Page 43 of The Princess and the SEAL

Chapter 18

Ryan

HOW DID THIS GET SO INTENSE, so fast? I had always lived my life with no regrets. And I did have another week of leave back in San Diego. I could show off my princess to my friends.

And then, she would leave me forever.

But I wasn’t going to focus on that now.

Giselle booked a ticket back with me, and, of course, upgraded us to first class. I was starting to get used to her fancy lifestyle. She would probably refuse to stay at my small apartment. Maybe I should book her at the Del. Royalty always stayed there, and it was right next to the base.

Our flight was long, but at least we got to sleep on the plane. Our seats even reclined, and the food was surprisingly good. I never thought I’d ever have a decent meal on an airplane. Most of the time I spent in planes, I had a parachute strapped on my back, and a gun slung across my chest.

I was still livid about Miguel. And Giselle wouldn’t even talk about it with me anymore. She kept telling me that their marriage was set in stone. And since I didn’t want a relationship with her, it didn’t matter.

But was that true? Was I certain I didn’t want to be with Giselle? She was on my mind twenty-four hours a day. Would I ever get over her? Or would I be dreaming about her for the rest of my life while I was stuck in some fighting hole overseas?

Probably the latter. Fuck. But what was I going to do about it? What could I do about it? Not only was she engaged but also she was a princess. She could never be satisfied with me or my life.

So I would spend this week with her, and then we would say our goodbyes. Forever.

I woke before our plane landed in San Diego, and she was nestled under my arm, sleeping contently. She looked like an angel.

Fuck, I was whipped.

I roused her from her sleep. “Babe, we’re almost here.”

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sprang up. She gazed out the window toward the sunset. “Oh, it’s gorgeous! Reminds me of Santa Cariña. Maybe you—”

She didn’t complete her sentence. We both knew what she was going to suggest. But we also both knew that it would never happen.

The plane touched down, and we disembarked. I gathered our luggage and stepped away to call Erik, who was in the cell phone lot.

He picked up on the first ring. “Welcome back, buddy. How was it?”

“Crazy. Hey, you alone?”

“No, Dax is with me.”

Dax, the rockstar turned SEAL. That dude was even more of a womanizer than I was. I didn’t want him anywhere near Giselle. At least Erik was a solid guy and married; his wife was an Olympic gold medalist and the first female Navy SEAL. She was a complete badass.

“Well, heads up, I’m not alone.”

“What? You brought some chick home from Europe?”

“Yeah, actually. And she’s not just a chick. She’s a princess.”

“Aren’t they all?”

“No, seriously, dude. She’s a real-life princess. Princess Giselle of Santa Cariña.”

“How the fuck did you meet a princess?”

“She was getting mugged, and I saved her. She’s also engaged. It’s complicated.”

He laughed. “Damn, man. I knew you shouldn’t have gone alone. Hell, even Dax could’ve kept you out of trouble.”

Now I laughed. Dax got more pussy than the tiger exhibit at the Wild Animal Park.