Page 5 of Royal Salvation

Reaper was stunned silent for a second as she dismissed him like he was hired help, which to be fair he was, but the little Spanish Princess needed to learn really quick that he was the one calling the shots here, not her.

As she stepped to her kitchen table, ignoring his presence, he knew he needed to set things straight right now or she’d be the type to run roughshod over him.

Moving silently, he placed his body right behind hers, his much bigger frame dwarfing her smaller, petite one. She wasn’t short, probably five foot five and she had curves that he’d noticed despite trying not to, but next to him she was still small.

The temptation to run his tongue down the back of her neck and watch her shiver was almost too much, but he was there to keep her safe, not see if she felt and tasted as good as she looked.

“I think you have the wrong idea, Princess.” He couldn’t hide the sneer in his voice, as much from frustration as her attitude.

Lucía gasped as she turned, not having sensed him and she stumbled, her hands flying out to catch herself as her palms landed on his chest, his hand cupping her elbow to steady her.

“You shouldn’t sneak up on people.” Her admonishment would’ve been much more effective if her nipples hadn’t been visible through the white shirt, hard and proud and calling to him.

“And you should be more aware of your surroundings. Isn’t that what photographers do? See and notice things us mortals don’t.”

“Back up Mr….” She threw her hands up in the air, her Latin temper clearly visible. “What should I call you? I refuse to call you Reaper.”

“Call me by my name. Justice.”

He had no idea why he’d given her that. Nobody but his family called him that, but she was right, she could hardly call him Reaper in public if they were going to play husband and wife.

As soon as she said his name out loud as if trying it out for size, he knew it was a mistake. He liked the way it sounded on her tongue, the accent making it sound sensual.

“Then you must call me Lucía.”

Reaper nodded. “We have a few things we need to discuss regarding your security arrangements and the trip you have planned.”

“Do we have to do it now?”

She looked past him as if looking for a way out and he suspected she thought such things were tedious and beneath her but that was tough shit.

“Yes, we do.” His tone brooked no argument and he wondered if she’d fight him anyway and try and pull rank. In which case she’d find out quickly that when it came to her safety, he outranked her every time.

“Fine, let’s get this over with.”

She moved past him, her head held high, a regal baring about her which couldn’t be ignored or faked. It wasn’t forced, it was simply her. She was elegant and had class that couldn’t be hidden, and he’d need to help her disguise that. Her whole being screamed money and privilege, and to some, that was a red flag waving ‘come and get her’.

Taking a seat opposite her, he watched her lay her hands in her lap, her spine straight, as she waited for him to lay it out.

“First things first. When it comes to your safety, I’m in charge. If I say move, you move. If I say jump, you jump. You do not argue or hesitate. You do exactly as I say.”

“Of course. I’m not an idiot, Justice, and this isn’t my first time with a guard that wasn’t part of the royal security team.”

“Good. Another thing. I’ll need a list of all your plans two days in advance if possible. If I decide something is too dangerous then it doesn’t happen, no arguments. I’ll have a tracker on your phone, and you’ll be able to contact me twenty-four hours a day, every day. Where you go, I go.”

“Well, that might become a little tricky in some places.”

Justice tried to hide the grin that was creeping across his face as he saw the wariness on hers. “Not at all, after all, we’re husband and wife!”

Chapter 2

“No!” Lucía got up from the sofa and paced to stand behind it, putting some space between her and the man who, after only twenty minutes, had her wanting to run for the hills. Never in her life had she reacted to a man on such a visceral level.

Tall and muscular with ocean blue eyes and a grin that promised mischief and pleasure in abundance, Justice was everything she shouldn’t want and usually didn’t find attractive. But if the way her nipples had woken up and the ache between her legs were anything to go by, then there was a new type in her inventory. Except this one was strictly off-limits. Not that most men weren’t for her but at least she could look at most of them without guilt.

His announcement had thrown her for a loop. She could agree to the rest of his stipulations. She didn’t like them, but she’d been surrounded by alpha males all her life and knew which battles to fight and which to concede, and the former was one to concede, but this—no way was she playing house with this man, even for a cover.

“Not an option. It’s already been signed off by the King.”