by Wendi Zwaduk
“What happened?” He didn’t scream or raise his voice, but the brittle edge bothered her.
“Corinne, among others. She’s telling the newly found friends she’s got upstairs at the party in my apartment that she’s me. I don’t care that she’s using my name if it gives her an edge with guys. She doesn’t get to club and she’s never had a boyfriend that I know of, so whatever. But she’s acting out—dancing on the dining room table with her shirt off—and it’s being posted on social media as Princess Catherine is acting out. My stepmother was alerted to the behavior and she just called to chew my ass out.”
“She thinks you’re out of control?”
“Basically.” She sighed. “That and my parents have had a plan for how I should live my life. The requirements are impossible.” She shook her head again. “Now I’ve involved you and ruined the work I’ve accomplished on campus.”
Luke sighed. “I should be pissed because I hate when I’m lied to.”
“You have every right to hate me and throw me out.” She’d been dishonest with him and knew damn well what she was doing the whole way.
“Your story makes no sense, though, but I can see Corinne trying too hard to get attention,” he said. “Where are the pictures? Are they just of her?”
“Not exactly.” She switched over to the bed and sat beside him. “It’s her, I guess, but also us.” She searched her social media and found the images. “These are those.” She winced at the pictures of Corinne on the table, Corinne with her shirt up, but her bra down and Corinne chugging what looked like a beer. Zara recognized one of the men helping Corinne off the table. “That’s Ray. He’s one of my guards. He’s always liked her, so he’ll make sure she’s okay.”
“Good.” Luke rubbed her back. “Someone has an eye on her and you?”
“I have a bodyguard, but he’s at a distance.” She swiped through the images to the ones of her with Luke. “These are the other ones. I don’t think my stepmother saw these. She’s too busy being upset with the first set.”
“It’s us.” Luke rubbed his chin. “Earlier today.”
“Uh-huh. The media works fast.” She curled into herself. “I understand if you’ve changed your mind about me.”
He took the phone from her and placed it face down on her bag. “I don’t know how to feel right now,” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me before now? Before she ruined the story?”
She refused to back down. She’d made this mess and she’d fix it. “I’ve never been wanted or pursued on my own merits. That’s why I said I didn’t date. The guys were really picked out for me. Who was a royal or had a title, who could handle being married to a woman who wasn’t exactly princess material…who would lower themselves to being with me?” A chill ran the length of her spine. “I wanted someone to like me for me.” Tears pricked her eyes again, despite her wanting to stay calm. “Sorry.”
Luke pulled her onto his lap and kissed her temple.
“I needed to know you cared about me for me. I’ll inherit money, but I’m not rich personally and I won’t ever be queen. The best I can do is be princess or advisor.” She wiped her face, but continued to look him in the eye. “Guys want what they think I can do for them—not me. I’m the ugly truth or whatever.”
“They want to be king and think you’ll get them there.”
“Yes. They want me to make them wealthy and get them fancy cars. One guy told my father he’d accept money to date me.” Her voice cracked. Damn it. “Charlie will be king, not me. But there are people who think they can curry favor with my father and others who want to bring Charlie and me down so it looks like we’re out of control.”
“Except Corinne helped that along on her own.”
“Yeah.” Tears slid down her cheeks, but she wasn’t ready to crumble. Being honest fortified her. At least he knew the truth. “So yeah, that’s my story. I am a princess who has run away from my problems and the rest of my life so I can start over. I want to move around without someone wanting something from me—photographs of me misbehaving, or naked, my attention to give money to their cause, to back their latest venture or just to see if I’m wearing something grubby. Then there are the guys who chase me.”
“Who’s been chasing you? What guy?” Luke asked. “Did you love that person?”
“I don’t love Duke Elmore of Westland.” She squared her shoulders. “He wants a virgin and a grander title. If he can snag me, then he thinks he’s got a chance at being the king. He’s nearly twenty years older than me, not attractive at all, and he’s pushy.” Her stomach quirked just thinking about the possibility she’d marry Elmore.
“He won’t get a virgin now,” Luke said. “He’s too late.”
Realization dawned on her. She’d lost her virginity to Luke and there was no way to get it back—not that she wanted to. She liked Luke and couldn’t think of a better person to have experienced sex with for the first time. She’d known what she was doing, despite fearing her parents’ wrath and had no regrets.
“He won’t believe you, will he?”
“Not without checking.” She shuddered. “You don’t want to know how. It’s barbaric and invasive.” Her phone vibrated. She should check the device, but if she tried to answer a call right now, she’d crumble again. “You can look at it. I have nothing more to hide from you.” She handed Luke the phone. “What’s behind door number one?”
“Looks like you’ve got something from your social media accounts.” Luke shrugged and offered the phone back to her. “I have a website for my art, but I’m still working out how to showcase my paintings on social media.”
When she tapped the icon for her instant messages, photos of Corinne popped up with her name hash tagged. Another photo filled the screen, but this time it had #zaraorcatherine #newman #princess #mysteryman
She bowed her head. She’d grown used to the chase from the media, but Luke might not want to be pursued. Now she couldn’t even have her middle name for cover. “Unfortunately, they’ve caught us together, so you’re fodder for their intrusiveness.”
“What in the hell?” He swiped through the images. “It’s just us talking.”
“Right, but we’ve gone viral.” She pointed to the last image. “Everyone is trying to figure out who you are. They know where I am, but not your identity. We can keep it that way.” She sighed. “If you want to stop seeing me, I understand. You don’t need this kind of aggravation.”
Instead of screaming, Luke laughed. “Viral. No shit. Who would’ve guessed?”
“I’m sorry.” Everything was out of control. “It’s not fair to you.”
“Why are you sorry?” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “You don’t need to apologize. I didn’t know what I was getting into, but this isn’t the worst thing that could happen to me.”
“When the media finds out who you are, you won’t be able to go anywhere. They’ll follow you,” she said. “They’ll see your art and think you’re doing something bad. You’re not, but no one will believe me.”
“Let them think what they will.” He cupped her jaw. “You tried to tell me the truth before and I didn’t get it. You came right out and said you were a princess.”
“I did.” She’d told him in a very half-assed manner, but still.
“Doesn’t change how I feel.”
“What doesn’t?”
“You being a princess. It’s not making me look at you in any other way. You’re you. You’re Zara, the sweet girl who got lost in the art building and asked for directions.”
“You’re sure?” He had to be joking. “This is bigger than you or me or a lot of things. It could bring you a whole hell of lot of attention you might not want.”
“I’m positive.” He traced the seam of her mouth with his index finger. “I knew there was something special about you from the start.”
“You did?” Oh God. Was he going to use her being a royal against her now? Use her position to make money off the fact she’d posed for him? Fuck… “You f
igured out you can monetize our being together? If that’s your plan, then you can just back up and I’ll get out of your life. I left that behind and I’m not doing that for anyone, no matter how sexy he might be. I’ve had it with being used.”
“Whoa.” He laced his fingers with hers. “You’re so wound up and you’ve been hurt a lot. I hate the people who screwed with you.” He stared into her eyes. “I wasn’t thinking anything about using you. What I meant is I knew you were special in that you have a light in you. There’s passion and desire aching to come out. You’re a vibrant woman who is figuring out her true worth. That’s beautiful.”
He’d shocked her. He’d seen everything she’d tried so hard to push to the surface. “Do you care that I’m a princess? I can’t change your life. I suppose you could sell those pictures of me to the tabloids. They’d pay well--if that’s what you want.”
“You’re perfect as you are, Zara,” he said. “Any man who would ruin your trust isn’t worthy of you. Besides, I don’t want to be on that list of men who’ve let you down. You deserve better.”
“Catherine,” she corrected. “My first name is Catherine.”
He crinkled his nose. “You strike me as a Zara. Catherine’s too stuffy. You’re a free spirit. Zara seems freer and sweeter, less controlled.”
Less controlled. She liked the sound of that. “It’s still new between us.” She stared into his eyes. “I can’t guarantee I won’t be called home. My parents don’t want me to be here at Kenton at all. Well, that’s not true. My father probably doesn’t care, but he’s hard to read and my stepmother wanted me to stay in the castle to marry Elmore and have children. I don’t remember my mother. She died when I was two.”
“What about the video chat?” He frowned. “You’ve got a complicated life. Didn’t you explain things to them?”
She wished she could explain things. “First, they didn’t try the video chat. That was a fib from Corinne to get me to return to the apartment. I did hear from my parents, though. It was just the regular old phone kind of call and they weren’t listening no matter what I said. This—me being here—is a silly thing in their mind. I’m wasting perfectly good time learning stuff when I could be reproducing. It’s their principle.”
He tipped his head and seemed to consider her words. “They’ll rip you out of college, something you’ve worked for, on principle?”
“They will.” The thought of losing her momentum made her stomach churn again. She sighed. “Once my father learns I’m not a virgin, my value will plummet. He’ll want to kill you because you were the one and will deem you unworthy.”
“After he and the rest of them assassinate your character.”
“You have to understand the dynamics of the family, but yeah. They’re all about looks. It appears that the virginal, good-natured Catherine and we’ve brought her up well, so she’ll make a proper wife. She’ll abide your mandates without question and pop out those babies. If I marry another royal, then that gives us allies. The bloodline will stay pure-ish.”
He rolled his eyes. “Then they’ll doubly hate me when they see the pictures of you and my drawings,” he said. “I haven’t started more than the sketch for your painting, but the finished product won’t help my case, will it?”
“Not a chance.” She’d messed up her life in so many ways, but meeting and falling for Luke wasn’t one of the ways. She wanted her freedom, but getting it risked her relationship with Luke.
“Hey.” He held her hands. “You’re an adult. You’re consenting and the photos are tasteful.”
“You don’t understand.” She trembled as fear rolled through her. “I got hung up on getting free from the family and I messed up. I should’ve thought things through and anticipated something like this would happen. I should’ve guessed Corinne would spill the beans.”
“I think you did.”
Her emotions got the better of her. “I don’t want to be royal. I want to be me.” She had no choice. It wasn’t like she could stop being a princess. Abdicating wasn’t a thing and she still wanted to spend time with her brother, Charlie.
He stared into her eyes for a long moment. “Are they coming for you? The guards or media or this Elmore?”
“I don’t know.” Fresh tears slid down her cheeks. She’d handled a lot, but couldn’t handle any more today. “Damn it. I hate crying and I’ve done a lot lately. You must think I’m one gigantic crumbling mess.”
“It’s okay. This situation is crazy out of control. It’s okay to fall apart with me.” He tucked her to his chest. “You’re going to stay with me for now. I don’t know what Corinne was thinking, but she should’ve had your best interest at heart. She’s not your sister, then, correct? You said she was something else.”
“My lady-in-waiting.”
“Ah. That makes more sense.” He rubbed her back again. “I don’t doubt your security team can keep you safe, but it’d give me peace of mind to know you’re safe here. Okay? You need a space to be yourself and not have to think about putting on airs for anyone. I like you the way you are—messy, crumbly, sweet, sexy and human. I promise not to sell the pictures I take of you. Those are for my art. The only thing anyone will see is my series—with your approval to show it.”
Even if she’d wanted to, she couldn’t argue with him. He made sense and offered an out until the real shitstorm came.
“Will you stay with me?” he asked.
She sat up and wiped her cheeks again. “I will. We have a lot to learn together and you wanted to pose me. We should get going on those. I’m your girl and I want you to create art for me and of me.”
His eyes lit up. “Yes.”
Chapter Eight
Luke couldn’t quite wrap his mind around everything she’d told him. The story seemed too fantastical. A princess? He’d seen her ID and her license. If the cards weren’t real, they were great fakes, but he had the feeling they were legitimate. Why would someone fake being royalty? Not internet royalty, but actual? Besides, princesses were important figures, weren’t they? He’d seen the social media posts. She had quite the following, but she didn’t act like someone important. She came across so down-to-earth.
He still had a thousand questions for her, but he wasn’t sure how to ask them. She’d been through a lot and the problems weren’t over. Christ, the whole situation was messed up. How could a parent dismiss a child for wanting to find their way? How could someone not want their child to flourish?
“You’re thinking too hard.” She straddled his lap. “What’s on your mind?”
“You’re in trouble.” He shrugged. “I guess I am, too, so it’s a good thing we’re in this together.” He kissed her knuckles. “Should I be bowing to you or something? How am I supposed to act with a princess? Genuflect?”
“No.” Her eyes widened a moment, then she smiled. “Please, don’t genuflect. Be yourself—just like you are now. I like you being you.”
“Then myself wants to shower with you.” He patted her ass. “Last one in the shower goes down on the other.”
She paused. “I’ve never done that. I’ve only ever seen videos. I’m not sure how to go down on you…”
“Then I guess you’d better beat me to the shower.” He patted her bottom again. Damn, he couldn’t wait to see her naked. The first time rocked him to his core. Now he’d have the chance to linger and explore her. Knowing she’d never had another lover piqued his interest, too. He could teach her, but they’d be learning together. How in the hell had he gotten so lucky?
She scooted off his lap and kicked out of her flats. “I hate to lose.” She unzipped and shoved her shorts to the floor, then wriggled out of her panties. Her grin widened as she whipped her shirt over her head, then unhooked her bra. She shook out her hair. “Am I good enough?”
Fuck. She reminded him of a goddess. “Yes.”
“I don’t know how to go down on you,” she murmured.
“I’ll show you.” He had precious little time with her and didn’t wa
nt to squander it. He had no idea how long it’d be before the powers that be came to take her home. In the short time he’d spent with her, he’d seen her spirit and strength. He admired her determination.
She stepped into the stall first. Her hair darkened as she stepped under the spray. Droplets sparkled on her lashes and her skin glittered with water. She reached for him.
She stole his breath. He’d never seen a goddess outside of a painting, but she fit his description of one. He joined her in the stall.
“I’ve never showered with anyone before.” She slid her palms over his chest. “Are you thinking I’m more trouble than I’m worth?”
“Nope.” He lathered the washcloth. “Let me clean you. Turn around.” When she did, he moved her hair off her shoulders. He soaped her back and along her neck, then down to the swell of her ass. Suds crept along the seam of her backside. As the water rinsed the bubbles away, he kissed the soft spot where her neck met her shoulder.
“Luke.” She sighed. “I want to stay right here with you forever.” She leaned into him. “It’s not right, but I want it so much.”
He knelt behind her and washed her legs. “Turn around to face me.” He spied a dark mark on her leg. “You have a birthmark right below your bottom on your leg.”
“I do. It’s not my favorite thing, so I ignore having it.” She wobbled, but did as told. Her hair splashed over her shoulders. When she smiled, she warmed his heart. “No one sees it because I’m worried the press will make a big deal. The last thing I need is for someone to make light of my imperfections more than they already do.”
Luke worked his way up her body, washing and caressing her. He avoided her pussy and breasts until he cleaned the rest of her. He stood, then abandoned the cloth on the rack. He palmed her breasts and the soap slickened his way. He’d never get tired of touching her—so soft and perfect. He loved the feel of her breasts, heavy in his hands. She’d been made for him. Her nipples beaded. He leaned over enough to suck one into his mouth. Christ. She tasted like honey.