-in too.

  His thumbs moved rhythmically over her skin. “Annabelle, are you sure?”

  She blew out the pent-up breath. “I am. Are you?”

  His response came in the form of a gentle kiss on her neck. She inhaled swiftly, not expecting such a telling response. Not that she disapproved. Quite the opposite. Most definitely the opposite.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “HOW LONG HAVE you been up?”

  Grayson’s deep, gravelly voice came from the doorway of the library. Annabelle was wide awake, showered and working to find the answer to the clue in the latest note. She glanced up from one of the history books of Mirraccino.

  When she saw Grayson, memories of being held in his arms came rushing back to her. Along with the memories came the emotions—powerful emotions that sent her heart racing. Last night had been so much more than she’d ever envisioned.

  She was in love with Grayson.

  And she had never been so scared.

  She’d never been in love before. She’d never wanted to let another man into her life. She already had enough men telling her what to do, why add one more? But Grayson was different. He spoke his opinion, but left room for her response.

  The truth of the matter was that she could imagine keeping him around, but never once last night or any time since she’d known him had he mentioned sticking around or inviting her to be a part of his life. He’d warned her in the beginning that he wasn’t in this for anything serious. She remembered that moment quite vividly. Why hadn’t she listened to him then? Now she’d complicated everything exponentially.

  “Annabelle, what’s wrong?” Grayson approached her, concern written all over his face.

  She held up her hand, maintaining an adequate distance between them. She couldn’t bear for him to touch her. And she refused to give in to the tears that were stinging the backs of her eyes. This was her problem to deal with, not his. He hadn’t done anything but what she’d asked him to do.

  “I...I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine. Listen, if this is about last night—”

  “It’s not. And I’d prefer not talking about it.” She couldn’t stand the thought of him letting her down gently. She could just imagine him giving her some sort of pep talk.

  Grayson raked his fingers through his hair. “I knew that last night was a mistake. I didn’t mean to—”

  “Stop.” Then realizing she’d raised her voice while the door to the hallway was standing wide open, she lowered her voice. “It wasn’t a mistake. You have nothing to feel bad about.” And she just couldn’t talk about it any longer. “And I have to go out. If you need anything just ask the staff.”

  She started for the door, but Grayson was hot on her heels. She needed to shake him. She needed to get away from absolutely everyone. She needed some time alone in order to think clearly.

  The only person she really wanted to talk to was the one person missing from her life—her mother.

  Not needing protection while she was within the palace walls, her security detail was out of sight. That left Grayson, who was right behind her. She kept moving with no particular destination in mind.

  “Annabelle, you can’t just walk away.”

  “Watch me.”

  “We need to talk.”

  “No, we don’t.” She kept walking, wishing he’d give up. “There’s nothing to say.”

  “I disagree.”

  He refused to leave the subject alone. What did he want her to do? Say something to make it better? That wasn’t possible.

  Annabelle went out the back door. When she spotted her little red convertible, she headed straight for it. There wasn’t anyone around, thankfully. She jumped inside and was relieved to find the keys waiting. The staff routinely left the keys in a strategic spot so that vehicles co
uld be readily available and moved to the front of the palace for their owners. After all, the palace was heavily guarded. No one was going to break in and steal a car. Not a chance.

  The next thing she knew, Grayson was in the seat next to her. Just great.

  “You need to get out because I really am leaving.”

  “I’m not moving. You can’t just act like nothing happened last night.” He turned to her. “Annabelle, we have to talk.”

  “So you keep telling me.” She put the car in gear. “Well, if you’re not getting out, then I guess that means you’re coming with me.”

  Grayson put on his seat belt, crossed his arms and then settled back in his seat. She’d never witnessed him with a more determined look.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She accelerated toward the front gates.

  It was then that she realized she didn’t have her security detail following her. She also knew the guards would stop her and ask about her lack of security. She had no clue what to say. When she neared the gate, she found them opening it for a delivery truck. Though the guards waved for her to stop, she kept moving.

  “Annabelle, what are you doing?”

  “Whatever I want.” She knew it was a childish answer, but she wasn’t much in the mood for a serious talk.

  It wasn’t until they were on the main road that Grayson asked, “Would you at least tell me where we’re going?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  * * *

  “Annabelle?” Grayson stared into the passenger side mirror.

  “I told you, you’ll find out the destination soon.”

  “No, that isn’t it.” He tapped on the window. “There’s no car behind us. Where’s your security detail?”

  He stared at her, waiting for this information to sink in. Her face paled as her gaze flicked to her rearview mirror. He knew she hadn’t planned this little escapade. It’d been a spur-of-the-moment decision, which led him to believe she had been more upset this morning than she was willing to let on. He figured as much.

  The thing was he wanted to talk to her. He wanted to tell her how much last night had meant to him, but she refused to give him a chance.

  He’d have sworn by her responses and words that last night had been special for her too. So why had the walls gone up in the light of day? And what had she been doing up so early after such a late night?

  That was his problem. He didn’t understand women. He never had. Abbi used to tease him about it. But there was nothing funny about this situation—not after that threatening note.

  “Annabelle, where’s your security?”

  “Obviously not here.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would you leave without them?”

  “Because...”

  “Because what?” He wanted a real answer. What was going on with her? She’d been acting strange all morning.

  “Because you wouldn’t leave me alone. You kept wanting to talk about last night and I didn’t. I didn’t plan to leave the palace, at least not at that point and so I didn’t tell anyone.”

  “You ran off?”

  “No!” She frowned as her grip on the steering wheel visibly tightened. “I...I just didn’t stop to tell anyone.”

  “Isn’t that the same thing?”

  She took her eyes off the road for a second to glare at him. “No. It isn’t.”

  Grayson sighed. “Okay. I guess I did push the subject this morning. I’m sorry. I just thought we could talk things out.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he continued before she could speak. “But no worries. Just turn around. We’ll be back at the palace in no time.”

  Her lips pressed together. She didn’t say anything and the car didn’t slow down. Maybe she didn’t hear him.

  “Annabelle, turn around.”

  She eased up on the accelerator and the car started to slow down. He breathed easier. She’d turn around and soon they’d be back at the palace. No harm. No foul.

  She put on the turn signal. So far so good. He glanced around. “What is this place?”

  “It’s a historic landmark. It’s where our ancestor’s fought to maintain our monarchy and traditions.”

  Any other time Grayson wouldn’t have minded stopping and exploring the site, but not today. When Annabelle didn’t immediately turn around, he thought she was just looking for a safe place to maneuver the car.

  “You can turn here. I don’t think there’s anyone around to see if you drive off the road.”

  “I’m not turning around.”

  “What?”

  “This is our destination.”

  “Annabelle, this isn’t funny.” A feeling of déjà vu came over him. “Turn around.”

  “No. We’re here and there’s something I need to see. It won’t take long.”

  Arguing with her was proving fruitless so he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He went to dial, but realized he didn’t know the phone number of the palace. And that wasn’t his only problem. There wasn’t a signal out here in the middle of nowhere.

  He held up his phone and waved it around. Not even one bar appeared on his phone. This wasn’t good. He had a bad feeling about this whole expedition. A very bad feeling.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THEY’D COME THIS FAR; she wasn’t about to back away now.

  “Come on.” Annabelle got out of the car.

  She wasn’t so sure Grayson was going to accompany her. He was worried and she couldn’t blame him, not after what he went through. But this wasn’t her first time without a bodyguard and she highly doubted it would be her last. Sometimes she just needed some privacy and that was tough to do with someone always looking over your shoulder.

  She glanced around. Hers was the only car in the parking lot. Everything would be all right. They wouldn’t stay long. And contrary to her desires, she wasn’t alone.

  She started up the path leading to the historic landmark. The cipher had said PLACARD. TWO. THREE. Which, if this was the place, had to be just up ahead. She prayed she was right. She just wanted this to be over and to finally have the answers that would hopefully bring her family back together again.

  “Annabelle, wait.”

  She paused and turned to find Grayson striding toward her. He wore a frown on his face that marred his handsomeness just a smidgen. And even if he wasn’t happy about being here, she found comfort in his presence. Because maybe she wasn’t feeling as brave as she’d like everyone to think. But she refused to be intimidated by that note. She was onto something; she just knew it.

  “You’re going to do this no matter what I say, aren’t you?” His concerned gaze searched hers.

  “I am.”

  He nodded. “Then lead the way.”

  “Thank you,” she said, not expecting a response. But she was grateful that he wasn’t going to fight her any longer.

  They continued down the windy path that led them to a spot near the cliff that overlooked the sea. Here there was a small park area. There was a sign explaining the historic significance of the spot, but Annabelle wasn’t up for a history lesson right now. She needed to see if this was the place with the next clue to her mother’s murder and if not, they needed to move on.

  “The message said there would be a placard. Do you see one?” Annabelle gazed around the circular patio area. There were a few tables and benches scattered about. But she didn’t see a placard.

  Grayson was making his way around the circle. “Over here.”

  He was standing near a rock wall that butted up against a hillside at the back of the park. She rushed over to where he was standing. She looked around and found a bronze placard in the rock wall. It was dedicated to all of the heroes who had defended their homeland in 1714.

  “Do you think that
’s it?” Annabelle’s stomach shivered with nerves. Part of her wanted the truth but the other part of her worried about what she might learn. After all of this time, wondering and imagining what might have happened to her mother, she was surprised by her sudden hesitancy.

  “Annabelle, what’s wrong?” Grayson sent her a concerned look.

  “Nothing.” She was being silly. They had to find the answers. “Let’s do this.”

  Grayson reached for her hand. “You do realize that this might not be the right place?”

  She nodded. “But we won’t know until we look.”

  Together they counted out the rocks, not quite sure where the starting point might be. The first try didn’t pan out. The rock in the wall was firmly in there and there was no way they or anyone else was moving it without some serious tools. The second rock they tried had the same results.

  “I’m starting to think I got the clues wrong,” Annabelle said, feeling silly for taking Grayson on this pointless trip.

  “Don’t give up just yet. I think this rock is loose.” Grayson gripped the stone and wiggled it. “Yes, it’s definitely loose.”

  “This could be it.” She moved forward, planning to help.

  Before she could move into a position where she could reach the stone, Grayson jiggled it free. Her mouth gaped, but no words would come out. They’d found it. Would they at last have answers or find yet another coded message?

  Grayson gestured toward the wall. “Well, don’t just stand there, see if you can find anything.”

  His voice prompted her into action. She felt around inside the hole and grimaced when she realized there were bugs, slime and a whole host of other disgusting things in there. But then in the back of the cavity, her fingers ran across something different. Much different.

  “I think there’s a plastic bag in here.”

  “That’s good. Can you pull it out?”

  It was hung up in some soft dirt, but she easily pulled it free. The bag was covered in muck, forcing Annabelle to swipe it off with her hand if she had any hope of seeing what was inside.