Reluctantly Royal

by Gillian Archer

  His friends cheered and hollered like he’d said something clever. In my peripheral vision I saw a few of my security team closing in on us. The last thing I wanted was for them to weigh in. My hands fisted at my sides. I took a step toward the connard but froze when Hannah spoke behind me.

  “Ah, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to pass. You see I have this little rule—I don’t spend time with men whose brains are even smaller than their tiny pencil dicks. That goes for your friends, too.” Hannah grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the parked SUV.

  “Damn, man.” The connard shook his head. “Hope you like the short chain she’s got you on. Maybe later she’ll give you your balls back.”

  “Not gonna complain. The view where I’m at is priceless.” I tossed a smug smile at the guys, but inside I was boiling. I waited until Hannah threw open the door to the SUV and climbed in, then I turned to Étienne. “Get us out of here, s’il vous plaît.”

  Étienne nodded and closed the door behind me. I waited until the SUV was a few blocks away before I turned to Hannah.

  “What the hell was that?” I barked.

  Hannah blinked at me. “What?”

  “Seriously? Out there. That situation was dangerous. He was clearly drunk and belligerent. You should’ve let me handle it.”

  “Excuse me, Mr. Darcy, but how exactly would you have handled it?”

  “I was planning on shoving his teeth down his throat for starters.”

  “And then his three friends would’ve jumped in, and we’d be spending the next five hours in an E.R. getting your head X-rayed. So you’re welcome.”

  “You are so aggravating.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard that before. Usually because I’m right.” Hannah gave me a little smirk, but the corners of her mouth twitched like she didn’t really see the humor.

  A little bit of my anger drained out as I looked into her vulnerable eyes. Until I remembered just how big that guy was in comparison to Hannah. “You might’ve been right, but that doesn’t mean you’re right.”

  “Ooookay.”

  I glared at her. “You try to think in one language and reply in another. It doesn’t help that the connard out there got me all pissed off, and you stepped in before I could let off some steam.”

  “Connard?”

  “Oui. Connard. Asshole. French comes to me first, especially when I’m all worked up.” I tossed her an annoyed look; I was frustrated since the link between my brain and mouth was malfunctioning. “What you did out there might’ve dissipated the situation, but you could’ve been injured. In the future you shouldn’t get in between two men who are clearly about to brawl.”

  “Despite the fact that you two were fighting over me?” Hannah huffed in irritation. “He was talking to me at first. You were the one who decided to get into it. I handled it. We’re here. End of story.”

  “No. You will not put yourself in a position like that again. I want your promise, and then it’s end of story.”

  “Seriously, Luc? You’re not going to be here in a week. What does it matter?”

  “It matters because I care about you. I don’t want you to take such risks again. I want you to be safe. I want you—” The rest of my rant was lost in Hannah’s mouth as she hurtled herself across the bench seat and kissed me with an anger-melting intensity. I fell back into the door of the SUV, my arms reflexively wrapped around her. It took me a second to realize what was going on. By then Hannah’s tongue was shyly rubbing against the seam of my lips. A heartbeat later I opened my lips, and Hannah was no longer shy. She dominated the kiss, and for a rare moment I found myself being the one following the tease of her tongue as she led me with a parry-and-thrust motion, mimicking the motions we’d make with our bodies later.

  Hannah moaned into my mouth and thrust her chest into mine. My hand came up and cupped her jutting breast. My lips passed over her jawline as she panted with hunger. “Ooooh, Luc. Please.”

  “J’adore les seins,” I murmured as my thumb brushed over her hard, little nipple.

  Hannah threw her head back and thrust her tits further into my waiting hands. “I really wish I hadn’t taken Spanish in high school. You sound so sexy when you mutter in French. Gets me so…” She trailed off into a groan as my fingers teased her other pouting breast.

  “I can teach you, mon chou. These right here are your breasts, or les seins.” I cupped her breasts in my hands, weighing their slight but flawless shapes. Merde, her breasts were magnificent. So responsive and perfect. I ran both my thumbs over her pointing tips. “And these are your mamelons.”

  Hannah snorted with laughter even as she arched into my hands. “Something tells me this is a lesson that will only stay with us. No way am I going up to Rachel at work tomorrow and telling her what French words I learned from you.”

  I smirked. I didn’t mind that she wanted to keep this between us. So did I. Which reminded me of our surroundings. Once again we were in danger of being interrupted if we weren’t careful. My guys were discreet, but even they couldn’t hold back the law if we got pulled over. “Je suis désolé, mon chou, but we need to stop.”

  “Tease!” Hannah pouted down at me from her perch on my lap. “What did I say earlier? You’re a tease. Is this something you do for kicks? Pick up trusting locals and tease them until they’re on the brink of orgasm, then back off? Because I can tell it’s not an equipment problem.” She wiggled on my lap for emphasis.

  “No, it’s a lack-of-privacy thing,” I laughed, borrowing her phrase. “I have no doubt Étienne is discreet, but I’d rather we not have an audience if we go much further.”

  Hannah threw a horrified look over her shoulder. Étienne continued to stare straight out the windshield, pretending like he couldn’t hear the sex show going on in the backseat. Hannah turned back to me and bit her lip.

  “So it’s a performance anxiety thing. I got you.” Hannah slid off my lap to the bench seat next to me.

  “I’ll show you performance anxiety,” I mock-growled as I hunched over her, my hands sliding under the collar of her dress to make quick work of her bra. I had her bare left nipple trapped in the grasp of my fingers but still covered by her dress before she could shriek with laughter.

  Which she did right in my ear. “Stop, stop. Okay, okay. I’m sorry. You don’t have performance anxiety. I take it back.”

  “I thought so,” I said smugly as I sat up.

  Hannah sat up and mock glared at me as she struggled to clasp her bra with her dress still on. “How the hell did you do that?”

  “Need help?”

  “No…I got it.” She sat back with a sigh. “So we’ve established you don’t have performance anxiety. I’m still on the fence about the whole tease thing, though.”

  I had to laugh again. She was so fucking cute. And challenging. “We can put your mind to rest on that front if you’d like.”

  “What do you mean?” Hannah tilted her head and raised her eyebrows.

  “Come back to my hotel with me. I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”

  Chapter 8

  Hannah slumped into the seat with a groan. “This time you’re going to be the one to call me a tease.”

  “That doesn’t sound promising.”

  “No, I want to—it’s just that I went to a bit of trouble to get the last stop on our tour set up and some people are waiting, so…”

  “People?” My stomach plunged at the thought. Did she know? Had she arranged some sycophantic party so she could show me off?

  “Just a friend from high school and his coworkers. His wife has been my friend since forever, and I twisted a few arms and got an amazing opportunity lined up for us. I kinda don’t want to miss it.”

  Some of the tension leaked from my frame as I felt my rigid expression soften. “What is it?”

  “I don’t want to spoil the surprise. But believe me, it’ll be worth it. Memorable.”

  “Well, I’ve never been one to disappoint a lady—despite what you might think. But I
want it on record that this time you’re the one passing up the sure thing.”

  “Rain check?” Hannah gave me a heart-melting smile that I couldn’t resist.

  I leaned over and captured her lips for a quick then not-so-quick kiss. Once we were both trembling again, I pulled back. “I will hold you to that.”

  “You do that,” she whispered.

  I reached forward and tapped Étienne on the shoulder. “We’re ready to go to the next destination.”

  “Back to the hotel, monsieur?” Étienne asked like he hadn’t been eavesdropping on our conversation.

  “Non,” I replied. “Ms. Allen has the address of our next stop.”

  “Oui, monsieur.” Étienne’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror and despite the darkened interior I could read the question in his eyes. No doubt he, like the guards in the other security vehicle, thought I’d lost my mind. I couldn’t explain, either, but I certainly wasn’t going to apologize for it.

  Hannah rattled off the address, and after Étienne pulled over to input the address in the sat nav and did some covert texting with the other SUV, we were off. Unlike our first trip in the car, this time Hannah snuggled close to my side, clearly at ease in my presence.

  “It’s awesome that they matched you with a French-speaking driver,” Hannah said into my arm as the streetlights flashed through the cab.

  “Mmmmm,” I murmured. It didn’t exactly feel good to be lying to her over and over again, so I tried for the non-reply. But Hannah was in the mood for small talk.

  “Did you have to ask or did the hotel just know?”

  “My, er, boss took care of all the arrangements.” Technically that wasn’t a lie. But I didn’t want to continue down this road of deception, so I deflected. “What do you do on a typical Friday night?”

  “I don’t know. Depends. I might stream some movies at home with a tub of ice cream, or if Rachel or I need a pick-me-up we’ll go sing karaoke or play pool. Some weekends I hang out with my family—let my mom harangue me about my life choices.”

  “Every time? And you go over voluntarily?”

  “No, usually my dad will call and give me a guilt trip about how they never see me. Then I show up and remember why it took me so long to visit in the first place.”

  I chuckled in sympathy.

  Hannah moved her head slightly on my shoulder as she sighed. “What’s a typical Friday night for you?”

  I thought of all the charity galas and boring speeches I usually attended and had to suppress my shudder. It wasn’t like I could tell Hannah as much. I shifted uncomfortably. “Like you, it depends. I might hang with the guys I work with.” Code for driving around with my security detail. “Or I might go have dinner with my family—my brother or mother—although not so much anymore.”

  “I feel like you’re hiding something from me.”

  My nervous fidgeting stopped as I froze in my seat. Without thinking I replied in French. “Qu’est-ce que c’est?”

  “Huh?” Hannah sat up and looked at me, but I couldn’t see her face in the dark SUV. She shook her head. “I meant women. I mean, come on. A guy like you…You have to have broken a million hearts back in Monaco and you want me to believe you’ve been having dinner at home with your mom?”

  I gave a relieved chuckle. “I could say the same about you.”

  “Touché. Although you were the one who approached me and put the moves on me at the bar last night.”

  “And you made me work for it.”

  Hannah shrugged. “I was hoping your friend would help Rachel get out of her mopey rut. Some harmless flirting never hurt anyone. I definitely didn’t set out to pick up a sexy foreign tourist and spend the next night showing him the sights.”

  “So I’m an anomaly?”

  “You’re a lot of things.” Hannah sighed and sat back, resting her head on my shoulder again. “An anomaly. A distraction. And by this time next week, a memory.”

  Silence descended between us. I didn’t know what to say to that. Because it was true. There was no way that this between us would be anything more than a memory a week from now. The lies I’d already told her didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t want to add to my sins that were already weighing me down.

  So I said nothing. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and brushed my lips across her head. We rode the rest of the way to Hannah’s mysterious destination in silence.

  But unlike countless dinners with “the right people,” the silence with Hannah wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt good to snuggle and just be.

  After a few minutes Hannah jerked and sat upright. “You missed the turn. Sir? You need to turn around. The museum is back there.”

  “Oui, mademoiselle,” Étienne replied as he changed lanes.

  I met his eyes in the rearview mirror. I knew exactly what was going on. The second SUV had to scope out our location before they’d let me enter, but I couldn’t exactly tell Hannah as much. So I let Étienne take the fall for his poor navigating skills.

  We made several turns that I’m sure led us further from the location, but Étienne needed to give the guys time. Judging by the way Hannah was twitching in her seat, she was annoyed by the delay.

  “Relax.” I patted her knee. “We’ll get there in one piece. I have the utmost confidence in Étienne’s driving capabilities.”

  “It’s not that. I just…we don’t have a ton of time to do what I wanted, and if we’re much later, they won’t be able to keep the doors open for us.”

  “Ah, I see.” Not that I could do much about it. When it came to security, I was lucky the guys were giving me this much leeway.

  “If I were driving, we would’ve been there ten minutes ago.”

  My lips quirked at her adamant statement. Someone had issues with control. I could relate. “Tell me more about our destination. It’s a museum, you said? Is there more than one erotic museum in Las Vegas?”

  Hannah laughed lightly. “Probably, but we’re not going to another erotic museum. And that’s all the information you’re getting.”

  “I don’t need anymore because it looks like we’re here.”

  We pulled up to a nondescript brick wall with a metal rolling gate blocking the entrance. Étienne pushed the button on the speaker and a voice barked. “We’re closed.”

  Hannah leaned forward. “Tell them Hannah Banana is here.”

  “Hannah Banana?” My lips quirked as I attempted to hold my laugh in.

  “Shut up. It’s my childhood nickname. Toby wanted to use it as a kind of code, I guess.” She fiddled with her hair, then finished under her breath. “And probably to embarrass me in front of my date.”

  My shoulders shook with my silent laughter, but sure enough once Étienne gave the secret code, the gate rolled back, and our SUV pulled through. I couldn’t really see much but after only a few meters, our vehicle stopped and my door opened from the outside.

  “Hannah Banana?” A stocky blond guy craned his neck to see past me. “Who the hell have you hooked up with?”

  “Seriously, Toby?” Hannah huffed as she not too gently shoved my shoulder, urging me to get out. “Is that the way you’re gonna greet us? Where the hell are your manners?”

  For the first time in my life I found myself shoved to the side while my girl literally climbed over me to get to another guy. I stared in stupefied amazement as Hannah gave Toby a bear hug and let him twirl her around.

  I had a feeling the twirl was for my benefit, as the second her feet touched the ground, Toby slung an arm around her shoulders and narrowed his eyes at me. He surveyed me from head to toe and, judging by his smirk, found me wanting. Which immediately had me wary.

  He jerked his chin at me. “Hey. I’m Toby. Just one of the guys who’s gonna fuck you up if you don’t treat my girl here right.”

  Hannah huffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, my god, Toby. Knock it off. If I wanted the whole big-brother shtick I would’ve called my own brother. Learn some manners, for Christ’s sake. Toby, this is Luc. He
’s not from here, so lay off, okay?”

  I tried to ignore Toby’s posturing behavior. Knowing that I had at least twenty centimeters of height on him and the same difference in reach helped some. I could take the punk in a fight. I knew it. He knew it. And judging by the way Hannah laughed it off, she knew, too. And honestly, it was nice to know she had people looking after her.

  Instead I turned to Hannah and raised an eyebrow like I didn’t give a shit about his threat. “You have a brother?”

  “Seriously, Banana? He doesn’t even know your family and you’re pulling strings to get him in here tonight? Do you know what I had to do to get you guys in here after hours? And for a freaking stranger? What the hell are you thinking?”

  Hannah ducked under Toby’s arm and spun around so she was next to me and facing Toby. “Are you letting us in or what? Because I don’t have time for this shit.”

  “Yes, you’re in. I just…I worry about you. You know that.” Toby fisted his hands like he was trying like hell to keep from touching Hannah.

  I knew they were just friends—but still the sight pissed me off. I could feel an energy between them, and for some reason the urge to mark my territory consumed me. My arm slid around Hannah’s waist and I pulled her closer to me until I felt her body heat against me. I gave Toby a smug grin. “Merci, mon ami. We really appreciate it.”

  “He’s French, Banana? How long have you two known each other?” Toby’s eyes lingered on my hand as I played with the fabric of her dress that had bunched at her waist.

  “Thank you, Toby. How long do we have?” Hannah asked, completely bypassing his probing question. The longer Toby stared at us, the more rigid she got in my arms.

  “An hour. And if you’re not back at your car by one, I will come looking for you.”

  “Yes, Dad. I promise we’ll be back in time for curfew. Can we go now?”