Jilted Groom (Romance Novel)

by Mia Carson

  “Now, these new reforms would take place over five years so we can find the correct funding and ensure it’s done correctly,” Daphne said confidently. “If you look through the notes, I have laid out several possible plans that could work.”

  “They should be ready to go by the time you take the throne, princess,” one of the men at the table said with a grin.

  When Matt looked at Daphne, another fake smile covered her face. Her eyes remained focused on the papers before her and her demeanor shifted. No one else noticed, but Matt did. He was not prepared for this woman sitting at the head of the table.

  She was a strong woman struggling with something no one else bothered to see beyond the smile. His curiosity grew as the meeting continued and she dealt with the others and their doubts better than many diplomats he’d watched. Her parents had taught her well in the ways of politics. Too bad she knew nothing of what she could do to a man with one look.

  “Well, then,” Daphne said another hour later, “I think we should finish up for today. I’m sure you all have other matters to attend to.”

  They stood as one, each telling Daphne “good day” before exiting the room, leaving her alone in her chair at the head of the table. Matt took a step towards the door until he realized she hadn’t gotten out of her chair yet. Her head hanging, she looked defeated, exhausted, and he scowled at her.

  “May I speak?” he asked quietly.

  She nodded without lifting her head. “I already told you that once.”

  He ignored that and stepped closer. “You need to eat. Should I call to have something brought to you here?”

  “No, that won’t be necessary,” she said and pushed herself up from her seat. She grinned, looking overly happy, and scooped up the papers. “I’ll be fine, I promise.”

  “Do you do this often, my lady?”

  “Do what, Matt?”

  “Neglect your own needs.”

  Her smile slipped a little but didn’t fall completely. “I do what I have to do in order to ensure things get done in our tiny kingdom. That is what I’ve been taught to do since I was old enough to understand politics.”

  “You won’t be able to carry out your duties if you’re performing at half capacity,” he insisted.

  “I perform just fine, thank you. I have been doing this since I was eighteen. The king and queen entrusted such things to me.”

  That information caught him off guard for a moment. “Eighteen? Seems a bit young.”

  “I’ve been sitting in at parliament meetings since I was twelve. There are many responsibilities that fall on my shoulders,” she explained and led the way to the door. “Being a princess is not what it used to be, I’m afraid.”

  “Of course not, my lady,” he said quietly and fell in step behind her.

  Spoiled rich woman, she was not, and the truth threw Matt for another loop as he worked to discover what made a princess fake a smile every day and forget to eat because she worked too hard. Or cares too much, he thought. In a way, she reminded him of himself and his behavior during his military days, putting the mission before anything else.

  They reached the end of the corridor where the meeting room resided and turned towards the main foyer when rushing steps met Matt’s ears. Someone yelled her name, and he immediately moved into action. His arm reached out to stop her, shoving her behind him while his other hand went for the gun in his holster. The steps pounded closer, and when a man rounded the corner, he tensed, ready to draw, when Daphne quickly hissed for him to stop.

  “It’s my cousin,” she whispered. “Matt, it’s Dion.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her, then back at the man skidding to a stop in the hall. “Something wrong?” Dion asked, oblivious to what he nearly walked into.

  Matt straightened quickly and stepped aside. “No. Apologies, princess,” he muttered and clasped his hands tightly behind his back. She needed to stop staring at him like that, with her eyes—usually a light blue—suddenly dark with questions he didn’t want to answer.

  “It’s alright,” she said slowly. “Dion, what were you thinking, you idiot?”

  “Sorry,” he said with a laugh. “Didn’t mean to startle the new help.”

  “That’s enough,” Daphne snapped. “What do you want? I’m busy.”

  “Mother called me a moment ago. Said I was to talk to you about going over some new legislation involving incoming trade?”

  Matt’s eyes slid to Dion then to Daphne, gauging her reaction. As he saw her do so many times before, her face broke into a smile as she forced a carefree laugh. Neither reached her eyes.

  “It’s nothing to worry about. Just formalities, like I told Agnes.”

  “You know whatever you decide will affect the family business,” he informed her, and Matt’s hands twitched at the veiled threat beneath the lighthearted tone of his words. “Not all of us can be so lucky as to inherit the kingdom.”

  “No… no, I guess not,” Daphne mused. “Is there anything else?”

  “I’d like to talk to you later about it if you can make the time. Seriously, there are some complications that might arise from whatever changes are made,” he told her. “Dinner? Tomorrow evening if I can steal you away from the king and queen?”

  Daphne tugged at her ear. “I’ll have Marie pencil it in for me. I have to go, Dion… More papers to go over. You know how it is.”

  “No, I don’t, but it’s moments like this I’m glad of it,” he teased. He stepped to the side, allowing her to pass. Matt caught Dion’s face as it changed from friendly to pissed in a flash. When he turned and caught Matt looking, he immediately grinned again and waved at him. “Enjoying your new job?”

  Matt didn’t answer as he walked past. Dion was Daphne’s one and only cousin and the other heir to the throne if, for some reason, she couldn’t take it. He’d read in all the reports that they were close. He was the only person Daphne socialized with besides her parents and a few close servants. Dion had appeared nothing like a close friend in that brief moment. Matt considered turning back to him with a warning, but Daphne had reached the stairs. Besides, it was not his place to interfere with the royal family’s business.

  Once inside her rooms, Daphne kicked off her heels and told Matt he could close the door and get comfortable for a few hours. “I really don’t mind,” she insisted, throwing the papers on the table.

  “Neither do I,” he replied and stayed at his post by the door.

  She placed her hands on her hips and chewed her lip. “Matt, if I ask you a direct question, will you answer me?”

  His hands twitched behind him. “Perhaps.”

  “What was that, back in the hall with Dion?”

  “What do you mean? I assumed you were under threat and I reacted, nothing more.”

  “No, that was something else,” she pushed, even as he mentally yelled at her to stop before she went too far. “The look on your face—I’ve only ever seen it on one other person.”

  He stiffened. He had a look? What had he given away in that moment their eyes met? “I’m afraid I don’t understand, but you should stop these questions, princess. I told you that you do not need to get to know me.”

  “Need to, no,” she said quietly. “Want to, yes.”

  He gritted his teeth as his blood heated in annoyance. “Why? What good would it do you, princess?” he growled, struggling not to lose his temper with the damn woman he was meant to protect with his life.

  “You were afraid,” she observed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I saw it… Not of what was coming down the hall. It was fear of loss.”

  His feet moved, covering half the distance between them before he forced himself to stop, his hands tensed at his sides as his anger grew. “We are not going to talk about me, princess.”

  “Giving me orders?”

  “No, of course not,” he muttered quickly.

  “Then what is it with you? What happened?” She took a slow step towards him but kept her distance. Her eyes darke
ned as she studied his face before they moved to the scar at his neck. “I know you served in the military for a few years. Is it from that? Did you kill people, lose someone?”

  A loud crack of gunfire echoed through his memories, and the room fell away before him. His eye was against his scope, watching the target. He wasn’t even sure which number this was, not that it mattered. His finger tightened on the trigger, pulled—

  “Matt? Matthias?”

  “I said not to push,” he growled, forgetting she was the damn princess in his anger. “You don’t know anything, princess, and you sure as hell don’t know anything about what it means to be in the real world.”

  “What world do you think I grew up in?”

  “You have lived protected behind these damn walls all your life,” he shot back. “You don’t know anything about actually living. About serving with brothers and sisters beside you and having their lives in your hands!” His anger boiled over as he told himself to rein it back in before he scared her.

  Except Daphne looked anything but scared of him. He towered over her, not sure which of them had closed the distance between them. Her hands curled tightly at her sides, and she looked ready to smack him.

  “I might not have served in the military,” she grated out, “and you are right. I grew up behind stone walls, hidden away from the world and everything in it. That doesn’t mean I can’t understand what you’ve been through. I lost my sister, if you recall.”

  He barked a laugh. “You couldn’t possibly know how I feel. It’s completely different.”

  “You’re not the only person who wears a mask every day to hide who he is,” she snapped, jutting her chin out and standing on her toes.

  Matt looked at her flushed face and enraged stance as she glared him down. His body roared at him to prove to her she couldn’t handle what it was really like to live with what he had done. She was a princess, taken care of her whole life. What did she have to hide?

  “Stay away, princess. Do not push me further,” he muttered roughly.

  “You think I can’t handle you?” she challenged.

  He leaned away at her words. Is that what she was after? Did she know the reaction she caused in him after all? “You’re playing a dangerous game, my lady.”

  “Why? Because you’re too intense for me?”

  He leered and gripped her upper arms. “You think I didn’t notice you showing yourself to me? Twirling your hair? The way your eyes caressed me?”

  “You started it,” she breathed, not trying to shove him away. “I saw the way you watched me last night at the ball. At least I’m not trying to undress you every second we’re together.”

  Matt needed to push her away before this went too far. He moved her across the room until her back pressed against the wall. Her mouth opened, but Matt didn’t let her say whatever she wanted to say. His lips slanted over hers, his tongue diving into her mouth. He could tell she’d never been kissed like this, and the possessive side of him growled in approval, needing to leave his mark.

  His hands slipped from her arms to her hips as he ground against her. Her body relaxed into his chest, and she moaned against his lips, a carnal sound that drove Matt to intensify the kiss. He shouldn’t have done it, but now that he’d started, his lips refused to break the kiss. Those lips were so soft, supple, and hungry for his touch. Daphne’s hands snaked up around his neck and his found her breasts. The second his hands closed around them, squeezing and teasing, Daphne’s body moved into his touch, her breathing ragged. When his knee pushed between her legs, her body stiffened and the reality of what was happening hit home.

  Matt jerked away, turning his back as he wiped his mouth on his hand, cursing under his breath. When he managed to face her and saw her disheveled hair and dress and the stunned, confused look on her face, he worried his actions hadn’t gone over as intended.

  “I will be outside your door,” he said stiffly.

  “What… what was that?” she whispered, her fingers on her lips.

  Push her away. Don’t let this go anywhere you know it can’t.

  “Me proving a point.” He leered. “Nothing more, princess.” He let the door slam shut behind him and leaned against the wall outside it. Thankfully, the corridor was empty, giving him a moment to sort through his jumbled mind.

  His hands twitched at his sides and wouldn’t stop until he went to sleep later that night, dreaming of those full lips crushed against his.

  Chapter 4

  Daphne barely made it through dinner with her parents, struggling to remain happy while Matt stood so close behind her chair. Afterwards, when he escorted her to her rooms, his hand brushed casually against hers. Their eyes met, and his flared with a hunger so fierce she’d stumbled over her feet. He caught her in those strong hands—hands she desperately wanted to feel on her body again.

  At her door, she stood awkwardly, tugging at her earlobe and trying to find something to say to him. She wanted to apologize for pushing, but at the same time, he was still hiding everything from her.

  “Matt,” she said, but he raised his hand and cupped her cheek gently.

  Different emotions glimmered in his eyes before his face went blank and he stepped backwards. “Goodnight, princess.”

  She frowned as he closed himself off to her, but she walked into her room and leaned against the closed door, resting her forehead against the wood. There was no reason for her to be interested in him. He told her to stay away, but that kiss… She knew what he meant to do, but she wasn’t deterred in the least.

  In fact, she now wanted to know as much as she could about this man. Usually, she didn’t bother Marie after dinner, but she needed a favor and her personal servant knew her way around the palace almost better than Daphne did. She hit the page button on the wall by her door and paced anxiously until Marie finally knocked on the door.

  “Princess Daphne? What’s wrong?” Marie asked the second she was inside. “You look…Well, I’m not actually sure how you look, but it’s not you. Dinner with the king and queen did not go well?”

  “No, no this has nothing to do with that,” Daphne said, her fingers twisting around each other and her feet refusing to stay put. “I need a favor.”

  “Of course, anything, my lady.”

  “No, Marie, this is a big favor,” she told her. “If you say no, I will not hold it against you.”

  Marie crossed her arms over her chest. “Why are you so secretive all of a sudden? Does it have to do with a man?” When Daphne staggered to a sudden stop, Marie grinned.

  “You can’t breathe a word of this to anyone, Marie. Not one word.”

  “I would never,” she promised. Her eyes narrowed with worry as she reached for Daphne’s hands. “What’s wrong? You’re shaking. Did you eat dinner while you were down there? Anything else today?”

  “I was a bit preoccupied,” she muttered. “Not the point. Marie, listen to me. I need you to bring me the personnel file on Matthias Georgios.”

  “Your bodyguard?”

  “Yes, that’s the one,” Daphne told her and waited for the run of questions bound to come out of her mouth. “Get the file for me, and I promise I will tell you what’s going on.”

  “Alright, but if I get caught, you’re going to have to explain to Ambrose that it was all you.”

  Daphne hugged her tightly. “I know, don’t worry. Ambrose likes me, remember?”

  “Until you decide to go off the rails, my lady.”

  “What do you mean? I just want to get to know my bodyguard,” she said innocently as she stepped back. “That’s not going off the rails, is it?”

  Marie shrugged. “Maybe not, but that look in your eyes says you’re up to something—and that smile. I haven’t seen you actually smile in months. Whatever happened, you should do it again,” she added with a wink. “I’ll see about getting the file as soon as I can.”

  “Thank you. I’ll owe you.”

  “Answers about what you’re up to will be enough,” Marie
called over her shoulder and curtsied as she left Daphne alone.

  Marie’s words stuck with her, though, as she changed into her black nightgown and slipped under the covers. Had it really been so long since she’d smiled? Really smiled? The days flew by because she was so busy with the reforms and her parents handing over more responsibilities to her, but she had nothing to be upset about. She should be happy, thrilled to be ready to take the throne. Yet part of her still wanted nothing to do with it—any of it.

  All her life, she’d been taught this was her sole duty. Become the next ruler of Apostolos and lead it into the next age. But she was exhausted, worn out from trying to be the perfect princess to make up for the loss of Marietta. Soon she would have to play the perfect queen. Every month, she met with dignitaries and ambassadors from all over the world, but all she could think of when she spoke with them was how envious she was of their ability to travel. To see the world, not to be stuck in one place.

  She knew the purpose of keeping her here was to keep her safe, as her parents told her again and again, but Matt had made a good point earlier when he’d lost his temper. Daphne was naïve in anything not having to do with politics and her kingdom. And she especially lacked any knowledge of men.

  When she lay in the dark, his hands seemed to stretch through the night to caress her body and his lips closed around hers. Her thighs pressed together to ease the throbbing there, but the movement only made it worse. Matt had attempted to scare her, but all he did was show her what she was missing.

  Tomorrow, she would find a way to show him that, despite how wrong it could be, he was missing out on her, too.

  ***

  Daphne was up and showered before Marie came in her room the next morning with her breakfast tray and a fresh carafe of steaming coffee. As she’d expected, Matt followed Marie in, but his gaze stayed on the distant wall.