by Mia Carson
From his years in the military, he’d learned to have a good eye for spotting trouble. Sitting behind a high-powered rifle with only a scope to see through and a man calling out targets, he had to be good. Otherwise he’d be dead.
Daphne shook hands and hugged guests decked out in tuxedos and colorful dresses ranging from blues to pinks. With his eyes trained on her location, he clasped his hands behind his back and settled in for a long night of watching. The king and queen stood at the head of the room, their four bodyguards and Ambrose flanking them.
“I see you made it down with no trouble,” a voice came over Matt’s com in his ear.
“Yes, sir,” he replied to Ambrose’s gruff voice.
“The night should run smoothly. You’re allowed to not look like you’re ready to tackle someone,” he said with a chuckle.
“This is the only face I have, sir,” Matt said tightly.
Behind his back, his hands fidgeted when the music grew louder. His feet shifted and he began to second-guess his choice. Her laughter broke through the crowd’s talking. Daphne. The laughter was forced—anyone paying attention would notice that—as was the smile plastered on her face. That aside, the sound grounded him, and he focused solely on its sweetness.
***
For the most part, the night was less stressful than Daphne assumed it would be—until she heard her aunt’s shrill cackle across the room. All her positive vibes shattered with the noise.
“Daphne! Where is my beautiful niece?”
Cringing as she brushed her hair from her face, Daphne collected herself before answering. When she turned, she grinned and held out her arms to embrace her Aunt Agnes. “Aunt, I’m glad you made it. We were worried you would be too busy.”
“To celebrate with you? Never,” she crowed, holding Daphne’s face a bit too tightly in her hands. “You look more like your mother every day.”
“Dad says the same thing,” she replied, waiting impatiently for her to let go. When she did, Daphne forced her hands to stay at her sides and not rub her cheeks. “Dion says you’re trying to find him a wife again.”
Agnes nodded stiffly, and the smile left her eyes. “Yes, well, you are both in line to find spouses and carry on the family name. Part of being heirs to the throne.”
Daphne’s smile hardened at the not so subtle hint. It was well known Agnes wanted her son to take the throne when the time came and not Daphne. Though Daphne’s father was the king, he had not been the eldest son. Agnes had married the eldest in line to the throne when the previous king died. But, as fate would have it, her husband, Daphne’s Uncle Evander, died of a heart attack before the death of the king.
When the throne passed to Calix and Alexandria instead, Agnes never let it go. The slight, as Agnes saw the situation, was a constant fight, usually left for times when the family was alone. Rarely did the woman not bring the throne up in front of Daphne.
“Yes, well, I hope he finds someone who makes you both happy,” Daphne replied in a light tone. “Have you spoken to Mother tonight?”
Agnes’s face pinched in anger, and her hands fluttered over the horrid yellow dress that clashed with her olive skin. “No, I have not. I wanted to see you first, and now that I have, I suppose I should let you go back to your mingling. Enjoy the party, Daphne,” she remarked dismissively and strode quickly away.
Daphne, alone for a moment, fought her anger. The threat might have been veiled, but it was there all the same. Her eyes searched for Dion and found him surrounded by women, as always. Agnes wanted him to take the throne from Daphne. Was that his goal as well? Would he do that to her after all the time they’d spent together growing up? He was really her only friend on the whole island, though lately, his happy personality had shifted.
Maybe I should just give it to him and be done with it. The thought crossed her mind so fast she wasn’t even sure where it came from. Her parents would never allow it, and she knew rumors had circulated recently involving Dion and his hobbies. She’d turned a deaf ear to them, but maybe…
No, she wouldn’t decide anything unless she knew for certain.
Her hands picked up her skirts, and she turned, bracing herself to carry on for the rest of the evening when her bodyguard caught her attention. Usually, she didn’t notice the bodyguard, but Matt’s gaze pierced through her. The intensity burned into her back as if he stood right behind her, but he hadn’t moved from his spot at the side of the room, his shoulders tense, his hands firmly clasped behind him and feet apart. If it wasn’t for the suit he wore, she would’ve guessed he was a soldier here to attend the ball as an honored guest.
His gaze flicked up to meet hers and narrowed. A shiver spiraled down her spine as that gaze trailed slowly over her body like he was caressing her with his hands. Her breath catching painfully in her chest, she clutched her thighs together to stop the sudden throbbing between them. Then his gaze shifted, and she gasped.
“Daphne! Come over here. There’s someone I want you to meet,” Dion called.
She tore her gaze from Matt and waved at Dion. Her body shook from his lingering stare, and she slowly sashayed across the room, her knees threatening to give out on her. What the hell had Matt done to her? Anger flared inside her because he made her feel so… so what?
Tugging at her earlobe, Daphne realized it was arousal filling her so fiercely. That damn man. If he was going to caress her with those damn eyes constantly, she would have to put a stop to it, quickly, before she made a fool of herself.
***
Matt grunted as he waited for Daphne at the door. The ball had finally ended and he was ready to finish his duty for the night and collapse into his bed. Tonight had been easy enough, but it tired him out more than being in the midst of a dancing crowd at the clubs.
“Did you have fun tonight?” Daphne asked when she reached him, stifling a yawn.
“It’s not my job to have fun,” he muttered. “Are you ready to return to your rooms?”
“Fine, be a stiff,” she mumbled and led the way to the stairs. Her shoulders tensed when he stayed close behind her, and she inhaled as if to speak except no words left her mouth.
“Something wrong, princess?”
“Nothing,” she replied, flashing another fake smile over her shoulder. She tugged her earlobe, and his whole body reacted, heat pouring through him. Her hair, mostly up for the ball, had fallen throughout the night, and as they walked, she pulled out the rest of the pins, letting it cascade freely down her back.
The sweet scent of honey and salty air hit him in the face. Matt bit back a curse as his hands itched to grab her. He wanted to kiss her, push her up against the nearest wall and do more than just let his eyes enjoy the sight of her body. He dug his nails into his palm to stop from doing just that.
The rest of the walk to her rooms involved him fighting the erection in his pants and her shooting him curious glances over her shoulder, bared in that damn strapless dress.
“Well, I’m here,” she announced when they reached her rooms. “Thanks, Matt.”
He bowed his head. “Of course, princess. I will see you in the morning.”
“You really can sleep in a bit,” she told him. “No need getting up so early on my account.”
“Everything I do will be on your account, princess,” he reminded. “It’s my job now. Goodnight, my lady.” He took a step back and let his eyes move slowly down her body until her cheeks flamed. She fumbled for the doorknob.
He didn’t turn away until the door closed securely and he heard the lock click home. The second he stepped away, his hands fidgeted against his leg and he cursed. Barely a day spent around that woman, and he knew she was going to be trouble. Naïve, that’s what she was, the most dangerous type of beauty. She didn’t even know what she did to him.
If he had to watch her tug on that damn earlobe one more time, he might not be able to keep his hands off her.
Chapter 3
Daphne punched her pillow again, trying to find a comfortable posi
tion, when her alarm sounded near her head. With a groan, she reached out to turn it off and burrowed deeper into the blankets. Too early. Way too early, as always, especially after a night when all she could do was toss and turn, those slate-grey eyes watching her every move.
The door to her main rooms swung open, and Marie called out a good morning to her, bright and chipper. “Ah, princess? Why are you still in bed? You have much to do today,” Marie scolded, bustling into the bedroom. She grabbed the curtains and threw them back, letting in the bright morning sun shining off the water. “It’s a good morning. The weather is perfect.”
“Course it is, and I’ll be stuck inside all day,” Daphne grumbled.
“Maybe not. You’ll have a chance to take a walk through the courtyard.”
The courtyard was not what Daphne had in mind, but she smiled anyway as she got out of bed, stretched, and disappeared into the bathroom for a shower. Usually, she took a hot shower and filled the room with steam, but her sensuous dreams had been too arousing, so she turned the water to cold. Shivers ran down her back, but at least it cleared her head of any lingering thoughts of Matt and those slate eyes of his.
Out of all the other guys she’d seen or been introduced to as possible future husbands, none held so much raw emotion hidden away. The man hadn’t even smiled yet.
“Doesn’t matter,” she muttered to her reflection as she brushed her wet hair and pulled it up into a simple bun. “He’s just my bodyguard and nothing more.”
She pulled on a matching set of blue lace panties and bra and an off-white, v-neck, capped-sleeve top, and a skirt that swirled around her legs. After she snagged a pair of heels, Daphne left her bedroom, expecting to see Marie seated at the table as always. She did not expect to walk straight into a solid wall of muscle.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she muttered, trying to disentangle her heels from his jacket, which had snagged on his sleeve.
“No, princess, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Matt said stiffly, gripping her arms gently to set her to the side so he could walk around her. He didn’t speak again, but his hands twitched at his sides when his eyes lingered on her exposed cleavage.
Daphne’s face burned, and she turned away quickly, biting back the retort she wanted to throw at him, but it wouldn’t be very ladylike behavior. If he kept it up, she would say something, but a voice in the back of the mind said the attention wasn’t necessarily unwanted.
“Coffee for you, my lady,” Marie said, picking up the carafe and filling Daphne’s mug.
“Thanks,” Daphne murmured as she sat down in the chair and slipped her heels on. She took the container of creamer and sugar. “Is everything in order for the meetings today?”
“Yes, I have the proposals sorted out in the first three folders and the rest of the notes are underneath with all the current research and the country’s capacity to fund the reforms,” Marie informed her. She picked up a muffin to set it on the plate in front of Daphne, but she waved it away.
When Marie scowled at her, Daphne sighed. “Fine, I’ll eat it.”
“You need to eat something,” Marie insisted. “You know how long these meetings can drag on.”
“I do, but that’s what the coffee is for,” she said as she picked up her mug and sipped the steaming brew. Matt shifted close by, and she shot him a quick glance. His frown was worse than Marie’s. “Something you would like to add, Matt?”
His eyes narrowed on her face and dipped down to her chest until she squirmed, then moved back up. “No. It’s not my place, my lady.”
Heat swelled in the most intimate places, shooting up her body, and she shifted in her chair, holding tightly to her mug. “You can talk. There’s no need to be a statue around me.”
“As you say, my lady,” he replied.
Daphne set her coffee down and tugged her ear as she turned her attention back to Marie to run through the rest of her day. Matt moved through her room, and she watched out of the corner of her eye. She listened with half an ear as Marie reviewed a few more of the notes for the proposals Daphne wanted to push through.
Each dealt with giving students the ability to travel abroad during their secondary educational years, trips that could count as college credit. Not many people had the opportunity to get off the island, including Daphne, but if they were going to keep up with the changing world, her people needed to expand their horizons. She would see to it they had the chance to do so. If only she could find a way to go with them and leave the island behind before it swallowed everything she wanted to be.
“My lady? Daphne, more coffee? And you haven’t eaten your muffin yet,” Marie pointed out.
“I will… There’s still some time,” Daphne assured her.
Marie raised her brow as she poured more coffee. “Of course, my lady. I will go about my duties, then, unless you need anything else?”
“No. Thanks, Marie,” Daphne said with a grin. Marie curtsied and left the princess alone with Matt. “Help yourself to coffee if you need it.”
He clasped his hands behind his back once he’d circled back to the table. “No, thank you, princess.”
“Suit yourself,” she shrugged. She rose and fetched the files from the table by the door and brought them back to flip through. For months, she’d torn apart the educational program of Apostolos, searching for the correct reformation.
She sipped her coffee absently, reading through her notes so everything was fresh in her mind. Matt hovered nearby, and though she didn’t look his way, the intensity of his gaze penetrated her mind all the same. Daphne thought of telling him to stop it, but her heart pounded and a strange need to be closer to him washed over her.
A strand of hair came loose from her bun, and she twirled it around her finger as her body turned so he could see more of her front, especially her chest. When she uncrossed her legs slowly, his whole body stiffened.
“We should be leaving soon, princess,” he said roughly.
“Of course,” she agreed, trying not to sound disappointed when he didn’t move closer. She shuffled all the papers together and gulped down the rest of her coffee when a shadow loomed over the table.
His hand pushed the plate with the muffin on it closer as she glanced up. He leaned over her shoulder. “You should eat something first, my lady.”
“I… uh, I don’t usually eat breakfast,” she whispered, her ability to speak louder gone.
“Perhaps you should take better care of yourself,” he growled.
She bristled and stood quickly, brushing past him as she stalked towards the door carrying her files. “I take care of myself, which is no concern of yours.”
“I’m your bodyguard,” he insisted. “I’m supposed to see to your safety, princess.”
Daphne pushed the loose strands of hair from her face and whipped around to find him barely a foot from her, his neck red as his frame towered over her. This close, she had a perfect view of his face—those damn cheekbones and that hard jawline. A scar she hadn’t noticed ran down the right side of his neck and disappeared beneath his collar. Her free hand stretched up as if to run her fingers along it, but they never reached it.
Matt’s hand closed with an iron grip around her wrist. “Don’t,” he bit out. His body moved in closer until she was pressed up against his chest.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,” she whispered.
“It’s fine,” he said but didn’t let go of her wrist. “It would be best if you didn’t try to get to know me, princess.”
“And why not? We’re going to be stuck with each other every day.” His fingers twitched against her wrist, but he didn’t release her. She licked her lips slowly, the hardness of his body pushed against her breasts.
He took a hurried step back. “You won’t like what you see, princess. We need to leave now or you’ll be late.”
He reached around her to open the door while Daphne struggled to steady her breathing. Last night, she thought she knew exactly who this man would turn out to be, but after
this morning—sensing the heat from his body and the intensity in his powerful gaze—she realized she had no idea who guarded her. She straightened, readjusted the folders under her arm, and stepped out into the hall, leaving Matt to follow.
Once she sat through the meetings, she’d let her mind go back to Matt and who he was beneath the suit. And the scars.
***
The meeting stretched on through the first hour and then the second, but Matt remained at his post against the wall behind Daphne’s chair. She sat at the head of the table, listening to the ten heads of parliament. Their duty was to fine-tune proposals before they were put before the full parliament for a final say. Matt already didn’t like half of them, and from the way Daphne tugged her ear every few seconds, she didn’t either. He hid a smirk when she blew out a breath and interrupted a woman who looked vaguely familiar to Matt.
“Thank you, Agnes, but if you’ll remember, we decided to not pass that particular law,” Daphne explained. “It allows too much leniency on imports and exports on the island’s docks.”
“Yes, but with the way it is now, we limit incoming goods,” Agnes argued from the other end of the table. She tapped her pen anxiously on the tabletop and leaned back in her chair. “There are those on this island who want to move our laws forward with the times. Dion assured me you were on board with such ideas.”
Daphne’s entire posture changed, and Matt shifted with her. “I am, of course, on board with reforming many of our laws, but not when they put the safety of this island and its occupants at risk.”
Agnes frowned as several others at the table muttered.
“We will come back to that issue at another time. I would ask now that you look over the second proposal on the table,” Daphne said and rearranged the papers before her.
Matt moved further down the wall until he had a clearer view of her face. After the incident in her rooms, he should’ve tried to keep his distance, but he was drawn to her with each subtle movement. She’d been so close to touching the scar on his neck, but at the last second, he’d stopped it. If she touched him like that, he wasn’t sure he could control himself. She was attractive and anything but a witless shut-in, but definitely not worth the risk if he tried to sleep with her.
