Page 29

T he following afternoon, we say goodbye to Ryland, Harper, Saint and Mia who are heading back to Cádiz. I’m going to miss Spain, but before we return to Denver, I fly the team to the French Riviera where Addie has set up a meeting to return the emerald to its rightful owner.

I’m not sure what to expect, but it certainly isn’t a real-life princess and her family’s stunning royal estate.

It’s practically a castle and puts Torres’ mansion to shame.

Princess Rosalie is a small, curvy blonde and insists we call her Rose.

She exudes gratitude when Addie hands her the ginormous emerald and tells us it’s been in her family for generations.

I’ve never been in the presence of royalty before, so I’m not sure what to say or do. And even though Rose is proper and ladylike in every way, she has a friendly presence and exudes warmth, which helps put everyone at ease.

Well, except Linc whose arms are crossed and looks like he has a pole up his ass. I’m not sure why he’s being more standoffish than usual, but I notice Addie slant him a warning look a couple of times.

“What’s up with Linc?” I ask Knox in a low voice.

“He’s still pissed off that Addie wants him to play babysitter, er, bodyguard to the princess.”

“Oh, right,” I chuckle. “Well, I think Rose seems nice.”

She even invites us to lunch, and while I know everyone wants to get home, how do you say no to royalty? Quite simply, you don’t.

Addie graciously accepts on all our behalf, and Rose leads us through the airy mansion.

The open floor plan and high ceilings leave me a little wide-eyed, and a lot intimidated.

It’s clear this place belongs to people with excellent taste and the bank to furnish it.

The huge home incorporates unique architectural features like statement chandeliers, interesting artwork and plenty of luxury materials such as custom pillows and tapestries.

We walk past endless floral arrangements, open windows and, finally, step onto a large back veranda.

I pause mid-step, taking in the stunning view.

The bright blue water sparkles like a gem, yachts bobbing on its placid surface.

My hair lifts on the salt-tinged air, and fragrant blooms lace it with sweetness.

A long table is perfectly set and pitchers of ice-cold limoncello are already being poured into our chilled glasses as we sit down.

“Wow,” I murmur under my breath. Fresh flowers spill over vases and, once we’re all seated, servants carry out trays of food and serve us. “I could get used to this.”

Knox reaches for my hand under the table and squeezes. “I may be utterly charismatic and devastatingly handsome, but I’ll never be royalty.”

“That’s okay. You’ll always be my Prince Charming.”

He lifts my hand and kisses my knuckles. “And you will always be my lovely Sparrow.”

We dive into the amazing spread our hostess has provided, and everything is delicious. At some point, Addie presses Rose for more information about her needing a bodyguard. I don’t miss Linc’s grunt right before he stuffs half a croissant into his mouth.

“Not for me,” she clarifies. “For my good friend, Merritt.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Addie quickly apologizes. “My contact mentioned that a princess needed a bodyguard. I assumed it was you.”

We all know her “contact” is The Man.

“Oh, she’s a princess alright.”

As if on cue, a beautiful woman with brown hair swept up into a loose chignon walks onto the patio. Wearing a lace-trimmed blouse and slim-fitting pencil skirt, she’s the picture of elegance and sophistication.

“Sorry, I’m late,” she says a little breathlessly, heels clicking. Her blue eyes sweep down the table and she lightly fingers the statement ruby necklace hanging around her neck.

“Everyone, this is Princess Merritt Fontaine, her Royal Highness of Arcadia,” Rose announces.

“Oh, please,” Merritt says with a wave of her delicate hand, “it’s just Merritt.”

From across the table, I see Linc sit up straighter, his full attention on Merritt.

“You know how I feel about royal titles,” Merritt continues with a slight grumble, pulling out the empty chair beside Linc. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

He clears his throat and shakes his head like a dog who just jumped out of its bath. “No,” he finally manages to croak, and I lift my fancy cloth napkin to hide my smile. The imposing former fighter seems a little flustered, and it’s freaking adorable.

“Addie and her lovely associates returned my family’s emerald,” Rose says, “and I was just about to tell them how you need a bodyguard.”

“I don’t need a bodyguard,” she clarifies, “but my parents are insisting. Specifically, they want someone not connected to Arcadia who can accompany me back to New York. Personally, I think they’re being a little overprotective.”

“Someone tried to kidnap her,” Rose states dramatically.

Everyone perks up at that little tidbit and Linc’s dark eyes narrow.

“It was a misunderstanding.” Merritt tries to brush it off and reaches for her glass of limoncello. Pink-painted nails tap against the crystal before she takes a dainty sip.

I can’t help but notice Linc watching her every move. The gruff man can’t seem to look away.

“Anyway,” she continues, setting her drink down, “the bigger issue is someone attempted to steal the crown.”

“I’d say you almost being kidnapped is the bigger issue,” Linc states in his gravelly voice. They lock gazes, staring each other down, but neither relents.

I’m guessing no one normally challenges the princess, and the former fighter is used to winning. No one misses the palpable tension between them.

“Crown?” Addie echoes, leaning forward.

Merritt nods, pulling her attention off Linc. “My parents want to know how so it doesn’t happen again. Your company was referred to them, and they’d like to hire A-Squared Enterprises to make sure our security is top-notch and there’s no chance of thieves getting their hands on it.”

Oh, boy. A princess wants to hire a crew of thieves to check out her security system? I squirm in my seat, hoping against hope they don’t rob her blind. Just because they did one good deed doesn’t guarantee it will happen again.

“We’d be more than happy to help you,” Addie says smoothly. “A-Squared will make sure your security system is updated. No one will be able to breach it once we’re finished.”

Several looks fly around the table between Addie’s people.

“If Linc isn’t able to watch over Miss Fontaine, I’d be more than happy to do it,” Ryder offers with a smug grin.

“I got it,” Linc practically growls, glaring at Ryder.

“Good. Then it’s settled,” Addie says, quickly intervening. “Linc will assume bodyguard duties for Merritt and we will head to Arcadia to update and test the current security system.”

More small talk and general questions about Arcadia prove rather quickly that Merritt is a reluctant princess. She doesn’t go into any specifics, but whenever the words “princess” or “royalty” are mentioned, she brushes them aside with a slight frown or telling twist of her lips.

Hmm. Interesting . Looking from Merritt to Linc, I wonder how this duo of unwilling princess and her grudging bodyguard will pan out. Stay tuned.

Lunch wraps up with a light lemon sorbet and then I politely excuse myself. I need to get to the jet and make sure we’re ready to go. Knox decides to come with me while the rest of the crew plans to sit down with Merritt to find out more intel about the new job.

As we’re walking back into the mansion, Addie lifts her buzzing phone and scowls at the screen before shoving it back into her purse. I noticed it rang several times throughout lunch, and Knox must have, too.

“Who keeps calling?” he asks Addie.

She looks up, distracted, and runs a hand through her beachy, blonde waves. “Cole Freaking Vaughn,” she hisses angrily. “I should sic my brother’s team on him. Or change my number.”

“He’s becoming a problem,” Knox says.

“He’s a major pain in my ass. My mom warned me to always steer clear of the Denver P.D., and I’ve tried, but Vaughn is a persistent prick. He still thinks we had something to do with that museum theft last year.”

“Well, we sort of did,” Knox murmurs.

“No, we didn’t!” Addie exclaims. “I only gave advice. We didn’t take a damn thing.”

“No, technically, we didn’t. But your advice allowed Laurent to successfully steal the painting.”

“How is it my fault the museum has a gaping hole in their security? I merely pointed it out to Laurent.” She sniffs. “Now he owes me a favor—and that’s a good card to be holding.”

I listen, absolutely fascinated. I’m willing to bet Addison Mills can quickly justify everything she’s ever stolen.

“Speaking of your mom…” Knox stops walking, looking from me to Addie. “I haven’t mentioned this yet, but when I was trying to break the code to release Hunter from that case…I heard Angel.”

Addie’s entire face softens. “What do you mean?”

“It’s like she was right there beside me, whispering in my ear. She encouraged me, told me I could do it.”

“And you didn’t give up,” I say softly.

“No.” He reaches for my hand. “She said I was destined for love.”

Our gazes lock and the purest love passes between us. But something is bothering me. I glance over at Addie and bluntly ask, “Are you going to steal from the princess?”

A strange look passes over her face, but then she shakes her head. “No.” I’m not sure I entirely believe her, but she continues, “The Man merely wants us to tighten the Fontaine’s security and keep Princess Merritt safe.”

I’m happy to hear it, because I genuinely like Merritt. She seems sweet and I’d hate to see anyone take advantage of her. The entire situation does set me to wondering who this mysterious person called The Man really is. And how long will they blindly follow his orders?

“Aren’t we becoming the infamous Robin Hood?” Knox asks cheekily, but he doesn’t seem to mind at all. “It’s kind of fun for a change. Giving instead of always taking. I think Angel would approve.”

He gives Addie’s shoulder a little squeeze then turns to me.

“Let’s go, Sparrow. I want some alone time with you before the rest of the crew arrives.” He waggles his brows and I chuckle.

“I have a pre-flight check to perform, Mr. Beckett. I don’t need distractions.”

“Behave you two,” Addie scolds and walks away to join the others.

She’s barely out of sight before Knox grabs me in his arms, pulling me against his hard length. Tilting my head back, I look up into his gorgeous eyes and melt. He’s everything I’ve always wanted in a partner, and then some.

“I have no intention of behaving,” he whispers naughtily and nips my lower lip.

“Maybe—after my check—we might have some time to…”

“To what?” Those roughly-spoken words make his chest rumble against mine.

I give him my most disarming smile. “Misbehave?”

Another deep, almost primal growl vibrates through him. “You call me a charmer? You, my little Sparrow, are the most beguiling, most irresistible, most intoxicating creature I have ever met. And I am so far under your spell.”

Despite my initial fears and misgivings, I now know there is nothing I would change about this incredible man.

I tighten my arms around his neck and push up onto my toes, brushing the tip of my nose against his. “You caught me, my thief. Now what do you plan on doing with me?”

“So many wicked things. I’m going to corrupt you silly.”

I throw my head back and laugh. But the laughter cuts off when his mouth captures mine in a kiss to end all other kisses. Savoring the moment before we begin the next adventure, I realize that neither of us is perfect, and that’s perfectly alright.

I’ve finally found my man, and learned it’s so very easy to love a thief.

I hope you enjoyed Knox and Hunter’s story. Are you ready to watch big, tough Linc fall for Princess Merritt Fontaine? Because their story is coming soon!