by Kat Mizera
“Me too,” I whispered. “But I don’t know how to get it. The men who want me now are interested because I’m first cousin to a king. Most of them are old or so arrogant I can’t stand them. I want a real man, someone who doesn’t care that I’m a princess, who wants me for me.”
“If you don’t know who you are, how a man gonna know? They not so smart with those things.”
I sighed. “I thought I wanted to help Erik put our country back together. It’s important work, it’s fulfilling… Well, it would be if I didn’t have to work with a bunch of sexist pigs who hate me.”
“They hate you or they don’t respect you? Not the same.”
“It feels the same when you deal with them every day.”
“You have to earn respect. You earn their respect?”
“Why do I have to earn their respect when the other men don’t? Some of them literally do nothing, while I’m working eighty hours a week on Erik’s number one priority. How is that fair?”
“Your mom tell you life is fair? ’Cause she wrong. It’s not.”
“I guess I didn’t think it would be this unfair. Because I didn’t run into that all the years I was in hiding. Living here, it was always relaxing.”
“You were a bartender and a tutor,” she pointed out. “Now you a politician. Not the same, Princess. Not the same.”
“Oh, not you too,” I moaned. “Xander always calls me that.”
“Xander the bodyguard?”
Apparently, I told her everything in our letters. “Yes.”
“He sexy?”
I chuckled. “He’s a pain in the ass, but yes, very sexy.”
“Not your type?”
“You mean for a boyfriend? No. He’s too much of a pretty boy, and he’s bossy.”
“I’m bossy. You like me.”
“I’m not married to you.”
“Worse. You like another kid. You need spanking.” She didn’t look up. “By someone with a big dick.”
I choked on my coffee. “Samaria!”
“What? Don’t act like prude. I know you like the big dicks.”
“It’s been so long I’d settle for an average dick about now.”
“Lots of tourists here.”
“I know.”
“You need a man, sista.” Samaria cleared away my plate and poured me another cup of coffee. “You also need to decide how much you want your politician job. You like helping people? It hard. You never gonna be treated fair, but you can make a difference. Choice is up to you. Now get outta my kitchen so I can clean. You need sun. You look white like vampire.”
I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for breakfast.”
“Lunch at 12:30. You late, you don’t eat.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I grabbed my bag and headed down to the beach. I should have felt better, and in some ways I did, but nothing was resolved and my heart hurt. In spite of the enlightening talk I’d had with my family the other night, the potential for a teaching job right up my alley, and the promise of at least a few unencumbered days on the beach, everything in my world felt bleak. Ironically, I kind of missed a certain six-foot bodyguard with long-lashed hazel eyes.
9
Xander
Nothing that happened had been my fault, but I still got my ass chewed by Sandor. He was pissed at me for what Elen had done, and I was annoyed with her for constantly getting me into trouble. I was even more pissed off when Erik decided I had to go after her.
“You’re kidding, right?” I demanded at the next morning’s staff meeting. “She hates me. Send Axel or Marcus. I’m done with this shit.”
“Thanks, buddy.” Marcus chuckled. “I appreciate you throwing me under the bus.”
“I’m done,” I told Sandor. “Why do I have to guard the only person in the family who doesn’t want to be guarded?”
“What she wants is irrelevant,” Sandor said. “She has to be guarded, and someone has to go to Tahiti to make sure she’s safe while she’s there.”
“What are you pissed about?” Axel asked, leaning back in his chair. “A few days in the South Pacific. I could use a little sunshine myself.”
“Then you go,” I muttered.
“Look, someone has to go,” Erik said. “I don’t know what she’s going through, but obviously she needed more space than a few days of recuperation. I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but she has to be protected while she tries to find herself or whatever she’s doing.”
“Senator Novak,” I said. “He’s the ringleader in Parliament that’s made her hate her job. He and his little group always give her shit. She stood up to them last time we were there, and he tried to get in her face. Daniil got involved but I don’t imagine it’s any fun for her to be on the defensive every damn day.”
“No, it’s not,” Erik agreed. “And I’m going to handle that. Until then, I can’t risk having her kidnapped or worse. Please go to Tahiti and look out for her while I work on convincing her to come home.”
“But she hates me,” I protested. “Why can’t Lennox go? They’re actually friends.”
“Because I’m planning my wedding,” Lennox said softly. “I can’t do it from the other side of the world.”
“Okay, here’s the deal.” Erik held up his hands. “There’s a lot going on. You know that, but at the end of the day, I expect you to do it simply because I need you to. Every one of the Royal Protectors has someone in the family they already protect, and for now, we have no wiggle room for assignments to be changed. I’m trying to change things, but short-term, I can’t. We’re in the final stages of formalizing our intelligence agency. Sandor will be the Director of MODIN, or Modern Intelligence, which is what we’re calling it for now. He’ll oversee not just intelligence work, but the Royal Protectors as well. Joe is in charge of you, as well as overseeing palace security. Joe reports to Sandor. Ace has decided to join us permanently, and he’ll take on the role of Deputy Director of MODIN, so while he’ll be in the field some, it’s more of a supervisory role.”
Joe thumbed through some papers. “Daniil is transitioning out of his role as Defense Minister when his term is up and will do double duty as a member of the Royal Protectors behind the scenes, but taking on a more public persona as Prince Daniil of Limaj. This gives him access to people and places the rest of us are not privy to, so we’ll have eyes and ears in those places.”
“I get it,” I muttered. “I’m going to Tahiti.”
“I plan to talk to her,” Erik said. “It’s not safe for her to be alone on the other side of the world, not with everything going on, so that’s why I need you to go. But it won’t be for long.”
“You don’t know your cousin at all, do you?” I chuckled. “I’m going to be there until she’s an old lady, probably still throwing her over my shoulder every time someone shoots at her.”
Everyone chuckled.
“I’ll make this up to you,” Erik told me. “There will be a bonus next month.”
“It’s not about money.” I waved a hand. “It just seems to me that it’s counterproductive to force me on her when she obviously doesn’t like me. Why not put someone with her who doesn’t piss her off every five minutes?”
“In case you haven’t noticed,” Sandor said. “She seems pissed at the world right now. I don’t think it matters who it is.”
“I don’t know if that makes me feel better.” I gave him a wry grin.
The flight to Tahiti was the longest freakin’ flight ever. Erik had flown me first-class since he needed his jet and I had to fly commercial. It was a great way to fly, but it was so good to stretch my legs. I grabbed my suitcase and waited for my ride. Erik had hired a private car to pick me up, so I was getting the royal treatment. I figured he was feeling a little guilty, because Elen had been pissed when he’d told her I was coming, and in all honesty, while it was fun traveling this way, I wasn’t looking forward to this.
The car stopped in front of an old three-level house that had seen better days. It wa
s close to the beach, and probably worth a fortune, but based on how run-down it was, I had a hard time believing this was where Elen was staying.
I walked up to the front door and before I could knock, it flew open. A chubby woman with sparkling dark eyes and a wild halo of dark hair greeted me, grinning.
“You are Xander! Welcome to our home!”
“Hi.” I didn’t know if this was good or bad, but I couldn’t help but smile back.
“I am Samaria. Elen is at the beach. First we settle you, then I take you to her.”
“We’re supposed to be staying at the resort,” I said, trying not to stare as she grabbed my suitcase and brought it inside.
She eyed me. “Elen not happy. You need to work up to this or you gonna be on your ass. And you too pretty to sleep on the beach. Elen said you sexy, but I didn’t believe you were pretty. You sure you a man?”
I laughed. What else could I do? “I’m pretty sure,” I told her. “I don’t think it would be polite to prove it, though.”
“You think I never seen a dick?” She chuckled. “You Americans, all prude. Come on, Pretty Boy. I have room ready for you.”
She led me out the back door and down a little path. She pointed to a tiny but quaint guest house and said, “That’s for Elen. This one for you.” She motioned to something the size of my parents’ old backyard shed. “Small, but clean and private bathroom.” She nudged open the door and set my suitcase down. “You need a nap?”
“No, ma’am. Thank you. I just need to see Elen.”
“You can’t walk on the beach in those. You bring sandals?” She pointed to my boots.
“Uh, yeah.” I dug them out of my bag.
“You don’t wear shorts?”
I looked around. “Yes, I do. Can you give me two minutes to use the bathroom and change?”
“Okay. I wait outside.”
I changed my clothes, took a piss, grabbed my phone and shoved a baseball cap on my head. I was already stressed and had only been here ten minutes.
The walk to the beach was less than five minutes and it was as gorgeous as I’d seen online. The adjacent resort was magnificent and I couldn’t believe Elen preferred Samaria’s tiny guest house to the luxurious hotel, but what did I know? Elen had lived here, after all, so she probably had a feel for the island and the people. I was anxious to find her and make sure she was safe, but I was suddenly desperate for a swim in the turquoise waters too.
“She less cranky today,” Samaria told me, “but be careful. She mad about bodyguard.”
“It’s not my fault,” I told her. “I’m doing my job and her brothers don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Elen lived alone for eleven years,” she said quietly. “She can take care of herself. Maybe not against bad guy with a gun, but she tough cookie.”
“I’m sure she is. I don’t want to bother her, so I’m just going to keep my distance and make sure no one tries to hurt her.”
Samaria squinted up at me. “Elen need friends. I don’t have time. Maybe you try harder, okay? And tonight, I make you best Samoan-style dinner of your whole life. Deal?”
I nodded without even thinking about what I was agreeing to. This was nuts. How the hell was I going to be friends with Elen when she hated me?
I looked up to see her coming out of the water and for a moment, I forgot where I was, who I was, or what I was supposed to be doing. All I saw was Elen, in a white bikini that barely covered anything. Her wet blond hair was plastered against her head and there was a surfboard under her arm. The sun glistened off the water on her skin, and the muscles beneath the skin of her lithe body flexed slightly as she made her way onto shore. A teenager ran forward and took the board from her, and she ruffled his hair. She reached up to squeeze some water out of her hair, shaking her head slightly, and I swallowed.
Holy fuck, how had I never seen this before? Yes, she was beautiful and had a nice figure. I’d seen her naked by accident, but it was nothing compared to seeing her in a bikini. I was so mesmerized I just stood there, watching. Staring. Like a lovestruck kid.
“You okay?” Samaria smacked me on the back. “You never saw a woman in bikini before?”
I glanced over at her. “What?”
She just laughed. “You got it bad, bro. Maybe you give some to her.”
Give some to her? What the hell was she talking about?
“Look who it is.” Elen sank into a lounge chair, glancing at me blandly. “Do you surf, Pretty Boy?”
“I’ve hung ten a few times,” I replied, sinking down into the sand next to her. “How are the waves?”
“Not bad. It’s a little early in the season. They’re better in June.”
“You planning to be here in June?”
She shrugged. “Haven’t decided yet. You?”
“I go where you go, Princess.”
“Yeah, that’s what Erik said.” She put on her sunglasses and handed me a bottle of sunscreen. “Put some on my back?”
“O-kay.” Christ, she was definitely trying to kill me. I smoothed the white gel over her soft skin, trying not to think about what it might feel like to be touching her for real. For her to ask me to touch her. She made me crazy every time she opened her mouth, but she sure was gorgeous to look at. Touching her was a whole other level of sexy.
Her skin was like fucking silk, too. My hand shook a little as I moved it further down her back, beneath the strap of her bikini, and holy hell, just above her tailbone. Every inch of her was delightfully sexy, trim, and as smooth as glass. Much as she made me nuts, I never wanted to stop touching her, and when gooseflesh broke out on her skin, I wondered if she felt it too. Ironically, as sexual electricity shot through us, there was something calming about the movement of my hand on her skin. The way she didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t do anything but…let me.
I didn’t ever want to stop, and when my cock twitched just a little, I jerked my hand away as if it had been burned.
Shit.
“Make sure you put some on too,” she said when she realized I was done, leaning back in her chair. “We’ve been cooped up all winter and you’ll burn. I almost wound up in the hospital my first winter here.”
“Okay.” I rubbed some on my face but didn’t bother with anywhere else since I had a shirt on. “You planning to be out here all day?”
“Yup.”
Great. I looked around. There were no other empty loungers anywhere nearby, so I was stuck on the sand. I went from aroused to irritated in half a second with this woman.
“Go to the bar and tell the bartender, Fetu, that you’re with me. He’ll have someone bring over a lounger for you.” She spoke without looking up or opening her eyes, so I padded over to the bar.
Within a few minutes, I had a chair, an umbrella and a cold beer, which was much better. It felt hot as balls after spending the last six months in the frozen tundra that was Limaj, and I desperately needed a swim. I didn’t know how this was going to work, though, so we probably had to have a conversation before I let her out of my sight.
“So. I know you don’t want me here,” I told her, “but I am here and we have to find a way to coexist.”
“No middle-of-the-night drills,” she muttered.
“Deal.”
“And no throwing me over your shoulder.”
“As long as you move your behind if we’re in danger or if I even suspect we might be.”
“Whatever.”
“I’m serious, Elen. I have a job to do and you already know I can physically force you to do what I need you to do, so let’s not make this more complicated than it needs to be.”
“Fine.”
I sighed. I hated this. I’d never had a client who got on my nerves like this. “Will you just answer one question for me?”
“Whatever. Sure.”
“What did I do to piss you off? I mean, why do you dislike me so much?”
10
Elen
Now that he’d put me on the spo
t, I had no idea, and it made me a little ashamed. “I don’t know,” I admitted in a whisper. “Why don’t you like me?”
He frowned. “Because you don’t like me and you’re constantly busting my balls. I don’t have any other reason not to like you.”
“So…you don’t like me because I don’t like you and I don’t actually have a reason not to like you?”
We stared at each other for a long minute and then I snickered. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing outright, but his eyes had softened and a small smile played on his lips.
“Wow. That’s a disaster.” He shook his head.
“I guess we got off on the wrong foot,” I said. “But I really dislike being told what to do.”
“And I hate that I’ve had to, but that’s my job. You know how dangerous things have been.”
“I know. I guess I spent too long on my own, without anyone telling me what to do or when to do it. I’m also not used to having someone constantly beside me.”
“I’ll do my best to stay invisible, okay? You do your thing and I’ll be nearby, but I won’t cramp your style or get in your way. I don’t expect any trouble here, but you never know, so please don’t go out of your way to evade me or make me go looking for you.”
“That’s fair.” I sat up and held out my hand. “Deal?”
He seemed amused as he shook it, but nodded. “Deal.”
“I’m going to the ladies’ room. Do you need to follow me?”
He shook his head. “Until we’ve had reason to believe you’re in trouble, I don’t have to stick that close.”
“Excellent.” I stood up and went in the direction of the bathrooms, completely confused about what had just happened. And more than just our conversation. Having his hands all over me had been glorious, which I didn’t understand at all. Hell, I had no idea what had been going on between us. I also didn’t know how things had gone so wrong in the first place because, if I broke it down, he hadn’t done anything except annoy me with his overprotectiveness. Which was his job. And everyone in the royal family had a bodyguard.