Chapter 1 #2
The jet landed. Sofie pulled out a mirror and checked that her strawberry-blonde hair was tucked neatly into its French roll. She freshened her makeup, running some pink gloss across her lips. She flew so much that she knew all the tricks for looking fresh, even after a long flight.
Outside the window, she saw a crowd waiting for the plane. There were people with cameras, others holding flowers and signs.
Welcome to San Francisco, Princess Sofia.
There were also some giant, black SUVs, along with a long, black limo, and several men in suits. Rome would be there, somewhere.
A tiny tingle ran through her.
Stop it, Sofie.
The jet pulled to a stop. She rose and nodded at her father’s security men.
“I’ll see you back in Caldova.”
They nodded. “Your Highness.”
Sofia pulled her coat around her and fastened it. She pasted on her “princess” smile.
She heard the thud of heavy footsteps up the jet’s stairs, and her belly contracted.
A man stepped into the jet.
Her heart stopped.
It seemed like he took up all the space.
Suddenly, the jet was gone, the guards were gone, the crowd outside was gone.
There was only him .
Rome wore a dark suit and he wore it well. It fitted him so that she could see the muscles in those strong thighs. She licked her lips and tasted her gloss. His white shirt strained over his chest.
He lifted his head and those gorgeous, pale-green eyes focused on her. She already knew that he was a man who missed nothing, not the smallest detail. He’d know how many people were in the crowd outside, all the vehicle registrations, and the quickest routes out of the airport.
“Princess Sofia.” His voice was a deep rumble that she felt along every nerve, before sensation curled low in her belly.
The air rushed back into her lungs.
“Mr. Nash, a pleasure to see you again.” She slung her sleek bag with her laptop in it over her shoulder, not quite meeting his gaze. She kept her tone cool and professional. “Thank you for your assistance on my trip.” She stepped closer, willing him to move.
“I wanted—”
“I’m sure we can discuss security issues once we get to where I’m staying.” She shot him a cool, polite smile.
See, totally unaffected by you, and ignoring the fact that I threw myself at you and you didn’t respond.
Her gaze met his for a second, and she forgot how to breathe.
Rome had a sense of strength. He was sure of himself, rock-solid. And he was devastating to a woman’s senses.
She managed to shove past him and step into the sunshine.
Thank goodness. She could breathe again. The sun was shining, but the air was cool, and she was glad for her matching blue coat over her blue sheath dress.
Lifting a hand, she waved. She heard shouts and cheers from the crowd as she descended the steps.
She was careful to hold the railing. It paid to avoid the chance of an embarrassing tumble down the stairs.
Sofie had had more than enough self-induced embarrassment for one day.
* * *
Rome Nash followed Princess Sofia of Caldova off the jet.
She stopped halfway down the steps, waving regally to the crowd.
She was doing a damn good job of pretending he didn’t exist.
He ground his teeth together. She was beautiful, but he’d already known that. Her creamy, golden skin glowed, and her brown eyes glittered with an inner light. The sunshine lit her hair, turning it a unique shade of pink-gold.
She had perfect bone structure. She was elegant and refined, except for the fact that she had full lips that looked like they were made for sin. She wore a blue dress and coat that outlined a slender frame that had just the right amount of gentle curves in the right places.
She was a shock to the senses.
When he’d first met her in New York, he’d thought her beautiful but cool, a little icy, and boring.
The press loved to call her the Ice Princess.
But he’d spent nine hours and thirty-seven minutes with her that night, and he’d soon learned that while she had her public “princess” mode, there was a woman under the gloss.
He’d caught glimpses of the real Sofia when she’d let her guard down.
When she wasn’t all cool smiles, elegant glides, and polite chitchat, there was a smiling, friendly, energetic woman under it all. He’d heard her laugh, mutter sarcastic comments, and roll her eyes. He’d also caught her sneaking a hamburger before the ball.
No, Princess Sofia hadn’t been what he’d expected.
And when she’d kissed him…
Rome’s fingers curled into his palm. Fuck . That night, he’d come close to breaking all the rules a bodyguard had to follow.
In front of them, reporters and fans were shouting, cameras clicking. Rome was used to that. He’d provided security for lots of famous people.
The princess continued down the stairs. At the bottom step, her heel caught.
Rome shot forward and grabbed her arm.
It pushed his body up against hers. He heard her suck in a breath and his damn fingers tingled from touching her.
She steadied herself. “Thank you, Mr. Nash.” She had a slight, crisp accent, her tone slick like glass. The princess talking to the peasant.
She waved to the crowd again. She had long, delicate fingers, and wore two rings. One was a large diamond, and the other was a twisted, complicated design. Funkier than he’d imagined would suit royalty.
Rome nodded and let her go. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll take you to your accommodation.”
“Thank you, but I’d like to greet my fans first.” She stepped onto the tarmac.
“Princess, you are going to follow my orders over the next week and a half. I’m in charge of your safety.”
She stiffened. “I follow no one’s orders, Mr. Nash.” Big, brown eyes locked with his. Her gaze was firm, with a faint spark in the depths of it. “I will, of course, consider all your expert opinions on security matters.”
Hmm, there was the real woman.
“I assume you can stand behind me, looking hulking and intimidating, and keep me safe from those little girls who have flowers to give me?”
He narrowed his gaze. Her tone was still polite, but he was pretty sure that there was sarcasm hiding in there somewhere.
“Five minutes,” he said.
She smiled. “There. A compromise. We’ll work fine together, Mr. Nash.”
Rome blinked. Shit . Her smile, her real one, was gorgeous. It brought her to life.
It wasn’t the careful, polite smile she gave to the crowd. It was real, lighting up her beautiful face.
She walked ahead of him and he followed. His gaze traveled down her body.
Hell . She was slender, but she had a shapely ass. She wasn’t tall, but she wasn’t short, either, and a lot of her height was all leg.
The princess walked along the temporary barrier holding the crowd back. She waved and smiled, sharing a few words and accepting posies of flowers.
Rome followed silently behind her. He eyed the crowd. They weren’t all kids or giggling teenagers. There were hard-eyed paparazzi, and several adults, as well.
“Princess Sofia!”
“You’re so beautiful, Princess.”
“Here, Princess. I love you!”
Sofia waved and smiled.
Rome dragged in some breaths. So, she was beautiful. He’d guarded beautiful women before.
But in the four months since he’d met her, he hadn’t forgotten the feel of her pressed against him, the sensation of her lips on his, or the faint, tantalizing taste of her that she’d given him.
And since that night, he also hadn’t been with another woman. A fact he’d deliberately not examined too closely.
Princess Sofia of Caldova was strictly off-limits.
For the next two weeks, he would keep her safe. That was it.
Rome loved his job at Norcross Security. He loved the challenge of keeping his charges safe. Vander Norcross, his former Ghost Ops commander, was a good boss. Vander let Rome do his job and provided everything he needed. He also paid well.
After several years as a Navy SEAL, and then two years in Ghost Ops, doing the toughest missions of his career, Rome had been ready to stop being shot at. When Vander had offered him a job, Rome had jumped at it.
And he liked San Francisco. The only downside was that his mother and sister were on the other side of the country, but he kept an eye on them, visited them in Atlanta when he could, and they regularly visited him.
It had just been him, his mom, and his sisters since his dad took off when Rome was eight. It’d been rough, his mom working two jobs to support them. She’d depended on Rome to look out for his younger sisters.
Except he’d failed spectacularly. It’d been rough when they’d lost Lola.
Remembering his sister’s death, an ugly sensation moved through him. He ground his teeth together.
Head in the game, Nash.
He needed to keep his new charge safe. Not rehash his worst failure.
He hadn’t kept Lola safe, but he’d made a career out of protecting others.
Teenagers were pushing against the barrier, chanting the princess’ name. Sofia smiled, but he saw it dim the more they shouted.
The fence scraped on the ground, pushing forward.
Rome looked up and saw a sweating man with a ball cap staring at the princess. Beside him were two middle-aged women, recording with their phones. Everyone was shoving forward.
Two little girls, maybe seven or eight, were handing the princess some flowers.
Rome took a step closer, and waved at some of the security guards.
Then the fence gave way.
The crowd surged forward. Princess Sofia’s mouth moved, and he was pretty sure she’d cursed.
And the man in the ball cap lunged at Sofia, sunlight glinting off the knife in his hand.
Fuck . Rome charged into the fray.