Page 17 of Modern Romance September 2026 Books 5-8

“The sirens last night.” I look back at Dominic. “I bet the police were chasing off a photographer.” I glance back down at the photo. “Not ideal, but it could be worse.”

“Not ideal?” My head snaps up at Dominic’s harsh tone. His eyes are hard, his jaw tense. “My name and my photo are being circulated. The article is speculating we have a romance.”

He spits out the last word like its poison. I barely stop myself from flinching.

“It’s a rumor, Dominic. That’s it. Even the headlines aren’t that bad. ‘Princess has private dinner with bodyguard.’”

He glares at the rumpled side of the bed where he slept. “We made it more than a rumor last night. What if the truth comes out?”

“No one will know. I’m certainly not going to tell.”

He scrubs a hand over his face. “This might be just another day for you, but it’s a first for me.” He looks away, grabs his pants off the floor and pulls them on. “I’ve never crossed a line with a client.”

Guilt hits hard and fast. I was the one who stopped him from leaving last night. Who pushed for us to jump over the line he clearly drew more than once. “Dominic—”

“This was a mistake.”

His words freeze me in place. Almost the exact same words Louis said at the Christmas party last year. The media had been clamoring for pictures of me and anyone close to me, including Louis.

The day he’d broken up with me, he’d pulled me behind the towering Christmas tree, taken my hands in his. I’d thought he was going to propose. We may not have had a grand love affair, but there was true affection. I liked that there were no surprises, no emotional roller coasters like the ones my parents rode every time they were behind closed doors together. The possibility of having a marriage built on mutual respect and tenderness had been one of the few bright spots in my life at the time.

I can’t do this, Sophaya. This, us…our relationship was a mistake.

Emotion tightens in my throat as Dominic pulls on his tuxedo jacket. It never fails. I’m always good enough until I’m not, like with Louis. Or vice versa; I’m never wanted until I can be of use, like with my parents.

But this pain is different. Deeper, sharper. No matter how incredible last night was, it’s not worth this, a pain made ten times worse by those brief hours of intimacy. Not just exploring each other’s bodies, but getting to know Dominic, learning more about the man he truly is. A man I was starting to like a lot.

Steady.

I mentally grab onto my emotions, wrap my arms around them and yank them back, bury them deep inside me until I feel nothing but blissful emptiness. The passionate lover is gone, replaced by the cool, detached princess he despised in the months leading up to this humiliating morning.

I toss back the sheets and stand, completely naked and uncaring. “Agreed.” I walk to the closet, open the door and reach inside, grabbing a fluffy white robe. Even though I want to wrap it around myself like a shield, I take my time sliding my arms inside the sleeves, tying off the belt. “Fortunately, since my stalker has been caught, we don’t need to see each other again.” I move back to the bed and pick my leggings off the floor. The same leggings he stripped off me in a frenzy.

“I’ll see you back to Siravelle.”

I look at Dominic, give him a tiny royal smile. “Not necessary, Mr. Hawke. You were hired because of my stalker. He’s in custody. Our contract is officially ended.”

Thunder flashes in his eyes. “That’s not how I work. I see my jobs through to the end, and that includes escorting you safely back to Siravelle.”

Regret twines through me. I wish we could have ended on a better note. Wish we could have shared one last sweet kiss before saying our goodbyes.

But maybe this is better. No questions about what might have been.

“When you’re in charge, you can do what you want. But in this scenario, I am your client. Your boss,” I add, “if you will.”

His eyes glint. “I’m my own boss. Your Highness.” He bites out my title as if he’d prefer to bite my head off.

“Acknowledged.” I turn and walk out of the bedroom. A moment later I hear his footsteps thudding behind me. I walk to the door with my head held high, turn and wait until he’s a few feet away from me. “However, as stated on page three of the contract your firm provided, I may terminate our arrangement at any time.” I open the door. “Consider it terminated, Mr. Hawke.”

Dominic stares at me. In that moment, I’m pretty sure he hates me.

I want to crumple, want to ask him to please not let things end like this, to forgive me for pushing him into something he obviously regrets.

But I don’t. He had just as much of a choice as I did. If he wants to act like a jerk to deal with his shame, that’s his problem, not mine.

Finally, he looks away. He stalks out the door without a backward glance.

I close the door quietly behind him. Tears well up, thick and hot, but I keep them contained. I’m not going to shed a single tear over the man who managed to take me to the highest peak and drag me down to the lowest low in a matter of hours.