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“Yes, I am. However, I do not need a chaperone,” she told him.
She took a step forward, praying he would follow her lead and take one or two or three back. He didn’t.
Instead of waiting for him to move, Sam pulled the door closed behind her. She was forced to look up at him at that point and she did so with what she hoped was her most cordial but undeniably annoyed look.
“If you’ll excuse me?” she said.
“Certainly,” he replied and finally stepped aside.
Again she wanted to breathe a sigh of relief and touch her hand to her still-pounding heart. She didn’t, of course. It wouldn’t look dignified and would definitely cause him to ask more questions. So she began walking instead.
“Since we were both summoned to this meeting, I thought it made sense that we go together,” he said as he walked beside her.
Sam didn’t respond immediately. She was taking the time to get her thoughts together. They moved ahead in silence, before she stopped and cleared her throat.
“Gary,” she said, determined to stay in control of her thoughts and her words today. “Let me first apologize for what I did last night. I should have thought more before I acted. As I told my brother, it was just a way of getting Morty off my back. Your admission—false as it was—to him afterward was not required. Still, I’d like to extend my appreciation for your quick thinking in a matter that you should not have been a part of in the first place.”
She paused to take a breath and then wondered the same thing she had last night when she’d first come up to her room. “Why are you here? In the palace, I mean. I’ve seen you around and with Kris and Roland, but I’m not certain we were ever officially introduced.”
Now Sam did feel like an idiot. She’d just admitted out loud that she’d willingly thrown herself at a man she did not know. In her defense, it was the recognition from seeing him around the palace that had made her feel it was okay...well, at the very least plausible, that she’d kiss him. Still, she really did not know who he was. That fact only compounded the rough morning she’d already been having.
“No. Not officially. But I know who you are,” he replied.
“That’s why you kissed me back so readily?” she asked.
He paused and stared at her. Gary was a good-looking guy. He was taller than six feet. She knew this because Kris was six feet, two-and-a-half inches; Roland was six feet, one inch; and her father was six feet even. Gary was taller than all of them. He had a golden brown complexion with very low-cut black hair and penetrating brown eyes. All of those features were enough to cause a second and third look. That’s without mention of the bulk of his muscles showing definitively through the suit he’d worn last night, and the dark denim jeans and long-sleeved, gray, button-front shirt he was wearing now.
“I’m certain no man would have resisted kissing you, whether or not they knew you were a princess,” he finally replied.
“So you kissed me knowing very well what other people would think?” she continued. The question popped quickly into her mind as she looked at him.
“I’m not a member of a royal family. So I stopped giving a damn what people thought about me a long time ago. Now, I know that you’re fanatic about being on time, so I’m going to hurry us along so as not to break your record.”
This time he extended his arm. Sam looked down at it to see that he was waiting for her to lace her arm through his and walk with him like...a couple. Or something along those lines. She began walking but avoided touching him. If he wanted to say something, or to insist that she take his arm, or whatever, he didn’t. Instead he fell into step quietly beside her and did not speak another word until they were both closed inside her father’s office, sitting in the chairs across from Rafe’s desk.
That’s when he said, “It makes sense that the princess and I continue with the façade of a relationship.”
* * *
“Harry Copeland and Amari Taylor are sitting in jail. Neither has requested any counsel, nor have they given any indication as to why they conspired to attack the palace. The tribunal is set to convene in two weeks, at which time they will be officially sentenced.”
Kris gave the update while Sam listened intently. After the explosion she’d been whisked off to her room and left there with four guards to ensure her safety. For most of the night she’d paced the floors, wondering what was going on. First, there had been the car accident that could have taken her father’s life and then the explosion. She was afraid and she was angry. And there was nothing she could do about it, either.
“In the meantime, all palace security has been revamped. We’ve upgraded our electronic monitoring systems, added more guards and increased our pre-certification efforts for local and off-island events,” Kris continued.
Sam shook her head. “You had advised me to keep every appointment and appearance on schedule and to make sure the people of the island knew we were all safe because the culprits had been apprehended. So you lied?”
The words were bitter and she hated having to speak them to her brother, but he had left her with no other choice. While he stood beside their father’s grand, dark wood desk, wearing a black suit and a gray silk tie, looking every bit the royal that he was, Kris managed to make Sam feel like an idiot. That wasn’t something she planned to take lightly. She’d always thought that she had a close relationship with both her brothers. After all, besides her father, they were the only other people in the world she could truly trust. They were her life. So betrayal cut quick and painfully.
“I told you what you needed to hear in order to do your job,” Kris stated. “We were handling the rest.”
“‘We’? As in you, Dad and Roland. The men of the family. Let me guess, you were all protecting me, keeping the bad stuff from the youngest child, so that she could continue to smile prettily for the cameras. Keeping the tourists coming onto the island no matter what danger they might encounter?”
Because her hands threatened to shake, Sam clasped them tightly together, concentrating on holding them calmly in her lap. She knew he was staring from where he sat in the chair beside her. She could feel the heat on the side of her face from his glare.
Gary had started this conversation off by declaring that they would continue to act as if they were involved. Sam had been ready to disagree with the plan, despite her own part in instigating it, but Kris had taken the opportunity to drop his little bombshell.
“We are here to keep our people safe,” her father countered. “It is our priority. As Kris stated, we have instituted a complete overhaul of our security program. In addition, we’ve had several meetings with Captain Briggins. As a result of the rise in tourism, we had money in the budget to hire additional officers for his battalion, as well. We are keeping everyone’s safety in mind.”
“You’re also keeping secrets from the island’s goodwill ambassador,” Sam countered. She’d wanted to scream this point to her brother and her father because it seemed as if they weren’t getting the severity of their error. Of course, she didn’t raise her voice. It wouldn’t have been respectful and Sam knew how imperative it was for her to always show respect. She’d watched her mother do it so gracefully that she’d taught herself how to handle difficult situations with the same finesse.
“It was no secret, Sam,” Kris added. “We handle business every day that you know nothing about.”
“Yet you insist on keeping that royal calendar so that you always know where I am and who I’m with. So it’s fine for me to be under your thumb, but I shouldn’t worry about the things you feel I don’t need to know?”
“We each have a job to do here,” Rafe stated, his voice a little louder than it had been before.
“And what’s his job?” she asked without looking over at Gary.
She couldn’t. Not without feeling that eerie stirring in the pit of her stomach that had begun the moment her lips had touched his last night.
“My job was to examine Grand Serenity’s infrastructure and to assist in implementing new security protocols,” he replied.
Resisting the urge to look at him wasn’t going to work this time. Sam turned to him then. That dark gaze of his already engulfing her.
“You work for us and now you’re suggesting that you and I act as if we’re having an affair. That’s the recommendation we paid for?”
It sounded cold and harsh, and so unlike the person Sam really was, that she flinched inwardly at her words. Her emotions were getting the best of her and that was never a good thing. She was taking a deep breath and getting ready to release it slowly when he spoke again.
“If you recall, Princess, you put this play in motion. I’m only suggesting that we capitalize on an event that might otherwise bring unwanted negative attention to the family at the moment.”
He was right and that was perhaps what she hated most about this situation.
“I do not like it any more than you, Sam,” Rafe admitted. “I was not pleased to see my daughter running up to this man and kissing him so wantonly in public. Very unlike you.”
As if embarrassment wasn’t enough, now her father had to add his disappointment to the pile of burdens on her shoulders.
Sam sighed. She couldn’t keep it in and she couldn’t get up and run back to the safety of her room, either.
“Morton Javis has been coming on to me for the last year. In the past few months he’s decided to push a little harder. Last night he was following me around, touching my shoulder, trying to hold my hand. He wanted to do exactly what I ended up doing,” she admitted. “With someone else, that is.”
“You mean he wanted to make everyone believe that you two were a couple?” Kris asked.
Her brother had relaxed his stance only slightly as he looked at her. As for Rafe, his scowl had come as quickly as his hands fisted on the desk blotter where they rested. Her father was a broadly built man with a dark, chocolate-brown complexion and a stern look. To say he was visibly pissed off would be an understatement.
She swallowed and continued. “Yes. I believe that’s what he wanted. He’s told me on many occasions that an alliance between the royal family and a top member of the monarch’s staff would show the people of this island that we see ourselves as one of them.”
“Bullshit!” Gary rebutted before muttering a quick, “Pardon my language, Your Highness,” to Rafe.
“I agree,” Kris immediately replied. “How dare he impose on you in such a way?”
“You should have said something sooner,” Rafe added. “I want him in my office before the day is out and then I want him as far away from this palace as possible.”
“No,” Sam insisted. “That will only play into his ploy. If we fire him now he’ll go straight to the press. He’ll tell whatever he may know about the inner workings of our government and our family. He’s sleazy and he wants attention. We cannot give it to him.”
When they all remained silent, no doubt thinking of a way to go behind her back and handle this on their own again, Sam stood.
“I had hoped that if he saw me with someone else, he would think his chances were lost. That’s why I kissed...um, that’s why I did what I did last night.”
“And that’s why this plan makes sense,” Gary stated. “We can give the press something else to talk about, something better to focus on besides any still-lingering questions about the explosion. At the same time, we’ll be thwarting any attempts on Morty’s behalf to try to discredit or disgrace the princess or the royal family.”
Kris was nodding his approval while Rafe still frowned but did not verbally object. As for Sam, she hated how logical Gary’s plan sounded and more so the fact that she had no one to blame for this new predicament she was in but herself.
Again.
Chapter 3
Gary nodded to Phillipe Montenegro, Samantha’s driver. He’d already requested Samantha’s complete schedule for the day and was discussing the route Phillipe would be taking into town. It was almost noon and already the humidity was high enough that the idea of taking a dip in the glistening nearby turquoise sea was more than a little appealing.
There was a breeze that Gary noticed weeks ago when he’d arrived on the island. It could be downright blustery at times, aiding slightly in the cool-off, but this was ultimately air-conditioner weather in Gary’s mind.
He’d already rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and knew his sunglasses protected his eyes from the intense rays of the sun as he stood outside the palace.
In the eight weeks since he’d been on Grand Serenity, he had made a point to know every corner of the royal palace, without becoming too overwhelmed. It wasn’t as easy as it appeared, but Gary had been trained for assignments such as this one. He’d also left all that behind him years ago when he’d walked away from the United States Army.
When in the midst of the conversation, Phillipe suddenly stood a little straighter, his shoulders squared, almost like a soldier coming to attention, Gary knew who was approaching from behind them. He’d heard the distinct footsteps, so the person wasn’t a surprise, neither was what was said next.
“Are you out of your mind?” Kris asked the moment Gary turned to face him. “I didn’t invite you down here for you to start messing with my sister.”
Gary listened, watching the man he’d remembered from their days at Princeton. Kris had been the astute crown prince trying to fit in. But he knew that regardless of how smart or how rich the other students and their parents were, none of them was next in line to rule a Caribbean island.
Kris had filled out over the years, still a tall and toned guy, but his eyes were more serious than they had been ten years ago. He wore a black suit, regardless of the stifling heat, and glared at Gary with enough anger that Gary decided a quick, to-the-point answer would be the best way to respond.
“I’m not messing with your sister. I’m protecting her and that is what you asked me here to do,” he told him.
“I wanted your expertise on strengthening our security and keeping my family safe, yes, but this...” Kris’s words trailed off as he realized Phillipe was still standing within earshot.
Gary took the first steps, leading them away from where the white Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG 4Matic was parked. The soles of his black leather boots made a muted sound on the red-brick walkway. There was a bit of shade where he’d stopped closer to a doorway. The pristine white of the palace walls and the crisp green of the shrubs that surrounded this part of the building made this a picturesque scene. Despite the low level of tension emanating between him and Kris at the moment.
Kris stood with his back to where Phillipe was tending to the car. An act that wasn’t totally necessary since they were about fifteen feet from where the man was at the moment, but Gary didn’t bring that up. Instead he folded his arms over his chest, his legs spread slightly apart as he looked Kris straight in the eye.
“I’m doing my job. That’s all,” he told the crown prince.
Kris shook his head. “That’s not how it looked last night. Landry pinched my arm so hard when she saw you that I had no choice but to look in your direction. Imagine my surprise when I see you, my top security chief, locked in a heated embrace with my little sister.”
With all due respect, there was nothing “little” about Kris’s sister. She wasn’t a plus-size woman, but was tall and slimly built, with luscious curves in all the right places. Gary had observed them on various occasions during his time there. Generous breasts and a perfectly rounded backside had always been an eye-catcher for him. Samantha’s attributes in those areas left absolutely nothing to be desired, especially once he’d had his hands on her and the soft cushion of her breasts had pressed so delectably against his chest. His hand had just barely whispered over the curve of her ass, which had taken tremendous restraint on his part.
“She kissed me,” Gary said in defense.
Kris sighed. “I guess I cannot dispute that since she’s already admitted it.” He ran his hand down his tie and looked as if he was trying to figure out what to make of everything going on around him.
Being a newlywed and a member of the royal family that had recently been targeted—albeit by amateur threats—could not be easy. For as beautiful as the island and Kris’s collection of antique cars was, Gary didn’t envy him at the moment. In fact, when he’d climbed out of bed this morning, Gary had thought that returning to his cabin on the Choptank River in Cambridge, Maryland, seemed like a far better place to be.
“I’ll be looking closely into this Morty person,” Gary told Kris. It was his attempt to reassure his one and only long-term friend that he was there to help. Regardless of how things may have appeared last night.
“I’ve already advised my assistant to pull everything we have on him. As a staff member, he would have gone through a vigorous vetting process,” Kris stated.
“More thorough than the one on Ms. Sampson’s staff, I hope,” Gary stated then immediately wished he’d kept that thought to himself.
It was because he viewed Kris as a friend and felt comfortable with him that he was able to say what was on his mind. With anyone else, Gary was instantly in soldier mode, keeping a tight lip on any and everything. Lack of communication was one of the things his ex-wife had complained about until his ears burned.
“I’ll take the fall for that,” Kris agreed. “I spent so much time studying Landry’s file that I didn’t look closely enough at Amari Taylor’s. Still, when I went back over everything that was provided for my perusal, there still wasn’t anything to indicate that he would try to harm my family.”
“That’s part of their job. They infiltrate and execute.” Gary knew that course of action all too well.
“Guess I should have joined the military like you and Roland,” Kris stated evenly.
Gary shook his head. “You took the path that was right for you. I’m the one who kept making all the wrong turns.” That’s what he liked to call the way he’d lived his life. A series of turns and roadblocks meant to ultimately get him to his destination. At thirty years old and, finally, after too many years to count, he’d been able to breathe and live contentedly. Gary was glad the turns and roadblocks were behind him.
“Where is Roland, anyway?” Gary asked. “The calendar you gave me access to doesn’t have his location.”
Kris frowned then. He looked as if he wanted to curse, or better yet, punch something, but he didn’t. Gary knew he wouldn’t. Kris wasn’t built that way.
“He goes off for days or weeks at a time and nobody really knows where he is. I asked him to be more mindful of our situation now, but you know Roland has always had a mind of his own.”
Gary nodded. “Yeah, I know how that feels.” If there was one member of the royal family Gary could totally relate to, it was Roland DeSaunters. The need to be free to roam and to make whatever decision suited him, without council, was imperative to Gary. Roland, from all that Kris had told him over the years, was the same way.
“We’re going to need to brief him eventually, when we finalize all the changes you’ve suggested,” Kris told him.
Gary nodded again. “True. In a couple of days,” he said. “I want to get a few more details locked down. Then we can talk about the probability of another strike on your family.”
Kris stared at him then, a seriously worried and annoyed look on his face. “That’s a definite probability, isn’t it?”
Gary didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“What’s a definite probability?” Samantha asked as she stepped through the door only a few feet behind Gary.
“That it’s going to rain later,” Kris answered while Gary stepped to the side, making room for her to stand with them.
When she looked to Gary, he nodded. “We should be back from your appointments by the time the rain begins.”
She looked at Kris, her eyes narrowing as she finally shook her head. “Rain usually lasts about an hour here on the island, but as high as the temperatures are likely to be today, a shower might be welcomed. I’ll be back by dinner,” she told Kris and moved away from them, heading to her car.
For the next few seconds Gary and Kris simply stared at her walking away, until finally Kris clapped a hand on Gary’s shoulder.
“You might rethink your plan after spending the day with her when she’s in this type of mood,” Kris told him. “So I guess this is payback for letting her kiss you in the first place.”
Gary felt the corner of his mouth lift in a smile. He was certain no living and breathing man would have been able to resist kissing a woman like Samantha DeSaunters.
When Kris had walked away, feeling a little more triumphant than Gary appreciated, Gary walked over to the car. He nodded to Phillipe. The driver had remained standing by the back door, closing it only after Gary slipped onto the leather seat.
“What are you doing?” Samantha asked immediately.
“You have appointments today, correct?”
“I have appointments. Not you,” she stated easily.
He shook his head. “I’m going where you go today.”
“This is ridiculous. It doesn’t make any sense at all. As far as your rationalization for why your idea is such a great one, I—”
He hadn’t been able to resist. Her hair was pulled over one shoulder, the tiny earrings twinkling at her ear. The blouse she wore was cut low and her jacket was open so that he could see hints of her cleavage. But it was enough to drive him freakin’ crazy in the few moments they’d been alone.
Gary had tried to focus on what she was saying by looking at her mouth, but that was a mistake. Her lips were covered in a peach-colored gloss, the bottom one a little plumper than the top. Glimpses of her straight white teeth and just a peek of her tongue had his body aching for another taste. Just once more.
So he’d quickly closed the space across the seat of the car, using one hand to grasp the back of her neck and pull her in for the assault.
The moment his lips touched hers Gary knew it was a mistake. And yet he continued. He moved in farther, thrusting his tongue deeper, letting the sound of her long and sensuous sigh drape him like a cloak. Her hand instantly came around to cup his neck in the same way he was holding her. When he tilted his head one way and deepened the kiss, she tilted hers the opposite way, taking everything he had to offer. It was like a perfectly matched battle. Only, Gary knew way back in the recesses of his mind, that they were uneven. This wasn’t what they were supposed to be doing. It wasn’t expected or acceptable for either of them.
And yet he continued.
The car was moving down the incline toward the front gate and came to a halting stop, as did their kiss. Gary pulled back just enough to turn his face so that he could look out the window at what was going on.
There was another vehicle at the front gate, trying to gain access.
On a curse, he pulled completely away from her and reached to open the door. Stepping out, he circled the car and headed to the gatekeeper’s booth. Inside was a guard dressed in full palace regalia, the navy, gold and white colors of the DeSaunters’s flag displayed prominently in the uniform. A badge hung from the guard’s right lapel.
The front gates were twelve feet tall, black iron and operated on an automatic lock system. Since he’d been there, they’d been updated to also include an electronic sensor hidden in the small speed bump leading onto the property. If by chance someone decided to let an uninvited guest through the gates, monitors in the private security room in the palace would be alerted. Specially selected guards that Gary had referred, and Kris and Rafe had approved, manned these monitors.
“What’s the problem?” Gary asked the guard when he entered the booth.
Turning, the pinch-faced man looked up to see him. The second week of Gary’s arrival consisted of a meeting with every guard who’d previously worked at the palace and he personally met with each of the new hires, as well. They all needed to know that he was now supervising the security at the palace. His military background coupled with his relationship with Kris put him in a position higher than Salvin Gathersburg, the chief of the palace guards. Those initial meetings had come in handy for moments such as this.