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Which surprised me since this particular woman was neither blonde nor leggy.“I don’t know Ted, this onemighthurt.”

The corner of his lip twitched up.“The best onesalwaysdo.”

He hopped up.“Well since you seem to be doing better and I have finally found someone worth getting punched in the nuts for, I’ll leave you to it.”He was gone before I could even wishhimluck.

I snuck a peek across the pool...and caught Cowboystaring.

Atme.

A shiver raced down my spine as our eyes collided.The heat I saw there combined with the fact that he didn’t flinch or look away when I caught him?No, instead he owned it, drank me in for another long moment, then gave me a curt nod before putting his sunglasses back on and closing hiscomputer.

The blood pounded in my ears as I processedmyreaction.What was this thing I was feeling?I was attracted to Cowboy, there was zero doubt about that, but it was more.Something I couldn’t quite name.My skin tingled just thinking about him but when he looked at me?Those tingles turned to fire.And it wasn’t just because I liked the way he looked in that hat and those trunks.It was him.His mood, his attitude.The way he focused on his work at a pool in the middle of paradise, the way it seemed to irritate him even as he took care of it.I was attracted to hiscommitment.

That was something very important to me.I grew up with two parents who lacked that word in their vocabulary.I got lucky being the favorite child, not that it was much of an improvement over what my older sister put up with.Having a crown hanging over your head is hard enough to live up to, but when your parents make your family dynasty look likeajoke?

Well, let’s just say there are more than a few memes floating around about my lack oftalent.

Which is fine.It hurts to see people judging me and making fun of me because of my name, but it also gives me something to work for.Every time I step onto a new set it’s with conviction.I will play this role as if it were my sole purpose for living.I will be better than everyone else.I will live up to mygrandmother’sname.

Eventually I will have done this enough that the jokes will stop and people will start taking meseriously.

That is...if I could get my parents to act like adults for a few months inarow.

“Um...did you order a shrimpcocktail?”

I turned into a wall of muscle.My eyes traveled up the well-defined abs, over the gorgeously strong shoulders, and up into the eyes of my cowboy.He had a golden glow around him thanks to the bright blue sky, but it was really hard to miss the fact that it matched the blue inhiseyes.

“Ummm...no?”

He shifted uncomfortably.“Yeah, well, you see the kid who’s been running all our food today?He stopped me at the bar and said the redhead across from me needed this right away and I needed to take it to you.When I asked why he said to tell you ‘You’re welcome, Princess.Now have fun.’”He made a face.“I really hope that made sense to you because it sounds crazytome.”

Ted was going to die.He was the only person on the planet who called me Princess and it was an old joke that went back to high school.“Yes, that actually does make sense.I’m sorry you got pulled into that.”I took the cocktail and set it on the table, surprised by how much Ifeltthe sexy cowboy standing nexttome.

Weird.

“It’s okay.I mean, I’m always happy to lend a hand.”He shifted onto his heels and shrugged.“Are you really aprincess?”

“No!”I laughed.“I just have a nosy friend with a terrible sense ofhumor.”

“You never know at a placelikethis.”

“True.Are you aprince?”

He grinned.“Not evenclose.”

“Would you like to sit?”I gestured to the empty chairbesideme.

He hesitated.“The gentlemanyou’rewith?”

“Is currently working on getting himself killed.”I pointed over to where Ted was attempting to put the moves on the brunette who’d caught his eye.“Ted is my best friend.We are most definitelynottogether.”

“Then yes, I’d like to sit for a minute.”He’d left his hat by his chair but I found that he didn’t look all that different.Still rugged.Still masculine.The man had presence, that was for sure.He held himself with authority.The kind that my father, “the war hero”, was known for.Except Roger always came off as arrogant to me, as if everyone should fall at his feet simply because he was Roger Lawrence, whereas this cowboy had an ease that went hand in hand with his confidence, as if he were very comfortable being a man of authority and he’d give you a dozen reasons why if you needed it.There was intelligence in his eyes as he quickly observed his surroundings, and a kind smile for each person he made eye contact with—until hereachedme.

That kindness seemed to grow into something quite different each time our eyes locked.Maybe I was imagining it because I wanted him to crave me the same way I was already craving him, but I didn’tthinkso.

“I noticed you were working a few minutes ago.I think that’s against the rules of the resort,Mister...”

“Colt,” he said quickly, his voice rumbling.“My name is Colt, no mister or sir, if you please.Andyouare?”