“Hello?”
“Timmy, baby, it’s me.”
“Do they have you captive? Remember our safe word.”
“We’re in the lobby. The Viking look-alike is about to take me wherever we’re going. Is Luis there?”
“Yes, he’s tracking the conversation.”
I smile to myself. “Good.” I glance up at the monstrous man in front of me and say, “You may proceed with wherever you’re taking me.”
The man adjusts the cuffs of his jacket and starts making his way through the lobby, me following behind him and the suit behind me. Like ducklings in a row, we cross the tiled floor.
We dodge a few of the single ladies looking for a good time from earlier. They already have drinks in hand and are eyeing the hotel bar for any incoming hockey players. We move past a restaurant full of the glitz and glam of vibrant Miami fashion and to a back door that leads to a private rooftop overlooking the pool.
“What’s going on?” Timmy asks over the phone. “Have they bound and gagged you?”
“No, they’re just taking me to a private rooftop area. It’s all very dreamy out here. We really need to hang out at the Moxy more.”
Flowers cascade down perfectly placed pergolas draped in string lights, and red couches line the back wall, with round, stone coffee tables placed in front of them. Candles are lit up on every surface, while the aroma of fresh flowers, sunscreen, and this evening’s dishes float through the air.
“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you brought me up here to propose.” I glance around. “Is this some sort of hidden camera thing? One of those blind marry-me shows?” Calling out to empty space, I say, “Okay, camera crew, I’m onto you, come on out.”
The Viking gestures to a red couch and says, “Take a seat.”
Okay, he’s unamused.
I set my clutch on the coffee table in front of me and then maneuver my body down to the soft surface of the couch, sinking in further than I expected. I adjust my V-neck once again and when I glance up, I catch his eyes on me, studying.
“What?” I ask. “Did I have a nip slip?”
Without a word, he takes a seat next to me on the couch, not so close that I feel like he’s going to make a move, but not so far that I have to shout to have a conversation. A respectable distance.
“I thought I told you to wear something decent?”
“Ooo, I missed the memo on when you became the boss of my body.”
“Good one,” Timmy says on the phone.
“Thank you.” I chuckle.
“I’m going to need you to end that phone call,” the Viking says. “What I’m about to tell you is highly classified.”
“But they’re making sure I’m not murdered.”
“Trust me when I say it’s in my best interest not to murder you. Now hang up,” he says in such a forceful tone that I lean in to the speaker of the phone.
“Uh, I think I need to go. You have the phone pinned?”
“Yes,” Timmy answers. “Call me after. I want to know what’s highly classified.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you later.” I hang up the phone and hand it over to its faithful owner.
He sticks it in his coat pocket as he says, “You will not be discussing this conversation outside of the two people involved: you and me.”
“Okay, sure.” I wink at him.
“Miss Campbell, this is not a joking matter.”
I cross one leg over the other and wave dismissively at him. “I’ll be the judge of that.” I rub my hands together and ask, “Okay, so what’s all the secrecy about?”
Chapter Two
KELLER
Go find her.
Bring her home.
Train her.
Seemed simple at the time. A task I didn’t want, but something I was more than willing to do because my country means more to me than anything.
After seeing Lilly Campbell, King Theodore’s one and only heir, spray water on scantily clad women and a man who found humor in humping the air in public, I realized this is going to be a huge undertaking. And possibly, an erroneous mistake.
“Soo . . . I’m waiting,” Lilly says, blinking those dangerously light blue eyes at me. Ones I’ve looked into many times. Theo’s eyes.
But what I wasn’t expecting was how absolutely stunningly beautiful Lilly would be. Is. Long, white-blonde hair that falls just over her small yet perky breasts, eyes the color of ice crystals, full lips stained in light pink, and a slender frame still curvy enough in all the right places for a man to grip on to. And those lashes of hers—long and dark—which reveal a depth to her eyes I’m sure she’s unaware of.