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Alex was just…herself.
“You’ll like this, Alex,” said Mia, who had appointed herself Alex’s personal tour guide. “The pirate ships shoot cannons and there’s a fire and singing, too. And it’s dark inside.”
“Okay, kiddo,” Jackson told his daughter, interrupting her flood of information, “how about we give Alex a little rest?” He grinned at her and Garrett as he steered his family into the front row of the boat.
Garrett took the hint gratefully and pulled Alexis into the last row. A bit of separation for the duration of the ride would give them a little time to themselves.
“She’s wonderful,” Alex murmured. “So bright. So talkative.”
“Oh, she is that,” Garrett said with a laugh. “Mia has an opinion on everything and doesn’t hesitate to share it. Her kindergarten teacher calls her ‘precocious.’ I call her a busybody.”
She laughed again and Garrett found himself smiling in response. There was no cautious titter. No careful chuckle. When Alex laughed, she threw her soul into it and everything about her lit up. Oh, he was getting in way too deep. This was ridiculous. Not only did he not even know her last name, but he hadn’t been able to pin down what country she was from, either.
Not for lack of trying, though.
The sense of familiarity he had for her was irritating as hell. There was something there. Something just out of reach, that would tell him how he knew her. Who she was. And yet, he couldn’t quite grab hold of it.
The ride jolted into motion and Alex leaned forward, eager to see everything. He liked that about her, too. Her curiosity. Her appreciation for whatever was happening. It wasn’t something enough people did, living in the moment. For most, it was all about “tomorrow.” What they would do when they had the time or the money or the energy.
He’d seen it all too often. People who had everything in the world and didn’t seem to notice because they were always looking forward to the next thing.
“Wonderful,” she whispered. Their boat rocked lazily on its tracks, water slapping at its hull. She looked behind them at the people awaiting the next boat then shifted her gaze to his.
Overhead, a night sky was filled with stars and animatronic fireflies blinked on and off. A sultry, hot breeze wafted past them. Even in the darkness, he saw delight shining in her eyes and the curve of her mouth was something he just didn’t want to resist any longer.
Leaning forward, he caught her by the back of the neck and pulled her toward him. Then he slanted his mouth over hers for a taste of the mouth that had been driving him nuts for hours.
She was worth the wait.
After a second’s surprise, she recovered and kissed him back. Her mouth moved against his with a soft, languid touch that stirred fires back into life and made him wish they were all alone in the dark—rather than surrounded by singing pirates and chattering tourists.
She sighed and leaned into him and that fired him up so fast, it took his breath away. But who needed breathing anyway? She lifted one hand to his cheek and when she pulled back, breaking the kiss, her fingertips stroked his jaw. She drew a breath and let it go again with a smile. Leaning into him, she whispered, “That was lovely.”
He took her hand in his and kissed the center of her palm. “It was way better than lovely.”
A kid squealed, a pirate’s gun erupted too close to the boat and Alex jolted in surprise. Then she laughed with delight and eased back against him, pillowing her head on his shoulder. He pulled her in more closely to him and, instead of watching the ride, indulged himself by watching her reactions to their surroundings instead.
Her eyes never stopped shifting. Her smile never faltered. She took it all in, as if she were soaking up experiences like a sponge. And in that moment, Garrett was pitifully glad Jackson had talked him into going to Disneyland.
“I’m having such a nice day,” she whispered in a voice pitched low enough that Garrett almost missed it.
“Nice? That’s it?”
She tipped her head back and smiled up at him. “Very nice.”
“Oh, well then, that’s better.” He snorted and shook his head. Nothing a man liked better than hearing the woman he was fantasizing about telling him she was having a “nice” time.
“Oh, look! The dog has the jail cell keys!” She was off again, losing herself in the moment and Garrett was charmed. The pirates were singing, water lapped at the sides of their boat and up ahead of them he could hear Mia singing along. He smiled to himself and realized that astonishing as it was, he, too, was having a very nice day.
After the ride, they walked into twilight. Sunset stained the sky with the last shreds of color before night crept in. The girls were worn-out. Molly was dragging, Mara was asleep on Casey’s shoulder and Mia was so far beyond tired, her smile was fixed more in a grimace. But before they could go home, they had to make their traditional last stop.
“You’ll like the castle, Alex,” Mia said through a yawn. “Me and Molly are gonna be princesses someday and we’re gonna have a castle like this one and we’ll have puppies, too…”
“Again with the dog,” Jackson said with a sigh at what was apparently a very familiar topic.
Alex chuckled and slipped her hand into Garrett’s. His fingers closed over hers as he cut a glance her way. In the soft light, her eyes shone with the same excitement he’d seen earlier. She wasn’t tired out by all the kids and the crowds. She was thriving on this.
Her mouth curved slightly and another ping of recognition hit him. Frowning to himself, Garrett tried to pin down where he’d seen her before. He knew he’d never actually met her before today. He wouldn’t have forgotten that. But she was so damned familiar…
The castle shone with a pink tinge and as they approached, lights carefully hidden behind rocks and in the shrubbery blinked on to make it seem even more of a fairy-tale palace.
Garrett shook his head and smiled as Mia cooed in delight. Swans were floating gracefully in the lake. A cool wind rustled the trees and lifted the scent of the neatly trimmed rosebushes into the air.
“Can I have a princess hat?” Mia asked.
“Sure you can, sweetie,” Jackson said, scooping his oldest into his arms for a fast hug.
Garrett watched the byplay and, for the first time, felt a twinge of regret. Not that it would last long, but for the moment, he could admit that the thought of having kids like Mia and her sisters wasn’t an entirely hideous idea. For other people, of course. Not for him.
“Alex, look!” Mia grabbed Alex’s hand and half dragged her up to the stone balustrade overlooking the lake. The two of them stood together, watching the swans, the pink castle in the background and Garrett stopped dead. And stared.
In one blinding instant, he knew why she looked so familiar.
Several years ago, he’d done some work for her father.
Her father, the King of Cadria.
Which meant that Alex the delicious, Alex the sexiest woman he’d ever known, was actually the Crown Princess Alexis.
And he’d kissed her.
Damn.
He scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck, took a deep breath and held it. This changed things. Radically.
“Do you want to live in a castle, Alex?” Mia asked.
Garrett listened for her answer.
Alex ran one hand over Mia’s long black hair and said, “I think a castle might get lonely. They’re awfully big, you know. And drafty, as well.”
Garrett watched her face as she described what he knew was her home. Funny, he’d never imagined that a princess might not like her life. After all, in the grand scheme, being royalty had to be better than a lot of other alternatives.
“But I could have lots of puppies,” Mia said thoughtfully.
“Yes, but you’d never see them because princesses can’t play with puppies. They have more important things to do. They have to say all the right things, do all the right things. There’s not a lot of time for playing.”
Mia frowned at that.
So did Garrett. Was that how she really felt about her life? Was that why she was here, trying to be incognito? To escape her world? And what would she do if she knew he had figured out her real identity? Would she bolt?
Alex smiled and said, “I think you might not like a real castle as much as you do this one.”
Nodding, the little girl murmured, “Maybe I’ll just be a pretend princess.”
“Excellent idea,” Alex told her with another smile. Then she turned her head to look at Garrett and their gazes collided.
He felt the slam of attraction hit him like a fist to the chest. He was in deep trouble here. A princess, for God’s sake? He’d kissed a princess? He took a good long look at her, from her platform heels to the blue jeans and the pair of sunglasses perched on top of her head.
She had worked very hard to disguise herself, he thought, and wondered why. As a princess, she could have had a guided tour through the park, swept through all of the lines and been treated like—well, royalty. Instead, she had spent her day wandering through Disneyland just like any other tourist.
Alone.
That word shouted through his mind and instantly, his professional side sat up and took notice. Letting go, for the moment, of the fact that she’d lied about who she was—where was her security detail? Where were her bodyguards? The entourage? Didn’t she know how dangerous it was for someone like her to be unprotected? The world was a dangerous place and helping out the wackos by giving them a clear shot at you didn’t seem like a good plan to him.
So just what was she up to?
As if reading his troubled thoughts from the emotions in his eyes, Alex’s smile faded slightly. Garrett noticed and immediately put his game face on. She was keeping her identity a secret for a reason. Until he found out what that was, he’d play along.
And until he knew everything that was happening, he’d make damn sure she was safe.
In the huge parking lot, they all said goodbye and Jackson and Casey herded their girls off toward their car. The parking lot lights above them flickered weirdly as tourists streamed past like zombies in search of the best way home.
Garrett turned to look at Alex again. “Where’s your car?”
“Oh, I don’t have one,” she said quickly. “I never learned to drive, so I took a cab here from the hotel.”
A cab, he thought grimly. On her own. She was asking for disaster. It was a freaking miracle she’d made it here without somebody recognizing her and tipping off the press. “Where are you staying?”
“In Huntington Beach.”
Not too far, he thought, but far enough that he didn’t want her repeating the “grab a cab” thing. His gaze scanning the crowded lot and the people passing by them, he said, “I’ll give you a ride back to your hotel.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she argued automatically.
He wondered if it was sheer politeness or a reaction to his change in attitude. The closeness, the heat that had been between them earlier and definitely cooled. But how could it not? She was a runaway princess, and he was the guy who knew better than to give in to his urges, now that he knew the truth.
She was a princess for God’s sake. Didn’t matter that his bank account was probably close to hers. There was wealth and then there was royalty. The two didn’t necessarily mix.
“Yeah,” he told her, “I really do.”
“I can take care of myself,” she said.
“I’m sure you can. But why wait for a cab when I’m here and ready?”
No way was he going to let her out of his sight until he knew she was safe. She was too high-profile. Princess Alexis’s pretty face had adorned more magazine covers than he could count. Reporters and photographers usually followed after her like rats after the Pied Piper. Her luck was bound to run out soon and once it did, she’d have people crowding all around her. And not all of them would be trustworthy.
Nope. He’d be with her until he got her back to her hotel, at least. Then he’d figure out what to do next.
“Well, all right then,” she said with a smile. “Thank you.”
The traffic gods were smiling on them and it didn’t take more than twenty minutes before he was steering his BMW up to the waterfront hotel. He left his keys with the valet, took Alex’s arm and escorted her into the hotel. His gaze never quit moving, checking out the area, the people, the situation. The hotel lobby was elegant and mostly empty. Live trees stood in huge, terra cotta pots on the inside of the double doors. A marble floor gleamed under pearly lights and tasteful paintings hung on cream-colored walls.
A couple of desk clerks were busily inputting things into computers. A guest stood at the concierge, asking questions, and an elevator hushed open to allow an elderly couple to exit. It all looked fine to his studied eyes, but as he knew all too well, things could change in an instant. An ordinary moment could become the stuff of nightmares in a heartbeat.
Alex was blissfully unaware of his tension, though, and kept up a steady stream of comments as they walked toward the bank of elevators. “It’s this one,” she said and used her key card to activate it.
While they waited, he took another quick look around and noted that no one had paid the slightest attention to them. Good. Seemed that her identity was still a secret. Somehow that made him feel a bit better about his own failure to recognize her.
But in his own defense, you didn’t normally see a princess in blue jeans taking a cab to Disneyland.
She was staying in the penthouse suite, of course, and he was glad to see that there was a special elevator for that floor that required a key card. At least she had semiprotection. Not from the hotel staff of course, and he knew how easily bribed a staff member could be. For the right price, some people would sell off their souls.
When the elevator opened, they stepped into a marble-floored entryway with a locked door opposite them. He waited for her to open the door then before she could say anything, he stepped inside, to assure himself that all was as it should be. His practiced gaze swept over the interior of the plushly decorated suite. Midnight-blue couches and chairs made up conversation areas. An unlit fireplace took up most of one wall and the sliding glass doors along a wall of windows afforded an amazing view of the ocean. Starlight filled the dark sky and the moon shone down on the water with a sparkling silver light.
He stalked across the suite to the bedroom, gave it and the master bath a quick, thorough look then moved back into the living room. He checked the balcony then swept his gaze around the room. No sign of anything and just the stillness in the room told him that there hadn’t been any intruders.
“What’re you doing?” she asked, tossing the key card onto the nearest table.
“Just making sure you’re okay.” He brushed it off as if it were nothing more than any other guy would have done. But she was no dummy and her blue eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.
Her nose was sunburned, her hair was a wild tangle and she looked, he thought, absolutely edible. His body stirred in reaction and he told himself to get a grip. There wouldn’t be any more kisses. No more fantasies. Not now that he knew who she was.
Alex was strictly off-limits. Oh, he wanted her. Bad. But damned if he was going to start an international incident or something. He’d met her father. He knew the king was not the kind of man to take it lightly if some commoner was sniffing around the royal princess. And Garrett didn’t need the extra hassle anyway. Yeah, she was gorgeous. And hot. And funny and smart. But that crown of hers was just getting in the way. And beside all that was the fact that she was here. Alone. Unprotected. Garrett was hardwired to think more of her safety than of his own wants. And mixing the two never worked well.
“Well, I appreciate it,” she said softly, “but I’m really fine. The hotel is a good one and they have excellent security.”
Uh-huh. He wasn’t so sure of that, but he’d be doing some checking into the situation, that was for damn sure. True, it was a five-star hotel and that usually meant guests were safe. But as he had found out the hard way, mistakes happened.
“Thank you again.”
Alex walked toward him and everything in him wanted to reach out, grab her and pull her in close. He could still taste her, damn it, and he knew he wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon just how good she felt, pressed up against him. His body was hard and aching like a bad tooth, which didn’t do much for his attitude.
“I had a wonderful day.” Her smile widened and she threw her arms out. “Actually, it was perfect. Just as I’d always imagined my first day at Disneyland would be.”
That statement caught him off guard and he laughed. “You imagined a five-year-old talking your ears off?”
“I imagined a day spent with friends and finding someone who—” She broke off there, letting the rest of what she might have said die unuttered.
Just as well, Garrett told himself. He might be a professional security expert, but he was also a guy. And knowing that she felt the same pulse of desire he did was almost more than he could take.
Hell, if he didn’t get out of there soon, he might forget all about his principles and better judgment.
“Guess I’d better go,” he said, stepping past her for the open doorway while he could still manage it.
“Oh. Are you sure?” She waved one hand at the wet bar across the room. “Maybe one drink first? Or I could call room service…”
She wasn’t making this easy, he told himself. Need grabbed him at the base of the throat and squeezed. It would be so easy to stay here. To kiss her again and take his time about it. To feel her body respond to his and to forget all about who she was. Who he was. And why this was a really bad idea.
