by S. E. Rose
“Oh, both our countries adopted the same standard as the British monarchy. The ‘R’ stands for Rex for king and Regina for queen. It’s a long story having to do with our history, and its intertwining with various monarchies in Europe,” she explains.
“Oh?” I ask. I know nothing about our small countries. Until a week ago, I could have barely located them on a map.
Anna stops and looks at me. “You don’t know much about our countries, do you?” she asks as though reading my mind.
I shake my head.
She sits up and changes the screen on her laptop to the regular internet, or what appears like it. She searches for something and then sets the laptop on her lap, patting the bed next to her. I scoot up and sit, our shoulders touching. She launches into a history about our countries. Really, they are principalities not much larger than a metropolitan area. They are heavily influenced by Scandinavian culture, and also British, German, and French culture. She weaves the stories of kings and queens and rebellion and all kinds of interesting tales. She pulls up photos, portraits, and maps on her computer. When she finishes, she turns to me.
“Better?” she asks.
I nod. “Thank you for the impromptu lesson,” I say. This wasn’t what I had in mind when we came in here but listening to Susanna speak with such pride and enthusiasm for her country and even mine, is fascinating. Her depth of knowledge on history and politics is impressive, so impressive I wonder if she ever considered being a teacher. I have to stop myself there because for just a moment, I forget that she’s a princess, not a mere mortal like…I was.
“Why didn’t you question your dad about sending us here?” I ask her, recalling what she said before coming in here.
“I…it’s not always wise to question the king, especially when he’s your father,” she says.
“But, you’re right. I mean, this would be a place someone would look for me,” I say.
“You, yes. Me, no,” she says, pointing between us, and then she frowns.
“What?” I ask her.
“Why…that is puzzling,” she says, biting her lip.
“What?” I prod.
“Well, I could see why my dad might send me here, but he sent me here with you. Why would your dad agree to send you here?” she asks.
“Who says my father agreed to anything? Besides, Pete says that Victor was the one who suggested it,” I question.
She rolls her eyes and gives me a look. “Seriously? I’m pretty sure the King of Montelandia would most certainly have a say in where his son was sent on a temporary exile. And I can’t believe my dad would let Victor dictate where we would be sent, but…perhaps, I mean, if Marcus agreed too,” she replies.
“Exile? Isn’t that a bit extreme?” I ask.
“Whatever. I feel like I’m missing things, so many things,” she says. Her finger taps the corner of her keyboard as she studies the screen.
“OK, let’s start with what doesn’t fit together,” I suggest, lying back against the headboard and grabbing another cookie because I have a feeling this will take a while.
Chapter Nine
“Well, we know someone inquired on the dark web to hire an assassin to kill you. But we don’t know who. We know someone planted a bomb on board Uncle Hans’s plane and now at the summer palace, but again, who? We know M made it to the Bahamas and then Norddale, but where he is now, I have no idea. We also know that some influential people in Norddale and Montelandia were accused of being anti-monarchists twenty-some years ago,” she states.
“Alright, so who would want me dead?” I ask her.
She tilts her head to the side and considers my question.
“Anti-monarchists, maybe. Sten, possibly. But why us now? There would have been no indication you were coming back with us until right before the flight, and we know the bomb was planted on the plane earlier than that based on when the video glitches occurred. So, who would want to kill us and you? Same person or group? Different people and it’s just a coincidence?” she ponders.
“You think it could be a coincidence?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “My gut tells me no. It’s too…the odds are just too great for it not to be connected,” she says.
“OK,” I respond slowly. “So, then who would want to kill members of both the royal families?” I ask her.
“Now that, my dear, is the million-dollar question,” she replies.
“And let me guess, we don’t have the million-dollar answer yet?” I say.
“Nope. But, we are going to find out,” she says.
We begin a marathon session of research. I haven’t studied this hard since college. Fine, if I’m being honest with myself, I have never done research like this, ever. Of course, my life and others have never been at stake either. Pete makes us all sandwiches for lunch, and we eat them in the bedroom while we continue to work. At some point in the mid-afternoon, Anna sends Lucas to go buy her a printer.
“I just need to look at some of this, not on the screen,” she says, surprising me because her life is on a screen.
“Whatever you need,” I reply as I look through article after article, news clip after news clip. By dinner time, I’m mentally exhausted.
“I need a break, Anna,” I say to her. I’ve all but forgotten the reason I originally followed her in here this morning. I lie back on the bed and stare up at the ceiling. We’re no closer to figuring this out than we were six hours ago.
Anna stops her typing and turns to me. She pulls out her hair band and lets her hair fall down around her shoulders as she walks over to me and plops down on the bed, lying back too, so we are side by side.
“I feel like the answers are just out of grasp,” she huffs.
I reach down and grab her hand, holding it in mine.
“I think we need a break,” I say.
“I know. Maybe we can relax for a bit tonight,” she suggests.
“No, I mean, let’s take tomorrow off. Let’s do something fun,” I say, leaning up on my elbow and looking down at her.
“What do you have in mind?” she asks, her eyebrow raised.
“Ever been to Niagara Falls?” I ask her.
Her eyes go wide. “Uh, nope. But isn’t that really far away?” she asks.
I shake my head. “A few hours, but we can get up early and be there by mid-morning,” I say. “And then we can come home at night.”
She looks at me for a long minute, contemplating my idea. “OK. Let’s take a break. Maybe clearing our heads will help. But good luck talking our security team into this idea,” she says.
I grin. “Excellent,” I say as I get up and walk out to the kitchen where Hendrick sits.
“We’d like to go to Niagara Falls tomorrow,” I announce.
His head whips up, and he looks at me like I’m crazy. I give him a smile.
“Niagara Falls?” he questions.
“Yep. We can leave around six,” I say.
“Tomorrow,” he says.
I nod. “Tomorrow,” I repeat.
“I’ll need to run this past Pete and Lucas,” he says as he stands.
Just as he’s about to walk down the hall, Pete enters the room.
“Did I hear you correctly?” he asks me.
“If you heard me say we’re going to Niagara Falls tomorrow, then you most certainly did,” I say to him.
Pete considers my request. “I prefer to have more time to prepare for a trip like that,” he says with a frown.
“It’s only for the day. We’ll come back after dinner,” I explain.
“There’s a chance we’ll draw attention to ourselves,” he says to me.
“Nah, we’ll have on those crazy rain ponchos and sunglasses and hats. We’ll be fine,” I say.
Pete shakes his head. “You two are a real pain in the ass, you know that?” he says to me.
I laugh. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” I respond.
“We’re heading to bed early,” I add as I walk back to the bedroom.
“All set,” I say.
“Really?” she asks, skepticism lacing her voice.
“Yes,” I respond as I shut the door and walk over to her. “Now, I think we could use a little relaxing before we go to sleep.”
She eyes me as the corners of her mouth twitch. “Relaxing?” she questions.
I pull my shirt off as I reach the end of the bed. “Relaxing,” I repeat.
“Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?” she asks.
“The kids?” I say.
She rolls her eyes.
“However shall we relax?” she says in a mocking tone.
“Now, now, Princess, don’t be bratty,” I say as I push my sweatpants down, letting my erection spring free. I grip it in my hand and watch her, watching me.
“You plan on relaxing in the nude?” she asks me, batting her eyelashes. I try to contain my smirk.
“Yes, and so do you,” I say to her.
“Oh really?” she asks.
“Yes, really,” I respond.
She sits up on her knees. I watch as she pulls off her t-shirt and unhooks her bra, letting her breasts bounce free. My hands itch to touch them, but I remain where I am. She stands up on the bed, which makes her a little taller than I am. I can see her triumph over her height. She pulls the string on her shorts and lets them fall down her legs, and then she pushes her underwear down until they fall to her feet. She stands perfectly still and completely unclothed.
I can no longer keep my hands from reaching for her. I grip her hips and pull her against me. I lean in and plant a kiss on her belly, right below her breasts. She arches against me. I run my hand down her thigh and back up the inside until I feel the wetness between her legs. I stroke her there as my lips close around one nipple and then the other one. She moans softly as I bite and suck at her.
I suddenly can’t wait any longer. I need to be inside her, possessing her, making her mine. I flip her down on the bed, and she gives a little squeal and a giggle as she bounces once, but then I’m on her and in her and her squeal turns to a moan and my name on her lips. I move rapidly, thrusting deep and hard, over and over. My release sneaks up on me, and I reach down between us to pinch her clit, so she explodes right before I do.
I catch myself on my elbows as I thrust once more into her on a groan. Her trembling body stills beneath me. Only our heavy breathing fills the silence of the room. I open my eyes and find her gazing at me. She removes her good hand from my shoulder where she’s been death gripping it through her orgasm and gently strokes the side of my face. I lean into it and plant a kiss on the palm of her hand.
She sighs but it’s more in frustration than contentment. My gaze widens at the realization and also at the realization that I am able to tell the difference.
“What’s wrong, Anna?” I ask her.
“Why does this have to be so complicated?” she says, searching my eyes as if I could answer that.
I lean down and rub my nose against hers before kissing her slowly. “Everything else is complicated,” I say to her and then motion between us. “This isn’t complicated at all.”
I get a grin out of her with that statement. I rest my forehead on hers as her face goes fuzzy in my vision from the proximity.
“You don’t think we are complicated?” she asks as she blinks and her long eyelashes brush against mine.
I smile. “No, Princess, I don’t think we are complicated,” I say to her. “Yes, we met under some very…unusual circumstances. And yes, our families are…well, complicated seems like an understatement there. But maybe the universe meant for us to meet, so we could be the uncomplicated in each other’s lives.” I stop and ponder the words of truth that just spilled from my mouth. I seldom speak without thinking, except around Anna. My heart hangs on my sleeve like a badge of honor.
I want to tell her that I’m falling for her, but my fear keeps me from saying it.
“Maybe,” she says.
“Let’s get a shower,” I say to her as I stand and hold out my hand to her.
This time we’re all business in the shower. While washing her hair, Anna looks up at me.
“Have you been there before?” she asks.
“Where, Niagara Falls?” I reply.
She nods and puts her head under the spray of the shower. Her eyes close, and I watch the hot water run down her face. She’s breathtaking. I lean forward and kiss her, and she grins against my lips.
“What’s that for?” she asks.
“For being you,” I say.
“Are you gonna answer my question?” she asks me, opening her eyes again.
I laugh. “Yes, I’ve been but not for a very long time,” I say to her.
“Is it very beautiful?” she asks. “It looks very beautiful in photos.”
“It is. It lights up at night,” I tell her. Her eyes widen.
“Can we stay until the lights go on?” she asks. I grin and nod.
We finish our shower and crawl into bed. I turn off the lights, and she curls up against my side. My mind wanders to when we first met.
“Anna?” I ask.
“Uh huh,” she murmurs.
“Why’d you wait so long to tell me?” I ask her.
“Tell you what?” she replies as she props herself up onto her elbow.
“In the Bahamas, why did you wait so long to tell me everything?” I rephrase.
“Oh…” She trails off and looks down at her hand. “I-I…didn’t know how to,” she stammers. “I mean, how do you tell someone you just met that you have this whole secret life, and you stumbled upon a plot to kill them and oh yeah, by the way, you’re a prince.” She raises an eyebrow.
I laugh. “Well, when you put it like that,” I say.
She shakes her head and her hair falls in her face. I reach out and slowly tuck it behind her ear. Her eyes seem bright in the dim light of the bedroom.
“Would you have believed me if I told you on day one?” she asks.
I shrug. “I…don’t know. I mean, maybe, but I guess by the end of that week…well, I still had a hard time believing you,” I admit.
She places her hand over mine. “I imagine it must be very hard for you,” she says. “I know we’ve talked about it a bit, but I’m proud of you. I’m proud of you for not shying away from all of this and for stepping up to the plate. You’ve shown strength and bravery that many would be unable to muster when faced with such revelations.”
“I wouldn’t say that. I guess I figure that there are only two options. One, to slink away from all of this and hide myself from the world. Or, two, face my future full-on and don’t look back,” I say.
She nods and snuggles back against me. “Do you remember when we first met?” she asks.
“Sure, you came aboard, and—”
She giggles, stopping me. “No, not that. I mean when we first met…Eddie?” she says, using my childhood nickname and something about that tugs hard on my heartstrings.
I cup her face and look at her. “I’ll never forget it,” I whisper to her because it’s the truth. “You were the first girl that I ever loved.” I don’t add that I’m hoping she’ll be the last one too. I’m suddenly jolted by that thought. I love her. I’m not falling for Anna, I fell for her years ago.
She bolts up and looks down at me. “You…loved me?” she asks, her eyes wide.
I grin. “I may have had the world’s biggest crush on you,” I admit.
She grins, a giant toothy grin at my admission. “I had a crush on you too,” she admits and settles back down into my arms.
“You were on the overlook rock,” I say.
“I was?” she asks.
“Yes, you were sitting up there, looking out over the valley. You were so small and by yourself. I was surprised you were able to climb up on it,” I say. “And then you turned when you heard me, and the wind pick
ed up and blew your hair around. You looked like an angel.”
She giggles. “You looked like a puppy that hadn’t grown into his feet yet,” she remembers.
I laugh. “I suppose that’s accurate,” I say, recalling what it was like to be a gawky pre-teen, all arms, and legs.
“You were so cute,” she says.
“Cute, eh?” I ask, and she nudges my rib. I grin into the darkness of the room.
“I guess we’ve both changed a lot since then,” she considers.
“I suppose we have,” I agree.
“Goodnight, Eddie,” she says, and I can tell she’s grinning when she says my nickname.
“Goodnight, Suzy,” I reply, using the nickname she had at camp.
She leans her head on my chest and pulls her knees up so that she’s in a tight little ball at my side. I turn my head and plant a kiss on her hair, and she sighs a contented sigh. I lie awake for a long time after her breathing has slowed, trying to figure out the puzzle of our lives.
Chapter Ten
“Wake up,” Anna’s voice pulls me from my sleep, and I blink. I reach for my phone.
“It’s only five forty-five,” I note.
“So? I’m up! Let’s get ready and get on the road earlier. Come on, the early bird catches the worm,” she says and jumps out of bed. I watch as she turns on a light, and I blink, adjusting my vision to brightness. She leaves the room and returns a few minutes later.
“Coffee’s on, and the guys are getting up,” she announces as she shuts the door and heads into the bathroom. I groan. My princess is a morning person as much as a night owl, and that might just kill me.
I run a hand over my face and rub my eyes as I get out of bed and stretch. It’s funny that I’m not a morning person except when I’m on my boat. Something about the salty air gets me up and going. I walk into the bathroom to find that she’s already gotten in the shower. I admire her form through the glass door for a few minutes before I join her.
She eyes me suspiciously as I close the shower door. She pokes my chest and places her hands on her hips. She looks utterly adorable because she’s giving me a stern look with soap on her face.
