Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
ALEXANDER
“Do you want to come in?” I looked at Melinda’s house and back at her.
“I just don’t really want to be alone right now.” She let out a yawn and smiled sheepishly.
“Okay,” I told her.
Locking the car I followed her into the house she sat on the sofa as her head leant back. She closed her eyes, and I couldn’t help but admire her.
She was stunning. Her hair flowed down her face. Her tight top did nothing to hide her curves because her boobs were practically begging to be let free of her bra.
Fuck, I wanted to bury my face in them.
I shook my head. I didn’t need to be getting an erection right now by looking at her this way.
I heard a soft snore. “Melinda?” I reached for the blanket covering her up and I gently pulled her shoes off and lifted her feet up.
I made my way into the kitchen and looked in the fridge for a drink. I stopped as I saw it was empty except for a few items. I opened up her cupboards to see except a few tins and spices.
Every fibre of my body was telling me to help her, but I wasn’t sure how I would be able to do it without offending her and pissing her off. I couldn’t help but think about it all night.
Maybe I should buy her some groceries. No, that would probably piss her off, too.
Damn me for liking such a stubborn girl. Maybe I could sneak in some groceries and offer to cook for her. I nodded. That was the plan.
I walked out the room heading out the door and got into the car and began to drive to the supermarket. I got out of the car, and Jones stood in front of me. “Alexander, you know you can’t go into a supermarket,” he said. “You will be recognised.”
I looked at him flatly. “I just want to get some groceries.”
“That’s sweet but impractical, you’re a Prince,” he said.
“So, I keep being reminded,” I grumbled. “Well, will you please go and buy some of the things for me?” I handed him my card. “I promise, I will stay in the car.”
“Keys” he held his hand out. I handed it to him. “Get into the car, I’m going to lock you in. Then, I know you won’t be going anywhere.”
“I’m pretty sure you aren’t meant to leave-”
“You’re not a child or a dog Alexander,” Jones interrupted, making me roll my eyes. “Now get in.”
I did as he ordered, getting into the car.
When he shut the door, I pulled my phone out and went onto the App Store.
I needed to download TikTok after what the girls were saying.
A few seconds later I had my account, and I was scrolling the for you page.
I watched as a dog ran from the water with a fish in its mouth and chuckled.
I liked the video and got sucked into watching funny dog videos.
A knock on the window jolted my phone from my hand onto the floor in front of me, I turned to see Jones stood by the door.
It unlocked, and I opened the door. “You scared the life out of me,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re meant to protect me, not kill me.”
“Don’t be dramatic, Alexander,” Jones rolled his eyes. He handed me my card and shoved the bags back into the car. “I brought you things for a few meals and soft drinks, even though you should be able to cook them.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Follow me to the house and then I want you to make yourself scarce.”
I grabbed my keys from his hand, placing them in the keyhole. “Hey, Jones Thanks.” He nodded, walking away to his car.
I reversed out the parking bay and drove the short trip to her house. I got out of the car grabbing the bags from the backseat and locked the car heading to her door. I did a quick survey of the area to make sure I wasn’t being followed by any paparazzi.
In terms of being with Melinda, I hadn’t been caught, but it was only a matter of time before the bubble would be popped. I entered the house heading straight to the kitchen and began to empty the shopping bags and guessed where things went.
I headed back into the living room and looked through the TikTok app and sat with Melinda as she caught up on some sleep.
A few hours later, she twisted and let out a groan as she sat up. “What year is it?”
I let out a little laugh. “It’s still the same year you fell asleep in.”
She reached for her phone and tapped the screen. “You didn’t have to stay, Alex. Thank you.”
“You are welcome,” I said.
She lifted her arms into the air as she stretched, her top rose showing her skin.
I bit my lip as I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
She stood up and headed into the kitchen.
I wondered if she would notice the groceries. Maybe I would get away with it.
“What the fuck? Alex!”
I headed into the kitchen, leaning against the door.
She was staring into her fridge.
I couldn’t tell if she was angry or happy. “Yes?”
“Alex, I can’t let you buy all this. Let me get some money.”
She headed towards me, and I grabbed her arm softly, stopping her in her tracks. “Melinda, I didn’t buy this for you to give me money back.”
“I’m not a charity case.”
I couldn’t help but feel slightly offended.
How could she think I would assume she was a charity case.
“You aren’t a charity case. I did this because I wanted to do something nice.
” I brushed a strand of her hair away from her face.
“You carry so much, and you look a little stressed. I wanted to do something that would help you feel less stressed.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line as she looked at her feet for a few moments. “Okay.”. She looked at me.
I could see apprehension and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“Thank you.” She reached up and wiped her cheek, letting out a sniffle. I pulled her into a hug as more tears fell down her cheeks. “I’m not even sure why I’m crying.”. “Thank you, Alex. Nobody has ever done something like this for me.”
“You’re welcome. I’m just glad you didn’t fight me too much on this,” I said, releasing her.
I heard the car alarm and frowned. I walked towards the front door, opening it to see the lights flashing. I pressed the button, silencing the alarm no doubt a car went past a little too close.
“How many cars do you own?”
I turned to see Melinda stood behind me, and I smiled a little. “Me personally? Two. This one doesn’t really get seen. It keeps me under the radar.”
“Are you a spy?”
I burst out laughing and shaking my head. “A spy attending university? Not likely.”
She grinned. “I didn’t say it was a good idea. How about this? If I guess what you are and your secret identity you have to tell me.”
I raised an eyebrow as she moved around the kitchen. “Why are you so sure that I have a secret identity?”
She cocked her head to the side and her eyes grew wide. “Really?”
“What?”
“Alex, you have an adult babysitter. You have two very fancy cars, and you have drivers. So, you clearly have some kind of secret.”
“Okay. You can guess. You won’t get it right.”
I was confident. I was sure that she was never going to guess that I was a Prince, so I was safe.
“I’m a good guesser,” she teased.
“Not that good. I’d rather you didn’t guess. I like you not knowing who I am. I like you a lot. I love that you treat me normally. You have no idea how much that means to me.” I hoped showing her a little more of this side of me would be enough. I hoped it would be enough.
“Okay,” she said with a little nod. “I won’t ask questions. Promise me one thing?”
“Anything.”
“I wouldn’t promise that so lightly,” she said, shaking my head. “Don’t hurt me.”
“I promise.” That was a promise I intended to keep, a very easy one. She shut the front door going back into the kitchen and followed her. “How about we play a game of twenty questions?”
“Favourite colour?”
“Easy,” I laughed. “Gold matches my—” I stopped mid-sentence, realising I was about to say crown.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Erm, never mind. It’s gold. Yours?”
“Purple,” she said, not pressing about what I was going to say.
“Favourite memory?” I asked curiously.
The more I could know about her the better.
“Meeting Megan,” she said easily. “That girl is my ride or die. My left leg to my right leg, you know the drill. Do you have any siblings?”
I grinned. “I do.” I pulled my phone out, loading up some photos to show her. “I have three younger brothers and one baby sister. Elizabeth is my favourite. She’s four. I will have to introduce you both. Let me show you a picture.” I turned the phone around to show her.
“Oh my gosh, she’s cute! She looks like you. You seem like a good brother.”
“I hope so.”
If anything I loved Elizabeth and would do anything for her, a fact she did take advantage of so much. “Do you have any siblings?”
“Nope, I’m an only child,” she said. “Just me and my mum.”
“What about your dad?” I asked curiously.
“He’s not my dad. If anything, the man is a sperm donor. Then, I’ll have nothing to do with him,” she said, frowning.
Clearly, I had hit a sore spot. We stayed in the kitchen asking different questions, and I loved how much I was getting to know her.
“How about we make some food?”
She nodded, pottering around the kitchen and handing me two potatoes. “How about we have jacket potatoes?”
I nodded and placed them on the counter. I reached for the knife and stared at the potato.
How did one make a jacket potato?
The sharp knife was removed from my hand, and I saw Melinda standing there eyes wide. “Have you ever cooked before?”
Was it that obvious?
“No,” I said, dragging the word out.
She shook her head stabbing the potatoes before wrapping them in tin foil placing them in the oven to cook. My phone started ringing and I frowned, I walked over to the table picking the phone and saw it was mum. I answered the phone, immediately straightening back up. “Alexander.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“I’m leaving the country for a little bit, I have a meeting in one of the neighbouring countries,” mum said.
“When are you flying?” I asked curiously.
“The jet is going to be taking me in an hour, and I couldn’t find you. Now, I know you don’t have a lecture, so I am curious where you are,” mum said.
“Nowhere,” I lied.
“Alexander.”
“I’ll explain later,” I said hoping she would accept that.
“Okay, but you will need to return home. Your father would like to speak with you and Elizabeth is requesting a bedtime story,” mum said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I love you, Alexander.”
I ended the call, my mother always ended our phone calls with I love you. “So, what is going with the Jacket potato?”
“Baked beans,” Melinda said. “Nothing can beat baked beans and a jacket potato, simple and stunning.” She reached into the fridge, pulling out a soft drink and handed it to me.
I opened it, took a small sip, and sat down at the table.
“So tell me, what’s your favourite hobby?”
“Horseback riding,” I said immediately.
“Wow, really?”
“Yeah, I love horseback riding, we learnt as kids I think we could ride a horse before we could walk properly. I’ll have to take you horseback riding someday.”
“Are you asking me on a date?” She asked.
“That depends,” I mumbled. “Are you going to say yes?”
She nodded a little and I couldn’t help but grin. “Yes I’ll go on a date with you.”
I grinned.
Hell yes.
I couldn’t wait. Now, I just needed to plan the most amazing first date ever.
I watched her as she walked around the kitchen preparing food.
A few hours later, we had dinner. Melinda and I were currently sitting on the sofa with a blanket resting over us as she was flipping through the channels.
I reached over, taking the remote off her and turning off the TV. “There’s only so much flickering between channels one person can take,” I said flatly. “You wanted to know more about me?”
“Only if you’re comfortable with telling me.”
“I don’t have a middle name,” I said. “My last name is George. My family is very well known, and we are in the public eye.”
She narrowed her eyes, “If you’re in the public eye, how come I don’t have a clue who you are?”
“You don’t pay attention?” I offered. “One day, I will have to take over the responsibility and everything in me wants to escape, but I can’t because it’s my duty.”
“Is this duty a bad thing?”
“Sometimes,” I admitted. My phone began to ring, and I groaned looking at the caller ID. “Jones, I’m busy.”
“I’m aware of that, sir. I wouldn’t call unless it was essential. The paparazzi is at your location.”
“I don’t care what you have to do, Jones. Just get them away from here.”
I ended the call pushing the blanket off me, I noticed a flash at the window, I stood up pulling the blinds a little and saw that some paparazzi was looking at the car.
Dammit, maybe it wasn’t as hidden as I thought.
“Alex, what’s happening?”
I turned to look at Melinda and gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” I said. I had no idea how I would explain this to her. I just hoped she wouldn’t ask anymore questions. “How about you show me your favourite reality show?”
She clapped her hands together, sitting back on the sofa. “You have no idea what you are letting yourself in for.”
“Can’t wait.”
“Didn’t you have to go home?”
I shrugged. “Eh, it can wait.”