Royal Shark (The Rourkes, Book 6)

by Kylie Gilmore

  The breeze feels like a caress over my skin, ruffling my hair. This wasn’t so bad. In fact, I feel really good about seeing my life with a new clarity. I head back to the driver and direct him to the cottage. I’m hoping the couple who lives there won’t mind letting me take a peek inside. I only met them a couple of times as they were on their way out, but I’ll just remind them who I am. They should be friendly enough. They knew my dad’s family in France.

  It’s not a far drive, and I’m surprisingly calm as I walk up to the front door and ring the bell. The light’s still on in the living room, and there’s an old Renault parked in the driveway.

  I press the bell again. This time I hear heavy footsteps. The door springs open to a young shirtless guy with impressive muscles, wearing jeans and nothing else. His blond hair is short, his angular features a little intimidating. A tough guy. What happened to the elderly couple?

  I plow ahead. “Hello, I’m Sara Travers. My family used to rent this cottage when I was a kid, and I was hoping to take a peek inside for old times’ sake.”

  “Sara?” a familiar feminine voice calls.

  “Chloe!”

  Chapter Twelve

  Sara

  I cannot believe my eyes. Chloe is naked with a light blue bedsheet wrapped around her. My eyes snap back to tough guy. A murderous rage pumps through my blood. “What the hell is going on here? How old are you?”

  He looks back to Chloe. “I’ll leave you to your visitor.” He swaggers back to the bedroom. I hope to get dressed.

  Seriously, WTF. I step inside. “What is happening right now?” I know, but I don’t want it to be true. She’s eighteen! She does not know this man!

  Chloe sighs. “Relax. It’s no big deal.”

  I scowl and cross my arms. “I thought you were studying.”

  “I was, but then I thought, how often will I be in Villroy? I should see more of it.”

  “Yes, Villroy! Not—” I jab a finger in the direction of the bedroom “—whoever that is! We were supposed to see the cottage together.”

  The sheets slips, and she readjusts it around her. I can’t even. “I know, but you were busy with your game, and I didn’t want to wait.”

  I stare as the man who defiled my sister steps out of the bedroom, wearing a snug gray T-shirt with his jeans, and casually walks into the kitchen.

  “Who is that guy?” I whisper fiercely.

  “Michael. He’s a palace guard.”

  “Do you only sleep with guys named Michael?” That was the name of her fuck buddy from nerd camp.

  She smiles, her head tilting to the side. “How funny. I hadn’t made the connection. Totally random.”

  “So you just showed up here, asked for the tour, and stripped naked?”

  “More like I asked for the tour, he was kind enough to give it to me, and I only remembered the kitchen. We sat and had some tea.”

  “And then he ripped your clothes off?” I’m sure Michael was the aggressor here. The man oozes testosterone. I’ll kick his ass, or at least go to his boss. Adrian will definitely hear about this. Palace guards are supposed to protect, not seduce innocent student visitors.

  “Is that how your dates go?” Chloe asks with an amused look.

  “This isn’t funny! And it’s not about me. What am I supposed to think? You’re wearing a bedsheet.”

  “I’m not sure why I have to explain myself to you, but here it is, the whole sordid story. Ready?”

  I nod once, trying to keep a neutral expression while bracing myself for the worst. The lines of communication are open.

  She goes on. “I explained why I was here to Michael, you know, trying to remember our parents. He shared that he’s also an orphan. We talked for a while, and then he invited me to stay for dinner. I suggested a kiss instead, and he took the hint. Things progressed nicely from there.”

  Some hint. I run a hand through my hair. No judgment. She shared—lines of communication are good—and that’s the important part. “Okay, so get dressed. Then you can give me the tour, and we’ll go back to the palace for dinner.”

  She looks toward the kitchen, where Michael is. “I want to stay here a little longer. He says he’ll take me back to the palace whenever I want. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

  “I texted you earlier, you know.”

  She smiles, her green eyes sparkling. “I was busy at the time.”

  I clench my jaw. My little sister has fuck buddies. I didn’t want this for her. I wanted her to have boyfriends, guys who treat her special. I wanted her to have everything I couldn’t have. I’m the broken one. I dedicated myself to keeping her whole.

  “Sara, you said you wanted me to have some fun in college, so now I am.”

  “This isn’t college!” I work for a level, reasonable tone. “And I didn’t mean this kind of fun.”

  She shrugs and her sheet slips, exposing her boob. There’s a bite mark. I jerk my gaze away.

  “Oops,” she says. “Be back in a few.”

  I stand there, arms crossed, silently seething. Who is this woman?

  And that’s when it hits me. Chloe is a full-grown woman. She has to make her own decisions now, her own mistakes. I have to stop mothering her.

  “Would you like some tea, Sara?” Michael asks, leaning casually in the archway that separates the kitchen from the living room.

  “No, thank you,” I say through my teeth.

  He straightens. “In answer to your earlier question, I’m twenty-six. I was given this cottage to live in by the royal family because I’m captain of the guards. I run their training regimen.”

  The royal family owns this cottage now? Was it done out of respect for my parents? Did the elderly couple die or move away? It’s strange that the royal family would buy this particular cottage.

  “Do they own other cottages and let staff use them?” I ask.

  “This is the only one that I know of.”

  So strange. I should ask Adrian.

  Chloe returns dressed in a tank top and jeans with her usual white Keds. “Ready for the tour?” she asks brightly. Someone’s in a good mood after getting laid. Don’t think about it.

  “Sure,” I mumble, still reeling from the shock of my sister hooking up with some rando. I take a deep breath. I need to let her live her life on her terms.

  She crosses to me, her eyes sympathetic. “Sorry. I don’t have the memories you do. I don’t mean to make light of it. Are you really okay looking around? I could just share what I remember later, or not. Whatever works for you.”

  My eyes tear up because she’s a truly caring person, and I know I had something to do with that. I give her arm a squeeze. “Thanks, but I think I’ll be okay. I came here because after I went to the north beach, I realized Mom and Dad wanted us to have these wonderful summers here away from the city. Villroy was a gift they gave us.”

  She nods once. “We were lucky to come here. It’s beautiful, and how lucky were we to be friends with a prince and a princess? I didn’t understand who they were when I was little. I thought they were just local kids with lots of babysitters.”

  I smile. “Yeah, their guards and nanny were always with us. Adrian and Silvia were a gift to us too. They were really nice to both of us, and you were not easy when you were little. You were a devilish whirlwind, always up to something.”

  Her eyes light up. “Like what?”

  “Skinny-dipping in the ocean and running all over the beach naked.”

  She laughs. “I have no memory of that.”

  “Pretending you were Godzilla and destroying the sandcastles that Silvia helped you make, throwing our lunch to the seabirds, pulling the legs off crabs. Oh my God, one time you put a tiny fish in your mouth and accidentally swallowed it!”

  She crinkles her nose. “Eww. Why would I do that?”

  I giggle. “You thought you could keep it alive in the spit in your mouth and take it home as a pet. You were really upset when we told you it was gone forever.”

&nb
sp; She smiles. “I’m glad you’re okay to talk about this stuff now. It worried me that you shut yourself off from what I remembered as a blur of sunny happy days.”

  I let out a breath. “I remember them that way too. I think reconnecting with Adrian and Silvia made it easier to get back to this place. I cried over Mom and Dad when I first decided to come here, and I think that actually helped. I feel at peace.”

  She hugs me. “I’m so glad.” She pulls away and gestures to the room. “You’ve seen the living room, and this over here is the kitchen.”

  Michael appears again in the kitchen archway and purposely doesn’t move out of the way as Chloe tries to get by. She smiles up at him, her hands on his massive biceps as she slides across his front to pass. He grins down at her and then steps out of the kitchen, gesturing for me to pass.

  I join Chloe in the small kitchen. “Oh! I remember this! It’s exactly the same.” The white and black checkered floor, the glossy wood table and chairs with cushions on them. I turn. The sink and faucet are the same. “They updated the appliances and took down the seashell wallpaper and white lace curtains.”

  I stand in front of the sink and look out the window. There’s a view of the next cottage, mostly, but if I crane my neck a bit, there’s a view of the sea.

  I turn back to Chloe. “What do you remember about the kitchen?”

  “Strangely, I remembered the floor. I mostly remember playing on the beach.”

  I follow her out and down the hall toward the bedrooms. I poke my head into the bathroom on the way. They’ve updated it with a new sink, countertop, and tile. Everything white. “I think this used to be beige,” I say.

  I take one look in the open door of the bedroom that used to be my parents’ and turn away, not because it reminds me of them. Because it has a king-sized bed with rumpled light blue sheets. The same light blue sheet that was recently wrapped around my sister.

  She pushes open the door to where she and I used to sleep. The old furniture is gone, the old rug, and it’s been painted from its cheery yellow to an off white. Now it’s a music room with a keyboard, acoustic guitar, fiddle, and a small bookcase with sheet music. On top of the bookcase is a harmonica.

  “Your guard is a musician,” I say, surprised. I thought he’d be hurling telephone poles for fun. Something barbaric like that.

  Chloe nods. “He’s multifaceted. He said he’d play something for me after dinner. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

  “That’s okay. I’ll leave you to your date.”

  She snorts. “This isn’t a date. It’s just a one-night stand.”

  I press my lips together. “Did he tell you that?”

  “No, I told him that. I’m leaving tomorrow, and he belongs here. It works out perfectly for everyone.”

  “Will you stay in touch?”

  She lifts one shoulder. “I don’t see the point.”

  Have I failed her in this too? My lack of ties to other people has set a bad example, and now she’s afraid to connect in a meaningful way. I don’t want her to be like me. I want her to have everything I didn’t have—college, parties, friends, relationships.

  I put my hand on her arm. “It might seem scary, but sometimes it’s worth taking a chance on someone. You know, letting them into your heart.”

  She gives me a soft smile. “Are you trying to tell me you want to stay here with Adrian?”

  I drop my hand from her arm, my heart working double time. “I was talking about you.”

  “I’m fine. I told you I’m working toward something. Harvard Medical School is my dream, and you taught me to work hard for my dreams.”

  “Not to the exclusion of having a life.”

  “This is my life. There’s nothing else I want or need right now. I’ll look for a relationship when I have the time and energy to devote to one. Okay? You can relax about me. Now it’s my turn to look out for you. If you have feelings for Adrian, which I think you do, you have my blessing to stay here on Villroy and see where it goes. I’ll visit you on school breaks.” She smiles. “It’s not such a hardship for me to visit you at a palace on a beautiful island. It’s time you let someone into your heart.”

  I stare at her, unable to speak over the lump in my throat. Everything I wanted for her she wants for me too. And maybe it’s time I let myself have that.

  She gives my arm a reassuring squeeze. “I want you to be happy.”

  Gah! I wipe my eyes, laughing at the same time as a lightness comes over me. “Are you sure? You’re really okay?”

  “I’m more than okay. I’m happy with my life just as it is.”

  I sniffle. “Adrian did offer me a job here.”

  “Then take it.”

  I hug her and more tears leak out of my eyes. When I pull back, she’s still dry-eyed. She really is fine with it. “I love you, Chloe.”

  She beams, her face lighting up. “I love you too.”

  We head back to the living room.

  “Bye, Michael,” I call. “Thank you for letting us see the cottage.”

  “No problem at all,” he says with a hint of amusement. Ah, yes, it worked out for him nicely. La-la-la, not thinking about it.

  Chloe walks me to the door.

  I glance at Michael waiting behind her to resume their amorous night, and look back to her, my poker face firmly in place. “So I’ll see you tonight? Or tomorrow for the flight home?”

  She smiles. “Probably tomorrow.” She leans close to whisper, “He’s much better than the first Michael. I’ll catch a ride back to the palace with him when he goes to work in the morning.”

  I paste on a smile. “Great. See you then.”

  I head back to my waiting car. There’s only one person I want to be with right now. I’m ready for what he’s offering, ready to take a leap of faith. I’m betting on us.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sara

  When I texted Adrian to meet up, he asked me to meet him in the casino restaurant for dinner. He’s already at a table for two when I get there, and waves me over with a warm smile.

  A surge of affection rushes through me. My prince, my hero, my love. I do love him. Maybe I always have.

  My heart pounds, a lightness to my limbs as I cross the room. I’m about to expose my most vulnerable self, take a giant leap of faith, and commit to living here with him. It’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I’m ready. Only with Adrian would this be possible. Our connection spanned the miles and years and still remained so strong. We were always meant to be.

  He gets out of his seat to give me a kiss before guiding me over to a chair and pulling it out for me. I let myself enjoy his special treatment. My Adrian is a prince not just by blood but by his actions. I’m so lucky I met him when we were just kids. In a way, I can thank my parents for giving me this connection. He’s part of me just like I’m part of him.

  He smiles at me across the table, his eyes warm on mine. “You’re looking a lot happier than earlier.”

  “I am. I was feeling so shitty I figured the hell with it, I may as well take the tour down memory lane, and it really wasn’t what I feared it would be. I mostly remembered being with you and Silvia on the beach, and my memories of the cottage are forever changed by finding Chloe naked with a strange man there.” I hold up a palm before he can go he-man protective. “No worries. It was totally consensual.”

  He barks out a laugh. “Michael lives there now, the guard captain. Great guy, I know him well. So him and Chloe?”

  “Yes. And I do not want to talk about that.”

  “Understood.”

  “Did you know your family owns the cottage now?”

  “Yes. Silvia and I grieved the loss of your family here. We asked our parents to buy the cottage after we got back from the funeral so you and Chloe could come back to visit even if you didn’t have the money to rent it for the summer. My parents made the couple who lived there an offer, and they were happy to take it so they could move closer to their daughte
r.” He leans across the table and takes my hand in his. “Silvia said she asked you to come several times. She told you it was free.”

  My jaw goes slack. “I didn’t know she meant it that way. I thought she was offering to pay for us and that’s why it was free.”

  He gives my hand a squeeze. “We missed you.”

  My eyes well. I have not been near tears so many times in years. Villroy, no, Adrian opened up something inside me I thought was closed forever—my heart. It’s all so new and raw but worth it. So worth it. I can finally let love in.

  “I wasn’t ready then,” I manage over the tightness in my throat. “But thank you to you and your wonderful family.”

  “Well, as you can see, we let Michael stay there after it seemed like you weren’t coming back. You could always stay with me when you’re here.”

  I smile. “I’d like that.” I take a deep breath, about to declare I’m ready to stay, but the words get stuck in my throat. I’m a mess of raw emotions and it’s so hard to express them.

  The waitress arrives to take our order, and the moment passes.

  Over dinner, Adrian is unusually talkative, filling me in on all the ins and outs of the casino. I get the feeling he’s bringing me up to speed in hopes that I’ll take his job offer. He really wants what I could bring to his casino. I like that he values my potential contribution to the casino that obviously means so much to him.

  By the time we finish dinner, I’m ready to make my move. “Let’s go back to your office.”

  He raises his brows. “Business or pleasure?”

  “Business,” I say on a laugh.

  We make the short walk to his office, and I take the chair across from his desk. “Okay, let’s make it official. I’ll sign an employment contract and be your pit boss and right-hand woman.”