Page 19 of The Princess and the SEAL

“Right. I get it. Well, instead, maybe I could show you around town today? And then I could check into my hotel later. There’s really no rush. Once my father finds out what happened, I’m sure he’ll make me return home.”

Smart man. “Can’t say that I blame him. I’d order you back home, too. Hell, I’ll go with you. Let me talk to him. I’ll advise him on how to set up his own military.”

“He’d probably love that. He really respects warriors. One of the reasons he wanted me to marry Miguel was to get some of the Quintana troops to create a base in Santa Cariña.”

I laughed out loud. “That’s ridiculous and absolutely not a reason to marry Miguel. Your father would be better off hiring a bunch of my retired SEAL buddies as contractors.”

“That’s an interesting idea. I’ll suggest that to him. But I’m still marrying Miguel.”

“Right, you keep saying that. Suit yourself, Princess.” She was setting herself up for a life of misery. At least I was a straight shooter.

She looked out the window. “So, would you like to spend the day with me before I have to say goodbye?”

Goodbye? Fuck that, she wasn’t going anywhere. But I wasn’t going to tell her that yet.

“Yup. What do you want to do today?”

She blushed and crinkled her nose. “Me? I’m happy to do whatever you want.”

I found her so incredibly adorable. She hadn’t agreed to spend my entire vacation with me—yet. I wanted to make sure she had a good time with me, so she would accept my offer later tonight.

I shook my head. “No, Princess. Tell me what you want to do with me. You seem to spend your life doing what people tell you to. I have the rest of my vacation to do whatever I want to do alone. You only have one day to spend with me. So how would you like to spend it?” I was using a trick I had learned in SEAL training. Create a sense of urgency to get better results.

“Are you sure? We could go to Omaha Beach.”

“I’ll do that later. Alone.” Paying my respects to men who had died in battle was not my idea of a romantic day.

I wrapped my arms around her. I racked my brain trying to think of the perfect date. What did princesses like to do for fun? I honestly didn’t know too much about her. Sure, I had studied her wiki. I knew about her charity work with children and her love for crocheting, but what really made her tick? “What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do that you’ve never done before?”

“I don’t know. Let me think.” Then her brow lifted. “Why are you trying to be so sweet to me, Ryan? You had this whole vacation planned, and I have already taken so much of your time. Why are you knocking yourself out to impress me?”

Good question. But I didn’t have a good answer. “Stop asking so many questions. Your problem is that you think about everyone but yourself. You’re constantly talking about your country, your father, your fiancé. I can guaran-fucking-tee that he isn’t thinking about you while he’s off sleeping with half of Europe.”

Her bottom lip quivered again.

Fuck. I shouldn’t have said that. I’d never had a filter. The truth hurt, and it was raw. I was sure she was surrounded by yes-people who told her what she wanted to hear.

But I came from a different world. A cold, dark reality where I took things as they came. Except in battle. When it came to war, I was always prepared and always one step ahead of the enemy to ensure my success and the success of my Team. But I doubted this strategic preparedness helped in areas of the heart.

“You’re right. I know you are. It’s just hard. I never really have free time. I always go where I’m told, do what I’m supposed to do.”

I may have been many things—insensitive, cocky, and pretty much an asshole—but indecisive was not one of them.

“Got it. Well then, I’m planning the day. Get dressed. I’ll be right back.”

She pursed her plump lips and nodded. “Okay. What should I wear? Are we going somewhere fancy? Or casual? Would shorts or a dress be more appropriate?”

Did she have someone lay out her clothes in the morning for her?

I would show restraint and not be a smartass. “Wear a sundress.” I gave her a quick kiss and ran downstairs.

The innkeeper greeted me with a smile. “Monsieur Shelton. Did you like your breakfast?”

“Yes, we did. It was delicious. Thank you.” I browsed some brochures near the desk. Museums, history tours, train rides, the usual stuff. One caught my eye—skydiving. But I’d jumped off so many planes in my life, I didn’t need the adrenaline rush right now, and I was sure Giselle would be terrified, which definitely wasn’t my goal.

“Can I help you with anything?”

I never asked for help, but I didn’t know the area, so what the hell.