Heroes Ever After Boxset: Books 1-3

by Alana Albertson

  Giselle placed her hand on my chest, her eyes pleading with me. “Ryan, stop. You knew I was engaged. Please don’t make a scene.”

  I turned to her, blood pounding in my ears, my mind slamming shut all the doors to my heart. “Yeah, I knew. But I didn’t think I’d meet him.”

  Miguel laughed, then whispered something else to one of the girls. She giggled.

  He touched Giselle’s arm. “Is there a problem, Giselle? You seem to be quite cozy with your bodyguard.”

  I pointed in his face. “Watch it, buddy. I’m warning you. You don’t know who you are talking to.”

  But that motherfucker didn’t back down. “Dude, it’s okay. Not sure if Giselle told you, but we aren’t together romantically. It’s an arrangement. Maybe you can teach her some tricks. Just break her in for me, would you? I’ll thank you later.”

  That was it. Fuck this dude.

  I clenched my hand into a fist and clocked him in the jaw.

  “Ryan!” Giselle jerked away from me to rush to Miguel’s side.

  Fuck that. Fuck her. Fuck my promise to her father. If she wanted to waste her life with some scumbag like Miguel, I should just let her.

  I stormed down the street, not knowing where I was heading. I just wanted to get out of Paris, out of France, back to the USA.

  And forget I ever met this princess.

  Giselle

  “RYAN! WAIT!” I SCREAMED AS I raced after him. I kicked off my heels and tried to catch up, but he was almost half a street ahead. Wow, he ran fast.

  I kept sprinting and finally got closer to him. “Please, Ryan, let’s talk.”

  He finally turned to me, his face flushed, his eyes wide. “Why? What do you want to talk about? How you’re about to marry a guy who doesn’t even respect you? Wants me to ‘break you in.’ What kind of man says that? What a worthless piece of shit.”

  I glowered at him in the moonlight. “You’re one to talk. You said you’ve been with hundreds of women. You are no better than he is.”

  “Fuck you, Giselle. How dare you say that? Yes, I am better than him. My previous women wanted nothing more than I did. They were hookups, one-night stands. They meant nothing to me, and I meant nothing to them. I’ve never had a girlfriend—I’ve spent more time with you than I have with any other girl.”

  “More time? Less than a week?”

  “Yes, smart-ass, less than a week. And I would never, ever want to share you. Just the thought of that sleazy motherfucker touching you makes me want to kill him.” His lip trembled, and I could see his breath in the air.

  “You care that much about me?”

  He looked at his shoes. “Yeah. I guess I do.”

  “I do too.”

  “It doesn’t matter anyway. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

  There was an awkward pause. Then a crazy idea hit me.

  “Well, maybe I could go with you.”

  His eyes met mine. “With me? To San Diego?”

  “Yes. Why not? I have another week of vacation. I’ve always wanted to visit the West Coast.”

  He gritted his teeth. “What’s the point, Giselle? We should end it here. Now. I’ll just call your dad and get Henri to watch you. Nothing good can come of this affair. Let’s just call a spade a spade and go our own ways.”

  I touched his face, trying to bring him back to me. “But I don’t want to. I like you.”

  He stared at me, and I felt him coming back to me. “I like you too. But we have nothing in common, and you’re about to marry that douche canoe back there. I’m out.”

  He turned and continued down the street, but I ran after him again.

  I grabbed his shoulder. “No, listen. It will be fun. Why can’t we just enjoy the little time we have together?”

  “Do you always get your way? Never mind. Don’t answer that.”

  I pouted. I knew I was spoiled, but I wanted Ryan. “Fine, Ryan. I can call my father myself. But first look me in the eyes, and tell me you never want to see me again. This is your last chance because I will be married next month. To Miguel. Say goodbye if you want, but leave me with no regrets.”

  His eyes met mine.

  Checkmate. Ryan wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.

  “Fine. You win. Come back to San Diego with me. I’ll show you a good time.” He pulled me to him and held me close. “But I’m warning you, Princess—one more week with me, and you will never want to leave.”

  Ryan

  HOW DID THIS GET SO INTENSE, so fast? I had always lived my life with no regrets. And I did have another week of leave back in San Diego. I could show off my princess to my friends.

  And then she would leave me forever.

  But I wasn’t going to focus on that now.

  Giselle booked a ticket back with me and, of course, upgraded us to first class. I was starting to get used to her fancy lifestyle. She would probably refuse to stay at my small apartment. Maybe I should book her a suite at the Del. Royalty always stayed there, and it was right next to the base.

  Our flight was long, but at least we got to sleep on the plane. Our seats even reclined flat, and the food was surprisingly good. I never thought I’d ever have a decent meal on an airplane. Most of the time I’d spent in planes was with a parachute strapped to my back, and a gun slung across my chest.

  I was still livid about Miguel. And Giselle wouldn’t even talk about it with me anymore. She kept telling me that their marriage was set in stone. And since I didn’t want a relationship with her, it didn’t matter.

  But was that true? Was I certain I didn’t want to be with Giselle? She was on my mind twenty-four hours a day. Would I ever get over her? Or would I be dreaming about her for the rest of my life while I was stuck in some fighting hole overseas?

  Probably the latter. Fuck. But what was I going to do about it? What could I do about it? Not only was she engaged but also, she was a princess. She could never be satisfied with me or my life.

  So I would spend this week with her, and then we would say our goodbyes. Forever.

  I woke before our plane landed in San Diego, and she was nestled under my arm, sleeping contently. She looked like an angel.

  Fuck, I was whipped.

  I roused her from her sleep. “Babe, we’re almost here.”

  She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sprang up. She gazed out the window toward the sunset. “Oh, it’s gorgeous! Reminds me of Santa Cariña. Maybe you—”

  She didn’t complete her sentence. We both knew what she was going to suggest. We also both knew that it would never happen.

  The plane touched down, and we disembarked. I gathered our luggage and stepped away to call my good friend Erik, who was waiting in the cell phone lot to give me a ride home.

  He picked up on the first ring. “Welcome back, buddy. How was it?”

  “Crazy. Hey, you alone?”

  “No, Dax is with me.”

  Dax, the rock star turned SEAL. That dude was even more of a womanizer than I was. I didn’t want him anywhere near Giselle. At least Erik was a solid guy and married; his wife was an Olympic gold medalist and the first female Navy SEAL. She was a complete badass.

  “Well, heads up, I’m not alone.”

  “What? You brought some chick home from Europe?”

  “Yeah, actually. And she’s not just a chick. She’s a princess.”

  He laughed. “Aren’t they all?”

  “No, seriously, dude. She’s a real-life princess. Princess Giselle of Santa Cariña.”

  “How the fuck did you meet a princess?”

  “She was getting mugged, and I saved her. She’s also engaged. It’s complicated.”

  He laughed again. “Damn, man. I knew you shouldn’t have gone alone. Hell, even Dax could’ve kept you out of trouble.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh. Dax got more pussy than the tiger exhibit at the Wild Animal Park here in San Diego.

  “Just be cool. And tell Dax to behave. We’ll be outside in a few minutes.”

 
“Gotcha.”

  I headed back over to Giselle, who looked effortlessly beautiful. I took our bags, and we went outside.

  A few minutes later, Erik pulled up in his huge truck. He and Dax hopped out, hugged me, and threw our luggage into the bed.

  Dax walked over to Giselle and knelt before her, his hand across his chest. “At your service, Your Royal Highness. Would you knight me?”

  Giselle smiled at me. “Your friends are charming.”

  I shook my head. “No, they’re not; they’re jackasses.”

  I opened the front passenger seat for Giselle and climbed in the back seat with Dax.

  “So, a real-life princess. I’ve actually been to Santa Cariña, it’s a beautiful country.”

  Of course he had. I wanted to roll my eyes. Dax had been everywhere.

  She turned her head to look back at us. “Really, when?”

  “Ten years ago. When I was on tour.”

  “Tour? A military tour?”

  He shook his head. “No. I was in a band. I doubt you ever heard of us.”

  And that would be all he would say. Dax never told anyone that he wasn’t just in any band. He was the former lead guitarist of Gold Whiskey, one of the biggest bands of the millennium.

  But that was his secret to tell, not mine.

  “Do you want to come over to our house for dinner? Aria cooked up a feast.”

  I didn’t want to tell Erik no, that I wanted to keep Giselle to myself a bit longer. With all of Aria’s endorsements, they purchased a beautiful home in Coronado right next door to Dax’s mansion, which he bought with his rock star money. I didn’t want Giselle to see their places before she saw my tiny digs.

  “We’re a bit jet lagged. Maybe in a few days.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Erik soon pulled up outside of my apartment. It was small but homey. Unlike Giselle and these guys, I didn’t have any money. I came from nothing. Anxiety consumed me.

  It didn’t matter how hard I was falling for Giselle; she was way out of my league.

  Giselle

  THE NEXT MORNING, I WOKE UP exceptionally early due to the time change. I snuck out of bed before Ryan was awake. I wanted to make him breakfast, but his refrigerator was bare. Maybe later on we could go grocery shopping together. Instead, I brewed some coffee and snooped around his place.

  He had a few pictures displayed, one of him at his Navy SEAL graduation, and another with his friends.

  But he had no pictures at all of his family.

  Nor had he ever talked about them.

  Why was he so secretive? I had no idea who this man I was spending so much time with was. Nothing about his parents, or if he had any siblings. What was his story?

  A few minutes later, Ryan emerged from the bedroom wearing nothing but pajama bottoms.

  My eyes bugged. He was so gorgeous; I couldn’t handle it. He could be a movie star.

  “Morning, babe. Sorry that I don’t have any food here. I always clean out my fridge before I deploy or go on long trips. Let me take you to breakfast. Did you decide what you wanted to do today?”

  You. But that wasn’t in the cards for me. Ryan had made it very clear that he didn’t want to have sex with me. Well, he did, but he wouldn’t. He was still pissed off about Miguel’s “break her in” comment. So was I.

  Did I have to sleep with Miguel? Maybe we could just agree to a sexless marriage. When we needed to have children, we could use artificial insemination.

  Just considering those awful thoughts made me nauseated. How could I go through with this? How could I never see Ryan again?

  I shook the thoughts of Miguel out of my head. “I wish to go to the zoo. It’s supposed to be one of the best in the world.”

  “It is. Although, I’ve never been.”

  “Really? How is that possible? You live here.”

  He shrugged. “I never had anyone to take. And I don’t have much free time. I’m always training or deployed.”

  Right. Ryan was a workaholic. Then again, so was I. I was always going to a charity event, a state affair, or a fundraiser. It was rewarding work, but sometimes I craved a simpler life.

  Every year, when I went to our summer cottage, I had the most splendid time. I spent my days tending to the vegetable garden and my nights reading books by the hearth. I learned to cook many dishes from various cuisines. Nowhere to go, no one to see. Just peace and happiness.

  I wished I could take Ryan there.

  “Well, I can’t wait to explore the zoo with you.”

  “Zoo it is. I’m going to hop in the shower.”

  He didn’t ask me to join him. I wanted to but didn’t. When Ryan was done, I took my own shower and then got dressed.

  We had a quick breakfast at a local café and headed off to the zoo.

  When Ryan handed me a map of the zoo before we started, I knew I had underestimated my shoe choice. There was no way we’d get through the whole thing in one day. I had never seen anything like this. The animals were kept in huge enclosures with ample land to roam. Koalas were my favorite animal, so we started there.

  The koalas clung to their trees, eating their eucalyptus leaves.

  I clasped my hands to my chest. “Aren’t they adorable? I love them. Australia is lovely.”

  “Really? I’ve always wanted to go.”

  I resisted the urge to again suggest we could go somewhere together. Instead, he kissed me right in front of the koalas.

  Click.

  My head jerked back. Some lady was taking a picture of us with her phone. Had she recognized me?

  “Sorry to startle you! You both just looked so happy, so I thought I’d take a picture. Here, I can airdrop it to you.”

  Ryan smiled. “Sure. Thanks.”

  Ryan held his phone up to hers and magically, the picture appeared.

  I stared at the photo, and something struck me.

  I had never seen myself look so happy before in my life.

  Ugh. Would I ever be this happy again?

  We strolled through the rest of the zoo. The hippos and the gorillas were other favorites of mine so we went to see them next.

  After a long walk, we finally stopped at the food court to get a snack.

  In front of me, a young couple gave their toddler daughter an ice cream cone. The father looked so caring . . . just like Ryan.

  My heart ached. I felt like I was facing an oncoming train and was powerless to stop it.

  “What’s wrong, Princess?”

  “It’s just . . . I want that.” I pointed to the couple.

  “An ice cream cone? Chocolate or vanilla?”

  Ryan could definitely be clueless sometimes. But it was adorable.

  “No, silly. That. A family.”

  Ryan scowled. “Well, I’m sure you and Miguel will have beautiful children.”

  “Stop, Ryan. I know. You’ve already told me over and over what an idiot I am. My marriage will be loveless. Miguel is a jerk. I’ll regret it. Don’t marry him. Stop. I’m not going to change my mind.”

  “You’re right. I won’t waste my breath. Nothing I say changes anything. You’re going to do what you’re going to do, no matter what I say.” He stared at the family and then turned his head. “I’m ready to bounce.”

  “Okay.”

  We left the zoo behind, and along with it, my dreams of a happy little family.

  Ryan

  THE NEXT DAY, I TOOK GISELLE FOR a tour of the base. I was so proud to show her off but embarrassed that she wasn’t mine.

  She was engaged to another man.

  But Giselle was charming as always, and the fact that she was a real-life princess fascinated all the SEALs.

  We had brunch at the Del, and then she shopped at a few boutiques. I dutifully carried her bags. Man, who was I?

  We finally left and went back to my place. The second we were inside, Giselle wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. I ripped off her dress, and she stood in front of me wearing nothing but a lace bra an
d matching panties.

  God, I wanted to fuck her. And she kept asking me to. Why was I still holding back?

  I was about to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom when she flipped the script.

  She knelt in front of me, tugging on my belt buckle.

  “Babe, you don’t have to.”

  She nodded. “I know, Ryan. I want to. I want to please you. Please, let me.”

  This woman, this princess, was begging to suck my cock. Even a saint couldn’t keep holding out like this.

  Time to give in to my desires.

  “Only if you ask me.”

  She bit her lip. She was definitely not used to dirty talk.

  “I just did.”

  “Tell me what you want to do. I want to hear you say it.”

  She exhaled, her voice low and sweet as she said, “I want to suck your cock.”

  Ah. Hearing this good girl, this virgin princess, say “cock” alone was almost enough to send me over the edge.

  She undid my belt, my shorts fell to the ground, and she pulled down my underwear.

  Her beautiful blue eyes looked up at me.

  “Ryan, you are huge.”

  God, I loved this girl. “Say that again.”

  “No, seriously. What should I do? Sorry, I’m super sheltered.”

  “Don’t apologize. I love that you’ve never done this before.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. Grab me, baby. Rub your hands up and down over it.”

  She obediently did as I asked. Her delicate hand felt so soft against my cock.

  “Like this?”

  “Just like that, baby. Now, put me in your mouth.”

  Her eyes widened, and those beautiful lips of hers parted. The anticipation was killing me. Ever since I met her, I’d been so sexually frustrated, but I’d put my desires aside. I never wanted to pressure her at all.

  She planted a kiss on my tip as my cock grew harder in her hands.