Protecting Her Royal Baby

by Beth Cornelison

  Brianna continued down the aisle, scanning the shelves. “Well, in light of the arson at my house, I’m rethinking the idea of going to meet him in New Orleans. Not only is he the best person, the only person really, who can answer all my questions about our relationship and Ben’s future, I’m also thinking he has the right idea about going into hiding. He has professional guards to protect him, and—” Hunter’s sigh stopped her. “Not that you haven’t been a wonderful protector. You saved us last night and—”

  He waved a hand. “You don’t have to explain or prop me up. I’m one man, and he’s got a whole royal security team at his disposal. I’m sure he can protect you better than I can.” That truth irritated him, but he set it aside. “But strategically, is being with him the best plan in the bigger picture? I mean, he’s the primary target of these rebels. Wouldn’t it be better to keep Ben, his heir, in a separate secure location...in case the prince is found? As in you don’t bury all your treasure in one spot. You put some under the mattress and some in the bank and some in stocks.”

  Brianna nibbled her bottom lip, her expression thoughtful. “I see your point. I’m just so eager to have some answers. I mean, Aunt Robyn definitely helped, but we’re in danger because of Chris. My son’s future is all up in the air. Does he have to assume the throne? Can he abdicate? Can I abdicate on his behalf? Should I keep his lineage a secret from the world? From Ben himself? I...”

  She raked the hair back from her face and winced when her fingers hit the bandage on her temple.

  “Look, I’m not saying not to meet up with him. Just...don’t rush off until you think it through some more.” Hunter squeezed the handle of the cart, feeling a pressing need to dissuade her. But were his reasons completely unselfish? “I still haven’t figured out why the video bothers me, but there’s something off with it. And you heard the doctor last night. You need to rest. Your body’s been banged up and wrung out several times over the past few days. You’re in no shape to travel.” He glanced at Ben, his head lolling to one side in the baby seat, and he felt a catch in his chest. “And Ben’s so small and vulnerable and—”

  He glanced up and met Brianna’s lopsided grin. “Okay. I won’t rush off,” she rasped. She wet her lips and rubbed the front of her throat as she swallowed. “But I want to watch the video again when we get to your place. Maybe we can figure out why it bothers you.”

  He nodded. “Deal.”

  An uneasy look crossed her face again, her eyebrows drawing into a frown. Hunter anticipated and intercepted her next question. “Yes, I’m sure I don’t mind, and you’re not an imposition.”

  She shot him a skeptical moue.

  “I do need to arrange for someone to cover for me at a new building site for a couple of days and move a meeting with a contractor I have scheduled tomorrow,” he said, thinking aloud. When her expression grew worried again, he raised a hand. “Easy. A flexible schedule is one of the perks of being your own boss. My family owns the construction company, and I worked enough hours this summer to take some personal time without guilt.”

  She took a pack of socks off a hook and tossed them in the basket. “I need to call Aunt Robyn and let her know what happened and where I am. If she were to stop by unannounced again and see the burned house, she’d freak.”

  Ben scrunched his nose as he woke from his nap and gave a mewl of discontent.

  “Hmm, time’s up. That’s your warning to get this guy home, fed and changed before he sets up a major squall.” Hunter pushed the cart faster. “Do we have the essentials? I’ll head to the checkout.”

  Brianna nodded, and after paying for and loading their purchases in the back of his truck, Brianna changed Ben’s diaper on the backseat and buckled him into his new car seat. They stopped by the emergency vet’s office next and claimed Sorsha, who seemed glad to be sprung from the vet’s cage, and headed to Hunter’s apartment with all the booty.

  Hunter took charge of unloading the truck and settling Sorsha in with a food bowl and litter box in the bathroom while Brianna draped a blanket over her shoulder to discreetly feed Ben his dinner on Hunter’s couch.

  When he finished with the last load, he collapsed in his recliner. Sorsha strolled through the living room, sniffing all of his furniture and scoping out her new digs. Brianna patted her leg and made a kissing sound that called Sorsha to her for a quick cheek scratch and head rub. Temporarily pacified, Sorsha pranced off, her fluffy tail twitching, to explore a different room.

  Shaking cat hair off her fingers, Brianna nodded toward her purse. “If you want to get my phone out, we can watch Chris’s video again. Maybe figure out why it bothers you?”

  He rubbed his scratchy eyes, then retrieved her phone and moved to sit beside her. She smelled of baby powder and flowers, and the sweet scents prodded his protective instincts. He brought up the saved video, and His Hideness filled the screen. They watched the video through twice, and the same itchy feeling prickled his back. What was off?

  “What do you think? It all seems pretty straightforward to me. Is it something in Chris’s expression? His tone of voice? Something he said?”

  Hunter dragged a hand across his jaw and hit Play again. “Or maybe it’s not Chris at all. Maybe...” He shifted his attention to the background. Concentrated on extraneous noises. Studied the cityscape visible through the window behind Chris. And hesitated. Enlarged the image. “Is that a wrinkle? In the window?”

  Brianna leaned closer to look, and he worked to keep his focus on the video and not the sweet scent of her skin or the tickle of her hair as it brushed his arm. He fisted his free hand to squelch the urge to run his fingers through her thick blond tresses.

  “I see what you mean. Is that a defect in the video?”

  “I’d say it means that’s not a window at all but a photography backdrop.”

  Brianna angled a look at him. “Like a canvas or curtain?”

  “Exactly.” In fact, now that he really studied the image... “That’s not New Orleans. Those buildings are too new. Too modern. The French Quarter, if that is in fact where he claims he made this, is mostly old brick and filigree ironwork, not glass skyscrapers.”

  “And look.” She pointed to a spot behind Chris. “That’s his shadow. Right?”

  “I’d say so.”

  “So the strongest light is coming from the front. If that were a window with as much sunlight as pictured, he should have a shadow here.” She pointed to the area beside Chris opposite the fake window.

  “So the setup is a fake. This could have been taped anywhere.” He tightened his jaw and shook his head. “Why the deception? Why make you think he’s in a city building where he’s not? Why not film in the hotel room or safe house or wherever he is?”

  Brianna shifted back on the couch with a puzzled look. “We don’t know his intention was to deceive us. Maybe this setup just provided a better-quality video. Maybe—”

  “Bri.”

  She stopped but sent him a defensive look. “I can’t believe he would do something mean and deceitful. I mean, I knew him once, well enough to have a baby with him.” She waved a hand as she defended the prince. “That tells me I cared about this man and trusted him. Maybe this wasn’t filmed in New Orleans, maybe the video was staged in front of a photographer’s screen, but I refuse to believe he sent the video as part of some grand plot or deception.”

  Hunter gritted his teeth, squashing the swell of bitter jealousy that rose in him as she argued the prince’s virtue.

  “If he says he’s waiting for me in New Orleans, I believe him.” She huffed a sigh and tightened her mouth. “At least, until we can prove otherwise, I choose to trust that Chris wants me safe and is working to reunite us and provide me the protection of his guards.”

  If he cared about you the way I do, he’d be here protecting you and his son, not hiding like a scared cat. Hunter swallowed t
he words and countered instead with, “Let’s deal in facts. We know the video was staged. We don’t know why. But knowing it was staged, I think we should proceed with an extra measure of caution until we’re certain joining him is safe for you.”

  Under the blanket she’d draped over her shoulder for modesty’s sake, Ben peeped like a baby bird. Brianna peeked under the cover to check on her son. “All done, sweetie?”

  She brought Ben out from under the blanket and held him awkwardly while maneuvering one-handed to rearrange her bra and shirt.

  “Here. Let me have him.” Hunter reached for the baby, and his elbow bumped her breast as he scooped Ben into his arms.

  Brianna sucked in a light, quick gasp and raised a startled glance. Her eyes were wide and swirling with a heat unrelated to the smoke exposure. She trembled and released Ben to him as she licked her dry lips. “Thank you,” she whispered, the rasp in her voice giving the soft tone a husky quality that shot fire to his core.

  Damn it. How could she defend Chris one minute, pledging her faith in Ben’s father, then look at him the next minute as if he was a chocolate sundae she was ready to lap up? He felt the crackle of attraction from her, but he wanted to be more than a fling on her way to bigger and better things with her prince.

  A flippin’, honest-to-Pete prince. Frustrated, he exhaled harshly, and his lungs gave a slight protesting wheeze to remind him of last night’s danger. He drew Ben close to his chest; then, putting him and a burp cloth over his shoulder, Hunter rose to pace.

  Sorsha trotted out of the bedroom and rubbed against Hunter’s calves. Seeing her cat and the potential for tripping, Brianna patted the sofa cushion. “Come here, Sorsha girl. Good kitty.”

  The cat hopped up onto the sofa with a soft mewl, eager for the attention Brianna bestowed on her.

  Hunter resumed his pacing as he patted the baby’s back with firm thumps. “What do you want to do, Bri? If you believe joining Chris is your best move, I won’t stand in your way. I have no right to tell you what to do with your life.”

  “But you don’t think it’s safe, do you? Do you think this video is a trick to lure me into a trap? Is that what you’re saying?”

  Was that what he thought? Or was he just bothered by the idea of saying goodbye to Brianna and her son and sending her off to start a life with His Hideness?

  “I’m saying it’s your life, your baby, your choice. What I think shouldn’t matter.”

  She finished her under-blanket maneuvers and set the cover aside. “But it does matter. I value your opinion and know you want what’s best for us.”

  Ben gave a loud belch, and Hunter couldn’t help grinning. “Good one, dude.”

  Splaying a hand behind Ben’s head, he leaned the baby forward so he could wipe his milky mouth. When he’d resettled Ben and faced Brianna, she wore an odd expression. “What?”

  “Every time you do something for Ben, help care for him, I have to remind myself you helped with your nieces, you have experience with babies.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Yeah. And?”

  “And...I love that you feel comfortable holding him and know what to do for him. I bet most bachelors would run the other way rather than voluntarily burp a baby.”

  “Well, not much scares me. As a kid I was always the one picking up snakes and frogs and other creepy-crawlies in our yard. Though the niece experience helps.”

  She cocked her head and chuckled. “Are you comparing my son to a frog?”

  Hunter laughed. “No...although he is a prince. Aren’t some princes frogs in disguise?”

  “I think you have it backward. Some frogs are princes in disguise.”

  He angled his head to look down at Ben, whose eyelids were drooping. “Well, this little tadpole is ready for a nap. Want me to put him down?”

  “Tadpole,” she said under her breath and grinned. “Cute. No, I’ll get him.” She struggled off the couch and crossed the room to him. Before she took her son, she stood and beamed at Ben’s tiny face as he slept against Hunter’s shoulder. She gently stroked the baby’s head and kissed his temple. She released a breathy sigh. “God, I love him so much already. So much it makes my chest hurt.”

  “You sure that’s not the smoke inhalation?” he teased, quirking his mouth.

  She sent him a wry look. “I’m sure.” She moved to a better position to lift the baby from his arms and hesitated as she raised her arms. Her eyes met his in the same moment he realized the careful transfer of the sleeping infant would involve another intimate moment of their bodies touching. Anticipation zinged through his blood, and heat coiled low and heavy in his groin.

  As she stilled, Brianna’s pupils dilated, and a delicate pink blush rose on her cheeks. Her gaze dipped to Hunter’s mouth, and her tongue darted out to nervously moisten her lips, leaving them dewy and tempting as hell.

  Calling himself an idiot, Hunter groaned and plowed his free hand into Brianna’s silky hair. Cupping the back of her head, he drew her close and caught her startled gasp with his kiss. Brianna’s body was tense with surprise, but as he coaxed her lips with his, her muscles relaxed, and she melted against him. She flattened her hands against his chest, and a mewl of pleasure purred from her throat. The sexy sound only fired his desire, raising the temperature of his blood another dozen degrees.

  With Ben safely nestled on his shoulder, he stroked his free hand from her hair down her spine, pulling her flush with his body. The press of her soft curves along the hard lines of his chest and hips sent intoxicating sensation spiraling through him. He could easily lose himself in this woman, her sweet mouth, her warm skin, her lush body.

  When he opened his lips, deepening the kiss and teasing her with his tongue, her arms circled his waist, and she canted into him. Her lips tasted like seduction, and kissing Brianna felt like a homecoming. His body was humming, crackling, alive, and he sank deeper into the spell she cast. He’d parted her lips with his tongue, eager to tangle it with hers, when Ben squawked. And Brianna jerked away. She covered her mouth with her hand, angling her body from his and squeezing her eyes shut.

  “I can’t,” she whispered in her smoke-rasped voice.

  Disappointment tinged with rejection crashed over Hunter in a cold, breath-stealing wave. He clenched his back teeth and battled down the suffocating emotions before he spoke. “My bad. I shouldn’t have pushed. I...”

  Ben wiggled and complained, arching his back in discomfort.

  Avoiding his gaze, she turned back to take her son. “Let me have him.”

  He passed Ben to her quickly, trying not to think about the soft glide of her skin against his when their arms brushed. “I think he needs to burp again. See how he’s bowing his back? That usually means his belly hurts. He’s got gas.”

  Grunting quietly, she shifted Ben into a more secure position and rubbed his back. “You know more about taking care of him than I do, and I’m his mother. I should know this stuff.”

  “I’m sure you did—” He stepped back. “B.C.” When she furrowed her brow, he added, “Before Concussion. I saw a lot of parenting and baby-related books in your living room next to your romance novels and biochem texts. I bet you were well educated on how to handle Ben.”

  She nodded and laid her cheek on Ben’s head as she started swaying, rocking her son with the gentle motion of her body. “So I knew what to do...once. One more thing I have to try to remember or relearn.”

  Fatigue filled her tone. Considering all that had happened in the past few days, he couldn’t blame her for feeling overwhelmed. Still, he was compelled to buoy her spirits.

  “You’ll catch on. Women have been raising babies without instruction books for thousands of years.” He took another step back, swiping a hand over his mouth, where he could still taste her kiss. Watching her soothe Ben, he tried to blot out the sensation of how well she’d fit again
st him and how right she’d felt in his arms.

  I can’t. But what couldn’t she do? Have sex with him? He knew that. He remembered the doctor’s chiding. Or did she mean she couldn’t fall for him, didn’t share his blossoming feelings? He knew all the reasons why involvement with Brianna was a bad idea, but his heart had shouted down his head. He’d always been impulsive, willing to take risks. But he had to think with something besides his libido when it came to Brianna. Her life was a complicated tangle of politics and danger and vulnerability and a baby...and another man.

  No matter how strong the pull of their orbits, he had to give her time and space to figure out where she stood, where she was going. And whom she would share her future with.

  Ben quieted as Brianna cooed to him, gently bouncing him and patting his diaper-padded bottom.

  Hunter jammed his fingers into his pockets as he mentally shifted gears. He needed to focus on how to help Brianna, how to protect her. “According to my sister-in-law, you should nap whenever the baby is napping,” he said. “That’s about the only way you’ll catch up on sleep.”

  “I don’t—” A jaw-cracking yawn cut off her protest, and Hunter chuckled.

  She blushed and sent him a wry grin. “Okay, maybe I do need a nap. You don’t mind?”

  “Of course not. In fact, I insist. You’re going to need your rest in the coming days, handling both a baby and whatever this danger is that’s out there for you and Ben.”

  A troubled frown dented her forehead. “Right. That.”

  He hated the black cloud of danger hanging over her. He hated that political unrest in another country could reach across the ocean and ruin what should be a magical, blissful time for Brianna with her new baby. He hated that His Hideness, Prince Shirks-Off, had put her in this position, royal duty be damned. And he hated that she seemed to feel a loyalty to the prince despite his abandonment.

  But why wouldn’t she feel devotion to the man? Chris was her baby’s father. She’d had an intimate relationship with him. Deep down, a tug of admiration replaced the jealous twinge. Brianna’s faith and confidence in Chris were heartening, qualities he respected. Qualities he wanted in the woman he eventually gave his heart to.