Page 38 of Some Like It Scandalous (Going Royal #2)

Anna barely slept. She’d readied herself for bed, half expecting him to burst in the door at any moment.

But he didn’t. Rising before the alarm went off, she showered and dressed.

He would try to tell her they needed to separate for a while, she would say no.

He might even order her to leave—but she’d heard his declaration the night before.

Yes, he was a royal jackass. But he was her royal ass.

He loves me. I’m not going anywhere.

The staff came through sometime during the night or maybe in the early hours of the morning.

All the debris of her ambush had been cleaned up and breakfast set out, including scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, sausage and fried potatoes.

The warmers kept the food hot and she took time to make a plate, and pour a cup of coffee before settling down with her digital tablet.

Setting the scene was important. She opened her email to see a report from Kate waiting for her on the final tally from the gala. The helpful assistant who just happened to also be a bodyguard—weren’t Armand and his men clever?

Armand. She rolled the name around her mental palate.

It wasn’t as hard to think of him that way.

He was still Charlie beneath. But he was also the prince.

The grand duke. The head of his family. She had hours the night before to work into a good steaming mad and time to think.

Once she’d got past the jealousy it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.

Rick knew his best friend and he’d told her to look past the news, what they reported—well, hinted that she should—and he was right.

The prince put on a grand show and she very nearly let him suck her into that vortex.

The door opened down the hall and she sat forward, picking up a piece of bacon and nibbling it as she “perused” the email report. But the first thing she saw were the zeroes and her jaw dropped.

“Good morning— What’s wrong?” Armand’s voice tinged heavy with concern. He walked over to the table and dropped down to crouch next to her.

“Kate sent me a report of last night’s final figures…” She turned the tablet to him. “We raised fifty million dollars.” The figure wasn’t exact, and Kate emphasized that the accountants would give her a true and accurate statement, but fifty million dollars would send a lot of kids to school.

A hell of a lot.

“Congratulations.” Armand kissed her forehead and rose. He walked over to pour himself a cup of coffee. “You were amazing last night, if I forgot to tell you.”

“You did, but with all that cleavage hanging off of you, I’m not surprised you’d forget about me.”

“Anna, it was a diversion.” He sighed. “I did it on purpose.”

“Oh, I know.” She smiled at him and took a bite out of her bacon. “I just haven’t forgotten how comfortable you looked.”

He carried his coffee over and hooked out the chair next to hers. Sitting down, he gave her a kind, almost soft look. She waited.

“Two months?—”

“Nope.” She went back to her food and flipped the email to the next note.

He drummed his fingers against the table. “You’re not listening to me.”

“Oh, I listened to you just fine. You’re terribly worried for my safety because of a threat and you want us to take a break for a few months so the press will blow over and then perhaps we might be able to see each other…” She glanced at him.

“Exactly. It’s not an ideal situation, but you would be safer.”

“And in this grand plan after we take our break, do we get to see each other every other weekend? Or perhaps one weekend a month? Oh, I know, we schedule alternating holidays where we happen to encounter each other…” She paused at his consternated frown. “Seriously, that was your plan?”

“For a short while, yes.” He didn’t sound terrifically happy about her reaction to it.

She decided against throwing her coffee in his face. She rather loved his face. But the eggs would do a lot to spoil his royal dignity. “No.” Flipping to the next email, she picked up her toast and took a bite.

A long huffing sigh. “You’re being impossible.”

“No, I’m being Anna. You’re Armand. I’m Anna.

We’re a couple. That means we’re together—not living in distant cities acting like strangers, not meeting accidentally in foreign lands…

Together. The whole package. You and me.

” She flipped the digital pad closed and dropped the toast on the plate. She wasn’t particularly hungry anyway.

“I could leave tonight. Head to Europe.” Frustration edged his voice, his fingers curling into a fist.

“All right, well, when you get back, I’ll be right here.

Unless they change the locks…” That was definitely within his purview.

“In which case, I’ll be on the fourteenth floor.

Did you know we have three thousand square feet?

I don’t think it will look remotely odd if I’m living there.

” She rose and leaned over to kiss him softly.

“Speaking of which, I have to go to work. I love you. I hope I’ll see you later. ”

Tucking her digital tablet under her arm, she walked to the door. She’d forgotten her purse, but she wasn’t about to ruin her exit by going back for it. She let herself out and walked over to the elevator.

Kyle stood inside when it dinged open and he gave her a small encouraging smile. “You play a mean hardball, Miss Novak. Keep it up.”

She grinned and they rode down silently to the fourteenth floor.

ARMAND

“She’s impossible.” Armand paced in front of the window of the hospital room. Richard had finally been released from the surgical floor and security arranged for a private room. It would still be a few days before he could go home.

“Really? Do tell.” His best friend sat up in bed, his bruised face looked like hell—the green and yellow splotches somehow uglier than the deep purple when he’d been admitted.

“She won’t listen to reason. I told her I love her, I’ve told her I want to be with her…”

“Then listen to her.” Richard interrupted the diatribe. “And point of order, I’m pretty sure the words you told me you used were ‘maybe in a few months’ and ‘a jackass who loves you.’ Of course, I’m on painkillers and you’re upset. So maybe I’m wrong.”

Armand glared at him. “You’re extremely blasé about this. I would think after your accident…”

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, sir. Destination?”

“Kansas. But don’t tell her that.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”