Royally Lost

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Royally Lost Page 8

by Stanton, Angie


  “He’s heir to the Mondovian Dynasty. His family descends from some of the most influential royal families in history, including Tsar Nicholas of Russia and the Habsburg Dynasty.”

  “I had no idea.” Becca sounded dumbfounded.

  So much for him having the chance to explain.

  “Well, my master’s in European history is good for a few things. If I knew all it took for you to get interested in Europe was a good-looking young man, I’d have picked up a few celebrity magazines at the start of the trip.”

  “I’m sorry, Vicky. I’m kind of tired. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go to bed.” Becca yawned loudly.

  “Oh. Of course. I’ll see you in the morning then.”

  A few seconds later the door clicked shut.

  “Prince Nikolai, you can come out now,” Becca said sarcastically.

  He lifted the covers and rolled to a sitting position.

  She stood with her arms crossed and her head cocked, her expression a mix of cynicism and disbelief.

  He grimaced. “Can we get out of here and go someplace to talk?” He didn’t want to be interrupted by any more of her family members. Next thing he knew, her father would walk in.

  “I think that’s an excellent idea.”

  12

  After allowing Vicky time to retreat to her cabin on the lower deck, Becca led Nikolai to a secluded area on the top deck. Most people had gone to bed, other than a small group at the front of the boat.

  Becca’s mind bounded with unasked questions, but she fought her urge to blurt them out. They sat facing each other on chaise lounges. The warm evening air smelled lush from dew as they cruised along the Danube.

  “I didn’t mean to lie to you,” he said.

  Becca frowned. “Really?”

  “Okay, I did, but only to protect myself.”

  “Now that at least sounds honest.”

  “But I didn’t lie when I told you about being on my own or leaving without my parents’ permission. I didn’t want anyone to know who I was or where I was going. I just needed to escape my life for a while.”

  “So, you really are the Prince of Mondovia.”

  He sighed. “I am.”

  He said it with such defeat. What had been going on in his life to cause him to leave his country? “And you wish you weren’t?”

  Nikolai shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. “It’s so much bigger than that. To answer your question, I can’t even wish I were someone else, because there is no escaping who I am.” He stared up at the stars, unhappiness clouding his eyes.

  “Why would you want to? I mean, from looking at those pictures, your life looks pretty sweet. Fancy parties, rich friends.”

  “An outsider would see it that way.”

  Becca bristled. “I’m sorry, but finding out you’re a prince and not a regular guy has hit me out of left field. I’m not sure what to think about it.” She fidgeted with the edge of her T-shirt. “I thought you were one person, but you aren’t him at all. You’re someone completely different. You’re a damn prince! And that sucks, because I really liked the other guy.”

  Nikolai reached for her hand, cupping it between his, and her stress evaporated with the touch of his skin. “I’m still the guy you met. I just have one hell of a lot of baggage.”

  “So, what makes your life so horrible? I want to understand.”

  Nikolai blew out his breath. “I guess the thing that makes it so difficult is my lack of choices. There is very little I get to decide for myself. My parents have picked my schools, my activities, who I associate with. They and their advisors decide who I sit next to at formal events, who I speak to at a grand opening, who I take photos with at fund-raisers, what charities I must support, even what horse I’ll ride.”

  Becca was awestruck by his caliber of activities. She thought she had it bad with her dad insisting she go to Northwestern instead of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where her mom went. “What do you do for fun?”

  “I just told you.” He grimaced. “But, when I was away at school, I felt free.”

  “They sent you away?” She stretched her legs out near his and resisted the urge to touch him.

  “Of course, to private boarding school. It was actually the happiest time in my life. But now that’s over. I used to be okay with all the ceremony and traditions of our family, but the older I get, the more aware I am of my parents’ true expectations. They want to send me to the military academy.”

  “And you don’t want to go?”

  “No! I understand that the military is an important aspect of every society, but it’s not for me.” He smiled weakly.

  “But my father insists that as crown prince I must serve in our military. That’s how it’s done in our family.”

  “What do you mean when you say ‘crown prince’?”

  “It means I’m the heir apparent, the next in line to inherit the throne.”

  “So you’re going to be King of Mondovia someday.” Whoa. That was a reality check. She lay on a chaise lounge chatting it up with a future king. Unreal.

  “That’s my parents’ plan.”

  Becca pictured Nikolai with a gold crown and long red cape like a fairy-tale king. But the image didn’t mesh with the sweet, funny Nikolai she knew. “If you do become king, you could never hang out with me.”

  “Nope. Not unless you were my queen.” He smirked.

  Becca nearly choked. The idea of her as a queen was . . . insanity. She was still trying to get her head around him being a prince. “Don’t you have to marry a royal somebody, a princess? Not a commoner.”

  “Why? You want to marry me?” he asked with a devilish twinkle in his eye that made her stomach flip.

  She couldn’t tell if he was teasing. . . . Of course, he was teasing! “You offering me the job?”

  “Not today.” He smiled, but then turned serious. “This whole royal family thing is a joke. The Mondovian government hasn’t been a monarchy run by the king in over fifty years. Parliament and the government run the country. It’s a lot like how England is run. All my family is anymore are figureheads. We don’t actually do anything, except parade around like we’re something special and live off of taxpayers’ money to fund our lavish lifestyle.”

  “Oh, that’s terrible!”

  “Exactly.”

  “And what was that you said about serving in the military? Other royal families, like in England, they don’t have to go into the military, do they?”

  “The direct heirs to the throne have all served.” He frowned.

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “Run away.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled, revealing his perfect white teeth.

  Becca mulled over all the things he’d said. “Can I ask you something else?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why are you hanging out with me? I don’t have a fancy boarding school education, and Europe really isn’t my thing.”

  While part of her longed for him to confess it was because he’d fallen for her and couldn’t stand to be apart, she really did wonder what the heck a crown prince was doing slumming with an average American girl.

  Nikolai laughed. “I don’t know. I guess it’s a way to be spiteful against my parents by hanging out with an American commoner.” He grinned.

  “You jerk.” Becca threw him a dirty look, but couldn’t hide her amusement.

  “Come here.” He reached for Becca and she let him pull her onto his chair. He scooted over and she climbed next to him, wondering what alternative universe she’d landed in to be cozied up to a prince.

  “I didn’t want to like you. Not at first,” he confessed.

  She craned her neck up to see his face. “No?”

  He caressed her arm, sending shivers all the way up her neck. “Nope. You were walking through the marketplace in Budapest with your tour group. I found the whole flag carrying, headphone speaker system annoying. But then you hung back. I watched as the group moved on. When you r
ealized you were alone, you went the wrong direction.”

  “I can’t believe you saw that.” She covered her face with her hand until he eased it away. She rested her hand on his chest, feeling it rise with each breath he took.

  “I was debating whether to help you out, but then this tall, good-looking guy came looking for you.”

  She laughed. “Dylan.”

  “You two looked so much alike, I knew he must be your brother.”

  “What I don’t understand is why you’re with me when you could have any girl on the planet.”

  “But I don’t want any girl on the planet. I never really have. Until I met you.”

  Becca wanted to believe his words, but knew a cheesy line when she heard one. “Nice try. I’m not falling for it.”

  He laughed and his chest bounced beneath her hand, causing her to giggle. He pulled her close and brushed his lips against hers. “That’s what I like about you, your honesty.”

  “You know, I saw you in Budapest, too,” she said.

  “At that small market.”

  “Yeah, but also later that day when you were on your motorcycle. You were leaving a gas station and I was on the tour bus heading back to the ship.” She remembered his confident gait and how hot he looked even then.

  “Really? I guess fate wanted us to get together.”

  “I guess it did.” She sighed in contentment. The ship slowed and the engine groaned a low rumble. “We must be coming to another lock.”

  “That’s my cue to leave.”

  “I don’t want you to.” She sat up, not ready to let him go. What if he didn’t come back?

  “I don’t want to, either, but I have to get back to my motorbike. It’s my only transportation. I can’t rent a car, and I need to be able to get around. As it is, the paparazzi are on my tail, and I bet my parents aren’t far behind.”

  “You didn’t mention that.”

  “You don’t need to worry about it.” He brushed a strand of Becca’s hair behind her ear. She looked ahead to see they still had a while yet before reaching the locks.

  “But when will I see you again? I mean, do I get to see you again?”

  “Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow, which is probably today already, so in a few hours. Can you sneak away from your parents?”

  “You mean my dad and Vicky.” She couldn’t wait to get away from them. She amazed herself at how easy it had been to lie.

  “Sorry, your dad and Vicky. She said that you’ll be in Regensburg. I’m not familiar with that city, so how about I meet you where your ship docks? That should be the easiest place for us to find each other.”

  “We need a backup plan in case you get delayed again. Do you have a phone?”

  “Actually, I did, but I dumped my phone in Melk. I need to pick up a new disposable phone tomorrow. I’ll get your number then.”

  “Sounds good. But in case something happens, I want you to know how much fun I’m having. You’ve made this horrible trip the best time of my life.”

  “Nothing is going to happen, and if it did, now I know the name of your boat, the Bolero. I can always find you. I’ll see you in the morning, and so you know, you’ve made my escape from reality far better than I ever dreamed.”

  He gently tilted her head back and kissed her. Becca relaxed in his arms and lay under the stars. She couldn’t believe she was in the arms of the Crown Prince of Mondovia. She had never been as happy as she was at that moment.

  After a few minutes of Nikolai’s amazing kisses, he spoiled the whole thing by stopping.

  “I hate to say this, but I’ve got to go.” He leaned his forehead against hers.

  “I don’t want you to,” Becca protested. His arms felt so good around her and the way he kissed made her delirious.

  “Becca,” he groaned and held her tight for another moment. “If I don’t jump off this boat while I have a chance, I’ll be swimming back to where I left my bike, and I need it so I can take you away tomorrow.”

  “I know. You’re right, but I hate this. I finally get to see you and you have to turn around and leave.” Despite her feelings, she peeled herself away from him and stood. She looked around the deck, but didn’t see anyone else. “It must be really late.”

  Nikolai stood and walked to the railing. The water that filled the locks had floated the boat level with the higher ground. A concrete walkway bordered the locks. A small operations building was located in the center.

  He would need to climb over the boat’s railing and jump to the walkway. It was only a couple of feet, but still, it wasn’t something people were supposed to do.

  “Are you going to be okay getting back? It’s the middle of the night.” She didn’t like him leaving like this. She wished he’d wait until daylight and take a cab or bus back. She didn’t even know how far they’d gone.

  “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. You go get some sleep and I’ll see you soon.” Nikolai pulled her close, molding her body to his and kissed her hungrily, awakening all of her nerve endings.

  As quick as it started, he ended it. They gazed at each other, his glistening eyes filled with longing.

  Before she realized what he was doing, he gripped the ship’s railing and vaulted over like an Olympic athlete, landing smoothly on the other side. He shot her a sexy grin, and disappeared into the darkness.

  Becca touched her mouth. She couldn’t believe Nikolai had spent the past couple hours with her here on the boat. She must be dreaming, because there was no way a real live prince would go to all this trouble to spend time with her and then jump off so easily. It didn’t make sense. Except that it really did happen!

  She hugged herself and did a little happy dance. Turning back toward land, she looked up, and in the control room of the operations building, a guy peeked out from a window and smiled. Had he seen Nikolai jump off the boat? If he did, he hadn’t sounded any sort of alarm. She waved at the man, then floated happily downstairs to her cabin.

  Inside, Dylan sprawled out on his bed, deep in slumber. She was so happy she wanted to squeal, but knew it wouldn’t go over very well. The last thing she felt like was sleep, so as she lay in bed, she replayed everything that had happened tonight. Nikolai, a gorgeous guy, not to mention the heir to the Mondovian throne, jumped aboard her river cruise boat and made out with her on the top deck.

  Who would possibly believe her? She barely believed it herself.

  Nikolai whistled as his feet crunched on the gravel road running alongside the river. This was the most time he’d spent on his own in his entire life, and he’d never been happier. Chasing after Becca was impulsive and maybe even stupid, since he was miles away from his cycle and bag, but something about her made him feel alive. Even now that she knew who he was, he could still be himself, and that hadn’t happened in a long time.

  He thought of his parents. They must be having a fit. He’d never acted out like this before. Ever. Earlier he’d felt a bit guilty about leaving, but now that he had Becca, he didn’t care at all. Of course, he’d need to go back eventually, and he’d have to figure out how to convince them to release him from joining the military, but he could figure all that out later.

  His thoughts returned to Becca and her shock when he appeared at her cabin. Each time they were together, he had more fun than the time before. He grinned. And, man, could that girl kiss! Being the Prince of Mondovia allowed him access to a lot of pretty girls, most of whom wanted to kiss a prince. But none drove him crazy like Becca.

  Up ahead lay a small village and tavern. If there wasn’t a cab on duty, maybe he could pay someone to drive him back to the last locks and his motorbike. Hopefully he’d hidden it well enough that it was still undisturbed.

  If he lost his motorbike, he’d lose the chance to see Becca again. And that was the worst thing that could happen right now.

  13

  Becca wanted to fling her eggs Benedict across the linen-covered table. “Dad, I’m not going on some stupid extended tour.”

  “I
’ve had enough of your lip, Becca. Since when do you talk back? We brought you on this trip for family time and so far we’ve barely managed to share meals. Keep it up and you can join us on this afternoon’s monastery tour, too.”

  “Dylan isn’t going with you today, so why do I have to?”

  Vicky intervened. “Dylan is in bed sick. He even went to bed early last night. He’s too ill to come.”

  Hardly. Dylan caught wind of her conversation with Vicky last night and jumped at the chance to skip out on a day of torture. Becca wanted to throw him under the bus, but never would.

  “Please, Dad, just let me go on the regular tour.”

  “No, and that’s final. We will have one day together.”

  “Oh my God, you don’t get it!” She tossed her fork down. It clattered loudly on her plate. Other diners looked over at them.

  Vicky smiled as if nothing were amiss. “Becca, Regensburg is fascinating. There is the historic bridge that allowed merchants to trade wares, there’s the Imperial Chamber, and amazing architecture.”

  “This sucks.” Becca threw her napkin in her eggs, and stormed off.

  Back at her cabin, she found Dylan lounging in bed and playing games on his phone.

  “This is all your fault, you know!”

  “What did I do?” he asked without looking up.

  “You’re backing out today, so now I’ve become Dad’s project. They’re forcing me to go with them, but I’m supposed to meet Nikolai.”

  “Come on, Becs. You’re smart enough to get out of it.”

  “No, Dylan, I’m not. I begged, I complained, I demanded, and he ignored me. I can’t exactly claim I’m sick. You already pulled that one.”

  “You could be a no-show.”

  “They’d be in here in a second.”

  He lowered the phone. “You could disappear. Just take off. I’ve done it plenty of times.”

  “As much as I’d like to, that would be going too far. I couldn’t do that to Dad. I don’t want to go with him, but I don’t want to freak him out either.”

  Dylan returned to his game. “I guess you’ll just have to be a good little girl and do what Daddy says.”

 

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