Royal Line

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  I tiptoed out there, acting as if I was a thief in the night attempting to steal my own underwear.

  As soon as I took three steps though, I collided with a very hard, very warm, very shirtless mountain.

  “Oh my God,” I whispered.

  My towel fell to one side, and I gripped it around my front, but the side that fell exposed my ass and my side.

  I had one hand on the towel, keeping my breasts covered, and the other went to his chest.

  I looked up, way up, at Kannon, who just stared down at me, his eyes molten.

  “What. The. Fuck?” he whispered.

  I could feel the heat of him, not just through the towel but also from his hand on my ass.

  He had apparently reached around to steady me as I ran into him, and now his hand was on my bare ass, my skin still damp from the shower, and all I wanted to do was lean into his touch.

  My core tightened, and I pressed my thighs together, wondering what the hell was wrong with me.

  “I dropped my panties.”

  Well, that wasn’t exactly what I meant to say.

  Kannon’s throat worked hard as he swallowed. I could see the war in his eyes. But he seemed to be locked in place by the same force that held me there, unable to move. The pull. I’d felt it the moment I met him. The instant I’d wrapped my arms around his waist and let the scent of sandalwood envelop me. A fierce, raw connection kept us orbiting each other, and I wasn’t sure if either of us could get free.

  Kannon stared down at me, his lips parting and his hand tightening ever so slightly on my backside.

  I went wet.

  And not from the shower.

  “You’re only wearing a fucking towel, London. I don’t see any panties.”

  “I think they’re by your foot,” I whispered. Why the hell did I sound so breathy?

  “Well then.”

  I met his gaze again, my mouth going dry.

  My belly tightened, and the hand that held the towel shook.

  “Well then,” I repeated in a whisper.

  And then with a low, feral growl, his mouth was on mine, his tongue thrusting into my mouth, his lips bruising mine.

  My fingers dug into his chest, gripping him tighter, and he tightened his hand on my ass, pulling tightly, spreading me.

  I arched into him, kissing him harder, the taste of him scorching my tongue.

  He tasted of toothpaste and coffee and whatever the hell it was that was all Kannon.

  He bit at my lip, and then his other hand went to my hair, pulling the towel as it slithered down my back, causing the terrycloth I’d been wearing to almost fall completely, exposing one nipple and causing it to rub against him.

  Kannon pulled away. “Fuck.” He turned, his back heaving as he forced his gaze away from mine. “Put on some fucking clothes.”

  I blinked. Somewhere in my head there were brain cells that hadn’t been singed. And any second now, I was going to find words. “W-w-hat was that?” I asked, the coldness at his lack of touch freezing me.

  He dragged in a deep breath and turned around, staring up at the ceiling. “Nothing. Go put on some fucking clothes. And panties more substantial than whatever scrap you had near your foot.”

  He wouldn’t move, a frozen statue of heat and molten flesh.

  And I stood there with my towel covering only one breast and not much else.

  “I...what?”

  “Put on some clothes, London.”

  On his back was a sharp, jagged scar. How had I not noticed that before? “There’s a cut on your back,” I blurted, just now noticing. I couldn’t think through the haze of his touch, and I needed to breathe.

  “I know. I was coming in here to put some antiseptic on it. Now put on some damn clothes, princess.”

  “Let me help with that antiseptic.” I was babbling. I needed to do something, say something. What the hell had that kiss been about? More importantly, why had he stopped?

  “London,” he growled. “I told you what I needed you to do.”

  I licked my lips. “You’re hurt because of me. Let me help you.”

  “You’ll help by putting on some fucking clothes.” He dragged in a breath. “Now, London.” He didn’t say that last part as an order. Instead, he whispered it, and then I was able to move.

  The pleading in his words shot through me, and I bent down for my panties and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

  I dropped the towel completely, tossed my panties on the rest of my pile of clothes, and went to the sink, gripping the edge of the tile.

  That had not just happened.

  I had not just kissed him back.

  It was a mistake.

  Liar.

  In the mirror, my reflection showed off my flushed cheeks and my dilated pupils. What the hell I had done?

  I thought back to the raw, ugly cut on his back and remembered what he had done for me, and I forgot all about the pulsing ache between my thighs.

  He had been hurt because of me.

  And I was going to fix this.

  I quickly brushed my hair out, threw it into a bun on the top of my head, and pulled on my clothes as quickly as I could.

  Hopefully he was still out there. Hopefully I could help. Because I refused to be useless.

  I walked back into the bedroom, and he was still standing in the corner, this time a couple bandages in his hand, but his chest wasn’t heaving as much as it had been before.

  “Let me help.”

  He turned on his heel and glared at me, and I refused to let my gaze go to his mouth, or to anything lower.

  Because I had felt the hard, thick line of his erection against me.

  And I knew that it was probably going to fill my dreams until the end of my days.

  Damn, Kannon.

  “You don’t have to help me. I can get Olly or someone on my team to do it.”

  I shook my head. “No, this is my fault. I’ll help.” I took a step forward and took the bandages from his hand. “I’ve got this.”

  He pinched my chin and forced my gaze to his. “It’s not your fault I was shot at.”

  “You sort of blamed me earlier,” I muttered.

  “That was me being a dick. I was frustrated and pissed off, and I shouldn’t have taken that out on you.” And then without another sound, he twisted the chair from the desk backwards to straddle it, giving me his back.

  “Antiseptic’s on the desk. Come on.” He swallowed. “I could use the help. And something tells me your touch will be gentler than Olly’s.”

  Then in silence, I cleaned his back. He didn’t make a sound, didn’t even tighten a muscle, though I knew it had to burn. It was a small cut, something I didn’t think would need stitches, but it still had to be painful. Yet every time I touched him, he didn’t even flinch. Didn’t even let out a breath. I, on the other hand, was all nerves and shaking hands.

  What had happened to him that something like this wouldn’t hurt?

  And why did I want to know more?

  Because you’re a masochist.

  I pressed the bandage over the cut and sealed it and then cleared my throat. “Okay, you’re good to go.”

  “Thanks,” he said, softly. Then he stood, and I staggered back. His body and his presence took up so much space. “New plan. We’re heading out in the morning. Get settled for the night.”

  I looked at him and nodded, at a loss for words and hating myself for it. “Oh. Okay. Um…thank you.”

  “You don’t need to thank me for doing my job, princess.”

  And with that last shot, he stalked off, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

  His job.

  Got it.

  That’s what I was to him. A job. Nothing less and nothing more. And that’s exactly what I wanted.

  Chapter 8

  Kannon

  It was only supposed to be a job.

  * * *

  Just a simple job, they said. It’ll be easy, they said.

  But
that simple job of watching a debutante had led me to the far-from-simple princess. Why in the name of God had I kissed her? Worse, why had I told her she was just a job? That wasn’t the way I ran Kannon Security at all.

  I scrubbed my hand down my face as I chugged down my coffee. The faster I ate, the less likely I’d be to linger over breakfast with her.

  The only saving grace was that Sparrow wasn’t around to give me shit. Marcus either. The two of them were the biggest shit talkers on the team. Or more like they never let me get away with shit. Marcus had been on escort duty for Little Miss Debutante who was safely back home in Los Angeles now. I’d assigned him to deal with our case load while I handled this job.

  I figured between Olly, Sparrow, and me we could provide accurate coverage until we knew who was trying to hurt her. The two of them were mapping out escape routes and weapons. I had Sparrow kitting out a safe house just in case. It paid to be prepared.

  The good news was that London hadn’t said another word about our kiss.

  More like mistake.

  That morning she’d woken up and headed straight for the shower, where she’d taken goddamn forever. Not that I was paying more attention than necessary.

  When she came out with a towel wrapped around her head wearing a T-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms I’d given her, she looked…good enough to eat.

  That’s not helpful, man.

  No, it wasn’t helpful. Especially since I kept thinking about how soft her lips felt against mine. Her shocked gasp. The way she’d melted into the kiss and the surge of electricity I’d felt throughout my whole body. Like I’d been zapped.

  None of that shit was helpful. I tried to stick to the important things. “Listen, I had some room service brought up. There’s coffee, some juice, and pastries.”

  She practically moaned as she ran over to the tray. “Oh my God, I could eat a horse.” She jammed a strawberry into her mouth and the juice trickled down her chin. I wanted to lick it.

  Stop looking at her, or this is going to be a fucking problem.

  The issue was the taste of her was still on my tongue. I turned away and finished packing up my things. I preferred to unpack methodically whenever I went somewhere. Putting things away like I would at home helped me settle quickly. It was part of the routine. Maybe I was just anal.

  London, it seemed, was far less methodical.

  She’d tossed her T-shirt over a chair. Dropped her shoes where they were. For a woman who had barely anything on her when I found her, she’d found a way to somehow expand.

  “Listen, it’s probably not safe to stay here much longer. There are CCTVs all over the city, and very likely, a camera caught the two of us walking in here night before last. I’ve arranged for a safe house.”

  She wiped her chin with the back of her hand and spoke around a mouthful of chocolate croissant. “No, that won’t be necessary. I told you, my friend Rian is expecting me to stay at her house in the country.”

  She had to be kidding. “With all due respect, your friend won’t have the kind of security that I can provide.”

  “From the look on your face, it seems that you’re insistent on staying with me. You’ll see that she’s got a security system and alarms. There’s no reason I can’t stay at her place.”

  I glowered at her. “I haven’t scoped out the place yet, so right now I say it’s not safe.”

  “I’m not a prisoner, am I? Roman hired you to keep me safe, not to keep me prisoner.”

  I frowned at that. “It’s for your own safety.”

  “You can’t just force me to do what you want because my brother hired you. I said I’d follow your orders, but I still want to know where you plan to take me. I can get a cab outside the hotel right now and head over to Rian’s without you.” She paused. “And I have a stop to make before I get there.”

  My brows lifted as a chuckle tore out of my chest. “A stop? You’re joking. No.”

  “I know there is a safety concern. If anyone thought to check, you’d realize I’m no idiot. I know how to be careful. But I promise you I will not play princess in distress.”

  I studied her. “What’s the stop?”

  Her eyes went wide. “You’re not going to try to stop me?”

  I sighed. “Tell me what it is?”

  “Oh, uh, my editor, she wanted me to take photos of some youth environmental activists and the art they’re making. I can be fast and take most of them from the car. I won’t be in the open for too long. And it’s on the way.”

  Her voice was pleading and her eyes soft. An invisible hand squeezed my heart, and I knew I would regret saying yes. But she did have a point. She could get in a cab right now. But that wouldn’t be safe. In fact, that would be the last thing I would want her to do.

  If you think you can walk away, please share what you’re smoking.

  She was a major pain in the ass, and I was pretty certain I didn’t like her at all. But she had a point. I didn’t work for her. I’d do the right thing, make sure she was safe, then get her home as quickly as was safe…and out of my hair.

  Sure, you will. That’s why you’re still thinking about the way she tastes.

  I rolled my eyes skyward. How could one small woman be such a royal pain in the ass? “Okay fine. Write down the address here.” I shoved one of the hotel’s stationery pads in her direction, along with a pen that said La Mer. Worse came to worst, I’d call in the big guns and make her brother talk some sense into her if I had to.

  Quickly, she jotted down the address.

  “While we’re at it, memorize my phone number.” I wrote it down for her.

  Her brows lifted as she chewed around the chocolate croissant. “Why do I need to memorize your number?”

  I sighed. “In case we get separated. You will need to find a phone and call me.”

  “But if we get separated, wouldn’t that be because I left you in the dust?” I set my face to glower. Eventually she rolled her eyes but backed down. “Fine, yes, I’ll remember it.”

  I watched as she used her fingers, tapping out the number sequence, and then I lifted both brows. “What are you doing?”

  She lifted the notepad. “I’m memorizing the number.”

  “Yes, I know. But what’s with the tapping?”

  “My brother Wilder taught me how when I was little. Some kind of number sequencing or something. It helps me make sure that I never forget something.”

  Thirty minutes later, once we had all our stuff in the car, we headed out toward Rian’s house. It was far outside of Paris, definitely more scenic, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We had driven about forty-five minutes when London started to shift in her seat. “Can we stop at a gas station?” A pause. “I need to use the facilities.”

  I checked the GPS. We had at least another forty-five minutes before we arrived in Lité. I didn’t like it, but if we were smart, I could keep her in the car and keep her safe. “What are the chances that you can wait?”

  She sent me a glare.

  “Fine. There’s a gas station coming up if the GPS is accurate.”

  When we pulled in, she bolted out of the car in a flash and I started to fill up, keeping my eye on both the road and the small convenience store. There were no other cars around and no easy access behind the place for someone to ambush her. When she came out, the sun hit her hair in such a way that I could see some dark reddish highlights. And then she gave me a beaming smile that struck me dumb and mute for a moment. Fucking hell. Her smile was a lethal weapon. “Thank you.”

  I glanced at the store. “Want something to eat?”

  She nodded. “Maybe some water and chocolate bars?”

  She turned to walk in herself and I stopped her. “No, I’ll go,” I muttered even as I rolled my eyes, thinking this was a response Sparrow might give. “Women and their damn chocolate.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you.” She reached for her bag, but I waved her off.

  “No. I’ll take care of it.”
/>
  She slid into the car, moaning slightly at the soft seats, and I slammed the door shut. Once inside, I made it a point to be quick. No dillydallying. The sooner I could get her to Rian’s house, the better I would feel.

  While inside, I kept an eye on the mirrors pointed at the parking area, and when I saw something suspicious, I put my plan into action. With quiet steps, I eased open the door without the bell attached. I made sure my footsteps were light across the pavement. Years of training ensured that, but it never hurt to be careful. The element of surprise was key here.

  The rush of adrenaline amped up my heart rate and quickened the pace of my breathing, all of which told me I was on the hunt. And I was about to have some fun.

  My hand was in and out of my jacket holster in seconds. Then I pressed the barrel against the spine of the man presently trying to yank open London’s door and muttered, “It’s not nice to sneak up on a lady.”

  He tried to whip around, but I was faster, waiting for him with a fist. I popped him twice—straight jabs to the nose. He gurgled, exposing his throat. Then I punched him there, leaving him to wheeze and cough as he crumpled. London unlocked the door for me, and I wasted zero time climbing into the driver’s seat. “You okay?”

  “Oh my God, as soon as you went inside, he came to the door and tried to get me to roll down the window. I wasn’t about to, but there wasn’t much I could do if he’d decided to shoot it. Damn it.”

  “You’re safe?”

  “God, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come. He was threatening to shoot at the window. And he kept tapping his gun on the glass. I know it’s bulletproof, but I wasn’t sure if that counted at such close range.”

  I calmly but quickly maneuvered the car out of the parking lot and hit the gas. “You’re okay. You’re fine. Take a deep breath.” Her eyes were wide and her breathing far shallower than I would have liked.

  “How are you so calm? Did you kill him?”

  I frowned. “No. I wish I had, but I didn’t.”

  “What is going on? Why do you sound like you know something I don’t?”

  “You’re the only one who can answer that question.”