Disappointment crashed into me. I’d hoped a kiss would change things, but it only confirmed what I already knew. Steffan, for all his wonderful traits, wasn’t for me.
Maybe I was naïve for thinking I could find a fiancé to whom I was attracted to and whose company I enjoyed, but I was only in my twenties. No matter how much everyone tried to rush me, I wasn’t ready to give up on my hope for love yet.
I finally gathered enough of my wits to pull back, but before I could, a loud crash shattered the silence in the greenhouse.
Steffan and I jumped apart, and my eyes fell on Rhys, who stood next to a broken pot of lilies.
“My hand slipped.” His voice held not an ounce of apology.
That was, for lack of a better term, utter crap. Rhys didn’t slip. He may be larger than the average person, but he moved with the lethal grace of a panther.
That was what he reminded me of right now—a panther preparing to pounce on unwitting prey. Taut face, coiled muscles, and eyes trained with laser intensity on Steffan, who shifted with discomfort beneath his stare.
“Attention all guests, the gardens are closing in fifteen minutes.” The announcement blared over the PA system, savings from the most awkward moment of my life. “Please make your way to the exits. The gardens are closing in fifteen minutes. Visitors in the gift shop, please finalize your purchases.”
“I guess that’s our cue.” Steffan held out his arm with a smile, though he kept a wary eye on Rhys. “Shall we, Your Highness?”
We’d booked the greenhouse for ourselves, though the rest of the gardens remained open to the public. We could probably stay longer if we wanted, but I had no desire to drag out the night.
I took Steffan’s arm and walked to the exit, where we said goodbye with a stilted half-hug, half-kiss on the cheek and promises to meet up again when he returned to Athenberg.
Rhys and I didn’t speak until we reached our car.
“You’re paying for the flowerpot,” I said.
“I’ll take care of it.”
The parking lot was empty except for a handful of cars in the distance, and tension rolled between us, so thick I could practically taste it.
“I know he fits the image of Prince Charming, but you might want to keep looking.” Rhys unlocked the car doors. “I’ve seen you kiss a cat with more passion.”
“Is that why you knocked over the lilies?”
“My. Hand. Slipped,” he bit out.
Maybe it was the wine I’d had at dinner, or the stress was getting to me. Whatever it was, I couldn’t help it—I burst into laughter. Wild, hysterical laughter that left me gasping for breath and clutching my stomach right there in the middle of the parking lot.
“What the hell is so funny?” Rhys’s grumpy tone only made me laugh harder.
“You. Me. Us.” I wiped tears of mirth from my eyes. “You’re an ex-Navy SEAL and I’m royalty, and we’re in such denial we might as well apply for Egyptian citizenship.”
He didn’t crack a smile at my admittedly lame attempt at a joke.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Stop it.” I was tired of fighting. “I asked you before, and I’m asking you again. Why did you come back, Mr. Larsen? The real answer this time.”
“I gave you the real answer.”
“The other real answer.”
Rhys’s jaw clenched. “I don’t know what you want me to say, princess.”
“I want you to say the truth.”
I knew my truth. I needed to hear his.
My truth? There was only one man who’d ever given me butterflies with a kiss. One man whose touch set me on fire and made me believe in all the fantastical things I’d dreamed about since I was a child.
Love, passion, desire.
“Truth?”
Rhys took a step toward me, the hard steel in his eyes giving way to turbulent thunderstorms.
I took an instinctive step back until my back hit the side of our SUV. There was another car next to us, and the two vehicles formed a makeshift cocoon that crackled with electricity as he planted his hands on either side of my head.
“The truth, princess, is I came back knowing this was what I signed up for. To see you every day and not be able to touch you. Kiss you. Claim you.” Rhys’s breath was hot against my skin as he lowered one hand and slid it up my thigh. It seared through the thick layers of my skirt and tights until my pussy clenched and my nipples tightened into hard points. “I came back despite knowing the torture I’d have to go through because I can’t stay away from you. Even when you’re not there, you’re everywhere. In my head, in my lungs, in my fucking soul. And I’m trying very hard not to lose my shit right now, sweetheart, because all I want is to cut off that fucker’s head and serve it on a platter for daring to touch you. Then bend you over the hood and spank your ass raw for letting him.” He cupped me between my legs and squeezed. I whimpered with a mixture of pain and pleasure. “So don’t. Push. Me.”
A thousand emotions ran through my veins, turning me lightheaded with arousal and danger.
Because what Rhys just said was dangerous. What we were doing, feeling, was dangerous.
But I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“Rhys, I—”
The blare of a car alarm sliced through the still night air, followed by a burst of laughter in the distance. I blinked, some of the haze clearing from my head, yet I didn’t move.
Rhys pushed himself off me with a hard smile. “There’s your truth, princess. Happy?”
I tried again. “Rhys—”
“Get in the car.”
I did as he asked. I wasn’t stupid enough to push him right now.
“We need to talk about this,” I said once we were on the road.
“I’m done talking.”
From my seat in the back, I could see the muscles in his neck corded with anger, and he gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles popped.
He was right. There would be no more talking tonight.
I stared out the window at the passing lights of Athenberg. If I thought my life was complicated before, it was nothing compared to the mess I found myself in now.
Bridget
Two weeksafter my date with Steffan, I left for my goodwill tour with Mikaela, Rhys, another bodyguard named Elliott, the palace photographer Alfred, Alfred’s assistant Luna, and Henrik, a reporter from the Eldorra Herald.
Everyone loved my idea, including my grandfather, and the palace had worked around the clock to put together the perfect itinerary on short notice. We hit all the country’s most important regions, including the manufacturing hub of Northern Kurtland and the oil and energy center of Hesbjerg. I felt like I was campaigning for an office I’d already won, somewhat undeservingly, thanks to genetic lottery.
But I had to do it. After years of living abroad, I needed to reconnect with the people of Eldorra. Understand the way they lived, what problems kept them up at night, and what they wanted that was within my power to give. In practice, the prime minister and Parliament ruled the country, but the royal family, as an institution, wielded considerably more power in Eldorra than in other countries. It boasted an eighty-nine percent approval rating—far higher than any politician—and the monarch’s opinions held a lot of sway.
If I were to be a good queen, I needed to get back in touch with the people. It didn’t matter that I didn’t want the crown. It would be mine one day regardless.
“It’s just us and a handful of staff,” Ida, the owner of the dairy farm we were visiting, said. “Our farm is on the smaller side, but we do the best we can.”
“It looks like you’re doing a lovely job.” I walked through the barn. It was smaller than the others we’d visited, but it was well-kept, and the cows looked healthy. However, I noticed half of the stalls were empty. “Are the other cows with the farmhands?”
Behind us, Alfred’s camera clicked and whirred. The Part-Time Princess headlines, which were already fading thanks to my dates with Steffan, had all but disappeared during the tour, replaced with pictures of me touring factories and reading to schoolchildren.
I would’ve done the tour even if no one covered it, though. I enjoyed meeting with locals, far more than I did another tedious gala.
“No.” Ida shook her head. “The dairy industry isn’t doing so well. Milk prices have gone down over the years, and a lot of farms in the area have shut down. We had to sell some of our cows for extra cash. Plus, there isn’t enough demand for milk to justify keeping so many of them around.”
Despite her words, sadness flitted across her face. The farm had belonged to her family for generations, and I could only imagine how difficult it must be to see it shrink year after year.
“Have you contacted your minister about the issue?”
According to my briefing materials, the drop in milk prices resulted from a trade fight between Eldorra and a few other countries in Europe. Trade and tariff policies fell under Parliament’s purview.
Ida shrugged, looking resigned. “We used to write to our officials, but we only got form responses, so we stopped. No one listens to us anyway.”
I frowned. The whole point of Parliament was to represent constituents’ concerns. What were they doing if not their job?
“You can write to me,” I said on impulse. “All of your friends and neighbors can write to me. If you have an issue you want addressed, write or email me and I’ll bring it up with Parliament. I can’t guarantee legislation, but I can at least make sure your voices are heard.”
Elin coughed, and Henrik the reporter scribbled furiously in his notepad.
Ida blinked. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly—”
“I insist,” I said firmly. “Elin, can you please share the mailing and email addresses with Ida before we leave? Actually, please share them with everyone we’ve met so far.”
Elin rubbed her temple. “Yes, Your Highness.”
She waited until we returned to the inn that night before laying into me.
“Princess Bridget, the point of this tour is to create goodwill,” she said. “Not make things more complicated with Parliament. Do you really want random people writing to you about the smallest problem?”
“They’re not random people, they’re Eldorrans.” I sat in the common room with Rhys while Elin stood by the fireplace, her hands on her hips. Henrik, Alfred, Luna, and Elliott had already retired to their rooms. “I’m not changing policy. I’m merely helping people get their voices heard. No,” I said when Elin opened her mouth. “I’m not arguing about this. It’s been a long day, and we have an early morning tomorrow.”
Her mouth pinched, but she conceded with a reluctant, “Yes, Your Highness.”
She was a master at choosing which battles to fight, and apparently, this one wasn’t worth fighting.
She disappeared up the stairs, leaving me alone with Rhys.
He sat in the corner, staring at the flames in the hearth with a brooding expression. Whatever was bothering him, it wasn’t us and what happened in the parking lot of the Royal Botanic Gardens. It was something else. He’d been moodier than usual since the trip started.
“Penny for your thoughts,” I said. We’d barely talked the entire trip, unless good morning and good night counted as talking.
Rhys finally looked at me. The firelight flickered over his face, casting dancing shadows over his strong jaw and chiseled cheekbones