What had I done to deserve this man? One of the few times I’d met Miguel, he was so annoyed by me when I’d been upset over how awkward we were toward each other. And Ryan, who owed me nothing, was just sitting here, being patient and kind to me for no reason at all.
“Sorry. It’s just I never do things like this, ever. I’m never alone. I don’t even know what it’s like to be alone. My father or my chaperone is always around me. I just panicked because . . . and please don’t take this the wrong way . . . but I don’t even know you, and we are in the middle of nowhere. I shouldn’t have come here; it was irresponsible. But I’m having a great time with you. Clearly, I can’t even trust my judgment.”
He rubbed my back. “I get it. You aren’t being irrational, and I understand you’re scared. I’m sorry I put you in this situation. We should’ve stayed in town around people, but I thought you’d like to do something different. I apologize. We can go back. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Giselle.”
Wow. He was so great. Still, a voice in my head whispered that he would drop me off at my hotel later today, and I would never see him again. Why would he want to hang out with me? I was a mess.
“Thanks for taking care of me. I feel so stupid. Everything you said about me yesterday was right. I can’t believe I traveled here without protection. And please don’t take any offense to this, but spending last night with you in a hotel was dumb as well. Coming here with you today to a secluded area where nobody knows where I am was also not the best idea. I don’t even have any identification on me. I mean, you could literally be a serial killer, and I could die out here, and no one would ever find me.”
Ryan put his arm around me, and I didn’t push it away. “I’m sorry you feel that way, babe. I thought this would be fun. I guess I wasn’t thinking about how you might get scared because I know me, and I know that you’re safer with me than you could be with anyone else. You’re right. You shouldn’t have come here with me, but you did, and I swear to you, I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t expect you to believe me. If you want, we can get back on the motorcycle right now, and I’ll take you wherever you want to go. Back to town and to your hotel, or anywhere else. Just name it.”
I leaned into his chest as he stroked my hair. He was so kind and sweet, and everything he said reassured me that he was a good guy, but I wanted to find out more about him.
“Can you tell me a little bit more about yourself?”
His shoulders tensed up. “What do you want to know?”
“Just more about you. About your family. Where are you from?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know why it matters to you. You either trust me, or you don’t. Me telling you about my fucked-up childhood doesn’t change anything.”
Yikes. Regret filled me. “You’re right. I’m sorry I asked.”
“It’s okay. I just don’t like to talk about it.”
I pursed my lips and nodded.
What had happened to him?
I wished he would open up to me, but our time together was coming to an end.
I appreciated that he didn’t just lie to me and make up a story to answer my questions. Instead, Ryan had been careful about what he’d said.
I squeezed his hand. “Thanks for listening to me. I feel better. Let’s go see that waterfall.”
His hand cupped my face, and he kissed me. A sweet, gentle, soul-soothing kiss. The kind of kiss I had only dreamed about until now.
I still didn’t know much about Ryan.
All I knew was that when I was around him, I felt safe and happy. And seen. Ryan looked at me the way no other man had ever looked at me. Somehow, I trusted that he saw the real me, the woman behind the princess.
Chapter 9
Ryan
I BEGAN TO QUESTION OUR PLAN as we hiked up to the waterfall. It hadn’t even crossed my mind how taking this trip might possibly scare Giselle, probably because she had already spent the night with me. She didn’t know a thing about me—and I wanted to keep it that way.
The view ahead was breathtaking: clear blue sky, endless lush green meadows, bright blooms, and wildlife frolicking in the distance. Sometimes when I was deployed to active combat zones, I forgot that places this spectacular existed. A peaceful area with no visual reminders of the hardships of war. I was so grateful to be here.
But the most beautiful view of all was her.
It sounded cliché, but it was true. Giselle was perfection. I hadn’t lusted after a girl this much in years. Her sensual curves made my mouth water. I had to have her.
But honestly, what the fuck was wrong with me? Why was I delusional enough to think that a real-life princess would actually be interested in me? Of course she wouldn’t be. She had even called me a vulgar SEAL, which was completely an accurate assessment. She was literally royalty. I was no prince—I was a jackass.
The only reason she’d spent the night with me was because she had nowhere else to go. Sure, she made out with me, but she was probably just looking for a little bit of fun before she committed herself to a loveless marriage.
Even so, I would stick around as long as she would have me.
Man, this full situation was so fucked up—just like the story of my life.
Her sweet voice jolted me out of my head. “I think this is it!”
She ran ahead to a clearing under a small waterfall. The blue gush of water splashed into a small watering hole surrounded by rocks. This was no Yosemite, my personal favorite place for waterfalls, but it was pretty and peaceful. And the company couldn’t be beaten.
Giselle skipped ahead. She was definitely the opposite of me. How her fiancé wasn’t with her on this trip was beyond me—if she was mine, I would want to be with her all the time.
I placed a blanket down and opened the basket. The innkeeper had knocked herself out with the spread. There was an assortment of cheeses, bread, pâté, fruit, sandwiches, olives, and wine.
My thoughts turned to the innkeeper. What would it have been like to grow up with a woman like her as a mom? She probably packed lunches for her children. My mom had never done shit for me.
Giselle sat beside me. “Wow, this is so lovely! I feel like we are on a real honeymoon.”
Ha. Except I still hadn’t slept with the bride. I’d keep that comment to myself. “Well, I’d better enjoy it. This will be the closest thing I get to a real one.”
Her beautiful smile faded. “Why do you say that? I know you say you don’t want to get married now, but you’re young. Many men marry later in life. Maybe you will change your mind when you meet the right woman. When you get out of the military.”
“The only way I’m getting out of the military is in a body bag.” I looked her in the eyes. “And maybe I’ve met the right girl, and she’s engaged to another man.”
Her bottom lip trembled. “Funny. You don’t even know me. I’m sure you’d tire of me soon, anyway. Plus, we don’t have much in common. Lust is not a good basis for a marriage.”
“Ha. It’s a better reason than giving your country a shitty military.”
She grabbed a piece of bread and took a bite. “It’s not just that. It’s complicated. Our families go back for centuries.”
“Got it, cupcake. So, it’s about keeping your royal offspring pure and untainted with commoner blood.”
She scowled at me. “Please do not put words in my mouth. It is not like that. Don’t you get that I have nothing to do with this choice? Everything has been arranged. I don’t get to say no.”
“Then why do you say it’s a choice? It’s not a choice. You’re being forced to do this. You are a grown-ass woman—I don’t care if you’re a princess or not. You can call me an ignorant American if you want, but I would lay down my life for freedom—freedom of choice, of life, of religion, and yes, of whom to love. This isn’t even about me; I’m not the marrying kind. Once we say goodbye, you’ll never see me again. But you shouldn’t ruin your life because you can’t stand up for yourself. Mark my words,
Princess, you will regret this ‘choice’ every day for the rest of your life.”
Her jaw dropped open. Then she stood up and walked away from me, which was fine. I wasn’t going to go after her, comfort her, and tell her everything was going to be all right because the truth was that it wasn’t. I never sugarcoated shit.
I took a bite of my sandwich and chased it with a sip of wine. Guilt flooded me as I realized I had now ruined this perfect picnic.
Why had I even bothered?
Fuck. I shouldn’t ever try to talk to anyone. This was why my way was the best. Love them and leave them. I was completely incapable of communicating with women. All I ever did was make them cry. I was such a bad boy that even my mom had left me. And none of my foster moms had wanted to adopt me, either.
A few more minutes passed, and I debated looking for her. This was definitely not how I had envisioned my vacation going. I should have already been balls deep in some chick, wasted on liquor, and having the time of my life. Instead, I’d somehow become entangled with a beautiful virgin princess, and now my cock was in a world of hurt.
Even worse, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
I took another swig of wine. Nope. I always saw a mission through. I would try to convince Giselle to spend more time with me.
Giselle finally returned.
“Look, I’m sorry I stormed off like a petulant child. Meeting you has rattled me. Before yesterday, I had accepted my destiny. I can’t have you putting any doubts in my head. I think it’s best if you just take me back to town, and we can say goodbye.”
I laughed. Not so fast, cupcake. I’m a SEAL—I never back down from a challenge.
I pulled her down to the blanket and kissed her. Her greedy little mouth met mine kiss for kiss. She may be a virgin, but I knew there was a wildcat underneath her royal exterior. I couldn’t wait to make her come, make her scream my name, and beg me for more.
I wasn’t going to let her go today. I ran toward conflicts, not away from them.
“Oh, forgot to tell you. Plans have changed. I’ve accepted your offer to be your personal bodyguard for the next week. I’m not letting you out of my sight until I leave this country.”
Chapter 10
Giselle
WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?
“No, that won’t be necessary. I appreciate your offer, but I’m afraid I must decline.”
“Too late. We’re both looking for a good time, a carefree vacation. I don’t speak any French, so you’ll be an excellent travel companion. Do you really want to travel alone?”
No, I didn’t. Initially, I’d thought it would be so freeing, but I had to admit that being mugged had flustered me. “No. But I don’t want to ruin your trip. I’m sure you want to hook up with some gorgeous woman.”
“I plan to. You. So what do you say?”
I stared at this handsome man next to me. What was I doing? I couldn’t possibly travel with him. What if someone took a picture and leaked it to the press? What if my father found out? Or my fiancé?
Or, even worse, what if I fell madly in love with this man?
One week of passion followed by a lifetime of regret. A fun fling would be one thing, but I was already developing feelings for him. There was no way I could risk that.
“No. I’m sorry. I can’t. I don’t want to create a scandal. And aren’t you SEALs supposed to remain hidden? If we’re discovered together, your name will be reported in the press.”
“If I can evade terrorists, I can evade photographers. No one needs to know my name. Worst case scenario, if a picture gets out, you can tell people I’m your bodyguard.”
He kissed me again, his rough stubble scraping my chin. My mind flashed back to last night when he had kissed me everywhere. I was dying to make out with him again. But I didn’t know if I would have the strength again to tell him to stop.
And despite waking up in a SEAL’s bed, I had no walk of shame to take. I was so turned on last night when we were kissing that I had seriously considered losing my virginity to him. He seemed to really like me—did he? Or was I just a challenge?
Did I fancy him?
The answer to the latter was yes, yes, and oh, yes, but it didn’t matter. I had to be calm and rational. Detached.
Royal.
“For a whole week? Where will we go?”
“We can stay here for a few days, visiting the war sites. And I loved this ride so much that I was thinking I could rent a motorcycle, and we could ride through the countryside and find some small towns to explore.”
Motorcycle? Today was one thing, but traveling all around France on a motorcycle? My father would murder me. What if I got injured?
I refused to tell Ryan my first thought was of my father because it would feed into his perception that I was incredibly sheltered.
A perception that was completely accurate.
“And then what? After what happened last night, I’m sure we will become more intimate. I mean, what I’m saying is, last night was wonderful. You want to take me on a romantic escapade around this country and then never see me again?”
“Well, I don’t have a choice in the matter, do I? You’re getting married next month, and I’ll be deployed again somewhere in the Middle East. In a way, the lack of any possibility of having a future together makes this easier on both of us, don’t you think?”
“I guess.” But I knew he was right. We had no hope of a future together.
I was promised to another man. He was promised to another country.
But we could always have France.
The gravity of this decision weighed heavily on me. On the one hand, I believed this was the wrong thing to do. Foolish, actually. I barely knew this man.
On the other hand, if I said no to this romantic rendezvous, I would likely regret this decision for the rest of my life. I would always wonder what kind of love affair I could have had with this American hero.
“So, what do you say?”
He kissed me again and pushed me back to lie under him on the blanket. I could feel his hard erection pressing against my thigh. He interlaced his hands with mine as his lips ravished my body.
I writhed under him, waves of pleasure pulsing through me. Ryan was electric. I couldn’t believe how ridiculously sexy this man was. Prior to meeting him, I had found my own fiancé mildly attractive, but now, after being kissed by this masculine man, I didn’t think I could ever be satisfied by Miguel.
I came up for breath. My heart fluttered, and my fingers tingled. “Yes. I’d love that.”
“You won’t be sorry, Princess. You’re looking for adventure, and I’m the right man for the job.”
Chapter 11
Giselle
ANTICIPATION MIXED WITH ANXIETY inside of me. I was going on a wild adventure with this sexy man. I couldn’t wait to get started—but first, I had to call my father.
He most certainly was panicking after not being able to reach me by my cell or at the hotel, even though I had emailed him.
I turned to Ryan. “We should get back. I need to contact my father.”
He smirked. “What are you going to tell him?”
“Just the truth.”
“And what’s that?”
“That I lost my phone and purse. But that I’ve decided to continue the trip.”
“Lost?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, lost. He doesn’t need the morbid details of my mugging.”
Ryan shook his head. “Lying won’t help anything.”
I didn’t need his lectures. “It’s fine.”
He nodded. “So, no mention of me, huh?”
I exhaled. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but he could never, ever understand the pressures of my life.
Then again, I could never understand the stress of his. Out at war. Being shot at. Killing people.
I shuddered.
“No. It would be best if I didn’t mention you. It would be a thing. I hope you understand.” I closed my mouth. I wasn’t going to t
ell him that I had snuck downstairs last night while he was in the shower and emailed my father. Even worse, I had already lied to my father by saying that I had run into an old female friend and had merely lost my phone. Ugh, I was the worst. Already lying to cover my tracks. I felt like a naughty teenager.
But I wasn’t a teenager. I was an adult woman. And I had made a choice to travel with Ryan.
I just wished I didn’t have to tell my father.
“Yup. Let’s get going.”
We quickly packed up the picnic. I looked longingly at the waterfall, so peaceful, so serene. I yearned to come back here again and enjoy the beauty in its simplicity. That was what I craved—living in the present, and finding pure happiness, not constantly worrying about the future.
Sadly, that type of life would never be my reality.
Ryan secured our picnic items in the saddlebags on the motorcycle and climbed on the bike. I straddled the seat behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I breathed him in as if he were a drug. My ultimate high.
The engine roared, but unlike our trip here, this time, I felt calmer. I was certain about what I was going to do: enjoy the remainder of my vacation with this beautiful stranger, and then, when it was time to say goodbye, walk away with no regrets.
We finally arrived back at the bed-and-breakfast. Ryan and I thanked the innkeeper for letting us borrow the motorcycle and for packing us the most delectable picnic.
Ryan brushed a lock of hair off my face. “Do you want to use my phone to call your dad?”
I shook my head. “No. Let’s go to my hotel. Not to check-in, but to call him from there. Then we can return here to stay.”
He pursed his lips, but I was grateful that he didn’t argue with me. I wanted no more tension on this trip. Just happiness. Just peace. Just romance.
We walked through town, and Ryan held my hand. His firm grip guided my steps on the cobblestone streets. I leaned closer to him, inhaling his scent. We hadn’t even known each other for a full day, and I was already getting used to him.
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