by VJ Dunraven
“Ooopps! My bad! Just tell him I said hi. You guys drive safe, okay?”
“Okay,” she heard Elizabeth sigh and could imagine her rolling her eyes. “Bye, Mom. See you later.”
“Bye, Hon.”
“Sorry,” she overheard Elizabeth say to the gentleman. “She's in the shower.”
“There's always a next time.” He chuckled.
Mom waited until their footsteps faded. A squeak sounded and the front door closed. She peeked cautiously down the hallway before venturing towards the living room. Then, she discreetly parted the curtains and looked out the window.
Elizabeth had boarded the SUV and her friend shut the passenger door for her. He strolled towards the driver's side and this time, she got a full view of his face.
Colonel Alexus Gunter! She gasped.
Worsening her dismay, the Colonel paused and aimed his razor-sharp eyes in her direction. An odd feeling that he knew she was watching made her heart pound. She held her breath and remained stock-still, as he glanced her way one last time before climbing into the SUV and driving off into the night.
Relieved, she collapsed onto a nearby chair. Yes, she was grateful that a formidable assassin was guarding Elizabeth. He would keep her safe at all cost. But Colonel Gunter was also the commander in charge of the search and rescue mission for her seventeen years ago. He would recognize her instantly and no doubt carry on his unfinished mission to bring her back to Europe. If that happened, the news would easily reach John Drake, Duke of Northern Peninsula. War would be inevitable and her daughter's life would plunge into chaos!
Chapter 22
Friendship, Love,
A First Kiss and A Little Garlic
Inside the comfort of Chad's SUV, Elizabeth secretly observed him as they drove into the dark woods. She didn't feel threatened around him like she'd anticipated. On the contrary, his presence made her feel very safe.
“What are you thinking?” Chad glanced at her.
“Just wondering about your school.” Elizabeth couldn't help but notice his scarlet eyes. They looked keen and analytical, indicating an alertness and intelligence about him.
“Tactical Defense Institute?” He turned his attention back on the road. “What about it?”
“What do they teach you there?”
“Uh—, Tactical Defense?” He peeked sideways at her and grinned.
Elizabeth chuckled. “I know that, silly! I meant, if you have the same curriculum as ours.”
“No, we don't, except for Combat.” He shifted his position and leaned closer. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.” Elizabeth caught a whiff of his cologne. He smelled of spice and the outdoors and she rather liked it. “Did you always want to go to military school?”
“Well, my dad is a General and my dad's dad is an Admiral, so yeah—it's in my blood.”
“Wow. You got big shoes to fill. Must be interesting growing up in your family.”
“Yup, especially with two younger brothers, also in military school. My mom used to say there's too much testosterone in the house.” He laughed and switched his hold on the steering wheel, resting a hand on his thigh. “What about you?”
“Me?” Elizabeth followed his movement with her eyes, distracted by the swell of muscles on his leg where his long fingers casually splayed.
“No, I was talking to the stick shift.” The humor in his voice drew her attention back to his face.
Her cheeks flamed. “What do you want to know?” she nonchalantly asked, pretending she hadn't just been caught gawking.
He shrugged. “Anything you could spare.”
“Okay . . .” She deliberated on how to summarize her bizarre life into something that sounded perfectly normal. “I'm seventeen, born in California, and lived a cool gypsy lifestyle with my mom before settling here. Met Ben, Carlos, and Lela at Darian, love music and reading, and—and I guess that's it!”
“What about family? Your dad?”
“Never knew him nor any relatives, sad to say, and I have no siblings.” She gazed out the window. Suddenly uneasy with the way their conversation was progressing.
“So it's just you and your mom,” his tone sobered.
“Yeah,” she replied without taking her eyes off the darkness outside.
“Well, don't you worry,” the playfulness in his voice, returned. “If you need somebody to do some man-work around the house; fix the roof, mow the lawn, act as bodyguard—, I'm your man.”
Glad with the change of subject, Elizabeth couldn't help but tease him. “Are you saying that aside from being an expert handyman, you're also a Knight in shining blue jeans?”
“To guard and protect you—,” he propped an elbow on the center console and bestowed her the most charming dimpled smile, “with all my valiant heart.”
Elizabeth laughed and felt herself flush. She watched him recline his seat further so that his physique stretched nicely, displaying the attractive array of dips and valleys on his body. Goodness! She mentally fanned herself. The guy is practically oozing with sizzling superhero appeal!
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
Startled, Elizabeth hastily lifted her eyes to look at him.
He returned her gaze with eyes that had brightened into a luminous scarlet, glowing vividly in the dark interior of the SUV.
“No, I don't.” Elizabeth swallowed. She should be frightened, but oddly, she was not.
His lips twitched in approval. “Good.”
They stared at each other.
A sudden mood shift and awareness invaded their friendly banter. They both quickly looked away and an awkward stillness followed. Neither of them spoke again until they reached Darian Hall.
“Let me get the door for you.” Chad touched her arm and then hastily withdrew his fingers, as if reminding himself to behave.
Elizabeth waited as he walked to the passenger side and opened the door for her. “Thank you.” She smiled.
“You're welcome,” he said in a husky voice, his eyes lingering on her.
Oh my, she bit her lip as she stepped out, feeling toasty all of a sudden despite the cold winter night.
“Your friends are over there.” Chad pointed towards the entrance, placing a hand on the small of her back as they crossed the parking lot. They walked up the flight of concrete steps and wove through the throng of students standing on the stairs.
Elizabeth kept her head down, careful not to trip or step on anyone's toes. “Excuse me,” she said as she tried to squeeze past someone who was blocking her way.
The guy didn't move.
“Excuse me,” she repeated, wedging herself between him and the railing.
He stepped in front of her, preventing her from passing through.
Annoyed, she looked up ready to confront the guy, and found herself face to face with none other than Mr. Mockery in the flesh.
He stood tall with his arms crossed over his chest, dressed in designer jeans and a white cashmere sweater, looking every inch like the dashing Prince in every girl’s dream.
Good grief, she noted his stormy expression, he's even more gorgeous when he's about to foam at the mouth and breathe fire.
“I want to have a word with you,” he spoke acidly, instantly plummeting her fantasies to the nearby trash can. Before she could even answer, he grabbed her by the wrist and proceeded to drag her up the steps.
She caught a glimpse of Chad, stunned and rooted to the spot behind her, seeming to debate with himself if he should intervene or not.
“Y-your Highness!” Elizabeth rasped, conscious of the curious stares they elicited. “Is anything wrong? W-what are you doing?” She rolled her wrist from his grasp as he pulled her away from view.
He abruptly stopped behind a tall hedge and turned. “I warned you, Elizabeth!” He grabbed her other wrist and yanked her to his chest. “I told you not to share a ride with him.”
“I-I'm sorry?” She twisted her wrists harder in a futile attempt to free herself. “With all due
respect, Sir, what I choose to do in my personal life is none of your business!”
“I don't give a damn about what you think!” he bit out. “You'll do what I order you to do! And right now, I'm ordering you to refrain from riding with him.”
“Your Highness—, excuse me, but I don't understand why you're being so unreasonable.” She pacified her building irritation, opting to be polite and avoid making a scene. “Did the two of us offend you in any way?”
“Aha!” He winced in distaste. “Yesterday it was we. Today, it became the two of us! I wonder what's it going to be tomorrow? Perhaps ... an engagement party?”
The real root of his problem instantly dawned on her. “You're jealous!” she gaped.
“Do you want me to be?” he taunted and for a moment, she thought she saw genuine jealousy in his eyes. “Was that why you decided to carpool with him?”
His latter comment caught her off guard. Honestly, wasn't that the real reason? Didn't she carpool with Chad just to spite him? And possibly ... make him jealous too?
“Of course not!” she denied vehemently.
“Truly?” He held her wrists securely behind his back such that her arms circled his waist. To her mortification, the new position had forced her into an embrace. “So—, you do like him then,” the Prince drawled in a voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Yes! No! I mean yes—!” Elizabeth heard the school bell ring. “Your Highness? Please—, can I go now?”
“No.”
“No?” Her eyebrows shot upwards. What did he mean—, no?
He shook his head slowly and mouthed the letters N and O, followed by a soundless “no.”
The jerk! Elizabeth counted to ten in her head to contain her frustration. What was she going to do now—aside from wanting to twist his neck? She gnawed on her lip, thinking—, would he let her go if she asked nicely?
She cleared her throat and painted on her best smile. “Your Highness, please. I have to go to class.”
“I think not.” He pulled her even closer so that every contour of his hard body molded against her.
“Please,” she pleaded, emoting the look of a damsel in distress, all the while conscious of how good he smelled. “I can't be late.”
“Sure you can.” He gazed down at her completely unaffected by her performance, which she thought was good enough to make her theater arts teacher proud.
“Sir, I can't miss class!” her voice escalated to dramatics worthy of an Oscar. “I'll get into trouble!” she implored with soulful puppy-dog eyes, batting her lashes, and secretly crossing her fingers behind his back.
“No, you won't.”
Well. Her hopes wilted. There goes her acting career. The jerk had no intention of letting her go! She glanced around hoping to locate Chad, but they were alone. Most of the students had gone to their classes. She began to feel real panic. Her body was crushed against him and her wrists were trapped in his iron grip. The only part she could move were... her legs.
Hmm. She did ask nicely and he wouldn't listen, so ... perhaps it was time to switch to more drastic measures, in other words—, Plan B.
She took a deep breath and stomped the heel of her tennis shoe as hard as she could on the toe of his riding boot.
The horrid guy didn’t even flinch, but the pain in her ankle shot up her leg like an electric shock.
“Steel toed boots.” He looked down at her foot as she skipped on one leg, gasping and bracing herself against him. “I bet that hurt.”
Elizabeth felt an all-consuming impulse to inflict serious injury—, preferably with a very large heavy object, at the annoying Prince of Darkness, who at the moment was smirking at her like Satan himself.
Steel toed boots? Hah! She narrowed her eyes. Maybe she should check if he was wearing steel-lined underwear! Her gaze zeroed in on his crotch.
“Ah, now you're thinking of kneeing my other tender spot, hmm?” he drawled in a silky baritone. “Don't stare too long.” His eyes flicked downwards. “Unless that's the very large object you had in mind.”
Elizabeth hastily tore her gaze from his groin, her face on fire, offended and awfully embarrassed. How did he know what she was thinki—her temper erupted. “Your Highness, there's no need to make lewd comments! Now, if you'll just let me—.”
“I assure you, Sweetheart,” he cut in suggestively. “I'll let you do whatever you want and more.” He dipped his head and nuzzled her neck. “Hmmm ... you smell like garlic.”
“Stop it! I am not your Sweetheart!” Elizabeth steeled herself from letting him get under her skin as she silently churned every cuss word she could think of. Prince or no Prince, she wouldn't let him treat her like this! She had to do something—, fast!
Without a second thought, she squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth to heave a blood-curdling scream. Which would have been her glorious revenge, except the hateful scumbag had beaten her plot with a daring kiss! But even as she tried to protest, the moment his lips touched hers, every arsenal of resistance she had, was vanquished. All she could muster was a small sigh as his mouth moved against hers with a gentleness she had not expected. His kiss was so sweet, it stole her breath away and made her knees weak.
He slid her wrists from behind his back and held them over his heart. She responded by stroking her palms on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat quicken underneath. A soft moan of pleasure sounded in his throat and he murmured sweet nothings in French against her lips.
He released her wrists and gathered her in a tender embrace, deepening the kiss. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and parting her lips, welcoming him.
Something about him was strangely familiar, as if she'd known him from somewhere, from some other time. Being in his arms felt so good and natural, as if she'd always belonged here with him.
“My dearest ... “ He spoke the old fashioned endearment softly and someplace in the back of her mind it triggered a distant memory too obscure to remember, but those same words played lovingly over and over again.
“My dearest?” she echoed, searching his face.
“Yes.” He bestowed her the most brilliant smile and rested his forehead against hers, framing her face in his hands. He brushed her cheeks with his thumbs in a mesmerizing caress, scrutinizing her in a way that sent tingles down her spine.
In that very moment, something amazing happened. The night hushed and the breeze wafted with the subtle scent of flowers. The clouds in the sky lifted, and the full moon slowly revealed itself. Then, as the stars merrily twinkled and dotted the dark canvas above, the moon poured down its silken beam of light, bathing them in a magical silver glow.
Elizabeth didn't miss a thing. She knew the instant the atmosphere had changed and wrapped its spell around them.
She returned her gaze to the beautiful eyes of the perfect guy holding her in his arms and her heart swelled, bursting with so many emotions she didn't have the strength to quell. She was drowning, engulfed in a yearning beyond her control, and helplessly submerged in her boundless affection towards him. A poem she’d made up long ago drifted in her mind.
Is this what it feels like to fall in love?
Like a little boat tossed unto the sea,
Buffeted by relentless winds,
Lost and swirling,
Powerless in the eye of a storm?
She touched his lips ever so gently with her fingertips. God, she could really fall for him. Just the thought of it terrified her. She quickly withdrew her hand.
He sighed, and for a split second, she thought she caught a flicker of disappointment in his eyes like the very first time she saw him.
“Your Highness,” Chad's voice penetrated the mysterious phenomenon that had coiled itself around them, “I beg your permission to escort Elizabeth to class.” He bowed from a few paces away.
Elizabeth felt the sudden tension in the air. A frightening metallic glow radiated from the Prince's eyes as he regarded Chad with displeasure. He tightened his arms possessively around her.
She stole a peek at Chad. His angelic face was emotionless, but his keen, inquisitive eyes swiftly surveyed the scene before him. Elizabeth had the distinct impression that he was analyzing the situation, putting two and two together.
“Forgive me, Sir.” Chad seemed to have arrived at a logical conclusion. “I did not mean to intrude upon your privacy.”
“Leave us. Now.” Elizabeth shuddered at the warning in the Prince's voice. She flitted a worried glance at Chad and subtly signaled him to go.
“Elizabeth! Yoohoooo! Elizabeth!” Ben appeared just in time, followed by Lela and Carlos. “What are you doing here?” He sashayed towards her, oblivious to the circumstances.
“We've been looking all over for you!” Lela sauntered after him.
“Hi, guys.” Elizabeth realized that they could see her, but the Prince was hidden from view by the tall hedge.
“Your Highness!” Ben stopped abruptly when he caught a glimpse of him. “I apologize! I didn’t see you right away.” He curtsied.
Lela and Carlos also curtsied and bowed, then the three of them stood dumbfounded, darting curious eyes from Chad, to the Prince, then to her. Elizabeth waited in dread for them to shoot their questions in rapid fire. After all, she and the prince were still engaged in an embrace.
“We're so late!” Carlos blurted out instead, to her immense relief.
“Your Highness, we really have to go.” Ben glanced quickly at his watch, obviously trying to act normal.
“Ah, yes.” Prince William nodded, back to being the arrogant, annoying Mr. Mockery. All traces of the wonderful guy, who had just kissed her so tenderly, had completely disappeared. Then, just when she thought he was going to release her, he bent his head and pressed his lips to the racing pulse on her wrists.
“Off you go, Sweetheart,” he declared with infuriating conceit for all to hear before he loosened his hold and strolled casually away as if nothing had happened.
“Oh, my . . .” Lela exchanged a bewildered look with Carlos, who articulated a silent yoodeleheehooo with his mouth.
How dare he? Elizabeth fumed, glaring at the Prince's back.
