Reluctantly Royal

by Gillian Archer

  Hannah took a deep breath as she examined her fingers in her lap. After a moment, she looked up at me with shiny eyes. “I don’t see how this is ever going to work, Luc. You’re a prince who’s worried about assistants and global politics. I’m an unemployed cosmetologist who’s—let’s just say that my worries are a lot more local than yours. I just, I don’t see how this can ever work. You live on the other side of the world, for crying out loud.”

  My heart did a freefall in my chest. Hannah was my first glimpse of happiness since in almost a year. I wasn’t ready to give that up. “But I’m not there yet. All I’m asking for, Hannah, is the opportunity—while I’m here—to see if there is something more between us. Can you give me that much?”

  “Breakfast!” An overeager hotel employee wheeled in a trolley loaded with food. He looked at me standing over Hannah, who had her arms crossed over her chest with a mutinous expression, and the tactless employee’s eyes bulged. Dimitri was one step away and grabbed his arm, stopping him short.

  I shook my head. Giving a sigh, I waved my hand toward the balcony. “Please set it up outside.”

  “Are you sure? It’s awfully bright outsi—” The rest of his sentence was cut off as Dimitri all but dragged him and his table to the balcony doors.

  “What do you say? Are you willing to date me, baggage and all? Or would you rather say goodbye?”

  Hannah bit her lip, then after a moment rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Well, as long as you’re not making me any promises, I guess we can see where this goes.”

  “I think that’s the sweetest thing a woman has ever said to me. Come on, let’s go eat breakfast, smart-ass.”

  “Now who’s the one being all sweet?” Hannah took my hand and let me pull her up until she was standing right in front of me. “Is smart-ass a term of endearment in Monaco?”

  I was still laughing as I bent down and kissed her.

  Chapter 12

  We ate breakfast on the balcony. That annoying hotel employee was right—it was too bright—but that was what sunglasses were for. And the weather was so tepid for Las Vegas. The lovely thing about October in the desert is that you can actually go outside in daylight hours.

  So that was exactly what we did.

  I had arranged with the hotel for a French-speaking temporary assistant. As I’d taken care of meetings I had to have yesterday, with my new assistant’s help, we’d sorted out all the details regarding the keynote speech I was to give. Hannah and I were on our way out the door to explore the Vegas Valley when my mobile phone rang.

  I really should’ve programmed the Imperial March for my brother’s ringtone. It was what played in my head every time I saw his name on my phone’s display.

  I stayed Hannah with a hand on her arm. “I’m so sorry, mon chou, but I have to take this. It’s my brother.”

  “Oh. The king?” She blinked her gorgeous eyes at me as she made the most ridiculously cute expression, somewhere between impressed and horrified.

  I chuckled. “Technically he’s still a prince, like me. We don’t use ‘king’ in Monaco.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’ll be right back, mon chou.” I patted her arm and took a few steps away. My phone was on its last ring before voicemail when I answered. “Allô.”

  “Bonjour, Votre Altesse.” Bastien’s assistant, Zara, replied in French. “Please hold for the Sovereign Prince.”

  I rolled my eyes at the formality of it all. Like Bastien couldn’t just call me himself. A sense of foreboding swept over me. Much like his request for me to join him for dinner a few weeks back, nothing about this phone call was bound to be good. I listened to Muzak for too long and was moments from hanging up on the asshole when he finally came on the line.

  “Bonjour, Luc. Sorry about the wait. I had a few ministers in my office and I wasn’t sure when we’d be able to get you on the phone, since we’ve been trying for over an hour.”

  “Bonjour, Bastien. How are you enjoying your vacation in Las Vegas? How’s the weather? Oh, wait—that’s what you would be asking me, if this was a polite phone call. Since you’re not going to play nice, maybe I’ll start. How’s the fiancée?”

  “The what? Oh, Helene. She’s fine, I suppose. I haven’t seen her since the press junket. I didn’t call to exchange pleasantries, Luc. Your assistant, Aristide, called the office—”

  “Ex-assistant. I fired him.”

  “He said as much. Was that really necessary? He was Julien’s assistant. I thought we all agreed that consistency was the best path going forward. And Aristide has many contacts in court.”

  I set my jaw and replied flippantly, “Great, maybe one of them can give him a job.”

  “This isn’t the time for jokes, Lucien. You fired an employee for very little cause, as far as I can see. You’ve potentially opened us up for all kinds of lawsuits.”

  “I assume he signed a binding NDA as well as a contract when he was hired on?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then I don’t see what the problem is here, Your Highness.”

  “The problem is you’ve thrown a perfectly good assistant away with no thought as to how that affects the rest of the palace workings.”

  “I’m not some snot-nosed kid, Your Highness. I have functioned as an adult for some time now. I can even tie my own shoes and look both ways before crossing the street.”

  “Stop being an ass, Lucien, and listen to what I’m saying. You’ve created an enemy with far-reaching connections, and for what? A piece of American tail? When are you going to start thinking for a change?”

  I’d been having fun ruffling Bastien’s feathers, but when he said that about Hannah, my blood boiled. “What did you say?”

  “Aristide told me all about your little scene this morning. That is not grounds for dismissing a member of the royal staff. He has been reinstated and should be en route to your hotel now.”

  “Then reroute him. He will not work for me ever again.”

  “You need to listen to reason, Luc. Arist—”

  “No, you need to listen to me, Your Highness. Aristide spied on me, I suspect for you. Either way, he was determined to make things difficult for me here with a woman I am seeing. A woman I am developing deep feelings for. And nothing Aristide did was acceptable for a member of the royal staff. If you feel so strongly about Aristide’s qualifications, maybe you should hire him. He did spy so very well for you, after all.”

  “Unlike you, I have an assistant. Zara is loyal and invaluable to me. She does the work of three assistants and never complains. As for Aristide’s spying—he had been instructed to step in and keep you from making a fool of the House of Greiner. He had my full authority.”

  “Fantastic. Nice to know you’re just as diabolical as our sainted father. And if you love Aristide so much, you hire him.”

  “Lucien—”

  “No. I’ve made my decision. End of. I will not rehire Aristide. And you will never meddle in my personal life again. I’m quite happy to chuck the whole happy royal family gambit. Just say the word, and I’m out of there. I spent years living with a hell of a lot less, and I’d be oh so happy to go back. If you want to keep the illusion of your happy little spare, you do not want to fuck with me.”

  I punched the red end call button without waiting for Bastien’s response. Grinding my back teeth, I gave into the impulse and threw my phone. It bounced off a sofa and landed on the floor with a hard thud. Not that I gave a shit. That would just make it harder for His Highness to call me.

  He just got me so pissed off. Like he knew better than me. He wasn’t even human. He had fucking ice flowing through his veins.

  “So I’m guessing that didn’t go well?” Hannah spoke softly from behind me.

  I turned around and found her twiddling her fingers, easily ten feet away. “I thought you didn’t speak French.”

  “I don’t. I do speak fluent body language, though, and throwing your phone is a dead giveaway. Might be actually dead, too.”
<
br />   I smiled a little at Hannah’s joke. “Are you ready?”

  “That’s it? You don’t want to talk about what just happened?”

  “I think we both need to get out and have some fun and just forget all the bullshit in our lives.”

  “Hey, I’m all for some ill-advised recreational fun. It’s the glue that holds our little temporary relationship together.”

  I put my arm around Hannah and escorted her to the door, leaving my phone where it fell. If someone needed me, they’d just have to wait. I had some important memories with my girl to make.

  But as we walked out the door, Hannah’s “temporary relationship” remark chafed me. I was making serious changes in my life because of her. And she was already pushing me away.

  —

  Despite my morose thoughts, I decided to show Hannah a sliver of my world. Well, as close to my world as we could get in Las Vegas.

  “Wow, the city looks so small from up here.” Hannah’s voice crackled through the headsets we both wore in the back of the helicopter and brought a smile to my face. “Oh, God, he’s not gonna do another bank turn, is he? I don’t think my stomach can take it.”

  “Hey, Marcus, ease up on the maneuvers. My lady’s stomach can’t take much more.” I reached over and grabbed Hannah’s hand and held it in my lap.

  “Aye, sir.” Marcus replied.

  It was too short notice to get me cleared to pilot the helicopter myself, so I had to sit in the back as a passenger. But holding Hannah’s hand as she squealed and pointed out the window in excitement buffered my ego somewhat.

  “Oh, look—my apartment complex is right there.” Hannah pointed toward some pinkish tan buildings that looked so much like the rest of the neighborhood I couldn’t really tell the difference, but I nodded anyway.

  After a tour of the Strip and city views, the helicopter turned south into the desert. We spotted some bighorn sheep blending into the mountainside as they scaled an impossible gradient. Hannah smiled so big, it did strange things to my heartbeat. This, this right here, was why I wanted more time with her. Everything felt so much more amazing and worthwhile with Hannah by my side.

  A few more miles and the helicopter started to make its descent into a field that was mostly rocks and shrubby brush. “Field” was a generous term. When we’d landed, Hannah took her headset off and gave me a hard peck on the lips.

  “Thank you, Luc. That was amazing.”

  “Who said the afternoon was over?”

  “Really? What are we doing next?”

  “That’s a surprise. But if you like it, I expect a more fervent thank-you than that.”

  “You find us somewhere without an audience, and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Consider it a date.”

  Étienne opened my door and I jumped out, then carefully helped Hannah down. I held her hand as we made our way to the two SUVs waiting for us on the dirt road. We climbed into the backseat of the lead vehicle and we were off, leaving the helicopter behind.

  “So is this what life as a prince is like? Exotic vacations and fancy vehicles?”

  I laughed harshly. “Hardly.” Then I stopped and thought about how different my life must seem compared to hers. “Well, sometimes, I guess. I’d never really thought of it like that.”

  “Really?” Hannah glanced out the window at the passing scenery that had turned to large trees the higher in elevation we climbed. “It’s an amazing life. You’re lucky.”

  “Depends on how you look at it, I guess. What’s that saying? More money, more problems?”

  “Come on, Luc. You can’t deny that this isn’t amazing. You’re staying in a penthouse suite sixty floors up at the Commonwealth. Heck, the balcony of your hotel room is bigger than my apartment. We just got off a freaking helicopter. You can have anything you want without lifting a finger. What’s bad about that?”

  “It’s easy to get lost in the sparkle and promise of money and prestige. And there was a time not long ago that I played that card every chance I got. I’d party with my boys on the Continent, and there was nothing I couldn’t do. Even when I was playing at being a soldier, I was still His Royal Highness Prince Lucien when I was on leave. The press, the women, the connections. No one ever let me forget it.”

  Hannah winced as the SUV rocked over the rough terrain. “That doesn’t sound that bad. Do you know how many hours I’ve wasted standing in a line outside of the new ‘it’ club? Hoping that the bouncer will finally let us in?”

  “And when you got in, was it everything you thought it would be? Or did the shine wear off after an hour or so and it just became another annoyingly loud club where no one could talk and everyone was just standing around looking at their phones?”

  Hannah laughed softly. “I can see your point.”

  “It took me losing my brother to see how lonely my life was. All those friends who loved to go out clubbing with me haven’t called in months.” Now it was my turn to stare out the window. Maintaining eye contact with Hannah became too invasive the deeper our conversation got. “Not everything I want can be bought. Nothing will ever bring Julien back.”

  Hannah sucked in a breath. “Oh, Luc. I’m so sorry. In all the insanity of the morning, I’d forgotten about your loss. I swear I wouldn’t have teased you about having it all if I’d thought about it.”

  I lifted a shoulder and gave her a half smile. “It’s okay, Hannah. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” The cab of the SUV rocked as the road increasingly go worse. “I think we’re almost there.”

  Silence filled the vehicle as my deflection ended the conversation. I didn’t know what to say. I definitely didn’t want to continue talking about the sad little princely existence. Reflecting on how alone I was in my new palace life was depressing. And whiny. Nothing I wanted Hannah to focus on. But before I could think of anything to say, the SUV came to a stop. After a few seconds my door opened, and I stepped out, then helped Hannah down as well.

  She gasped as the meadow my men had found came into view. Surrounded by towering pine trees and adjacent to a tiny spring, the scene was idyllic, and so far from what I’d thought of in relation to Las Vegas. But it was perfect.

  I accepted the blanket and radio from Étienne as the rest of the guys unloaded a few coolers from the second SUV. “Merci, Étienne. Give us two hours and wait for me to radio. I do not want any more awkward interruptions.”

  “Oui, monsieur.” Étienne’s lip quirked as he fought a smile. “I believe we all got that message this morning. Enjoy your lunch.”

  “Ta gueule!” But I laughed as I told Étienne to shut his mouth. I was surprised that Étienne of all people would tease me. He was usually so straight-faced and proper. Dimitri was the jokester of the group, but he’d been left behind to coordinate with my temporary assistant.

  Étienne gave me a genuine smile as he nodded to me, then bowed toward Hannah. “Enjoy your afternoon, monsieur. Mademoiselle.”

  In minutes Hannah and I were left alone in our picturesque meadow as the guys loaded up and drove away. We had only the illusion of privacy, as I knew they were only a few hundred meters down the road, but after the zoo of people in my suite this morning, this felt like the promised land.

  Hannah echoed my thoughts out loud. “I’ve never been out here before. It’s so gorgeous. Kinda feels like the Garden of Eden.”

  “You are wearing entirely too many clothes for that scenario.”

  “Is that what we’re doing out here?” Hannah smiled mischievously. “You’re suddenly in the mood for mountain sex?”

  “I wouldn’t turn it down.”

  “You’d have to catch me first!” Hannah danced away with a smile on her face and in her eyes.

  I couldn’t resist the lure. I took three steps in her direction as Hannah squealed and tried to deke me. She feigned left, then darted right. But I didn’t spend years playing football for nothing. I deked her back—faked into her left, spun around, then caught her in my arms. Hannah squealed and l
aughed but didn’t try to break free. She was exactly where both of us wanted her.

  I kissed her softly at first. Our lips moved in sync as Hannah opened her mouth to me. Her tongue shyly caressed mine, and I held it together right up to the moment that she whimpered in my arms. Then, like a conquering warrior, I devoured her. Our kiss turned urgent. Hannah’s hand fisted in my hair; her fingers bit into my scalp, and I welcomed the burn. I suckled on the tip of her tongue, milking it with my mouth. My dick throbbed incessantly, making my pants feel uncomfortably tight.

  I pulled back and bit off a curse. “Fuck me. This was so not the plan.”

  Hannah’s head fell back as my lips cruised down her neck where I licked and suckled, leaving a love bite to mark her as mine. She groaned. “You had plans?”

  “Mmm-hmmm. We were going to lay out the blanket. Nibble on some tasty food. And then I was going to have my wicked way with you.”

  “We can still do all that.” Hannah put her arms around my neck, then shifted so we were standing in each other’s arms.

  I missed the feeling of her body pressed against mine.

  Hannah tossed me a naughty smile. “But since we don’t have a blanket set up, we should probably figure out the logistics. I’m not eager to get naked on top of rocks and twigs.”

  “Give me two minutes, and I’ll have everything arranged.”

  “I don’t know.” Hannah slithered her hands down my body until she crouched at my feet. She blinked up at me innocently while her fingers tugged at my erection hiding behind my pants. “I don’t think he can wait two minutes.”

  I closed my eyes with another curse as her nimble fingers had my belt and zipper undone before I could form a sentence. “Hannah…”

  “Ssshhh. Give me your shirt, then shut up. I’m busy down here.”

  I about swallowed my tongue as Hannah popped the button open, and her eager fingers ducked inside. She grasped my cock and untangled it from my clothes. My pants hit the ground with a soft chink, and I was pretty sure she heard me swallow hard.

  “I think you deserve a little something extra today. Is it okay if we do you first this time?”