Going Royal 02 - Some Like It Scandalous (27 page)

Opening his eyes, the attorney met his glare with a bland look. “That I’d what? Vote for you to continue to make stupid choices? I told you, you get crazy impulsive where she’s concerned. You’re fanatical in wanting to protect her—but has it not occurred to you that the safest place in the world is with you? All the time? You’re constantly surrounded by security and as insane as I think it is, she doesn’t seem to mind.”

He stopped and considered that. Anna hadn’t complained, not once in the entire debacle. She’d been furious with him, shot him with a Nerf gun and told him no—repeatedly. But she never complained about security.

He’d gone to New York on business, three days gone, and when he returned... “Do you know what she did last night?” He changed the subject.

“No, I’m afraid not. I was here last night, watching the 49ers get their asses handed to them by Dallas. What did she do?”

“Movie night. We’ve argued for four days, I leave for three and she comes in last night with wine and pizza—apparently my security takes orders from her now—and romantic comedies. We watched
The Prince and Me
,
The Princess Diaries
, and
Anna and the King
.” He expected recrimination or tears or maybe even the silent treatment. But she’d welcomed him with a kiss and a reminder that movie night meant tabling everything. They snuggled together on the sofa for hours.

But he went to bed alone.

Again.

Richard laughed softly. “You are so not winning this fight with her.”

“It’s not funny. I want to protect her.”

“Then marry her, make her a princess, surround her in personal footmen, valets and bodyguards and keep her locked up in the tower. You might as well enjoy the time with her—” Richard sighed. “Seriously, you don’t get it, do you?”

Frowning, Armand shook his head. “Apparently not. All I want to do is protect her and you two seem to think I’m insane.”

“Maybe when she and I agree on something you should think about it too. Ten years ago it got hard—really hard for both of you—and she couldn’t handle it. It’s not any easier now—arguably it’s harder because it’s not just her privacy she might give up, it’s her life—but it’s hers to share with you, Armand. She’s trying to show you she won’t leave—not again.”

He sat down, the wind going out of him. “I can’t lose her, Richard. I can’t.”

“Then stop pushing her away. You told me that you don’t let threats and the rest of the world dictate your life. You take precautions, you make informed decisions—but you don’t run.”

Shaking his head slowly, Armand exhaled a long, weary breath. “The threats—the ridiculousness of the press—I could handle that when it was just me. But how do I risk her?”

“You don’t. She does. It’s her call. You’re one of the best guys I know—and one of the most stand-up. You put your life on the line, willy-nilly, to make sure the rest of your family was safe. You’ve tabled your happiness for a long time, buddy.”

“You sound suspiciously like one of those romantic comedies.”

“And on that note, your free consultation is up, we’re starting on billable hours.”

Armand laughed. “You make fun now, but sooner or later you’re going to meet a woman who ties you up in knots. And we’ll see who is cracking jokes then.”

“Not gonna happen. I’ll find me some nice secretary who thinks the boss is her meal ticket, she’ll be all ‘yes, sir’ and ‘no, sir’ and ‘thank you very much, sir’ and we’ll have four kids and a dog and a summer ranch in Wyoming.” Richard snorted. “Now, get the hell out of here and find your girl, or sources close to the prince are going to report you knocked her up.”

“You’re an ass.”

“Yes, I am.” Richard leaned his head back, weariness washing over his face, and Armand rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you, old friend.”

“Anytime. Now go—
Sands Through Our Hourglass
is coming on and I need to know if Brittany picked Jim or Bob.”

He left his friend to rest and checked with the detail still assigned to him. Richard would have to get used to their company for a while. But at least while he convalesced it wouldn’t be a problem.

In the car, he drummed his fingers against his thigh and pulled out his phone. He dialed Peterson and waited. “I have a question for you.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“How many more men would we need to make Anna’s residence with my household permanent?”

“Johnson’s available to head her detail. Four men on regular rotation, four to spell them. You have enough staff to handle it for now, unless you begin traveling separately for extended periods, we wouldn’t need to change much, sir.”

Armand smiled. “Excellent. I need to go to the airport...and I need you and Johnson to run interference with Anna for a day or two.”

“Of course, Your Highness. Destination?”

“Kansas. But don’t tell her that.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”

Chapter Eighteen

Anna put on a terrific show. She stayed focused throughout the day. The gala left them with hundreds of donations to be sorted through, thanked, and an endless array of meetings with the accountants to make sure the books matched and the donations reported. But after a week of juggling, they were ready to add another two hundred students to their initial pool of ten. The satisfaction she took in that helped ease the bitter pill of Armand’s resistance. Their tug-of-war love game wore on her.

But nine days after the gala and she refused to give up. She’d told him she loved him every day. She kissed him, snuggled with him and sometimes just sat in the same room with him—it would have to be enough. Staying out of his bed turned out to be the most difficult aspect. But they’d made love before and it went south—she wanted them both on the same page, at the same time, in the same act of their relationship.

If that meant waiting—well, then she would wait.

A day of meetings outside the tower and exhaustion joined her in the elevator. Kyle rode up to the penthouse floor with her. Armand had slipped away to head out of town two days before—again. Kyle and Peterson made excuses for him, but at least this time he called. Both nights before she went to sleep, her phone rang and they talked for an hour.

It was an improvement.

Instead of stepping off and checking the apartment, something he did when the prince was absent, Kyle remained in the elevator. She gave him a questioning look and he merely smiled. “Have a good evening, Anna.”

Armand was home.

Nervous tension fluttered through her stomach, cresting a wave of anticipation and excitement. She nodded slowly. “Thank you, Kyle. You too.”

The doors closed and she glanced at the apartment door. In three weeks, she went from dreading the walk into that apartment to determination to excitement and full circle back to dread. She would be okay. They would be okay. No matter what happened, if they stuck together they would survive it and she repeated the mantra every single day and sometimes twice when she was away from the man she loved.

Closing her eyes and pressing a hand against her stomach, she pulled up a smile and strode toward the door. He was home. She could see him, touch him, kiss him and tell him she loved him.

And then they could argue... Her grin turned rueful. But she actually enjoyed exasperating him almost as much as kissing him. She opened the door and her greeting faded from her lips. Soft instrumental music played from the speakers, darkness fell outside and the lights were dim.

Over a dozen people filled the room. Her gaze fell on Armand first, where he stood exactly center. Arrayed around him were Alyx and her husband, Daniel—as well as his brothers, George and Sebastian. His mother, the Dowager Duchess Marie smiled at her. Good Lord, even his cousins, the sisters Grace, as the newspapers called them, were present, along with his aunt and uncle. Richard sat in a wheelchair at the end and on his other side were her parents, her older brothers and both younger brothers and Penny—who practically bounced with excitement.

“Good evening.” Armand walked forward and took her bag to set down before catching her hands in his. “Welcome home.”

“Hi.” She glanced from him to all their guests and back again. Her stomach clenched and her heart thudded. A nameless, breathless fear coursed through her and she forced herself to look only at Armand...and to breathe.

“I’m a prince and a fool. The two are not mutually exclusive.” Armand began. When she opened her mouth to speak, he gave her a stern look and she drew her lips together silently. He nodded approvingly. “I went to college to be a man and not a prince. I found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but I was too young and too foolish to appreciate how sharing only a part of me with her could wound. I didn’t tell her the truth. When she learned it, she lost her faith in me—not because she didn’t love me—but because I lied and I forgot to treasure her. Her loss of faith and my complicity in it made me scornful and I embraced being the prince and forgot to be the man.”

Tears burned in her eyes, she desperately wanted to say something, but didn’t dare interrupt.

“Four weeks ago, I made some desperately foolish choices because I wanted to recapture those days—I wanted to be the man again, but I am a prince and a prince has consequences. I forced your hand to make you stay with me and then I tried to push you away. I’ve forgotten that even a prince can say—” and then he dropped down on one knee and gazed up at her, “—I’m sorry. I love you. I love your fire. I love your spunk. I love your determination to make a better world. I love your stubbornness and your absolute irreverence, which keeps me grounded. I am a better man with you at my side. You reminded me that I am a man and a prince. I love you, Anna Hope Novak. I don’t want to live another moment of my life without you.”

He released her hand and reached into his jacket. “I have already asked your father for his blessing and he gave it—provided you say yes. I know you never asked for any of this—” He pulled out a glass slipper and her heart flip-flopped. “I know it wasn’t your dream, but will you be my princess? Will you marry me and rescue me from this tower of loneliness? Will you be my wife forever and always?”

Anna clapped a hand over her mouth, the tears she tried desperately to stem trickled down her cheeks. Love swelled through her, while he stared up at her with naked want and desire in his eyes. The walls of pain and regret shattered and she swayed from the force of it.

He waited and she sniffed once. “Of course I’ll marry you, you idiot.”

Laughter burst through the room and Penny bounced in place, clapping.

“I will be your princess and your wife, I will stand by your side, I will smack you when you get too big for your britches and I will never walk away again. I will stand there and fight with you until we make up. It’s hard to see happily ever after when you’re living it—but I have been without my prince for too long. But I love you, Armand Charles Dagmar Andraste—”

He swallowed her last words in a kiss, surging up to wrap his arms around her. She clung to him, tears soaking her cheeks and laughter rippling through her. Applause filled the room around them and their family surged in to offer handshakes and hugs.

George stood before her, his disdainful expression far more sober. He inclined his head. “I hope you will forgive a younger brother’s desire to protect his sibling and accept my genuine welcome to the family.”

Anna gave him a quick hug and kissed his cheek. “I have two younger brothers, I know just how much of a pain they can be. Of course I forgive you.”

He actually had the grace to look sheepish and returned her embrace with only a wee bit of awkwardness. Alyx replaced him and she gave her an enthusiastic hug, her husband offered a quick kiss to the cheek and then it was Penny’s turn. Her sister squealed and danced around with her. Anna caught Armand’s amused look as her brothers surrounded him. They shook his hand, patted him on the back, and when her eldest brother leaned close and murmured in Armand’s ear, her prince nodded solemnly.

Richard winked and then Anna stood before Armand’s mother. The woman gave her a long, measuring look and held out her hands. The cool kisses she delivered to each cheek offered restrained affection.

“Thank you, my dear,” the Dowager Duchess Marie murmured. “Thank you for making my son happy again.”

“I promise, I will try to do just that every day.”

“I know you will. And you must come to Norway again and have a long visit with me. We shall become family.”

“I would like that.” Surprisingly, she meant it. She made her choice—Armand and his family, they were hers now. She glanced over to see Armand sitting on the arm of the chair and talking to Richard. But his gaze fastened on hers.

He mouthed one word. “Love.”

She grinned and mouthed “you” back.

The lights turned up, the champagne flowed and Anna sent Penny off to talk to George about his upcoming college plans. Her mother and father began to dance. Amused, she shook her head. They never missed an opportunity.

Armand’s arms slipped around her and she leaned back against his chest. “I think we can slip away now...” he murmured against her ear.

“While they are all in the penthouse?”

“Did I mention I own the whole building?”

Anna laughed and he drew her away from the gathering, the elevator waited and she hugged him as the doors closed. “I do have one question.”

“Yes, my love?”

“Do I get to have the other slipper too?”

He laughed and she grinned. It wouldn’t be easy, it wasn’t a life she would have picked, but she couldn’t imagine any other without him.

“You can have anything you want...”

And maybe happily ever after only happened in fairy tales, but she found her prince, locked away in his tower, and freed him. Together, they could slay dragons—even their own.

* * * * *

Fairy tales and reality collide in this feel-good contemporary romance from Heather Long, available now!

Some Like It Royal