Page 7 of Royal Salvation

“Mi hija, it’s wonderful to hear from you.”

“Hi, Daddy,” she said slipping into her native tongue.

“I miss you. When are you coming home?”

It was the same thing he always asked, and she knew it was only partly in jest. He loved her and wanted the best for her. They just didn’t always see eye to eye on what that was, but he supported her and having a bodyguard was the compromise.

“That’s actually why I called. This guard won’t work for me.”

Her father’s tone lost the gentleness and became wary and overprotective. “Why? What did he do?”

How on earth did she explain to him that Justice was too attractive, too much male, and the thought of pretending to be his fake wife for the sake of her safety felt like an oxymoron. He was more dangerous than anything she’d faced before, but how could she explain that to her father without saying he made her lady parts tingle? “He’s bossy and rude.”

Her father’s laughter came down the line, reminding her of all the times she’d laughed with him over simple things through the years.

“Ah, mi hija, it’s his job to be bossy when it comes to your safety and men like him, who are the very elite at what they do, tend to be a little rough around the edges.”

“But you expect me to pretend we’re married.”

“It’s the only way you can go into the Muslim countries and have him close enough to keep you safe while still adhering to the customs and beliefs of the people. I do not need to tell you that the last thing we need is an international incident involving the Princess of Spain.”

“But….”

“It’s done, and he’s a direct recommendation from Queen Lydia. It would be an insult to my cousin if we were to snub this man now.”

Lucía knew she was caught, and her only action was to concede. “I understand.”

“Listen, we have the annual autumn ball next week. Why don’t you come, and we can meet this man? If he’s unacceptable, I’ll make new arrangements.”

Her father was good. She either went to the ball where she knew her ex-boyfriend would be with his new Contessa, or she was stuck with Justice. Either option sounded awful right now. “I’m not sure. Let me speak with him and I’ll let you know.”

“As you wish, Lucía. Now, tell me about your village.”

Her father loved hearing stories about the village and the people who’d taken her into their hearts and protected her as one of their own. She spent a few minutes talking to him about her friends before she hung up.

As she readied for bed, she listened to the noises in the room opposite as Justice moved around. He was quiet but it was comforting to have someone in the house with her. Loneliness shouldn’t be something she suffered, especially having so many people at her beck and call. Yet so many nights she’d felt the deep ache of it as she fell asleep.

Tonight, as she closed her eyes, there was only the ghost feeling of his lips on the corner of her mouth.

Chapter 3

“Yes, Bás, I understand. I’ll be on my best behaviour.”

“Make sure you are. I don’t want to have to come down there and kick your ass.”

“Ass kicking isn’t necessary. I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”

Reaper hung up and tossed the phone on the bed with a sigh. The Princess had gone running to daddy, who in turn had called Bás and chewed him out personally. He’d known he was crossing any number of boundaries with Lucía when he’d almost kissed her but something about her ground on his nerves. She wasn’t what he’d expected, and Reaper didn’t like surprises.

Having been up since five, he’d already showered, dressed, and checked the security measures on the property and the surrounding area. It was sufficient but not good enough. He was going to have more measures put in place later today, but first, he needed to apologise to his fake wife.

Leaving his room, he couldn’t hear her moving around in the bedroom opposite as he had the previous night, the proximity of their rooms was both a blessing and curse. He was at least close enough to hear any sounds of distress but that also meant his mind had gone in some totally inappropriate directions. After the warning from Bás, he knew he had to shut that down and act like a professional.

Stepping into the open plan space, his eyes zeroed in on Lucía, who once again had her dark hair up off her face, showcasing the elegance of her neck as she bent over a laptop, a piece of toast hanging out of her mouth as she typed. The smell of coffee drew him into the kitchen as she turned, taking the toast from her mouth, and smiling.

“Good morning, Justice. Did you sleep well?”

He looked for sarcasm in her tone but didn’t detect any. “I slept okay. You?”